List Your CO Heroes!

[psigar]

Re: List Your CO Heroes!

 

Psigar (40):Psionic Archer

 

Wizard of Wor (40):Wizard ('natch)

 

Loup DeGuerre (40 Cybernetic Alien/Werewolf (long story)):force

 

Kedusa (40 cursed): fear/healer

 

Blood Diamond (40 reformed master thief): gadgeteer (used to have sneak til they took it away sniff...sniff...)

 

Cold Warrior (40): cold powers (I know you're in shock - you were expecting fire, fooled you!)

 

2095 (40):technopath (although in this game- electrical powers) and yes she is named after the song by ELO

 

Feuerfliege (40): mutant with fire powers (I miss the original Blight of the Living Dead open mission)

 

Nightmare Moon (40)(daughter of a human/succubus marriage):supernatural/magic (note:not anyway inspired by MLP)

 

Rigor Mortis (40):darkness/might

 

Mr Blister (40):fire powers (different build than Feuerfliege)

 

Physical Ed (40):force/might

 

P.I.T.A. (40):boomerang energy builder only (Yes he went from 1 to 40 with only an energy builder. I only used the eb in the tutorial and when I left, I went to the powerhouse and removed the second power.)

 

The following characters I created at launch (and took them to the Canadian Crisis). I have kept them there until Cryptic adds the powersets I want them to have in the game:

 

TerraHawk (37):earth controller (she is an exception since they did add earth (sort of) I am leveling her through the alerts using only the first 2 earth powers. They really should have made an earth powerset as an elemental, not as a skin for might, just my opinion).

 

Doctor Hemlock (10) plant/storm controller (yes some of the powers exist in the game but until plant control shows up she stays put.)

 

Lady Corrigan (10):sonic control

Chiarore (10): nuclear speedster

 

That's it for my main account. I won't delve into my other accounts at the moment.

[Jake Weiner]

Re: List Your CO Heroes!

 

Here is my new character. just started playing today

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]44799[/ATTACH]

[Plex]

Re: List Your CO Heroes!

 

I've been playing on and off for about a year now as , no surprise, Plex. I am now a 28th level Behemoth. I typically only ever play solo unless there is an event or an alert I feel like playing. I'm having fun and I like the new storyline about Destroyer coming back. (When it works) I have yet to actually move from the free to play version, but i am considering it. I really haven't tried to play on a team yet. But I am having fun exploring the universe and randomly getting into trouble. i liked making my Nemesis, but all I have been fighting since the first meet is the occasional group of minions. It's been fun especially since it has been a few years since i was able to find anyone to play the RPG.

[sinanju]

Re: List Your CO Heroes!

 

I just started playing and have only one character out of the training mission.

 

Oklahoma Kid, LVL 11 Archer.

 

I created him as a throw away while learning the game but started liking him as a played and improved him. A subscription is out of means right now ; so, I am still stuck with the beginning generic archetypes.

 

I have a subscription. I have had for several months now. I still just play archetypes. I know they're supposedly not as good as freeform characters, but this is my first MMO and I haven't a clue how to minimax the game for maximum effectiveness (especially the gear you can use), so I'm content with archetypes.

[Klytus]

Re: List Your CO Heroes!

 

I've been playing on and off for about a year now as ' date=' no surprise, Plex. I am now a 28th level Behemoth. I typically only ever play solo unless there is an event or an alert I feel like playing. I'm having fun and I like the new storyline about Destroyer coming back. (When it works) I have yet to actually move from the free to play version, but i am considering it. I really haven't tried to play on a team yet. But I am having fun exploring the universe and randomly getting into trouble. i liked making my Nemesis, but all I have been fighting since the first meet is the occasional group of minions. It's been fun especially since it has been a few years since i was able to find anyone to play the RPG.[/quote']

 

It was quite fortunate when my gf (now my wife) took an interest in CO after watching me play online one night. Nothing beats having a mission partner who is in the same room as you for ease of mid-combat-communication.

 

 

I have a subscription. I have had for several months now. I still just play archetypes. I know they're supposedly not as good as freeform characters' date=' but this is my first MMO and I haven't a clue how to minimax the game for maximum effectiveness (especially the gear you can use), so I'm content with archetypes.[/quote']

 

Scan the forums - there are plenty of good tips out there for getting the most bang for your buck on Freeform builds.

 

Of course, I've been a lifetime member since Day One, so I can't even conceive not being Freeform.

[Pattern Ghost]

Re: List Your CO Heroes!

 

I have a subscription. I have had for several months now. I still just play archetypes. I know they're supposedly not as good as freeform characters' date=' but this is my first MMO and I haven't a clue how to minimax the game for maximum effectiveness (especially the gear you can use), so I'm content with archetypes.[/quote']

 

Some guides for you:

 

http://co-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?t=138575

http://champions-online.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=gameguides&action=display&thread=470

http://co-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?t=145720

http://co-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?t=145568

http://champions-online.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=gameguides&action=display&thread=362

 

And an online character builder tool:

 

http://powerhouse.nullware.com/powerhouse.html

[sinanju]

Re: List Your CO Heroes!

 

Some guides for you:

 

http://co-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?t=138575

http://champions-online.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=gameguides&action=display&thread=470

http://co-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?t=145720

http://co-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?t=145568

http://champions-online.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=gameguides&action=display&thread=362

 

And an online character builder tool:

 

http://powerhouse.nullware.com/powerhouse.html

 

I've seen a lot of those. I even use the Silver guide when choosing what powers (when I have a choice), talents and specializations to take as I level up my archetypal characters.

 

THe problem is that even the these guides are generally steeped in jargon that means nothing to me, or almost nothing. Buffs and debuffs, and DPS vs Tank vs Healer vs Controllers, and drawing aggro, and passive versus active defenses and attacks (but WHICH attacks/defenses do they mean? They hardly ever say.) and on and on and on, assuming a familarity with MMOs in general even if not with CO in particular. Ditto with collecting treasures and fusing smaller items into larger ones and then adding them to existing items. I have little or no idea which ones are worth pursuing and which aren't. ANd then there are "roles" and how those influence your choices, and....

 

It mostly doesn't bother me. I never play PVP, only PVE, and 99% of the time I play solo, though I'll occasionally join a pick-up team. But my first character, a Behemoth, played fine until I reached level 26 (about the time of the latest update to the game). Now any time I play her, she gets her ass kicked routinely by hordes of mooks or solo baddies that she once could handle without a sweat, because the amount of damage she dishes out is pretty low (it seems) and she doesn't stand up to taking damage like I remember. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong, or if the rules changed somehow and I didn't get the memo. Now I'm mostly playing (by which, I mean I have two) Devestators (Trollop and the Man-Ape), who I play because they can dish out horrific amounts of damage and take down the bad guys before they can pound them into submission.

[Pattern Ghost]

Re: List Your CO Heroes!

 

It mostly doesn't bother me.

 

Well, this is the sensible approach, really.

 

I'm going to assume you're not planning on playing freeform characters at the moment.

 

For the most part, the Archetypes are all well-balanced builds. However, they're built around group play, so may not be the best solo option.

 

If you decide to go Gold later (get the time cards cheap on Amazon if you do), then one way to start out with free form building is to take your AT build and make it more well-rounded.

 

The ATs are all designed to fulfill one role or another. In fact, one of the big disadvantages of ATs is that they can't use the game feature of being able to switch roles. Essentially, what the roles do is to let you change your baseline abilities to make them more useful for a given application. Here's what the CO Wiki says about Roles:

 

Roles have a drastic effect on your character' date=' altering Threat generation, total health, effectiveness of heals cast on you, energy regeneration, energy equilibrium, energy cost of powers, the effectiveness of various powers, as well as which Slotted Passives you can use.

 

This is a holdover from older style MMO group play, where you have thee basic roles: Tank, DPS, and Healer. In a smaller group, you'll typically have one tank, one healer, and the rest of the group filled with DPS. The tank's job is to keep the attention of the bad guys and be able to soak up enough damage that they can be kept alive by the healer. The healer's job is to keep the tank alive, and also the rest of the group (secondary, but necessary if there's a lot of damage from, say, an evil aura or something). The job of the DPS (damage per second, a measure of damage output over time), is to do the majority of the damage to kill the bad guys. This setup allows for the much faster game play of a computer rpg vs. a table top one, where you'll have dozens of encounters over a session vs. a few, resource-draining encounters. So, it's an action-oriented vs. resource management game play style.

 

In CO, the Roles pretty much follow the above, with the addition of the Hybrid role, which is the baseline.

 

The game mechanic that makes the Holy Trinity (Tank/DPS/Healer, you'll probably see that term tossed around too) work is called Aggro, Threat, or Hate. Basically, the monsters or bad guys (mobs, in MMO terms) are like Evil Santa. They keep a list of who's ticking them off the most. The tank's job is to stay on the top of that list. The basic thing that puts you up on the list is damage to the mob. Tanks don't generally do a ton of damage as a trade off for their durability, so their attacks have extra threat generation added to them. Other things that cause aggro are healing, proximity to the mob, sometimes the type of attack, etc. It all varies from game to game.

 

Now, in CO, you have the capability of building a very durable, self-healing, damage-dealing character as a freeform. No matter which of those three things you focus on, you have enough build options to be decent in the other two. In other words, most freeform characters are very self sufficient. A decently-built freeform will be better at soloing than any AT.

 

Slotted Passives don't really matter to an AT. You'll get one and only one. It'll be something that helps your Role. For example, the Behemoth gets Defiance. The Slotted Passives are all tied to a single Role and can be used only when in that Role or when in the Hybrid (or Balanced) Role. Since you can't switch Roles and (I don't think) you don't get a choice of Slotted Passives, you can pretty much disregard them. However, if you're building a freeform character, it's a major decision, since your Passive has a huge impact on your character. You can also have more than one Slotted Passive, and use a different one with different builds (but only one at a time).

 

I think you've already hit on the basic strategy for soloing in the game with your choice of Devastator vs Behemoth: Kill it before it kills you. Generally, ATs with some kind of self heal and decent damage output do well. Now, neither of these has a self heal, but the Devastator has enough damage output to take out most questing mobs faster than they can take it out, so it seems like it's working out for you.

 

ETA: The Master and Savage ATs are both supposed to be strong soloing ATs. Both have self heals and an Active Defense (short term, medium cooldown time big buff (increase) to defenses), and good damage output. I just respecced one of my characters to a build based off the Master, and it's pretty decent so far as I can tell. (Able to take out 5 man group of normal strength opponents in training room in Powerhouse.)

[Pattern Ghost]

Re: List Your CO Heroes!

 

OK, a follow up on choosing stats and gear. I am not an expert. But, here's how I do it. Maybe it'll give you a base for reading posts by people who know better than me, at least.

 

You said you haven't played for a while, and it seems like things have changed. Two big things have changed fairly recently. First, we now have three super stats, instead of two. I think this is overall a good change. It lets us build up three stats easily, and I think makes it a bit easier to get some secondary stats on gear. The second change is in gearing. We now have sockets on gear. (I don't remember what they're called in game, maybe slots?) We can put mods in those sockets which boost different stats. The mods are dropped by mobs and by the old gathering nodes for the old crafting system. You'll get a good number of them through simply playing after a while. These are only on the Primary gear slots. As a part of this, all of the gear in the game has been overhauled. So, you'll want to do some runs for newer gear on your old characters, since the new gear is better, and you'll be focusing on an extra super stat.

 

OK, so what stats to focus on, and how much?

 

For Archetypes, you'll have your superstats pre-determined. Generally, you'll want to focus on those stats, keeping in mind there are diminishing returns at some point around 200-250 pts for your superstat benefits, and various DR breakpoints, or softcaps, for the benefits the stats normally provide. I haven't delved into the math here very much yet myself, since it doesn't really matter before you get to level cap and start getting the best gear. (I've just hit 40 on my first character a couple days ago.) Basically, you can push beyond the soft cap mark, but if you need other stats to be effective, you should start spreading it around.

 

So, your basic strategy for gearing comes down to a) boosting your superstats and boosting any other stats that are important for your character. That can be other qualities like Avoidance, or Dodge (not found on much gear after the overhaul, so save any old Dodge gear you have in case you need it), or Crit, etc., as well as the primary stats. The various AT guides usually give good advice on what stats to focus on for your gear.

 

All of this applies to your talent choices as well.

 

Typically, I focus first on my superstats, then on my energy management, and then on other stuff that comes with gear like cooldown reduction, cost reduction, crit, etc. While leveling, I really don't pay too much attention to the secondary stats, since they tend to come with certain gear slots anyway.

 

With regards to energy management, I pretty much simplify it to my blue bar. I want to have enough starting blue stuff to use my biggest attacks right off the bat, and have enough total energy to use my attacks as well. For the most part, the ATs have other energy management built in, such as Focus abilities for melee characters, or energy unlock powers (gives energy back when a condition is met, like whenever a crit is landed, or a power comes off cooldown, or on a dodge, etc.), that you really only need to make sure you have a bit of extra END and REC to keep going. If you're running out of energy or spending too much time using your energy builder attack to fill back up, then pump up END and REC some more.

 

For talents, I usually take all combinations of superstats, then the talent for END/REC, then one SS+REC and one SS+END. For example, I've just built a character based off the Master AT, with DEX as primary superstats, and STR and CON as secondary superstats. Since I want to be able to take a beating, and since CON has no diminishing returns when it comes to health (always 15 health / point), I went with:

 

DEX/STR

DEX/CON

STR/CON

REC/END

CON/REC

CON/END

 

Now, Behemoth, I don't think has a great superstat selection. CON and STR are good. (And CON has a good specialization tree.) But REC is not really needed. Behemoth gets plenty of energy back from its slotted passive and from blocking. So gear-wise, I'd focus on CON and STR, with a little REC, and then look for things like Crit, Crit Severity, Avoidance, and Dodge. In other words, look for any abilities on gear that give you a boost to either your damage or ability to take damage. For Talents, I'd probably just do like I usually do (which is why you shouldn't need too much REC from gear), and sort it out after hitting 40. For your superstat to pair with REC and END, go with CON. More HPs are always good.

 

I'd suggest for your Behemoth that you run through Serpent Lantern to get some updated gear. You'll usually get a good number of blue drops and green drops that are high quality there. If you have a hard time soloing it with your current gear, then you could use your other characters to pass down some updated gear to get your Behemoth kickstarted.

 

Once you hit 30 on your Behemoth, you'll get your Active Defense, Unbreakable, which will greatly boost your survivability.

 

ETA: When choosing attacks for Behemoth, I much prefer knock UPs to knock BACKs. The reason being that when you knock back (as fun as it is), you are wasting the window you have to safely pummel your opponent by taking time to close the gap created. Knock ups tend to be more useful for survivability IMO.

 

ETA: Here's a thread with lots of crunchy numbers on stats: http://co-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?t=164451

[IndianaJoe3]

Re: List Your CO Heroes!

 

I'm getting back into the game. Right now I've got a Grimoire (Ms. Beyond) and a Blade (Katana X). The funny thing is that when I was creating Ms. Beyond, my wife looked over my shoulder and went, "Oh, that looks interesting," so now she's thinking about setting up an account.

[Pattern Ghost]

Re: List Your CO Heroes!

 

Grimoire's pretty fun. Teleport in, drop Sigils, watch things die.

[Klytus]

Re: List Your CO Heroes!

 

I'm getting back into the game. Right now I've got a Grimoire (Ms. Beyond) and a Blade (Katana X). The funny thing is that when I was creating Ms. Beyond' date=' my wife looked over my shoulder and went, "Oh, that looks interesting," so now she's thinking about setting up an account.[/quote']

 

That's sort of how my lady got into it: she watched over my shoulder one night just over a year ago and decided to give it a try. She now has (among others) a Level 31 Free Form force-projector named Atomic Pink.

[Guest Celt]

Re: List Your CO Heroes!

 

Red Rocket comes to Millennium City

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]45326[/ATTACH]

[Titan66]

Re: List Your CO Heroes!

 

Titan (@Titan_champions) Lvl 40

[Guest Celt]

Re: List Your CO Heroes!

 

I've been playing with the electric archetype Doctor Watson.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]45532[/ATTACH]

 

And facing his nemesis Thomas Alva Deadison.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]45533[/ATTACH]

[Guest steamteck]

Re: List Your CO Heroes!

 

I've been going crazy with characters.

 

I've got Thunderprime ( sorta kinda my avatar) a behemoth

His daughter Thunderlegacy

Martial artist Crimson Dragon

Power armor Steel centurian

Inventor- Lady Steellace

Another behemoth- Ape-ex ( it wouldn't let me use ApeX)

Inferno-Lady Sunbird

Akenamen- Egyptian Radient

 

My son has

Frenziedshot ( a munitions guy who was originally a throwaway character but he made such an inspired backstory , he kept him)

cold Steel ( Ice tank)

 

sadly my wife has PC problems so hasn't tried it out yet.

[KX_Mushashi]

Re: List Your CO Heroes!

 

Mirage Mentalist a level 9 ranged telekinetic will have a few telepathic powers (Summon Nightmares and the Collective Will) I haven't created a back story for him yet but I will be since I think he will be the next character I create in Hero System

 

Eventually I will have Overload (Electric Blaster with super speed) and Shroud (Shadow blaster with teleportation or the shadow wings)

[TheQuestionMan]

Cuddles (40) - Claws

TK Jones (40) - Force Fields

Adamas (35) - Brick

Riot (40) - Brick

Roc Kid (40) - Gadgeteer

Radiant Dawn (25) - Healer Blaster

Radiant Don (30) - Healer Blaster

Furia (30) - Force Field

Sgt. Diefenbaker - Devastator

Star*Marshal (35) - Force Field

Agent Blaze (40) - Munitions/Gunslinger

Longbow Eagle (30) - Gadeteer/Blaster

 

[Pattern Ghost]

I let my paid time lapse about six months ago because I wasn't playing much, but recently converted six slots to silver archetypes. This is the first time I've played ATs since the addition of the Specialization trees. I think those help round out the ATs quite a bit, although they're pre-picked and not the optimal choices. Still, all of the ATs seem to be even more viable for solo leveling than before. Some still struggle in Alerts when there isn't a good group mix. (I always get four other DPS when I'm on my DPS characters or four other support when I'm on a support character, or four other tanks when I'm on a tank character. It's as if they don't try to balance the teams in the least, event though they set up the AT builds to work in a holy trinity setup like a traditional MMO.) Here's the current gang of AT's I've been messing around with:

 

Citizen Arcane (Lvl 28 Grimoire)

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n45075[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n45076[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n45077[/ATTACH]

 

He was originally a Grimoire that I converted to a Gold Freeform when I went gold. Grimoire isn't the strongest AT in Alerts (he's a bit of a wet noodle as far as defenses go at the moment, and his heal is inadequate), but he's pretty decent soloing. The Grimoire seems like a bit of a late bloomer, like many ATs, so I'm hopeful he'll be a bit better for random grouping as he progresses. Also, his gear isn't that great. I have a full set of the Nemesis heirloom gear, but it's on one of the characters that is still Gold status and unplayable. I forgot to put it in the shared bank before the account lapsed.

 

Gigawatt (Lvl 15 Tempest)

 

 

The other Gold character I converted to Silver to play around with. He's lost his guitar and duster due to the costume pieces not being available to Silvers. Not that I roleplay in MMOs. but I've decided he's a bombastic reformed villain. He just has that look about him. The Tempest does some serious damage, though lacks survival. Even though he lacks the flexibility of the Grimoire, he more than makes up for it in fast kills when soloing, but can still find himself in a jam in an Alert every now and then.

 

Cold Warrior (Lvl 13 Glacier)

 

 

My flag suit. He's a 1950's commie-smasher. The Glacier is one of the ATs I'd tried out when I first started playing the free to play version of CO and couldn't get into. I'm liking it a lot better now. He doesn't kill as fast as some, but his durability helps make up for it by letting him handle larger groups of bad guys at a time.

[Pattern Ghost]

Continued . . .

 

 

Emerald Dare (Lvl 15 Unleashed)

 

 

She's a pulp heroine, a member of the Dare Family, which is more of a super secret organization dedicated to improving humanity through selective breeding and genetic manipulation than a family. One of these days when I unlock more slots, I'll make her some sisters (Ruby Dare, Sapphire Dare). Mister Midnight, listed up thread, was originally an Unleashed. It's my favorite of the free melee ATs. Very survivable once it develops and decent damage. She still hasn't blossomed, but she does OK.

 

Mercy (Lvl 13 Radiant)

 

 

My art deco angel, another brilliant display of my ability to pick really obvious names for characters. She's still too low to comment on her AT, but I'll do so anyway. She's pretty solid at soloing so far, but trying to heal in a group is a bit of a chore in CO. She's got a decent damage output with an AOE that also stuns with an enhancement. Makes soloing a breeze. She's currently a little fragile, but as with the others, gear and levels will help with that. Her first heal is a power that doesn't rate ranking up, so it's also weak at the moment. All in all, I like the AT so far, but it seems to be another late bloomer with redundant powers.

 

Pyre (Lvl 18 Inferno)

 

 

In an even more brilliant display of my naming genius, this guy ended up being named after his fourth power! I guess it may have helped to look at his powers list before naming him. Oh, well. Inferno is another AT that I didn't like so much first go round, but is pretty nice now. It seems that there was a pass of either the fire powers or the AT, and it has resulted in a really, really nice damage output. He has REC as his first Superstat, and that gives him a nice little passive regen that helps keep him topped off between fights or while blocking. As with the Tempest, great for solo so far, but can get beat up a bit in Alerts.

[PhantomGM2602]

Hey folx! Now that people are playing the game, I figured it would be useful for those of us who frequent the Hero boards to list our heroes here, so perhaps we might recognize one another in-game.

 

I've created and played the following so far (levels as of 10/07/2009):

 

Harbinger (40)

Culverin (17)

Unsheathed (11)

Ultratech (8)

Yellowjacket (6)

Doctor Arcane (1)

Steel Scarab (1)

 

 

Once I figure out how to create a superteam, I'll see about creating one for Hero boards members.

Got Two

Magistar

Battlestar

and that's in the free for all game.

[CptPatriot]

Acct name: @cptpatriot

You can see most of my characters' costumes here.

 

Here is my current list of characters:

Psi-kick

Enermatrix

Mistress White

Velocity

Fire

Shockwave

Pyroblaster

Liberty

Lillith

Captain Patriot

Platinum Fox

Dr. Caduceus

Thrasher

Savant

Powerstar

Weatherette

Fusionette

Faultline

Pulp Hero

Ultra

Flare

Hellequin

Surge