A play session in CoH

ScottAdams

We had the official launch of the game yesterday. All the pre-orders though have been playing since Sunday.

 

Last night some friends (Toxoid and Buzz Off), and me (Great Scott) and 5 others grouped (max team size is 8)  for a romp through Paragon city in City of Heroes. Levels 5 thru 9 at the start in the group. I was level 6.

 

I wish I was a better writer but I will hit some the highlights. I am also sharing this with the EQ list. City of heroes web site is at: www.coh.com

 

We started off in Kings Row (one of the 17 large main zones of Paragon city) and proceeded to head down the south wall to finish off some missions the team members had. We were looking for the Lost and the Vahz. We basically mowed down everything in our path

 

We then proceeded to start doing door missions that folks had. I love the way the team missions appear on our UIs. The leader gets to select from all the missions that members have and then pick the current target for all to see.

 

The first mission was easy and we blazed through it. The next mission we had a few folks drop from the group and the level range was more even. Going into this mission we found hordes of reds and purples eagerly awaiting us.

 

It was incredible eye candy as we fought our way through. The devs spent a long time making sure every power has a unique animation to go with it. And they are all amazing to behold. I especially liked seeing a gravity controller open a portal in space, pull a piano out and hurl it at the enemy.

 

All sorts of different superheroes were represented. I was primarily using deceive to thin the ranks a bit. (makes the mobs fight each other, really funny to see) Then once the battle was joined I was primarily working as a healer. I would hover up above the melees and heal as needed. Hover was incredible useful and I highly recommend any healer or controller consider this power set. it gave me +def bonus, kept me out of reach the really high damage melee weapons and also let me have a really cool view of the battle.

 

Since we had a large group and only one tanker, I had a lot of targets for healing. There was one other dedicated healer with us and between the 2 of us we had our work cut out. I have put a number of enhancements in my healing powers and was very glad to see my planning had paid off.

 

We had a number of controllers with us and they were putting the mobs into holds that were really neat to see. The ice cages were something as they froze the mobs in place.

 

As long as I was only healing I would get no agro, but I would get hit by AE weapons that were going off. I also could not resist using my spectral wounds when endurance would permit. It is a very hard hitting power (2/3 hp) that I have added a couple slots of enhancements to.

 

We had one group wipeout but within 5 minutes we had all paid our XP debt. After that we were a bit more cautious before jumping into the fray. The wipeout cost only a few minutes. The one person who survived was able to Teleport Friend and quickly pulled us all back to the mission. I plan to get TP friend but not until around level 11. There are many different ways you can build your skill set. No one is a cookie cutter of another. When you ID a fellow superhero you see their primary class and then you can get details and see the abilities they have. There are 5 classes and below that there are then either 5 or 6 primary schools and 5 or 6 secondary schools to choose from. That and the incredible diversity makes sure you never see the same power set and costume on another. We are all unique.

 

Later we moved to a sewer mission and the undead. It was something to see the exploding embalmed cadavers that would try and suicide in our midst or the boss mobs with their dark spell casting. Also the motifiers were hard at work reviving fallen cadavers. shudder. they were our first targets.

 

This was the most fun I have had grouping with friends in a long time. Lots of folks were commenting the same way. Battles in groups (especially full ones) are spectacular. The door missions also ramp up to supply more mobs and more powerful bosses depending on the size of the group. Unlike other MOGs I have played there really is no downtime between fights. Longest might be a couple minutes or a rest if so one needs to let the dog out or bio break etc. They really made this a fast paced pseudo FPS. The closed thing I can compare it to is the dungeon crawls in LDoN. But there you would still need to stop for looting or rolls on unique items. Here all loot is automatically given to everyone, so no need to stop.

 

There is no way I will play a hydra here. One character is a full time commitment.

 

By the end of the session (about 3 hours) I have almost reached level 8. I went the whole time without training. The game automatically lets you fight at your new level, you just don't get the new power or enhancement slots until you train.

 

I also completed the 2 open missions I had on my list.

What a blast! I have found I can usually solo oranges and even some reds with my template. But playing in a group is a whole new dynamic that I really enjoyed. I am glad the game offers both modes of play.

 

If anyone else on the list joins us look for the following chars on Virtue:

John : Buzz off

Sal: Toxoid

Me: Great Scott

Friend from EQ: Truck Stop

 

You can add us to your friends list with a simple: /friend Great Scott or send a tell /t Great Scott, Hi there. (note the comma since names can have spaces in them)

 

I am not sure when my next playtime will be but I know what I will be playing for the next few weeks!

Here is a great thread on funny happening in Paragon city:

 

http://tinyurl.com/yq7pa

 

http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=292306&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1&vc=1&PHPSESSID=

 

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