City of Heroes

This section of the guide focuses on frequently asked questions and initial character creation steps in City of Heroes. It clarifies aspects like in-game enhancements versus visible loot, the possibility of soloing beyond early levels, and offers advice on character viability.

Q: What are the system specifications?

Minimum System Specifications:

• OS: Windows® 98/ME/2000/XP
• Processor: Intel Pentium® III 800 MHz or AMD Athlon 800 MHz
• RAM: 256 MB
• CD-ROM Drive: 4X
• HDD Space: 2 GB Available
• Video Card: GeForce 2 Series or ATI Radeon 8500 Series, DirectX 9.0 compatible
• Sound Card: 16-bit
• Modem: 56k
• Input: Keyboard and mouse

Recommended System Requirements:

• OS: Windows® 2000/XP
• Processor: Intel Pentium® 4 1.7 GHz or AMD Athlon XP 1700+
• RAM: 512 MB
• CD-ROM Drive: 16X
• HDD Space: 2 GB Available
• Video Card: GeForce 5600 or ATI Radeon 9600 Series
• Sound Card: 16-bit
• Internet: Broadband Connection
• Input: Keyboard and mouse with wheel

Q: What is the best character?

A: While Fire/Dev or AR/Dev blasters are strong, the game allows for diverse and viable builds. Play what you find most fun, as all builds are generally effective.

Q: Can I make Batman/Superman/The Flash/Wonder Woman/Green Lantern?!?!

A: You can create characters that resemble them, but doing so is against the Terms of Service and can lead to character deletion.

Q: Does this game get boring fast?

A: The author finds the game engaging, especially with character re-rolling and upcoming updates. Trying it out is recommended.

Q: I am confused about X.

A: Consult the manual, official forums, GameFAQs, and this FAQ. If questions remain, ask on a forum.

Q: Your FAQ is incorrect/should have something added to it.

A: Email the author.

Q: I have another question for you.

A: Email the author.

Q: Do I have to play this online?

A: Yes, it is a Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG).

Q: Why can't I play offline?

A: MMORPGs require significant resources for maintenance and content updates (Issues), justifying the online-only nature.

Q: How much does this game cost?

A: Monthly subscription costs vary: $15/month (month-to-month), $14/month (3-month installments), $13/month (6-month installments), $12/month (1-year installments).

Q: Can you give me a list of terminology?

A: Key terms include:

• AoE (Area of Effect): Affects an area. Can be targeted or location-based.
• PBAoE (Point-Blank Area of Effect): Affects a sphere around the caster.
• AT (Archetype): Character class.
• DoT (Damage over Time): Inflicts damage gradually.
• LFT (Looking for Team): A common in-game chat message.

Q: What are all these new costume slots?

A: Costume slots unlock at levels 20, 30, and 40 upon completing a quest. Use the command /cc x to switch between them (0=Default, 1=Level 20, 2=Level 30, 3=Level 40). Shops for costumes are added in the Map Patch.

Q: What are the level limits and enemies you fight in TF's (Task Forces)?

A: Level Ranges and Enemies:

• Positron: Levels 10-16. Enemies: Level 15 CoT, Vahzilok, Clockwork.
• Synapse: Levels 15-21. Enemies: Level 20 Clockwork.
• Sister Psyche: Levels 20-26. Enemies: Level 25 Freakshow.
• Bastion: Levels 25-31. Enemies: Level 30 5th Column.
• Manticore: Levels 30-36. Enemies: Level 35 Crey.
• Numina: Levels 33-38. Enemies: Level 40 CoT and Devouring Earth.

Creating your Character:

First, choose a server. Popular options include Victory (author's choice), Triumph (home of "The Grammar Patrol" supergroup), Virtue (unofficial roleplay server), and Justice (most populated, good for grouping).

When creating your character, select an Origin and Archetype. Early enemy encounters vary by Origin:

• Science: Vahzilok (difficult; weak to lethal damage). Consider Broadsword/Claws/Spines/Katana Scrappers or AR blasters.
• Mutation: Skulls, Hellions, Lost.
• Magic: Circle of Thorns (often on rooftops; requires Combat Jumping or Hover for easier mission completion).
• Technology: Clo (incomplete in source).

This section provides an opinionated guide to choosing your Blaster powersets in City of Heroes. The author emphasizes that all powersets are viable and fun, but this guide focuses on a min/maxer's perspective, comparing powersets against each other.

Note: Ratings are relative to other powersets. A low rating does not mean a powerset is bad, just that it may be less effective than others in its category.

Blaster Primaries

Assault Rifle

A balanced powerset with mostly lethal damage, effective against Vazhilok. Key powers include Burst, Slug, Sniper Rifle, Flamethrower, and Full Auto. Buckshot and M30 Grenade are generally considered weak, and Beanbag is situational.

Rating: 4/5. While strong, Fire Blast is considered slightly better in the late game due to enemy resistances to lethal damage.

Electrical Blast

Considered not very good due to a lack of AoE capabilities and being less effective than single-target powersets. While Short Circuit can be potent with proper slotting, it's generally more efficient to defeat enemies quickly with other powersets.

Rating: 1/5. Significantly less effective than other Blaster powersets.

Energy Blast

A strong powerset focused on single-target damage with good animations. Key powers include Bolt, Blast, Power Burst, and Sniper Blast. Torrent and Explosive Blast offer AoE potential, and Aim provides a damage boost. Push is considered worthless, and Nova is a novelty due to its long recharge time.

Rating: 3/5. Excellent for single-target damage, but AoE blasters are generally more efficient.

Fire Blast

A very viable AoE powerset. Avoid Flares, especially with Perma-Hasten. Fire Blast is useful for picking off targets, but the focus is on AoE with Fire Ball and Fire Breath. Rain of Fire is not recommended. Blaze is excellent for high-health targets and bosses, and Blazing Bolt serves as a standard sniper attack. Inferno is similar to Nova.

Rating: 5/5. Considered one of the best AoE options for Blasters.

Fire vs. AR: Fire is better than AR until level 32, and then AR takes the lead until about 40-42, after which Fire pulls ahead again. Both are still viable, but since AR is only better for about 8-10 levels, and Fire can easily hold its own on those levels, Fire is recommended.

Ice Blast Powerset: Ice Blast is a decent powerset. Energy's knockback is superior to Ice's slow, but both have uses. Ice Blast gets two holds, which are very useful for soloing missions, as you typically fight two to three enemies at a time. This also helps with fighting bosses. Ice Blast lacks a sniper ability. Ice Blast has very low activation times, allowing you to cast your three main nukes quickly. Frost Breath is considered useless as it is the only Area of Effect (AoE) power. Freeze Ray and Bitter Freeze Ray are good holds, especially for solo players. Ice Storm is also considered rather useless; even though you are not AoE like Fire, taking another power would be better. Enemies will attack you as they run from the storm, diminishing its effectiveness. Blizzard is reported to be horrible compared to other drain endurance and kill everything powers.

Ice Blast Rating: 2/5. Both Energy and Ice Blast can hold their own in combat, with good and bad aspects for single-target damage. Energy has a snipe ability, while Ice Blast has two holds. Choose based on your character concept.

Secondary Powers - Devices: Devices is often considered the best secondary powerset. Web Grenade provides Immobilization. Caltrops is very useful for stopping enemies from attacking you in melee. Taser is not recommended. Targeting Drone is highly beneficial, allowing you to forgo Accuracy enhancements entirely. Smoke Grenade is also excellent, making enemies barely able to hit you. Cloaking Device is good and stacks well with other Defense powers. Trip Mine can be stacked repeatedly in one location, making it effective for destroying bosses. Time Bomb is generally not very useful due to its difficulty in effective use, despite its high damage. Auto Turret is considered bad and not worth using, with negligible damage in a fight.

Devices Rating: 5/5. It is not a contest; the utility is excellent. Targeting Drone combined with Perma-Hasten allows you to 6-slot all your attacks with Damage enhancements, enabling you to defeat anything quickly. All other powers in the Devices set are also excellent.

Secondary Powers - Electricity Manipulation: This powerset is not very good. Electric Fence is standard, but the rest is considered a decline. It is advised to stay away from all Blaster melee powers, including Charged Brawl, Havoc Punch, and Thunder Strike, as well as all Blaster PBAoE (Point Blank Area of Effect) powers like Lightning Field, Lightning Clap, and Power Sink. The only remaining power is Build-Up. Power Sink is somewhat useful but too late at level 35. Shocking Grasp is not bad, but a melee hold at level 38 is considered late.

Electricity Manipulation Rating: 1/5. This set is filled with only close-range powers, and Blasters are vulnerable in melee past level 20. Electricity Manipulation cannot hold up. The set is considered to have only a few useful powers.

Secondary Powers - Energy Manipulation: Generally regarded as the second-best secondary, with good reason. Build Up at level 4 is appealing, but there are too many melee attacks. Conserve Power is nice but unreliable; even with Perma-Hasten and 6-slotted Recharge, it cannot be permanent. Stamina generally works well. Power Boost is not widely discussed and does not sound very useful. Boost Range is also nice but not as impressive as Targeting Drone, Smoke Grenade, or Caltrops.

Energy Manipulation Rating: 4/5. The early availability of Build Up is the primary benefit, which is better than other sets.

Secondary Powers - Fire Manipulation: This set has too many PBAoE and melee powers. Ring of Fire is acceptable, similar to Web Grenade. Build Up is available at level 16, compared to Energy's level 4. Consume is nice but not a replacement for Stamina. Most other powers are PBAoE or melee. Consume is considered nice but not great, especially at level 28.

Fire Manipulation Rating: 2/5. Energy Manipulation is superior in all aspects, and Ice Blast at least offers a slow.

Secondary Powers - Ice Manipulation: This set also has too many melee/PBAoE powers. Chilblain slows recharge, which is beneficial, similar to Web Grenade. Build Up is available at level 16, the same as Fire, but much later than Energy. The primary advantage is Shiver, which is quite nice, functioning like a ranged Caltrops but also affecting recharge. This is its main benefit.

Ice Manipulation Rating: 3/5. Shiver places it slightly ahead of Fire Manipulation, behind Energy Manipulation, and significantly behind Devices.

Controller Primaries - Earth Control: Generally not considered very good. Stone Prison, Fossilize, and Stone Cages are standard Controller powers. Skipping the immobilize and taking the AoE version is likely a good idea. Quicksand is considered quite bad, offering an AoE immobilize followed by an AoE slow. Salt Crystals is also rather bad, and Sleep is generally undesirable. Stalagmites is much better. Targeted Disorient is very good. Earthquake is not very good, with -Accuracy and -Defense that leave much to be desired, though it might be worth taking. Volcanic Gasses is standard AoE hold Controller fare, but it is obtained 8 levels later than for other Controllers, which is a significant drawback. Animate Stone is considered a poor Controller summon.

Earth Control Rating: 2/6. It functions but is not comparable to other Controller primary powersets.