Difference between revisions of "Level 50 Hero Content"

Revision as of 19:55, 17 September 2011

So you've reached 50, and are wondering what to do with your heroic self? This is intended as a complete guide to level 50 Hero content. It does not intend to pass judgment on the quality nor quantity of that content:

Post-50 Content

That's right, actual 'end-game' content designed for advancing a character mechanically and story-wise past level 50. And here it is: The Incarnate System. Have fun!

However, there's still other stuff you may have missed, or can continue to play simply because it's fun.....

Regular Missions

• Level 45-50 Contacts - Did you finish them all?
• PvP Missions - Available in Warburg. (Arc-free: there's no limit to how much you can do.)
• Try repeatable PvE zone missions (repeatable missions are arc-free and the mission offerings from these contacts never end):
  • Peregrine Island - Enjoy some Police Band / Safeguard missions. (Missions cycle between 2-3 police missions and one safeguard mission, repeating endlessly.)
  • Shadow Shard missions (talk to any non-TF contact in any of the four maps.)
  • Rikti War Zone missions issued from Borea, covers only Rikti
    
  • Cimerora missions issued from Marcus Valerius, covers only Cimeroran Traitors
    

Task Forces, Raids & Trials

Level 50 Appropriate Task Forces (Maximum Level on Task Force is Level 50, with all powers available for use.)

• Dr. Kahn Task Force - in Founder's Falls added with Issue 15 to battle the Reichsman in an alternate history of Earth to thwart the 5th Column.
• The Lady Grey Task Force - A wrap-up Task Force for the Rikti War Zone involving aliens, mitochondria, and old allies.
• Imperious Task Force - in Cimerora added with Issue 12 is filled with Elite Boss and Romulus Augustus as an AV in the final mission.
• Ouroboros Task Forces - Mender Lazarus, Twilight's Son (hero) / Mender Tesseract (villain), and Mender Silos.
• Rikti Ship Raid - New with Issue 10, the Rikti Crash Site is once again active. Battle security pylons and infiltrate the mothership with a coordinated strike among multiple teams for Vanguard Merits and rewards.
• Statesman Task Force - Second hardest task in the game, second to the Hamidon Raid. For an additional challenge, consider obtaining the Master of Statesman's Task Force Badge.
• Hamidon Raid - The end game scenario and after an update in Issue 9, the most difficult task in the game. Coordinate a strike on Hamidon with multiple teams of players to earn a very generous Merit reward or a Hamidon Enhancement (which affect multiple stats, but unlike Invention Origin enhancements, these can be combined just like TO/DO/SO-Type enhancements into Level 51 or 52 strength).

Other Task Forces and Trials

• Apex Task Force - Push back the invading Praetorians and defeat Battle Maiden. Requires Alpha Slot to have already been unlocked in order to participate.
• Tin Mage Mark II Task Force - Put a halt to the Praetorians' initial invasion plans and defeat Neuron and Bobcat. Requires Alpha Slot to have already been unlocked in order to participate.
• Terra Volta Respecification Trial - if you haven't done any or all of the three available just like any Task Force it is possible to exemplar and do all three for the badge and a Rare recipe. Once all three are completed, you can re-play them as a teammate for another player's mission but you will no longer receive a Respec as a reward.
• Shadow Shard Task Forces - Dr. Quaterfield, Justin Augustine, Sara Moore and Faathim the Kind
• Past Task Forces & Trials - You can perform any Task Force or Trial you want (with the exception of Respec Trials, see below): high level players are exemplared down to the level cap of the Task Force/Trial. As with any other exemplar run, you will not gain XP, but any Task Force badges not gained during your eligible levels to attempt the Task Force are still attainable. Unlockable contacts (Ernesto Hess, Karsis, etc.) can still be unlocked by following their introductory arcs in Flashback first (see below).

Incarnate Trials

• Behavioral Adjustment Facility Trial - Prevent Mindwashed Prisoners from escaping and becoming sleeper agents, and defeat Nightstar and Siege.
• Lambda Sector Trial - Cripple the Praetorian center for military research and development that creates genetically engineered supersoldiers (The Olympian Guard) and defeat Marauder.
• Keyes Island Reactor Trial - Shut off the reactor that is both the source of Praetoria’s power and the power source for the portals used to invade Primal Earth. Also defeat Anti-Matter.
• The Underground Trial - Team up with Desdemona and fight past the IDF into the Devouring Earth infested Underground and face off against the Avatar of Hamidon.

Badges and Inventions

• Flashback missions using a Pillar of Ice and Flame at Ouroboros or in your Superbase. (You gain the Ouroboros Portal after earning the Entrusted with the Secret Badge.) Although these missions are older and will return you to a prior level, the arcs that are not completed will function just like a Task Force. Complete arcs you missed, and enjoy a second chance at many arc rewards. Flashback is also useful as a second chance to attain missed or otherwise unattainable badges for your character due to original arcs you may have missed otherwise, as well as Ouroboros-specific badges for meeting the optional challenge settings.
• Giant Monster - did you get them all on the way up or any of them? Regardless of level anyone can join a team and battle any GM.
• Accolades - Certain accolade badges grant additional powers. Are you sure you're not missing out on these unique abilities?
• Badge Collecting - How many can you collect? Focusing on new content releases, use your skills in collecting as many badges as possible when they become available. Players assembling Badge hunt teams to collect as many Navigation, History and Accomplishment badges as possible in one day are rare, but not entirely unheard of. Certain servers have chat channels dedicated to Badge Hunting as well.
• Special Events - Unique badges are there for the taking during Valentine's Day, Anniversaries, Halloween, and the end-of-year Holiday Season as well as unique temp powers, in-game special games/contests and even unique player items.
• Field Crafter Badge - Gain portable access to a Invention Workbench and cheap access to simple Invention Origin enhancements for your friends by earning the Field Crafter Badge. IO enhancements made in the process of earning this badge will be memorized, so you will never need to buy their recipes ever again.
• Exemplaring - Help newer players directly in their missions while removing Debt or gaining extra Influence/Prestige and item drops. Also, badges for Exemplaring are available (as well as paying off debt.) Or, you can Sidekick a lower-level hero to assist you with your work and both gain experience, influence & items at the same time.

Mission Architect

• Enjoy more player-created missions than you could probably play in your lifetime in the Mission Architect. The rating system plus the Dev's Choice, Hall of Fame, and Guest Author arcs point you toward some of the better content.
• Create your own arcs! Make them for just your enjoyment, or just your circle of friends or Super/Villain Group, or for any player to enjoy. Creating your own arcs for Mission Architect is one of the requirements of the Mission Engineer Badge, which permits remote access to the Architect Comlink outside of Architect Entertainment buildings.

Other Ideas

In-Game Activities

• Player vs. Player
  • Zone fighting - Use your remaining respecs/freespecs to detail your character further and facilitate Player vs. Player combat. Earn rewards by fighting other players in the zone, or run Zone Missions to earn useful Temp Powers to aid your fighting such as Combat Invisibility, Hyper Phase, Longbow Mech, Shivan Shard or a Missile Launch Temp Power.
  • Arena matches - Set up ad-hoc matchups using the Arena Terminal between other players or teams of players with a variety of conditions (Time limits, rules, etc.), or participate in Arena fights with Gladiators earned by your character's current progress instead.
• Base Editing - If you're not a member of a Supergroup, why not start one? Put all of your salvage and prestige to good use in building your first superbase. Or, convert your extra Inf. to Prestige (1,000,000 inf. = 2000 prestige) to further your Superbase without extra effort. Advice on starting a base is available in Base Building Guide.
• Check out Player-organized Events on the City of Heroes Message Boards and join in on a costume contest, a PvP contest, or other fun activities. If nothing is available in the immediate future, consider running an event of your own.

More Characters

• You've unlocked the Epic Archetypes of the Kheldian/Nictus, so why not do it all over again with a Peacebringer or a Warshade?
• If you haven't played all seven archetypes, give one of the others a try. There's literally hundreds of powerset combinations and builds in the game to accomodate any of your sensibilities as a player.
• If you are burned out on City of Heroes or if you've made one alt of each archetype already and are looking for something new, have you tried City of Villains? Villains made on the same server as your heroes not only serve as additional PvP character choices to play against other heroes or villains, but also work as powerful allies in Co-op Zones (Rikti War Zone & Cimerora) to play on mixed teams. And just like in City of Heroes, making a Level 50 Villain unlocks the Soldiers of Arachnos Epic Archetypes.
• Become your own best buddy. Have any other characters on the same server? In the same SG? Okay you're a 50 level with 30, 40, 50 or ??? Million in influence and not a whole lot to spend it on. As your lower level characters rise in level either transfer the influence they need to buy the biggest and best enhancements available or do a quick inventory of what your (let's say) 12 level needs and head off to the store with the 50 and BUY them. Especially if you’re in the same SG you can drop them off in the enhancement bin at base, log back off, log on with your lower level and with one quick stop at base they have everything they need without spending a cent of influence. Eventually that lower level will have enough influence to take care of themselves all the way to 50 again without anyone's help.

Other Considerations

• Participate in more advanced parts of City of Heroes. Try out Demo Recording (if you like making Machinima videos), or if you got hard drive space to spare for it, consider copying some characters to the Training Room to either try out a new build (unlimited respecs, try your changes in a separate world from the Live Server) or Closed/Open Beta Test of a future release.
• Coming Soon... Side switching with the Going Rogue game expansion. Go to Praetoria and switch sides and all the content of the other alignment will now be open to you (and all those badges, too).