[BrotherMan]

Originally Posted by wei yau

Thanks for helping me with mopping up Frostfire and his gang of thugs. Given the massive numbers of Outcasts in that hideout, I doubt that I would've been successful on my own.

I think the final mission of that arc is the first time your character faces boss and elite boss level characters. (More on this later.) So, yes, that mission ratchets up the difficulty in a good way.

I learned a lot:

- Look before you leap. I jumped into a gang of Outcasts only to get caught in a crossfire from just down the hall.

I swear I didn't lose sight of you on purpose. I want the noob experience to be as painless as possible; but sadly sometimes defeat is the best way to learn. I didn't have the heart to say anything when you were running the nub controller that running into the middle of a room, despite the truly heroic feeling it offers, is generally a bad idea.

- Gangers am dumb. It pays to draw out as many as you can before charging into the room. As long as they keep coming one-by-one, we can knock them down one-by-one.

Even as a scrapper I'm cautious about heading into a den of madness without knowing what's around the corner. (Scrapper types are notorious for hitting everything until there's nothing left without regard to anyone or anything - up to and including themselves. ) It doesn't always work out that way. On larger teams the "wait and pull" method gets people antsy but with mob AI the way it is, it's usually a sure bet for survivability.

- Things just got a lot tougher. As I said before, I'm not sure I could've handled this mission on my own. Now that I've crested the Level 10 mark, I notice that enemies aren't necessarily at my level. Some are several levels higher. This is especially true in the areas of The Hollows further away from the Atlas Park gate.

I don't know if you read in the tutorial but there are number levels and rank levels for determining the color con.

• Underlings - At your level, green or grey
• Minions - At your level (n) they con white
• Lieutenants - At your level they con yellow
• Boss - At your level, orange
• Elite Boss - Red
• Giant Monster - Always purple*

If you are fighting mobs +1 your level, the color codes shift up appropriately. In this game something conning purple is not an immediate death sentence.

There is a special code in place for Giant Monsters, Rikti Invasion forces and Zombie Apocalypse zombies. You will always be able to attack these special mob types and they will con as appropriate for your level. You may not be able to do much damage (like, say, as a level 2) but you are not so hopelessly overmatched.

- I need more powers. The scrapper I used has no ranged attacks, except for that puny magic charm. The one that sounds like Tinkerbell when launched. I just got assigned a mission to clear a cave full of Igneous (?). I did not last long in that cave (that's what she said). So, I'm going to level-up a bit more and see if I additional enhancement slots or powers will give me an edge.

Claws, specifically, has access to two short ranged attacks but I'm not positive when you'll have access to them. And none of the pool powers you have access to have ranged abilities. In short, you're melee. You're very good at it. Revel in your ability to create chaos. And Igneous are smashing/lethal resistant (I mean, they're rock, duh) in addition to hitting like really big trucks and moving like crack monkeys, so don't feel bad about having your self handed to you.

- Bashing goons is fun. My favorite combo from last night's mission is the each of us unleashing a flurry of punches at superspeed on some poor shmoe. Watching him twitch like an epileptic rag doll was totally worth the price of admission.

- The keyboard is your friend. I need to move away from the "cursor keys/mouse" combo. I'm not able to execute attacks fast enough or type in chat. I need to train myself to use the "WASD" keys for movement and the numpad for attacks. I know that you can use the "tab" or "CTRL+tab" to focus on a target (I think the latter focuses on the closest foe, while the former cycles through all foes present on the screen).

I use WASD, top row numbers, numpad and mouse for moving, power activation and chat. I am not a /bind master but I do know a few things. On the official forum there is a guide to bending the keyboard and mouse to your will. (I think it's called the Unofficial Guide to Bind.)

ETA: Oh also, I noticed that your character had costume elements that I do not recall being available to me during character creation. Are these bonuses once you obtain a certain level or did you go to the Tailor (I need to find that Tailor shop, off to Paragon Wiki I go!). Also, you had that cool ability to change into your civilian identity, is that also a high-level bonus?

Out of the two costumes you saw:

The cape is a reward for completing a certain mission at level 20. (Talk to the City Representative in Atlas Park when you reach level 20.) The chest piece is from completing the Imperius Task Force (available as early as level 35). The costume change is a reward from completing tailor missions (available at 20, 30 and 40) which grant extra costume slots.

There is an Icon in Steel Canyon, Independence Port and Founders Falls. At your level you'd think Steel Canyon is the one you want but it's a hassle to run all the way up there only to get creamed by some level 14 mobs and have to run from the hospital back up there (repeat as necessary). The Independence Port location is just off the Kings Row access, higher level mobs, sure, but not that far of a run.