f13.net

NCSoft partners with MMORPG.COM to offer 14-day free trials "while supplies last". (http://www.mmorpg.com/freetrials/cohissue11_trial.cfm)

If you've got nothing else to do (and why would you (http://forums.f13.net/index.php?topic=11355.0)) this might be worth a shot.

The first 20 levels of CoH/CoV are well worth the cost of admission.  After that, not so much.

:dead_horse:

May as well put one of those in 95% of the threads here.

I actually disagree. I think it's more like 15-30. The first 10 levels are grueling, and now only slightly less so with the inclusion of safeguard temp travel items. You don't have enough abilities.

I agree with this, first 15 level are nuisance levels.  I think if there was more effor to character story, having fewer powers could be made to work, but largely it's only tolerable on your first character, and only because you don't know any better.  Given that this game's end-game is alts, the fact that they haven't introduced an auto-level to 16 capability (such as existed in DAOC) is just another way that this game punishes players.

We won't find consensus on a specific level to start out so might as well can that entirely.  If it's level 15 you're after you can get that in about 10 hours of play anyway.  Personally, I could see level 26-32 as being the point where the game really gets started.  By "getting started" I mean that my character finally has enough powers and ample potency enhancements to start feeling heroic enough to be perpetually entertaining.

Unfortunately, the grind slows way down by as early as level 12.  At that point, you've 8 powers, brawl, and a handful of fairly newly introduced temp powers.  There's quite a few temp powers available between the safeguards (http://cityofheroes.wikia.com/wiki/Safeguard), veteran rewards (http://cityofheroes.wikia.com/wiki/Veteran_Rewards), and inventions (http://cityofheroes.wikia.com/wiki/Invention_Temporary_Powers), but it doesn't change the fact that these powers are temporary and I essentially want to be rid of them as they're unenhancable and have essentially nothing to do with my character.  (Aside from the pre-14 travel powers, that is.)

But I'm not really in a good position to flame the game.  I'm resubscribed to City of Heroes alone because, when push comes to shove, it's one of the few MMORPGs with genuinely entertaining core gameplay.  I figure I'll play the game in the here and now, alt whenever I feel genuinely bored with my current character, and not care too much about level 50 because nobody can give me a good answer (http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=Virtue&Number=9716709) about why it's worth getting there.

Playing a MMORPG just because it's a fun game.  Novel concept.

Auto-levelling to 16 would suck since that's the start of the Stamina grind. It would have to start you out at 24 or so to really be fun. 16 - 24ish are the least fun levels for me because of Stamina.