Any CoV vets have advice for me?

[Nebu]

I'm trying to get a grasp on the difference in gameplay style between a corruptor and a dominator.  If I'm not mistaken, it's the difference between blaster/controller versus controller/blaster.  That doesn't really help me understand the role and feel of the classes well and I'd rather not level them both up to 40 to find out.  I've played a number of corrupters and they always send me back to my blaster.  Will a dominator give me something that I've missed playing a corrupter?

[Trippy]

No Corruptor is Blaster primary/Defender primary (i.e. the Defender power sets are fliipped) and Dominator is Controller primary/Blapper (mix of Blaster primary and secondary, very melee oriented). The Defender primaries are buff/debuff oriented instead of control oriented. If you like being a control freak (i.e. "mezzing", "stunning", "rooting", etc.) you might like the Dominator.

[UnSub]

Dominators have a reputation for being difficult to play, but they have been improved somewhat in recent times.

[Numtini]

I found the Dom really difficult to play, and my main is a controller. Some of it is just that its harder to find teams and doms/trollers are pretty weak solo. Some is that the COV classes are a little overpowered offensively and particularly with the epics I don't feel like I'm contributing much with controls.

[Nebu]

Some is that the COV classes are a little overpowered offensively and particularly with the epics I don't feel like I'm contributing much with controls.

This is interesting.  Other than the MM, I've always felt that my scrapper was tougher than anything on the villains side and my blaster makes my corrupter seem weak.  Then again, I rarely play beyond solo or a group of 3. 

[Hutch]

My first ever level 50 character (either side) was my mind/energy dominator. I took energy mostly because I like the style of energy blasts, and I'm not a big fan of the fact that some of the best fire and ice melee attacks involve swords. So for me, it was more about style than about number-crunching, as the energy secondary for Doms is apparently one of the worst, on paper. (or was, at the time; they could have changed things since then).

Having said that, it was a breeze to solo with my dom. Once I had my Mass Hypnosis slotted up, solo missions were cake.

In groups, not so effective. I found that any team with competent brutes and corruptors in it would kill things so fast that controls weren't needed, and the damage I was contributing was a sideshow.

On the gripping hand, if you're only grouping in pugs, you may find (as I did) that soloing gets you more xp in a given play session, since I didn't have to wait for my pug teammates to go afk, go vendor, get lost or killed on the way to the next mission, etc.

So, consider your playing habits in terms of grouping. Dominators make great solo characters, similar to scrappers. Which (not coincidentally) is my favorite blue AT. If you like grouping, even pugging, everyone will welcome a corruptor.

[Nevermore]

Uhm, Fire Assault doesn't have a single attack that involves swords.

Mind is probably the easiest Dom primary to solo.  Plant is also really good at that.  On the other hand, Gravity is horrendous for soloing (really, it's just horrendous period).  I actually find my 50 Dominator is much more useful on mixed Hero/Villain teams than in straight villain teams.  That could be because the enemy groups you fight are more difficult in the co-op zones than the schlubs you usually fight in the regular zones, though.

[Trippy]

Some is that the COV classes are a little overpowered offensively and particularly with the epics I don't feel like I'm contributing much with controls.

This is interesting.  Other than the MM, I've always felt that my scrapper was tougher than anything on the villains side and my blaster makes my corrupter seem weak.  Then again, I rarely play beyond solo or a group of 3. 

The Brute secondaries pretty much have the same values as the Scrapper secondaries and Brutes have a higher HP cap so if you want to play a Scrapper Villain-side just play a Brute.

The CoV ATs are designed so that they all can solo well, unlike CoH. This means that in groups "teamwork" is downplayed as everybody can just go about doing their own thing except in the occassional setup. In CoH, it's much more about the ATs working together when in groups, especially at the lower levels.

[Jimbo]

I'm not sure of exact numbers, but scrappers got moved to second place on damage after brutes.  Of course this is later on, when the brute is maxed out on his fury vs the scrapper (both can have build up).  Blasters seem to be in third, and then it goes on from there, but most of the villians can level easier.

I found the dominator rewarding, but still a group thing.  You all must have some terrible pick up groups, because we usually stick together and crank up the difficulty and bash some heads in pretty effectively, when the group starts to split up is when we get killed.  Oh, I play a plant dom, it hasn't been bad soloing, but a brute or mastermind would have been way easier to solo.  Example, I would get missions with an Arch Hero and they would be orange to me and freaking un-killable, I could get them to about half before they would work me, plus I suck on getting the big Mohawk blob pet in the pvp zone (shivan reward for completing the mission in the first pvp zone...grrr need coffee), so I've had to beg people to help me finish some mission arc's when I was soloing.  But then again, I Virtue is usually pretty populated so finding a group takes about 15 mins usually or less, same with Freedom.

Oh I can say that fire/fire dom's are pretty powerful, they might not have the problems I did soloing, but I haven't tried them yet.

[Trippy]

I'm not sure of exact numbers, but scrappers got moved to second place on damage after brutes.  Of course this is later on, when the brute is maxed out on his fury vs the scrapper (both can have build up).  Blasters seem to be in third, and then it goes on from there, but most of the villians can level easier.

If a Brute can keep Fury capped they will outdamage Scrappers but not by as much as you might think even though Fury maxes at +200% damage since Brute's start at a lower damage modifier compared to Scrappers (they are even lower than Tankers, actually).

[Numtini]

my blaster makes my corrupter seem weak

Who we see as the equivilent classes says more about you and I than it does about the classes. I find my corrupter makes my defender look weak :)

(Corruptor is my favorite class btw -- I can't wait for the betrayal system so I can move one heroside.)

[Nebu]

Thanks for all of the input.  Since this toon is for solo/3-man group, I decided to play my corrupter instead.  I'm way too much of a damage whore and since I'm playing with two melee (brute & stalker), the buffs I get from my cold secondary are helpful.  Oh, the corrupter is ice/cold.  I figured that would be a compromise as a more controlling corrupter build.

[Signe]

Corrupter is my fav class, too, followed by Brute/Scrapper.  They're just fun to play.   

[UnSub]

Oh, the corrupter is ice/cold.  I figured that would be a compromise as a more controlling corrupter build.

Good idea - the slows of ice powers can be very helpful both solo and on teams.

As always, check the official forums for build help - they are usually pretty good.

[Nevermore]

Ice/Dark is another good 'controllery' style Corruptor, though it's very endurance-heavy.

[Lantyssa]

/Dark is such a nice utility set.  It is endurance heavy as Nevermore says, but proper slotting and the almost requisite Stamina make it very, very useful.  I keep trying out other power sets, but always come back to it.  One of the best heals, area slow, massive to-hit and damage debuffs, a large area cone fear, area stealth and def/resistance, group rez.  And Dark Fluffy.

[Nebu]

On a side note:  I've been playing a peacebringer lately and am completely underwhelmed.  Anyone have any experience with the kheldian classes that they'd care to share?

[UnSub]

On a side note:  I've been playing a peacebringer lately and am completely underwhelmed.  Anyone have any experience with the kheldian classes that they'd care to share?

Kheldians are generally seen as 'hard mode' because they are easy to screw up on your build. I've never bothered with them - the VEATs are a lot more interesting to me - but the general consensus is that you pick one or two modes to specialise in. Tri-form is meant to be hard because you can't use all your powers.

Here's a Tri-form Warshade guide that appears to be getting good reviews, while here's the Kheldian sub-form on the boards - lots of info there, most of it constructive.

[Nebu]

I've been playing a human spec peacebringer (I saw a nice I11 writeup about them).  I was underwhelmed and moved to a blaster spec.  All the knockbacks were fun solo, but irritated the hell out of the scrappers in my group.  I've since gone back to my ice/cold blaster.  I also don't enjoy blapping, so that may be an issue. 

[Pennilenko]

Hey guys, am i missing out gy having never tried CoH/CoV? Super excited about Champions Online, though.

[Nebu]

Missing out?  I don't know.  It's a very fun game from a log-on-and-kill-stuff-for-an-hour perspective.  If you enjoy character customization and fast-paced combat, it's well worth the cost of the box to play for a month.  It really lacks the stickiness of a standard mmo, so don't expect it to be a typical MMO experience. 

Pros:
Fun, fast-paced combat
Character customization
Ability to solo or group on any class
Great travel powers

Cons:
Missions get repetitive
Grind gets pretty wough after level 30 or so
Some classes get powers early, so the game doesn't change much in the late game.
Lots of pointless running around

[Pennilenko]

Missing out?  I don't know.  It's a very fun game from a log-on-and-kill-stuff-for-an-hour perspective.  If you enjoy character customization and fast-paced combat, it's well worth the cost of the box to play for a month.  It really lacks the stickiness of a standard mmo, so don't expect it to be a typical MMO experience. 

Pros:
Fun, fast-paced combat
Character customization
Ability to solo or group on any class
Great travel powers

Cons:
Missions get repetitive
Grind gets pretty wough after level 30 or so
Some classes get powers early, so the game doesn't change much in the late game.
Lots of pointless running around

How bout reworking pro con list, knowing that im a die hard vanguard player?

[Pennilenko]

Also how are the graphics, I like good graphics?

[Nebu]

I liked Vanguard for a month, so I think the list is fine.  Vanguard has some very well done classes slapped into a world that doesn't have enough varied content to sustain it.  If you enjoy itemization, you won't like CoH.  CoH is like a console game married to an MMO.  It's about arcade-like combat with an attached level grind.  I find it a nice distraction on those days when I want to come home from work and "blow shit up".  If you're looking for depth, CoH isn't it. 

CoH also has fun story-driven content.  If you're someone that enjoys reading quests and dialogue, CoH is a decent read. 

[Pennilenko]

I liked Vanguard for a month, so I think the list is fine.  Vanguard has some very well done classes slapped into a world that doesn't have enough varied content to sustain it.  If you enjoy itemization, you won't like CoH.  CoH is like a console game married to an MMO.  It's about arcade-like combat with an attached level grind.  I find it a nice distraction on those days when I want to come home from work and "blow shit up".  If you're looking for depth, CoH isn't it. 

CoH also has fun story-driven content.  If you're someone that enjoys reading quests and dialogue, CoH is a decent read. 

I Just picked it up from Gamestop...........I dont think i even need to play, creating characters is insanely fun. Also glad you talked about itemization, I hate hate hate having to gear up my characters every 5 levels. I dont think itemization should be as important as it has become.

[Nebu]

You'll find the game fun in its replay value if nothing else.  Just keep in mind a couple fo things:

1) You don't really start feeling like a superhero until about level 24 or so. 

2) Many class combinations bloom late.  If you seem terrible at low level it may not always be the case later on.  Similarly, some early blossoming classes don't improve much later on.

3) There really is no endgame, so getting to level 50 won't really give you new things to explore beyond two new classes to mess with.  This being the case, it's far more fun to level a bunch of alts with different builds, classes, and costumes.

[Signe]

Holiday events are super good fun the first couple of times around, too.  I also enjoy playing the auction house, though not as much as I love the WoW auction house.

[Glazius]

You'll find the game fun in its replay value if nothing else.  Just keep in mind a couple fo things:

Most important thing: No matter which side you pick, make sure you pop your head into Port Oakes/Kings Row at level 5. Talk to the detective/broker, and pick up your paper/scanner. Run three missions and then the safeguard/mayhem that follows and you'll get a jetpack with 2 hours of "on time". Repeat the same process at level 10 for a jump pack. That'll pretty much kill any early game travel woes.

It's handy to have even if you're fine sprinting around and enforcing your will on the mean streets.

[UnSub]

I'll add that CoH/V has a better forum community than a lot of MMOs out there, so take a look at the guides and other bits to get info on the game.

I have written a trial player guide I'll have to link to later on.

[Jimbo]

If you want some tips on rolling up a first character let us know what you want to try and we can probably help, or like UnSub said, check the main forums, they are probably the best gaming forums run by a company.  The guides are created by players and they have marking as to which is the most current (Issue 12 is the latest, so I12 is what they guide will say).  Like Glaz said get your travel power at level 5 and 10, I recommend playing on freedom or virtue since there is more people on those servers and you can find pick up groups easy.  Then again, I have had great luck with pick up groups (pug's) in CoX.  I'll add that for a first time player a scrapper with regen as secondary, or brute with willpower as secondary is a pretty decent pick as you will be able to group or solo and handle most things thrown at you.

[Signe]

When I make a character for solo, which is always, I do it so it's fun for me, not according to someone's uber build.  Such as putting enhancements into things that will give me less downtime, faster recovery for between fights, stuff like that.  I also make range characters and take fighting as one of my extra power sets so I can do both sorts of combat.  It makes a pretty fun character to play.  I have found that people's uber builds are usually much more boring than the goofy ones I can come up with myself.

[Pennilenko]

Well so far its awesome, and i cant beleive ive been missing out on this game for this long.

Ive got a Magic Brute, Magic Mastermind that practices Necromancy, And an Electric/Electric Blaster

So much fun. Thanks for the reccomendation.

BTW I have more time invested in creating my characters than playing so far, LOL.

[Nebu]

Necro/poison and necro/dark masterminds can be fun.  The pathing can make melee a bit of a nightmare in close quarters though.  I'm glad that you're having fun.  There are so many combinations to try, just keep fiddling until you find something that suits you. 

Make sure that you get to Port Oaks and do the newspaper missions as soon as you can after level 5.  They will grant you a jetpack reward after you do 3 and a bank robbery mission.  The jetpack makes travel through convoluted areas MUCH easier.

[Morat20]

Necro/poison and necro/dark masterminds can be fun.  The pathing can make melee a bit of a nightmare in close quarters though.  I'm glad that you're having fun.  There are so many combinations to try, just keep fiddling until you find something that suits you. 

Make sure that you get to Port Oaks and do the newspaper missions as soon as you can after level 5.  They will grant you a jetpack reward after you do 3 and a bank robbery mission.  The jetpack makes travel through convoluted areas MUCH easier.

I've got a robots/bubble Mastermind and sometimes it feels a bit too much like taking candy from babies. But then, I'm evil.

[Nebu]

I've got a robots/bubble Mastermind and sometimes it feels a bit too much like taking candy from babies. But then, I'm evil.

I felt that way about merc/dark.  High ranged damage and a huge ae heal just made doing level 4 and 5 difficulty missions too easy.