Loading Screen Tips

Player Guide Notice

This article is a Player Guide. The Homecoming Wiki takes no responsibility for the content within.

Questions and concerns should be posed to the authors of the article using the article's talk page.

Overview

Issue 12 saw the inclusion of loading screen tips. When you are zoning into a mission, there will be a tip - or an inside joke - displayed under the loading image. There is an option in the options window to turn it off.

Bug!
Currently does not function. You cannot turn off tips.

Loading Screen Tips

Tips

• A single power can be Ctrl-clicked in your Power Tray to have that power auto-execute every time it is recharged. This does not work with Macros, interruptable powers, or powers that use a targeting reticle.
• After you do enough for a contact they will give you their Cell Phone number, which saves you running to the contact to get or turn in missions.
• Some missions have a reward choice table at the end. Make sure you read all the options carefully before deciding.
• Larger groups get an XP bonus.
• Task Forces are a series of missions that require a group to start.
• Invention Salvage can be sold to almost any store, but might be worth more to another player, try selling it on the Markets.
• Playing in Supergroup Mode earns your Supergroup Prestige and base salvage with which to purchase and upgrade their base.
• Your Invention Recipe and Salvage inventory sizes grow as you gain levels.
• You can invert your mouse under Options->Controls.
• You can change the colors of your character's word balloons under Options->Chat.
• Visit the Player Guides forums for information on Macros and Recording/Playing back your games using demorecord.
• www.Paragonwiki.com has great background info on the NPCs and enemy groups in the game.
• Check out the latest issue of the City Scoop on the City of Heroes forums. City Scoop is a fan-created newsletter all about the "City of" games.
• Enemies that con Purple to you are harder for you to hit, harder to damage, and more resistant to debuffs.
• Completing a Safeguard or Mayhem mission the first time will reward you with a long duration Temporary Power.
• Badges can be earned by exploring the city.
• Badges can be earned by reading plaques about the history of the city.
• Badges can be earned by achieving certain milestones in a character's career.
• Badges can be earned by completing special missions or tasks.
• Accolade badges are earned by collecting a themed set of other badges...and sometimes earn the player a special power
• Supergroups can earn badges by having their members perform tasks while in Supergroup mode.
• Bloody Bay is a PvP zone where Heroes and Villains fight each other over meteor fragments.
• Siren's Call is a PvP zone where Heroes and Villains take out bounties on one another.
• Warburg is a Free-For-All PvP zone where you try to launch a rocket to earn special attacks.
• Recluse's Victory is a PvP zone where Heroes and Villains fight for the future of Paragon City.
• Your global chat handle can be used by other players to communicate with you no matter what character you are playing.
• There are three Respec Trials you can run. One each at levels 24, 34, and 44. Completing each will earn you character a chance to re-pick what powers they have and in what order they received them.
• When you Sidekick/Lackey to someone you fight at one level below their combat level, but with your powers and enhancements.
• When you Exemplar/Malefactor to someone you fight at their combat level, losing access to powers you gained after that level. You will stop gaining XP, instead gaining double Influence/Infamy
• Visit the tailor or facemaker at level 20, 30, and 40 for a mission to open up another Costume Slot.
• At level 15 and again at level 30 you can choose a special title for your character. NOTE: This information is incorrect: see titles!
• Veteran's Rewards are earned for all of your characters for every three months you have been subscribed to the game.
• Capes are available to your character after running a special mission at level 20.
• Auras are available to your character after running a special mission at level 30.
• If your character uses a weapon, they can customize it at the Tailor/Facemaker.
• Inspirations drop often, so don't forget to use them in tough battles.
• When you level up you gain full Health and Endurance, as well has having every Tier 3 inspiration cast on you. If you are defeated when you gain a level you will even get an instant resurrection!
• Being defeated after level 10 will earn your character Experience Point debt. Half of new XP earned will go towards paying off that debt.
• When you level up you become more powerful immediately, but to earn new powers or Enhancement slots you must visit a Trainer.
• Hazard Zones have larger sized spawns, and are a challenge for groups.
• A Hero Corps representative or Fateweaver can make your missions tougher for you, for a price.
• Power Pools are powers that any character can choose. You can begin picking from these at level 6.
• Power Pools are where you can choose your Travel power: Flight, Super Speed, Super Jump, or even Teleportation.
• Some Archetypes and power sets are more suited towards group play.
• Controllers and Dominators get pets later in their career. Masterminds can start the game with controllable minions.
• Brutes gain Fury by attacking and being attacked. The larger their Fury bar, the more damage they dish out.
• Tankers automatically taunt everyone in their immediate area when they execute most of their attacks.
• The Corruptors' ability of Scourge randomly does extra damage when a foe is below 50% health.
• Dominators build a Domination bar through attacking that can improve their control and damage when activated.
• You can turn three of any type of Inspiration into any other type by right clicking on any you have three of.
• Wings and Rocket boots are examples of costume pieces that are earned through the Invention System.
• The Invention System is completely optional, if you don't like it, ignore it. They game wasn't made harder to compensate for it.
• Each Origin starts with a unique attack power to get you through the lower levels.
• Dual Origin Enhancements are twice as effective as Training Enhancements.
• Single Origin Enhancements are twice as effective as Dual Origin Enhancements.
• Invented Enhancements are never outgrown and their bonus remains static once slotted.
• Sniper Powers require you to have Line of Sight to the target both at the start of the power and when it is fired.
• PvP, Hazard, and Trial Zones have a minimum level required to enter.
• You can slot Enhancements that are up to 3 (three) levels higher than your Combat level.
• Characters exposed to time travel are Entrusted with the Secret, and are given a power enabling them to reach the Ouroboros zone.
• The Statesman Task Force and Lord Recluse's Strike Force are two of the toughest challenges in the game.
• You can suggest tips for this space by emailing [email protected] with the subject line containing the word "TIP"
• Fires can be extinguished with Cold powers, or fire extinguisher temporary powers.
• If you don't like your teammates teleporting you without your permission you can turn on "Prompt Team Teleport" in the options menu.
• The Federal Bureau of Superpowered Affairs has five branches, one dealing with each of the modern Origins.
• You can use a Break Free inspiration even when you are Held, Slept, Feared, or Stunned. Carry a few spares if you can!
• The flag flying above City Hall was fashioned from Statesman's own cape after the first Rikti War.
• Many players hold costume contests in Atlas Park, under the statue of Atlas.
• Pocket D is a extradimensional dance club where heroes and villains can gather peacefully.
• Some Vahzilok zombies are set to explode when you get too close.
• Mastermind pets on Follow/Defensive will take a share of damage that is dealt directly to the Mastermind.
• Ancillary Power Pools are available to heroes over level 40.
• Patron Power Pools are available to villains over level 40 who have chosen a Patron in the Arachnos elite.
• Kheldians gain buffs when teamed up with various archetypes.
• The Kheldian (and Arachnos) Epic Archetypes are unlocked when you get a Hero (or Villain) to level 50.
• Darkness powers draw their source from a place called the Netherworld.
• The different damage types are: Smashing, Lethal, Fire, Cold, Energy, Negative Energy, Psionic, and Toxic.
• Some Invention Enhancements belong to sets. Slotting in multiple enhancements from the same set unlocks Set Bonuses that improve your character!
• You can set up a Buy Order on the Auction House/Black Market if no one is selling what you want at the moment.
• People selling items on the Auction House/Black Market will sell them to the person who asks the most for the item. Buyers can not see what a seller's minimum price is however!
• You can slot multiple of the same Enhancement into a power, but eventually the bonus that they add drops off.
• There are stores throughout the city that sell specific Origin enhancements. Look for them on your map.
• Completing a level 5-9 or level 10-14 Safeguard or Mayhem mission for the first time will reward you with a Temporary Travel power. This is very handy to get around!
• Only the leader of a team (marked with a star) can set the active mission for a team.
• You can only have four different Power Pools on your character, in addition to an Ancillary or Patron Power Pool.
• When combining Enhancements, you can combine two Enhancements already slotted into the same power.
• If you can't find a mission despite being right on top of it, it may be underneath you. Look for nearby tunnel entrances that could take you to it.
• Arenas are for team-based or even 1 on 1 PvP. You can find terminals to set up matches in Pocket D or at any arena. Check your map!
• Your character's Origin will affect the bonus damage on some Veteran Reward powers like the Blackwand or Nemesis Staff.
• The level of your mission will show as a number next to it in the mission list.
• Being defeated in an instanced mission earns only half the debt of being defeated in a public zone.
• You can have up to three open missions at once.
• If you are on a Task/Strike Force, you cannot access your normal mission list, and may only undertake the missions of that Task or Strike Force.
• While on a Task/Strike Force you cannot buy inspirations from your Contacts, but you can buy them from other places, like the arena or the markets.
• If any members of a team are below 5 levels of the highest level character in the team, they may not receive experience without being sidekicked/lackeyed.
• If any members of a team are above 5 levels of the lowest level character in the team, they may cause the entire team to not gain experience, until they are exemplared/malefactored.
• Spawns within mission instances scale to the size of your team. Want more enemies? Form a bigger team!
• Some powers are situational and may work better for teams than soloing.
• Glowing mission objectives make a distinct sound to help you find them.
• "Toggle" powers can be turned on and left running, but will drain Endurance. If you run out of endurance, or are stunned, held, or slept, these powers will be deactivated.
• Enhancements are color-coded according to function. Damage Enhancements, for example, always have a red background.
• Special origin enhancements are dropped by defeating certain high-level monsters in the game. These enhancements may have multiple effects and are usually very valuable!
• Some enemies will chase you through elevators.
• On some mission maps you will be sent to a jail, instead of the hospital, if you are defeated and click "Go to Hospital".
• Back issues of the City of Heroes comic book can be found at www.CityOfHeroes.com/comic/download.html
• Optional In-Game Advertising can be switched off in the Options/General menu. NOTE: This may currently be bugged.
• Always doublecheck that you are purchasing the correct Enhancement. If you make a mistake, you will get back less than you paid if you have to sell it back to the store.
• If you activate a power and it is not recharged, or the target is out of range, it will "Queue Up" and execute as soon the correct conditions are met.

Game Lore

• The Rikti first invaded in 2004, only to be stopped by Hero 1 and the Omega Team.
• The 5th Column was a fascist villain group that was overthrown by the Council.
• Statesman and Lord Recluse were friends before they discovered the Well of the Furies together and gained their powers by drinking the waters there.
• Positron was severely injured in the first Rikti war, losing control of his powers. In order to keep the city safe, he had to seal himself inside of his power armor.
• Synapse was given his powers in a cruel experiment run by the Crey corporation.
• Sister Psyche can "mind ride" and inhabit another person's body. When she does this her original body does not age. She is actually over 80 years old!
• Dark Watcher was an original member of the Freedom Phalanx in the 1940's. He was thought to be lost, but was actually wandering dimensions. He is back on our world now, working for Vanguard.
• Vanguard is a U.N. group that employs both heroes and villains in protecting the Earth against alien threats.
• Impervium is the strongest metal in the known universe.
• The Medical Teleporter is based on recovered Rikti technology, and will teleport you to safety if you are defeated.
• Ms. Liberty is the grand-daughter of Statesman.
• The Praetorian Earth is a twisted alternate dimension where people with super powers rule with an iron fist.
• The hero Infernal hails from an alternate medieval dimension where demon-binding is common practice.
• Hellions are resistant to fire and susceptible to cold.
• Clockwork have a special weakness that betrays their true origin.
• The Malta Group consists of several like-minded organizations working together.
• The Sky Raiders are pirates who use stolen military technology.
• The Tsoo have a special connection with their long-dead ancestors.
• The Circle of Thorns is a villain group based in Oranbega, a hidden city located beneath Paragon City.
• Paragon City is in Rhode Island, in the United States.
• The Rogue Isles got their name from their lax attitude towards criminals and their ilk. It was originally a haven for pirates.
• Just after World War II, Nemesis was sworn in as Emperor of the Americas. His reign was short, however.

Inside Jokes

• Freem!
• It's all a Nemesis plot.
• Not everything is a Nemesis plot.
• Go. Hunt. Kill Skuls.

Mission Architect

• Mission Architect Tip: You can drag and drop missions in a story by clicking the mission book at the top of the window.
• Mission Architect Tip: Check out the 'Tips & Tricks' section from the Architect Instructor for helpful hints on using Architect.
• Mission Architect Tip: You can set up encounters to trigger at specific points off another encounter, like having a Boss call for help.
• Mission Architect Tip: You can use the player's name, origin, archetype and more by using commands like $name, $origin and $archetype in the text fields.
• Mission Architect Tip: Watch the "Show Errors" box in the upper right. If it's orange, click and it will tell you what's wrong - and even link you to the appropriate section to fix it.
• Mission Architect Tip: Each "page" of a mission book (1,2) is a link to that section.
• Mission Architect Tip: Always back up your stories, don't just rely on autosave!
• Mission Architect Tip: Right click in text fields - you may find some helpful shortcuts!
• Mission Architect Tip: Be descriptive when defining what your story is about. Other players may or may not like the same challenges you do.
• Mission Architect Tip: Be sure to turn on Autosave so you don't lose your story.
• Mission Architect Tip: Save, save, save and Autosave.
• Mission Architect Tip: A story can have up to five missions, each with multiple goals.
• Mission Architect Tip: A mission can have more than one primary (or advanced) goal, even of the same type.
• Mission Architect Tip: When you create a story in Mission Architect, it's saved locally on your hard drive as a plain text file.
• Mission Architect Tip: Maps will tell you how many bosses, allies and objects you can have in a mission.
• Mission Architect Tip: You have four placement options for entities in your map (Front, Middle, Back and Any).
• Mission Architect Tip: Outdoor Maps do not have Front, Middle or Back locations. It's all considered the same area.
• Mission Architect Tip: Republishing a mission retains your ratings. Unpublishing a mission wipes your ratings out.
• Mission Architect Tip: You can choose alternate models for standard NPC's by clicking on the left or right of the model in the Mission Detail Summary.
• Mission Architect Tip: An orange-shaded map or an orange map name indicates that the map does not support one or more of your objectives.
• Mission Architect Tip: You can right-click within the text windows to add color or formatting to your text.
• Mission Architect Tip: You can put an author's name in the search field to see all the stories that author has created.
• Mission Architect Tip: The Arc ID is a unique ID code for your story that quickly allows others to find it and play it.
• Mission Architect Tip: Heroes and Villains can do Co-Op Architect missions in Rikti War Zone.
• Mission Architect Tip: The Team leader can invite players anytime during an Architect mission.
• Mission Architect Tip: Custom Characters have difficulty settings allowing you to customize how difficult you want them to be.
• Mission Architect Tip: Custom Characters and Groups are expensive in terms of file size – use them carefully on longer arcs or risk running out of space!
• Mission Architect Tip: Custom enemies can easily be more powerful than regular enemies. Keep that in mind when creating and when playing stories.
• Mission Architect Tip: You can get your costume on a custom character in Architect by using the 'Load Self' button when creating a custom character.
• Mission Architect Tip: If you want your friends costume on a custom character in Architect have them send you the costume file located in the City of Heroes costumes folder.
• Mission Architect Tip: Custom Critters take up a lot of space in your story file. Use them sparingly!
• Mission Architect Tip: Custom enemy groups aren't limited to custom enemies... click on the 'standard' tab while editing a custom group to get access to standard NPCs!
• Mission Architect Tip: Players are able to earn Salvage and Recipes in “Dev Choice” missions, in lieu of Tickets.
• Mission Architect Tip: Players can purchase unlockable costume pieces, enemies, and maps from the Ticket Vendor.
• Mission Architect Tip: When a player positively rates a story in Mission Architect, the author of that story earns tickets.
• Mission Architect Tip: Talk with an Architect Vendor to claim tickets you've earned from other players rating your stories.
• Mission Architect Tip: An Inspiration Vendor is located right next to the AE hospital.
• Mission Architect Tip: Players can only publish 3 stories per account.
• Mission Architect Tip: You can level from 1 - 50 within Mission Architect.
• Mission Architect Tip: You can earn badges for testing your missions.
• Mission Architect Tip: Speak with the Architect Instructor for detailed walk throughs of the Architect system.
• Mission Architect Tip: You can see any of the information revealed in the tutorial or by Architect employees by clicking on 'menu,' 'help,' and then clicking on any of the 'Mission Architect' tab.
• Mission Architect Tip: The Architect Entertainment buildings are located in numerous zones throughout the game. Some buildings are more populated than others. Find the one that's right for you.
• Mission Architect Tip: Trial accounts cannot use the Mission Architect. You must be an active subscriber.
• Mission Architect Tip: Have a friend or a member of your super group proof your story. You are your own worst editor.
• Mission Architect Tip: If it wasn't already a Nemesis Plot, the Mission Architect can let you make it one.
• Mission Architect Tip: You can't do that ...yet.

Submitting Tips

As one of the tips listed above says, you can suggest tips by emailing [email protected] with the subject line containing the word "TIP"