Notoriety

This article is about mission difficulty/notoriety. For Player Vs Player reputation, see Reputation.

Overview

In both City of Heroes and City of Villains, your character's Notoriety (also known as your Difficulty or Challenge Level setting; or Reputation) affects the size and makeup of the spawns in your missions. There are five Notoriety levels to choose from when visiting a Field Analyst or Fateweaver and paying a modest fee (influence or infamy). Changing your setting will affect instance (door) missions that have not yet started.

Hero	Villain	Level	Size	Challenge Level	Notes
Heroic	Villainous	+0 or +1		Challenge Level 1	Bosses downgraded to Lieutenants when solo, Heroes/Archvillains downgraded to Elite Bosses in teams of 5 or less
Tenacious	Malicious	+0 or +1	larger spawns	Challenge Level 2	Heroes/Archvillains downgraded to Elite Bosses in teams of 4 or less
Rugged	Vicious	+1 or +2		Challenge Level 3	Heroes/Archvillains downgraded to Elite Bosses in teams of 3 or less
Unyielding	Ruthless	+1 or +2	larger spawns	Challenge Level 4	Heroes/Archvillains downgraded to Elite Bosses in teams of 2 or less
Invincible	Relentless	+2 or +3		Challenge Level 5	Heroes/Archvillains remain even when solo

Spawns

The primary factors affecting the spawn size and makeup include the experience level of the character when the mission was assigned, the notoriety of that character when the mission is first entered and the number of players on the team when the spawn is, well, spawned. Mobs are spawned throughout a mission as characters approach spawn points.

Generally speaking, a Spawn Point in a solo mission at the lowest notoriety will generate either three Minions or a Minion and a Lieutenant. Two players will generate five Minions, or three Minions and a Lieutenant, or three Minions one level higher, or a Minion and a Lieutenant one level higher. More players or a higher notoriety will produce greater numbers of enemies, sometimes producing Bosses over and above the number placed by the mission designer.

In addition, missions attempted by a solo player on the lowest notoriety level will spawn Lieutenants where the mission designer placed Bosses. Missions that call for a "signature character" such as (say) Aurora Borealis or Anti-Matter will spawn that character as an Elite Boss or Archvillain depending on real (not adjusted) team size, as listed below. N.B.: Archvillain or Hero characters in Task or Strike Forces will always spawn as such regardless of team size or notoriety.

Finally a note to players of Kheldian archtypes: Void Hunter and Quantum mobs spawn in addition to the number normally generated by a spawn point. Increases in team size can cause Void Hunter and Quantum mobs to spawn at Lieutenant and even Boss strength as well. For this reason, Kheldian players should exercise caution in raising their notoriety.

City of Heroes

Issue 16 completely revamped the notoriety system by allowing players to fine-tune exactly how they want enemies to spawn in missions.

When a Field Analyst is first approached, the player will be given the following dialogue:

Welcome to the new Hero Corps
Powered Personnel Power Profile, or 4XP as we like to call it. We have you listed on file Character:

-- Capable of fighting enemies at your current security level.
-- Combat equivalent of 1 standard hero.
-- Does not prefer fighting bosses when alone.
-- Does not prefer to fight Arch-Villains.

Does this sound correct?

I want to change the level I fight

I want to fight enemies that are -1 to my level.

I want to fight enemies that are +0 to my level.

I want to fight enemies that are +1 to my level.

I want to fight enemies that are +2 to my level.

I want to fight enemies that are +3 to my level.

I want to fight enemies that are +4 to my level.

I want to change the number of heroes to which I'm equivalent

I think I'm as good or better than 1 standard heroes.

I think I'm as good or better than 2 standard heroes.

I think I'm as good or better than 3 standard heroes.

I think I'm as good or better than 4 standard heroes.

I think I'm as good or better than 5 standard heroes.

I think I'm as good or better than 6 standard heroes.

I think I'm as good or better than 7 standard heroes.

I think I'm as good or better than 8 standard heroes.

We've updated our data files, you are now marked as equivalent to X standard villains. Hail Recluse!

Hero Corps Field Analysts

Hero Corps Field Analyst found in Kings Row

The Hero Corps Field Analysts are the people who are responsible for changing your notoriety. They are at the following locations:

Zone	Location	Coordinates
Atlas Park	Behind and to the right (northeast) of City Hall	(-50, 16, -886)
Galaxy City	Just behind the Freedom Corps headquarters	(673, 64, -832)
Kings Row	Southwest of Blue Steel, just outside the Paragon City Police Department	(-602, 32, 1459)
Steel Canyon	Just south of the large statue where Positron and Valkyrie are located	(-3136, -80, -396)
Skyway City	In the western part of the grassy park area where Synapse and Mynx are located	(-74, -27, -5108)
Faultline	Near the Overbrook Medical Center	(-414, 0, -1579)
Independence Port	Between the Green Line monorail station and the hospital, just behind the base portal	(-1562, 6, -5511)
Talos Island	Just in front of the large statue of Talos	(1714, 13, 7752)
Croatoa	Just in front of the University building	(-1101, 38, 2016)
Brickstown	Just outside the hospital on the southern side	(265, 0, 1526)
Founders' Falls	Just west of the large fountain south where Numina and Infernal are located	(3887, 0, 605)
Rikti War Zone	In the southwest corner of the central platform in the Vanguard Base	(359, -1184, -2286)
Peregrine Island	Just beside the large Portal Corporation sign in the courtyard	(-1502, 0, -3470)
Cimerora	In the northwest corner of the entrance cave from the Midnighter Club	(-596, -40, 4899)

City of Villains

Issue 16 completely revamped the notoriety system by allowing players to fine-tune exactly how they want enemies to spawn in missions.

When a Fortunata Fateweaver is first approached, the player will be given the following dialogue:

Welcome to the new Arachnos
Strategic Rating of Superpowered Live Yield, or SRSLY as we like to call it. We have you listed on file Character:

-- Capable of fighting enemies at your current security level.
-- Combat equivalent of 1 standard villain.
-- Does not prefer fighting bosses when alone.
-- Does not prefer to fight Heroes.

Does this sound correct?

I want to change the level I fight

I want to fight enemies that are -1 to my level.

I want to fight enemies that are +0 to my level.

I want to fight enemies that are +1 to my level.

I want to fight enemies that are +2 to my level.

I want to fight enemies that are +3 to my level.

I want to fight enemies that are +4 to my level.

I want to change the number of villains to which I'm equivalent

I think I'm as good or better than 1 standard villains.

I think I'm as good or better than 2 standard villains.

I think I'm as good or better than 3 standard villains.

I think I'm as good or better than 4 standard villains.

I think I'm as good or better than 5 standard villains.

I think I'm as good or better than 6 standard villains.

I think I'm as good or better than 7 standard villains.

I think I'm as good or better than 8 standard villains.

Fortunata Fateweavers

Fortunata Fateweaver found in Mercy Island

The Fortunata are the people who are responsible for changing your notoriety. They are at the following locations:

Zone	Location	Coordinates
Mercy Island	Under the clocktower right by the Darwin's Landing marker	(-1853, 96, -1539)
Port Oakes	Just southeast of the Arena, which is northwest of the Mercy Island ferry	(-1090, 160, 1314)
Cap au Diable	Just southwest of Arbiter Howe in the Aeon City neighborhood	(-351, 151, -222)
Sharkhead Isle	On the dock just northeast of the Ferry	(-1193, 0, -776)
Nerva Archipelago	On the dock with the Mutant and Magic Stores	(2280, 11, 8429)
St. Martial	Just east of Arbiter Hayes on the north side of the Golden Giza	(-2229, 128, 1456)
Grandville	Just east of the Elite Quartermaster in the central plaza	(2718, -392, 1894)
Rikti War Zone	In the southwest corner of the central platform in the Vanguard Base	(342, -1184, -2287)
Cimerora	In the southwest corner of the entrance cave from the Midnighter Club	(-595, -40, 4971)

Architech Entertainment

needs info on how Notoriety affects spawns in AE, such as EBs becoming Bosses and Bosses becoming Lieutenants regardless of team makeup on easiest setting