Tips on Enjoying Champions Online

Left to Right: Liberty Lass, Commander Cosmos, Captain Kanuk, Revenant, and Foxie Rayne

    

Super…Just Super… That is basically my comment for my personal experience in Champions Online.

This has been a very enjoyable game for me as a MMO enthusiast. I will get into the why of that shortly. I love playing super heroes and enjoyed a couple of years in COH/COV but I am finding the Champions experience to be a better one. Now, that does not mean there are not improvements that need to be made in the game and I will touch on that as well. I also approach the game in a more casual manner and have not been racing my way to end game. Even still, my main character is 33^rd level  now, only 7 levels from the game level cap.

Here are my tips on enjoying Champions online and getting the most out of the game.

1)      Play more casually and enjoy the content. There are quite a few pop culture references and Easter eggs in the missions if you stop to read them.

2)      Tweak the graphics. If you do not like the comic book style cell shading (outlines on characters and objects) you can turn it off. Also, I noted the default settings were low for my PC so I cranked them up and they look great.

3)      Really enjoy the character creator and try to make something very unique. The depth of this creator is awesome and it is a blast. I have seen many clones of your favorites though and to be honest , while I am okay with paying homage to your favorite super hero, I think the creator allows you to be very creative.

4)      Don’t be casual about your build. Pay attention, close attention to the powers you select and the items you slot. This will make a huge difference in the game for you. My main Character, Captain Kanuk formerly of the Canadian Mounties’, is primarily an unarmed martial artist. This is probably the hardest character to play in the game to date and is something that Cryptic has recognized need attention.  You can see the powers I selected below and while 2 gun Mojo and Lead Tempest did not initially fit my concept they have worked well to give the character some ranged attacks and have allowed him  a couple of strikes that can hit multiple targets. Here is the very best tool for setting up your character in advance. http://champions.zarzu.ch/download.html This character builder is AWESOME!!!

5)      Make sure you are tracking to the super stats you chose but also note how the other stats impact your powers, resistances, etc. This is aligned with item 2 but I wanted to point this out separately.  Here is a good link that can give you some direction on how to manage your statistics. http://www.brighthub.com/video-games/mmo/articles/49384.aspx

6)      Meditate zen style while Cryptic continues to fine tune powers and tweak the game. In other words, don’t get too uptight and expect changes to come. The game hit the one month mark and while changes and power nerfs have slowed down they are still coming. Heck, my unarmed MA power set (and all melee power sets) need some love still too. This is especially true if you are planning to have melee characters in PVP. So expect change and be ready for a free retcon or two more before all is said and done.

7)      Explore…There is a lot to find in the game and tons of achievements to unlock. Like my little guide to hidden missions in the tutorial there are hidden treasures throughout the game. For example, here is the perk list from the Wiki: http://www.champions-online-wiki.com/wiki/Perks

8)      Make sure to complete all missions for a zone. Are you worried you may have missed one? There is a nifty little tool to help you make sure you have hit them all. Find it here: http://www.crimecomputer20.com/

9)      Definitely make alts and try some powers. Yes- at the moment you will have to replay the tutorial but that is not so bad. Different power sets are all fun in their own way. I create my characters with a theme to them but do pick powers that will be beneficial while still being part of the overall concept. Be a tad flexible here so you do not gimp yourself with an odd power grouping. One of the drawbacks of allowing you to mix powers can lead to you totally gimping out your character and making him or her too weak to play right.

10)   Play with others. You may feel you can solo most of the missions and that might be true but on the larger missions take along a friend or invite someone who needs it. While grouping may not seem entirely purposeful at times it is more fun.

11)   Last but not least, get in as good Super Group. The one I belong to is great. (Called Watchfire if you are looking for a group) and have made a ton of difference for me. I can always find a guildie to come along or help with a tough mission. This can make or break your experience.

I do have some concerns but have kept up with Cryptic and know they are actively addressing them. Here are the things to watch for and things I want to see fixed soon.

1)      Content, content, content. While a decent amount of content was added to Monster Island the game needs more at all levels so that it is more fun to play your alt characters and not have to repeat every mission in the game with every character you make. My suggestion to cryptic is to create another crisis and post crisis zone to give some variety.  A Moon base or space station would be fun. This would allow you to go through two of the three crisis zones that will take you up through your teens in level.

2)      More and more varied PVP maps. I know there are some great ones coming along with the Blood Moon event  http://www.champions-online.com/bloodmoon but there needs to be a lot more. They should do more like Stronghold or the ones mentioned coming in Blood Moon; Themed PVP maps instead of simple brawling zones. I have not bothered too much  with PVP due to this and the fact my main is an unarmed MA character.  Not a hot build for PVP games.

3)      Power Nerfs and changes are inevitable early on but I do wish Cryptic would pay close attention to what the player base is saying over stats and averages in reports. Tools cannot predict what is fun. There was a period where I was reading that melee was fine. Statistically and on paper that was probably true but in play, it was not as effective as many of the ranged builds. Consequently, it is sometimes not as fun and feels more difficult. Now that has been acknowledged and there are plans to resolve that fact.

4)      Better grouping tools and reasons to group. They are actively working on this and have made changes for the better already but more need to come.

So those are my tips as well as the areas I would like to see worked on to enhance the player experience. I hope this helps you some to further enjoy this fun game.

Commander Cosmos in regular costume and Super Group costume