9 Months and still no lvl 50

[Mystik]

well I noticed I had skirts for men and deduced I've been playing this game on and off for nine mths and my highest lvl ever is 31. :banghead: :banghead:


now I think its time to power lvl. got any tips to lvl faster

[Valandar]

I dunno about that. I never powerlevelled, have oodles of alts, and my main alt was 47 when I got my 3 month reward...

At 31, I'd suggest hit every contact you have for every mission, and snag as many Police missions as you can. But then again, I'm not exactly an expert.

[Carravaggio]

Be happy you got to 31, I've been playing just as long and i'm stuck at 25 :(

Edit: Made 28 tonight with the help of a few good teams.  ^_^

[Alaric]

Non-PLing Leveling Tips (from someone who's been playing almost 4 years now, and still only has one 50... due mostly to an inability to follow rule 1 below...)

1) Concentrate entirely on one character. Don't play any other character until that character reaches 50 (except very occasionally).

2) You level faster when teaming (as long as you have a good team) than when soloing.

3) You level faster on instanced missions (door, instanced outdoor... whatever) than you do street-hunting.

4) Raise your difficulty level by at least a notch or two (note- if you're soloing, this will depend somewhat on your AT).

5) Play more often.

[captainspud]

6) If you're on a crappy team that insists on:

a) Doing missions way above their head, taking an hour per mission and suffering multiple wipes, because "PURPS IS T3H MAD 3XP33Z!!11!"
b) Doing missions way below their level, "to get it out of the way"
c) PLing sidekicked lowbies who don't help

...leave them immediately and find a new team. Nothing impedes levelling more than a stupid team leader who refuses to earn XP.

[Midnight]

Find the highest difficulty level you are able to fight Freaks at. In the 30s, Freakshow scanner missions are as prevalent as they're going to get, so run thos when you're solo. If you get invited to run a task force, and the team looks at least semicompetent, join it. Task forces are expressways to xp.

At level 22, 27, 32, 37, 42 and 47, make sure your enhancements are updated. By level 22 I update all my enhancements to SOs. At 27 or 32, depending on the toon, I usually have enough money to update to all common IOs. That spec stays in place until 47 for me.

Make sure that your spec is sound. If you're building a Fire/Fire tank with no shields and three sets of travel powers, UR DOIN IT WRONG. Fire/Fire tanks are very delicate and generally have tight builds. If you don't have the proper shields, the proper mez protection, and some extra form of damage mitigation, you'll rack up debt.

DEBT. If you're above level 25 and you have a lot of debt, run a quick arc or a couple badge missions in Ouroboros. It's the easiest way to kill large amounts of debt. Even though it's not really possible to get large amounts of debt anymore. Stupid nerfs.

Since XP curve smoothing, the 30s and low 40s are much easier. I've been able to get a toon from 35 to 50 in a little over 3 weeks.

And if I catch you PLing while you're part of one of MY SGs I'll boot you. :D

[B A D]

I started Count Asmodous  on February 19. He's 45. You need to be playing with teh cool kids.

[BlueBard]

The best levelling I get is when a high level team (4 or more levels higher than me) playing at Invincible or Unyielding decides they need to fill their roster to run missions.

This might be because I provide abilities they need to round themselves out,

Or it might be simply that they are looking to increase the number of enemies and filling the team out does that.

It's not technically power-levelling because I'm normally SK'd (if the levels work out) and because I'm actively trying to help in some way.

My theory is, you run with a support toon and you're more likely to get invited to these little shindigs.  Since you're going to be fighting mainly purples, don't count on being able to hit anything except minions and the occasional lieutenant with your most improved powers.  So pure-damage toons won't have a high damage ratio and aren't likely to help much compared to the high level members of the team.

If you have useful support powers, advertise that in your team search message.

These high-level teams are mostly looking for one of two things when they round out their roster: buff/debuff, and control.  So Defenders are going to have a tendency to get invited more than others, since their buffs are strongest and don't usually rely on hits.  Favored sets tend to be Empathy, Force Field, and Sonic Resonance.  Controllers with these powers are second-choice.  Most of the Control powers rely on hits, which you aren't going to get unless you've invested heavily in accuracy.  Illusion Controllers have a bit of advantage if they've gotten Phantom Army... the phantoms have a tendency to grab aggro and that helps the team.  (The point of PA is not damage, it's aggro management.)

Your survival on these kinds of teams also hinges on aggro management.  Aggravate too many purples at once, and you're going down.  Do your part by picking off the easier targets when you can, and try to concentrate on one enemy at a time.  Between that and buffing teammates, you are a symbiote and not a parasite.

[Midnight]

That dog won't hunt monsignor. Being a buff/heal bot is not helping to the best of your abilities. Hell, I can do that by myself on one computer with two accounts. If you're on a really good team and you're four levels below everyone else, they only need you to boost spawns. 99.9% of the time, if you can't hit, you aren't helping.

[BlueBard]

That dog won't hunt monsignor. Being a buff/heal bot is not helping to the best of your abilities. Hell, I can do that by myself on one computer with two accounts. If you're on a really good team and you're four levels below everyone else, they only need you to boost spawns. 99.9% of the time, if you can't hit, you aren't helping.

Don't have/want two accounts.  If I had 'em and I was relying on follow and autofire, you're right; that wouldn't be much help.

I'm okay with boosting spawns to level myself, especially since I'm the one being approached.  I can't glue myself to my computer for hours night after night, so I take what I can get.  But I don't beg people to PL me, either, and I often solo or team with groups at or below my level as well.  If that's PLing, I refuse to be ashamed of it.  If I stood around doing nothing but gaining xp, then maybe I'd be ashamed.

I do hit purples, though not any more reliably than anyone else would.  If the enemies con purple to my high-level teammates, I'm probably hosed and not going to hit no matter what I do.

I'm not a bot.  I can intelligently assess the situation and buff/heal where it's most needed.  I watch the team window closely.  I give my teammates that extra time to pop off an Inspiration or activate a power or even run away before they get KO'd.  I can intelligently use the powers that WILL hit to their maximum effect.  If I get lucky and hit with a Control power or knock down an enemy, even if it's only a minion, that does help the whole team.  I can draw fire for other squishies and keep them upright longer than they would otherwise.  I can distribute Inspirations where they are most needed.  If I'm Empathy, I can rez, and I don't need to hit for that.  I can break mez on a teammate without needing to hit either.  I'd call that helping.  Granted, not as much as I would if I were even level... but they knew that when they invited me.

I've never had anyone turn down heals or force fields.  They generally appreciate it.

Do I suggest that someone try to level to 50 exclusively by being cannon-fodder?  No.  Wouldn't be that much fun, really.

Trust me, if I ever make 50 I will have deserved it.  I have lots of alts, a few over 20, and only two in their low 30's.

[Kommando]

9 month vet here.  Since level smoothing, I have 2 50s and a third at 42 (Peacebringer).  For my first one (a scrapper) - I was able to solo through levels 35-45 in almost no time by doing lots of door missions.  Contrary to what others said, I had it at a low difficulty setting and just did tons of them.  I probably wouldn't do that now, but if you're squishy its the way to go.  Teaming is always good.  I generally try to keep the exit in mind if I find myself in a debt PUG, but when you find a good one - sometimes you can get several levels in a night.  My villain particularly flew through the levels, but there was a lot of people with VEAT fever so finding a group was easy.

[ow_tiobe_sb]

well I noticed I had skirts for men and deduced I've been playing this game on and off for nine mths and my highest lvl ever is 31. :banghead: :banghead:


now I think its time to power lvl. got any tips to lvl faster

Pfft!  You've nothing to complain about, lad.  You lack the distinction of having played the game for more than two years with no toons higher than level 12.  ^_^

ow_tiobe_sb
Phantom Bunburyist and The Man Who Wrote the Book on True Failure

[Carravaggio]

I bow before the master :O

[ThePrelate]

my main hero that I created in the BETA pre-release, just hit 50 last year in May.. a tough over 3 years after I made him :P


I'm doing much better with my villian.. my villian I made on day 1 of CoV will be 50 around 2.5 years after creation :)

[Lionheart]

Heart's Fire and I have been in for over 18 months; our highest characters are 27 (Lionheart_FR and Heart's Fire on Triumph).

My highest soloer/sometime teamer is Lionheart_FR on Freedom at 26.

Tons of alts might have something to do with it. Plus dropping for over six months beta testing then playing another MMO. Then splitting time between the two MMOs, with CoH as the secondary.

But we had a solid 15 months before we started the other game, and still only hit 26. That's okay, I don't want to rush through any game. Reaching max level is never my goal; enjoying the trip is. :)

[77]

I have a level 50 fire/kin troller, typical cookie cutter build, and yes I farm. I need the money to support my other toons.

The only way to make a run worth wild is to spawn it for 6 or 8 (8 ppl spawns bosses which take longer so 6 is the golden number for me)
Problem is I don't have 5 other accounts i can call on to do that with so I am forced to find fillers, but then i become the butt head sending blind tells.
If I can find people who are willing to either follow me or door sit, I don't really care, as long as i can spawn it for 6.

[BlueBard]

I'll tell you what, my current cycle of leveling will probably be interrupted by Issue 12 when it comes.

I fully expect to experiment with new powersets.

I expect to roll either a psi/* or */mental Blaster (in fact, may do a BlueBard character on Freedom as Sonic/Mental),

A cold/* or */ice Defender,

Possibly some combination of */thermal Controller,

And maybe, just maybe, I'll do a Fire Scrapper for the heck of it.

Aside from that, I just got my Ill/Empathy Controller on Virtue to 32 and I'm working my Grav/FF Controller on Virtue to 32.  Then I'll probably switch back to GeoFire on Freedom and try to get him to 30 so I can get him a smouldering or fire aura (or both).  After that, I don't know.

(And now you see why I haven't made 50 yet) :D

[B A D]

Altitis is a terrible thing.

I hope the broken XP curve helps you kids out some. It seemed for a while there I couldn't stop leveling between 20-35.

[Lionheart]

Altitis is a terrible thing.

I hope the broken XP curve helps you kids out some. It seemed for a while there I couldn't stop leveling between 20-35.

Bite your tongue! Altitis is a wonderful thing!

We kids (I turn 41 tomorrow; I won't mention my wife's age, even though she's only a month older than I am.) like to take our time and enjoy the sights.

Never fear, though. Our mains in LOTRO have hit 44, so we'll hit 50 sometime in some game.  :)

[BlueBard]

Altitis is a terrible thing.

Ain't it, though?  :)

I tend to play based on my mood.  And with my manic-depressive tendencies that could be all over the map. :D

Ordinarily I play Controllers or Defenders... Because I like to help and because I'm a control freak.

If I'm feeling silly, I'll break out one of my sillier alts and RP it (Flyin Monkey, Angry Infant).  If I'm feeling like doing some damage, I'll break out one of my Blasters or Scrappers.  (I usually only go villainside when I'm in a really, really bad mood and want to make somebody PAY!)

Other times, we likes the shinys, we do.  We plays whoever's closest to leveling, my precious, so we can play with a new power.

I hope the broken XP curve helps you kids out some.

I sure hope so!   I'm counting on it!  ;)

[Valandar]

To be honest, it's not the length of Realtime you've been playing, it's the number of total hours played.

To find that out, click on a civilian whose name begins with "M" when they're near you.

As an example, I just now hit Fifty, with about 644 hours "on patrol".

[rain]

well I noticed I had skirts for men and deduced I've been playing this game on and off for nine mths and my highest lvl ever is 31. :banghead: :banghead:


now I think its time to power lvl. got any tips to lvl faster

I think I was one of the first people in this community to hit 50.

I haven't levelled anything to 50 in over two and a half years.

I still love this game. I gladly spent tons of time exploring the new content.

It's about the journey and the fun you have while playing it. The "goal" of 50 is a psychological one. If you think that's the end of the game..... well there is no "end game". Once you hit 50 it's time to roll another toon.

Enjoy the trip to 50. PLing just makes you skip over a ton of content... ultimately you just miss the actual fun of levelling.

[Verfall]

well I noticed I had skirts for men and deduced I've been playing this game on and off for nine mths and my highest lvl ever is 31. :banghead: :banghead:


now I think its time to power lvl. got any tips to lvl faster

I think I was one of the first people in this community to hit 50.

I haven't levelled anything to 50 in over two and a half years.

I still love this game. I gladly spent tons of time exploring the new content.

It's about the journey and the fun you have while playing it. The "goal" of 50 is a psychological one. If you think that's the end of the game..... well there is no "end game". Once you hit 50 it's time to roll another toon.

Enjoy the trip to 50. PLing just makes you skip over a ton of content... ultimately you just miss the actual fun of levelling.

You were the first. I should know, I carried you there  :thumbup:

[El Condor]

well I noticed I had skirts for men and deduced I've been playing this game on and off for nine mths and my highest lvl ever is 31. :banghead: :banghead:

now I think its time to power lvl. got any tips to lvl faster

Ditto what Rain said.  I got Condor to 50 last year and am about eight bars from 50 on my first villain right now, and am honestly dreading it a little bit.  It would be nice if you got some sort of ticker-tape parade around the Atlas (or Recluse) statue when you ding, but everything looks pretty much the same except for your XP meter that stays full and never moves any more. 

IOs and increased upper-level content have made being a 50 more enjoyable, but growing your hero/villain through the levels is still the most rewarding thing IMO.  My favorite recommendation from this thread, Thor, is just to focus on one or two toons and get used to playing them consistently.  You'll get the feel of the upper-level game and it will get you to the big five-oh, believe it or not.  :)

EC

[Lionheart]

well I noticed I had skirts for men and deduced I've been playing this game on and off for nine mths and my highest lvl ever is 31. :banghead: :banghead:


now I think its time to power lvl. got any tips to lvl faster

I think I was one of the first people in this community to hit 50.

I haven't levelled anything to 50 in over two and a half years.

I still love this game. I gladly spent tons of time exploring the new content.

It's about the journey and the fun you have while playing it. The "goal" of 50 is a psychological one. If you think that's the end of the game..... well there is no "end game". Once you hit 50 it's time to roll another toon.

Enjoy the trip to 50. PLing just makes you skip over a ton of content... ultimately you just miss the actual fun of levelling.

Exactly. Reaching 50 has never been a goal for me. Having fun with family and friends, creating and growing (not in levels, but in story/personality) characters, and taking in all the great content is what it's all about.

I had become one of those people who didn't necessarily read all of the mission text, just the end goals. The game started to become kind of dry. Then, with the other MMO I play, I got back into reading the quests and it added so much flavor and sense of purpose to the experience, that when I got back into CoH, I picked it back up there too. Guess what? They've got some pretty decent writers and interesting stories, both on the hero and villain sides (some of the villain commentary is downright hilarious  :) ).

That is one reason I tend not to get into big groups though; I like to read the mission text. So many people are so focused on burning through the content that the story goes by the wayside.

[B A D]

Not to put gasoline on the fire, but .. I will.

Last night the lads and  I ran a Lady Gray TF on the spur of the moment. In the space of two and such hours I dinged from 45 to 46. Its not hard to ding with the new XP curve, you just have to have a good team around you. More importantly, enjoying the game while you're doing it. We rocked out loud last night and I didnt' even notice my xpees going loco. I did notice the damn purple drops meej was getting.

[Kommando]

Meej got purple drops?  As in more than one?  He is officially never allowed to complain about drops again!

[B A D]

2. an apocalypse and some  other one that was awesome.

[Tortuga]

I would love for the devs to add some post-50 content/arcs etc.  Right now, I'm dreading getting Gusto from 47.7 to 50, because I'll probably never play him again...or rarely.  There's just not enough motivation -- influence doesn't really motivate me.

[B A D]

I agree. Saints the only 50 I have that I  play with any regularity, and thats mainly because he's my badge toon.