FAQs

General Questions

Utility programs

Where can I get an up to date character builder?

Please refer to Homecoming Wiki:Community Portal#Game Utilities.

Website tricks

How can I add a server status listing to my website

The following bit of code added to your website will include a server status list.

<script language="JavaScript" type="text/JavaScript" src="http://www.coh.com/servers/server_stat.js"></script>

Hardware/Software issues

I've lost my CoH/V CD/DVD and need to re-install the program

The program can be downloaded and reinstalled without the original CD or DVD. See Game Client.

Will I lose my characters when I reinstall?

No, all character information is stored on the servers. You just need to remember your login name and password.

What about my CD KEY?

The 'CD Key' is for the initial creation of a game account on a PlayNC Master Account. After a Key has been used it should be kept for future account verification purposes. It is not required for re-installation.

Vista doesn't like CoH/V

Vista can handle CoH, but requires a little tweaking, mostly to the shortcut.

Useful switches

• -renderthread 1
• -cursorcache
• -compatiblecursors

insert stickied thread from CoH forums

My cursor is garbled and/or blinks

• -cursorcache
• -compatiblecursors

Character Issues

Can I move my character from one account to another?

No. This is something that is quite unlikely to be added to the game, as it would make it easier for people to sell characters on auction sites.

Can I move my character from one server to another?

Yes. While you cannot swap them between accounts, you can move your characters from one server to another; server transfer tokens are free and replenish every few days. This may require that you rename your character if another character of the same name already exists on the destination server. The button is a double arrow in the righthand half of the bar at the top of the character selection screen.

Can I rename my character?

Yes, you can. Access to this feature, as with switching characters between servers, can be found just below the visual of your character on the character selection screen.

Gameplay

Is it possible to automatically reject team and supergroup invites?

Previously, this was not possible. But with Issue 7, Not accepting invites is now an option in the Team window. There is also a setting under Options to reject supergroup invites.

Where is Pocket D?

Pocket D is the club that replaced the Paragon Dance Party. For Villains, there are entrances in Port Oakes, Sharkhead Isle, and St. Martial. For Heroes, entrances can be found in Kings Row, Faultline, Talos Island, and Founders' Falls. For Praetorians, an entrance is located in Imperial City inside Studio 55. Pocket D will be marked on your map as a green dot, like most other zone gates. The gate selection must be enabled under the Options box on your map or you will not be able to see these entrances.

How do I take a screen shot?

See the Screenshots article for detailed information.

Screen shots without the user interface are bound to the Print Screen button by default. When the Print Screen button is pressed, a screen shot with the user interface is also copied onto the Windows clipboard, where it can be pasted into a separate application if desired.

Screen shots are saved in the screenshots folder of the City of Heroes/Villains application folder (C:\Program Files\City of Heroes\screenshots by default).

To take a screen shot with the user interface, one can either go into options and select a key to use, use the bind command to bind a key, or use the /screenshotui 1 command to toggle the user interface on in normal screen shots and /screenshotui 0 command to toggle the user interface off again.

How do I find out someone's global name from their character's name?

Use /getglobalname $target or /getglobalname [name]

Costume

Where are those Hellenic Sandals, the Victory Laurel, and the Toga?

These are a reward option for completing DJ Zero's mission Find Snaptooth and take him out during the Valentine's Day Event 2007.

Previously, they were only available during the Valentine's Day Event 2006. The Patrician Toga was awarded to all heroes and villains who logged in between February 8, 2006 and February 22, 2006. To outfit your hero or villain in the Toga, select Unique Tops as your Upper Body selection. Then under Tops, select Patrician Toga. The Toga color and the bottom stripes color may be customized, but not the bottom pattern or the corded belt color. A selected Chest Detail will appear as a small emblem on the top left of the toga.

The Hellenic Sandals and the Victory Laurel were only awarded if someone registered an account using a special City of Villains trial code during the event. To outfit your hero or villain in a Victory Laurel, select either Standard, Masks with Hair, or Pointy Ears as your Head selection. Then, under Hair, select Victory Laurel. The Hellenic Sandals are available as a selection under Boots in the Lower Body section. The color of a character's hair may be customized with the Victory Laurel, but not the Laurel itself, and the color of the Hellenic Sandals is not customizable.

There is a picture of a character outfitted in the Toga, Victory Laurel, and Hellenic Sandals in the Valentine's Day Event 2006 article.

City of Heroes

Gameplay

Does the Babbage found in the portal mission award the Clockstopper badge?

No, the version of Babbage found in the portal mission to dimension Epsilon Tau 27-2 does not award the Clockstopper Badge.

Do the Banished Pantheon spirit masks found in portal missions count toward the Banisher Badge?

Previously the spirit masks found in portal missions did not count toward gaining the Banisher Badge. This was changed on August 16, 2006.

Where are the Rikti in the Sewers?

The mission that assigns a character to hunt Rikti in the sewers fails to differentiate between the Sewer Network and the Abandoned Sewer Network. Rikti cannot be found in the Sewer Network, but instead, are plentiful in the Abandoned Sewer Network.

You can reach the Abandoned Sewer Network by going into any Sewer Network entrance, immediately turning to the right, and clicking on the door that is there. Rikti are closer to the entrance if you enter from Atlas Park or Skyway City.

Is the Madame of Mystery Archvillain bugged?

The Madame of Mystery Archvillain has extremely high resistances to all damage except Toxic, before factoring in any level and rank modifiers that occur due the Purple Patch. Psionic damage is 15% effective (85% resistance). Smashing, Fire, Cold, Energy, and Negative Energy is 35% effective (65% resistance). Lethal is 55% effective (45% resistance), and Toxic is not resisted at all. On top of that, she has Archvillain-level regen, so many players think that she has incredible base regen, when the reality is her resistances factoring in.

Powers that debuff damage resistance (Sonic Siphon, for example) and regeneration rate (Transfusion, for example) are key to defeating her if you cannot outright out-damage her resistances plus regeneration rate. Keep in mind though, that these powers will be resisted fairly heavily in and of themselves, so will be much less effective than when used on a normal foe.

Mission

Where is the contact for the Faultline trial?

The Faultline trial has never existed in the live game. There was work done on creating it during the beta version of City of Heroes, but it was never completed. Before Issue 8, you could see part of the trial area if you look over the south war wall, and at one point, there was even a bug that would allow you to teleport into the area. The only place in print that the trial is currently mentioned is in the Prima Official Game Guide. There is more info in the Knowledge Base. The trial area from behind the dam was revamped in Issue 8 into a pseudo-hazard zone, and is now accessible to players, though there is still no actual trial.

City of Villains

Issue 7 Questions

Where is the Fortunata Fateweaver in Grandville?

The Fortunata Fateweaver (where one adjusts their notoriety) is located just south of Arbiter Apolis, in front of the large statue of Lord Recluse just over the bridge leading to the large tower. She is on the right (east) side of the bridge, opposite the Elite Quartermaster.

Supergroups and Bases

How do I create a Villain Supergroup?

To create a Villain Supergroup, you must visit the Arachnos Headquarters in Port Oakes. The Arachnos Headquarters is next to the Marconeville marker near the center of the Port Oakes map.

How do I create a base?

To create a base, you must have Base Editing Rights. For new Super Villain Groups this is the leader of a supervillain group by default. Go to the Arachnos Headquarters in Port Oakes and talk to the supervillain group registrar there.

What is salvage used for?

There are three types of salvage. One type is used to create items at your base. A second type is used to craft Invention Origin enhancements. A third type, special Halloween salvage, was only obtainable during the Halloween Event and grants a character an extra costume slot.

Gameplay

When I reach level 20, will I have access to Kheldians archetypes?

No, Peacebringers and Warshades can only be unlocked by reaching level 20 with a hero. However, if Going Rogue has been purchased, one may create a Kheldian as a hero and convert him/her to a villain.

Where do I adjust the difficulty of my missions?

You adjust the difficulty of your missions by changing your notoriety at one of the Fortunata Fateweavers. The locations of the Fortunata Fateweavers are marked on the maps posted here.

Where do I sell enhancements?

At the Quartermasters. The Quartermasters are marked as stores on your map.

Is there an Icon store?

You may alter your costume at the The Facemaker store located in Cap au Diable. It is marked on your map as a Tailor and is the westernmost store in the zone.

How do I get a cape?

When you reach level 20 or above, talk to whichever starting contact you originally chose (either Kalinda or Matthew Burke) in Mercy Isle (or call them, since you have presumably completed their missions). He or she will assign you a mission to go to Paragon City and steal one from a hero for the privilege of wearing a cape in the Rogue Isles.

How do I earn a second costume?

When you reach level 20 or above, visit Facemaker in the Face store located in Cap au Diable. Facemaker is located in the back of the store, and will assign you a mission to defeat Freakshow to earn your second costume slot.

Mission

I'm working on my costume mission, but I can't find any Freakshow. Where are they?

There are no Freakshow in Cap au Diable, where the costume mission is assigned. You must go to another zone.

They are located in the northwestern area of Sharkhead Isle and in parts of Bloody Bay. The ones in Bloody Bay are generally easier, but it is a PvP zone.

Where is the Strike Force contact in Cap au Diable?

Virgil Tarikoss is located 140 yards due east of the Mount Diable marker. He is also marked on the Cap au Diable map. The strike force is for characters level 15 through 20. Higher-level characters may take part, but they will be auto-lackeyed to level 20 and not earn experience during the Strike Force.

How do I get to Sharkhead Island?

There is a ferry just north of Aeon City in Cap au Diable. It is marked on the map.

Where are the Hellions in Port Oakes?

Hellions tend to be on the tops of warehouses around Dockside and Oil Spill.

Where are the Circle of Thorns in Cap au Diable?

In the Mount Diable in the eastern section of the zone and in Vagabond Hills in the northwestern section of the zone..

Bugs

When I try to enter a mission, it tells me "You must complete your active mission."

If you get a message when you try to enter a mission that says, "You must complete your active mission before entering another one," select Mission from the navbar menu, select the mission you wish to enter, click the Select task button, and try entering again. If this doesn't work, you will have to log off and back on again.

It may also be that a set of doors is counted as two different entrances - that is, one of a pair of double doors is considered a separate entrance from the other.

I'm trying to get somewhere in Mercy Isle, but my arrow is stuck on the Arachnos base. What do I do?

Zone out and back into Mercy Island and it should correct the problem. This is a known bug.

When I click on my contact, it says, "You cannot enter."

This sometimes happens with Kara the Scorpion. Back up out of speaking range of your contact, then select him or her. Move forward again slowly until you are just in range of your contact and try again.