|
How to Die Properly (or not at all)
You're gonna die: it's a fact of life (even in CoH, where you don't actually die, but are knocked unconscious or defeated). Everybody dies, except for this one guy I met who claimed to have gotten into the level 40s without ever dying once (not that I don't believe him, but I want to see the hospital records myself). So, you might as well plan for the inevitable. No, not by taking out life insurance, but by learning how to die properly.
Here are a few tips:
1. Don't.
I know, you have your heart set on dying. Why else would you hang in there with a pick-up team bent on suicide? Or charge headlong into a gang 3 times bigger than you could handle on your best day? Still, if you really want to avoid dying, you can definitely do it. I'll bet that at least half of my own deaths are preventable. Here are some suggestions.
Check your health.
Look in the upper-right-hand corner or your screen. You'll see a horizontal bar there that, hopefully, is green. That's your health bar. The reason I point it out is that a lot of people tend to ignore that useful indicator in the heat of battle, me included. I can't count the number of times that I've gazed with stunned surprise at a stubby red health bar, after ignoring it for five minutes. Often, when I'm playing my Defender, I pay so much attention to the health of my teammates – and who needs to be healed, buffed, or revived – that I end up being the one to eat dirt. So, monitor your health regularly – especially in battles.
Back off.
Question: Do you really need to be in the middle of 15 mobs to do your attacks? Wouldn't life be a lot less hectic on the fringe of things? Unless you're deliberately aggroing a gang, or laying an AoE attack on the maximum number of bad guys, you should back away from the pulsating center of events, and do your hero number from the outskirts. Think about any movie you've ever seen that has a battle scene in it: is the hero right in the middle of the baddies? No. Learn from this.
Use a power.
I have a friend who has Healing Flames, but never remembers to use it, even when near death and with plenty of endurance to draw on. This is not an isolated experience. No matter how bad things are going, I'll bet you have some power you can use to heal yourself, improve your defense, avoid attacks, or just plain escape. Do it.
Take an inspiration.
Sure, ideally you have 10 Greens you can pop to pull you back from the brink. But even if you're Green-less, almost any inspiration can help you avoid a near-death experience. I know, you've been saving them for a rainy day. But, Fred, if you're about to flat-line, it's never gonna be rainier than this. That Purple will up your defense, which is good. One of those Blues might keep your toggles up for a few more seconds, giving you time to escape. Yellows and Reds might help you knock off a villain or two, and turn the tide of battle.
What? You came into this mission without any inspirations? There's no excuse for that: you got the mission from a contact, so get some inspirations while you're there. Even if you got your mission without being near a contact, you can visit one before you risk death. Anyway, they love to have you come and visit (except for that heartless witch in Kings Row). Keep your tray full of the good stuff before you enter battle.
Ask for help.
I know: you're that manly kind of hero who never asks for nothing from nobody. The technical term is Idiot, and I'm one too. But even I know a sinking ship when I'm on one, and I believe that the Code of Manly Conduct must include asking for help occasionally. Ah, here it is: Article 6, paragraph 4, sub-clause 3. I mean, asking for help has to be better than having buzzards gnawing at your carcass, right? Suppose you're on a team: how much will your manly death benefit anyone? Nada. Suppose you're soloing: don't you think that, in a city of heroes, you would just be making some other hero's day if they could help you out of a jam? Wouldn't you just love to do that yourself? So, hit F8 and ask for help: a heal, a buff, an extra body in the battle. You'll be making two heroes happy.
Hit that door.
For whatever reason, these bad guys have never learned to open doors. Sigh. I blame the schools. But their ignorance is your gain. If you can get to a door, you can cheat death yet again. Mwa-ha-ha-ha!
Sometimes, when I'm soloing a mission that's over my head, I'll just stand by the door and fight. Or aggro one bad guy, and return to the door to fight him there. It gives me a warm feeling to think that I can put a bulletproof inch of wood between us at a moment's notice.
Run!
That's right, run, Forrest, run. Is it cowardly to run from certain death? Not at all. Military strategists call it strategic retreat. You live to fight another day, which is good. When things are going south too fast, it's time to get out of Dodge. Hit F6 (Run!) to let teammates know your intentions, then exit stage left. In fact, if you're starting to get a bad feeling about a situation, it's not a bad idea to look around for the exits, turn on some travel power, and get ready to make like a tree and get out of there.
Sometimes running can actually change a battle significantly. Just last night, I was getting zapped by way too many Clockworks. To make it worse, I was on top of a building, and my only real escape would be to plunge ten stories, with them following to dance on my remains. Instead, I began running like a crazy person around that roof. A few enemies missed their shots, I got a few seconds to recover some health and endurance, and I eventually managed to pick them off one by one. Happy ending.
Well, you've done all the above, and you're still going to die. It happens. Especially to me. So here's how to face death with a smile on your face.
2. Move.
Your last act before meeting the Reaper should be to move away from where the bad guys were standing before this whole mess began. Why? Because, if you want to get Awakened or revived where you're lying, you don't want any nasties around to re-kill you after you rise. If you somehow landed in the middle of their turf, walk, run, or jump your way as far from them as you can get before you give up the ghost.
3. Make yourself useful.
Sure, you're dead, but that doesn't mean you can't help your teammates who may still be battling. Death is very calming, and gives you a great perspective on things. For one thing, you can encourage them to run (F6), if you haven't already. You can also pass out inspirations to others nearby who can use them. Plus, you can have a little out-of-body experience: by using the Q, E, Home, End, Insert, and Delete keys, you can pan all around the scene. This point of view can be useful for alerting your allies about dangers they may not be aware of, or suggestions for escape routes. Finally, lighten the mood of doom by making some light comments: describe how the carpet tastes, let them know you found someone's contact lens, or tell them that you see this white light and should you go towards it? Everyone likes a funny corpse.
4. Watch.
Target the main bad guy you can see. Now, even if he moves out of view, you can tell where he is. Is he returning to his place of origin? Is he sticking around? Is he pursuing your teammates? They might want to know these things. And, if you're soloing, you definitely want to know these things.
You can also observe the map. If you're on a team, you can watch the progress of your buddies, hopefully towards the door.
5. Wait.
You're dead. Take it easy for a while. In particular, don't be in a big hurry to Awaken yourself or get revived by another. If bad guys are running around the area, perhaps chasing your teammates, don't do anything until you're sure you know where the bad guys are. When they go past you to return to their place of origin, let your teammates know. Once everyone's gone, you can start thinking about getting back to the land of the living.
6. Reach out and touch someone.
If your pickup teams are anything like mine, your body is not the only one cluttering up the floor. While chatting is a good way to while away the time until that nice healer does their stuff, there are more practical ways to spend your time. You can actually pass items from one stiff to another, if you're close enough. This includes inspirations – like Awakens. You can also swap enhancements and do a little slot management. You can't really dance in this position, but you can sing "Kum-Ba-Ya", which should motivate everyone to get out of there.
7. Here or hospital?
You need to decide if you want to be revived where you are, or in the nearest hospital. Select the hospital if 1) it is too dangerous to be revived where you are, or 2) going to the hospital would be convenient for getting where you're going next, or 3) there is no way to get revived where you are. By the way, there is no difference in the debt that you incur if you go to the hospital, use an Awaken, or get revived.
For example, the other night I was helping another hero on their mission in the Hollows, in an area that was really too dangerous for the level-5 toon I was playing. When I started to return from the mission, I got killed – I still don't know if it was Igneous, Trolls, or Circle of Thorns who punched my ticket. I could have used my handy Awaken to revive myself. But I still had over a mile of bad neighborhoods to pass through before reaching safety, and my next stop was Atlas Park anyway so that I could level up. I chose to go to the hospital.
8. Ask for reviving.
If you've decided not to go to the hospital, and if there are no bad guys around, then it's time to stop lying around and get back to work. The most economical (in terms of influence and time) way to do this is if someone can revive, or rez, you. This can be a teammate or a passerby or someone you find yourself. If soloing, you can issue a plaintive appeal on the Local or Broadcast channel. You might check your Friends or Supergroup lists to see if anyone with the right powers is around. You can also do a search, using the Team screen, for the right kind of hero, generally defenders or controllers in the same zone as you. Send them a /tell asking if they 1) can and 2) will revive you, pretty please. Wait and repeat, but don't be annoying. No one likes a whiny stiff.
If you find a reviver, make sure that the area is safe for them and for you. After you're back on your feet, be sure to thank them profusely, and offer them a nice parting gift. This would probably be a good person to add to your Friends list, too.
9. Use Awaken.
What? You don't have an Awaken? Bad hero! Just like you always keep an inflated spare in the trunk and an extra buck in your wallet, ALWAYS keep an Awaken inspiration in your tray. If you don't need it, you'll surely find someone to give it to (and then go get another!). Don't leave home without it.
If you don't have one, try to find someone who does, similar to finding someone who can revive you above: teammate, passerby, friend, supergroup colleague, or random contact. One advantage here is that any hero can buy you an Awaken (which you will pay for, with a little gift besides), while only a few can do the reviving themselves.
As with reviving, take care that there are no bad guys around when you pop your Awaken.
10. To the hospital.
If the area is too unsafe to get revived in, or if you can't find a reviver or an Awaken, you have no choice but to go to the hospital. Click the button and enjoy the ride.
When you regain consciousness one second later – modern medical miracles! – try to be nice to the other heroes you meet there. After all, they just died too. Show some respect for the recently departed. On the other hand, these might not be the best people to think about teaming with, if you catch my drift.
So, you're alive again! Before you head back to the fray, take a moment to think about what you may have learned from this experience. Oh, surely there's something. Like, maybe you shouldn't run through three gangs to escape one bad guy. Or, maybe this team isn't going to work out after all. Or, maybe you need to add some enhancements to those defenses. Or, maybe you need to turn your reputation down a notch from Persistently Obstinate.
And, whatever else you do, please get an Awaken before you enter the ring again. The life you save will be your own.
|
How to Die Properly (or not at all) : COH - General / Guide - Discussions
RSS Feed
Sitemap
