VIP Pack and then going free?

Tivmmorpg1

A little background, I bought the original CoH box and pre-ordered CoV, and played from time to time over the last seven or so years, so I have enough paragon reward badges to unlock Masterminds, so those are not an issue. However, as I level up a new villain character I keep getting tips that drop that are part of the alignment system, enough for eight out of the ten pips, yet I do not have Going Rogue. I would also like to try a Soldier of Arachanos epic power set. From what I can tell to unlock those epic power sets, I either pay about ten dollars/set individually, or pay 15/month to unlock them all. Seems a bit expensive for a power set, but perhaps champions online has spoiled me a bit price wise.

So here's the question: should I just buy the VIP starter pack that offers the alignment system and access to the epic power sets for a month, or just buy what I want individually, especialy as it is not clear if buying the VIP pack and then going free would allow me to keep things like the Going Rogue alignment system?

The tips dropping is especially confusing, do players like myself who do not have the Going Rogue expansion just get a teaser for tips (like I said I now have 8 of 10 tips), is the mechanic perhaps broken somehow?

Thanks in advance for any helpful information and assistance. Been enjoing CoH Freedom quite a bit as a free player with access to a bit of the higher end stuff due to my 14 paragon rewards, but before I dive in and start buying stuff I would like to figure out the best, and honestly cheapest means to unlock some of Going Rogue content and epic power sets, especially if I want to avoid the monthly fee.

Thanks!

OSF8759

If Incarnate status and access to iTrials is important to you, go VIP. Otherwise, Premium will do very well for you, especially if you are willing to buy Points with some frequency.

For Going Rogue, I suggest going to Amazon and picking up a new box (currently around $18 IIRC). You can also get and apply Architect Edition and Good vs Evil Edition if you haven't done so to get more stuff on-the-cheap.

hehenep

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Originally posted by Tivmmorpg1
I would also like to try a Soldier of Arachanos epic power set. From what I can tell to unlock those epic power sets, I either pay about ten dollars/set individually, or pay 15/month to unlock them all. Seems a bit expensive for a power set, but perhaps champions online has spoiled me a bit price wise.

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Well, for what it's worth, both the Arachnos Soldier and the Arachnos Widow are a lot of fun to play (as is the Warshade). While they're not as expansive as the other ATs in the game, you really are more unlocking a whole AT as opposed to just a powerset. Personally I'd buy them (and the Peacebringer/Warshade) if I ever had to drop down to premium from VIP, but your mileage may vary.

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So here's the question: should I just buy the VIP starter pack that offers the alignment system and access to the epic power sets for a month, or just buy what I want individually, especialy as it is not clear if buying the VIP pack and then going free would allow me to keep things like the Going Rogue alignment system?

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Honestly, the 'VIP starter kit' is literally just a month of VIP status. That's pretty much it. If you want to get the GR systems but stay premium, I'd go and find a copy of GR somewhere and add it to your account. You should get permanent access to the systems (sans the incarnate system) along with a month of VIP access. And while you're using the month you could make a couple of Arachnos characters and decide if you like the ATs enough to pay real money for them when you drop back down to premium.

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The tips dropping is especially confusing, do players like myself who do not have the Going Rogue expansion just get a teaser for tips (like I said I now have 8 of 10 tips), is the mechanic perhaps broken somehow?

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The tips specifically were part of the issue that went live along with Going Rogue. So no matter what your character will get tip drops and access to all the tip drops except for the morality missions. The morality missions are exclusive to characters who either bought GR or bought access to the alignment system. They'll drop after you've filled up an alignment bar (do 10 missions for a specific alignment) and once you complete the morality mission your alignment shifts to that direction (Hero<->Vigalante<->Villain<->Rogue<->Hero). Without access to the system the morality missions can't be done and thus your character can't change their alignment.

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Thanks in advance for any helpful information and assistance. Been enjoing CoH Freedom quite a bit as a free player with access to a bit of the higher end stuff due to my 14 paragon rewards, but before I dive in and start buying stuff I would like to figure out the best, and honestly cheapest means to unlock some of Going Rogue content and epic power sets, especially if I want to avoid the monthly fee.

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 Well, I'm glad you're still having fun. As I mentioned before, the cheapest way to get all the GR content would be to find a physical copy of the expansion and buy it. That'll get you all praetorian character access, the alignment missions, the costume pieces and the powersets that came with GR. You should be able to find it for around $20-$30, which is cheaper than all the individual pieces will run you from the in-game store. After that if you're ok with occasionally spending more money on the game I'd suggest you spend $15 on the points and then using those points buy yourself an invention use license every month (the $15 should last you 8 months worth of playtime).