Manticore

Freedom Phalanx

Manticore was raised in a huge mansion in the outskirts of Paragon City. The sole beneficiary of a huge trust fund, Manticore recieved training in all manner of physical and mental pursuits. When he turned 18, his true heritage was revealed to him. Manticore's father had once been a customed vigilante in England, until he and his wife died at the hands of a German villain named Protean. Deeply affected by the story, Manticore took up his father's mantle. After the recent takeover, Manticore's eyes are firmly fastened on the Council. A cost of whitewash can't disguise his true enemies.

Task Forces

Task Forces are an extended series of missions designed for a specific range of levels, with a minimum number of heroes required to attempt them. Typically, they're pretty time consuming requiring from 2 to as many as 5 hours (or so I've heard) to complete.

The payoff for investing this much time with a single group (other than the better than average amount of xp from all the bad guys you're going to take down), is that each completed Task Force rewards you with a badge and usually a single-origin enhancement of your choosing.

I don't want to take away all the fun of the missions so I will not list a detailed account of what you can expect in each Task Force, but I will list the starting contacts and required levels for each Task Force (since I somehow managed to miss a few while leveling up with a number of heroes).

  • Positron Task Force

    Location: Steel Canyon
    Level: 10-15
    Enemy: Various
  • Synapse Task Force

    Location: Skyway City
    Level: 15-21
    Enemy: Clockwork
  • Sister Psyche Task Force

    Location: Independence Port
    Level: 20-26
    Enemy: Freakshow
  • Moonfire Task Force

    Location: Striga Isle
    Level: 23-28
    Enemy: The Council
  • Citadel Task Force

    Location: Talos Island
    Level: 25-31
    Enemy: The Council
  • Ernesto Hess Task Force

    Location: Striga Isle
    Level: 25-30
    Enemy: The Council
  • Manticore Task Force

    Location: Brickstown
    Level: 30-36
    Enemy: Crey
  • Katie Hannon Task Force

    Location: Croatoa
    Level: 30-35
    Enemy: The Cabal
  • Numina Task Force

    Location: Founders' Falls
    Level 35-38
    Enemy: Devouring Earth

Costume Missions

Earning More Costumes

At levels 20, 30, and 40 characters can run missions for the head tailors in each of the Icon shops (Steel Canyon, Independence Port, and Founders Falls). These missions, when successful, will unlock additional Costume Slots, allowing you to have multiple looks at your disposal. Simply select the Slot you want to change the next time you access the Tailor once you have unlocked an additional slot.

Welcome to Paragon

Inspirations

Inspirations are a kind of one-shot, quick boost to help heroes through tough situations. They effect a wide range of attributes and come in three different strengths. They are used with a simple click or key press and typically last only a few moments, hopefully log enough to turn the tide in a battle.

  • Respite - Recover 1/4 of your Hit Points.
    Dramatic Improvement - Recovers 1/3 of your Hit Points.
    Resurgence - Recovers 1/2 of your Hit Points.
  • Luck - Boosts your defense to all attacks by 25% for 60 seconds.
    Good Luck - Boosts your defense to all attacks by 33% for 60 seconds.
    Phenomenal Luck - Boost your defense to all attacks by 50% for 60 seconds.
  • Insight - Makes your attacks 25% more accurate and increases your Perception by 25% for 60 seconds.
    Keen Insight - Makes your attacks 33% more accurate and increases your Perception by 33% for 60 seconds.
    Uncanny Insight - Makes your attacks 50% more accurate and increases your Perception by 50% for 60 seconds.
  • Enrage - Increases your damage by by 25% for 60 seconds.
    Focused Rage - Increases your damage by 33% for 60 seconds.
    Righteous Rage - Increases your damage by 50% for 60 seconds.
  • Discipline - Boosts your resistance to Immobilization, Sleep, Disorient and Hold Effects for 60 seconds.
    Strength of Will - Boosts your resistance to Immobilization, Sleep, Disorient and Hold Effects for 90 seconds.
    Iron Will - Boosts your resistance to Immobilization, Sleep, Disorient and Hold Effects for 120 seconds.
  • Catch a Breath - Recovers 1/4 of your Endurance.
    Take a Breather - Recovers 1/3 of your Endurance.
    Second Wind - Recovers 1/2 of your Endurance.
  • Awaken - Wake up with 1/4 of your Hit Points, with no Endurance, and Disoriented. Unable to recover Endurance for 20 seconds.
    Bounce Back - Wake up with 1/2 of your Hit Points, with no Endurance, and Disoriented. Unable to recover Endurance for 10 seconds.
    Restoration - Wake up with 3/4 of your Hit Points, with no Endurance, and Disoriented. Unable to recover Endurance for 10 seconds.

Enhancements

Enhancements are permanent upgrades to boost a hero's powers. They are placed into 'slots' assigned to individual powers. They can also be combined and stacked to make their effects even stronger. They are also available in three strengths: generic (common, low effect), dual-origin (rare, medium effect), and single origin (very rare, strong effect) enhancements.

Thanks to the Enhancement Diversification Act in Issue 6 stacking the same enhancments on the same power results in less effect of that enhancement. Below is a table that illustrates how stacking the same enhancement effects the overall strength of the enhanements.

# of Slots Training Single Origin Dual Origin
1 8% 16% 33%
2 17% 33% 67%
3 25% 50% 95%
4 33% 67% 100%
5 42% 82% 105%
6 50% 95% 110%

Unofficial Badges

Here is a small collection of badges recenting uncovered in a time capsule buried beneath the Atlas in Atlas Park.

Loose Cannon - Your eagerness to rush headlong into a mission, regardless of repeated warnings from your teammates, has earned you this badge as well as your teamates dying respect.

Debt Collector - You have achieved moronic greatness and died 10 times on a single mission. Turn off the computer now and pick up a game more your level...like jacks.

Train Conductor - Your overwhelming cowardice has resulted in leading a cluster of mobs straight into another group of heroes who were doing perfectly fine minding their own business.

Leech - You are greatly admired by the rest of your team for sucking the xp out of a mission by spending all your time on the phone, on a smoke break, or taking an hour long "bio break".

Wall Flower - You've successfully power leveled your way through the first 20 levels by teaming with a hero thirty levels higher than you and faithfully standing watch at the exit door, just in case any villains try to make a break for it.