i can't start the TF because i didn't do the story arc...

[Dogs Of Warshade]

Last night we were gathering around Ernesto Hess with the awkward situation of having only one toon who had unlocked the contact. Katie Hannon is another one where this is sometimes a problem. It got me thinking about how easy it is to miss out on some of these opportunities if you don't do at least some of the story arcs in the game. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you're going through the lower levels:

The Hollows
A lot of people miss out on the Caverns of Transcendence because they avoid the Hollows. It might be different since revamping the zone, but I haven't had the opportunity to check it out as a lowbie.
In order to unlock Karsis (the Caverns contact) you need to finish the story arc from Talshak the Mystic (lvl 12-14). You can't get Talshak until you go through Julius the Troll (lvl 10-14). I don't recall if you can just talk to Julius at level 10 or if you need to go through Wincott, but you probably don't need Wincott or Flux if your first visit to the Hollows it above level 9.

Faultline
I enjoy the Faultline story arcs, but the two you should pay attention to are Doc Delilah and Agent G (both are 20-25). Completing either of these arcs will grant you the "Entrusted with the Secret" badge and allow you to use the Oroboros portal at level 25. If you enter Faultline after level 20 and talk to Jim Temblor, he should send you to the Doc. Of course you can just go to Wentworths and ask a random stranger to drop a portal for you and then get the exploration badge...

Striga Island
There is a lot you can get out of the Striga story arcs. The initial contact (20-25) is Stephanie Peebles. Completing her arc gives you a temp power called the Wedding Band. If you don't want to go through the whole thing, you can go to Striga at 25 and Stephanie will send you to Tobias Hansen. Running through his arc will grant you the Warwolf whistle temp power and introduce you to his brother Lars. Finishing Lars' story arc will unlock Ernesto Hess. You can't start the TF unless someone on the team has gone through Lars Hansen.

Croatoa
One of the most unique zones in the game, Croatoa is home to Katie Hannon. In order to unlock this task force contact, you need to complete the story arc given by Buck Salinger (lvl 30-34). Buck is introduced by Kelly Nemmers (30-34). If you talk to Gordon Bower after you reach level 30, he will send you to Kelly. Otherwise you can do the arcs from Gordon and Skipper LeGrange (both lvl 25-30) and make progress toward Geas of the Kind Ones.

Cimerora
You can talk to Montague Castanella as early as level 10 (which might be too low for most of Steel Canyon), but just make sure you complete his missions before you reach 35. He will make you a member of the Midnight Squad and grant you access to Cimerora. You can't get there (which is where the Imperious TF is located) until you do this arc.

I have no doubt there are other important contacts or missions people can think of which require unlocking by a certain level, so feel free to post them here. There is also and interesting guide in the CoH forums about things to do at certain levels. Certainly not a "must-do" list, but a good reminder of fun and useful game content that we might not want to miss.
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showflat ... r=10828851

-Dogs