Overview of missions

Step one, getting a mission:
First, go to the mission agency in either Old Athen or in Rome Blue (depending on faction) - it appears that neutral toons can go to either office but I've not yet tried this.

Once inside the office complex go straight ahead to have the required little chat with the receptionist - this step is only necessary the first time a toon will pull a daily mission.

For Alien Missions go left and have a chat with the Alien Mission Handler, he'll give out missions, both solo and team versions.
For the record, I've not yet tried a team mission, that's on the to-do list.
*glances at the to-do list*
*notices how many entries it contains*
*sighs*
*wonders how he is able to waste so much time rather than getting to work on that pesky list*

The missions are random in type but the aliens are the same level as the toon, plus/minus a few levels, more or less the same level interval as in regular missions.

So far I've tried with a soldier (gimp, he's had to abandon some missions), a keeper (who only twice got into trouble; lesson to be learned: buff up outside..) and an MP (who would not have been in trouble at all if those moronic pets could figure out to head straight for their intended target rather than sending a telegram to the mob and then taking off on a tour of the darned place leaving the squishy MP to deal with a quite irate mob..)

Details on each mission type will be posted below.
It is worth noting that the layout of each mission type seems to be fixed.
Of course the mob types may vary and in eg. the Salvage mission the quest item will be placed in a different location each time and also different hallways may be blocked.

Step two: Getting there:
There is the short and quick way: you can just go through a portal in the office.
For the ommer drones this can be found in the room opposite the entrance, head through the doorway and turn right:


For the Clan heroes it has been placed in the office with the Alien Handler:


Or you can go the scenic route:
Head to ICC (by Whom-Pah or through the Grid) and then out to the Unicorn SHuttle service.
Here you will find a beacon and this is where you will go through to the Outzone, there's a blue, pulsing circle on the ground:



And if there's no circle then a shuttle is about to land, wait around and be prepared, the sight is awesome:



Once you're in the Outzone you can see the portal back again is right near you:



Head down the ramp and through the covered walkway:



You are now on a large platform that gives access to other parts of the Outzone but you're looking for your mission location.
Turn left and at the far end you'll see a staircase leading down, either go down the stairs or jump..
Of course, going home you'll need to walk up all the way:



Now run back along the platform, past the area with the banking terminal and the shop (useful things, both of them.. Or one could, alternatively, remember to take what one needs from the bank and do one's shopping before coming here..)

There is a rather well used gate (it's broken, to be honest..) and beyond it you can see two ships. Your mission is inside the leftmost one.
Again, a blue circle on the ground indicates the entrance:



Once inside you will see quite close to you the door leading back out. It is a good thing to remember how it looks, you may need to go through it in a hurry and then it wouldn't do to barge into a restroom by mistake..



Be aware that exiting will cause the mission to reset, that is, all mobs will respawn. Which can mean extra AXP for little trouble or it can mean that the mission will be close to impossible to complete.

Step three: Complete the mission:
Details will be posted in relevant posts under a useful header.


Worth mentioning:
The pods mentoned in the "Cocoon" mission can only be attacked with the special gun and when destroyed a larvae will spawn, it will be aggro and may hit hard but overall it is easy AXP. (Woot! ^^)

The alien version of guard turrets does not drop to the ground when dead, they appear to be suspended/tethered to both the ceiling and the floor so they simply stay in place.



Also, those turrets have a max range, something that can be a very useful thing..



Some types of Aliens, especially the Scouts, hit rather hard but most are manageble.

The Alien Medics will heal themselves but only a few times (three or four) and almost always by smallish amounts.

Specialists will occasionally heal themselves but make uip for that by being nicely squishy.

My keeper only got in trouble twice, once just after entering the mission - keeper buffs take forever to cast and eat up an extraordnary amount of nano - and when blindly barging into a room where two medics were apparantly conducting an examination on eachother. After that, I simply knoccked on the door before entering and she had no more trouble. Wink

My MP had a problem with pet pathing but that would not be confined to Alien missions, pets have no map skills whatsoever - despite buffing them with map expertise - and will randomly head off into the wild blue yonder. One tip would be to have the heal pet either on follow or healing the MP until the attack pet has finally arrived at whatever location the mob is now and has started to fight it.


In conclusion:

Woot, AXP on demand!
FINALLY!!
The Outzone looks fabulous and when/if the new engine comes out it will probably look even more stunning. The same goes for the alien ship with the organic design.


(Note: the title of this topic sounds quite stupid but it has to be at least 10 characters so.. :rolleyes:)