Frostfire Apocalypse
– a City of Heroes story as told by Battlerock X
Frostfire… damn.
It’s barely 10am and I’ve already been drawn into another Frostfire mission.
I suppose I have only myself to blame for this. I’ve been out of it for several years, forced by the damage that I suffered during the First Rikti Invasion to revert back to square one. Having to re-learn all of my skills, go through all of the hassles to get back the past that I was missing… but I’m still in the lower levels, and because of that, I still get missions in the Hollows… and Frostfire.
Frostfire… damn.
There’s a part of me that wishes I remembered my old black ops days with Uncle Sam. The “old” me probably would have had no problem making sure that Frostfire was only dealt with once. But then again, those were different times, and I’m certainly not the same person that I once was.
I don’t hate Frostfire, per se, but I certainly hate the mission, especially after you have to go through it over and over again with a different collection of fresh-faced heroes each time. The team-members will change, but the game stays the same. It doesn’t help when every contact you meet forces you into the Hollows, and the rookies foolishly feel that they must complete every mission there before moving on. And EVERYONE faces Frostfire at some point in Paragon City. If you’re on a team, then you’ve either faced Frostfire, or you’re going to. It’s just the way things are.
It’s a multi-floor mission, with members having to pass certain obstacles each time before being allowed to move on to the next level. Each time you have to face dozens of Outcast gang members with various mutant powers. Sometimes defeating them is the obstacle itself.
On the first floor, you have to destroy a mystical altar. Nobody knows why the Outcasts need it, but they do. I’m told it gives the Outcasts that guard it extra health. You’d think that something that potent would be a lot closer to Frostfire, wouldn’t you? Sloppy. You blow that up, and you can move further. But be careful when you do. If you’re too close to it when it blows up, you get knocked on your butt and disoriented for a bit. Not good if there are still any punks in play. It’s best to let your ranged-powered members hit it from a distance. It’s gravy if you can blow it up with some of the punks right there.
Moving up, you have to go through several groups of Outcasts. They seem to be around every corner. Some are right there as you get off the elevators, so you can’t take the ones that are closer to the threshold.
New people make big mistakes here. They think they can mow on through to the B3* himself, but it doesn’t work like that. They gotta be careful and they gotta work as a team to get through it all. They get everyone killed quickly if they can’t pool their resources and use all the skills they have as a team.
This is probably the biggest of reasons why folks like me hate Frostfire missions. It’s because this is the first real team task for many heroes. They don’t know what to expect and they don’t want to rely on the advice of the veterans who have been through this over and over again. They think that numbers make the day, or that loading up on ranged heroes and scrappers and tankers would somehow do it. They’re impatient and inexperienced. They just want to get through the mission and get it done with.
The worst parts of this mission before you get to the B3 are the ones where the gangs are waiting for you around the corner or from above. The ones on the overhead balconies are the ones that really get you. They just drop on down, or else they’ll fry you from a distance.
The ice doesn’t help either. You’re always sliding on it. Frostfire loves to freeze the rooms up, so everyone is sliding around. One room looks like a ski slope with all of the ice slides in there.
Oh, by the way, if you have any Kheldians on your team, you should know there is always one quantum gunner, and you know how Kheldians and quantum weapons don’t really mix. And you thought this was going to be a cakewalk!
Finally there’s the B3 himself… Frostfire.
Frostfire’s usually at the other end of the room, but if you barge in there, he’ll know it and he’ll come after you. And he won’t come alone either! Frostfire has some of his most powerful stooges in there with him watching his back. You gotta get as many of them out of the room as you can before tipping him off.
Even when you start whittling down his forces, this B3 still has a neat little trick up his sleeve. Frostfire lives up to his name in that he controls both fire AND ice, and not only will he freeze you solid and then fry you where you stand, he can also summon his little fire drones and his ice-cubed friend Jack Frost. So Frostfire still has plenty of backup, even when he’s by himself.
The mission officially “ends” when you take down the B3, but I seriously suggest you don’t rush out first. There are usually some stragglers who stick around in the far corners of the room. This is a great chance for you to mop up the area and get some extra experience. If you’re running the team, make sure everyone stays in play until they all hear “Clear”. Then you can all exit the room.
Maybe someday we can get the orders to take down Frostfire once and for all. Until that day happens, though, we just gotta get through those missions and not turn them into fiascoes that piss everyone off.
(* Editor’s note: “B3” is old Paragon City code for “Big Bad Boss”, or in this case Frostfire.)
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