Respec! (Just a Little Bit)
What do you do when your hero just doesn't play right anymore? It may seem as though you have no other option but to delete your character and start again--but that seems like such a waste of experience and enhancements, especially if you've already invested time in leveling up this character.
But fear not! There IS a way to keep your character and yet still change around a few things to help him or her play better. This magical life-changing item is called a respec.
How To Get a Respec
- With each released issue of CoH, the developers provide each character of yours with a free respec. (However, you cannot "save up" unused respecs from previous issue releases.) This option is a particularly popular one--if you can wait on editing your character long enough for a new issue to release, you can then respec that character for free.
- You can buy a "Respec Recipe" from Wentworth's, if you have a spare 100 million influence lying around. Not the most popular option due to the cost, but if you are truly desperate for a respec, this can be done.
- You can run the Respec Trial available through Terra Volta (located within Independence Port). Find out more about the respec trial at the end of this article.
The Respec Process
First, type /respec into the Chatbox while you are logged onto the character you wish to change.
You will be taken to a screen in which you will be allowed to change the order in which you took your powers, as well as the number of enhancement slots you put into each power. You cannot change your primary and secondary power sets with a respec (for instance, you can't make your Empathy/Radiation Blast Defender into a Kinetic/Radiation Blast Defender). However, you can change what generic power pools you chose from, if you have found yourself stuck with a generic power you aren't using.
On the power-picking screen, remember that the order in which you take your powers is VERY IMPORTANT! The first power you take will be one of the only powers that is available to you if you play at very low levels (for instance, if you get on a low-level team, or play Ouroboros time-travel missions). Be mindful of what powers you need at which levels, and think carefully--you don't want to get stuck playing at a level in which you didn't have one of your best powers yet!
Once you've picked all your powers and put in all the Enhancement Slots that you want in each power, then click Next. You'll be taken to the Enhancement-Slotting page.
Here, you can slot all the enhancements that you had before your respec, though you may find that you don't need some of your existing ones, or that you need totally new ones. You can withhold slotting up to 10 enhancements if you want to sell them yourself on Wentworth's, or you can let the game sell them instantly (for vendor price only).
Once you've slotted all the Enhancements you wish to, you are finished! Take your newly-designed character out for a spin!
What is the Respec Trial?
The Respecification Trial is a special mission arc done through Terra Volta, in which you have to protect the Terra Volta reactor from enemy groups. At the end of the arc, you will earn a respec for the character you used to play through the missions. Be sure to have at least four people on your team before you attempt this trial!
This trial can be done at three different levels: 24, 34, and 44. If you do this trial all three times, you will end up with three badges: The Stalwart Medallion (for the first time), the Statesman Star (for the second), and the Freedom Cross (for the third).
The technical details and well-explained walkthrough of this trial can be read on the Terra Volta Respecification Trial page on ParagonWiki.