City of Heroes

Overview

City of Heroes (often referred to as CoH or CoX) launched as a subscription based MMORPG on April 27th 2004. Since it's release, it saw two boxed expansions, City of Villains on October 28th 2005, and City of Heroes: Going Rogue on August 10th 2010. It also had 23 free content updates (aka "Issues"), and eventually switched to the popular Free to Play model as City of Heroes: Freedom. On August 31st 2012, NCSoft announced the immediate closure of developer Paragon Studios, and began preparations to "sunset" the game by not allowing any new accounts to be made, and discontinuing subscriptions and the Paragon Market in game shop. On November 30th 2012, the City of Heroes servers were shut off.

Getting Started

Character Creation

Arguably the best known feature of City of Heroes was it's character creator. For it's time, it was one of the deepest MMORPG character creators, you start out by choosing your character's Origin (Magic, Natural, Mutant, Technology, and Science), and pick from one of three body types, Male, Female, or Huge. Then go to work with hundreds of costume pieces to mix and match to make a character that was truly your own.

Archetypes and Powersets

Classes in City Of Heroes are known as Archetypes, and fill the traditional roles seen in MMOs such as Tank, Healer, and DPS. Depending on their Archetype, players had access to different Powersets for their character. Each character chooses a Primary and Secondary Powerset, and as they gain experience and level up, they choose new powers in each, or they could draw from Power Pools, smaller sets available to all Archetypes that were usually for utility or travel powers such as Leadership or Flight.

* - Requires Paragon Market Purchase

** - Requires Paragon Market Purchase, VIP Subscription, or Tier 5 Paragon Rewards

*** - Requires a Hero at level 20 AND Paragon Market Purchase, or VIP Subscription

**** - Requires a Villain at level 20 AND Paragon Market Purchase, or VIP Subscription

Gameplay

Heroes and Villains start in the Galaxy City Tutorial and split into Atlas Park or Mercy Island once they have decided which side they want to join. Advanced players with the Going Rogue expansion have the additional option of starting in Praetoria, where they will choose to become a Loyalist or a member of the Resistance, until ultimately deciding to become a Hero or Villain much later down the line.

Characters start at level 1 and gain levels by earning Experience Points by killing enemies and completing Missions, Task Forces, Raids, and Trials until the level cap of 50. At level 50 characters unlock Incarnate content, where they can do Incarnate Missions and Trials to become even more powerful.

Missions are taken from a character's Contacts, the Police Band (randomly generated missions for Heroes), the Newspaper (the police band for Villains) or Tips (used to change character Alignment with the Going Rogue Expansion). They can be simple "kill x enemy" tasks on the streets, or will take players to a mission instance (sometimes referred to as "door missions") where they must complete objectives inside to finish the mission such as rescuing NPCs, defeating named bosses, or finding glowing objective items to interact with. Missions come in two types, filler missions, and story arcs. can be completed solo, or with a team of up to 8 players. Any story arc missions can be played again in Ouroboros as a Flashback Mission, in this mode you are scaled down to the level range of the story arc for the duration, much like a Task Force.

Task Forces are longer strings of Missions to be completed with a locked team (if a member quits they cannot rejoin, and new members cannot be added after starting) with minimum member and level requirements to start (usually 4 to 8 members) with 8 being the maximum amount, and each having a different level range (20-25 for example). If you are too low level you cannot join the Task Force, but if you are too high level, you will be scaled down to the maximum level for that Task Force for the duration. Task Forces each tell a specific story and usually contain a lot of custom maps and powerful archvillains for teams to overcome.

Trials are shorter and more focused versions of Task Forces that offer special rewards such as the ability to Respec your character, special types of enhancements, or temporary buffs.

Raids are huge zone wide events for players to team up and take on. There are only two raids, and both are intended for level 50 characters.

Hamidon, the original end game raid, has a Hero version in The Hive and Villain version in The Abyss. Defeating the Hamidon awards Hamidon Origin Enhancements to evey character participating, or the option of Reward Merits.

In the Rikti War Zone, Heroes and Villains can cooperate to Raid the crashed Rikti Ship by taking out the Pylons powering it's shields and then assaulting it head on. Characters are pretty much guaranteed a ton of Vanguard Merits, and will earn progress towards badges as they participate.

Enhancements and Inventions

Enhancements are the City of Heroes alternative to having traditional Gear seen in most MMORPGs. Since the game is so focused on character customization, Enhancements have no visual effect on your character model or costume, they simply raise the stats of the powers they are slotted in. Each individual power can have up to six slots added to it as a character levels up, and Enhancements are used in these slots.

Enhancements come in many flavors, when a character is just starting out they will see a lot of Training Enhancements (TOs), upon hitting level 12, characters are able to slot Dual-Origin Enhancements (DOs), slightly more powerful still, at 22 characters can start slotting Single Origin Enhancements (SOs). Special Enhancements such as Hamidon Origin Ehnancements (HOs) are usable by all Archetypes and Origins, but are locked at the range you recieve them. DOs and SOs are tied to a character's origin, so a Technology Blaster can't use Mutant SOs and so on. TOs, DOs, and SOs all expire, and need to be upgraded frequently to remain effective.

Invention Origin Enhancements (IOs) are Enhancements that are crafted by combining recipes and salvage dropped by enemies or purchased from the auction house. IOs can be used by any Archetype and Origin, and will never expire once slotted, they remain the same level of effectiveness as when you first slot them into a power. In addition to common IOs, there also exist IO sets, which will grant the character bonuses for slotting more pieces of that set into the same power, like armor sets popular in other MMORPGS. There is no level restriction or skill requirements on crafting Inventions, though IOs themselves start at level 10, there are also costume pieces and temporary powers which can be crafted as Inventions at level 1.

Archetype Enhancements (ATOs) are unique, attuned enhancements that characters can use starting at level 10, and they will level up with the character. Each Archetype has one set of ATOs, and only that Archetype can use them. Each set has a special bonus proc as the 6th enhancement in the set, such as the Tanker ATO proc, which will increase damage resistance each time it hits. When a character hits level 50, they can apply Enhancement Catalysts to their slotted ATOs to make them Superior ATOs, which raise the minimum level requirement to 50, but also increase the effectiveness of the ATO and it's set bonuses.

Incarnates

The Incarnate System is the name of the new post 50 endgame progression for capped characters. It was introduced in Issue 19 Alpha Strike, and required players to have a VIP Subscription to the game to participate. The Incarnate system is 10 additional power slots that can be unlocked and filled with Incarnate Abilities that players craft from the salvage and materials gained by doing Incarnate Missions and Trials.

Incarnate Abilities are laid out in a tree with six tiers. The first tier is the Alpha slot, a universal enhancement that boosts all applicable powers. Rare and Very Rare versions of the Alpha Ability will grant the player a +1 Level Shift, making them fight at level 51, effectively. The second tier contains the Judgement slot, a powerful area of effect "nuke" attack, and the Interface slot, which adds a permanent proc effect to each attack.

The third tier contains the Lore slot, NPC pets that can be summoned on a long recharge, and the Destiny slot, a huge League wide buff power. Slotting a Rare or Very Rare Lore and Destiny Ability will also grant the character Incarnate Shifts, Level Shifts that only work in Incarnate content, allowing players to reach the effective level of 53 in Incarnate Content.

The fourth and final tier available only has the Hybrid slot released, a toggle ability that grants various buffs to the character for a short period of time. More Incarnate slots and abilities were never released before the game's closure, but the menu elements existed in game for the rest of the slots, Genesis, Mind, Vitae, and Omega.

Incarnate Missions are Missions restricted to level 50 characters who have unlocked the Alpha Slot of the Incarnate system. The enemies defeated in these missions will award Incarnate XP (Psychic for Judgement and Lore, and Physical for Interface and Destiny) and Incarnate Threads.

Incarnate Trials are intended to be done by multiple teams of Incarnates forming a League (8 to 24 members). Like regular Trials, they are designed to be shorter than Task Forces, but they take place on unique multi-part maps with interesting encounters designed for large groups of players and multiple powerful enemies. Completing objectives in these Trials awards Astral Merits, and the entire Trial awards an Incarnate Component and one or two Empyrean Merits per every 20 hours. Incarnate Trials will also award Incarnate XP for enemies defeated, and the Magisterium Trial is the only source of Advanced Psychic Incarnate XP, needed to unlock the Hybrid Slot.

Annual Events

Anniversary Event: In May, there would be invasions going on and special Badges to be collected for the entire month to celebrate the anniversary of CoH. There were 8 of these events in the game's lifetime.

Halloween Event: In October, things got a bit spooky as characters lined up at doors around the city to go trick or treating. As years went on, the developers added to the event, and most recently, Halloween got it's own special trial event called Dr. Kane's House of Horror (HH) which could be accessed from the LFG menu. There were 8 of these events in the game's lifetime.

Summer Blockbuster Event: In July of 2012, the Summer Blockbuster event was introduced through the LFG menu, players would team up in groups of 4 and play through a double feature of movies, Time Gladiator and Casino Heist. This event was new in 2012 and only ran once in the game's lifetime.

Winter Event: In December, things get a bit chilly as the Lord of Winter rolls into town, in earlier years, the game's bodies of water would turn to ice, and players could slide around on them. Eventually that stopped, but a Ski Chalet opened up in Pocket D, where players could ski the slopes and compete for the fastest time, and stop Snaptooth from trying to kidnap Baby New Year. A recent addition was Lord Winter's Realm to the LFG menu, where 12-36 players could enter the realm to try to stop Lord Winter from turning the city into an icy wasteland. All the while, presents are scattered around the city for all to open. There were 8 of these events in the game's lifetime.

Valentine's Event: In February, Heroes and Villains put their differences aside and had to work together to stop Snaptooth from destroying DJ Zero's dimensional portal. In 2008, Manticore and Sister Psyche were getting married, and it was up to players to help collect their stolen wedding gifts. In years following, it was for their anniversary. In 2012 Valentines Tips were introduced which had players delivering love letters to NPCs, and also new missions to help resurrect Lord Recluse's long lost love, Red Widow. This event ran 7 times in the game's lifetime.

Free to Play/Subscription Model

There are three tiers to City of Heroes: Freedom's Free to Play model. Free, Premium, and VIP.

Free Players can play the entire game from level 1-50 as a Hero or a Villain, with 2 character slots, and access to 8 Archetypes and the Paragon Market.

Premium Players are returning players from before the switch to Free to Play, or Free Players who have spent money in the Paragon Market. Returning players retain nearly everything they bought before the switch to Free to Play, and all of their Veteran Rewards, but have the same restrictions as Free players unless they've earned or purchased otherwise.

VIP Players are Free or returning players who decide to pay the $15 a month subscription, the same as before the game went Free to Play. VIPs get bonuses like a monthly Paragon Points stipend to spend in the Paragon Market, free access to select new powerset, access to new zones and missions, and access to the Incarnate system. VIP Players get at least 12 character slots per server, and free access to the Going Rogue expansion.

Game Updates and Expansions

Issue 24 and Beyond

Issue 24: Resurgence was available for testing on the VIP Beta server when the announcement was made that the game would be closing down in November. Issue 24 would focus on tying up loose ends in the aftermath of the Praetorian War and the defeat of Emperor Cole. Many surviving Praetorian characters were moving into Paragon City to help Heroes rebuild after the war, while Villains were taking the opportunity to move in on Praetoria and replace their fallen Emperor themselves.

Mechanically, some of the largest changes Issue 24 would introduce were to how Blasters worked. Snipe powers would fire instantly after a certain tohit threshold was reached, ranges on short range high damage blasts were increased, powers in their secondary powersets were changed to include more utility, and endurance crashes were removed from tier 9 nuke powers.

Power Pools were also being revamped, almost every non-travel based pool had a fifth power added, and also might have had other powers changed around to be more useful and attractive, as a lot of pool powers were for very niche builds and saw very little use. Power Pools would also be customizable like primary/secondary/incarnate powers, with coloring and minimal effect options.

Four new Invention Sets were added, resistance set bonuses were buffed to be a viable alternative to defense bonuses, and Invention Procs were changed to the PPM (Proc Per Minute) system used by ATOs instead of a flat rate like they used to be. Additionally, for Incarnates, more Lore pet NPC options were added, such as Knives of Vengeance and Banished Pantheon.

As far as whole new powersets, Bio Armor was available for testing, though it's unsure if it would have launched before, with, or after Issue 24, in the Paragon Market. Included as sets that would have been free to VIP subscribers in Issue 24 were the Martial Combat Secondary Powerset for Blasters and the Martial Assault Secondary Powerset for Dominators. Both of these Secondary Powersets focused on a natural theme, using martial arts kicks and ranged weapons such as shurikens, with a mix of all new powers like a 3 step teleport attack called Burst of Speed.

Beyond Issue 24 were plans for Issue 25, which would introduce the start of the next threat for Incarnates, the long awaited Battalion enemy group. Other concrete details are scarce, but a new co-op zone, Kallisti Wharf, was shown as a mix of Paragon City with Praetoria's influence since their migration to Primal Earth in Issue 24. Players poked around in the game's .pigg files to find many more new powersets being worked on, but Paragon Studios could not comment on anything dug out of piggs and not announced yet. Powersets included Wind Control, Psychic Melee, Radiation Armor, Savage Melee, new Origin Pools like Gadgets and Utility Belt, and the Genesis Ability for Incarnates.

City of Heroes was closed on November 30th 2012.