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This is a Massively Multiplayer Online game based on the pen & paper role-playing universe of Champions. As such, the world tries to loosely recreate the official HERO System ruleset. Compared to other MMOs, at the beginning of the character creation process you are asked to choose from a series of power frameworks, instead of classes. These will determine what powers you can use. It is even possible to combine them in the Custom Framework option. Your abilities are determined by eight characteristics: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Ego, Presence, Recovery and Endurance. Similarly to Cryptic's previous games City of Heroes/City of Villains, the player takes the role of a superhero. The events are centered around Millennium City, an urban settlement created where once flourished Detroit, destroyed in 1992. The tutorial starts off with an invasion of Millennium City by Qularr, an alien race that tried to conquer Earth back in 1965. After completing it you gain access to five main locations: a full Millennium City, Desert, Canada, Lemuria and Monster Island. Additionally there are locations added through expansions - Champions Online: Revelation included a new city called Vibora Bay. The game tasks you with completing different missions around the world and leveling up your character. Suffering death is not overly punitive, as it only decreases your Hero Points (or Stars), which you can gain back by defeating enemies. They only offer a bonus to combat efficacy and health regeneration speed. Besides giving you more experience points, killed enemies are also a source of boosts (orbs) that can replenish your health and energy stats or increase your battle proficiency. Fighting other players is possible in three Hero Games: UTC (an arena with two teams of five battling for supremacy), B.A.S.H. ( a free-for-all arena, where the winner is the one who earns the set number of kills first) and Apocalypse (an objective-based competition). On January 25/2011, the game changed its business model from subscription based to free-to-play. |
