Cryptic talks up City of Heroes 'issue three' update
Epic archetypes, ancillary powers and other improvements on the way for Cryptic Studios' superhero MMORPG.
City of Heroes developer Cryptic Studios has spoken about some of the changes it has planned for the forthcoming "issue three" update to its eminently popular superhero MMORPG.
There's no word on exactly when the next update will be released, but speaking to GameSpot recently Cryptic's Jack Emmert described some of the new features fans can expect to see, including "epic archetype" characters, "ancillary powers" and more.
Epic archetypes will be all new character classes, which can be unlocked and played through from level one once one of your current characters reaches level 50. These chaps will have new powers, and the idea - apart from giving old hands new toys - is that higher level players will be able to experience updates to lower-level content that have taken place since they originally started.
"With every update, we always refresh new missions," Emmert told GameSpot. "In issue two, for instance, we had one mission in which players were supposed to break up a rave. We actually added a DJ with music, laser lights, and so on - those are the types of updates that we hope veteran players will be excited to see."
There are more specific details on archetypes on the City of Heroes website here.
Other changes will include a new island zone for players between levels 20 and 30, allowing them to invade an enemy organisation, while there will also be "ancillary powers" available to players at level 40 that do things like give melee characters ranged attacks.
According to Emmert, the team is also working on things like an enhanced chat interface, of which we'd expect to hear more soon.
And while all that applies to the US version of the game, which you can get involved in right now wherever you are in the world, it's worth reiterating that last week NCsoft Europe opened the doors on City of Heroes' European beta test, asking people to head to sign up. The website says the team has been "overwhelmed" by the response so far, but encourages people to keep signing up.