Issue 7 stuff for Coh/Cov

[Lyrical]

Some of this stuff looks decent. Before anyone accuses me of being a shill, yes I am playing Coh/Cov again. I feel the need for superspeed once again, but imagine I will cancel in a month or so, when I realize there is still no endgame (just two raids), no itemization and no use for pvp.

So you can earn a BattleTech type robot/tank to control? Doesn't sound so bad if implemented right. We will be able to fight, and it will have an impact on zone geography and landmark? Again not bad. And there will be zones where you can go on a Hulk-like rampage and destroy cars and buildings? I have always thought that the ability to interact with the environment is something that should be in MMO's. If I want to smash a building, a bookshelf, or whatever, let me do it. Again, not bad. Too bad only the villains will get to do this.

-------------------------------------------------

http://www.tentonhammer.com/index.ph...splay&ceid=141


"My first stop after arriving at the Game Developer's Conference in San Jose was to drop by NCSoft for a preview of Issue 7: Destiny Manifest, the update for their game, City of Villains, the stand-alone, follow-up, to their superhero MMORPG, City of Heroes. Issue 7 is going to bring us a number of changes that add to the immersive aspect of the game, and address one of the biggest complaints that players had about this game, the fact that, up until now, the characters have been villains in name and story only, rather than in deed. Issue 7 also brings us a number of cosmetic and game play changes that aim to improve an already popular game. As an avid player of the game, I can't help but add my two cents about what I saw, so at the end of each section, I'll share my opinions, good and bad, of each feature.


advertisement One of the things that stood out most for me was the addition of "Mayhem Missions". This new mission-type will allow players to be truly villainous in action for the first time. Want to wreck those cars that are parked on the side of the road? You can. Want to see what really happens after you set those bombs in that building? You can. Want to teach those once-immune citizens that you are someone to be feared, not just another person to be ignored on the street? You can.
Mayhem missions will be incorporated into the quests that are generated randomly for players through the game's newspaper. Not only do these missions give players a chance to interact with their surroundings in a way that was impossible before, but they are also a new and unique challenge that must be overcome. First of all, the missions are timed. The original countdown is short, giving players very little time to complete the mission. Bonus time can be earned by completing side-quests that encourage players to make use of their new abilities, wrecking the environment, defeating the newly introduced Paragon City Police Department, and causing general havoc. These new missions add to the immersion factor and make it far more believable that your character is indeed the paragon of evil that the game's storyline would have you believe. Watching the character on the big screen, smash cars, phone booths, barrels and fire hydrants and then play with the pieces made it feel less to me like a second City of Heroes, and more like a real City of Villains.

Jon's Opinion: Flat out, I can't wait to try these things. For me, it's this kind of mission that finally sets City of Villains apart from its predecessor. I also think that any time that a game introduces a new type of mission, something that we haven't seen before, and puts it out for free, it's a plus. I should also mention that I like to smash things, it just feels good. The one down side to these newfound evil powers are that while you can attack and manipulate the citizens, you can't flat-out kill them. There are a thousand reasons why NCSoft could have made this decision, and I can understand that, but having them run away in fear just isn't the same.

Another highlight of the presentation was the new areas that players can explore. Most notable for me was Grandville, home to Lord Recluse. This new area is described by the developers as "a vertical zone". Basically, rather than simply spanning on and out like the other maps, this one, through the use of towers, goes up. "This way," said one of the developers, "as you work your way up through the ranks of Lord Recluse, you're actually physically going up." This new area was our first real look at the way that Issue 7 is put together visually, and the thought that was put into the planning of this. The area actually looks like a zone controlled and owned by a super villain. The developers clearly took the time to plan out the area in a way that is both visually appealing, with statuary and architecture dedicated to Lord Recluse, and from a game play point of view, easily navigable by players as well as being vertical. In order to help non-flying villains, elevators have been put in place which we are told will be work in throughout the game to give players easier access to certain high-up places that flyers have been accessing.

Jon's Opinion: I was impressed with the look of the new zone, and feel like they combine the elements of game play with the ongoing character story. This is something that I've been a bit concerned about with this game up until this point. The look, while impressive, just hasn't seemed to be all that it should have been. It's not that it wasn't nice. Something just didn't ring true for me in terms of an area populated by villains.

One of the selling features of City of Villains and City of Heroes has always been the ability to fight the super-powered players on the other side. Issue 7 will see another layer added to that. A battleground has been added that gives a real purpose to the fighting. Players on both sides will now be competing for waypoint pillboxes, the goal being for your side to possess six of the seven valued points. As one side or the other takes a waypoint, the visuals of the area will change to reflect the new owners. Let's take a statue of Atlas as an example. If the villains happen to take the pillbox near to the statue, the image will morph and show Lord Recluse holding the world on his shoulders. Flyers can also gain control of "heavies" that will follow them around, jugernaughts of destruction that you can fully control. The goal of this area and the new and exciting mini-game is to "keep players immersed in the game play". Rewards can be earned in these areas that players can carry outside of the zone and into their regular gaming.

To add another layer of interest to the game, the developers have introduced the addition of NPC re-enforcements. When one side gains an advantage, this will trigger the spawning of not just heroes, but the Freedom Phalanx itself, big tough superheroes that will battle against you for their side. This gives players a chance to kill those notable NPCs from the story. The developers tell us that once these guys appear, it will take between 8 and 12 players to take down just one of them. This feature works in reverse for the Heroes side, as major villains will appear.

Jon's Opinion: I'm a fan of real, competitive PvP. I like to have a reason though. I don't like to go out and randomly kill people. This feature gives me a reason to try out the game's PvP, and I honestly can't wait to take down my first Phalanx member.

There are lots of other things that stand out about Issue 7. Supergroups will be given new base features that will allow a level of customization and interactivity that we haven't seen from the game as of yet. New classes will become available, new costumes are coming, and they are also introducing something called "patron powers" that will allow players to choose a specific major villain and gain some of their unique powers. Also, as a treat for players who play both CoH and CoV, costumes will be fully interchangeable between the games as hero costumes and elements will appear on villains and vice-versa.

Issue 7 is an extremely in-depth updates to the game. It's no wonder that players are excited about the new challenges, and new abilities that their characters will gain. The developers, in my opinion, seem to be making the game, both inside and outside of instanced mission, more immersive for the villains that will play it.

Jon's Opinion: This battleground-type "mini-game" certainly has my interest"

-----------------------------------------------

http://www.tentonhammer.com/index.ph...splay&ceid=141

"We've been salivating over the Issue 7 free expansion due out in April / May for the City of Heroes / City of Villains series for weeks now. If you haven't, first check out this visual goodness:

"Destiny Manifest" Screenshots / Movie
"Grandville" Screenshots
"Base Features" Screenshots
NCSoft / Cryptic invited the press to check out Issue 7 live and in-person at GDC 2006, to which we said, "Hellz yea!" If you were under the impression this is just another kitchy free expansion, let me just say that I've seen retail expansions for major games that don't offer nearly as much. We've tacked the feature-packed "final" fact sheet onto the bottom of this sheet, but let me add my awestruck tenor to the fray.

City of Villains / City of Heroes has always been one of the few MMOs I could play in front of my non-gamer friends and get comments like "Whoa... that's a really cool costume! You can fly?" (instead of the more usual "how long do you spend playing this game each day?"). And speaking of costumes: Issue 7 adds more of that sweet bling, including a tuxedo costume that (I believe) you can unlock as a Hero. Not a Hero? Want a tuxedo? All Hero costumes can be shared by Villain characters and vice versa if you've purchased both games, a very cool "thank you" to those who've bought both games (a thank you on top of the original expression of Cryptic's gratitude and a marketing coup de grace: one subscription fee to play both games!).

The demo started with Grandville - a vertical zone (and we mean vertical zone - it's frikkin tall!) that houses Arachnos headquarters and some of Lord Recluse's failed experiments. As your villainous stature increases, you can (literally) climb the corporate ladder, moving up the vertical zone. To prevent players with flight / jump abilities from getting into areas they shouldn't be in, there's plenty of guards (including a few "beehives" that, when triggered, spawn sentry drones) that aren't shy about offering you a couple damage-laced reasons to leave. With Issue 7, you'll have the opportunity to choose one of the archvillains to be your patron - a one-time choice that can't be undone, so careful study is needed to determine which "patron powers" you want. These patrons also offer exclusive mission content, and if you have a well-organized level 50 supergroup handy, you can even become part of Lord Recluse's strike force- what the devs described as the repeatable, incredibly tough endgame which pits a slew of Villains against all the righteous fury of the Freedom Phalanx. The devs also pointed out a UI enhancement - tabs instead of long, scrolling dialogue boxes. But hold tight, we haven't gotten to the coolest stuff yet...

Recluse's Victory, or what the Heroes know as Atlas Park, is the first PvP zone for the series. Heroes and Villains will vie for 7 strongpoints, called "pillboxes" places around the map. Waypoints to these pillboxes are always one click away (no fullscreen map fiddle-faddling needed) and have 4 heavy turrets a piece, which must be destroyed before the pillbox can be captured (and don't forget that you'll have to deal with PvP aggression in the meantime!). And when the pillbox is captured... I hope you're sitting down for this.... a "temporal anchor" is placed, and the buildings around you dynamically re-skin to fit the faction's vision- reskin not just for you, but for everyone in the zone! In Villain areas, drabness, dead trees, proganda posters, and other signs of Recluse's influence is everywhere to be seen. Even the large Atlas statue turns to, you guessed it, Lord Recluse with arachnid legs wrapped tightly around the world. In Hero areas, it's goody two-shoes cheerful cleanliness, flora and fauna, and Justice League banners. When one side captures all the pillboxes, they get five minutes of victory time to try to gain 1,000 PvP points as everyone jockeys for postion. Doing so yields you temporal enhancements that you can take out of the instance, such as a robotic tank. But the real show stopped is this zone-wide dynamic reskinning. It's never been done before in any MMO, and it's at least as cool as it sounds.

Finally, one of my original, comparatively meager complaints against City of Villains was the lack of truly villainous content. All that changes with Mayhem Missions. Whereas you used to get a bank or casino heist mission after completing five newspaper (randomly generated) missions. These special missions will go into the regular rotation, and Mayhem Missions will take their place. Basically, you grab a team of villains, enter a special instance, and wreak as much havoc as you can within a given timeframe. Commit federal no-nos like destroying mailboxes, municipal no-nos like fire hydrant destruction, and those innocent civilians wandering around... heh. It ain't GTA, and you can't defeat them, but you can sure make them run scared. Discrete thresholds based on how much damage you do award bonus time. Just about everything is destructible, including buildings! Set them on fire through setting bombs in side missions, or (in another side mission) raid a local shop for the phat loot. Sneak past roving cameras (which, when activated, spawn waves of the newly formed local police force) and break into vaults and secure areas. The rewards and loot you earn are considerable for the minimal time investment (20-30 min, though features like this are still being fine-tunes), and you'll want friends to gang up for your raids so you'll be invited to their Mayhem Missions.

Also in the line of cool announcements: City of Villains will soon support the AGEIA physics acceleration in both its hardware and software forms, so expect to see a lot of gravity-aware effects coming soon. These enhancements will be available to every gamer meeting the current minimum specs, so don't go buy one of those sweet Dell XPS desktops on CoV's account!

The TenTonHammer final word: if all goes as planned, this is easily the coolest free expansion we've ever seen."

[Lyrical]

Lol, so they are giving villains Aqua Man type abilities? I wonder how many Aqua Man or Namor clones will be running around?

----------------------------------

http://www.cityofvillains.com/featur..._issue_7f.html

Patron Powers

You have completed the trial set before you by your Patron. You have survived a battle against Ghost Widow's true enemies, Black Scorpion's own creator, Sirocco's dangerous djin, or Mako's high-ranking nemesis. You have even come face-to-face with your own fate as you confronted the very heart of Arachnos itself.

You have prevailed and thus earned your reward. Accept your Patron Badge as a sign of honor - Scirocco will bestow the “Mirage”, Mako “Blood In The Water”, Ghost Widow the “Spiders Kiss”, and Black Scorpion “The Stinger”.

In addition to this badge, you will gain access to one of 20 new power sets. Each Patron Power Pool contains 4 powers. Ghost Widow focuses on harnessing the darkest undercurrents of the universe, Black Scorpion relies on the blunt power of deadly technology, Mako calls upon the malevolent spirits of the deep, and Scirocco draws from the electric strength of the Mu.

The exact powers you acquire will be determined by the unique combination of your Patron and your archetype. For instance, Scirocco can grant you access to many of the Mu Mystic powers, but your archetype will determine which specific Mu powers you will get. The powers you gain will be those that your archetype cannot typically access on its own (for example, Brutes will gain ranged attacks, while Corruptors will have access to defensive armors).

The last power in most sets will allow you to summon one of your Patron’s signature soldiers. For instance, if you choose Ghost Widow, you can call forth a Fortunata. Black Scorpion will let you summon an Arachnobot, Scirocco a Mu, and Captain Mako brings forth a Coralax.

With the one free respec you gain when you complete your Patron’s Arc, Patron Power selections will become available at threat levels 41, 44, 47 and 49! Once you have mastered these unspeakable powers, your strength will be rivaled by few among the City of Villains.

PATRON POWER LIST

Ghost Widow - Soul Mastery

Ghost Widow will teach you how to corrupt and utilize souls of the dead to damage and hinder your enemies.

Brute

Gloom - Slowly drains a target of life, while reducing his Accuracy. Slower than Dark Blast, but deals more damage over time.

Soul Tentacles - You can create a cone-shaped rift to the Netherworld that allows the souls of the damned to slip into our reality. These Soul Tentacles will snare all foes within range, Immobilizing them while they drain their life.

Dark Obliteration - You hurl a large blast of negative energy that violently explodes on impact, exposing the dark power of the Netherworld to all foes near the target. Dark Obliteration can reduce the Accuracy of all affected targets. You must have one other Soul Mastery power before selecting this power.

Summon Widow - Ghost Widow will assign a beautiful and deadly Blood Widow assassin for you to command. Her weapons of choice include wrist retractable mounted razors and darts, all tipped in deadly poison.
Stalker

Dark Blast - A long range blast of dark energy. Deals moderate Negative Energy damage and reduces the target's Accuracy.

Moonbeam - An extremely long range and accurate beam of Negative Energy that deals tremendous damage and reduces the target's Accuracy. This is a sniper attack, and like most sniper attacks, is best fired from a distance as it can be interrupted.

Soul Storm - Like Ghost Widow, you will be able to summon the souls of your victims to do your bidding. Soul Storm enraptures a single target, holding them while their life-force is drained from their body. You must have one other Soul Mastery power before selecting this power.

Summon Widow - Ghost Widow will assign a beautiful but deadly Blood Widow assassin for you to command. Her weapons of choice include wrist retractable mounted razors and darts, all tipped in deadly poison.

Corruptor

Soul Drain - Using this power, you can drain the essence of all nearby foes' souls, thus increasing your own strength. Each affected foe will lose some Hit Points and add to your Damage and Accuracy.

Dark Embrace - You tap into the energy of the Netherworld to protect yourself from damage. This Dark Embrace shrouds you and grants resistance to Lethal, Smashing, Negative Energy, and Toxic damage.

Soul Storm - Like Ghost Widow, you will be able to summon the souls of your victims to do your bidding. Soul Storm enraptures a single target, Holding them while their life-force is drained from their body. You must have one other Soul Mastery power before selecting this power.

Summon Mistress - Ghost Widow will assign a Fortunata Mistress for you to command. Arguably, the most powerful of the Fortunatas, these rare few have mastered numerous psychic abilities and have risen to the top of Lord Recluse's beautiful Black Widows.

Dominator

Dark Consumption - The dark power of the Netherworld allows you to tap the essence of your foe's soul and transfer it to yourself. This will drain Hit Points of your enemy and add to your Endurance.

Dark Embrace - You tap into the energy of the Netherworld to protect yourself from damage. This Dark Embrace shrouds you and grants resistance to Lethal, Smashing, Negative Energy and Toxic damage.

Dark Obliteration - You hurl a large blast of Negative Energy that violently explodes on impact, exposing the dark power of the Netherworld to all foes near the target. Dark Obliteration can reduce the Accuracy of all affected targets. You must have one other Soul Mastery power before selecting this power.

Summon Seer - Ghost Widow will assign a Fortunata Seer for you to command. Fortunata Seers can glimpse moments into the future. They use this ability to increase the Perception of their teammate.

Mastermind

Night Fall - Unleashes a cone-shaped burst of particles from the Netherworld. All targets within the modest range of this power take Negative Energy damage and have a reduced Accuracy.

Dark Embrace - You tap into the energy of the Netherworld to protect yourself from damage. This Dark Embrace shrouds you and grants resistance to Lethal, Smashing, Negative Energy, and Toxic damage.

Soul Tentacles - You can create a cone-shaped rift to the Netherworld that allows the souls of the damned to slip into our reality. These Soul Tentacles will snare all foes within range, Immobilizing them while their drain their life. You must have one other Soul Mastery power before selecting this power.

Soul Storm - Like Ghost Widow, you will be able to summon the souls of your victims to do your bidding. Soul Storm enraptures a single target, Holding them while their life-force is drained from their body. You must have two other Soul Mastery powers before selecting this power.

Black Scorpion - Mace Mastery

Black Scorpion will give you access to an Arachnos Mace, and teach you how to use it in battle.

Brute

Mace Blast - The Executioner's Mace is capable of firing a powerful bolt of kinetic energy. The blast is powerful enough that it may knock down some foes. Arachnos Bane Spider Troopers call this the Mace Blast. The Arbiters who invented it scoff at this simple term.

Web Envelope - The Executioner's Mace can lob a modified Web Grenade. Upon impact, the Web Grenade expels a strong, tenuous, and very sticky substance that can Immobilize most targets in a wide area. This non-lethal device deals no damage and does not prevent targets from attacking, although their attack rate is Slowed. The Web can bring down flying entities and halts jumping.

Disruptor Blast - Fires a tremendous charge of kinetic energy from your Executioner's Mace. This charge is so powerful it will explode on impact, blasting all nearby foes. Some affected foes may be knocked down by the force of the blast. You must have one other Mace Mastery power before selecting this power.

Summon Blaster - Black Scorpion will grant you an Arachnobot Blaster to command. Arachnobot Blasters were created by Arachnos Orb Weavers to take down particularly powerful super-powered threats.

Stalker

Mace Blast - The Bane Mace is capable of firing a bolt of kinetic energy. The blast is powerful enough that it may knock down some foes. Arachnos Bane Spider Troopers call this the Mace Blast. The Arbiters who invented it scoff at this simple term.

Mace Beam - Fires an extremely long range and accurate beam of kinetic energy from the Bane Mace that deals tremendous damage and knocks back the target. This is a sniper attack, and like most sniper attacks, is best fired from a distance as it can be interrupted.

Web Cocoon - The Bane Mace can fire a more powerful version of the common web grenade. The sinewy fibers of this grenade are strong enough to completely Hold one target. Targets able to resist the Hold are still likely to have their attack and movement speed dramatically Slowed. Web Cocoon can also bring down flying targets and prevent foes from jumping. You must have one other Mace Mastery power before selecting this power.
Summon Spiderlings - Black Scorpion will grant you access to a small squadron of Arachnobot Spiderlings. Three Spiderlings that are one level less than you will show up when summoned.

Corruptor

Web Envelope - The Executioner's Mace can lob a modified Web Grenade. Upon impact, the Web Grenade expels a strong, tenuous, and very sticky substance that can Immobilize most targets in a wide area. This non-lethal device deals no damage and does not prevent targets from attacking, although their attack rate is Slowed. The Web can bring down flying entities and halts jumping.

Scorpion Shield - Black Scorpion's technologies are impressive indeed. This energy shield grants you Defense to Lethal, Smashing and Energy attacks, as well as improves your Damage Resistance to Toxic damage.

Web Cocoon - The Bane Mace can fire a more powerful version of the common web grenade. The sinewy fibers of this grenade are strong enough to completely Hold one target. Targets able to resist the Hold are still likely to have their attack and movement speed dramatically Slowed. Web Cocoon can also bring down flying targets and prevent foes from jumping. You must have one other Mace Mastery power before selecting this power.

Summon Disruptor - Black Scorpion will grant you an Arachnobot Disruptor to command. Arachnobots were created by Arachnos Orb Weavers to take down particularly powerful super-powered threats.

Dominator

Poisonous Ray - The Bane Mace can fire a nasty Poison Ray. This toxin is suspended in a polarized plasma field and delivered like an energy blast. Upon impact, the toxin directly attacks the immune system, reducing the affected target's Defense and Damage Resistance as it deals Toxic damage.

Scorpion Shield - Black Scorpion's technologies are impressive indeed. This energy shield grants you Defense to Lethal, Smashing and Energy attacks, as well as improves your Damage Resistance to Toxic damage.

Disruptor Blast - Fires a tremendous charge of kinetic energy from your Bane Mace. This charge is so powerful it will explode on impact, blasting all nearby foes. Some affected foes may be knocked down by the force of the blast. You must have one other Mace Mastery power before selecting this power.

Summon Tarantula - Black Scorpion will grant you a Toxic Tarantula to command. Weaver One developed the Tarantula Exoskeleton Armor, which so radically transforms an Arachnos troop that hardly anything human is recognizable.

Mastermind

Web Envelope - The Nullifier Mace can lob a modified Web Grenade. Upon impact, the Web Grenade expels a strong, tenuous, and very sticky substance that can Immobilize most targets in a wide area. This non-lethal device deals no damage and does not prevent targets from attacking, although their attack rate is Slowed. The Web can bring down flying entities and halts jumping.

Scorpion Shield - Black Scorpion's technologies are impressive indeed. This energy shield grants you Defense to Lethal, Smashing and Energy attacks, as well as improves your Damage Resistance to Toxic damage.

Mace Beam Volley - Fires a volley of multiple kinetic energy blasts from your Nullifier Mace. These blasts spread out in a wide cone and are powerful enough to knock down some foes. You must have one other Mace Mastery power before selecting this power.

Web Cocoon - The Bane Mace can fire a more powerful version of the common web grenade. The sinewy fibers of this grenade are strong enough to completely Hold one target. Targets able to resist the Hold are still likely to have their attack and movement speed dramatically Slowed.Web Cocoon can also bring down flying targets and prevent foes from jumping. You must have one other Mace Mastery power before selecting this power.

Captain Mako - Leviathan Mastery

Captain Mako will embolden you with the knowledge of the Coralax and their mysterious powers over the seas.

Brute

Spirit Shark - You are empowered with Spirit of the Mako Shark. You can project this spirit to attack and maul your opponent. The Shark Spirit Energy will manifest and attack your foe, quickly dealing heavy Lethal damage over time.

School of Sharks - You can call forth a school of vicious Shark Spirits that will swim out in a cone formation and will encircle your foes, draining their spirit energy. The encircling Shark Spirits will immobilize most foes while they deal Negative Energy damage over time. Both you and the target must be near the ground for this power to activate.

Chum Spray - Sharks will eat anything, so their stomach acid must be powerful indeed. You can regurgitate this acid and spew a corrosive spray of bile at a foe. Affected foes in the cone will take Toxic damage over time. You must have one other Leviathan Mastery power before selecting this power.

Summon Guardian - Captain Mako will show you how to summon a Coralax Guardian Sentinel to do your bidding. These creatures are composed of living coral made from the sea-goddess Merulina.

Stalker

Spirit Shark - You are empowered with Spirit of the Mako Shark. You can project this spirit to attack and maul your opponent. The Shark Spirit Energy will manifest and attack your foe, quickly dealing heavy Lethal damage over time.

Water Spout - Conjures up a Water Spout at a targeted location. The Water Spout will chase down your foes, tossing them into the air and hurling them great distances. The victims are left Disoriented and with reduced Defense. The Water Spout is a menacing sight, and can even cause panic among your foes.

Spirit Shark Jaws - You can summon a massive Spirit Shark that will attack your foe from below. The Shark will grip your foe with its massive jaws and attempt to Hold the target while he mauls it, dealing Lethal damage over time. Flying targets will likely be pulled to the ground. You must have one other Leviathan Master power before selecting this power.

Summon Guardian - Captain Mako will show you how to summon a Coralax Guardian Sentinel to do your bidding. These creatures are composed of living coral made from the sea-goddess Merulina.

Corruptor

School of Sharks - You can call forth a school of vicious Shark Spirits that will swim out in a cone formation and will encircle your foes, draining their spirit energy. The encircling Shark Spirits will immobilize most foes while they deal Negative Energy damage over time. Both you and the target must be near the ground for this power to activate.

Shark Skin - The power of the Leviathan Mako has shown you seems to have no end. Shark Skin improves your Damage Resistance to Lethal, Smashing and Cold damage.

Spirit Shark Jaws - You can summon a massive Spirit Shark that will attack your foe from below. The Shark will grip your foe with its massive jaws and attempt to Hold the target while he mauls it, dealing Lethal damage over time. Flying targets will likely be pulled to the ground. You must have one other Leviathan Master power before selecting this power.

Summon Coralax - Captain Mako will show you how to summon a Coralax Red Hybrid to do your bidding. The Coralax are humans who have been infected with living coral.

Dominator

Water Spout - Conjures up a Water Spout at a targeted location. The Water Spout will chase down your foes, tossing them into the air and hurling them great distances. The victims are left Disoriented and with reduced Defense. The Water Spout is a menacing sight, and can even cause panic among your foes.

Chum Spray - Sharks will eat anything, so their stomach acid must be powerful indeed. You can regurgitate this acid and spew a corrosive spray of bile at a foe. Affected foes in the cone will take Toxic damage over time. You must have one other Leviathan Mastery power before selecting this power.
Shark Skin - The power of the Leviathan Mako has shown you seems to have no end. Shark Skin improves your Damage Resistance to Lethal, Smashing and Cold damage.

Summon Coralax - Captain Mako will show you how to summon a Coralax Blue Hybrid to do your bidding. The Coralax are humans who have been infected with living coral.

Mastermind

School of Sharks - You can call forth a school of vicious Shark Spirits that will swim out in a cone formation and will encircle your foes, draining their spirit energy. The encircling Shark Spirits will immobilize most foes while they deal Negative Energy damage over time. Both you and the target must be near the ground for this power to activate.

Chum Spray - Sharks will eat anything, so their stomach acid must be powerful indeed. You can regurgitate this acid and spew a corrosive spray of bile at a foe. Affected foes in the cone will take Toxic damage over time. You must have one other Leviathan Mastery power before selecting this power.

Shark Skin - The power of the Leviathan Mako has shown you seems to have no end. Shark Skin improves your Damage Resistance to Lethal, Smashing and Cold damage.

Spirit Shark Jaws - You can summon a massive Spirit Shark that will attack your foe from below. The Shark will grip your foe with its massive jaws and attempt to Hold the target while he mauls it, dealing Lethal damage over time. Flying targets will likely be pulled to the ground. You must have one other Leviathan Master power before selecting this power.

Scirocco - Mu Mastery

Scirocco will instruct you on the Way of Mu, ancient techniques that give access to the lightning-based powers of the ancient race.

Brute

Mu Lightning - You can send a large blast of Mu energy at a foe, dealing heavy damage and draining some Endurance. Some of this Endurance may transfer back to you.

Electrifying Fences - Electrifying Fences attempts to Immobilize a group of foes in an area. This power deals some Energy damage over time as it slowly drains some Endurance.

Ball Lightning - Hurls a highly charged ball of Mu lightning that explodes on contact. Ball Lightning deals good damage in an area of effect, and drains some Endurance from each target it hits. You must have one other Mu Mastery power before selecting this power.

Summon Striker - Scirocco will show you how to call upon a mystical Mu Striker to assist you. The Mu pulse with the blood of their slaughtered ancestors in their veins, and are well practiced in the dark arts.
Stalker

Mu Bolts - You can quickly hurl small bolts of Mu electricity at foes, dealing some damage and draining some Endurance. Some of this Endurance may transfer back to you. Mu Bolts deals light damage, but recharges quickly.
Zapp - A focused blast of Mu electrical energy that can travel great distances with high Accuracy. Zapp drains Endurance, and is best fired from a distance as it can be interrupted. Some of the Endurance you drain may transfer back to you.

Electric Shackles - Electric Shackles binds a foe's limbs, leaving the target Held and helpless. The target is drained of some Endurance and some of that Endurance may be transferred back to you. You must have one other Mu Mastery power before selecting this power.

Summon Adept - Scirocco will show you how to call upon a mystical Mu Adept to assist you. The Mu pulse with the blood of their slaughtered ancestors in their veins, and are well practiced in the dark arts.
Corruptor

Power Sink - Power Sink leeches Energy directly from the bodies of all nearby foes, draining their Endurance. Each foe you draw energy from increases your Endurance. If there are no foes within range, you will not gain Endurance.
Charged Armo r- When you toggle on this power, you are surrounded by a charged field that makes you highly resistant to Smashing, Lethal, and Energy damage.

Electric Shackles - Electric Shackles binds a foe's limbs, leaving the target Held and helpless. The target is drained of some Endurance and some of that Endurance may be transferred back to you. You must have one other Mu Mastery power before selecting this power.

Summon Adept - Scirocco will show you how to call upon a mystical Mu Adept to assist you. The Mu pulse with the blood of their slaughtered ancestors in their veins, and are well practiced in the dark arts.
Dominator

Power Sink - Power Sink leeches Energy directly from the bodies of all nearby foes, draining their Endurance. Each foe you draw energy from increases your Endurance. If there are no foes within range, you will not gain Endurance.
Charged Armor - When you toggle on this power, you are surrounded by a charged field that makes you highly resistant to Smashing, Lethal, and Energy damage.

Ball Lightning - Hurls a highly charged ball of Mu lightning that explodes on contact. Ball Lightning deals good damage in an area of effect, and drains some Endurance from each target it hits. You must have one other Mu Mastery power before selecting this power.

Summon Guardian - Scirocco will show you how to call upon a mystical Mu Guardian to assist you. The Mu pulse with the blood of their slaughtered ancestors in their veins, and are well practiced in the dark arts.
Mastermind

Static Discharge - Hurls multiple bolts of Mu electricity in an arc that deals damage and drains Endurance from all affected foes in the area.
Charged Armor - When you toggle on this power, you are surrounded by a charged field that makes you highly resistant to Smashing, Lethal, and Energy damage.

Electrifying Fences - Electrifying Fences attempts to Immobilize a group of foes in an area. This power deals some Energy damage over time as it slowly drains some Endurance.

Electric Shackles - Electric Shackles binds a foe's limbs, leaving the target Held and helpless. The target is drained of some Endurance and some of that Endurance may be transferred back to you. You must have one other Mu Mastery power before selecting this power.

[Iannis]

Chum Spray - Sharks will eat anything, so their stomach acid must be powerful indeed. You can regurgitate this acid and spew a corrosive spray of bile at a foe. Affected foes in the cone will take Toxic damage over time. You must have one other Leviathan Mastery power before selecting this power.

Oh god...Oh god...i'm CHUMMING

i pick the game up off and on. Jack Emmerett's head slowly went further and further up his own ass is the problem I generally re-cancel over.

[Lyrical]

Last post. I think there is more being released than in these articles. Something about updated graphics and new ui abilities.

Finally they are adding in the dual pistols set. It is going in the mastermind set. With it, you get the ability to call in thugs as a pet, and you can call in a gang war. But the best part is that you get a motorcycle as a travel power! They may as well call this the "Get Rich or Die Tryin" patch with all the 50 cents clones that are going to be running around.

You can see pictures at the bottom of this thread or better ones in the link below.

http://www.cityofvillains.com/featur..._issue_7g.html

----------------------------------------------
"Issue 7 - New Power Sets

Read all about the new power sets coming with Issue 7!

Thugs (Mastermind)

The body rumbling arrival of the motorcycle, the cold metal sound of chains tightening, and the guttural growls of your thugs let everyone know that you are a Mastermind to be reckoned with. Call your gang of toughs to your side with a whistle, whip out your pistols, and let loose pure chaos onto the streets of the Rogue Isles with the new Thug Mastermind power set.

Pistols - Quickly fires a round from one of your heavy automatic pistols. Damage is average, but the fire rate is very fast. Damage: Minor, Recharge: Very Fast

Call Thugs - Calls forth one to three Thugs (depending on your level) to do your bidding. The third Thug you gain will be an Arsonist. Thugs use Dual Pistols and can be taught additional pistol attacks. You may only have 3 Thugs under your control at any given time. If you attempt to call more Thugs, you can only replace the ones you have lost in battle. If you already have three, the power will fail. Recharge: Very Long

Dual Wield- Fires both pistols at once at a time target. Firing both pistols at once is slower than a single shot, but deals more damage, and the target may get knocked down by the force of the impact. Damage: Moderate, Recharge: Fast

Equip Thugs- Equip your Thug Henchmen with better ammo, weapons and training. This power permanently bestows new weapons and abilities to one Thug Henchman. The powers gained are unique and dependent upon the target Thug Henchman. This power only works on your Thug Henchmen and you can only Equip any given Thug Henchman once. Recharge: Medium

Empty Clips - You empty the clips of both your pistols in an arc of suppression fire. This attack can blast multiple foes in the affected cone area, and has a small chance of knocking some foes down. Damage: Moderate, Recharge: Moderate

Call Enforcer- Calls forth one to two Thug Enforcers (depending on your level) to do your bidding. Thug Enforcers carry a Sub-machine Gun, and possess good leadership skills. Their weapon of choice is an UZI, and can be equipped to carry up to 2 at once. You may only have 2 Thug Enforcers under your control at any given time. If you attempt to call more Enforcers, you can only replace the ones you have lost in battle. If you already have two, the power will fail. Recharge: Very Long

Gang War - Calls a gang of 10 or so Thug Posse to come to your aid for a brief while. Posse are not like your true Henchman. They cannot be given direct commands, nor will they appear in your pet window. You must select an enemy target to attack first before calling these Thugs. Posse are many, but they are very weak, and are only equipped with the most basic weapons. Although they will follow you, they are not as loyal as your Henchmen, and they will only stick around for a few minutes before taking off. Recharge: Very Long

Call Bruiser- Calls one massive Bruiser. He is strong, tough and has a mean temper. As a Brute, he will generate Fury and deal more damage the longer the combat lasts. His Super Strength powers means he favors hand-to-hand combat. He has resistance to Lethal and Smashing Damage and some resistance to Fire and Cold Damage. You may only have 1 Bruiser under your control at any given time. If you attempt to summon another Bruiser, the power will fail. Recharge: Very Long

Upgrade Equipment- Permanently Upgrade the most advanced ammo, weapons and training to one Thug Henchman. The Upgraded Thug will gain new powers, weapons and abilities. The powers gained are unique and dependent upon the target Thug Henchman that is Upgraded. This power only works on your Thug Henchmen and you can only Upgrade the Equipment of any given Thug Henchman once. Recharge: Medium

Electric Melee (Brute)

Harness the jolting damage of electricity with this crackling power set. Arcs of energy surround your fists, dealing out endurance draining damage as you master the searing strength of lightening to smash your foes!

Charged Brawl- Your fists become electrically charged and deliver a powerful punch. Charged Brawl can drain some Endurance from the target and may overload his synapses, leaving him writhing for a moment. A portion of drained Endurance may be returned to you. Disturbing an overloaded target will disperse the electrical charge and release him. Damage: Minor, Recharge: Fast

Havoc Punch- The Havoc Punch is a slower attack than Charged Brawl, but makes up for it with a greater damage. Havoc Punch can drain some Endurance from your target and may overload his synapses, leaving him writhing for a moment. A portion of the drained Endurance may be given back to you. Disturbing an overloaded target will disperse the electrical charge and release him. Damage: Moderate, Recharge: Moderate

Jacobs Ladder- You are able to generate a strong current between your arms and snap a powerful bolt of electricity in an arc in front of you. This melee attack can electrocute all foes within the arc dealing High energy damage. Jacobs Ladder can drain some Endurance from your target and may overload his synapses, leaving him writhing for a moment. Disturbing an overloaded target will disperse the electrical charge and release him. Damage: High, Recharge: Moderate

Build Up- Greatly increases the amount of damage you deal for a few seconds, as well as slightly increasing your Accuracy. Recharge: Long

Thunder Strike- A massive attack. You smash your foes with all the power of a lightning bolt. The pummeled victim takes tremendous damage and may be Disoriented. Any nearby foes may be knocked down and take some damage from the shockwave. Damage: High, Recharge: Slow

Taunt- Taunt foes to attack you. Useful to pull enemies off allies and keep them attacking you to raise your Fury. Recharge: Fast

Chain Induction - This Electric Melee attack deals moderate Smashing and Energy damage and may drain some of the targets Endurance. However, this attack also induces an unstable electric charge that may jump to another enemy target. The charge will jump randomly between multiple targets, until it inevitably dissipates. Enhancements and Fury will only boost the effectiveness of the initial attacks, not the jumping charge. Damage: Moderate, Recharge: Slow

Lightning Clap- You can clap your hands together to release a violent Lightning Clap. The Lightning Clap can knock down most nearby foes, Disorienting many of them. Lightning Clap deals no damage. Recharge: Slow

Lightning Rod - You can polarize your body and become a living Lightning Rod. This power calls forth a massive lightning bolt from the sky to strike you. You can then ride this bolt and instantly Teleport a short distances. You rematerialize in a massive bolt of electricity, dealing massive damage and knocking down all nearby foes. You must target the ground to activate this power. Damage from the lightning bolt is superior but is not affected by your Fury. Damage: Superior, Recharge: Slow

Electric Armor (Brute)

With Electric Armor, you master this simultaneously damaging and protective force of nature in order to shock your foes while shielding yourself. Manipulating power to your advantage, this new set allows you to harness electric energy to do your bidding!

Charged Armor- When you toggle on this power, you are surrounded in a charged field that makes you highly resistant to Smashing, Lethal and Energy damage. Recharge: Fast

Lightning Field: While active, you emit a storm of electricity that constantly damages all nearby foes. Damage: Minor(DoT), Recharge: Slow

Conductive Shield - When you toggle on this power, you are surrounded in a Conductive Shield that will conduct many sorts of energy away from your body. Conductive Shield grants high resistant to Fire, Cold, and Energy damage, as well as good resistance to Negative Energy damage. Recharge: Fast

Static Shield- You can create a field of Static Electricity around your body. This Static Shield protects you from Hold, Sleep, and Disorient effects as well as Endurance Drain, Recovery DeBuffs and enemy Teleportation. Static Shield can also help normalize your synaptic activity, granting you good resistance to Psionic Damage. Recharge: Fast

Grounded - You are Grounded and naturally very resistant to Energy and Negative Energy damage. You also have added resistance to Endurance Drain effects. This power is always on and costs no Endurance.

Lightning Reflexes- Your Lightning Reflexes allow you to move faster than normal, as well as resist slow effects. This power is always on and permanently increases your attack rate and movement speed.

Conserve Power-You can focus for a moment to Conserve your Endurance. After activating this power, you expend less Endurance on all other powers for a while. Recharge: Very Long

Power Sink- Power Sink leeches energy directly from the bodies of all nearby foes, draining their Endurance. Each foe you draw energy from increases your Endurance. If there are no foes within range, you will not gain any Endurance. Recharge: Long

Power Surge- When you activate this power, you transform your body into living Electricity and become extremely resistant to all damage but Psionics, as well as Disorient, Sleep, Hold, Immobilize, Knockback, End Drain, Recovery DeBuff, and enemy Teleportation. Your Endurance recovery is also increased. As Power Surge wears off, the charge in your body explodes in a massive EMP pulse. However, expending all this energy will leave you exhausted, and drained of almost all Health and Endurance. Recharge: Very Long
Dark Melee (Stalker)

Drawing upon the darkest currents of the underworld, this melee power set calls forth shadowy forces to smash your foes. Tapping into the Netherworld, you will deal out insidious damage striking fear into the hearts of those you strike down.

Shadow Punch- You wrap your fists with Negative Energy channeled from the Netherworlds, then perform a quick punch that deals minor damage. Shadow Punches cloud the target's vision, lowering his Accuracy for a short time. Damage: Minor, Recharge: Fast

Smite - You wrap your fists with Negative Energy channeled from the Netherworlds, then perform a Smite that deals more damage than Shadow Punch, but has a longer recharge time. Smite clouds the target's vision, lowering his Accuracy for a short time. Damage: Moderate, Recharge: Moderate

Shadow Maul - You wrap your entire arms with Negative Energy channeled from the Netherworlds, then perform a series of blows that deal a lot of damage over a short period of time to multiple targets in front of you. These blows cloud your target's vision, lowering his Accuracy for a short time. Damage: High (DoT), Recharge: Moderate

Assassin's Eclipse- A signature Stalker attack. This attack does moderate smashing and negative energy damage on its own as a frontal attack. However, if it is executed while you are Hidden, this attack will do tremendous damage, as you waylay your unsuspecting foe with all the powers of darkness. This attack may be interrupted if you move or are attacked while executing this power. Damage: Special, Recharge: Slow

Build Up- Greatly increases the amount of damage you deal for a few seconds, as well as slightly increasing your Accuracy. Recharge: Long
Placate- Allow you to trick a foe to no longer attack you. A Successful Placate will also Hide you. This Hide is very brief, and offers no Defense bonus, but it will allow you to deliver a Critical Hit or an Assassins Blow. However, if you attack a Placated Foe, he will be able to attack you back. Recharge: Long

Siphon Life- You tap the power of the Netherworld and create a life-transferring conduit between a foe and yourself. This will transfer Hit Points from your enemy to yourself. Foes Siphoned in this manner have their Accuracy reduced. Damage: Moderate, Recharge: Slow

Touch of Fear- The Netherworld is one scary place, and with but a touch, you can give your enemy a glimpse into this dark world. This will cause them to helplessly tremble in Fear. Foes in this state of panic have reduced Accuracy. Recharge: Moderate

Midnight Grasp - Mastery over the forces of the Netherworld allows you to create dark tentacles that can Immobilize a foe and continuously drain his life force. Damage: Superior(DoT), Recharge: Slow

Dark Armor (Stalker)

Dwell in the shadows as you cloak yourself with the dark undercurrents flowing through the Netherworld. Guiding these shadowy forces to do your bidding, Dark Armor allows you to strike at the very heart of your foes.

Hide- Hide makes you almost impossible to detect. When properly 'Hidden", a Stalker can pull off Critical hits with his attacks, and even land a massive 'Assassins Strike' with an Assassins power. When you attack or are damaged while using this power, you will be discovered. Even if discovered, you are hard to see and retain some bonus to Defense. Unlike most stealth powers, Hide can be used at the same time as other Concealment powers, giving you even greater stealth capability. Very low Endurance cost.
Dark Embrace- You tap into the energy of the Netherworld to protect yourself from damage. This Dark Embrace shrouds you and grants resistance to Lethal, Smashing, Negative Energy and Toxic damage. Recharge: Fast
Murky Cloud- You create a Murky Cloud enshrouding you. This cloud can absorb all forms of energy, making you more resistant to Fire, Cold, Energy, and Negative Energy attacks, as well as Endurance Drain effects. Recharge: Fast

Shadow Dweller- You are a true Shadow Dweller of the Netherworld. Your affinity for the shadows grants you an inherent bonus to all Defense, as well as an increased Perception and a resistance to Immobilization. Your Perception bonus and resistance to Immobilization improves over level. Shadow Dweller is an Auto power. It is always on and costs no Endurance.
Obsidian Shield - You can create a special Obsidian Shield that grants good resistance to Psionic damage. With your mind enshrouded in darkness, you are protected from Sleep, Fear, Hold, Immobilize and Disorient attacks. Recharge: Fast

Dark Regeneration - You can tap the dark essence of the Netherworld to drain a small amount of life from all enemies nearby, thus healing yourself. The more foes affected, the more you will be healed. Damage: Minor, Recharge: Slow

Cloak of Fear - You can wrap yourself in a nightmarish Cloak of Fear. Foes close to you are treated to visions most horrific, forcing them to tremble in terror, only attacking if attacked, and even then, at reduced Accuracy. Recharge: Fast

Oppressive Gloom- The Netherworld has many mutable properties, such as the Oppressive Gloom. This power allows you to use your own Hit Points to keep enemies near you Disoriented and unable to use any powers. Endurance cost for this is minimal, but the power can be dangerous to use. Recharge: Moderate

Soul Transfer - Should you fall in battle, you can perform a Soul Transfer, sucking the life force of all foes around you to bring yourself back from the brink of death. The more foes nearby, the more life is restored to you. Drained foes are left Disoriented. The dark effects of this Soul Transfer will actually leave you invulnerable for a brief time, and protected from XP Debt for 20 seconds. There must be at least one foe nearby to fuel the Transfer and revive yourself. Damage: Moderate, Recharge: Very Long"

[Lyrical]

Originally Posted by Iannis

Oh god...Oh god...i'm CHUMMING

i pick the game up off and on. Jack Emmerett's head slowly went further and further up his own ass is the problem I generally re-cancel over.

Did you see he no longer has the position of Lead Creative Designer. While he is still there, Positron now has the title, and _Castle_ has pretty much taken over his role as the mouthpiece for the game.

Smed or Brad, please save us comic book fans. Leave in the stuff like travel powers and the fights, but please make this game a bit more difficult!

[WarderX]

cliffs please

[Itzena]

By the way, I think there's a free CoV trial floating about out there ATM.

And speaking of costumes: Issue 7 adds more of that sweet bling, including a tuxedo costume that (I believe) you can unlock as a Hero.

???

[Iannis]

There is a 14 day trail for CoV for anyone who is a member of MMORPG.com.

I had picked it up myself awhile back and played out the month because, hey, when a collector edition MMO box is 20 bucks you might as well pick it up. [Unless it's Matrix Online or Horizons].\

Cliff notes:
40-50 zone for villains, 40-50 missions for villains, 40+ power pool for villains
40-50 PvP zone with objective points to occupy. Some changes to immediate area depending on who holds the points.
a multi-group(?) guild task force against the signature heroes of CoH which probably won't work (Cathedral of Pain (the 2nd 'endgame content' encounter they put in) never did work as far as anyone I ever talked to knew)
technical stuff intended to make things look better
a handful of power sets for villians
a few new costumes for villains; copying over a slew of neutralish costume options to CoH that already are in CoV costume creator

[Cantatus]

Originally Posted by Lyrical

Did you see he no longer has the position of Lead Creative Designer. While he is still there, Positron now has the title, and _Castle_ has pretty much taken over his role as the mouthpiece for the game.

Statesman still basically has the same position as before. His title just changed to encompass the fact that he was in charge of two games rather than just the one. Positron seems to have taken over for him for giving interviews though. And yeah, Castle has been a godsend.

If Issue 7 is appealing to you, you should probably wait until it's on Test to sign up for MMORPG.com's free trial. Issue 7 should be on Test sometime within the next decade...

[Duppin]

I gotta say, this looks kinda interesting.

How spendy is CoV to buy these days? I already have CoH, somewhere.

[Lyrical]

Originally Posted by Cantatus

Statesman still basically has the same position as before. His title just changed to encompass the fact that he was in charge of two games rather than just the one. Positron seems to have taken over for him for giving interviews though. And yeah, Castle has been a godsend.

If Issue 7 is appealing to you, you should probably wait until it's on Test to sign up for MMORPG.com's free trial. Issue 7 should be on Test sometime within the next decade...

Either that or it was a bunch of spin to save face. They have lost like 4 or 5 devs in the last couple of months.

Personally, I want to see this game under new management. They seem to spending their time on things that no one I know wants in game.

[Lyrical]

Originally Posted by Duppin

I gotta say, this looks kinda interesting.

How spendy is CoV to buy these days? I already have CoH, somewhere.

If anyone wants to hunt with me on Virtue, send me a pm. I have both Coh and Cov, and chars of all levels.

[Cantatus]

Originally Posted by Lyrical

They have lost like 4 or 5 devs in the last couple of months.

What devs have they lost? The only one I can recall is Lord Recluse (still sort of shocking.) The rest have been NCSoft's staff being moved to different projects.

[Lyrical]

Originally Posted by Cantatus

What devs have they lost? The only one I can recall is Lord Recluse (still sort of shocking.) The rest have been NCSoft's staff being moved to different projects.

Can't remember, since they were lower level, but it was about the same time Recluse left also. Me, I think its a shake up, and Statesman perhaps got some of it.