Champions Online Guide

Champions Online is a subscription based superhero-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game by City of Heroes/Villains developer Cryptic Studios, based on the Champions license.

Powered by the groundbreaking Cryptic Engine, Champions Online is currently in development for the PC. With literally billions of character options allowing total customization, real-time action combat, the richly detailed Champions universe and an experienced Cryptic Studios team devoted to working directly with gamers to deliver a great gaming experience, Champions Online is set to be the premier superheroic massively multiplayer online role playing game.

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Earth's first and best line of defense is its heroes. For generations, brave men and women have answered the call to protect the world from the villains who threaten its safety and security.

Today, organizations such as VIPER, ARGENT and PSI use both superpowers and super technology in their dastardly plots to control the world. Creatures from outer space and other dimensions seek to enslave humanity. Super scientist Teleios is creating an army of clones and superpowered constructs to do his bidding.

The greatest threat of all is Doctor Destroyer. A superhuman genius driven to conquer, Destroyer will not stop until all of humanity bends knee to his greatness. In 1992, Destroyer obliterated the city of Detroit and killed thousands. With years to prepare, his next attack is sure to put the entire planet in peril.

Led by The Champions, protectors of Millennium City, the world's heroes have launched a crusade for peace, security and justice. But they need allies. Defender is calling for a new generation of superheroes to fight in a war against evil that spans the globe — and beyond.

Hi-Octane Excitement: Champions Online delivers furious, fast-paced encounters previously reserved for action and fighting games. No more boring auto attacks and lengthy recharge times. Champions Online combat is instantaneous — and electrifying!

Brains required: Every enemy and super-powered threat in Champions Online has its own unique abilities and combat specialties. Use your head — or wind up dead!

Bring friends, make friends: The Champions Online universe will be jam-packed with thousands of heroes, facing thousands of threats. Join up with other heroes, create your own superteam, and prepare to take on the ultimate threats!

Be the Hero You Want To Be

Total customization, at your fingertips: Choose from hundreds of different costume pieces, colors and body types to create your character's one-of-a-kind costume and look. There are billions of possible combinations, and in a universe brimming with the fantastic and the unforgettable, you can still be completely unique!

Your powers, on your terms: There are a multitude of astonishing powers to choose from in Champions Online, and its flexible character creation system gives you total control over your hero's abilities. You can even pick the appearance of your powers. Do you want purple force fields? Green fire blasts? Jet black claws? In Champions Online, you decide!

Keep your enemies close: Every hero must have an archenemy. In Champions Online, you design your character's supreme adversary, choosing a name, powers and costume for a superpowered foe to bedevil your hero throughout his or her career.

Bigger and better: Vanquish evil, and your successes will be rewarded with costume pieces to enhance your powers and abilities. Then customize the appearance of those rewards to your vision of your hero's look and abilities!

Vast Universe

Endless exploration: The battle against evil in Champions Online rages across the world. No other MMOG offers players the chance to explore such diverse realms — from the shining skyscrapers of Millennium City and the frozen wastes of Canada to the the hidden underwater city of Lemuria.

Evil most foul: Battle supervillains, aliens, giant monsters and secret, sinister organizations. Doctor Destroyer is launching new plans to conquer the world. VIPER lurks in the shadows, seeking chances to strike at humanity. The ancient Lemurians are plotting a return to power. Can you stop these heinous threats to humanity?

Make your mark: The story of Champions Online is constantly changing, continually evolving. Villains are defeated. Heroes rise and fall. Cities transform. Your actions may decide the future!

The game will be action-oriented, and one can use a gamepad to perform actions. Attacks will be mapped to the four buttons, while defensive actions, like block, will be mapped to a shoulder button. Successful attacks and blocks will increase a power meter, which can unlock more powerful actions, which can be accessed by holding the left trigger to reveal a different button map. In addition, the game will be nearly HUD-less.

Death is handled in a similar manner to City of Heroes, in which a player may choose to be revived by a teammate or respawn at a neutral site, except respawning does not accrue experience debt. Instead, the hero's upgrades are degraded. Upgrades are anything (physical enhancements, equipment, relics, etc.) that the hero will receive during the course of his/her career. When equipment hit points reach 0, they cease to function and must be repaired.

The game features an "orb system" in which when the player takes out enemies, they may drop orbs that either benefit or deplete the hero's powers, life, or energy.

The game will also have non-combat skills, such as lockpicking and science knowledge. Also, there are travel powers. The confirmed travel powers are swinging on things such as webs or grappling hooks, flying, fire flying, jetboot flying and jumping, hover disks, super jump, super speed, teleportation, acrobatics (fast running, leaps and flips), ice sliding and tunneling.

The game will feature a robust character creation like City of Heroes, including the ability to edit a hero's movement; for instance, a wolf-like hero may opt to leap on all fours rather than on two, a robot may select robotic, jerky movement rather than humanoid, and a mentalist may opt to float inches above the ground rather than walk. The player may also edit the manifestation of their powers, including color and form; for instance, a heat ray may resemble flames or a force field may have a color specified in the editor.

Players will be able to custom design their own arch-nemesis in the same fashion as their own hero (selecting a costume, their powers, their name and history), who will appear throughout their careers. If a player defeats his arch-nemesis permanently, they have the option to create a new one or finish their careers without another arch-nemesis.

One significant difference is the elimination of any character class or archetype system - all characters can take any skill or power equally. The game will also make it easier for a player to spend most of his hero's career as a solo hero if they desire.

The game features a paper-doll inventory system, and items physically appear on the character when equipped; the player may select to remove the item from the visible GUI and still receive the effects from it.

At the character creation screen, players will be able to create their own custom nemesis along with his or her minions. The nemesis will ambush the player throughout the game, and the first meeting is rumored to be at level 25. The level cap is at 40, with special endgame content and gameplay at the cap.

Classic heroes and villains from the Champions universe will serve as major NPCs.

You can learn more about Champions Online with this professional strategy guide for the game, written by expert players but easy to understand and follow. It details many aspects of the game such as leveling, character creation, equipment choices, resources, combat guide and more.

Get the Champions Online Guide

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