City of Heroes Homecoming: New Arsenal Powersets and More in Major Update

 

"City of Heroes Homecoming," the beloved superhero MMORPG, has announced a significant update that is now available for testing on the Brainstorm beta server. This update, the first major patch since April 2023 and following the game's official licensing agreement with NCsoft, brings a host of new features and enhancements to the game.

Introduction of New Arsenal Powersets

• Arsenal Control and Arsenal Assault: Issue 27 Page 7 of the update introduces two new powersets – Arsenal Control for Controllers and Dominators, and Arsenal Assault for Dominators. These powersets borrow elements from existing Assault Rifle, Devices, and Traps powersets, offering new tactical options for players.

Epic Power Pool Revamp and Enhanced Endgame

• Balancing Epic Power Pools: The update includes a significant revamp of the epic power pools, aimed at balancing them and reducing the necessity of selecting specific powers that might not align with a player's character theme. This change is expected to diversify gameplay and provide more choices for endgame players.
• New Additions Across Archetypes: Additionally, the update adds a variety of new options to the epic power pools, expanding the range of abilities available across different archetypes.

Major Game Zone and Task Force (TF) Updates

• Striga Isle and Rikti War Zone Revamps: The update brings a comprehensive revamp of Striga Isle, transforming it into a cooperative zone with new story arcs. The Rikti War Zone and Vanguard base also receive updates, enhancing the overall player experience in these areas.
• Advanced Difficulty for Lady Grey’s TF: An advanced difficulty mode has been introduced for Lady Grey's Task Force, providing a new challenge for high-level players.

Gameplay Enhancements and Additional Features

• Storm Blast Buffs and Enemy Group Adjustments: The update includes buffs for Storm Blast, along with adjustments to enemy groups like the Council and Circle of Thorns, ensuring a balanced combat experience.
• New Costume Parts, Badges, and Emotes: Players can enjoy new cosmetic options, badges, and emotes, along with a variety of supergroup base items.
• Diverse Party Bonuses for TFs and SFs: To promote diverse party compositions, the update introduces bonuses for task forces and strike forces that vary their archetype makeup, encouraging varied team strategies.

Community Excitement and Testing Phase

• Open Testing on Brainstorm: Players can now test these new features on the Brainstorm server before the update's official launch, providing valuable feedback to the development team.
• Anticipation for Official Release: While no specific release date is announced, the testing phase is expected to last approximately two weeks, similar to previous patches.

Conclusion

The latest update for "City of Heroes Homecoming" marks a significant milestone in the game's ongoing development. With new powersets, revamps of popular zones, and a focus on balancing and diversifying gameplay, the update promises to enhance the experience for both new and veteran players of this iconic superhero MMORPG.