New class info

[eldaec]

Short version:

Two new classes, both open when you have one character at level 50.

Classes are Warshade and Peacebringer. There is no choice of powersets for either class, instead their mandatory sets have more powers to choose from than a base class (14 primaries, 12 secondaries).

Both primaries are a 'ranged blast' type set, both secondaries are a 'defence' powerset.

Peacebringers offensive powers get stronger when grouped with tanks & defenders, their defensive powers get stronger when grouped with scrappers & blasters. They gain status protection when grouped with controllers.

Warshades defensive powers get stronger when grouped with tanks & defenders, their offensive powers get stronger when grouped with scrappers & blasters. They gain status protection when grouped with controllers.

Both classes will have access to some shape shift powers, these change your form, and for the duration replace your existing powers with powers suitable to the shifted form.

Warshades get inherent teleport, peacebringers inherent fly.



Full text:

There are two Archetypes to choose from once you unlock your Kheldian slot by achieving level 50 with any character. The first of these are Peacebringers, which are “Natural” Kheldians who have merged with human beings.

The other Archetype is the Warshade, which represents the fusion of a human with a Kheldian who has undergone radical scientific experiments to become a Nictus, a being of pure darkness. Though most Nictus feed on the life forces of others, the Warshades have seen the error of their ways and wish to redeem themselves by acting as legitimate heroes in the fight against their dark brethren. Peacebringers use any Enhancement a Natural Hero can, while Warshades can use the same Enhancements as Science Heroes.

Peacebringers have access to one Primary Power Set, the Luminous Blast set. These are Kheldian-energy based powers that include everything from Gleaming Bolt and Gleaming Blast to Luminous Detonation and Dawn Strike. Their Secondary Set, Luminous Aura, brings them defensive powers like Shining Shield, Essence Boost, and Light Form.

Warshades have access to a single Primary Set as well, Umbral Blast. These are modified Kheldian-energy powers such as Ebon Eye, Dark Matter Detonation, and Gravity Well. The Secondary Set is Umbral Aura, which gives them access to defensive abilities like Twilight Shield, Eclipse and Stygian Return.

Kheldian Primary Power Sets have fourteen powers, far more than the nine that other Power Sets have. Their Secondary Sets each have twelve powers. This will encourage variation in Kheldian builds beyond what normal-sized Power Sets would allow.

Neither Peacebringers nor Warshades can access the Flight or Teleport Power Pools. At first glance this looks like a major drawback, until you learn that Peacebringers inherently have Fly at Level 1, and Warshades can inherently Teleport. Kheldians can augment their travel powers with powers such as Group Energy Flight from the Luminous Aura set and Starless Step from the Umbral Blast set.

Kheldians can solo, but those who want to make the most of their powers will find a team. The Kheldians’ inherent Interspatial Link power allows them to gain in strength as they group with other Heroes. Peacebringers bring balance to groups by gaining in offensive power as they team up with Tankers and Defenders, and defensive powers as they team with Scrappers and Blasters. Warshades, however, amplify what a team is already good at. Teaming with Tankers and Defenders will increase the defense of a Warshade, and teaming with Scrappers and Blasters will increase their offensive potential. Both Archetypes will gain resistance to Mez-type attacks (Sleeps, Holds, Stuns, and Immobilizes) when grouped with Controllers.

Kheldians retain the patterns of their past hosts, and can use these patterns to transform themselves into energy-based duplicates of those creatures, gaining new abilities in the process.  The Bright Nova and White Dwarf powers for the Peacebringers (and Dark Nova and Black Dwarf for the Warshades) allow them to change their entire shape, and to access several additional powers.

The Nova powers (Bright and Dark) transform the Kheldian into duplicates of alien beings from the center of a gas giant. These forms are unlike anything seen on Earth before, and they make frighteningly effective Blasters. Novas inherently have Flight, and get access to four powers with which to smite their foes.

The Dwarf powers (White and Black) turn the Kheldian into duplicates of creatures that exist on the surface of faraway stars. In this form, Kheldians are able to withstand damage alongside the best Tankers in the game. Dwarfs inherently gain the ability to Teleport, and have access to four powers while in this form.

While Shape-shifted, a Kheldian loses access to ALL other powers, including pool powers and their inherent Interspatial Link ability. But the tide-swinging potential of these forms can’t be ignored. Plus, your team’s reaction the moment you change into a Dark Nova is priceless.

[Mesozoic]

wah, I wanted to hear about the new powersets.

[SurfD]

wah, I wanted to hear about the new powersets.

Peacebringers have access to one Primary Power Set, the Luminous Blast set. These are Kheldian-energy based powers that include everything from Gleaming Bolt and Gleaming Blast to Luminous Detonation and Dawn Strike. Their Secondary Set, Luminous Aura, brings them defensive powers like Shining Shield, Essence Boost, and Light Form.

Warshades have access to a single Primary Set as well, Umbral Blast. These are modified Kheldian-energy powers such as Ebon Eye, Dark Matter Detonation, and Gravity Well. The Secondary Set is Umbral Aura, which gives them access to defensive abilities like Twilight Shield, Eclipse and Stygian Return.

There ya go.

[schild]

Hmmm, looks like The Stygian might have to return. I knew I reserved that name for a reason!

[Mesozoic]

No, no, no.  The archery powerset, et. al.  I know, I'm a whiney bitch.

[geldonyetich]

And so, the Jedis make their way to City of Heroes.

Personally I don't have a particular interest in playing either of the new ones.   Pesky symbiotes.   Next you'll have me performing Vulcan mind melds in order to defeat Doctor Doom's next plan.    

This is taking City of Heroes in the wrong direction in my opinion.   It's like the development team suddenly thought, "Hey, you know, we can do the super hero comic book MMORPG thing pretty well.. However, I think what we really wanted to do was an alien game!"

[Shockeye]

This is taking City of Heroes in the wrong direction in my opinion.   It's like the development team suddenly thought, "Hey, you know, we can do the super hero comic book MMORPG thing pretty well.. However, I think what we really wanted to do was an alien game!"

Aliens appear far too much in superhero comic books for my taste, so it doesn't suprise me to see CoH doing the same thing.

[eldaec]

And so, the Jedis make their way to City of Heroes.

It's not as bad as it first seems.

The new ATs are fundamentally advanced blasters, with shape shifting to take on other roles in a pinch. And they are gimped unless they group. And they are gimped if they group with too many other Epic ATs.

Geko (head balance guy) has openly stated he has no intention whatsoever of allowing epic ATs to benefit from grouping with other epic ATs via interspatial link.

If they stick to the ground rules keep them limited when not around large groups of base classes, they should be ok.

[eldaec]

Quick update on how Cryptic are seeking to eliminate the jedification potential of Kheldians.

Basically the 'Void Hunter' group of bad guys balance Kheldians.

There are Void Hunters scattered in small numbers around every zone, interminged with the native villian groups both inside and outside of missions. They tend to have sniper-like aggro ranges vs Kheldians.

1 even con void hunter minion is about equal in strength vs 1 Kheldian hero. 1 yellow con minion will kill a Kheldian inside of 10 seconds.

All Void Hunters are as easy to kill as anything else if you are a non-Kheldian. For comparison, that means a level 30 scrapper can probably kill a group of 30 even-con void hunter minions solo (theoretically at least, since there is no evidence that groups of 30 of these guys exist anywhere as yet), wheras a Kheldian would struggle vs 2.

So, in short, Kheldians can't easily hunt solo, and Kheldians can't safely group exclusively with other Kheldians.

[kaid]

Honestly I would not view them as jedi. They are very odd beasts and are powerful in some ways but have some very distinct draw backs. One big one is they have so many diverse power choices that  you really have to focus your slots to what you really want to do which will leave a bunch of powers fairly weak.

Also this plays to one of the strenghts of COH. People love starting alts. The game is damn fun even at low levels and they are working in the next release and the one after to revamp most if not all of the lower level missions. This allows them to keep all the content in the game active instead of eventually having every uber guy and his brother in the "higher areas".

This is also their first archtype addtion they plan others down the road and I imagine many of those will not require you to hit 50 to open up.

kaid

[rscott]

Yeah, but i suspect the next new ATs will involve ocmpletely all of a certain number of badges.  So if you are not 50, you will have to be darn close to it.

[eldaec]

Devs have said the next 2 are opened by completing a specific task force.

It will have a minimum level no doubt.

The next two are Incarnate (which is what statesman is) and Corollax (which I have no doubt spelt wrong).

[rscott]

They sound like more epic ATs.  And that really irks me.  While i like COH, its the replayability that keeps me.  I would love to see more power sets, beter customization, and ideal custom powersets.  Something to make making alts even more fun.  But alot of these things they add i'll never see.

[ClydeJr]

I'm hoping maybe they'll add some more archetypes that are accessible lower. Like having them open up once you complete a Striga Isle TF for example. That was you would have access to something new around level 25 or so. I wonder if they'll make new powersets that open up as well...

[Jimbo]

I rember that they were going to open up some more things, like archery for blasters, pistols for scrappers, magnetic for something, haven't heard of anything else as far as that...

State's hasn't said when those are going in yet, but I can't wait for stone and dark armor to stack!  My Stone/Stone and Spines/DA will be rocking and rolling the bad guys all over again!