Uploaded October 2011 | Updated September 2026, 51 minutes ago

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City Of Heroes Freedom (CoH) is a 3D super-hero themed MMORPG. The game was used to be pay to play but it switched to a hybrid subscription model. The game is developed by Cryptic Studios and published by NCsoft.

In the game, players create super-powered characters that can team up with other players to complete missions and fight criminals belonging to various gangs and organizations in the fictional Paragon City. Players begin by using the game's extensive character creation system to first select an archetype, then primary and secondary power sets, then design a unique costume. Players can optionally write a backstory or description and battle cry for their hero, as well as choose a name.

There are five origins a player can choose for his/her character that dictate what type of enhancements the character may use, affect which single short-ranged power they begin with (in addition to powers obtained from their primary and secondary power sets), and can influence the various villain groups that the character goes up against; these origins are:
1.Natural
2.Magic
3.Science
4.Mutation
5.Technology

There are five basic hero archetypes, which affect a character's power choices and team role throughout the game:
1.Blasters are versatile damage dealers, capable of fighting at short or long range against one or many opponents.
2.Controllers are adept at preventing enemies from moving or acting.
3.Defenders turn the tide of battle with weakening attacks (debuffs) and ally strengthening powers (buffs).
4.Scrappers are melee fighters with a greater chance of critical hits against tough opponents such as bosses.
5.Tankers possess great defenses and the ability to take hits for the team.

There are also five basic villain archetypes:
1.Brutes deal increasing damage as they attack or are themselves attacked.
2.Corruptors can cause damage at range, with high chance for critical hits against wounded targets.
3.Dominators assail enemies with status effects and direct damage.
4.Masterminds summon, upgrade, and control combat pets.
5.Stalkers are stealthy fighters, dealing critical hits when hidden or when accompanied by a team.

There are also two shapeshifting hero archetypes which are unlocked after attaining level 20 (level 50 prior to Issue 17) with a hero. Peacebringers are peaceful symbiotic aliens that have light based powers. Warshades are warlike symbiotes that are normally enemies to the Peacebringers but have reformed their evil ways. Both archetypes are capable of shapeshifting into a more offensive or more defensive form.

As characters level-up, players may choose new powers from the character's primary and secondary power sets, as set during creation, or from shared power pools. The power pools contain the four travel powers and other generic, usually utilitarian, powers that fall under categories such as: Fitness, Concealment, and Leadership. Characters also gain access to new costume features, like possibility to chance costumes (up to 5) and unlock capes and auras.

The primary setting of the game, Paragon City, is divided into different zones by giant energy "war walls." Especially dangerous zones called "hazard" or "trial" zones, which teem with large groups of enemies, are marked in red on the in-game map and are much more dangerous than normal zones. A few zones are accessible to both heroes and villains; some are cooperative zones, while others are player versus player (PvP) zones.

Missions are typically staged on private instances accessible only to the mission holder's team by entering a door in a zone, and may require defeating a boss, escorting NPCs, or finding a particular clue or item. The level of enemies, and number of enemies per spawn, are set according to the team size, level of the mission holder, and difficulty setting of the mission holder.

Team play is a large part of City of Heroes. Players can form supergroups reminiscent of classic comic book groups such as the X-Men or Justice League of America. Also, a system called "Sidekicking/Lackeying" or "Exemplaring/Malefactoring" makes all players on the team either 1 level lower than the team leader or mission holder (if they are a lower level) or the same level (if they are a higher level). Exemplared/Malefactored characters still earn experience and have access to all powers up to 5 levels above their temporarily lower level. Characters may also make leveling pacts so experience points can be gained equally whether online or offline.
Other game features include auction houses and crafting inventions to make characters more powerful. The Architect release gives players the ability to construct custom mission arcs, with customized villains and layouts that can then be played by all other players. Going Rogue (an optional expansion pack) allows players to switch which side their character fights on using Tip Missions collected from defeated villains.

Official site: na.cityofheroes.com