Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

City of Heroes Issue 20 is live, and the CoH community is understandably creasing their cowls, smiling about the game's first real endgame push since Issue 7: Destiny Manifest in June 2006. Since we have an army of lowbie comic book concepts but little insight into the burgeoning supergroup game, we had lots of questions about how the new Incarnates system works. Fortunately Senior Designer Tim "Black Scorpion" Sweeney had the answers.

Tim talks a bit about Incarnate trials and powers, task forces, and even drops a hint or two about what to expect Issue 21 as well in Power Incarnate: A City of Heroes Issue 20 Q&A with Tim Sweeney.

Ten Ton Hammer: Please tell us about the two Incarnate Trials. What's involved for players to access them, and how do they work?

Tim "Black Scorpion" Sweeney, Senior Designer: Issue 20 Incarnates introduced the Incarnate Trials with the Behavioral Adjustment Facility and Lambda Sector. Both are assaults on key facilities of Emperor Cole’s (Tyrant), guarded by his Incarnate empowered Praetors, and continue the story of repelling the Praetorian Invasion arc started with Going Rogue. These and future Incarnate Trials are endgame, fast-paced, challenging encounters for groups larger than the 8 player team.

Players are transported into the Incarnate Trials by means of the Team-Up Teleporter, which will whisk them, their team, or their entire league into the Incarnate Trials from just about anywhere else in the game. The TUT will also link up smaller teams or solo players waiting to tackle the Trials, so it’s easier to bring together the numbers needed.

In Lambda Sector the players break into Cole’s munitions depot and cloning facility to wreak havoc, which draws the attention of Marauder. Players will have to split up and quickly obtain items from the bowels of the facility in order to weaken Marauder and prevent being overwhelmed by his endless reinforcements.

In the Behavioral Adjustment Facility, the players have to prevent the release of a mental virus – the vector being the unlucky prisoners Cole has experimented on. You’ll have to prevent contagion by stopping the escape and beat the robotic wardens Siege and Nightstar to prevail.

Can anyone join these trials or is there a lower limit?

Players will have to be level 50 to embark on Incarnate Trials. The Trials are an experience for heroes and villains which have proven themselves worthy of taking on challenges on the cosmic tier of power.

Can you explain the four new Incarnate trees? What new things do these trees offer players?

Each of the Incarnate slots offers a particular type of new ability for players to use.

• The Judgement slot focuses on AOE damaging powers – massive heavy hitting blasts that can wipe out lesser foes entirely, or take a good chunk out of Incarnate Trial foes.
• The Interface slot is a little less flashy, but broader in scope, adding an additional secondary effect like a regeneration debuff or a resistance debuff to all your existing attack powers.
• The Destiny slot covers the defensive side of massive overpowering AOEs – allowing for short bursts of massive healing or protection coupled with a lesser lingering buff effect.
• Rounding out the set is the Lore slot which offers the ability to summon potent attack and support pets conjured from the ethereal marches of the Well of the Furies itself.

There are two new Task Forces: "The Sky is Falling" for Heroes, and Villains have "The Fire and the Flames." Can you describe these task forces to us in terms of difficulty, new challenges and target audience?