City of Heroes will soon offer heroes and villains the chance to defend Paragon City for free.

Champions Online is no longer going to be the only superhero-based MMOG with a free-to-play option. City of Heroes will join the growing number of free-to-play titles later this year when it launches City of Heroes Freedom simultaneously with its next update, Issue 21: Convergence. Paragon Studios today revealed plans to offer a hybrid model for players that will include a free-to-play option alongside its subscription model for City of Heroes. The new model is actually bears some similarities to the one currently used by Turbine for The Lord of the Rings Online.

Through the new model, free players will have access to 8 of the game’s archetypes, 45 game zones, 105 power sets and two character slots that can be leveled up to 50. VIP players get the royal treatment with everything that free players get and more. VIP players gain access to 12 character slots per server, additional monthly rewards and benefits that include 400 monthly Paragon Points that can be used to purchase new costumes, items and power sets and Reward Tokens, which can be used to buy in-game benefits, server priority queuing and much more.

For a full rundown of the upcoming changes, check out the letter from Paragon Studios Executive Producer & General Manager Brian Clayton, the City of Heroes Freedom and Issue 21 announcement and a comparison of the City of Heroes Freedom options.

Sources:

Letter from Producer Brian Clayton

City of Heroes Player Choice Comparison

City of Heroes Freedom FAQ

City of Heroes Freedom and Issue 21 Announcement