City of Heroes News & Events & Guides

The latest free expansion to City of Heroes has been announced; Issue 18: Shades of Gray. It will include a number of new features, such as cross-faction trade, doppelgangers which allow a player to test himself against his own character, a tips system and most importantly, the Cathedral of Pain Trial. CoH Influence will know that so far Auction Houses have been faction restricted (no shared AH between Heroes and Villains), but two locations have now been opened up to players of all alignments, and Inspirations can now be traded traditionally between Heroes and Villains as well. The Tips System, meanwhile, will incorporate the dropping of notes or clues from enemies over level 20 to create new quest lines.

The Cathedral of Pain Trial is actually a re-introduction to CoH Influence, having first been opened in September 2006. It didn't even last a month, however, primarily due to a game-breaking exploit which players could use there to level from 1 to 50 in a matter of hours. Over the last four years there has been no sign of the Trial until now, as it will make its triumphant return in Shades of Gray. It will be "one of the most challenging trials" in CoH, requiring the participation of up to 24 level 50 characters and having a time limit of just one hour.