What's new in Homecoming for Returning Players

Player Guide Notice

This article is a Player Guide. The Homecoming Wiki takes no responsibility for the content within.

Questions and concerns should be posed to the authors of the article using the article's talk page.

Assumptions

The reader is finding out about Homecoming: City of Heroes for the first time since the Live shutdown and want to get started quickly. Here's what to know.

This is a quick reference to years of patch notes concerning changes Homecoming made over the live game. For more details:

• The Complete Newcomer's Guide to City of Heroes: Logging In and Character Creation - a longer Newcomer guide is available here written by Robotech_Master. It is no longer updated.
• New Players Guide to City of Heroes - More recent newcomer guide. Written by TheMultiVitamin in January 2024.

Topics below "Starting Out" are collapsed by default to avoid overwhelming a reader.

Starting Out

Before we begin

All vestiges of Microtransactions (Paragon Market, Paragon Rewards) and Game Subscription Fees (Veteran Rewards Program) have been eliminated. Players do not need a form of payment to play at all. Old NCSoft Software Keys no longer function and do nothing to grant access to Homecoming.

• Create a forum account at Homecoming Servers first. A player needs to have an email address ready to check for a link before signing in.
  • Only one game account per Email Address for password recovery. For multiboxing or other players in your house, a different email address for each account is required.
  • Once the Forum Account is made, a player can control their game account here. Without a Game Account, the Client will not log in. (A forum name and password will not start City of Heroes.)
• There are System Requirements, however, most modern PC and Mac computers since 2018 with some form of on-board graphics can play the game even if it is not a "Gaming PC".
  • Use Mac or Linux? No problem. See Homecoming Launcher for more info specific to those Operating Systems.

Client

PLAYERS DO NOT NEED THE NCSOFT LAUNCHER OR PRIOR COH PATCHER.

Those are both hard-coded to connect to NCSoft's servers which are no longer available.

The Homecoming: City of Heroes Game Client is downloaded with the HC Launcher app, which can be obtained from the Getting Started guide on the Homecoming Forums.

All players start over in Homecoming with nothing. They can copy Architect, Costumes, and Power Customization files from a prior installation over if preferred.

Starting the Game

There are three choices from the Homecoming Launcher (in bold and numbered.) A player can optionally hide any of these choices by clicking the gear icon to open Settings and pick which launcher on the left they want to change and checking "Hide".

Live Service

#1: Homecoming - This is the main service. It contains five servers, or shards, to create a character on:

• Torchbearer
• Excelsior
• Everlasting (Unofficial RP Server)
• Indomitable (Unofficial PvP Server)
• Reunion (Official EU Server, located in Germany)

The top four shards are based in Canada on the North American Eastern Time Zone. Server "stress level" still works on login and shows when the server is closer to being full (three red dots). This information is also visible in the HC Launcher on the bottom panel. Weekly Server Maintenance is typically Tuesday Mornings in the AM. A server maintenance period can also happen anytime an Issue or Page release is imminent.

There is also a Diagnostic Client available for 64-bit installations which is hidden by default. More information can be found here.

Beta Service

#2: Staging (Shadow) - This Server holds the Staging Copy of the server. For Beta, Staging is the final test of the Beta Release before it goes live to all five Homecoming shards. Staging is also used to test 'quick release' changes to the Server which happen infrequently.

#3: Beta (Brainstorm) - This Server holds the Public Beta Test of the next Issue Release. (At the time of this writing, Issue 27.) Smaller releases, called Pages (Issue 27, Page 6) are also tested in Beta.

Advice here applies to Beta Shards with three key differences:

• Beta Shards can be wiped with no prior notice.
• While players can make a copy of their live service characters for play on Beta, no content on the Beta Shards you make or play will ever be transferred back to Live.
• To help test Quality of Life and Endgame changes, Beta servers may have "cheats" enabled optionally to boost characters, grant Influence or populate enhancements to slot on demand.

Further information about the Beta Shards can be found here.

Basic Play

Character Creation

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(See Costumes below for Character Creator specific changes since Live.)

• Each player has 1000 character creation slots per server.
• Character Renames are available for free at any time. NOTE: In the future, a name release policy will apply for unplayed characters who haven't made it to Level 50 and have been offline for at least a year.
• Character Server Transfer can be done at any time, up to a maximum of 5 transfers per 3 days. Server Transfers only apply to the service the in-game client is accessing (Live to other Live Servers only, and Beta to other Beta Servers only.)
  • Copying character data from Live to Beta one-way is a different feature.
  • Only character data is kept: Base Salvage, Supergroup Base and Membership are left on the origin server.
  • If the only member left in a supergroup is transferred to another server it will be lost upon transfer out of the server (same as last player quitting an SG deletes the group.)
• Every new player gets one Global Chat Handle change.
  • The first character (or 'toon') name will become the default global handle unless already used (@BobWhite2 instead of @BobWhite).
  • Players only get one token on account creation. To ask for an additional one, see 'Support'.
• Archetype Changes have been focused primarily on adding more powersets and proliferating set choices across more archetypes. (Additions can be viewed in the Power Sets category.)
  • Sentinel Archetype: a Ranged attack Primary (often Single-Target) with Defensive Secondary powersets has been added to Homecoming as a 11th standard Archetype choice (non-Epic). Sentinels use an Inherent mechanic called Opportunity.
  • As in City of Heroes: Freedom, the eleven non-Epic archetypes can be used for any character in any setting: City of Heroes, City of Villains or City of Heroes: Going Rogue.
• Players can make an Epic Archetype character with no unlock requirements. (Peacebringer, Warshade, and Arachnos Soldiers or Widows.) Epic ATs have a fixed start in their respective side and have a permanent AT contact to reach for their initial missions. Their alignment can be altered as soon as they can visit Pocket D, however it is recommended to have at least one finished character under your belt before making an Epic AT character. Peacebringers, Warshades, and Soldiers of Arachnos will have a harder time in the beginning that regular characters.
• Praetorian Gameplay is also available, with contacts starting in a special Tutorial at Level 1. Like Epic ATs, it is a good idea starting a Praetorian character after playing a Hero or Villain character first to get a feel for the game (it isn't necessarily harder, but Praetorians have less teamwork opportunities and progress choices available than Heroes or Villains do at the beginning.)

Combat

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• Everyone starts at zero INF and Level 1. There are some quick ways to gain INF:
  • Collect Navigation Badges.
  • Start collecting Levels and Items.
    • Begin with Matthew Habashy (Atlas Park), or Operative Kuzmin (Mercy Island) before Level 8. Every finished arc will point to the next set of contacts in King's Row to carry you through Level 15.
    • You can also start doing missions with Twinshot (Atlas Park), or Dr. Graves (Mercy Island) starting at Level 5. These "Ongoing Training Arcs" have missions that help fill gaps between other arcs and take you all the way to Level 30.
  • Feeling nostalgic? The Galaxy City Tutorial from COH: Freedom as well as the original tutorials of Outbreak and Breakout are also available.
    • Optional Zones including The Hollows and Faultline are still available to help progression.
    • Flashback is available starting at Level 10.
    • Radio/Newspaper Missions are still available, obtained the same way. Missions are in the same level range of a character and cannot be run in outleveled zones (as they are "beneath your notice".) Every several missions launches a Safeguard or Mayhem mission for badges, temp powers, and lots of combat.
• Mission Difficulty can be adjusted one of two ways:
  • Using a Hero Corps agent as in the past.
  • Using the Quickchat Menu, a player can now set a character's Difficulty Level (from -2 up to +4) and Mob Size (from x1 up to x8) before starting a mission. (For missions partially completed and Task Force mode in any form: abandoning progress and restarting the Task Force, AE arc, or iTrial is needed for the new difficulty to take effect.)
• Teaming: Several choices.
  • The LFG panel in-game above the Chat Box works for Trials, Task Forces, and League play. Level limits still apply. (Task Forces begin at Level 8 instead of 15 now.)
  • Play in new player trials "Death from Below" (Heroes - Sewer Trial) or "Drowning in Blood" (Villains - Bloody Bay Trial).
  • Team up with friends. Any player arc in the same alignment can be joined with friends at any time. (Team opportunities will be more plentiful "Blueside", same as Live.)

Overview of Additional Changes Since Live

Architect

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Reward Tickets can now directly buy some types of Enhancements, including Single and Dual Origin. Same drop chances for IO Recipes and Salvage still applies.

Costumes

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All characters start with six slots from Level 1.

• Additional three slots are earned at levels 20, 30 and 40 by helping Icon/Facemaker contacts.
• The final slot is crafted with Halloween event salvage. Players can also unlock the extra slot on the opposite alignment through contacts.
• Maximum of 10 slots are permitted per character.
  • Players can save .costume files for archival.
  • Power Customizations are also able to be saved apart from Costume data with .pcust files using the same Save/Load buttons away from the Costume tab.

All Parts Unlocked

All the costume parts available to players are unlocked, including former Paragon Market purchases and participation-required parts. (No longer necessary to earn the Task Force Commander Badge to wear the Military Epaulet shoulder pieces, for example.)

• Capes are immediately available.
• Same goes for Auras.
• Certain NPC parts that were never available in-game have also been added.
• This isn't 'perfect', for example, Crab Spider Backpacks require the Arachnos Soldier VEAT to function.

Costume Editors

Two costume editor modes:

• Basic Costume Editor is available at any Trainer contact. This includes 90% of the total choices available including Power Customization.
• Cosmetic Surgeon contacts, who include Pocket D in the Tiki Room, and at Echo Plaza (a special event Zone unique to Homecoming) allow access to body adjustment sliders and body type/gender changes.

Costume editing is free through Level 10 for both Basic Costume Editor and Cosmetic Surgeon visits. Edits after Level 10 cost a proportional amount of INF (the highest fees are at Level 50) varying in cost depending on the edits made. Cosmetic Surgeon use (Body Sliders/Gender changes) adds an INF cost on top of the rest of Costume edits.

• Free Costume Change tokens are earned for free every 10 levels and through Veteran Level progress. When a token is used the entire fee is waived, even when visiting a Cosmetic Surgeon contact.
• Day Job reward for Tailor Discount Coupons (25% off) can be earned by logging out from Icon or Facemaker after the Fashion Designer badge is earned.
• Icon or Facemaker contacts can be added to a Superbase for Basic Costume Editor access at any base location (Look for them in the NPC tab.)

Power Customization

Power Customization has been expanded including alternate animations (or even "Minimal FX" for a few) as well as the prior "Bright" or "Dark" color palette for powersets that support it. Animation changes (briefly utilized in City of Heroes Freedom) have been added for various travel powers, including a "Stance" option that changes your character's default walk, move, and sprint animation. These options are present in the rest of the Power Customization UI under Inherent powers.

Day Jobs/Patrol XP

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Day Jobs

Same as live. Offline progression works as follows:

• Log off at a Day Job location when finished playing.
• When you return, progress towards a Day Job badge will be made. If you stay offline long enough, a Day Job badge will be completed.
• Subsequent returns to a Day Job will grant temp powers that last for a period of time, or free special salvage such as Tailor Discount Coupons.
• Receiving multiple Day Job badge combos grant Day Job accolades with greater rewards that can be earned by logging off at either location.

Patrol XP

Logging off of the game (at a Day Job location or not) starts charging a character’s Patrol XP. Patrol XP is a temp pool of bonus XP that grants 50% additional experience until the pool is gone. For best results, 24 hours offline will charge the maximum amount of Patrol XP (up to 100% of the total XP to earn the next level, if bubbles are already filled, additional Patrol XP will be present after level up to account for the remainder.)

• The pool will not apply to mission, arc, task force, or trial completion rewards at the end of the content. It will also ignore non-combat XP, such as collecting badges.
• Patrol XP will work in combination with Custom XP Rate boosts activated at the P2W Vendor (T4V Vendor in Praetoria.)
• If a character is defeated, instead of accruing debt, Patrol XP is removed to cover the debt amount until it is exhausted, then the remainder of debt is normally received.
• During Server Wide XP Events (such as January 2024’s Rikti Invasion event), both Patrol XP usage and earning is suspended while the server wide bonus is active. When the event concludes, Patrol XP works normally again.
• Logging in after the Anniversary of City of Heroes (April 20th) and throughout the month of May grants five charges of the Experienced temp power free per character logged in. Experienced can also be earned by opening Super Packs.
• Patrol XP does not boost Incarnate XP (it will not unlock Incarnate Slots any faster), but it will work for Veteran Level XP.

Debt

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Hasn't changed. Some reminders:

• It's not all bad. There's a few badges to be had with earning it.
• XP Debt is not issued until Level 10 is reached.
• Some rez powers offer debt protection if a character is subsequently defeated moments after coming back.
• Debt per defeat, and the Debt cap per level (no more than five defeats' worth) varies per level. Generally Debt cannot exceed 10-15% of your next level's XP remaining (no more than "1 or 2 bubbles" in the XP Gauge.)
• Zone Events (Rikti, Zombie, or Praetorian Invasions) and Raids (MSR, Hamidon) waive XP Debt in that zone only while the event is in effect. Permanent Zone Events (King's Row Paladin Construction, First Ward Seeds of Hamidon, GM fights such as Winter Lord or Adamastor, etc.) do not apply.
• Patrol XP nullifies debt.
  • By logging off of the game for a few hours, existing debt on a character can be eliminated.
  • Debt also consumes Patrol XP on player defeat. Playing when Patrol XP is present insulates from a couple of defeats worth of Debt Accrual.
  • Charges of Experienced power (earned either through redeeming Super Packs bought in the Auction House, or a free 5-charge grant when logging in a character during April for Homecoming/City of Heroes' Anniversary Month) grant Patrol XP immediately. By using it on a character with Debt, the debt will be eliminated and what is left over remains as Patrol XP to insulate from further debt.

Enhancement Upgrades (TO/DO/SO Only)

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There is now an Upgrade button on the bottom left of the Enhancement Slot editor screen: players can use this button to automatically upgrade TO/DO/SO Enhancements. Confirm the INF price and click OK to bring all the slotted enhancements to the current level with one payment.

• Upgrade does not change slotted Enhancement types (i.e. TOs-to-DOs or DOs-to-SOs), which still need to be done by hand.
• Invention Origin, Archetype Origin, and Special Enhancements (Hami, Crystal, D-Sync, Overwhelming Force, Winter Pack, Prestige, etc.) are not affected by the Upgrade Button.
• Enhancement Combination still works, but no longer shows as +1 to +4 next to the Level value: the Combined Enhancement now shows the effective level on top after being combined, and combinations can occur all the way to Level 50.
• As of Issue 27, Single and Dual Origin Enhancements are available starting at Level 1. Player Origin still applies.
• Certain SO enhancements that were available before Issue 27 to low level characters (Mr. Yin’s Shop, Tutorials) are now Talisman Enhancements, which behave the same as SOs except they are Origin-and-AT-neutral, any character can use them.

Flashback

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Flashback has all major story arcs contained in the listing grouped by "Stature Level" (Generally every 5-10 levels of gameplay from Level 1-50.)

• Flashback is not available until Level 10 is reached.
• New Arcs added to the game from Homecoming staff is listed in the Flashback system. Any Arc ID number in the Flashback Menu (far right on each Arc Title line) starting from 24.01 to the current Issue (27 at the time of this writing) identifies content that was not available before Shutdown on the Public Servers.
• Arcs displayed are either Hero/Vigilante or Villain/Rogue arcs. Switching alignments changes the list, however arc progress is kept if you switch back.
• Not all arcs and contacts are present. Repeatable mission contacts do not appear in Flashback, for example, and some will stop offering repeating missions once you leave their Stature Level. (Completing "Officer Wincott vs. The Trolls" at Level 40 does not grant access to Meg Mason, who stops offering missions at Level 15.)
• Praetorian arcs are present from Level 1-25 for Primal Earth characters, and Primal Earth arcs available to Praetorians for the same part of the game through Flashback once the Stature Level has been passed for that content.
• Arcs that unlock content for Task Force Contacts, Trial Contacts, and access to certain zones (Midnighter's Club) can be completed in Flashback with the same reward.
  • Example: Finishing Buck Salinger's arc "Crossing Over" in Flashback means Katie Hannon will appear in the LFG tab as a Task Force contact in regular play.
  • The advantage to completing the content during regular play is that players who join on the final mission do not have to be present for the rest of the arc, simply joining the final mission is sufficient to unlock the new contact. Flashback uses Task Force Mode (everyone must be present at the very beginning of the arc to complete it.)

Incarnate/End Game

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Incarnate XP

After turning Level 50 Incarnate XP is earned immediately on each mob defeat, beginning with Physical XP for the Alpha Slot.

• iTrial content is also able to fill these XP Bars in the Incarnate Window, or a player can simply continue playing any normal Level 46-50 content.
• Using "Disable XP" in the Options window doesn't stop Incarnate XP collection. As with the live game, if you do not wish to engage with Incarnate content and only want to remain at level 50, you can simply ignore it.
• XP Boosts have no effect on Incarnate XP rates (P2W XP Boosts, XP Boosts from Super Packs, Day Job rewards, etc.) including Patrol XP and the Experienced power.

Unlocking an Alpha Slot (and subsequent powers) can be done at any time through normal gameplay.

Veteran Levels

Filling the normal XP bar works after Level 50, but gains Veteran Levels instead of regular ones. Your Security/Threat Level still remains Level 50 as far as the game and combat are concerned (ignoring Level and Incarnate Shifts).

• Veteran Levels show up on your Player Info window and start at Veteran Level 1. Veteran Levels use the same rewards as the Loyalty Program from Paragon Rewards: badges for months of gameplay, as well as granting free Costume Change Tokens and Respecs.
• The rewards also offer Incarnate Salvage in the form of Incarnate Threads & Empyrean Merits up to Vet. Level 99.
• Using "Disable XP" in the Options window does pause Veteran Level progress.
• XP Boosts generally do not increase Veteran Level XP earned: Using P2W XP Boosters, Super Pack XP Boosts and Temp Powers will not accelerate completion of Veteran Levels. Patrol XP DOES apply, however, including charges of the Experienced power. (Each Veteran Level requires 5,608,000 XP to be earned, with Patrol XP granting 50% additional with each defeat until the Patrol XP is consumed.)
• In addition, Special Salvage drops have a chance to be earned after a mob defeat once Level 50 is earned, such as Incarnate Shard (rare), Incarnate Thread (common), Enhancement Converter (uncommon), Enhancement Booster (rare), or Enhancement Catalyst (rare).

Incarnate Salvage Revamp

To simplify crafting, all recipes, slots and powers now have options to use Incarnate Thread and Empyrean Merits (EM).

• Players can still use Incarnate Shard and Astral Merits for the Alpha Slot only, or upgrade a number of Shards into Threads and/or convert AMs to Threads or EMs daily. Original crafting recipes for Alpha Slots all remain unchanged.
• Notice of the Well and Favor of the Well can be converted to Incarnate Threads (40 and 100 respectively). They can still also be used in place of Uncommon and Rare Incarnate Salvage for the Alpha Slot Tier III and Tier IV Power Recipes. Notice of the Wells are still issued as a Weekly Strike Target reward, with Favor of the Wells able to be crafted from multiple Notice of The Well tokens and Incarnate Shards.
• Those same Alpha Slot recipes now have corresponding Incarnate Thread and EM-crafted salvage recipes in the same lists for Tier III and Tier IV crafting. It is possible to unlock all six Incarnate Slot powers without touching a single Incarnate Shard.
• Crafting a Transcendent Merit to mail to another character on the same user account 50 Empyrean Merits at a time is also available.
• Excess Threads and Merits can be spent with Luna in Ouroboros and Echo Plaza for Super Inspirations, including the Ultimate inspiration (3 minute +1 Level Boost, details here: Inspirations).

iTrials (Incarnate Trials) are still the best source for extra Empyrean Merits and Incarnate Salvage without crafting requirements. iTrials become the best source for Empyrean Merits and Incarnate Salvage after Veteran Level 100 is reached.

Dark Astoria Changes

Dark Astoria remains an Incarnate only Co-Op Zone, with all the arcs and challenges from the Death Incarnate release. Taskmaster Gabriel has been removed, and completing the entire Dark Astoria arc from start to finish grants 2 Empyrean Merits once a week. (Flashback system repeats of any Dark Astoria arc also grants an Empyrean Merit as a reward table pick.)

Cimerora Changes

The Castellum Quarter is now open for Incarnate combat, with mobs in-zone at Level 54. In addition, Alexandra Sideris now offers repeatable Incarnate-level missions. To unlock her, complete the arc from Sister Valeria (standing right next to her on Oracle Island. Requires Level 50 and Alpha Slot unlocked.)

Mission Arcs

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New Mission Arcs for various Level groups and alignments have been added. Mission names and contact locations are in the Patch Notes, or accessible in-game by using the Flashback system.

Ouroboros

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(See Flashback above for Ouroboros Pillar of Ice and Flame use.)

• It is now a Co-Op zone. Both Heroes and Villains enter the same zone for missions. Visiting the Pillar of Ice and Flame shows missions related to your Alignment. (Starting in Praetoria has no effect; "Primal Earth" characters can do Praetorian missions via Flashback at any time and vice-versa.)
• Echo Zone Teleporter has Echo Copies of revamped zones before major changes occured, including Faultline, Hollows, and Atlas Park. It also now has a copy of Galaxy City before the zone was removed to become the new Co-Op Tutorial.
• Level 1 characters can visit Recluse's Victory to get an Ouroboros Portal.

PvP

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Temporal Warrior Mode

Anyone can create an Instant Level 50 PvP Only character using Temporal Warrior Mode. It allows starting the game at Level 50 in Recluse's Victory ready for PvP Zone combat. Immediate access to Incarnate Slots, free-to-craft Incarnate Powers, and all Pool Powers are immediately available (Patron Powers require no Patron badges to unlock). There are some considerations to make before doing this:

• Temporal Warriors cannot access any PvE content or Zones, including:
  • Any Mission Arcs
  • PvE Raids
  • Task/Strike Forces
  • Trials
  • Co-Op Zone content
  • or Architect Entertainment.
• Temporal Warriors are confined to the four PvP Zones, Pocket D, Arena, and Supergroup Bases. (Pocket D and SG Bases are neutral ground without combat: vault storage, vendor access, and crafting access.)
• Enhancements are NOT free. Players are required to supply those from your PvE Characters, since PvP mobs are severely restricted in PvP Zones for farming. A player can build and store Enhancements in an SG Base for their Temporal Warrior to pick up.
• Character Origin is Primal Earth -- Temporal Warriors cannot be Praetorian, since after Level 25 Praetorians must choose Hero or Villain access to continue.
• Temporal Warrior names are not exempt from Name Release. (Temporal Warriors not played in 365 days risk losing their name once the policy is activated.)

To use this mode, choose City of Heroes when creating a new character, then check "Temporal Warrior (PvP Only)" on the first screen of Character Creation.

Other Changes

• Most temporary powers earned through PvE content, such as Day Job and P2W powers, are disabled in PvP zones and the arena. Each PvP zone (and Pocket D) has a vendor which will sell PvP versions of temporary powers such as Raptor Pack. Temporary powers can be re-enabled in the arena using the arena settings.
• Accolades earned through PvE content are similarly disabled, but PvP versions are available at PvP vendors.
• Non-Alpha Incarnate abilities are disabled in PvP zones and the arena, but can be re-enabled in the arena using the arena settings.
• Heal decay and PvP travel suppression has been removed from PvP zones.
• More arena customization options have been added.
• An entrance to Recluse's Victory has been added in Pocket D near the arena terminals.
• The Arachnos/Longbow fliers which previously only gave access to specific PvP zones are now linked, allowing for quick travel between PvP zones.
• All PvP zones are accessible to any character starting at level 1.

Pocket D

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• Players who spend an hour in Pocket D earn the Pocket D location for Long Range Teleporter.
• A new "Green Section" of the club containing an Architect Entertainment wing has been added in the Blueside of the club: head to where Vault Reserve used to be and continue walking back and to the left.
• The Ski Chalet/Slopes are now available 24/7. Slope medals are available at any time. (Winter Lord/Winter Realm contacts remain seasonal, although the Candy Keeper vendor is available year round to turn in unspent Candy Cane salvage.)
• The Tiki Room is open to all players with no VIP Club badge needed. Inside, Trina is available upstairs for costume editing including body type/gender.
• Null The Gull's role has been expanded since live.
  • Like live, Null can alter your preferences for Group Powers such as Speed Boost, Group Fly, etc.
  • Null The Gull can also change your player's alignment without engaging with Tip Missions and Morality Mission completion.
  • They can also send you to a couple of Atlas Park maps for Halloween and Harvest Festival revamps. These maps are zone maps without enemies, doors (no tailor, AE, or City Hall access) or contacts. Mostly for Roleplaying use only.
  • Null can also share their power with you. All you have to do is ask.

Power Pools

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• Power Pools (regular ones) now all unlock at Level 4, and include Specialized Pools formerly for sale on Paragon Market (Sorcery, Experimentation, Force of Will). All the powers unlock earlier but still require at least one picked to unlock the fourth and fifth tier starting in Level 14.)
• Epic Power Pools also unlock at Level 35 with earlier unlock requirements per power tier.
• Patron Power Pools still require a Patron Arc to unlock starting at Level 35. However completing ANY Patron Arc unlocks all four pools. (Respecs and Builds allow different Patron Arc choices, Villains and Rogues are not required to make one Patron choice for their character.)

Prismatic Aether (New)

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Prismatic Aether & Permanent Costume Temp Powers

Prismatic Aether is a new salvage reward added to let characters buy permanent Costume Powers.

• Example: While active, a Permanent Rikti Temp Power changes a character costume into a Rikti Gunman, without changing the player's Primary/Secondary Power Sets or Power Choices.
• Costumes offered include both Standard (ignores gender/body type and applies the costume, ex: a Senechal will always result in a female Carnival of Shadows costume) and Modal Costumes (uses the same Body Type/Gender as your player on certain costumes, such as Circle of Thorns and Outcast costumes.)
• As ultra rare salvage, Prismatic Aether has the same chance of dropping as a Purple IO Recipe on completion of any Level 50 mission (excluding AE play). It is also tradable, and can be purchased in the Market from selling players (price varies).
• You can also earn Prismatic Aether by running new Hard Mode content to collect it faster. (Completing a Hard Mode attempt on updated task forces such as ITF, Dr. Aeon SF, and other Task Forces in the future that respect Advanced Difficulty options.)
• Prismatic Aether can be redeemed at Vault Reserve locations throughout the game, including Pocket D, and at Fort Trident/The Crucible.

Respec

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As stated back in 2020, a key goal in Homecoming is balance. Issue and page releases often come with power set adjustments. It is also common not to know a power set and pick an ability that doesn’t work as expected. A respec becomes necessary to reset a character’s abilities closer to one’s playstyle.

• Granted every 10 levels of play through Level 50.
• Craftable in Auction House with a special recipe (which can be also be earned as a rare drop as well).
• Earned in Respec Trials.
• Villains get one by unlocking a Patron Power Pool.
• Soldiers of Arachnos at Level 24 gain a Respec (Both Arachnos Soldiers and Arachnos Widows).
• Occasionally granted on a Issue release with major changes to AT Powers in the game.
• Same contacts to start a respec: Jack Wolfe/James Frost in Atlas Park (Heroes), Arbiter Lupin in Nerva or Arbiter Sawyer in Port Oakes (Villains), and John Snow in Studio 55 (Praetoria.). Typing "/respec" in any City Zone also triggers Respec mode. (Don't do this in an Instance or a Super Base. Known bug.)
• While the "Freespec" still exists, any Respec tally can be used when activating Respec mode or typing "/respec". (The Respec Recipe will only allow a Freespec to be recreated and cannot be crafted if a Freespec is currently on hand.)
• Adding powers and slots behaves differently during a respec. Powers are picked first, and slots are added afterwards. This means it's possible to 6-slot your level 49 power pick by using a respec.

See Adjustments From Live for an important change.

Roleplaying

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• Players can now 'paint' their character's name in purple and be in Roleplaying mode. Press "H" for help, and change the dropdown menu to "Roleplaying". (This mode is only to notify others and does not change any game functionality.)
• Chat commands that edit talking range for Local chat, along with more advanced dice roll commands, and other RP tools were all added a little over a year ago.
• In combination with Supergroups & Bases changes, RP groups can use the new Base Editing changes along with Passcodes as a playground to create new settings as they desire.

Safeguard/Mayhem (Radio & Newspaper)

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• New unlockable Safeguard/Mayhem Mission contacts are now available.
  • Collect the Police Radio or Newspaper first.
  • In regular content or Safeguard/Mayhem missions that are played, defeat 25 different Signature Heroes or Villains (unlike Task Force Commander, this includes Rogue's Gallery, Rogue Island Villains, WISDOM, and Paragon Heroes.)
  • Visit Agent Hassell in Steel Canyon or Lord Schweinzer in Port Oakes. You can now start any Safeguard or Mayhem mission on demand, including ones you have outleveled.
• Radio/Newspaper contacts can now be changed. In the lower right hand side while talking to them, click "Dismiss This Contact". Your Radio/Newspaper mission count will reset and the next Safeguard/Mayhem mission that comes up will trigger another contact instead. (Practical use: changing your Detective contact to one on the outside zone map, instead of the interior PPD Office contact hidden behind several partitions.)

Shopping

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• Type "/ah" to open the Auction House on any Zone Map.
  • Doesn't work in missions, non-Hazard Zone trial maps, or any superbase. Generally, if a character can enter the location without an active mission or using a Superbase Portal, it's a zone map. Auction House will not open on any Instanced maps.
  • Certain items, such as Super Packs are only available in the Auction House (Wentworths and Black Market locations all continue to work for trading as well.)
• The way recipes, enhancements, and salvage are handled by the market has changed.
  • Recipes for a given enhancement are treated as the same by the market, regardless of level. For example, if a player lists a level 50 Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Endurance recipe on the market, it will go into a "bucket" with every other Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Endurance that's listed for sale, regardless of level. If a different player wants to buy a level 30 Luck of the Gambler: Defense/Endurance, bidding on that recipe will pull from the same "bucket." This ensures supply for recipes is consistent regardless of level. Note that this "bucketing" does not apply to standard/generic IOs, only set IOs.
  • Crafted enhancements follow the same rules.
  • Salvage is similarly "bucketed" by rarity - all commons are pooled together, all uncommons are pooled together, and so on. Invention salvage is seeded on the market but the listing prices for the seeded items are typically much higher than the normal sale prices, so the seeded inventory only exists as an emergency backup.
• INF (Influence, Infamy or Information, depending on your alignment) works in almost all vendors for basic Inspiration and Enhancement access. Sold Inspirations, Enhancements, Recipes and Salvage given to a vendor is paid in INF. INF is also used at P2W (T4V) Vendors to unlock badge rewards, Permanent Temp Powers, prior Paragon Market offerings (Panther Travel Power) or Consumable Power charges (such as Signature Summon.)
• Reward Merits are useable to purchase most items in Reward Merit Vendor booths or contacts.
• Hero/Villain Merit (now called Alignment Merit) rewards have been converted to only be tradable for Reward Merits. Prior Alignment Merit items can now be bought with Reward Merits.
  • Players can mail an Alignment Merit to another character they play on the same account. This effectively transfers 50 Reward Merits in a single email.
  • Tip Missions start dropping as a defeat reward at Level 20, and complete all 10 Alignment Missions and one Morality Mission in the same run for 40 Reward Merits instead of a Hero or Villain Merit. Players can also buy a single Tip Mission for 1 Reward Merit by using a Mission Computer in a Superbase, Fort Trident, or The Crucible.
• Vendors also now sell all three classes of Origin Enhancements (Training, Dual and Single Origin) starting at Level 1. Prices reflect the Enhancement type value: Training being the cheapest with the least increases per slot, and Single Origin being the most expensive and more effective.
• Certain Salvage and Enhancements will be 'marked' to prevent trade, email, or sale on the Auction House.
  • Untradeable salvage cannot be traded, sold on the Market, or sold to a Vendor. These items are effectively locked to a character as they cannot be emailed to another character on the user account. Example: Incarnate Shards and Threads are untradeable, and can only be spent on the character that owns them.
  • Account Bound salvage cannot be traded, sold on the Market, or sold to a Vendor. They CAN be emailed to any other character or sent to the Global Chat Handle in an email only if the destination is the same user account. Example: Astral, Empyrean and Transcendent Merits CAN be emailed to another character on the same account in place of Incarnate Shards and Threads. The receiving character can then make the conversions to turn the merits into the components they need.

Signature Story Arcs

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Two Signature Story Arcs exist for play in Task Force mode:

• Who Will Die (Finished before Issue 22 was released.) Seven episodes.
• Pandora's Box (Incomplete at Shutdown, finished during Issue 25.) Five episodes.

Each chapter of the SSA plays as a single task force, with a reward table at the end. SSA arcs are on a weekly timer which applies for 162 hours per Arc (6 days 18 hours). Completing an Arc Chapter grants 5 Reward Merits and a reward table: 20 Reward Merits instead of 5, Random SO Enhancement, Astral Merit or 10 Incarnate Threads (must be Level 50). Subsequent completions remove options from the reward table until they're all gone, with Diminishing Returns on the remaining 5 merits per run until the weekly timer is up.

Exception: the very first time a toon completes a Signature Story Arc for a character, the first Reward Table has no penalty. This only happens once per character; all subsequent completion reward tables are on the weekly reset clock.

All SSA arcs also appear on Flashback. Completed SSAs are marked on that list in case any are missing.

Supergroups and Bases

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Critical Changes

Prestige currency has been disabled, along with base rent and base inactivity timers. All Base Items are now free of charge. (Running the Game in Supergroup Mode only alters costume colors and symbols.)

• Any player can start a superbase. To obtain one, visit a Super Group Registrar at Atlas Park City Hall or the Arachnos Building in Port Oakes. (Praetorians still need to finish Level 20 first.)
• Power and Control Requirements have been mostly nullified. Base Editors still need to place a single Power and Control item anywhere they like to enable Teleporters, Med Telepads, and Shop equipment. One Power/Control Combo item (like the Mini Generator and Augury Table) powers as many devices as desired.
• Use "/altinvite Character Name" instead of multiboxing an invite. (Must be a toon on the same user account. Multiboxing alts on different accounts still have to enlist the first toon the old-fashioned way and promote them sufficiently before using Altinvite for that different account's own alts.)

Base Editor

• The Base Editor has been dramatically improved:
  • Stacking desks are no longer needed to build in 3D. Items can be raised vertically by holding SHIFT and raising/lowering with the mouse.
  • Attachment Mode for an object can be toggled between Floor Mode, Wall Mode, and Surface Mode. This means ANY object can become a wall attached object, and using Surface Attachment, any object can be stacked on a level surface without using the SHIFT key to raise it. Press the F5 key with an object selected to change the attachment mode.
  • Room Clipping Mode can be disabled to allow item, wall and floor overlap. Press F3 to disable Room Clipping. (Only affects objects you're currently editing, prior objects stay in place.)
  • Additional edit features have also been added: see the Base Builder's Cheat Sheet.
• NPCs have been added to the Base Editor. This includes shop contacts, so players can add Trainers for Leveling Up, Quartermasters for basic Enhancement purchases, Nurses for Inspirations, and Icon/Facemaker contacts for basic costume editing. (Instead of the Reward Merit Vendor, a kiosk table is available to place similar to an Invention Workbench.)
• New Telepad Points and Beacons have been added for Intra-Base Travel (Aleph, Beth, Gimel, etc. All ten points only work within the current base.) Players can return using other points and portals set up in Base Editor, or by using "/stuck" to return to the entry portal.
• Players with Base Edit rights can now build on top of the base: use F3 to disable Room Clipping. Ceiling types "Open Sky" and "Open Sky (Passthrough)" have also been added to facilitate this. Without using a Passthrough ceiling, Portals and Interior Telepad Points need to be placed to allow players to visit outside of the base walls.
• SGs can also move the Base Entry Portal to any place desired (The Entry Room still holds the Base Editor window "panel" to enter the Base Editor mode, or type "/editbase 1" in chat to start editing from anywhere.)

Visiting Friends & Rivals

• Want some Inspiration? Base Listings offer public bases you can visit with a Passcode. Visit a portal, choose "Enter a Passcode", and check them out. No membership, team joining or even knowing the owner required. (A passcode can also be set to permit visitors for your own base.)
• Oh, and they fixed Base Raids.

Note: Compared to Live, players may find a reduced need for a Supergroup to team on a regular basis. SGs that continue to perform similar to how they worked when the game was live still exist, and players who prefer to use pick-up groups do not need to join a Supergroup to have access to similar resources such as Zone Teleport and Crafting Stations: see Fort Trident and The Crucible.

Task Forces, Trials, iTrials and Raids

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• Task Forces can be started as early as Level 8 for Heroes and Villains. (Praetorians do not have access to Task Forces until they leave Praetoria first.)
  • Trials still remain and may require an unlock by a contact before access (such as Karsis), no different than unlockable Task Forces (Katie Hannon, Ernesto Hess). Unlocks can be done using Flashback.
  • Certain trials and Task Forces offer a special reward or reward table (such as Titan Enhancements from the Eden Trial, or D-Sync Enhancements from Dr. Aeon).
• iTrials require a character to be Level 50. Prior restrictions on joining iTrials have been changed to a penalty (i.e.: Not unlocking and slotting Alpha for Behavioral Adjustment Facility means your Level 50 is now -4 levels and at Level 46) so Level/Incarnate Shift guidelines from Live are still a good idea to follow.
• Diminished Returns still apply for Task Forces and iTrials:
  • Each Task Force has an 18 hour time per character once completed, cutting the Merit Rewards by half on each repeat of the Task Force (granting at minimum 1 Merit Reward on completion.) After the timer is up, the next run of the task force is at full reward value. (For Task Forces with a special reward table, each completion removes a prior choice.)
  • Each iTrial has a 20 hour timer. Repeating an iTrial before the timer expires downgrades merits from Empyrean to Astral, and each subsequent run removes a reward table choice on completion.
• Same two raids exist (requires forming a League of up to six teams to complete):
  • Mothership Raid, exclusively in Rikti War Zone (Co-Op zone). No reward table, but grants a few Reward Merits and a large amount of Vanguard Merits. Now open for any character from Level 1-50 (still need to be at least Level 35 to earn Vanguard Merits by joining Vanguard before the raid.) Vanguard Merits still have a unique reward shop in the RWZ base, or can be converted to Reward Merits at any Reward Merit Kiosk/Vendor. MSR no longer has a minimum level requirement, any character can join the raid.
  • Hamidon Raid, occurring in The Hive (Heroes only) and The Abyss (Co-Op zone.) Issues a Reward Table at the end of the raid for 4 Empyrean Merits, Hamidon Origin Enhancement, or 80 Reward Merits. 20 hour timer applies, subsequent defeats before the timer expires remove a reward table choice until none remain. Requires at least a Level 45 Character to enter either zone.

Temp Powers & Custom XP Rates

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P2W Vendor

• Temp Powers can be picked immediately after zoning in to your starting area.
  • A character can visit the P2W Vendor (or the T4V Vendor in Praetoria) immediately upon entering Atlas Park, Mercy Isle, or Nova Praetoria to select their free Permanent Temp Powers. Keep in mind most Powers only allow new players to pick from one of two similar ones for free. (An example is the choice between the Nemesis Staff and the Blackwand as a free choice for certain Player Origins.) There is no penalty in visiting the P2W Vendor and selecting free Prestige Powers later.
  • Non-free items at P2W (whether another permanent Temp Power choice or consumable Temp Power such as Backup Radio or Stun Grenade) cost INF.
  • Certain choices in P2W will state in the description what badge is needed to claim a power for free. Spending INF grants the Temp Power now instead of earning the badge. (Not all badges and accolade powers are able to be earned this way.)
  • P2W also carries Prestige Enhancements, which are the only Training enhancements to increase two stats and add a free proc to a power before Level 20. Most players use Double Origin or Single Origin Enhancements which are now available starting at Level 1.
  • In Temp Powers under Boosts, there are two groups. Amplifiers offer three choices: Offense (Damage/Acc), Defense(Def/Damage Res), and Survival(Regen/Recovery/MaxHP). Each boost different stats and last for one hour. They take effect immediately and can be bought for up to eight hours. Finally, Boosters cost INF. Players pay the least before Level 10 (approx 8K per hour), with increasing INF cost through Level 50 (approx. 500K. per hour). The second group of boosts are...

XP Adjustment

Custom XP Boosts, which are available with four different rates to players:

• 25% XP Boost with 25% INF cut
• 50% XP Boost with 50% INF cut
• 75% XP Boost with 75% INF cut
• 100% XP Boost with 100% INF cut

XP Adjustment starts immediately and can be 'bought' for free for up to eight hours of play. INF cuts apply to defeats, not mission, arc, or TF mode end bonuses.

• Salvage, Enhancement and Inspiration drops still occur normally, with or without Influence cuts. Unwanted items can be sold as "vendor trash" to offset the INF loss.
• Players can set this at any time they wish. As a result, Server-Wide Double XP events are rare (none occurred before January 4th, 2024). XP Boosts WILL work on top of this bonus. (Example: 100% XP Gain from normal play +100% base XP boost from a Server Event makes Double XP. With the +100% XP Boost Temp Power purchased, a player can have 300% effective XP collection until the Boost runs out, or the server event ends.)
• This boost can be cancelled by right-clicking the XP Booster in the Powers Window and choosing "Delete Power". Right clicking the XP Boost in the main window (where the XP Bar and menu is) will not offer the delete option.
• XP Boosters from the P2W Vendor also stop taking effect once Level 50 is reached. The power will still run for the allotted time, but no longer grant a bonus. (Example: For 100% Bonus XP/No INF, it will stop INF gains until the boost is cancelled.)
• XP Boosters from Super Packs are not the same as Custom XP Temp Powers; different rules apply. Neither of these powers can be stacked with the other (using a Super Pack XP Booster cancels custom XP Rates, and buying a P2W XP Boost ends a Super Pack XP Booster from taking effect.)

Travel

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• Travel Powers can be picked starting at Level 4, and do not require an unlock.
  • Level 4 allows either tier of Travel Power. Skipping the first tier and opting for the full travel power that originally unlocked with the Tier 1 pick is now available. (Example: waiting until Level 14 for Super Jump isn't necessary, as it can be chosen as soon as Level 4. Combat Jumping can still be chosen as well in a later Trainer visit.)
• Monorails have been Merged. PTA Stations now serve a single line to all Blueside city zones.
• Tunnel Portals also work for all players regardless of level. Tunnel destinations include locations not available by Monorail or Ferry.
• Travel Changes:
  • Talos Island has reopened the Hazard Zone Gate to Dark Astoria. Level 50 required to enter. (Captain Nolan or Flashback system is still needed to begin the DA Arcs.)
  • Galaxy City gates have been permanently closed off, and the Hazard Zone gates have been wiped from the maps. Former gate locations have a NPC left behind to inform players.
  • Independence Port now has a Second Train Station at the lower half of the zone. Similar to Skyway City, players can hop from one train to the other in-zone without a map change.
• Long Range Teleporter got a facelift: instead of being in the Teleport Pool, it's now a Prestige Power. Here's how it works:
  • Collect all the Nav Badges in Atlas Park, Mercy Island, or Nova Praetoria (or any zone but Level 1, these are the closest.) Exact same ones to unlock SG Teleport Beacons in the past.
  • Long Range Teleport is now activated. Choices include "Your Superbase" destination (doesn't open a Base Portal for others), the zone just unlocked, and Echo Plaza to start with. To add more destinations, visit the zone and collect only ONE Navigation Badge. It now appears on the destination list.
  • Navigation Tip Missions can help to locate a badge in a zone when entering it the first time. (They won't advance Alignment Missions, and can be ignored or dropped: they're the only tip missions with the Badge Marker Icon.)
  • Long Range Teleport, similar to Ouroboros Portal, works once every 10 minutes.
• On that note, any Ouroboros Portal entered unlocks the portal for any character at Level 1. If no one is present to open one visiting Recluse's Victory (Hero or Villain) will grant the portal upon entry (with 25 seconds to exit before PvP is activated.) Before Level 10, Ouroboros zone allows some travel, a shop to sell at, and serves as a "Board Transit" origin for arcs that need a Train Station to begin (clicking "Go to Hospital" on defeat places a character at the Ouroboros citadel with a short trip back to the mission.)
• Base Portals have been moved closer in proximity to a Train Station, Tunnel Portal or Zone exit. They have also been added to Praetorian city zones.
• Smuggler's Subs work in shoreline zones for transporting Vigilante and Rogue players to Blueside/Co-Op Zones/Redside at any time.
• Null the Gull in Pocket D also allows a player to switch sides at any time without using the Alignment System/Tip Mission contacts.

Zones

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• Kallisti Wharf, incomplete during the Issue 24 Beta, has been finished as a Co-Op Zone. Work is still in progress on adding missions, mobs and events to the map.
  • A new Task Force called "Market Crash" is the only content in the zone that currently exists. For trying Market Crash the first time a single free random Purple IO recipe is awarded along with the Reward Merits at the end. (This only occurs once per character, subsequent completions only issue standard rewards.) The zone is also useful for Halloween Event Trick-or-Treating.
  • The zone used to be the gathering site for player events from Homecoming, and is often used for Server RP and Supergroups for the same reason. While a University landmark isn't present, two buildings contain Invention Tables (a University marker in the Christie Square neighborhood, and a unmarked destination in Old Slough), a hospital, and a Smuggler's Sub
• Echo Plaza, a Co-Op Zone, was created during Issue 26 as a gathering place for Homecoming Public Events. There are no enemies, contacts, or mission doors, however, vendors and portals to Pocket D and your Superbase are present for event use.
• Winter Forest, a special RP zone in Pocket D made for the Holiday season.
• Additional touches have been made across the game in various zones. Brief examples:
  • Cimerora has been expanded to include Oracle Island and the whole of Castellum Quarter behind the doors. See Incarnate/End Game for more.
  • Talos Island now has a Beach-side Tiki Restaurant.
  • King's Row has a hidden high-rise roof hangout.
  • Port Oakes now has Blackbeard's Pub now open for business.

Adjustments From Live

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(or a more positive way of saying "balance changes that took away features for a number of reasons".)

• Double Influence. Level 50 players who Disable XP no longer receive any boost to INF earned when teamed with other characters (other than the same INF earned in a team that was already offered being at Level 50). Windfall and the Day Job temp powers to boost INF still function.
• Mothership Raid Vanguard Merit awards. There was also a reduction of converting Vanguard Merits to Reward Merits from the amount of players repeating the Mothership Raid endlessly. (Instead of ten to one, it's 30 to 1 now.)
• Leveling Pacts are no longer available.
• Low-Level Trials DFB and DIB both offer rapid XP and Leveling up to Level 10, then decrease in Bonus XP starting from Level 11 until Level 22 (where the temp powers end as well.)
• Former Inherent Teleport Powers to a single zone including the Pocket D VIP Pass and Consignment or Black Market Teleporter have been discontinued. (Existing consumable charges of a power before the change will continue to work, and the Pocket D badge now grants the Long Range Teleport destination instead.)
  • Inherent Powers to Teleport between zones are collated in the "Long Range Travel" power popmenu, added to the Powers window after collecting or buying a Transport Power (such as Long Range Teleporter, Ouroboros Portal, Supergroup Base Portal, Assemble The Team, etc.)
  • All of the Inherent Zone Teleport powers now have a cooldown of 10 minutes each and must be used out of combat.
• Respec works differently from live: instead of selling unused Enhancements at a 'market value', any unused Enhancements that are not slotted are now deleted from a character inventory after the Respec is completed. Players have access to all seven Enhancement trays on each character to save them for reuse, storage in a base or sale on AE (if applicable) after the Respec instead. (Unless the Respec attempt fails all saved changes are final.)
• Architect Entertainment was removed from Atlas Park and Mercy Island. To use Mission Editor and AE missions, players need to leave the starting zones of the game and head to another location. (Pocket D portals have been placed in both places to facilitate this.)

Updated Tools (Build Planner, Mods)

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Resources from Titan Network (Mids Hero Planner, City Info Tracker, Paragon Wiki, etc.) are end-of-life after the NCSoft Shutdown, halted after Issue 23. It's best to consider the site as an archive.

For current tools and utilities, visit the following:

• Homecoming Wiki (You are here!) - Holds current information from Homecoming and Victory servers, updated from volunteers.
• Mids Reborn Hero Planner has support in creating Homecoming character builds for planning use during Respec. It requires .NET Framework to install. More Information: GitHub Website.
• City Mod Installer offers client modification support. Certain popular mods such as VidiotMaps, Better Icons, and Pocket D Yodel-Free are using only the City Mod Installer now for updates.
• Senticon Costume Extractor is a tool for players who still have Sentinel+ XML files of their former characters from 2012. The tool will not restore a Live character on Homecoming but it can output .costume files for use in the Client "costumes" folder to restore their appearance.
• City of Data has been restored by UberGuy.
• Badger is a badge tracking website for Badge Hunting in City of Heroes. The program is a web-app (no installation needed) and relies on game log files to collect data. (Clearing Browser Cache means the info is lost, and it doesn't transfer between browsers or computers without export.)

More can be found at the Tools, Utilities, & Downloads forum.

Support

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For player support, a volunteer GM staff for Homecoming answers requests for help in two ways:

• Forums, use the Support button. Click "New Request".
• In-Game, use the "/petition" command to open the GM Request panel. Fill out the form.

Before asking, check out the Support team FAQs on the forums first.