Exciting Changes Ahead

Changes are afoot in Paragon City!

Recent discoveries have unearthed a hidden organization called the Midnight Squad. This clandestine group consisting of mages, scholars, and mystics believe that they hold the key to stopping the Rikti threat once and for all. But in order to do so, both heroes and villains will have to travel via Ouroboros to the days of the Roman Empire. There they will unlock new powers, new costumes, and face a new evil, including the great mastermind of time itself!

In addition, Longbow intelligence has discovered the expansion of Arachnos into two new ELITE groups of villains. The Wolf Spiders and Blood Widows have originally been closed groups, but Lord Recluse has ordered their ranks opened. The new members of these groups will have access to unique powers and exclusive costumes. Arachnos scientists have also found a way to expand on the abilities of current villain groups so they will better mimic their Paragon City counterparts. Paragon City officials have been able to reverse-engineer this process and should soon allow all heroes to do the same, giving them access to whole new power sets.

Finally, Paragon City officials are able to report that changes in the area known as The Hollows are FINALLY beginning to bear fruit! The area is undergoing a reorganization which will allow for more areas to become hospitable since the great Hollowing tragedy of 2000. The efforts of heroes like Battlerock X to help clean up the streets and shut down criminal masterminds like Frostfire have worked, and the number of gang members should be on the decline in the near future. Paragon City Police have also redoubled their manpower and have finally been joined by Longbow agents. They will no longer cower when faced up against gang members. Unfortunately the changes to the area have also meant that new groups are moving into the area. The Hellions, Skulls, and the Lost have all staked out certain districts. The Hydra, Corlax, Vahzilok, and even Devouring Earth have also been rumored to make a presence there. The Legacy Chain have also agreed to aid in the areas covered by the Circle of Thorns, pitting magic against magic.

To help coordinate the changes to the area, Paragon City will be sending Meg Mason in as a new mission contact. She will be located at the water tower where all supergroup teleport beacons are found. This will be a new secure area that will ensure that heroes teleporting into the Hollows will not be attacked by criminal gangs.

All-in-all there are some exciting changes that will soon take place in Paragon City and the Rogue Isles. If you haven't joined, then NOW IS THE TIME!

The Rikti Are Coming Back!

Although their second invasion has been thwarted last June, the Rikti have apparently not given up their efforts to conquer and destroy Earth!

The UN-sponsored Vanguard organization has reported that the Rikti are preparing a series of invasion runs to wear down our resolve and deplete our resources.

The Lady Gray of Vanguard has announced the following tentative schedule for invasion attacks:

• March 7th through the 13th
• April 18th through April 24th
• June 13th through June 19th
• August 1st through August 7th
• Sept 26th through Oct 2nd
• November 14th through November 20th

During those months, Rikti raids will be frequent both in Paragon City and the Rogue Isles. Warnings will be issued via your system channel, giving you ample time to prepare for the attack should one approach your area. Also be sure to check the skies when an invasion is imminent in your area as it will turn a sickly brownish color as the Rikti mothership approaches. If you do not wish to fight, then your best bet would be to seek shelter inside a building or under overpasses and parking garages. All civilians, including those deemed hostile, will be doing the same.

All hospitals have been notified of the tentative timetable and under UN General Orders are required to provide immediate medical assistance free of charge for any hero or villain involved in combat with the Rikti in that area.

Rikti bomb ships are heavily shielded and are not only impossible to bring down but can go through the protective shields of the War Walls in Paragon City. If you venture too close to one of the bomb ships, you will be attacked. A third of all casualties from Rikti attacks come from being in weapon's range of those vessels.

The Rikti use dimensional portals to drop not only bombs, but also Rikti soldiers, automated drones, and scavenging Rikti monkeys.

Not all Rikti bombs detonate on impact. Some bombs are on a delayed timer that go off when they impact on the ground. If you are near one such bomb, watch the color of the device. If the indicator light shows red, RUN AWAY as fast as you can! DO NOT attempt to disarm a bomb unless you are powerful enough to do so.

Battlerock X, a veteran of the first Rikti invasion of 2002 as well as the second, says that the Rikti will continue to fail in their efforts, and that the best way to defeat them is through teamwork.

"We faced them six years ago as teams and we survived. We faced them last year as teams and we survived. We will continue to survive and fight on as long as we do so as teams. They are not more powerful than us. They are not better than us. They are simply thugs that are in need of a serious comeuppance, and together we will deliver it to them."