Issue 13 is Online!

The latest update to City of Heroes/City of Villains is now active and online.

"What's Past is Prologue" by Samuraiko. Download the full version on her website.

"Issue 13: Power and Responsibility" adds several new features to the game including:

* Shields: As previously reported, heroes and villains can heft a might shield into battle. You can pick and choose which kind of shield you want from a limited selection. These shields have both offensive and defensive abilities and will augment your skills to a degree that you never thought possible. This is only for tanker and scrapper heroes, and for brute villains as well.

* Pain Domination: As previously reported, villains now have their answer to "empathy", and it is called PAIN! Pain domination gives aid to your fellow villains but also hurts those you're facing. This is only for controller and mastermind villains.

* Day Jobs: What does your character do when they're not saving the day or trying to rule the world? Day Jobs gives your character that purpose. When you "log out", your character is working their day job. It's a little complicated, but depending on where you go to log out depends on what kind of job they're working. The longer they stay offline, the more rewards they gain. After 30 days (either collectively or consecutively) in that job gets you a badge and additional features. Working certain job combinations will get you even more titles with even more features, including temporary powers. See the Paragon Wiki entry for the list and how it all works.

* Multiple Builds: This is another tricky new feature, but this will allow you to create a whole new "you" with different settings while keeping your old ones intact. By visiting your nearest trainer, you can change your build, so you can have one setup for normal activity, and one for the arena or hazard zones. See the Paragon Wiki entry for details.

* Leveling Pact: They call this the "extreme sidekicking", but perhaps a better description is "Gaming Marriage". If you and a friend (or a "friend" if you know what I mean) are just starting out (security level 5 or under) and you want to stay at the same pace you can join in a leveling pact. This will allow the two of you to share experience points and stay on the same level, no matter how often either person plays. This offer lasts only until you reach level 6 and then all bets are off. And if you decide to "divorce" yourself from the other person after that, it's permanent.

* Merit System: A new way to get those hard-to-find goodies is through the merit reward system. Every time you finish a story arc or a task force or take down a giant you earn merits, which you can then apply to get special enhancements, salvage, badges, etc. It's similar to the Candy Canes in Winter Event or the Vanguard Merits over in the War Zone.

* Base Changes: Rent and prices have been changed. Base salvage is no more. You can now manufacture the neccessary items directly using availible inventory salvage without converting them over. Certain rooms have been re-priced to be a little more affordable (but not by much).

* Force of Justice Badge: And here you thought that Safeguard missions were only good for the travel powers! Take part in the various side-missions, and if you complete all of them you get the special Force of Justice Badge. Okay there's nothing special that goes with it, it's just for bragging rights. But seriously... how cool is it to have "Force of Justice" title under your name?

* Costume Changes: There's been an ongoing bug with your outfit and the supergroup mode whereby every time you switch costumes you have to change your color scheme again and again. No more. Now you can edit your colors both in normal and supergroup mode at the tailor.

* Pocket D changes: there's a dimensional anchor at Pocket D now, which means you can access your base there and teleport into Pocket D as well. Also, if you are a VIP member, there is a tailor in the Tiki Lounge. (You must either purchase the Good vs Evil version of the game or the in-game upgrade to have the VIP pass.)

* Port Oakes changes: Port Oakes not only gets its own black market, but it also gets a row of "abandoned labs" so the bad guys can do some off-the-record inventions. (Another row of labs are located at St. Martial)

And that's not everything either! There are a lot of changes now and some more in store when Issue 14 comes out in a few months.

And to think... the Winter Event is just a few days away too!