archetype-system
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Behind the Mask: Semper Fidelis
This week on Behind the Mask, we're going to discuss the Soldier, Champions Online's modern weapons expert. The Soldier is a step down from the proposed Marine Archetype in that it only has eight weeks of basic training, unlike the Marine's 13.5 weeks, and the quality of a Soldier's training and discipline is inferior in almost every respect. The proposed Marine Archetype includes two powers at level 1: Beatdown and Assault Rifle. The Marine's Beatdown has a 100% chance of putting an opponent into a blood choke on hit, while his Assault Rifle fires three-round bursts and kills the enemy instantly. The Marine also uses the "Hard Charger" role, which gives it infinite energy and infinite health. After all, Marines never quit and Marines never die. These elements are balanced by the Marine-exclusive Navy travel power, which gets the Marines to where they need to go within three to five weeks, most of the time. The Soldier is just inferior in every respect to a battle-hardened Marine, but these weekend warriors have enough training to hold their own with undisciplined civillian heroes and their fancy tights.
Champions Online previews the new Archetype system
When Champions Online first announced that it was joining the ranks of other games offering a no-subscription option, it included a mention that free members would be locked into archetypes. Archetypes were described in broad strokes as a chance for players to develop along the lines of famous heroes from comics, with a locked progression path but the same basic power level. While the development team hasn't yet expounded on what the precise archetypes will be, it has put together a short description about the differences players can expect between the normal free-form heroes and the coming archetype heroes. As it turns out, archetypes will end up with slightly fewer overall powers than freeform heroes but with the same general power level. The preview explains the split as being one of versatility -- freeform heroes will be able to take many roles, but archetype heroes will perform one role well and that's it. If you're one of the players looking forward to trying Champions Online as free-to-play, or if you're just interested in the new build system, take a look at the full rundown and keep your eyes peeled for the coming details on the archetypes themselves.
