The Curator

Happy patch day, and Election Day if you're in the US. Go vote!

Enjoy!

Zones Labyrinth of Fog Additions Added a dialog loop option to return to the weapon checker page on the Labyrinth info NPC. Gateway to the Font of Malevolence given new visuals; Removed the box blocker. Entering the Font of Malevolence while the Minotaur is alive will kick you to the entrance lobby. If you own the Avatar of Achlys mini pet a shortcut to the Font of Malevolence will appear in the True Core near the Benefactor In The Fog, if the Minotaur is dead. Adjustments Minotaur now triggers arena transition at 95% HP. Font of Malevolence spawns individualized in packs of four based on their floor color. This will result in them re-spawning more consistently. Font of Malevolence now spawns a random Giant Monster from the Labyrinth's GM spawn offerings every 75 defeats, before and after the Avatar spawns. These GMs can trigger Spectral Pull at sub-50% HP. Avatar of Achlys can now be spawned once every Minotaur cycle; No longer on a 2-3 hour re-spawn timer. Chalice of Malevolence removed as there is no longer a timer for it to track. Avatar of Achlys now spawns at 350 total defeats in the Font of Malevolence each cycle. Can only be summoned once per cycle. Avatar of Achlys' Malevolent Explosion damage increase/hit-timing staggered. Avatar of Achlys now given similar on/off scrolling +ToHit buff to the Minotaur. Avatar of Achlys' inherent resistances increased from 50% to 85%. Avatar of Achlys' now grants leadership buffs to the Font's spawned mobs. Skull FX that highlights the Font of Malevolence is using Spectral Pull now spins. Harridan EBs now spawn with Talons of Vengeance packs instead of two Keres. Fixes Fixed a potential mapserver crash issue related to Draught of Fog usage. Fixed numerous misspellings of 'Achyls' in various locations. Fixed broken pathing beacons in the newer 5th Column sections. Lowered the violet mote's volume so getting it should be easier. Kallisti Wharf Moved the spawn location for the Halloween event giant monsters away from drones which can insta-kill them. Missions Various Fixed AI pathing issues in the end room affecting a few maps in the office tileset. NPCs Warriors Updated Talos Island Alexander Pavlidis model to use newer Warriors assets. Rewards Mini Pets Fixed the Avatar of Achlys not being summon-able through the Hologram Matrix pop menu macro. Events Halloween 2022 - Trick-or-Treat Elite Bosses Power availability on the Arisen Mummy and Hollow Reaper enemies has been adjusted to be better balanced when they spawn at lower levels, gaining powers at Levels 30+ and 40+ to reach their current strength, rather than having full access to all powers at all levels. Halloween 2009 - Dark Apocalypse Defeat badge credit for the banner event now guaranteed as long as the participant hits the target once, no longer requiring 10% team damage dealt for credit.

Another autumn's October greetings to all you classy cape wearers & stylish schemers out there! It's almost time for a frightfully good spook! ...what time is that you might ask? Spooky season is once again upon us! Oh my indeed! 🎃 Get ready for the Homecoming: City of Heroes Halloween Event! 🎃 October 1st - November 5th So, what does the Halloween event bring? I'm glad you asked! Each year, the fallen fae of the Unseelie Court attempt to invade our world by opening rifts when the spirit realm and the mortal realm are at their closest during the spooky Halloween season. Fortunately for us, they have been thwarted every year by the valiant efforts of Heroes and Villains who stop these spooky beings in their tracks! However, their persistence leads them to bolster their ranks if their attempts at world scaring are to succeed. The Unseelie Court's Hollow Reapers are ever-vigilant at seeking mystic methods to bring frightful fears! These reapers are using their spectral scythes to widen the rifts, allowing even more terrifying creatures of the night to invade when somebody is tricked whilst Trick-or-Treating! This can't be good... 🎃 What is there to do during the Homecoming: City of Heroes Halloween Event? 🎃 https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Halloween_Event Badges, Badges, Badges! There are a ton of event badges to be earned during the Halloween Event each year! Here's a list of all the badges up for grabs! https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Halloween_Event/Badges Zone Trick-or-Treating! https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Halloween_Event/Trick_or_Treat Go to any zone appropriate to your level range, click any mission door, and you'll be surprised with either a Treat reward or a Trick spook! 👻 Treats will reward a variety of things: Halloween costume temporary powers, these come in many flavors! Collecting many rewards badges! Halloween salvage that can be redeemed for an extra costume slot, a spider vanity pet, and more! Talk to the Halloween salvage vendor appropriate for you: Heroes: Annah in Croatoa Villains: Granny Beldam in Nerva Archipelago Praetorians: Acantha in Imperial City If you are wearing a costume power (Halloween or Prestige) while trick-or-treating, you can receive a Whispered Rumor tip mission that allows earning up to six badges! https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Mission:Tip_-_Whispered_Rumor Inspirations! Sometimes though, all you get is a rock... Tricks will spawn Halloween enemies! Worry not, as these enemies can be defeated for badges! Trick-or-Treating Elite Bosses! Five Elite Boss enemies that can spawn while Trick-or-Treating above Level 25! Ancient Vampires Spectral Werewolves Arisen Mummies Crone Matriarchs Hollow Reapers These spooky Elite Bosses will reward five-fold experience and influence for each one defeated! Have any alts that still need some levels? Haven't tried out that one goofy power set combo yet? Want to build a meta character for Advanced Modes? This would be a great opportunity to find some time to go Trick-or-Treating! Each of these Elite Boss mobs also count for the legacy defeat badges. Spectral Werewolves count as both werewolf and ghost defeats! These mobs spawn at a lower rate than other Trick-or-Treat enemies and were designed to be tough. For the best results, try Trick-or-Treating with a team or league! Looking for an efficient Trick-or-Treating spot? Might I recommend the motel near the hospital in Peregrine Island? 👀 Halloween Event Badges! + Aether Rewards! Five badges for defeating each of the Trick-or-Treat Elite Boss types: Vampiric Heritage - Defeat 5 Ancient Vampires from the Halloween Event to earn this badge. Spectral Anomaly - Defeat 5 Spectral Werewolves from the Halloween Event to earn this badge. Mummy's Curse - Defeat 5 Arisen Mummies from the Halloween Event to earn this badge. Unholy Cabal - Defeat 5 Crone Matriarchs from the Halloween Event to earn this badge. Reaper of Souls - Defeat 5 Hollow Reapers from the Halloween Event to earn this badge. Not only that! But each of these elite boss badges also rewards 2 Prismatic Aether Particle salvage as a bonus, for a grand total of 10 possible on each character! Wow! You can earn progress for these badges at any level, but must be Level 25 to claim the badge / salvage rewards! Buy some costumes! Save up for something fancier! Or just sell it on the AH and rake in some inf! Costume Goodies! Fancy any of those Halloween costumes and wish you could keep them permanently? If you earn all five of elite boss Halloween defeat badges and claim the rewards, you'll have enough Prismatic Aether currency to purchase one permanent Tier 1 Prestige Costume of your choosing from any of the BenevoLabs vendors found at Vault Reserve locations! Nice! The Halloween Salvage vendors are also offering a limited-time Fir Bolg, Ancient Vampire, and Arisen Mummy Prestige Costumes which are available for the entirety of the month of October each year! These Halloween prestige costume costs 10 Prismatic Aether Particles + 50 of each of the four Trick-or-Treat Halloween salvage types. Zone Giant Monster Hunts! https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Halloween_Event/Giant_Monsters For the duration of the Halloween Event, you can find the giant monsters, Eochai and Jack-in-Irons, randomly throughout standard zones! The pair are worth an exclusive badge for the first time defeating each, but every time they're defeated grants 6 Reward Merits to everyone who participated! After being defeated, another Eochai or Jack will respawn somewhere in the same zone shortly afterward, so if you search the zone, they can be defeated many times repeatedly for lots of Reward Merits! Eochai: "I will be sure and 'squash' all of these mortal interlopers!" Zombie Apocalypse Zone Invasions! https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Zombie_Apocalypse Keep an eye on the Zone Event channels! Frequently during the Halloween Event's runtime, zones will be attacked by a Zombie Apocalypse! During this event, waves of zombies will spawn anywhere there are players and can be defeated for badges and experience! Group up somewhere with a lot of allies and mow down zombies for rewards! Don't stand too close to Police Drones though! Deadly Apocalypse Zone Events! https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Deadly_Apocalypse Keep an eye on the Zone Event channels! If a spooky fog and four banners roll in, it's time for a Deadly Apocalypse! In this event, players must coordinate to defeat enemies simultaneously at all four Banner locations marked on the map. As the Banner's defenders are defeated simultaneously at all four locations, the protection on the Banners will gradually weaken. Remember if there aren't people at all four banners fighting, you won't be able to make any progress! Eventually, the Banners will become vulnerable, and players can destroy each one for a total of four badges! Once all four Banners have been destroyed, a Greater Mystic Aspect giant monster will spawn somewhere in the zone! If defeated they will reward players with another badge and choice of a temporary power! Dr. Kane's House of Horrors Trial! https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Dr._Kane's_House_of_Horror Grab four allies and queue for the Dr. Kane's House of Horrors Trial from the Looking For Group (LFG) tab on your chat window! Face lots of spooky enemies and earn plenty of badges in this short trial that's only available during the Halloween Event! Tip: Prestige costumes also count for the 'Tricked Out' badge criteria! Atlas Park Zone Makeover! https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Atlas_Park_Seasonal_Changes#Halloween During the Halloween Event, Atlas Park will get a spooky makeover! Enjoy the change of scenery while it lasts! Eternal Night! For the last two weeks of the Halloween Event, starting on October 22nd, most zones will be covered by an eternal night! If you're interested in hunting for enemies that only spawn at certain times of the day like the ghosts in Croatoa! This is a great chance to get those badges! That's everything for Halloween this year! We hope everyone has a grand & spooky time playing City of Heroes! 🎃 Thanks Homecoming for being such awesome players! 🎃

Head on over to the patch notes page to read the full details.

Zones Labyrinth of Fog Additions Malevolent Fog given more fitting sounds and death FX. The Time-Bound Artificer info NPC in the Midnighter Club has new dialog options that tells you which Minotaur weapon defeats the current character talking to them has. Additional flavor dialog also added regarding the Benefactor In The Fog. New unique sound cue added to the zone reset when the Minotaur re-spawns. Defeating the Minotaur automatically now includes a random Incarnate Salvage roll for Level 50 players with their Alpha slot unlocked. Option added to Minotaur in The Fog's reward table choices for 4 Empyrean Merits as alternative for those uninterested in vanity rewards. 3 Fog Inspiration reward option replaced with 3 Ultimate Inspiration reward option. Empyrean payout half for repeat rewards within 18 hours, like the Aether reward choice. Orange 5th Column floor has been expanded. Orange now has a secret door to be found leading to a new area: ???: The Font of Malevolence This secret's door can only be crossed when the Minotaur is dead and the zone timer is running. The Font of Malevolence is a location where larger leagues (3+ teams) can grind large numbers of Elite Bosses that re-spawn infinitely. Elite Bosses defeated in the Font of Malevolence do not count for the zone wide level shift progress. Elite Bosses in this area come from all villain groups present in the zone, like orange floors. The group of Elite Bosses in this area con neutral / yellow, and won't aggro until attacked. Adjustments Malevolent Fog defeats now worth 33 points per defeated, down from 50. Change not going live; Will be reverted. Labyrinth enemies reduced to Level 54 at base down from 54(+1) which starts them at a difficulty level / with power numbers that players plan their builds for. Labyrinth enemy packs now contain 4 Elite Bosses, down from 6. Removed Level Shift-scaling Damage Resistance buff from Labyrinth enemies to make them much less bulky at higher shift counts. Point value of Elite Boss defeats doubled when league is at 24+ players. Minotaur's movement speed increased to reduce wait times during the end phase of the raid. When the Minotaur In The Fog summons players to the Colosseum of Minos for Trial By Combat, invites will be skipped for players in the entrance lobby, the Core, or a secret area. Unholy Plague Howl, Netted Pilum Toss, and Hoof Stomp are now unaffected by Recharge buffs/debuffs. Minotaur purple triangle up-time increased from 66% to 80%. Colosseum of Minos arena transition now triggered when The Minotaur In The Fog is at <85% HP instead of <75% HP. Gladiator In The Fog reinforcement wave now triggered at <45% HP instead of <25% HP. Ambient drum SFX when the Minotaur is nearby increased in volume. Draught of Fog: When used in the Labyrinth of Fog, this inspiration now also provides a stacking minor PvE Stealth buff for 15 minutes. Combined with a Stealth IO this should allow all players to avoid most of the Labyrinth's guardians. Draught of Fog: Condensed the description to try and save on space when in storage bins. Follow Through Fog: Now applies a strong PvE Stealth buff on arrival for 5 seconds. Follow Through Fog: Target must now be a player. Core Attunement: Accolade tray power can now be used anywhere in the zone. Takes those outside the Core in; Takes those inside the Core to the lobby. Core Attunement: Power tool tip now says 'Core Teleport'. Frequency of random Giant Monster spawns increased from every 4-6 hours to 3-4 hours. Giant Monsters are now worth a full zone-wide Level Shift upon defeat. The Giant Monster found in the Forbidden Server Closet secret now cons yellow/neutral until attacked, allowing players to explore the easter egg. Mote's clickable text now matches the mote's color. Spawns near the orange mote have been moved further away. Orange 5th Column floor's randomizer point has been relocated. Fixes Fixed a scenario where the Minotaur could be challenged to combat, teleported to the arena, but then the attempt abandoned which would cause the Minotaur's setup to become bugged. Many typo and text fixes. Removed a door in Orange 5th Column floor that was randomizing unintentionally. Adjustments to Minotaur's power stances to prevent the AI from getting stuck in stance transition. Midnighter Club Adjustments Candles near the entrance to the Labyrinth of Fog now using fog candles. Invention worktable added to the hall with the Merit Vendor. Atlas Park Fixes Added a tree to an empty planter. Tasks Lady Grey's Task Force - Advanced Mode Mission 3 Rikti Monkey Vultures & Psi-Protector Primate's bodies now despawn quicker to reduce ent render limit strain during the encounter. No changes to how long the Monkey Gas that spawns after their defeat persists. Replaced the gold skylight with a gold beam FX originating from the gas centrifuge. This should make locating and defeating Psi-Protectors more reasonable during the encounter: Fixed a bug where Psi-Protector Primates were not receiving their Psi-Network buffs as intended. Fixed misspelling of 'annihilation' in Hro'Dtohz cut scene. Dr. Aeon's Strike Force Battle Becky in the final mission should now properly attach to and be command-able by Vigilante players. Mender Ramiel - 'Power Overwhelming' Echo of Minos now using a Minotaur model that links the echo to the Labyrinth of Fog. Rewards Mini Pets Existing mini pet recipes have had their rarity shifted down (Very Rare -> Rare; Rare -> Uncommon). Uncommon Mini Pet recipes vendor sell value set at 10,000 influence. Rare Mini Pet recipes continue to sell at their previous 100,000 influence. Hamidon Bud recipe standardized to the same drop rate as other Rare pet recipes. Now 0.1% chance, down from 0.4%. Costumes Fixes Added missing 'Fire' and 'Ice' options to Flat Boot category on all three body types. NPCS Null the Gull No longer mentions sending players to a luau in Talos Island as that location is no longer instanced. Incarnates Fixed incorrect Minion rank on Madam Bellerose, correctly set to Boss rank per their critter class. Midnighters Dream Doctor no longer uses sheathed Staff Fighting FX. Fixed missing staff weapon model on Dream Doctor when fighting. Dream Doctor's description on his trainer no longer mentions details from any story arcs. Time-Bound Artificer's sword FX made non-translucent. Psychic Clockwork Assembler Lord's summons to no longer grant rewards. Fixed Tesla Bishops to properly stop their FX animations when defeated like other Clockwork. Maps Praetorian Tech Lab Fixed a hole in the ceiling of the large assembly line rooms. Tech Lab Fixed a glowie that was inside of a wall and unclickable. Miscellaneous Long Range Teleporter Added Midnighter Club, The Crucible, and Fort Trident to the LRT destination check pop menu. Fixed 'Going Rouge' not unlocking Imperial City in the LRT. Fixed LRT still checking for 'Silent Sentinel' badge in Atlas Park instead of 'Rookie'. Powers Accolades Fixes Mark & Recall: Fixed an issue where certain scripted teleport functions would move player's Mark, causing the recalled location to change unintentionally. Marine Affinity Fixes: Barrier Reef Fixed an issue where Barrier Reef's rename feature would not stick after re-summoning. Now has the correct "Disable All" flag to prevent it being used when other powers cannot. No longer displays the "Tempest" power on it's buff bar. Fixes: AE and Dopplegangers NPC versions of Marine Affinity should now have the correct level requirements. Barrier Reef is set to not spawn as often and can be interrupted Miscellaneous Fixes: Sentinel Radiation Blast - Irradiate Fixed a bug where Irradiate could slot Single Target Ranged enhancement sets.

Head on over to the patch notes page to read the full details.

Labyrinth of Fog All players in the Labyrinth zone now have inherent intangibility, allowing them to move through other players for optimal movement freedom. Cursed Plague Howl: Base accuracy doubled, recharge halved; No longer hits pets. Tweaked the global spawn rates to off-load the zone's spawn cap by 25%. This should not be particularly perceptible to players, but should help with zone performance and mob spawn consistency. Increased the Minotaur's rotating Mez resist's strength by 50%. Minotaur defeat badge is now auto-granted to everyone in the arena on defeat. Fixed targeting range of the spawn Gladiator power on the Minotaur to prevent them from spawning in the lobby. Fixed an issue that would cause the teleport prompt to pop-up during the Minotaur's attempt multiple times after 75% HP. Fixed an issue where the Minotaur was re-spawning sooner than an hour after defeat. Fixed an issue where interact-able Gladiators In The Fog would run off after becoming hostile. Fixed the LFG description for the Labyrinth referencing deprecated elements. Fixed an issue that would cause the randomizer doors to fire twice and move the player incorrectly. Badges 'Conqueror of the Labyrinth' - Fix the badge's hint referencing an incorrect badge name. 'Protector of Paragon' - Fixed the badge using the wrong art icon. Aether Rewards Added the two Vanguard HVAS costumes to the costume pop-menu. Powers Added Marine Affinity to Architect Entertainment and Doppelganger power entries. Fixed Barrier Reef's Water Only themes to be selectable. Tasks Imperious Task Force Fixed Daedalus having the incorrect version of Overcharge. Zones Pocket D Moved Blarf's wet floor sign behind his spawn point so he's less likely to get stuck on it returning home. Miscellaneous Fixed a long-standing (20+ year old) FX sequencer memory leak issue that could cause performance degradation over time and frame drops on the local client until the player switched zones. Fixed a map server crash issue that could be caused by owning a very large amount of powers.