We had the opportunity to play around with the "Hero Games" PvP feature at the press event in San Francisco. What we saw was cooler than Bill Roper on a concert stage wearing a Luchador mask.

Over the weekend you may have noticed our reports about the Champions Online PvP announcement. As mentioned, we were at the PvP press event held last Thursday in San Francisco. During the event, I had the opportunity to play around with the "Hero Games" PvP feature for myself and what I saw was cooler than Bill Roper on a concert stage wearing a Luchador mask. More on that later...

So what are Hero Games? Well, in Champions Online there are three different ways to battle it out.  You can visit Stronghold Prison where you'll face an Apocalypse scenario as either a Hero or a Villain. Or perhaps you'd rather go at it in an intimate arena of the UTC (Ultimate Tournament of Champions). Lastly you can rumble in The BASH, which is essentially an outdoor zone that's not officially sanctioned by the Hero Games, where large numbers of players are matched against one another in a Free-for-all setting. In any case, you're in for a hard hitting, action packed treat that has taken Champions Online to a higher plane of awesome.

Before I explain all three PvP modes individually, let me start by saying that Cryptic has truly listened to the fans with this feature. Not only have they spent a great deal of time making sure that there is a ton of variety in PvP, but they've also made it a viable option for players who want to take a break from PvE while continuing character advancement. "We wanted to make PvP a real option for players to do so they don't feel like they've left their character growth behind if they want to PvP before they've reached the maximum level. So we did a couple of thing:, very rarely while you're fighting heroes, you'll actually get a drop just like if you were fighting enemies in the world." said Design Director and Executive Producer, Bill Roper at Thursday's event. In addition to items, players can also expect to gain marginal experience while fighting heroes. I asked Bill if players could completely replace PvE with PvP, to which he replied, "It could if you wanted, but it's not very efficient. If you want to level, you're probably going to be doing PvE, but we didn't want people to completely stall their progress when they PvP." Regardless, this will definitely make PvP in Champions Online much more appealing to those who would typically shun the activity.

Let's move on to the individual PvP modes that will be available to players at launch. It's important to note that, according to Cryptic, more of these specialized areas will be available after launch.

Stronghold Prison - Apocalypse Scenario

Apocalypse maps are designed to prepare Heroes for a specific doomsday scenario. A variety of Apocalypse maps gives players unique story driven gameplay that requires players to learn the map and form strategy. Bill Roper mentioned that these scenarios play a lot like the Warcraft III mod, "Defense of the Ancients" or "DotA".  During the press event we had the opportunity to play one of these scenarios and it was loads of fun. Groups of friends will have endless hours of entertainment in Stronghold Prison.

The UTC (Ultimate Tournament of Champions) - Arena Combat

Fighting in the UTC is a lot like highly anticipated Gladiator combat from ancient Rome. Only, with Super Heroes, and the occasional Luchador mask. It's Deathmatch PvP at its finest, putting two teams of five against each other until one team reaches a specified score. "If you lose, you've nobody to blame but yourself (and your teammates)." We didn't get to see the UTC firsthand, but we're eager to see it down then road.

The B.A.S.H. - Outdoor Player vs. Player

Did Captain Hammer hit on your girlfriend? The BASH is the perfect place to settle feuds. In this outdoor zone, players will "fight in a way that is closer to villainy than heroics". This is Free-for-all combat where up to 20 players at a time battle it out. Unfortunately we didn't get to play in BASH first hand, but the video footage that we saw made these battles look epic.

Of course PvP wouldn't be as much fun if there weren't persistent elements. In addition to normal experience and a chance at loot drops, you'll also earn acclaim points, to buy special items and even costumes. Not just any costumes mind you, Luchador costumes. "All of our fans in the beta, who were really stoked about PvP, just kept telling us about how much they wanted Luchador stuff. So there is a vast array of Luchador and Luchadora costumes that you can get." said Roper, with his Luchador mask in hand. According to him, different costumes will be available as you level and the high end ones "look sick".

All of these additional ideas that make Champions Online stand out even further are just fuel for the raging fire that's burning within the community. We've made it quite clear that we were extremely happy with Cryptic decision to delay the game and we're happy to see that the eventual rewards will be well worth the additional patience required from players. The only thing you need to ask yourself now is whether or not you can wait another month and a half to get your hands on this MMO that, according to Cryptic, is "content complete". For more information about PvP in Champions Online, check out our exclusive interview with Bill Roper.

Andrew "Tamat" Beegle
Editor-in-Chief
ZAM.com