Game updates/2023-07-23

Rebirth Issue 6 - July 23rd, 2023

Full patch notes for this issue are available on the forums.

Overview

Pandora's Box has been opened unleashing the Genesis Wave, vast amounts of primordial energy that ripple through the very fabric of reality. The Genesis Wave empowers those that it touches, be they good or evil. Rebirth Issue 6: Dawn of Genesis unlocks a brand new incarnate power--GENESIS. Players will face new threats throughout City of Heroes/Villains brought forth from the Genesis Wave creating newly incarnated foes. That's just the beginning there's so much more.

New Incarnate Power: Genesis

Genesis holds the power of creation. By wielding this power, Genesis enhances the effects of one of your other Incarnate abilities, while also granting a new version of that Incarnate ability. Genesis Incarnate abilities may not be as strong as the original Incarnate abilities that they emulate but they can be used anytime--even while exemplaring.

Rebirth Issue 6 introduces Genesis with four types of Incarnate power trees to choose from.

• Data: Increases Lore pet's damage and Max HP. Grants Data pets from the Well of the Furies to serve you.
• Fate: Increases Destiny effects. Grants power Fate PBAoE Ally Buffs.
• Socket: Increases Interface proc chances, Max HP and Max Endurance. Adds Socket power to most damaging attacks.
• Verdict: Increases Judgement damage. Grants power Verdict AoE Damage.

Unlock Genesis with the new Advanced Physical Incarnate experience available in the Magisterium, Dark Astoria, Number Six story arc, or Pandora Energy.

Genesis Wave Encounters

Coalesced Primordial Energy has started appearing throughout time and space unleashing great power on anyone basking in the glow of this energy. You might find Coalesced Primordial Energy and the foes it empowers during Task Forces, Strike Forces, while monitoring police bands or newspaper missions, or while traveling through time on behalf of the Menders of Ouroboros.

Coalesced Primordial Energy awakens the hidden potential of those it touches in ways that none imagined. Where Coalesced Primordial Energy appears your rivals will suddenly become a fierce force to contend with--manifesting as level shifts and buffs. Defeat them to start unlocking your incarnate powers or to progress to the next tier. Then claim the Coalesced Primordial Energy for yourself/allies and receive several lucrative rewards.

• Genesis Wave encounters will only have a chance to spawn IF a character on the team is level 50 OR if a character on the team has completed SSA Vol. 2 Chapter 3 (the opening of Pandora's Box).
• Coalesced Primordial Energy (aka Pandora Altars) have a greater chance to appear the bigger the team size.
• Primordial Energy can be emitted in small, medium, and large amounts, resulting in varying amounts of buffs to your enemies. The amount has a greater chance to be bigger the larger the team size.
• Defeat the foes and drain the altar of its Energy to give yourself and your team lucrative rewards. By doing so you'll receive: Incarnate XP if your character is already level 50, a large amount of Influence, a rare recipe drop, and a temporary Pandora Buff for the remainder of the mission.

New Challenges, New 'Master of' Badges, and New Alpha Component Incarnate Path

• Three new challenge settings: 'No Set Bonuses', 'No Incarnate Powers', and 'No Incarnate and Temporary Powers', pave the way for more challenging gameplay, dozens of new badges, new unique and better rewards, and the first-ever alpha component incarnate path.

• Interface, Lore, Judgement, and Destiny now have Alpha component recipes through tier 4.

• Earn 24 new "Master of" badges using the following challenge setting combinations:

Badge Title Prefix	Challenge Settings	Ms. Liberty's TF	Lord Recluse's SF	Imperious TF	Lady Grey's TF	5th Column TF	5th Column SF
True Master of	Zero Defeats. No Incarnate and Temporary Powers.
Grandmaster of	Zero Defeats. No Incarnate and Temporary Powers. No Set Bonuses.
Legendary Master of	Zero Defeats. No Incarnate and Temporary Powers. No Set Bonuses. No Inspirations.
Secret Master of	Zero Defeats. No Incarnate and Temporary Powers. No Set Bonuses. No Inspirations. Enemies Buffed

Completing any new challenge combination will earn greater rewards and access to high tiers of Alpha components as choices.

Note: You can still earn the reward choices (except for badges) even if you are defeated by completing the Task Force/Strike Force with all of the above challenges enabled.

'True Master of' Reward Choices

Reward	Synthetic Hamidon	Alpha Component	Reward Merits
Ms. Liberty TF/Lord Recluse SF	lvl 51 Synthetic Hamidon	Drop of the Well	2x Rewards Merits
Imperious TF	None	Incarnate Infused Nictus	2x Reward Merits
Lady Grey's TF	None	Vanguard DNA Metamatrix	2x Reward Merits
5th Column TF/SF	None	Infinite Tessellation	2x Reward Merits

'Grandmaster of' Reward Choices

Reward	Synthetic Hamidon	Alpha Component	Reward Merits
Ms. Liberty TF/Lord Recluse SF	lvl 52 Synthetic Hamidon	Notice of the Well (limited*)	3x Rewards Merits
Imperious TF	None	Notice of the Well (limited*)	3x Reward Merits
Lady Grey's TF	None	Notice of the Well (limited*)	3x Reward Merits
5th Column TF/SF	None	Notice of the Well (limited*)	3x Reward Merits

'Legendary Master of' Reward Choices

Reward	Synthetic Hamidon	Alpha Component	Reward Merits
Ms. Liberty TF/Lord Recluse SF	lvl 53 Synthetic Hamidon	Favor of the Well (limited*)	4x Rewards Merits
Imperious TF	None	Favor of the Well (limited*)	4x Reward Merits
Lady Grey's TF	None	Favor of the Well (limited*)	4x Reward Merits
5th Column TF/SF	None	Favor of the Well (limited*)	4x Reward Merits

'Secret Master of' Reward Choices

Reward	Synthetic Hamidon	Alpha Component	Reward Merits
Ms. Liberty TF/Lord Recluse SF	lvl 53 Synthetic Hamidon	Liberty's Belt (Resistance Set)	5x Rewards Merits
Imperious TF	None	Imperial Might (Knockback Set)	5x Reward Merits
Lady Grey's TF	None	Forced Indoctrination (Universal Control Set)	5x Reward Merits
5th Column TF/SF	None	Inexhaustibility (Rest Special)	5x Reward Merits

Notes:

• Completing a Secret Master of challenge while that task/strike force is the weekly strike target will reward an additional Challenge IO.
• Completing a Secret Master of challenge with the 'zero defeats' requirement intact will reward an additional Challenge IO.
• The Reward Merit choice works like any other TF and will only reward half the value when claimed more than one time per 20 hours per challenge tier.
• Uncommon Alpha components (located under the True Master rewards) can only be claimed once every 72 hours.
• Limited: Each Notice and Favor of the Well reward may only be claimed once per character (ever) per task force.
• This expanded reward structure replaces the random purple recipe drop added in Ri2. Standard 'master of' completions once more reward only the associated badge.

Flashback Badges

Badge for 'No Incarnate Powers:'

Deincarnated You have completed a Task Force/Flashback between level 46 and 50 while not using any Incarnate Powers.

Badges for 'No Set Bonuses:'

Basic You have completed a Task Force/Flashback between level 1 and 15 while not benefiting from any Enhancement Set Bonuses.

Minimal You have completed a Task Force/Flashback between level 16 and 19 while not benefiting from any Enhancement Set Bonuses.

Primitive You have completed a Task Force/Flashback between level 20 and 24 while not benefiting from any Enhancement Set Bonuses.

Unadorned You have completed a Task Force/Flashback between level 25 and 29 while not benefiting from any Enhancement Set Bonuses.

Nothing Extra You have completed a Task Force/Flashback between level 30 and 34 while not benefiting from any Enhancement Set Bonuses.

Set Back You have completed a Task Force/Flashback between level 35 and 39 while not benefiting from any Enhancement Set Bonuses.

Simplified You have completed a Task Force/Flashback between level 40 and 44 while not benefiting from any Enhancement Set Bonuses.

Unsettled You have completed a Task Force/Flashback between level 45 and 50 while not benefiting from any Enhancement Set Bonuses.

New Challenge Enhancement Sets

Challenge Enhancements are a whole new type of enhancement set that comes with a full set of set bonuses and also a full set of secondary set bonuses called (Challenge) set bonuses. Challenge set bonuses function anytime that challenge settings are enabled. These special set bonuses even remain active when using the new 'No Set Bonuses' challenge.

Liberty's Belt

Liberty's Belt is a Resistance set with effects available from levels 25 to 50. Liberty's Belt offers massive strength to those seeking its unique enhancement style within this category. These enhancements can be obtained by completing the Secret Master of Ms. Liberty Task Force or the Secret Master of Lord Recluse Strike Force.

Inexhaustibility

Inexhaustibility is a Special Enhancement among enhancements. Inexhaustibility adds an entirely new enhancement category called Rest Buff. This enhancement's effects are available from levels 2 to 50. Inexhaustibility can be obtained by completing Secret Master of 5th Column Task Force or Strike Force.

Enhancements: Inexhaustibility: Out of Combat +Hit Points/Endurance Unique: No more than 1 enhancement of this type may be slotted by a character. Slotting this enhancement into Rest will give the user a chance to recover Hit Points and Endurance at a rapid rate if they've been out of combat for 30 seconds or more. in a PvP zone the player will gain a chance to receive a dramatic boost to regeneration instead of the healing effect triggered by this power. NOTE: Inexhaustibility can only be slotted into Rest and Rest does not need to be activated for this power's effect to be triggered.

Imperial Might

Imperial Might is a Knockback set with effects available from levels 17 to 50. This enhancement set features higher Accuracy, Endurance Reduction, and Recharge Time Reduction than other Knockback sets in exchange for not enhancing damage. Its unique proc converts Knockback into Knockdown. Additionally, it possesses the signature 6th set bonus Total Might which converts all Knockback enhancements into Damage enhancements in the slotted power. These enhancements can be obtained by completing the Secret Master of Imperious Task Force.

Forced Indoctrination

Forced Indoctrination is the first ever Universal Control Duration set with effects available from levels 10 to 50. It can be slotted into any power that accepts immobilize, sleep, stun, hold, fear, or confuse. This unique enhancement set features Control Duration which enhancements the power of any control effects, and also enhances a power's Damage, Accuracy, Endurance Reduction, and Recharge Time Reduction. Its proc is a chance for Psionic Damage, further increasing the set's damage-mindedness. These enhancements can be obtained by completing the Secret Master of the Lady Grey Task Force.

Rebirth of the Community Information Kiosk

Community Information Kiosks were originally functional in-game leaderboards for tracking player stats released in Issue 2: A Shadow of the Past during the original run of the game. They were removed from the original game after causing performance issues. Special thanks to Pazaz for restoring their functionality.

With Rebirth issue 6, the long-dormant Kiosks spring to life once more! Kiosks will be present on both hero and villain sides. Players will be able to compete for spots on the leadership boards in areas such as:

• Top Ten 'Victors' - Highest Overall Scores
• Top Ten 'Punishers' - Most Damage Given
• Top Ten 'Healers' - Most Healing Given
• Top Ten 'Nemeses' - Most Mobs Defeated
• Top Ten 'Arena' - Most Players Defeated

We can't wait to see who'll be the City's top punishers!

Martial Prowess

Martial Prowess is an Epic power pool that has been expanded to Tankers and Brutes. Your experience in melee combat and your drive to improve have given you access to new techniques from various disciplines. You utilize skills from archers and warriors of the medieval age to ninjitsu techniques of the shinobi.

Throwing Dagger

• Ranged Immobilize, Minor DOT(Lethal), -Regen

• Scouts and warriors have used small throwing blades to distract and weaken since metal was first smelted. You throw a knife to strike at a vital point on your foe. This causes a wound that immobilizes, deals minor lethal damage over time, and reduces their ability to regenerate. Recharge: Moderate

Battle Hardened

• Auto: +Max HP, +Max End

• Your experience in combat has given you strength and stamina! This power costs no endurance and increases your Max HP and Endurance.

Bodkin Bolt

• Ranged, High DMG(Lethal), -Def (All), -Res(All)

• You employ a crossbow to launch an armor-piercing bodkin bolt at your target. This will strike for high damage and leave the enemy with less resistance and defense for a short while. You must be level 41 and own Throwing Dagger or Battle Hardened to purchase this power. Damage: High, Recharge: High

Art of War (Tankers only)

• Auto: Global Chance of +DMG (all), +End Discount

• Your practiced moves allow you to get into a rhythm that blends a perfect combination of offense and defense. Every attack you make has a high chance of increasing your damage (all) and endurance discount for 10 seconds as your rhythm makes your attacks more efficient. This effect stacks 3 times. You must be level 41 and own Throwing Dagger or Battle Hardened to purchase this power.

Note: This power is exclusive to Tankers

Reckless Abandon (Brutes only)

• Self +Fury

• You succumb to your rage and begin fighting with no regard for your well-being. This power gives you a large amount of Fury. You sacrifice a portion of your health in your ferocity. You must be level 41 and own Throwing Dagger or Battle Hardened to purchase this power. Recharge: Long

Note: This power is exclusive to Brutes

Valiance

• Toggle: Self +Regen; Ally +Regen, +Res (Fear, Confuse)

• You prefer to lead by example; inspiring others by your presence and bravery. While this power is active you will gain regeneration. Allies in your vicinity will gain regeneration and resistance to fear and confuse effects. You must be level 44 and own two other powers from Martial Prowess to purchase.

Epic Pool Power Proliferation: Munitions Mastery

Munitions Mastery is an epic power pool that has been expanded to Guardians. Your Mastery of weapons and Munitions gives you tools to blast your foes and increase your capabilities.

Taser Jolt

• Melee, High DMG (Energy), Foe Disorient

• Blasts the target with a high-voltage discharge from a powerful handheld stun gun. This melee attack deals high Energy damage and will Disorient most opponents. Damage: High, Recharge: Slow

Attack Munitions

• Ranged (Targeted AoE), Moderate DMG (Lethal/Smash OR Lethal), Knockback, Special

• You have access to a variety of munitions to blast groups of foes. By default this power will throw a hand grenade at your foes, dealing moderate Smashing and Lethal damage to all foes within the blast radius and potentially knocking them back. If you are trained in Military Assault, this power will instead fire the grenade from under the barrel of your Assault Rifle. If you are trained in Gun Fu, when using this power you will instead use specialized ammo and your training to fire an arcing Bullet Rain from your pistols, dealing moderate Lethal damage to all foes in the attack's radius and possibly knocking them back. Damage: Moderate, Recharge: Slow

Superior Conditioning

• Auto: Self +Endurance

• Your Superior Conditioning has increased your maximum endurance by 5%. You must be level 41 and have Taser Jolt or Attack Munitions before selecting this power.

Targeting Drone

• Toggle: Self +To Hit, +Perception, Res(DeBuff To Hit)

• When this device is activated, the small Targeting Drone hovers around your head and emits targeting laser sights. The lasers can dramatically improve your chance to hit and increase your perception, allowing you to better see stealthy foes. Targeting Drone also grants you resistance to powers that debuff your chance to hit. This is a toggle power and must be activated and deactivated manually. Like all toggle powers, Targeting Drone costs endurance while active. You must be level 41 and have Taser Jolt or Attack Munitions before selecting this power. Recharge: Slow

Surveillance

• Ranged, Foe -DEF, -RES (All)

• When this power is activated, you focus your senses to analyze your target's defensive capabilities and discover their weaknesses. By sharing your knowledge of the target's weaknesses with your teammates, you effectively reduce their defense and resistance to damage. Your Combat Attributes Window will also show the combat attributes of the target. You must be level 44 and have two other Munitions Mastery Powers before selecting this power. Recharge: Slow

Broadsword and Katana Proliferation

Power Set Proliferation has made Broadsword and Katana available to the Tanker Archetype.

Power Info Emergence

We have significantly enhanced the user interface for power information to provide players with a wider range of data. Ever since its initial release in Issue 12, players have had access to real-time power information through the power user interface. As powers became more complex, the user interface became inadequate in conveying this information. Although secondary resources like MIDS and Red Tomax’s City of Data are invaluable resources, we believe that you should have all power information at your fingertips without needing to go to secondary resources for information. In Rebirth Issue 6, we're taking a significant step toward this goal and have added the following functionality:

• A number of powers with blank detailed info will now show up.
• Power redirects, in which one power becomes a different power under certain circumstances, can now be displayed.
• When a power grants a state, the UI can now show how long that state lasts.
• Variable effects based on stacks of a power can now be displayed.
• When a power’s effects have different target areas, that can now be displayed.
• Activate periods on toggles and auto powers are now displayed (which impact how often an effect fires).
• For this issue, special attention was given to Beam Rifle, Force Fields, Peacebringers, Psionic Melee, Radiation Armor, Radiation Melee, Savage Melee, Trick Arrow, Warshades, Water Blast, Water Control, and Wind Control.

Costumes

New Costume Parts

We've added a number of new costume pieces that are sure to help fill thematic gaps!

• Turtleneck Collar for Male and Female (Detail 2)
• Leather, Fleece, Cotton, Zipped Fleece, and Zipped Cotton variants
• Headscarf for Male and Female (Hair/Detail 2)
• Hair variant has an extra colorable layer underneath the hood, Detail 2 variant is tight to the head and fits under hats/helmets
• Graphic Cropped Tee for Female (Upper Body Detail)
• Features most chest emblems as shirt prints! Will be updated with the full library over time (This is a deeply tedious process, forgive me)
• Fingerless Tights for all body types
• Supports glove diversification sub-textures, and patterns over the fingerless tights
• Master & Apprentice Robes for Male and Female characters (Upper Body Detail)
• Monk/Martial Arts robes worn with one side down at the hip. Short and Long sleeve variants
• Sarashi for Male, Female, and Huge (Chest Detail)
• Japanese-style cloth bindings around the chest and midsection. Male and Huge have one variant wrapping everything below the pecs, Female has 4 variants with different coverages around the midsection and bust.

Updated Costume Parts

• Fighter Gloves are now available on both Male and Huge body types. They can also be paired with Jackets for all three body types. Additionally, finger textures have been integrated into the Fighter Gloves allowing you to choose hundreds of variations.
• The Shinobi Scarf and Shinobi Headband/Blindfold can now be paired with Full Mask, Half Helmet, and Full Helmet categories.
• In the Jackets category, added No Undershirt option to Casual Blazer, Tights Option to Short Sleeve, and Harness chest detail (female body type only).

Detail (2) Expansions

• Certain Face Detail 2 options for Male and Female are now nested in sub-categories, as opposed to listing separately. If you're not finding one in the menu, it's probably in a sub-menu! This was a technical change necessitated by certain Detail 2 work.
• Shinobi Scarf's "For Capes" variant is now a sub-option
• Bubble Helmet's breather and tube variants are now sub-options
• Cosmic Corsair's Tube variant is now a sub-option
• Metal Plate is now a sub-option of Plate
• Turtleneck Collar's texture variants are all sub-options

Quality of Life Changes

• Vigilance: Defender's inherent now receives a 10% endurance discount for the first three teammates and reduce the per health discount to 0.55.
• Training, Dual Origin, and Single Origin Enhancements will degrade a whole lot slower.
• Expanded the number of levels for the loss of effectiveness of TO/DO/SO enhancement boosts so they wear out gradually over nine levels below the character's level.
• Expanded the level above effectiveness by 1 to permit leveling characters to slot TO/DO/SO drop at the max level of their content. This prevents a situation where both current enhancements could expire while a character is leveling and receiving drops that they cannot slot for another level yet.
• Titan and Hydra enhancements have been expanded up to level 50.
• Titan and Hydra enhancements will now drop at player level rather than critter level.
• All players that participate in the Eden Trial and the Abandoned Sewer Trial can now claim the Titan/Hydra reward option. (Previously limited to level 40.)
• Easily pair gloves together with the click of a button.
• A new option lets you disable the blinking email notification. Plus, emails will no longer discard claimed items when there isn't enough space in your inventory.
• Reduced the respawn rate on enemy encounters in Atlas Park and Mercy Island from 20 seconds to 60 seconds.
• Added unique load screens for the new Synapse TF.
• Apex & Tin Mage TFs: reduced the time for the Incarnate Debuff to wear off once an Alpha ability is slotted or upon entering the map with an Alpha ability already slotted.

Attract Added to Powers

Black Hole (Controller, Corruptor, Defender, Mastermind, Ghost Widow)

• Now attracts foes inward towards the center of the black hole.
• Radius increased from 20 to 25.
• Allies that step inside the radius of the Black Hole will be phase-shifted like foes.
• Now accepts Immobilize enhancements.

Whirlwind (Wind Control Vortex, Synapse, Cyrus Thompson)

• Now has a 25ft Attract radius.
• Vortex's Attract radius is 20 ft.

Quicksand (Controller, Dominator, Guardian, Tanker, Brute, Mobs)

• Now attracts foes inward towards the center

Singularity Pet (Controller, Dominator, Mobs)

• Now attracts foes inward towards the center from up to 20 ft away.

Warshade Powers:

Gravimetric Snare (Normal Form Only)

• Now attracts foes toward the caster

Gravitic Emanation (Normal Form Only)

• Exchanged its knockback to attract affected foes toward the caster. No longer accepts knockback enhancement.

Gravity Well (Normal Form Only):

• Now has a 15 ft Attract radius, pulling foes towards the original target.
• This power's hold and slow effects now hit up to 5 foes within 15 ft of the target.

Clear Mind (Controller, Defender):

• Now provides a minor amount of defense to Psionics to the target and nearby allies.
• Mez protection effects only apply to the target.

Bug Fixes

General

• Magisterium Incarnate Trial: Added a period of Untouchable to Tyrant while he is depowering.
• Task Forces and Strike Forces now display the correct minimum team size requirements. (4 in most cases)
• Underground Trial should now remove "Glowing Lichen" temporary power upon completion
• The badge tracking window should now remember its position even after zoning
• The selection window in Ouroboros should no longer randomly refuse to let you select flashbacks.

Powers

• Wind Control's Clear Skies icon will now only appear in the status bar when the power is active.
• Radiation Assault's Contamination Immunity lockout has been removed. This was a remnant from early iterations of radiation powers and was inconsistent with other radiation melee sets
• Stalker Savage Melee’s Blood Frenzy will now correctly account for stacks. In general, this should mean more damage from powers that scale based on stacks of Blood Frenzy
• Teleport bonuses for owning multiple powers in the Teleportation Pool will now grant properly.
• Archery’s Ranged Shot instant snipe highlighting restored.
• Kismet’s +To Hit enhancement, now correctly references +To Hit. Previously, it erroneously referenced Accuracy.
• PvP IO Movement Speed set bonuses now match normal IO Movement Speed bonuses.
• Unrelenting no longer erroneously accepts Damage Resistance enhancements.
• Irradiated Ground now deals toxic damage as described in its tooltip and description.
• Beta Decay’s Tanker and Scrapper version now grants the larger recharge bonus for the first target as intended.
• Frozen Fists' description no longer references bruising for Scrappers and Stalkers.
• The Day Job Power Invigorate’s tooltip now states that it can only be used in AE. This was already referenced in the long description.
• Reach for the Limit's duplicated toxic and psionic damage buff removed.
• Lightning Rod’s description now states that you must be on the ground to activate it. The power was not modified.
• Psionic Melee powers can now be properly linked in chat.
• Fixed some temporary powers that were not correctly disabled when the No Temp Powers challenge setting was enabled.
  • Offense Amplifier
  • Defense Amplifier
  • Survival Amplifier
  • Frost Bite
  • Winter Ward

External Links

• Rebirth Issue 6 trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoPfrmsgMWw