When the free-to-play iteration of Champions Online goes live in January, one of the new features to be introduced is the Archetype system. Basically, an archetype is a ready-made hero with pre-defined build. Players will know ahead of time what will happen as their characters level, what skills will be learned, what role this archetype is best suited to play, etc.

Though some Archetypes are rather like general classes found in other games, some may be very specialized and niche. Each Archetype is based on a beloved style of crime fighter in comic books, so even specialized Archetypes should feel familiar.

Archetypes are available to both Gold Members and Silver Players. There is no difference between them. (I.e. Gold Members do not get to choose the non-travel powers; they must follow the progression exactly as a Silver Player would.) This means Archetypes provide a standardized baseline of hero builds. Besides making character advancement much easier for those who just want to "get in and play," some players may find Archetypes especially interesting in PvP matches.

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