City of Villains

Matt Miller - the Lead Designer of Heroes and Villains - introduces patron powers in part one of a five part series

Today we learn the basics of what a Patron Power is. These are one of the core features of the upcoming City of Villains Issue #7 free expansion. Today, we learn how the work and how players get them. Over the next couple weeks, keep coming back for four more Q&As as we examine each patron and their powers.

A Patron Power is a power in a power pool that is granted by one of the four lieutenants of Lord Recluse; Ghost Widow, Scirocco, Captain Mako, or Black Scorpion. They are themed power pools that tie directly in to the backstory and powers of the person who grants access to the pool.

You must be level 40 before you can begin the Patron Story Arcs which unlock access to the Patron Power Pools. All Villain Archetypes are eligible to run the story arcs, and thus earn the Patron Powers.

Once you are in Grandville you can talk to Arbiter Rein who will tell you all about the Patrons and what they can do for you, and once you finish with him, you then choose a Patron as your next Contact in the chain. The Patron that you choose will be the only one for your character. Doing the first Story Arc for the Patron will unlock the Patron Power Pool for your character, and the next time that you choose a power, you can select from the Patron Pool.

The Patron Powers are stronger and more powerful than the “equivalent” powers in City of Heroes (the Ancillary Power Pools), because there is less diversification and the fact that Patron choices are permanent alterations to your character.

There are four powers in each pool, for each Archetype. You can choose from the first two right off the bat, but in order to get access to the third one you need one of the first two powers, and to have access to the last power in the pool, you need to have chosen two of the previous powers.

Simply advancing in level will get you the new Patron Powers. That is not to say you are finished with the story of your Patron however, because they all have storylines that go beyond the initial “grant you access to your Patron Powers” story arc.

We wanted to bring the story of the “Destined One” to a conclusion, and at the same time give a semi-equivalent to the Ancillary Powers that Heroes get. Patron Pools fit the bill, and were an idea we had way back when CoH was first being developed. Themed powers granted by an entity that you swore allegiance to.

Because of the prophecy of the Destined One, Lord Recluse has avoided interacting with any of the villains broken out of the Zig as much as possible.