The first update to Champions Online has been announced today on the Champions Online official website. The update will be entitled "Blood Moon", and from what we can gather, it appears to be a Halloween event that will also bring with it a new power framework: Celestial.

Details below:

When Takofanes last strode across North America he killed all who crossed him to swell the ranks of his undead army. The first attempt America's superheroes made to stop him resulted in the death of half a dozen of them. A second more concentrated attempt managed to drive Takofanes from the battlefield, but he could not be defeated. Now Takofanes has returned once again with hordes of his minions, citing prophecies of doom and proclaiming his coming reign over humanity!

• Explore the new Celestial Powerset. Use the power of the Seraphim to heal and strengthen your allies, or release the fury of the Nephilim in a battle against evil.
• Beware the Zombie Apocalypse rising in Canada! Battle against zombies in PVP, but no matter what, do not fall there. Should you die, you shall return as one of the undead horde, bound to fight in Takofanes’ name.
• Fight off ravenous werewolf packs, but be careful lest you get bitten and infected with their dark magic.
• Stand against undead heroes who once fought in the Battle of Detroit, and do your best to free their souls from Takofanes’ necromancy.
• Challenge Takofanes to drive him from our land, but beware – you must fight the dark sorcerers who serve him before you have any chance of facing the Undying Lord.

The Blood Moon Rising page can be viewed here. It also appears that the site will be updated with a video featuring the  update in the near future, stay tuned!

Break out the bubbly! Champions Online has launched today, and all is totally awesome, right? Not entirely.

Like many MMOGs, Champions Online launched with a patch, and today's patch brought with it some significant changes to the game, as outlined in a special launch day State of the Game letter.

As it would turn out, some of the changes appear to be a bit controversial, with many on the official forums up in arms over the changes. So what's stirring up all the ruckus?

Well, for one, a number of balance changes were made today. The changes made were far reaching and affected just about everyone in the community. Many abilities were hit hard in effectiveness, and henchmen level critters were boosted in strength so as to be less trivial. This was all done in response to player feedback that the game may have just been a bit too easy.

As a result of this, many players are finding themselves frustrated with the new changes, and due to the fact respec costs have been bugged for awhile now, they are unable to make necessary changes.

Now, if you've just read the letter, you'll note the mentioning of the fix to the aforementioned respec cost issue. Apparently, it is still bugged, and so many headstart players are feeling hung out to dry and wondering why a free respec was not issued today to give players the opportunity to re-evaluate their power choices in light of today's changes. I'm going to speculate here, and venture a guess that had the respec cost fix actually worked today, it probably wouldn't entirely necessitate a free full respec.

Not all is doom and gloom however! There were some much welcomed changes in today's patch. Sorcery players have reason to rejoice as their sorcery power selections should now count towards power requirements in the different sorcery sub-specialization branches. Sorcery players were also granted a free respec due to this fix.

Also, drop rates were increased up to four fold today. So players should find tons more loot to use, trade, or even deconstruct.

Lastly, a mention of the game's first big content patch was teased in the letter.  The game update will be called "Blood Moon", but no further details are known at this time.

We're seeking comment from Cryptic Studios on the more controversial bits of today's changes, and we'll update the story if we get something, so stay tuned!

Daeke of Cryptic Studios' Online Community Team took a moment to respond to some of the feedback:

Hey guys,

So, I've finally sat down at my desk for the first time since I got here today. I've been spending the entirety of the morning tracking down all of the developers and asking tons of questions to make sure I've got the latest information on what's going on behind-the-scenes.

Right now, we've got the designers tracking the data for the changes that were made in this morning's patch. What will help us the most right now is for you to go and play the game. I understand that you're upset over the changes that were made, but in order for us to figure out what the issue is, we want to gather hard data to support your feedback, and we can only do that with your help.

Your points have been noted. There is clear dissent amongst the ranks about the changes that were made. The feedback has come through loud and clear. So please, hop into the game and play for a while so that we can get the hard evidence for our next step.

Thanks,

Daeke

How have today's changes affected you? Do you welcome the new difficulty? Are you trapped in a gimped build? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Add another potential XBOX 360 MMOG to the in-limbo pile. Champions Online, like Final Fantasy XIV, and The Lord of the Rings Online is also experiencing issues trying to launch on the XBOX 360 platform. Like all the other gamse mentioned, the problem is XBOX Live, and the logistics of running a MMOG on the service.

Cryptic Studios' Jack Emmert spoke to VG 24/7 recently on the issue, stating that the whole situation was "baffling". According to Jack Emmert, the 360 version of Champions Online is ready and waiting, they need only the green light from Microsoft to get things going.

Via VG247

Champions Online Lead Designer Randy Mosiondz tweeted a tease of an upcoming new powerset to Champions Online. He didn't give the set a name, but it can be best described, at least at this point as "light".

Via Twitter.

Looks really interesting to me! Now, I hope the set's hold is called Exorcism so I can chant "The power of Christ compells you!" at my victims.

MMORPG.com's Michael Bitton takes an in-depth look at Cryptic Studios' upcoming superhero MMO, Champions Online.

Cryptic Studios' debut effort "City of Heroes" released to much fanfare in 2004. While no one really knew anything about the company, the game carved out a niche for itself in the MMOG space as the first and only superhero MMORPG. Lauded by critics and fans alike for its flashy powers and out of this world character customization, Cryptic Studios had a real success on their hands. Fast forward an expansion, an IP sell off, and five years later, Cryptic Studios has returned with their spiritual successor to City of Heroes: Champions Online.

Read the Pre-Launch Preview

It looks like all the recent brou-ha-ha over the sudden discontinuation of the lifetime and six month subscription offer has made an impression on the powers-that-be over at Cryptic Studios. With that said, both options are making a return with no limited quota as to how many are being offered this time. The only limitation is, like before, the offer will end on August 31st, 2009 at 11:59PM Pacific time.

I have to say this whole ordeal has been pretty unusual, but never say Cryptic doesn't listen! Either that, or you guys were just really loud!

The official announcement is available here.

Don't care about the announcement? Just want to get your grubby hands on a lifetime or six month subscription? Get your wallet ready and go here!

If you were one of the many people upset by the recent announcement, does this change make up for it? Or does it still leave a bad taste in your mouth? Also, for those of you who had intended on participating in one of these offers but couldn't due to the recent announcement, will you go ahead now that the offer has returned?

Let us know in the comments!

Cryptic Studios' Bill Roper recently took the time to write this developer journal about the way that Champions Online developers have been handling feedback from its testers throughout the beta process.

A huge part of any beta test is wading through the massive amount of feedback you get from your testers. This input can range from the ridiculous to the sublime, and we're very fortunate with Champions Online to have not just a very vocal community, but also a passionate one. Our players really care not just about the state of the game, but about how they will be interacting in a superhero-based environment and experience.

A great deal of what we have been doing over the past few weeks is in direct response to the interests and bugs reported by our testers. An excellent example of this is the creation of The Powerhouse. This is a building that exists in every major zone where heroes can try out powers before they lock them into their power framework. A "buy before you try" concept was brought up in a forum thread about training powers and the difficulties of selecting from the vast array available. It was a great concept, and we worked hard to get it into the game as quickly as possible.

Read How Developers Handle Beta Feedback

Earlier today we were tipped off by a user to the uproar currently taking place on the Champions Online official forums. The boards are ablaze with discontent from users who were blindsided by the news that the lifetime subscription option is no longer available. After all, Cryptic did state the offer would be good until September 1st, but it is only August 25th, so what's the deal?

We hit up Cryptic Studios for a comment on the situation and this is what they had to say:

We'd like to take a moment and hopefully clear up any confusion regarding our discounted Champions Online lifetime and six-month subscription offers...

First, we do sincerely apologize for the rather abrupt end to the promotional offers. It was never our intention to spring that news on our fans or anyone else. In short, we had an allotment of special subscription packages to sell over a fixed time (ending September 1). When we began approaching the offer cap before the date cap, we had to message. Frankly, we never suspected our special offers to be so popular.

While we did mention that supplies were limited in an announcement post, we definitely should have emphasized our limits more explicitly in all our messaging. Again, we just never expected supply to be any kind of an issue. The community response to our offers has been... amazing.

It’s hard for all of us here at Cryptic to see outcry in our communities. We work day and night to create the best gaming experiences we can and any missteps – big or small – on the long, winding, and sometimes treacherous path of development are always regrettable.

We do apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you and we do sincerely hope you understand and come play Champions Online with us this September.

The Champions Online special offers site can be found here.

Is this PR blunder affecting your purchase decision on Champions Online? Were you able to snag a lifetime subscription before they sold out? Let us know in the comments!

The Open Beta test for Champions Online will conclude today at 5PM PDT. Like many MMOG's, the end of beta is being celebrated with an end of beta event. The event features giant Destroids (robots) attacking the city. Players who attempt to defeat one of these robots will receive a Destroid in-game action figure at launch.

For more information on the end of beta event, head over to the Champions Online official website.

Most Open Beta tests these days are really more "open" than open, and Champions Online was no different. Today is a different day, however!

In an announcement made on the official Champions Online website, the Open Beta has gone fully open, so if you're curious about the game (but not enough to preorder or subscriber to Fileplanet), you can now go ahead and give it a spin!

You will still need a regular FilePlanet account, but you do NOT have to be a subscriber this time. Head on over to FilePlanet to get started. Some additional instructions are required, and you can find them here.

The next video in the Champions Online dev diary series is now available over at GameSpot. The video, entitled "A World of Champions", details the setting of Champions Online, and provides some insight on the style choices made for the game.

Check out the video here.

MMORPG.com's Garrett Fuller posed five questions to Champions Online Senior Producer Chris Lena about the state of the game as it moves closer and closer to launch. These questions were submitted prior to the beginning of the open beta.

MMORPG.com:

At this time, if an MMO player has not heard of Champions Online, how would you describe the game to them?

Chris Lena:

Champions Online is a super-powered action MMORPG with an unparalleled level of character customization. Hmm, maybe I should go into marketing.

Read the One Month Out Q&A

The NDA for Champions Online has officially dropped, according to a post by Community Manager Daeke on the official Champions Online forums. Like he says there, you may now talk about the game until you're blue in the face!

View the original post here.

Also, remember Open Beta begins today at 10AM PDT. For the full Official Open Beta schedule, go here.

An excellent pair of tutorial videos for Cryptic Studios' upcoming superhero MMORPG, Champions Online are now available at GameTrailers.com.

The first video starts us out by giving us a look at the tutorial in Champions Online. The developer is quick to assure us we won't be killing rats in the start of the game, and instead the aim was to have a really explosive tutorial, like something out of a Michael Bay movie.

In the second video, we are treated to some footage of the Power House. The Power House is where players train up their powers, and it allows players to try out all their new abilities in a variety of test areas. The Power House also allows players to respec these powers should they find out they aren't happy with them upon testing them out.

Both videos can be found here.

A video developer diary entitled "Road to Champions" is now available at GameTrailers.com. This latest dev diary gives us some insight into the genesis of Champions Online, going as far back as to the inception of Cryptic Studios itself.

Check out the video for yourself over at GameTrailers.

The team from Cryptic Studios sent along these three exclusive screenshots for our viewing pleasure.

Check out all Three Exclusive Shots

TenTonHammer got a chance to sit down with Bill Roper recently for an interview entitled "Sidekicks, Supergroups, and Supervillains". The interview, as you would imagine, focuses on those three aspects of the game, and touches on a few other things as well.

From the sounds of it, the sidekicking system sounds almost exactly like the one implemented in City of Heroes. Hey, why reinvent the wheel, right? You can sidekick down and sidekick up. One key difference is the ability to set a player of your group as the groups champion, and then everyone who sidekicks is brought up (or down) to that players level. City of Heroes required a mentor for each sidekick.

Groups is another hot topic issue that Mr. Roper touched on in the interview. There will actually be considerable incentive to group in Champions Online. For example, there will be a good amount of group instance content, and normal content will scale for groups. One way the game does this is with the Reinforcement system. If you approach a group of VIPER enemies in the wild with a group of 3 or more members, one of them will actually run and call for help, returning with a more appropriate force to handle your group. Also, much of the instanced content will scale based on group size as well.

The Death penalty was also touched on in the interview, it actually sounds even less penalizing than the XP Debt of City of Heroes. Basically, each player will earn stars as they accomplish tasks, or defeat mobs in the game world, the stars will add bonuses to your characters abilities, and should you die, you basically lose one of these stars. It's in your best interest to keep your momentum going, but you won't be set back by suffering a death.

Supervillains in Champions Online seem to be arranged similarly to Giant Monster-class creatures or characters in City of Heroes. They will exist in the game world either at certain times or are brought out by players who satisfy the required triggers. Mr. Roper says there should be about 12 of these types of characters at launch.

For the full interview, head on over to TenTonHammer!

Chronomancer gives us details on the state of Champions Online in this latest state of the game letter posted on the official Champions Online website.

The letter focuses on a few key points: the Nemesis system, planning pre-order bonuses, crafting, and UNITY missions.

A bit on crafting:

Crafting Specializations

Heroes enter into the research and development in one of the three crafting schools by talking to a trainer. After this, they also now choose which of three specializations within that field they want to pursue. There are different items available to craft within each specialization, and even some of the items that are similar across specialization may have different visual effects that players can choose to display.

A hero can change specializations at any time. To change specializations within a school, simply talks to the trainer and choose to switch to the new specialization. Be forewarned that there is a cost, however. All accumulated skill points will be lost when switching to a different school OR a different specialization within the same school. The skill point cap will also be set back to 100 in both cases. And don’t worry, blueprints are not be lost as a result of changing schools or specializations. They can, however, become temporarily unusable if your skill points are too low. Also, you can only buy blueprints that are in your field of specialization.

You can manufacture any item that is in the same school, even if it is a different specialization, as long as you have the blueprint and you match or exceed that blueprint's minimum required school skill points. This means that you never lose the knowledge required to craft an item, but if you want to hold more than a single specialization, you will need to rebuild your overall ability to create items within that school. Dedicated crafters can learn all three specializations within a school and then be able to craft everything within that field of research and development.

For the full State of the Game letter, go here.

MMORPG.com has been given 1,000 beta keys to give to our community! These keys are first come, first served so get them while you can - because they will go very fast!

The next beta event will be this weekend followed by another next weekend!

TO GET YOUR BETA KEY CLICK HERE!