...enter Positron, Matt Miller's heroic alter-ego.

What details can you reveal about the World Event, and how long will it last?

The World Event is the Invasion of the Rikti. They have come to start the second war, and they will be attacking various zones in the game. Players will have plenty of warning of an invasion happening in their zone, giving them an opportunity to find cover if they don't wish to participate. Ships will fly into the zone, with Rikti teleporting onto the ground while unexploded bombs [UXB's] get dropped. Players will have a chance to disarm the bombs before they go off.

We are undetermined, at this point, on how long the initial invasion is going to last. It will go on for at least two weeks, and we may extend that time depending on how players react. But, it will become a permanent part of the game. So, we might re-activate the invasion whenever there is a lull. Also, some of the new content, like completing one of the Rikti War Zone missions, will trigger an attack on a separate game zone.

Will all Rikti be upgraded with the new look and weaponry?

Absolutely. We did a lot of work on improving the Rikti and getting their graphics updated. They were one of the very first villain groups we did for City of Heroes, so their look was very dated. When we decided to go back and rework the Rikti, we had the original concept artist use new textures and technologies currently used in the game to give them a complete retrofit.

What new weapons will the Rikti carry?

The main one is the new "gun-sword." This enables them to use both ranged and melee attacks without switching weapons, making them more formidable in the process.

Will heroes and villains be able to combine forces for War Zone missions outside of the Co-op Task Force?

Yes, but players won't be required to have a hero or villain on the team in order to defeat some objectives. When we first introduced combined teams in the Valentine's Day events, we forced players to have a hero or villain to meet certain objectives, but we won't do that for the Rikti War Zone. If you want an all-hero or all-villain team, that's fine, but you will also be able to team up with the opposite side to tackle these missions.

Continue...