Champions Online

For free players, Champions Online largely revolves around preset Archetypes, while subscribers get access to more Archetypes and the freeform character option that lets you assemble a build from the ground up, including power choices, specialties, and stat priorities.

The premade classes available to F2P players are:

• The Inferno – ranged fire-focused hero built around AoE pressure
• The Glacier – ice tank with strong control tools
• The Marksman – long-range damage dealer using bows
• The Blade – close-quarters DPS specializing in bladed weapons
• The Soldier – ranged firearms user with explosives
• The Grimoire – spellcaster capable of both offense and healing
• The Behemoth – high durability, classic tank playstyle
• The Unleashed – dual-wield melee DPS
• The Radiant – celestial-themed support focused on healing and buffs

Subscribers Only:

• Specialist – comfortable with both ranged and melee weapon styles
• Savage – beastlike melee damage dealer with lifesteal
• Void – dark-magic damage focus
• Inventor – intelligence-driven tech user creating advanced weapons
• Tempest – electricity-based powers aimed at defeating enemies quickly
• Devastator – heavy weapon bruiser that can knock foes around
• Impulse – energy-based kit that mixes damage with shielding
• Disciple – kinetic manipulation for offense and protective shields
• Master – martial arts style emphasizing speed and physical prowess
• Fist – hand-to-hand brawler tuned for high damage
• Scourge/Cursed – poison-themed magic for defeating enemies
• Squall – wind and weather powers focused on damage
• Invincible – very defensive kit with respectable damage output
• Mountain – earth-magic damage dealer
• Night Avenger – shadowy attacker using claws and weapons

Champions Online Review

Champions Online is a superhero MMORPG from Cryptic Studios, published by Arc Games, and it is also available through Steam. It launched around late summer 2009 after an open beta period, originally using a subscription model before later transitioning into free-to-play on January 25, 2011. A console version for Xbox 360 was once on the roadmap, but it was officially canceled in March 2010. In the broader market, the closest direct comparison is DC Universe Online, and for many MMO players, Champions Online is also remembered as a spiritual successor to the City of Heroes style of superpowered sandbox adventuring.

Putting Your Hero Together

The game takes place in the Champions universe, and it quickly sets the tone: you are not stepping into a predefined character, you are meant to craft a persona. Your journey begins in Millennium City, then branches out into additional regions such as Canada and Africa, plus stranger destinations once the campaign pushes beyond street-level hero work. The main complication is that the most flexible, “build anything” version of character creation is tied to Gold membership. Silver accounts can still play, but they are steered into Archetypes and face tighter restrictions on costume and creation options, which can make the creator feel like it is showing you possibilities you cannot fully use without paying.

Once you are in the world, the combat aims for an active feel rather than the old “target and wait” rhythm. Powers fire quickly, positioning matters, and the game encourages frequent ability use instead of long gaps between cooldowns. There are also small action-game touches, like grabbing objects from the environment and using them as improvised weapons. Progression runs up to level 40, and hitting the cap is not a hard stop. Along the way, and at endgame, you will run “lairs,” which are five-player instances that can be tuned from normal difficulty up to elite for groups that want more friction and coordination.

Progression and Builds

Your long-term build is where Champions Online can be either exciting or frustrating, depending on your account type. Silver players largely stay within the boundaries of their chosen Archetype, while Gold players have far more control over how their hero evolves, from selecting powers to shaping super stats. As you level you pick up powers, super stats, talents, travel powers, Advantage Points, and additional costume slots, all of which contribute to the “my hero is mine” fantasy.

Super stats come online at Level 6, 10 and 15, and each selection enhances an existing stat, influencing damage, healing, and passive bonuses tied to that attribute. A tanky build, for example, naturally leans toward Constitution, translating into a bigger health pool and stronger survivability tools, plus increased threat generation. Talents provide additional stat boosts, either focusing on a single attribute or spreading points across several, which helps reinforce your intended role.

Travel powers are a signature part of the game’s identity, and the selection is broad. Options include Flight, Superspeed, Teleportation, Swinging, Jet Boots, Fire Flight, Earth Flight, Super Jump, Acrobatics, Ice Slide, Tunneling, Rocket Jump, and Hover Disk. Advantage Points then add another layer by modifying powers, either increasing raw effectiveness or adding functionality (like changing a single-target ability into something with an area effect). With a cap of five points per power, you have to make real tradeoffs rather than simply maxing everything.

Your Personal Villain

One of Champions Online’s most memorable systems is Nemesis. At Level 25, you can create an arch-enemy using a similar creation process to your hero, including their appearance, powers, henchmen style, and general personality. Silver accounts run into familiar limitations here as well, but the concept still lands: you then follow a quest chain built around that rivalry, culminating in a showdown. Defeat your nemesis and they are jailed, and you can move on to making another. The game supports up to 18 nemeses, which is more than enough to build a long-running rogues gallery.

PvP and Other Activities

PvP is available in several formats. UTC Cage Match offers a team-versus-team free-for-all structure, Zombie Apocalypse flips the script by pitting players against a zombie hero and their undead horde, and there are also more traditional arena-style modes. The overall PvP experience is uneven. Archetype-based PvP is generally easier to balance and tends to feel more consistent, while freeform PvP can become harsh if your build is not tuned well, which is a common pain point in any game with extremely flexible character building. Outside PvP, the game still provides the usual endgame pillars, including instances, raids, and crafting, giving PvE-focused players plenty of direction.

Monetization and Unlocks

Champions Online began with subscriptions alongside microtransactions, and the free-to-play transition reshaped what is available by default. The most noticeable pressure point is customization, free accounts can play the content, but many of the “superhero maker” features are limited unless you subscribe or buy unlocks. A freeform character can be unlocked for a $50 price tag, but even then, cosmetic breadth can still feel constrained on a free account, with far fewer choices for things like headwear and armor pieces compared to what paying players can access. The store also offers practical services such as respecs, extra character slots, renames, and additional costume slots as you progress.

Final Verdict – Good

Champions Online is at its best when it lets you experiment: mixing themes, dialing in a travel power that matches your concept, and watching your build come together over time. The sticking point is that the game’s defining hook, deep hero creation, is not equally available to everyone. If you are comfortable playing within preset Archetypes, there is a lot of content to enjoy for free, and the overall package earns a Good for the F2P experience. If you want the game to fully deliver on its “make your own superhero” promise, the Gold experience is closer to what the design is aiming for, and it feels Great when those restrictions are lifted.

Champions Online Links

Champions Online Official Website
Champions Online Steam Page
Champions Online Wikia (Database / Guides)
Champions Online Wikipedia Page

Champions Online System Requirements

Minimum Requirements:

Operating System: Windows XP SP2 / 2000 / Vista / 7
CPU: 2.5 GHz Single Core or 1.8 GHz Dual Core
Video Card: Nvidia GeForce 7600 / ATI Radeon X700 / Intel GMA 4
RAM: 1 GB
Hard Disk Space: 5 GB

Recommended Requirements:

Operating System: Windows XP SP2 / Vista / 7 / 8
CPU: Intel E8400 Core2Duo or better
Video Card: Nvidia GeForce 8800 / ATI Radeon HD 3850 or better
RAM: 2 GB or better
Hard Disk Space: 5 GB

Champions Online Music & Soundtrack

Champions Online Additional Information

Developer: Cryptic Studios
Executive Producer: Bill Roper
Open Beta Date: August 25, 2009 – September 1, 2009

Free to Play Date: January 15, 2011

Foreign Releases

Australia: September, 10 2009

Development Background

Champions Online was announced as a response to the cancellation of City of Heroes by publisher NCsoft. An Xbox 360 release was originally planned, but was canceled in March 2010. Champions Online originally required a monthly subscription but went free-to-play on January 25, 2011.