The Homecoming Halloween event is set to start after maintenance on October 6th, just a few days away with a few very small changes. The Homecoming team also gave an update on the status of the next content release, as well as announcing the new dev choice arcs in AE and more.
Atlas Park is getting a bit of a Halloween makeover with a few new additions from last year. The makeover will remain for the duration of the event, meaning it will be going away with the maintenance on November 3rd.
The Halloween event will have all of the usual things you would expect from a City of Heroes Halloween including Trick or Treating, a haunted house, zombie invasions, and much more. Last year I put together a guide to City of Heroes Halloween, so if you want to make sure you get everything be sure to check that out. Nothing new has been added this year. Though there is one small change.
Eternal Night, the effect that causes the city to always been in nighttime mode during the Halloween event will only be turned on for the first and last week of the event. The rest of the event will have a normal day/night cycle. This is based on feedback from players. It also means that some badges will only be accessible during part of the event.
Request a GM for Your Event
If you’re hosting an event on any of the Homecoming servers you can request a GM come along and help out. Things they will do include changing the time of day, use special character models, and move players around. They won’t spawn enemies for you to kill or do anything else that would create an unfair advantage, however, so don’t ask. They also can’t guarantee that a GM will be available to attend at the requested time as the GMs are people with lives to live.
Dev Choice Arcs
Two new arcs have been picked as the Dev Choice Arcs in Architect Entertainment. The authors have been rewarded 1,000 reward merits and a golden title.
Help out Turndown Girl! (Arc ID 25717) by thunderforce: “Azuria has become aware of the plight of Turndown Girl, endlessly rejecting Desperate Guy. Help her resolve the situation…while occasionally breaking the fourth wall and punching Fifth Column.”
The Paper Mirror (Arc ID 28570) by 12twelveletter: “You’re always picking up clues and souvenirs that remind you of past adventures. One such souvenir, a book, details an adventure, before you’ve even had it!“
If you’d like your arc to be considered for a future Dev Choice spotlight then you can add yours for consideration on the Homecoming forums.
Homecoming Events in October
Throughout October Homecoming will also be hosting a few different events that everyone is welcome to participate in.
On October 10th they will be hosting a costume contest in Kallisti Wharf that is open to Heroes and Villains alike. The theme will be Food and Drink. You can attend as any food or drink that isn’t covered by copyright. The example they give is that a can of soda is ok, but a specific brand of soda is not. They also included a photo of a previous winner of this theme who came dressed as an omelet, I’ve included the screenshot below.
The next costume contest will be held on October 24th will be Traditional Halloween themed. So ghosts, zombies, Frankenstein, vampires…you get the idea. This event will also be held in Kallisti Wharf.
The details for both events are as follows:
When?
The first contest will take place on October 10th @ 9pm UTC
The second contest will take place on October 24th @ 9pm UTC
9pm UTC is:
10pm UK time
5pm Eastern time
2pm Pacific time
11pm Central European time
Click here to see 9pm UTC in your timezone
Where?
Statesman Plaza in the center of Kallisti Wharf on all five shards (Torchbearer, Excelsior, Reunion, Indomitable and Everlasting)
Heroes can reach Kallisti Wharf via the tram
Villains can reach Kallisti Wharf via the Smuggler’s Submarine in Sharkhead Isle and Grandville
Prizes?
The prizes for both contests will be the same
The 5 best costumes on each shard will win:
1 permanent costume power
A permanent golden title: Halloween 2020 Costume Contest Runner-Up
150 reward merits
The best costume on each shard will win:
1 permanent costume power
A permanent golden title: Halloween 2020 Costume Contest Finalist
300 reward merits
The single best overall costume will win:
3 permanent costume powers
A permanent golden title: Halloween 2020 Costume Contest Winner
1000 reward merits
Month-Long Base Contest
Throughout October Homecoming is hosting the first-ever Base Contest. It doesn’t have any theme or any other requirements like that. It must be submitted by the owner of the base, however. The top prize is 5,000 reward merits and a gold title, though there are other prizes to be won. To find out more details head over to the forums.