Faultline Trial

This article contains information about a system or idea that was never implemented into City of Heroes/Villains. It is provided for historical purposes.

Overview

The Faultline Trial was an unimplemented Trial set in Faultline (Pre-Issue 8) and featuring the Overbrook Dam. Though this trial was never implemented its setting would eventually be revisited with the Revamped Positron Task Force.

Trial Mechanics

The trial would have had a minimum Level of 14 and required participants to be in the same Supergroup. It was designed for twenty-five Level 19, thirty-five Level 18, or fifty Level 17 characters.

It would have been set in the reservoir beyond the dam itself and involve defending the four pylons in the centre and the building to the south from attack. Each structure would have it's own hit points and would begin to smoke and be considered destroyed when these reached zero.

Waves of minions and lieutenants would attack the pylons; with a boss-level villain lying in wait at the far building. Depending on the size of the supergroup the attacks would progress from one pylon to another until eventually the building is targeted, or the attacks would occur simultaneously, so that the group has to spread itself thinly in order to defend each location.

The goal would have been to successfully defend 3 of the 5 structures from being destroyed for 45 minutes. The trial would have awarded special enhancements similar to the Crystal Titan Origin Enhancements of the Eden Trial. It is unknown which villain groups were intended for this trial, though likely Circle of Thorns, Clockwork and/or Vahzilok.

References

The above information can be found in early editions of the Prima Games Official Strategy Guide. As an addendum on the contents page of the guide it says: "As this guide was going to press, we received word that the Trial missions (described on pp. 272-281) would be changing drastically soon after publication. Unfortunately it was not yet known how they'd be changing, so it was not possible to incorporate any of these changes into this book."

Though the other trials detailed on those pages were eventually added to the game as the Abandoned Sewers Trial, the Eden Trial, and the Terra Volta Respecification Trial, with the Hamidon Raid the only one to make it to launch; the Faultline Trial was never added to the game. It is unknown how much, if any, of this trial was developed before it was cancelled.