Champions Online Open Beta and Has Gone Gold

Champions Online has officially gone Gold and the free open beta has begun. Champions Online, a massive multiplayer online game developed by Cryptic Studios, will soon be released worldwide. The Champion's experience during the initial creation of your character and the customization tool is where things begin. Using these two, players can create unique superheros by choosing from thousands of body types, powers, costumes, and more.

The game will definitely be auction-oriented and its somewhat similar to City of Heroes, especially how death works. If you die, a player can choose to be revived by a teammate or respawn at a neutral site where you will be safe. After you die your hero upgrades will degrade, but you won't accrue experience debt like with City of Heroes. When equipment hit points reach 0, they cease to function and must be repaired.

Champions Online open beta has begun and it appears to only be available to those that preorder via FilePlanet. The game ships September 1st and will cost $49.99 USD. The monthly subscription will be $14.99 USD. You can buy a 6-month subscription at $59.99 and a lifetime at $199.99 USD.