Game Update 18

Alert, Challenge, and Duo NPCs
Some Alert NPCs and many Challenge and Duo NPCs learned new tricks!
These NPCs now use familiar weapon combos as well as Block. Their
attacks may both inflict and be vulnerable to counter attack mechanics
such as Blocking, Interrupt and Block Breaking.
“Match” rank NPCs
in Solo and Duo content, such as Circe’s Bestiamorph Rhinos and the
Joker’s Wag goons, now have more Health but do less damage. Many will
now use familiar weapon combos as well as Block. These attacks may both
inflict and be vulnerable to counter attack mechanics such as Blocking,
Interrupt and Block Breaking.

Boss rank, Iconic and occasionally
normal match rank NPCs may try to trick you by performing “feint”
attacks. They may start a melee combo to make you think you should block
but then suddenly perform a block breaking attack. A bright yellow
pulse on the sides of the character is your hint that their next attack
is really a feint!
Bonus Awards
You will now receive a Weekly Award box the first time you complete a
Tier 1 through Tier 3 challenge, duo or alert within a week. This award
box offers a random level appropriate item as well as additional Marks
of Triumph. Using replay badges to unlock the instance will also unlock
the weekly award.

Furthermore, Tier 2 and Tier 3 raids will award
a Monthly Raid Award box. This box includes a random raid level item
and additional Marks of Triumph. Like the Weekly Awards, using replay
badges to unlock the raid will also unlock the Monthly Raid Award.
Challenge Improvements
Challenge modes can now be accessed through the On-Duty menu. The
missions associated with challenge modes have been removed and are no
longer available. If you still have one of these missions in your
journal, they can still be completed normally.
Commendations
Completing a Challenge mode will now award a commendation that grants
renown. Using this item increases your standing with that group by 125.
Faction commendations may also be purchased from the appropriate faction
vendor for 25 Marks of Triumph.
Content Restructuring
Many Challenges, Duos and Alerts have had their difficulty tiers
increased in order to offer a smoother progression and a full range of
content availability. In addition, a number of new challenge modes are
available! These higher tiered instances now offer upgraded loot and
level appropriate rewards.

Although the amount of available
content at the lower tiers was decreased, the time required to progress
through any given tier remains or has been decreased due to adjustments
in tier item costs.
Currency Conversion
Marks of Distinction, Marks of Momentum and Marks of Krypton can be
converted to Marks of Triumph. You will find a mission in your journal
(“Triumphant Transfer” for Heroes or “Laundering Day” for Villains) that
will point you toward a vendor in the Watchtower or Hall of Doom that
offers conversion packages. These convert your old marks into the
appropriate number of Marks of Triumph. As an added bonus, you will
receive a Token of Merit for every mark converted! There is no cash cost
associated with converting.

Marks of Distinction convert at a
rate of 1 for 5. Marks of Momentum convert at a rate of 1 for 10. Marks
of Krypton convert at a rate of 1 for 50.
Currency Unification
Marks of Distinction, Marks of Momentum and Marks of Krypton will no
longer be awarded and can no longer be used to purchase items. All Tier 1
through 3 items are now purchased with Marks of Triumph. Content that
used to award Marks of Distinction, Momentum and Krypton now award Marks
of Triumph. The number of Marks of Triumphs awarded and the cost to
purchase items increases with each tier.

Marks of War are still used to purchase Tier 4 items and are still awarded for success in Tier 4 content.
Tier Items
The purchase of tiered items is now restricted by Combat Rating. The
combat rating required to purchase a tiered item is equal to the Combat
Rating required to qualify for that content.

Alerts:
Ace Chemicals

• Each Boss in Ace Chemicals has agreed to keep the hallway doors open to ensure their enemies can gain access.
  

Arkham Asylum

• Death Blossoms will now disintegrate when Poison Ivy is defeated.
  

Blüdhaven

• Chemo will no longer stand idly by and stare at you if he doesn't feel like jumping.
  
• Fixed various issues with the Transporting of Supplies.
  
• Fixed an issue where players who were further away from Chemo would sometimes not see him during the Cinematic.
  

South Gotham Courthouse

• The Supreme Justice will no longer refuse those who wish to enter his chambers.
  

League of Assassins Stronghold

• Ra's al Ghul sharpened the blades in his trap room. They should be much more deadly now.
  

Watchtower Containment Facility

• The System Hacker can now be damaged by all attacks.
  

Audio:

• Fixed an issue that could cause the wrong communicator message to be played at the start of a Mission.
  

Challenges:
Gotham University Warehouse

• Fixed an issue where the Tiger Boss would refuse to jump and attack his enemies.
  

Metropolis University

• Power Girl and Parasite have a brand new exchange at the beginning of their Metropolis University challenge mission.
  

Collections:

• Marine Life Fossils and Atlantean Artifacts no longer have a required level needed to add them to your collections.
  

Combat:

• Superpowers with a damage component that are usable while controlled may no longer be used while under a control effect that cannot be broken such as counter attacks.
  
• Added new counter attack effects to message block breakers, interrupts and block counters.
  

Currency:

• Commendations
  are now available from factional vendors in the Watchtower and the Hall
  of Doom. These items can be purchased with Marks of Triumph and award
  renown with those specific factions when used.
  
• Marks
  of Triumph will now be rewarded or drop in place of Marks of
  Distinction, Krypton and Momentum. Whenever more than one Mark of
  Triumph is dropped or mailed, a physical representation of the mark will
  drop into your inventory that must be used to add the marks to your
  currency tab.
  
• The Marks of Triumph cap has been raised to 50,000.
  
• Tier 2 and Tier 3 iconic armor sets and items are now purchased with Marks of Triumph.
  
• The cost to purchase Tier 1 iconic armor sets has been reduced.
  
• Tier
  2 iconic armor sets and items are now purchased with Marks of Triumph
  and require a minimum combat rating of 43 to purchase.
  
• Lightning
  Strikes DLC iconic armor sets and items are now purchased with Marks of
  Triumph and require a minimum combat rating of 53 to purchase.
  
• Tier
  3 iconic armor sets and items are now purchased with Marks of Triumph
  and require a minimum combat rating of 53 to purchase.
  

Duos:
Cape Carmine Lighthouse

• Villain: If you are defeated, Nightwing now insists you re-open the door to confront him for another beat-down.
  

Metropolis City Hall

• Hero: The Treasure Chest now always spawns properly.
  

Old Gotham Subway

• Players should no longer run into an issue where they can not complete this Duo.
  
• Removed collision from various invisible objects that may interfere with players in combat.
  
• Pengbot Maximus’ spin attack is now vulnerable to block and causes interrupt.
  
• Pengbot Maximus’ “Beak Attack” which he uses at low health, is now vulnerable to interrupt and causes appropriate damage.
  
• The
  pointer mission no longer sends you to the Watchtower or the Hall of
  Doom. You now are sent directly to the Penguin Challenge instance.
  

Feats:

• "Swimming With the Sharks" should now activate correctly when completed.
  
• “Speedy Coin” is now restricted to only group runs.
  

General:

• Diamond District Villain Rally Location: Fixed an issue where the Rally Location Platform could be moved.
  

Items:

• The Prime Battleground Raid now has a chance of dropping an Unattuned Prime Shield.
  
• General Zod in the Sunstone Matrix now drops the correct R&D recipes.
  
• Items: All Wayward Drone items are now properly flagged as “no trade”.
  

Missions:

• Pointer
  missions for Daily Challenge Instances no longer send you to the
  mission terminals – Queue up in your On Duty tab and get straight into
  the action!
  

The Big Payback

• Patrolmen will no longer hold their arms stiffly out to their sides when you strap bombs to their chest.
  

Deadly Mischief

• Hero: The lockers inside the playroom can no longer be targeted.
  
• Hero: Rescued Police Officers should now walk instead of slide after you release them.
  
• Heroes can no longer target the Mainframe they have sworn to protect.
  

Exobyte Eclipse

• Various objects in this instance are no longer targetable.
  

The First Clue

• GCPD officers and Rescued Citizens should now run away instead of de-spawn.
  

Lunar Eclipse

• Players should no longer remain in combat after defeating Zatanna.
  
• Zatanna's beam attack will no longer display an impact particle on a player until zoning out of the instance.
  

Party Time!

• Joker Gas now only affects enemies in the playroom.
  
• Blue Barrels will now freeze enemies.
  

Rite Wronged

• Villain: Deathstroke should no longer be afraid to show himself when you are fighting Bruno Mannheim.
  
• Villain: Batwoman can no longer get knocked off of the altar during your scuffle with Bruno Mannheim.
  

The Root of Evil

• Poison Ivy is no longer camera shy and will appear in all of her camera shots.
  

Queen of Lies

• Aquaman is no longer capable of stopping players from moving for long periods of time.
  

Powers:

• Corrected an issue that could leave you stuck partially in the stealth state.
  

Gadgets

• Fear Gas's DoT no longer stacks with itself.
  
• The Suppressor Turret now assists players more reliably in combat.
  

Electricity

• Voltaic
  Bolt's DoT from the Electrified power interaction no longer stacks with
  itself and no longer consumes the Electrified effect.
  

Fire

• Absorb heat will now display the proper effects while using a shield weapon.
  

Light

• Grasping Hand should now more reliably be able to combo into the moves described in the tooltip when used as a tray power.
  
• Corrected an issue that could prevent comboing from the weapon attack version of Minigun.
  
• Snap Trap will now apply damage over time in control role when used from your power tray.
  

Mental

• Bastion supercharge reduced to 50% cost (from 100%)
  
• Thought Bubble's main damage no longer happens twice.
  
• Terrorize is now a channel to bring it in line with other powers.
  
• Mass Terror's damage over time has been reduced to bring it in line with other powers.
  

Nature

• Increased
  the interrupt vulnerability window of Primal Wolf Form’s Ferocious
  Backfist attack to match other block breaking attacks.
  
• Effects from canine form's ability Sneak are now removed when zoning to a new location.
  

PvP:

• The Decoy consumable uses white effects to help differentiate it from the new Gadgets Holographic Decoy.
  

Arenas

• Ace Chemicals: On-Screen Text should now remain in sync with capture point information.
  
• Fortress of Solitude: Once again and forever more, you do not want to be locked in the center room.
  

Legends

• Bane, Arkillo, and Kilowog legends are now able to weaponize larger objects, bringing them in line with other legends.
  
• General Zod's Kryptonian Grenade Toss and Subjugate abilities now cost less power to use.
  

Raids:
Batcave: The Inner Sanctum

• Zetta-Drone should no longer become bitter and prevent groups from advancing if it is defeated quickly.
  

Fortress of Solitude: Power Core

• The first Bosses should no longer occasionally spawn in pairs.
  

Themyscira: The Gates of Tartarus

• The Avatar of Magic is no longer open to trickery that allows his enemies to zerg him.
  

UI:
Matchmaking

• The
  confirmation dialog to enter a match made instance now includes the
  category of instance (Alert, Arena, etc.) and your assigned role in that
  group.
  
• Players may not be kicked from a match made group within
  5 minutes of joining that group or within 5 minutes of kicking another
  player.
  
• Players will no longer incur the deserter penalty if they are the only player left in the instance when they leave.
  

General

• The Combo Counter is now located at the top of the screen.
  
• Players are now able to spend replay badges to reset their lockouts on the scorecard within any instance.
  

The following instances have been adjusted or added:

• The Greenhouse (Poison Ivy) Challenge --> Now Tier 2
  
• Metropolis University (Power Girl) Challenge --> Now Tier 2
  
• Gotham University Warehouse (Catwoman) Challenge --> Now Tier 2
  
• Old Gotham Subway Challenge --> Now Tier 2
  
• Gotham Sewers (Scarecrow) Challenge --> New Tier 2
  
• Old Star Labs (Flash Family) Challenge --> New Tier 2
  
• Coast City Alert --> Now Tier 3
  
• League of Assassins Alert --> Now Tier 3
  
• Stryker’s Island Penitentiary Alert --> Now Tier 3
  
• Arkham Asylum Alert --> Now Tier 3
  
• East End Regal Hotel Challenge --> New Tier 3
  
• STAR Labs Facility Challenge --> New Tier 3
  
• Circe’s Stronghold Challenge --> New Tier 3
  
• Monarch Playing Cards (Riddler) Challenge --> New Tier 3
  
• Sentinels of Magic Base Challenge --> New Tier 3
  
• Cape Carmine Lighthouse Duo--> Now Tier 3
  
• Ferris Aircraft Duo--> Now Tier 3
  
• Old Gotham Subway Duo--> Now Tier 3
  

Visual:

• Robin
  makes an impressive new entry into the fight against Poison Ivy. But,
  she still seems to have him right where she wants him...under her
  control!
  
• Text references to the "Chinatown Cafe" are changing to "Circe's Stronghold" to better describe the content.
  

Weapon Types:
Brawler

• 
  
  
  
  • Headbutt has been renamed to Hammer Fist.