We’re pleased to announce that the first version of Issue #9: Breakthrough, the next major free update for City of Heroes and Villains, is now available for testing on the European Training Room (Test Server).

As well as introducing the Inventions system, allowing heroes and villains to create their own enhancements, costume pieces and temporary powers, Issue #9 also introduces an auction system to make it easy for players to trade the items they invent, the long-awaited Statesman Task Force for high level heroes, and a new and improved version of the Hamidon raid, now available to villains for the first time!

You can see all this and more on the European Training Room right now, and your testing will help us to improve and polish Issue #9 before it’s released to the Live servers. For more information, including the first draft of the Issue #9 release notes and full instructions for accessing the test server, see the Training Room section of the official message boards.