In City of Heroes CCG, your Supers are divided into one of 5 archetypes: Blasters, Controllers, Defenders, Scrappers, and Tankers. Your archetype determines the nature of your powers. This choice will actually determine which power sets you can select for your primary and secondary powers. You may select one of five available archetypes.

Blasters
Blasters specialize in delivering massive damage at range. They have very little defensive potential, other than the ability to keep the enemy at arm’s length.

A Blaster can solo successfully, if he remains aware of his situation at all times, but this archetype really comes into its own in groups, where Defenders, Scrappers and Tankers can take the brunt of the enemy attacks, freeing the Blaster to use his offensive potential to its fullest.

Available Primary Powersets*
Assault Rifle, Electric Blast, Energy Blast, Fire Blast, Ice Blast, Sonice Attack, and Archery

Available Secondary Powersets*
Devices, Energy Manipulation, Electric Manipulation, Fire Manipulation, and Ice Manipulation


Controllers
The Controller specializes in manipulating the actions of foes, causing them to stand immobile in battle, or controlling their movements, or even turning them against their allies. This is perhaps the most challenging archetype to play, but potentially one of the most powerful.

Controllers have very little defense against enemies not under their direct control. A Controller who wishes to adventure solo must do so with extreme caution. The archetype really contributes as part of a group.

Available Primary Powersets*
Earth Control, Fire Control, Gravity Control, Ice Control, Illusion Control, and Mind Control.

Available Secondary Powersets*
Empathy, Radiation Emission, Force Field, Storm, Kinetics, Sonic Resonance, and Trickshot


Defenders
The Defender’s powers focus on healing allies, increasing their abilities and decreasing foes’ abilities. The Defender has little offensive or defensive punch of his own, but can radically increase the effectiveness of even the smallest team up, and he, the Controller, and the Blaster have the only ranged attacks.

The Defender is a suitable archetype for grouping, though soloing is possible. Difficult, but possible. However, the tremendous usefulness of Defenders’ powers should guarantee that they will always be able to find a team up to adventure with.

Available Primary Powersets*
Dark Miasma, Empathy, Radiation Emission, Force Field, Storm, Kinetics, Sonic Resonance, or Trickshot

Available Secondary Powersets*
Dark Blast, Energy Blast, Electrical Blast, Psychic Blast, Radiation Blast, Sonic Attack, and Archery


Scrappers
The Scrapper specializes in hand-to-hand combat. A single Scrapper should be a match for several foes of equivalent level. Scrappers do not deal in ranged damage, instead going toe-to-toe with the enemy.

Their balance of offensive and defensive potential makes Scrappers by far the best suited archetype for solo play. In team ups they are useful as front-rank fighters, but often find themselves a bit overshadowed by the more specialized Blasters and Tankers.

Available Primary Powersets*
Broadsword, Claws, Dark Melee, Katana, Matrial Arts, and Spines

Available Secondary Powersets*
Dark Armor, Invulnerability, Regeneration, and Super Reflexes


Tanker
The Tanker is the “big man” of the hero world, combining massive defense with a powerful, but not-exceptionally-quick offensive punch.

Tankers make effective solo Heroes, at their own deliberate pace, but they are also in demand by teams, where their function is to keep enemy attacks off the lightly defended Blasters, Controllers and Defenders.

Available Primary Powersets*
Fiery Aura, Ice Armor, Invulnerability, and Stone Armor

Available Secondary Powersets*
Battle Axe, Fiery Melee, Ice Melee, Energy Melee, Stone Melee, Super Strength, and Mace


* Because of card set size limitations not all powers will be available in the first card set: Arena