City of Heroes is now free-to-play

NCsoft MMO City of Heroes is now free-to-play.

The publisher flipped the switch today following the announcement in June that its superhero title would soon be jumping on the F2P bandwagon.

Re-branded City of Heroes Freedom, you'll now be able to reach lv. 50, access over 1000 missions, explore 45 different zones and choose from eight separate character archetypes without opening your wallet.

For full details of what exactly you will have to pay for check out the handy comparison chart that NCsoft has published on the game's official site.

To celebrate the relaunch, a big new patch has also gone live. Here's what the Chapter 21: Convergence update adds:

• New Zone: First Ward, the training and testing grounds for some of Praetoria's most elite forces and sinister weapons, is where players will encounter all new threats, including the massive zone-wide event, the Seed of Hamidon.
• New Epic Challenges: The Underground Incarnate Trial takes place deep below the streets of Praetoria, in the secret lair of the Devouring Earth. Those strong enough to break through their stronghold may reach the devastating Avatar of Hamidon for a final showdown of epic proportions. Up to 28 players can team up to fight new menaces and unlock great rewards.
• New Power Sets and Costumes: Time Manipulation (free for VIP Players), Beam Rifle and Street Justice represent just the beginning of new powers coming to players with City of Heroes Freedom, while the Barbarian and the Circle of Thorns Costume Sets, as well as the IDF and Defense Costume Sets (free for VIP Players) add even more options to the millions of customisation options at a players' fingertips.
• New Starting Experience: Puts new players right in the middle of the action, giving them access to all archetypes with no alignment restriction. During the new starting experience, players will have the opportunity to determine whether they ally with the forces of good, or harness the powers of evil.
• New Missions: The debut of monthly Signature Story Arcs (free for VIP Players), enables players to play a key role in the main storyline as they fight alongside iconic heroes and villains and discover which of Paragon City's premier heroes will die!
• New Rewards: The Paragon Rewards program is our way to thank players for investing in City of Heroes and provides new and unique in-game rewards designed around each player's unique tastes and play style.