How to Build a Nemesis to Be Proud Of

When you reach level 25 in Champions Online, you receive a mail from the MCPD to come and file a notorious villain in their crime computer. No surprise then, that you find this very villain involved in a museum robbery right after, not a block away! Now that you can encounter your (and others') Nemesis in Nemesis Smash Alerts, you want to make sure you build an awesome foe that you are proud to show off to your fellow players.

One of the main aspects of building a Nemesis is a solid concept. This will drive the name, appearance and background. Is the Nemesis a childhood friend who turned down the path of evil? A family member brainwashed by the Big Evil? Perhaps a creation of science or magic obeying orders without a choice?

A solid concept at the earliest stage will make it a lot easier to finish up the rest, so give it a good thought. In fact, start thinking of what kind of Nemesis you'd like as early as level 10 so you have it just the way you like it.

When you are tasked to build a Nemesis, the first thing to consider is what kind of villain it is. You will have to select the kind of powers he or she uses, the minions he or she will place in your way, but also the kind of mad schemes he or she will think up. There are three kinds of Nemesis:

* Mastermind: This Nemesis seeks domination, is highly intelligent and vain.

* Brute: This Nemesis is a brute and destroyer, seeking chaos, destruction and a good fight.

* Maniac: This Nemesis cares for nothing but temporary pleasure, pain or mad bliss.

It makes quite a difference to have a Mastermind seeking domination of a distant galaxy by means of his enslaved extraplanar frog people or a Maniac who has a following of mad ninjas made out of mind-controlled fans of a Ninja game released for this purpose.

Sample Nemeses

When designing the appearance of your Nemesis you have access to all the costume parts that you have unlocked throughout the game. Why not let yourself be inspired? Play around with an appearance at the tailors and save it, so you can easily recreate it later.

Here are some sample Nemeses, based on what I have made for some of my characters:

* Bigger Daddy - a Brute Nemesis who served to oppose my gun-wielding schoolgirl. Driven mad by alcohol, drugs and disappointment at his own faillure, he underwent cybernetic surgery to become an enforcer for a crime syndicate to pay off his bills.

* The Gentleman Fiend - a Demon from the Qliphothic realm once summoned by a Mobster magician, who broke free of his control and took over part of the family. A hunched fiendish creature with a snazzy suit and a tommygun is just made of win and awesome.

* R0-B1 - A cybernetic monstrosity loaded up with the telepathic amalgam of several Yakuza members who were killed by a Soldier hero as part of his mercenary duties. Upon first sighting the hero (you), the creature broke free of its protocols, now only existing for revenge on its killer.

As you can see, quite a few options, and just scratching the surface. All of these and many more can be built with just the basic costume parts available at the Tailor, and will make sure you will enjoy your scraps with your Nemesis all that more!

If you have plenty of Cryptic Points, there are a few costume packs that are excellent for use with creating a Nemesis. Such as:

* The Variety Pack, which has an enormous assortment of parts, including beastly heads

* Redeemed Villain, also good for the non-redeemed one

* Roin'Esh, which is perfect for Alien villains

* Vine, which is great for demonic, swampy and alien enemies

* Dark Knight, for fallen champions of ancient legend

* Cyborg Beast, for creations of mad science

* Steampunk, for the mad scientists themselves

So next time you are browsing the Auction Exchange for Adventure Module costume unlocks, the Questionite Store or the Cryptic Store, observe it through the eye of an expert Nemesis builder.

Currently in Champions Online there are a few things to be careful of, as they can cause problems when the Nemesis is encountered:

* Darkness and Dual Blades power types will cause the Nemesis to sometimes randomly fall through the ground and disappear; it's best to avoid these two sets until it's fixed.

* Pestilence from the Infernal Power Set is something of an "advanced" Nemesis power, since it can damage you even in Stealth and causes basically a permanent DoT (Damage over Time). Not impossible to beat by miles, just be careful when selecting this.

* Power Armor allows the Nemesis to have a pretty powerful Force Field, which can make a fight take a very long time. This can make people frustrated in Smash Alerts. It's rumored to have been rebalanced recently, but until this is confirmed it's best to skip this one too.