Each lower tier of land is blocked off by a guardrail. Our group hopped each as we came to it and continued to descend lower into Snake Gulch. In order to better concentrate on the beautiful surroundings, I clicked Captain Cryptic and executed a quick Follow command, which commanded Force to follow the good Captain without any control on my part. I grabbed the mouse and swung it 'round and 'round, admiring the sunny sky and cacti dotting the gradually declining rocky landscape. Two large statues in the distance towered over the town. Cryptic explained that those were landmarks denoting a Stronghold, an enemy-infested fortress. Because zones are so massive, players will be able to use familiar landmarks to recognize certain areas rather than reference a cumbersome in-game encyclopedia.

After pressing a movement key to break the Follow command, Force jumped one more guardrail, sprinted down a final spread of sloping ground, and stood with his comrades at the far end of Snake Gulch. We were lucky to avoid conflict en route to our destination, but our arrival had prompted more than a few cowboy robots to job over to our direction, stopping several paces away to draw their weapons and open fire.

One of my bigger comrades, Might, bent down to clutch a section of the ground and --

Two robots leaped into my field of vision, preventing me from watching what Might did next. Tapping LB to target the closer enemy, I began to circle-strafe him while firing weak bolts, bolstering my energy bar. The other robot circled me, firing shots of his own as his partner and I moved in the opposite direction. My energy bar filled quickly, but I wasn't ready to attack just yet. As we continued to circle each other, the two robots eventually came back together, deciding strength in numbers worked better to their advantage.


They were wrong.

Mashing the Y button unleashed my Force Eruption, which sent the two robots hurtling away. They stood slowly, ravaged wires now poking out from seams stitched across their metal forms. The wires sparked, sending serpentine bolts of electricity sliding along their bodies. I ran forward, closing the distance just enough so that I could finish them with a Force Blast. Oddly, as if at peace with their fates, they stood still, allowing the sparks to light their body like a Christmas tree gone haywire.

"Look out!" Captain Cryptic shouted.

"What are you--" I began, but was cut off by the combined explosion of both robot goons. Spraying nuts and bolts rather than gore, electricity streamed from mangled wires as the remains crumpled to the ground. One orb apiece popped out from the scrap parts -- one blue, one green. Known as boosts, these particular orbs replenished energy and life, respectively.

Stepping forward hesitantly, I snatched up the boosts as Captain Cryptic explained that the explosions were known as schticks, gimmicks unique to each enemy type in Champions Online. When Snake Gulch's robots are badly damaged, the sparks leaking from their internal wiring signal self-destruction if the robots aren't taken out quickly enough.


After eliminating the rest of the misguided hench-bots, we moved deeper into the city, seeking out a contact named Belle Steele who had not yet been corrupted by VIPER. We found Belle standing by the old mine cart ride. Initiating a dialogue gave us to select the "Fastest Gun in the West" quest, which prompted Belle to reveal that ASCII Oakley could be found at the far end of town near the train tracks running across Main Street.

Unlike most MMOs, Champions Online's unique bosses aren't wandering aimlessly until players happen upon them. ASCII Oakley recognizes that although she's in command of Snake Gulch, her position makes her vulnerable, and thus won't show herself unless her domain is threatened.

Well, we'll just have to threaten it, then.