There are hundreds of powers available in City of Heroes and City of Villains, grouped into sets of four to fourteen each. They are used in different ways to achieve different purposes-- for instance, a click-activated power that deals damage to enemies, or a persistent toggle that raises personal damage resistance.

Inherent Powers

Inherent Powers need not be selected by the player, and are granted automatically upon creation, or shortly after creation.

All player characters receive two basic powers upon creation, Brawl and Sprint. Upon reaching level 2, a third basic power is granted, Rest.

If created from an account with a City of Heroes pre-order code, or a City of Heroes DVD edition code, the player character also receives a prestige power upon creation. These powers are functionally identical to Sprint, but have different graphical appearances.

Player characters receive an additional inherent power depending on their archetype. Among the hero ATs, Blasters receive Defiance, Controllers receive Containment, Defenders receive Vigilance, Scrappers receive Criticals, and Tankers receive Gauntlet. Among the epic hero ATs, Peacebringers receive Cosmic Balance, and Warshades receive Dark Sustenance. Among the villain ATs, Brutes receive Fury, Corruptors receive Scourge, Dominators receive Domination, Masterminds receive Supremacy, and Stalkers receive Assassination.

Finally, a player character receives an inherent power depending on their origin. These powers disappear once the character reaches level 10, but are useful as additional attacks through the low levels.

Primary and Secondary Sets

These sets contain nine powers each, all related by concept and purpose. For instance, the Fire Blast set primarily contains fiery powers that attack from a range, while the Traps set primarily contains tools and gadgets that buff allies and debuff enemies.

Assault Sets

Assault sets combine ranged and melee attacks. Common to each set is a selection of fast-recharging ranged attacks, hard-hitting melee or short ranged attacks, a long ranged sniper attack, and a self buff of some sort.

Dominators select an Assault set as a secondary.

Energy Assault - Dominators
Fiery Assault - Dominators
Ice Assault - Dominators
Psionic Assault - Dominators
Thorny Assault - Dominators

Buff Sets

Buff sets contain the strongest buffs and debuffs in the game. There is a large variety of ways in which to enhance allies or weaken enemies-- for instance, a player can drop the accuracy of a group of enemies to near zero, or recover life points that have been lost by the team. Consequently, each set specializes in a different thing, and plays differently than the rest.

Defenders select a Buff set as a primary set. Controllers, Corruptors, and Masterminds select a Buff set as a secondary.

Cold Domination - Corruptors
Dark Miasma - Corruptors, Defenders, Masterminds
Empathy - Controllers, Defenders
Force Fields - Controllers, Defenders, Masterminds
Kinetics - Controllers, Corruptors, Defenders
Poison - Masterminds
Radiation Emission - Controllers, Corruptors, Defenders
Sonic Resonance - Controllers, Corruptors, Defenders
Storm Summoning - Controllers, Defenders
Thermal Radiation - Corruptors
Traps - Corruptors, Masterminds
Trick Arrows - Controllers, Defenders, Masterminds

Control Sets

Control sets contain the strongest status effect inflicting powers in the game. These sets can often immobilize, disorient, hold, or put to sleep entire groups of enemies at a time. Control sets usually also contain a single pet with limited AI.

Controllers and Dominators select a Control set as a primary set.

Earth Control - Controllers
Fire Control - Controllers, Inout

Gravity Control - Controllers, Dominators
Ice Control - Controllers, Dominators
Illusion Control - Controllers, Dominators
Mind Control - Controllers, Inout
Plant Control - Inout

Defense Sets

Defense sets protect their users against personal harm. They generally raise the users' defense against taking damage, resistance to damage taken, and/or tolerance to status effects.

Tankers select a Defense set as a primary set. Brutes, Scrappers, and Stalkers select a Defense set as a secondary set.

Dark Armor - Brutes, Scrappers, Stalkers
Energy Aura - Brutes, Stalkers
Fiery Aura - Brutes, Tankers
Ice Armor - Tankers
Invulnerability - Brutes, Scrappers, Tankers
Ninjitsu - Stalkers
Regeneration - Scrappers, Stalkers
Stone Armor - Brutes, Tankers
Super Reflexes - Scrappers, Stalkers

Melee Sets

Melee sets have a variety of melee or short range attacks to deal damage up close. They also usually contain some minor utility powers, such as a self buff, a ranged taunt or placate, or a low damage attack that inflicts a status effect.

Brutes, Scrappers, and Stalkers select a Melee set as a primary set. Tankers select a Melee set as a secondary set.

Battle Axe - Tankers
Broad Sword - Scrappers
Claws - Scrappers, Stalkers
Dark Melee - Brutes, Scrappers
Energy Melee - Brutes, Stalkers, Tankers
Fire Melee - Brutes, Tankers
Ice Melee - Tankers
Katana - Scrappers
Martial Arts - Scrappers, Stalkers
Ninja Blade - Stalkers
Spines - Scrappers, Stalkers
Stone Melee - Brutes, Tankers
Super Strength - Brutes, Tankers
War Mace - Tankers

Ranged Sets

Ranged sets have a variety of ranged attacks to deal damage from a distance. They also usually contain some minor utility powers, such as a self buff, a long range sniper attack, or a low damage attack that inflicts a status effect.

Blasters and Corruptors select a Ranged set as a primary set. Defenders select a Ranged set as a secondary set.

Archery - Blasters, Defenders
Assault Rifle - Blasters, Corruptors
Dark Blast - Corruptors, Defenders
Electric Blast - Blasters, Defenders
Energy Blast - Blasters, Corruptors, Defenders
Fire Blast - Blasters, Corruptors
Ice Blast - Blasters, Corruptors
Psychic Blast - Defenders
Radiation Blast - Corruptors, Defenders
Sonic Attack - Blasters, Corruptors, Defenders

Summon Sets

Summon sets allow Masterminds to summon up to six pets, with advanced control options. The sets also provide a selection of pet-only buffs, and three modest ranged attacks.

Masterminds select a Summon set as a primary set.

Mercenaries - Masterminds
Necromancy - Masterminds
Ninjas - Masterminds
Robotics - Masterminds

Support Sets

Support sets assist Blasters in their capacity as ranged fighters. These sets usually contain immobilizing, slowing, or knockback powers to maintain range advantage, self buffs, and powerful melee attacks to punish enemies that come too close.

Blasters select a Support sets as a secondary set.

Devices - Blasters
Electricity Manipulation - Blasters
Energy Manipulation - Blasters
Fire Manipulation - Blasters
Ice Manipulation - Blasters

Epic Sets

Epic ATs are limited to predetermined power sets, one primary and one secondary. These sets are larger than the standard primary and secondary sets to compensate for the inability to select different sets.

Peacebringers have the Luminous Blast set as a primary set, and the Luminous Aura set as a secondary set.

Warshades have the Umbral Blast set as a primary set, and the Umbral Aura set as a secondary set.

Power Pools

These are the power sets that all archetypes can access at level 6 and above. Powers in these pools tend to be weaker versions of powers found in primary and secondary sets, or are powers to aid in movement. Each player character can select from up to four power pools.

Ancillary Pools

These are the power sets that are Archetype specific and are only available to the five non-epic hero archetypes at level 41 and above. Each hero can select from only one ancillary pool.