NCsoft and Paragon Studios have released a preview of the First Ward zone that's coming to City of Heroes with the launch of the free-to-play Freedom update and Issue 21. The zone certainly has a tragic history. While sonic fencing placed around the city was able to keep Devouring Earth creatures at bay, great tentacles erupted from the steets and destroyed the city from within.

To face the threat, Emperor Cole approved an operation that turned the sonic fencing in on the city, causing a catastrophic frequency loop. While the Devouring Earth attack was stopped, the rest of the city was categorized indefinitely as a disaster area and tens of thousands died or went missing.

For more details on First Ward, check out the preview and view some screenshots in our gallery.