Warburg was home to a Council base during the world’s long Cold War. Missile silos were erected, secret weapons were developed in deep underground bunkers, and spies lived in the cold grey towers that dot the island’s surface.

The Council was “forcibly evicted” in the late 1960s by Lord Recluse and their facilities taken over by Arachnos. Scientists and eventually a support economy of civilian workers rose on the surface and slowly began to build homes and businesses.

The underground labs the Council left behind were rechristened “the Web,” and most of the old missiles destroyed. One large rocket-firing platform at the centre of the island remained, but even it was hidden by the false façade of a building.

Until recently.

Marshal Jason Blitz believed Lord Recluse wasn’t acting fast enough in his bid to take over the world. He found it tragic that the Web had developed so many incredible weapons and none of them were being used on the hated heroes!

When Blitz learned he was dying of cancer, he decided to speed things up a bit so that he could live to see the defeat of Paragon City. He murdered Governor Melody Harkness and took over the city with a cadre of troops loyal to him. Soon after, he demolished the false façade on the Warburg Rocket at the centre of his city and started firing warheads armed with various toxins on Paragon City.

Lord Recluse promised the UN he would rectify the situation, but his troops have so far been stalemated by their rivals. (Or so Recluse claims.)

Since the Warburg Weapons are being used on American soil, Longbow has taken it upon themselves - with presidential approval - to “intervene” in the Rogue Isles and take down Marshal Blitz. They’ve asked for help from Paragon City’s numerous heroes, and they’ve begun arriving in force. Recluse has sent minimal troops to the area to stop Blitz, but has instead asked for help from the numerous super-powered “villains” who dwell on his isles. Most believe Recluse is not only content to let Blitz wreak havoc on Paragon City, but is interested in seeing which villains prove themselves in this Darwinian game of survival.

Gameplay

In Warburg, your hero or villain and his companions can not only strike a blow against their foes by defeating them in personal combat, but also secure a particularly useful asset - a Warburg Rocket strike!

To launch the rocket, your team must first find Warburg Scientists trapped in the underground Web and escort them to special bunkers on the surface. Be careful down there, for there are rumours that terrible creatures created by Arachnos’ research gone horribly wrong are free and wandering the cramped tunnels in search of prey!

If you can successfully bring a scientist from the Web to one of the bunkers above ground, he’ll give your team a Security Key.

Once you have three Security Keys, you must return to the Web, find one of three arming rooms and arm a Warburg Rocket. (There are numerous rockets located in a hidden underground storage facility, so don’t worry if you see someone else launch one first.)

If you successfully arm a rocket, you’re given a Launch Code that’s good for a very short amount of time. Hurry to the Warburg Rocket itself (located at the eastern tip of the isle) and you can launch the rocket into geosynchronous orbit. You’ll be given a temporary power which you can thereafter use to call for your rocket to strike. Stand back - you don’t want to be under a rocket when it launches!

Know Your Foe: With stakes this high, it’s open season. It’s a free for all, with everyone fighting everyone who’s not on your team!

The Easy Way: If you take out an opponent carrying a Security Key, you’ll take it from him! Take out a foe with a Launch Code and you’ll not only get a Security Key, but take his Launch Code away as well!

Base Busting: Warburg Rockets are particularly useful if your Supergroup is about to go on a base raid. A few of these base-busting warheads can really rattle your foes!

Which Warhead?: The effect of the rocket depends on which warhead you’ve armed it with:

1. Nuclear: The nuclear warhead is an EMP strike that causes significant endurance loss, and has an increased effect on robots.
2. Biological: The biological warhead is laced with an airborne protoplasm that increases regeneration and damage caused for all allies within its area of effect.
3. Chemical: The chemical warhead delivers a fine mist that debuffs the accuracy and damage resistance of all enemies within its burst radius.