Bought COH LONG time ago...activation code still work?
Hello, first time here. I bought the Collector's Edition of City of Heroes a few years back, with the intention of installing and trying the game. Well, the box went on the shelf, and I got busy with other things and never got around to using it.
![]() I am curious to try the game now....and just registered tonight for a game account as I see there is a 7 day free trial. I would like to know if the activation code in this retail box will still work, and if I would still get the 30 day use of the game? Is there a better way to install the game ie from the disk I have and then I imagine there will be quite a few updates....or just download it and not bother with the disc? Thanks in advance! Steve |
The best way to do the install would be to go from the disk, and then let it update. There will be a lot to download and it'll take some time. If you start from scratch you'll have to download even more though, since you'll have to download all of the bits that you could install off of the disk as well.
As to the game activation code . . . It should work. Each code is unique and if that one has never been used before then there's no reason it shouldn't, thirty days of free time and all.
Hello, first time here. I bought the Collector's Edition of City of Heroes a few years back,
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I would not bother with the disk at all. Just grab the updater from the website and let it run for a while, then UPGRADE your trial account with the serial code. They'll still honor it, you'll get all the perks it promised you, plus City of Villains. Going Rogue, however, will not be included.
Also, like Ironblade said, defrag once the Updater finishes. It frags up the data on your disk quite badly whenever it updates.
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As others have said as long as the code has never been used before (and you haven't activated another code from the same edition on an account. For example you can only add CoV once to an account. You can't add codes from two or more CoV copies in hopes of getting the free months) you can use it to activate or upgrade your account.
On discs that old, a bit over six years old, I really doubt that there is any file which hasn't been changed and will need to be downloaded anyway.
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Thanks guys, I am anxious to try it. I am embarrassed to say that I hadn't even broken the seal on the box, until today.
Thanks for the ideas on installing the game. I think that makes sense, to download it, sample the game for a few days, then use the activation code.
And thanks also for the warm welcome!!
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if you read the title and thinkt of a 2 Live Crew song...
you're white trash


Thanks guys, I am anxious to try it. I am embarrassed to say that I hadn't even broken the seal on the box, until today.
Thanks for the ideas on installing the game. I think that makes sense, to download it, sample the game for a few days, then use the activation code. And thanks also for the warm welcome!! |
Ironblade has a great link in his signature for the Mentors Project which is a group of players that help new people out on any server with learning the game. You'll have to wait until you activate your account before you can join due to the trail account restrictions.
Restrictions Trial Accounts cannot email other players Trial Accounts may not level past 14 Trial Accounts can only have 50k inf Trial Accounts may not join global channels Trial Accounts can only speak in /local /hc (the Help channel) /team Trial Accounts cannot invite players to team Trial Accounts may join teams, but not invite other players Trial Accounts may not join SuperGroups. Trial Accounts may not create Mission Architect arcs. They can not interface with the Architect Entertainment Stations. However, they can be invited onto a team that is running MA missions. |
Oh also if you don't know already, the most populated servers are Freedom and Virtue. (Assuming you're making a North American account as opposed to European) Some of the other servers seem very quiet because of the lower populations and the fact that this game is heavily instanced. Meaning most of the time people are inside missions. You won't see them unless they are going to missions, leveling up, using the market. So you might want to think about starting out on a higher pop server and if you decide you prefer a quieter setting create new characters on one of the lower pop servers.
Hope I haven't confused you too much.

Thanks guys, I am anxious to try it. I am embarrassed to say that I hadn't even broken the seal on the box, until today.
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I kinda glazed over Forbin's post, but just in case he missed it, once you upgrade you keep the remaining trial time but lose the trial restriction. And when you upgrade it will probably ask for anCC or timecard. On the CC it will not blll until the free time is over.
Oh, some recommened paranoia - keep track of the gmae code & the last four numbers of the first card billed (or whole gamecard Number if a time card is used),
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Hello, first time here. I bought the Collector's Edition of City of Heroes a few years back, with the intention of installing and trying the game. Well, the box went on the shelf, and I got busy with other things and never got around to using it.
![]() I am curious to try the game now....and just registered tonight for a game account as I see there is a 7 day free trial. I would like to know if the activation code in this retail box will still work, and if I would still get the 30 day use of the game? Is there a better way to install the game ie from the disk I have and then I imagine there will be quite a few updates....or just download it and not bother with the disc? Thanks in advance! Steve |
I wa lucky enough to find a Collector's DVD Edition in a closeout store for $10 about a year and a half ago. It worked fine, though the updating took a long time. Got Prestige Power Slide that way!
Last November, I bought the full version of the game (retail package) to get Going Rogue. Purchased on Cyber Monday for (iirc) $10. All I had to do was enter the product code to 'unlock' the ful game, since it was already fully downloaded.
I'm planning to buy a Collector's Edition of CoV just for the in-game perks, and the Heroclicks figures.

I invite everybody to add the above image to your signature as a petition to reverse NCSoft's decision.
I wa lucky enough to find a Collector's DVD Edition in a closeout store for $10 about a year and a half ago. It worked fine, though the updating took a long time. Got Prestige Power Slide that way!
Last November, I bought the full version of the game (retail package) to get Going Rogue. Purchased on Cyber Monday for (iirc) $10. All I had to do was enter the product code to 'unlock' the ful game, since it was already fully downloaded. I'm planning to buy a Collector's Edition of CoV just for the in-game perks, and the Heroclicks figures. |
Currently Amazon is selling new copies for $3.88
http://www.amazon.com/City-Villains-...6495247&sr=8-2
Currently Amazon is selling new copies for $3.88
http://www.amazon.com/City-Villains-...6495247&sr=8-2 |
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Negaduck: I see you found the crumb. I knew you'd never notice the huge flag.
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Currently Amazon is selling new copies for $3.88
http://www.amazon.com/City-Villains-...6495247&sr=8-2 |

I invite everybody to add the above image to your signature as a petition to reverse NCSoft's decision.
Actually, in my case i already had CoH/CoV still on my drive, but when the complete Pack with CoX went on sale on steam i just went with that and got my old account linked to the steam one. (THAT took about 2 days total due to some stupidity on my part but all okay now...lol)
Yes, you will be able to apply the code from your COH Collector's Ed and get 30 days. In fact, the code from the following releases give you 30 days of time:
1) City of Villains, Release Date: October 31, 2005
2) City of Heroes and City of Vilians: Good vs. Evil Edition, Release Date: March 26, 2007
3) City of Heroes Architect Edition, Release Date: April 14, 2009
4) City of Heroes Going Rogue, Release Date: 2010
What does this mean? If you apply the codes in the order of release date, you will get 30 days of free time. I was able to get 104 days of play time when I updated my trial account. I didn't install anything from disc and just downloaded the latest client.
- Trial time, 14 days. I made 20 new characters on several servers and leveled them to 14 which is the max on trial account. Since I started during winter event, I collected at least 100 candy canes on each so that each toon can sell them and have 5 million inf.
- Applied City of Villains code on top of trial account, total free time = 30 days. NOTE: Don't create a new account to keep your trial toons. Apply the code on the trial account.
- Applied Good vs. Evil code, total free time = 60 days
- Applied Going Rogue, total free time = 90 days
Once I became official, the candy canes were sold at the market and I ended up with 5 - 10 mill on my lv 14 toons.
Winter event is over, so if you start with a trial account, store expensive salvage in the market and your vault so you can sell them when you activate Collector's Ed. As posted before, trial accounts can only have 50000 infamy. However, you can have 30 items in inventory, 30 items in your vault and 10 item slots in the market. Some of these items sell for as high as 3 million in the market, so don't just sell them at the store since the store buys it from you for much much less.
If you upgrade from Collector's Ed to Going Rogue, I don't think you can use the codes for City of Villains, Good vs. Evil or Architect to get free time.
Note that 30 day play time is $15. Check Amazon and some of the titles are selling for less than $15, which means that if you get the release, you also pay less for play time.
Applying the release codes can only be done once.
See you in game!
Hello, first time here. I bought the Collector's Edition of City of Heroes a few years back, with the intention of installing and trying the game. Well, the box went on the shelf, and I got busy with other things and never got around to using it.
I am curious to try the game now....and just registered tonight for a game account as I see there is a 7 day free trial.
I would like to know if the activation code in this retail box will still work, and if I would still get the 30 day use of the game? Is there a better way to install the game ie from the disk I have and then I imagine there will be quite a few updates....or just download it and not bother with the disc?
Thanks in advance!
Steve