First Ward

Overview

First Ward was to be the seed from which the city of Praetoria would blossom, the first of the new cities in Marcus Cole's bright vision of the future. Built in the shadow of the bluff atop which sits the Mother of Mercy Psychiatric Hospital, First Ward was a picturesque city. From the towering Westerman Building and the surrounding skyscrapers that made up the city’s heart to the quiet neighborhoods of Eltentown and Mercyview, everything about First Ward said "home." It was even surrounded by the newest technology developed to turn back the rampaging Devouring Earth: sonic fencing. But this technology was a prototype, and it had flaws.

When the Devouring Earth came, the sonic fencing worked as designed. The tidal wave of Devouring Earth creatures--accompanied by mammoth Seeds that floated lazily above them--was held back. Had that been the extent of the attack, the defenders could have dispatched the creatures at their leisure. But Hamidon was clever.

Hidden Weapon

Hamidon's true weapon had been lying in wait beneath First Ward, biding its time and testing the city's new defenses. When the real attack came, this weapon didn't thrash impotently against First Ward’s sonic fencing, it came up in the middle of the city. Great tentacles the width of jumbo jets erupted from the streets and tore into the buildings. The homes and business of the people of First Ward turned into a death trap as hundreds of tons of steel and concrete were pulled down upon the city's residents. Their city became their tomb, and its defenders, deployed along First Ward's perimeter, could only watch in horror as the city was destroyed from within.

The attack was Cole’s first no-win scenario as Emperor. Most of his aides informed him that nuclear weapons were the only answer. But one aide promised him another solution, one that would not kill everyone in the city and offered a chance for some to survive.

First Ward Destroyed

Praetor Keyes, inventor of the sonic fencing, had seen the flaw in his system and found a way to plug the hole. He would turn the sonic fencing in on the city, causing a catastrophic frequency loop. This solution would leave everything in the center of the city dead, but unlike nuclear weapons, it offered a chance of survival to those outside of the city’s center. Cole approved the operation.

No records remain of what happened next. What is known to the average Praetorian citizen is that the Devouring Earth attack was stopped and that, save for the Mother of Mercy Psychiatric Hospital, the rest of the city was categorized indefinitely as a disaster area. Although a few survivors were relocated to Neutropolis, tens of thousands were dead or missing. Others were quarantined due to exposure to Tellurian Plague, a fatal disease transmitted by close proximity to the Devouring Earth.

City of Secrets

But First Ward is more than a ruin with a tragic history. Those who know Cole's secrets know that this is a place where the barrier between this world and the next is stretched thin, where the spirits of the dead walk among the living, and where magic, not nature, is the most powerful force. It is a abandoned, forgotten place, and a home for those who are now forgotten and abandoned.

First Ward was to be the seed from which the city of Praetoria would blossom. Fate, it seems, has other plans.

A shot of the Survivor's Compound in Eltentown.
The Mother of Mercy Psychiatric Hospital
Amid sunken ruins sits the Westerman Building.

Contacts

Trainer

Grant Creston
Mistress of Fate (Difficulty)

Regular Contacts

Doorman is not in First Ward, but directs players into its contact chain from Underground Imperial.
Nadia
Palatine
Noble Savage
Katie Douglas
Blind Makwa
Cerulean
Master Midnight
Vanessa DeVore
Mistress Maria is here, but directs players into the Night Ward contact chain.
Archmage Hellewise introduces the Shadowed Paths that take you to Night Ward.

Task Pool Contacts

Trina Furst (Hero)
Roadflare (Resistance)
Vickers (Neutral)
Angela Hu (Loyalist)
Mr. Caldoun (Villain)

Notable NPCs

Neighborhoods

Eltentown (Green – Level 20-22) (Music)
Free-Fire Zone (Yellow – Level 22-24) (Music)
Mercyview (Yellow – Level 24-26) (Music)
Sunken City (Orange – Level 26-28) (Music)
Forbidden Crags (Red – Level 28-30) (Music)
Mother of Mercy Hospital (Red – Level 28-30) (Music)

Zone Event: The Seed of Hamidon

Main Article: The Seed of Hamidon

The Seed of Hamidon

The Seed of Hamidon roams the warped skies of First Ward. This giant flying monster was dispatched by Hamidon to infest First Ward and transform it into a haven for the Devouring Earth. Face off against the Seed of Hamidon during massive zone events, earning rare rewards if you defeat it.

Exploration Badges

Dearly Departed (-2188.0, 76.3, 486.5)^[Copy]

When the Devouring Earth struck First Ward the attack came suddenly and without warning. Thousands lost their lives on that terrible day. Though they knew they would likely never return to First Ward, the survivors laid the victims to rest in the Mercyview Cemetery believing the dead would wish to be close to the city they helped build. The survivors believed too that one day they would return and reclaim First Ward in the name of the fallen.

Eye of the Vortex (177.5, 946.6, -173.0)^[Copy]

Mystical energies seethe and whirl overhead; hypnotizing in its terrible beauty. Standing this close to it one feels a charge in the air: the skin tingles with barely contained energy, the teeth ache to its harmonic vibration, the mind contemplates alien thoughts. You may feel as though you could fall upwards into it, be absorbed into it, become one with the vortex

Fearless Insurgent (-625.0, 57.0, -2656.0)^[Copy]

You have penetrated the heart of the D.U.S.T. Ranger facility, a breach in security that the rangers will be spending many long hours analyzing, pondering, and adjusting procedures over. Heads will roll. You represent what they fear the most: a dedicated, powerful, fearless insurgent who penetrates their defenses and wreaks havoc.

Shell Shocked (828.5, 22.8, 1955.0)^[Copy]

First Ward is a terrifying, dangerous place, but there is no other location within the ruins that can evoke such powerful feelings of fear and dread. Here, on an island left undisturbed by any of the forces vying for control, is the shell of a defeated Seed of Hamidon. As a gentle breeze blows across the island from the nearby sunken city, one could be left feeling cold and alone, staring at the corpse of an alien monster that is a harbinger of a vastly more powerful creature waiting just beyond the walls....

Mayhem's Prodigal (2468.3, 250.7, 2254.3)^[Copy]

This is where it all started. When First Ward was still a tyrant's dream, the true Mother of Mercy Hospital was already an aging heap of Gothic masonry. No one is sure exactly when Praetor Tilman built this hospital, or why she built it here, but even with its crumbling edifices, weed-choked grounds, and vacant windows, the place resonates with a malign power. So close to Mother Mayhem now, you can feel the weight of her psyche pressing down upon you, can feel her sightless gaze turn to you, condemning and welcoming at the same time: as with the return of a prodigal child.

Shadow Walker (-120.0, 16.0, -1952.0)^[Copy]

Despite the spirit wards that safeguard your soul and the ghost lights that guide your way, traversing the Shadowed Paths can be an unnerving experience. The Shadowed Paths are a fragment of the world where live the very things that go 'bump' in the night; the world of disembodied spirits and the unquiet dead. Thanks to the Carnival of Light they cannot sense you, but the frightened child that lives within us all knows they are out there, just out of sight, ready to strike at the first misstep. Tread carefully.

Vengeance Seeker (1443.5, 218.5, 3459.0)^[Copy]

You stand in the domain of the Talons of Vengeance, the elemental nature of their ancient anger permeates the very air. Somewhere deep beneath your feet lurks the source of their power and agency on this world; you can feel it flow through you, but you're here to turn that vengeance back on its source. The Talons must be stopped, they must be punished for their actions, and you shall be the instrument of that vengeance.

Witness for the Fallen (180.5, 12.5, -677.0)^[Copy]

The first statue ever erected in honor of Marcus Cole now stands as a mute reminder of what was lost when the Devouring Earth attacked First Ward. The ossified tendrils of Hamidon coil about it, but never reach it as though checked by Cole's majesty, or so his loyalists would like to think. Members of the Resistance who have made the trek out to this flooded region mock the statue and its current state: seeing it as a visual metaphor for Cole's hubris and eventual downfall.

Historical Plaques

All 10 The Last Word plaques

The Last Word

A land of notable Firsts and Lasts, the First Ward of Praetoria is flooded not only with mire, magic, and mayhem, but also memorials to its history. You have encountered them all, earning this badge.

Day Jobs

Scavenger

Your time spent scrounging in the wrecked city of First Ward has earned you the Scavenger Day Job. Logging out in First Ward will enable you to dig up extra Inspirations on mission complete for a short time after you log back in.

The entire zone is a Scavenger day job location, except for the following specific locations.

Caregiver / Pain Specialist

You have spent a great deal of time working in the hospitals of Paragon City during your free time earning the Caregiver Day Job. Logging out in a Hospital will earn you a Regeneration Bonus, when you log back in, for a short time.

Your expertise in surgery and understanding pain has earned you the Pain Specialist Day Job. Logging out in a Hospital will earn you a Regeneration Bonus, when you log back in, for a short time.

Monitor Duty

Your time spent protecting your Supergroup's base has earned you the Monitor Duty Day Job. Logging out in your Supergroup base will earn you charges for your Base Teleporter power.

Mortician

Your time spent studying death itself has earned you the Mortician Day Job. Logging out in a graveyard will earn you protection against Experience Debt, when you log back in, for a short time.

D.U.S.T. Ranger

You have trained with the elite D.U.S.T. of First Ward during your free time, earning the D.U.S.T. Ranger Day Job. Logging out in the D.U.S.T Training Facility will hone your skills further, granting you a bonus to your damage, accuracy, and range for a short time.

Psychologist

You have spent a great deal of time in the Mother of Mercy Hospital, earning you the Psychologist Day Job. Logging out in the Mother of Mercy Hospital will bolster your defenses against psionic attacks, when you log back in, for a short time.

Survivalist

Your time spent learning from the hearty Survivors of First Ward has earned you the Survivalist Day Job. Logging out in the Survivor Compound will earn you a bonus chance to earn recipes on mission complete for a short time when you log back in.