Character Rename FAQ

Question

City of Heroes and City of Villains Character Rename FAQ

Answer

Given the interest in names and the Character Rename feature, what is going on with character name purges?
As we announced on July 31^st here, the names for characters below level 6 on retail game accounts that have been inactive for over 90 days will be changed to unreserved status. For complete details, please reference the previous announcement.

Will the Character Rename Service allow us to change our global chat handle as well?
The Character Rename System currently only deals with the actual character name and is not associated with the chat server or your global chat handle.

If someone moves their character OFF of one Server and transfers to another Server, does that character-name suddenly become freed-up for another player to immediately use on the first server?
Yes

I am about to move my character from his old server to a new server. His name was so super-awesome that I created a placeholder character with the same name on the new server, to keep others from taking my super-awesome name. I want to delete my placeholder (and free up that super-awesome name) just before I move my main character to that server. My timing needs to be perfect! Here’s my question: When I delete my placeholder, how long do I have to wait before my super-awesome name is freed-up?
We cannot specify a time duration, but in practice the name becomes available fairly quickly. Please keep in mind that we never guarantee any names will be available.

This feature would make great Veteran Rewards! Is that possible?
We've talked about this, but the tech to do it wasn't a simple thing. We'd rather get the basic functionality out there for everyone and then go from there.

If I have items for sale/buy on the Consignment Market and my character is renamed to a new name, will the sale/buy still work?
Yes, buying or selling via the Consignment Market is unaffected by a character rename.

The same goes for the Character Transfer feature; buy/sell transactions or pending transactions will not be affected by the moving servers.

What is the shortest name I can rename my character to? I’ve heard of names with only 1 or 2 characters like “X.”
Currently, all names are forced to be 3 characters or more in length. It is not possible to rename your character to have a name with only 1 or 2 characters in length.

When you change your character's name, does it change on everyone's Friends list, or do they have to re-add you?
When a character uses a rename token, their name will not automatically change in listings such as Server Friends or Global Friends. Their new name will not appear until such listings are refreshed. Server Friends and Global Friends are refreshed when a character changes zones or logs in to the game (essentially zoning in to where they last logged off).

I’m concerned about my child charging Character Renames to my Credit Card that is on file with PlayNC. How can that be controlled?
For Card on File options and information on allowing or disallowing in-game purchases, please see the following Support Center article.  Use Card on File Option

For further assistance, please don't hesitate to make use of the Ask a Question option to reach our Support Team.