Support NeoGAF

[Killthee]

Thought it was a good idea to start a new official thread now that the game has gone free to play. Here's a link to Nightz and Yencid's original thread. Also wanted to thank them for letting me steal their images.

There's 2 factions in the game, Heroes and Villains, and 3 mentors per faction (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman // Joker, Lex Luthor, Circe). You'll get missions from all 3 mentors of your faction no matter who you choose as your character mentor during character create, but at certain intervals (lv 4, 15, and 30) you'll get a mentor specific mission that is tied to your mentor. If you want to play the other 2 mentor missions for your faction you'll have to group up with someone who has them as their mentor.

While the game has 2 factions, most of the content is very hero centric. The content from lv 1 to 30 for both factions is mostly different, but the end game content is 95% the same on both sides. The lack of unique end game villain content and the popularity of Batman/Superman is a big reason there's such a huge faction imbalance at the moment. Generally heroes are able to group up faster for PvE instances due to the sheer number of heroes running around in the Watchtower while villains get instant queues for PvP due to the terrible hero to villain ratio. The dev's have been talking about cross faction PvP queuing to make it easier for heroes to PvP, but there's no firm date on when that might appear so keep that in mind during character create if you plan to mostly PvP.

There's 6 free powers in the game and 4 roles (Damage, Tank, Controller, & Healer) spread out between them. The Damage role is the starting role for all power sets and is the only role available to all the power sets. Tank, Controller, and Healer roles are tied to specific powers and are unlocked once you reach lv 10. Tanks basically retain aggro, Controllers recharge the group's power bar and do crowd control/debuffs, while Healers keep the group alive.


TANK

Fire and Ice are the two tank power sets. Fire gets a health buff when they spam their powers while Ice gets a defense buff. Generally it's a lot easier to play as a Ice tank than it is to play as a Fire tank.


CONTROLLER

Mental and Gadgets are the 2 free controller power sets. I have a serious bias against Gadgets and find it be the most boring power set in the entire game. I prefer Mental cause unlike Gadgets its power trees don't feel like they gave up midway through.


HEALER

Nature and Sorcery are the 2 healer power sets. Nature has a shapeshifting power tree that allows them to shapeshift into various animals while Sorcery has a summoning tree that allows them to summon pets (warning: all the pets suck). Generally Nature is more power hungry but their heals are more likely to be critical heals while Sorcery has a lower power usage and relies mostly on slower AOE heals over time. Both sets are fantastic at damage as well, Nature for single target damage and Sorcery for AOE damage.

DLC

Fight for the Light ($10) adds the 7th power set to the game, Light (Controller role), and 3 end game instances. Light powers are the only power set in the game that behave like a weapon and allow you to perform power combos.


Useful Commands
/say - Say something to anyone in your local area
/s - Same as /say
/groupsay - Say something to members of your group
/group - Same as /groupsay
/g - Same as /groupsay
/party - Same as /groupsay
/p - Same as /groupsay
/tell [name] - Send a private message to another person (use quotes around names with a space)
/t - Same as /tell
/reply - Send a private message to the last person that sent you a private message
/r - Same as /reply
/shout - Shout a message to everyone in the same region (like say but broader)
/invite [name] - Invite another person to join a group with you (no quotes needed)
/leave - Leave your current group
/kick [name] - Kick the specified person from your group (no quotes needed; must be leader)
/promote [name] - Promote the specified person to be the group leader (no quotes needed; must be leader)


Useful Links
PC Client Download (Also available on Steam)
Servers Status page (usually inaccurate)
F2P Restrictions | F2P FAQ
PC Game Guide | PS3 Game Guide
PC Official Forums | PS3 Official Forums
DCUO Loot Database
Ultimate DCUO Character Planner PC Program
MMORPG-Life Investigation/Briefing/Collection list // Map of Gotham // Map of Metropolis
Instructions on joining NA PC NeoGAF in game chat channel

GAF DCUO Player Database
PC
Submission Form
Database

PS3
N.A. Submission Form | Euro Submission Form
N.A. Database | Euro Database


Requirements
PC Minimum
Windows XP 32 bit
P4 3.0 GHz or AMD equivalent
NVIDIA 7800+ or ATI 1950+ Video Card
1 GB of RAM
30 GB of Free Hard Drive Space

PC Recommended
Windows XP/Vista/Windows 7
3.0 GHZ CPU Dual Core Processor
2 GB RAM
NVIDIA 8800GTX+ or ATI 3800 series+ Video Card
30 GB of Free Hard Drive Space

PS3
18 GB of Free Hard Drive Space

 

[Killthee]

Maintenance

Server Downtime 01.10.2012 - Game Update 8

All servers will be offline tomorrow, 01.10.12, beginning at 8:00 AM PT (5:00 PM CET) for a patch to the DCUO client. Downtime is anticipated to be less than 3 hours. Patch notes will follow.

Please note that holiday content will end tomorrow.

New Game Feature-Research & Development! Players are granted a new mission at Level 10 – Look for “Research & Development” in your Mission Journal.

R&D Workstations and Vendors are located in the following locations: Hall of Doom, JLA Watchtower, Burnley and Midtown Nightclubs, Midtown and Diamond District Police Stations.

R&D parts including Exobits, Exobytes, Plans, Focusing Elements and Salvageable items can be found throughout DC Universe Online.

Player Pet Improvement! Summoned Player Pet stats now scale with its owner's combat rating making it more effective and viable in combat situations.

General:

• Fixed an issue where players would not be returned to their last location when using the Batcave Teleporters inside the JLA Watchtower and Hall of Doom.
• Projectile based attacks should now reliably travel 25m, rather than occasionally falling short or going long.
• Multiple collection nodes have been lowered to be in reach by non-flying characters.
• The Defender’s Compartment Trinket buffs are now correctly affected by their cool down.
• The Speedforce Rift that was directly underneath the Gotham Otisburg Adept Flight Challenge has been moved further away so it will not interfere with this challenge.
• The Catwoman race path has been adjusted so all players can fit through each race ring.
• Fixed an issue that could cause player combat rating to not update when receiving an item from a loot bauble.

Alerts:

Ace Chemicals

• Fixed an issue causing the doors to close too early on the security waves. The doors will now remain open until the security NPC’s are engaged.
• There is now a short delay before the Scorecard appears after defeating Chemo.

Area 51

• Assist Cadmus Agents with Munitions: Cadmus Agents should no longer have memory issues if you have already spoken with them once.

Kahndaq

• Players with Telekinesis Abilities can now affect the Rigid Bodies in this instance.

Duos:

• The OMAC Base and Cape Carmine Lighthouse Duos now update the correct amount for the feats Duos Rookie, Expert, Master, Dynamo and Dynamic.
• Flash Origin Duo: Fixed Joyous Musical Balls to fire in a slow half-dome rather than shoot straight up into the air in the open area of the boss-fight room.

Feats:

• New Feats have been added for the DLC “Lightning Strikes” content to bring the possible skill points in-line with the previous DLC, “Fight for the Light”.

Missions:

• He Wants a Devolution: The door will now open when the “Report to Flash” bulletin appears even if you are KO’d at the same time as Grodd.
• Unknown Evil: The Minotaur no longer returns after he has been defeated.
• Supersize Souls: Players that have finished the main quest line are now able to return and receive the Glutton Form to finish the side quest.
• Raven’s Destiny: Fixed an issue where players could become gated due to the console that grants access to the rest of the Police Station de-spawning.
• Party Time!: After defeating Batman or Joker in the final boss fight the door will now open.

Marketplace

• Power Respec Token: When a player respecs to Light powers the Light power Ring VFX will appear on the player’s hand immediately instead of appearing only after logout or after zoning.

Powers:

• Updated the remaining tree descriptions for controllers to say they receive 100% Dominance when in Control Role.
• You will now see blue fly text reporting Power restoration effects instigated from super abilities and consumables.
• You will now see damage caused by your pets reported as orange fly text.
• You will now see damage taken by your pets reported as purple fly text.
• Your pet’s damage, healing and power contributions are now credited to your score card at the end of instances and arena matches.

Electricity:

• Bio-Capacitor and Invigorate will now properly heal group members when their health falls below 35%.
• Bio-Capacitor will now properly heal you and a teammate.
• Voltaic Bolt will now properly apply a de-buff to characters in the Tank Role when you are in Healer Role.
• Group Transducer's description was updated to reflect that it can damage attacking enemies.
• Invigorate's heal over time effect will no longer stack with multiple uses.
• Electrogenesis: Updated the description to be clearer about target types.

Gadgets

• The tooltip for Anesthetic now states the correct supercharge cost.
• Shortened the animation time on Neural Neutralizer

Mental:

• Grandeur and Reflect Pain now correctly prevent damage roughly equal 100% of your Dominance and 50% of your Restoration.

Nature:

• Using abilities in Insectoid Form will apply the standard Healing role anti-Tank de-buffs in PvP.

Sorcery:

• Updated the Watcher, Fury, and Guardian pet to more consistently attack the last enemy you attacked.

User Interface:

• Map UI: Street view mode: Street view mode now zooms in smoothly and fixed an issue with missing tiles.
• Map UI: The Player icon now appears as green.
• Inventory UI: The Stack splitting UI will now always appear in the correct position when using a game controller.

Visual:

• Midtown Police Station: The police in Midtown Metropolis have come to the realization that the new pipes they added to their column near the holding cells were placed right on top of a wanted poster. They decided it was easier to move the wanted poster to another face of the column.
• Icons are now smoother and less aliased!
• The officials at Stryker's Island Prison have begun a long term renovation to the basic structure of the facility. The base structure is more durable to deal with the increased power levels of the inmates.
• The display time for the win/lose duel icons that appear above players heads has been reduced.

 

[Square Triangle]

Yay! Hope to see a bunch of new GAF players!

Jrod, Hero on the US PVP.

And I totally agree with you on the Gadgets Killthee.

 

[Dorfdad]

Just downloaded this after trying to install it with my older Blu-Ray 17gigs wow!

Only problem I have is im so caught up on making sure I pick the right character I spent the last day just making new ones!

 

[The Lamp]

By free to play...you mean it's free to own as well as no-subscription fee? I don't have to buy it at all?

 

[Gunmonkey36]

Downloading currently.

Should be ready to play when I get home this afternoon.

Now I must tend to the theorycrafting...

 

[LProtag]

Taking so long to download for me...

 

[BattleMonkey]

By free to play...you mean it's free to own as well as no-subscription fee? I don't have to buy it at all?

It's completely free. You just would need to pay for various items they put in the cash shop like more pvp legend characters, more inventory slots, etc. Also major content is going to be done in DLC packs like the Green Lantern pack available now that you pay for. The basic game though is pretty much all free though.

 

[BiggNife]

Willing to give this game another shot. There were definitely things I liked about the beta, but it was certainly missing a layer of polish. Curious to see how much it has changed in ten months.

 

[Phonomezer]

Will download on PS3. Bad timing, though.

 

[crowphoenix]

Downloaded and played a bit earlier this morning. The opening was pretty dull, but I'm willing to give it a little more time now that I'm actually out in the world.

 

[Winterblink]

It's completely free. You just would need to pay for various items they put in the cash shop like more pvp legend characters, more inventory slots, etc. Also major content is going to be done in DLC packs like the Green Lantern pack available now that you pay for. The basic game though is pretty much all free though.

Sounds basically like what they did for LOTRO when it went F2P. Restrict a few things, add-ons still need to be purchased, but otherwise the main experience is totally do-able without paying a cent.

 

[TheSeks]

You need to be an active subscriber ($15 per month) to earn trophies.

Oh, lame. I'll pass.

 

[Killthee]

By free to play...you mean it's free to own as well as no-subscription fee? I don't have to buy it at all?

Yup, there are some restrictions though.

 

[BattleMonkey]

Sounds basically like what they did for LOTRO when it went F2P. Restrict a few things, add-ons still need to be purchased, but otherwise the main experience is totally do-able without paying a cent.

Except in LOTRO they made you pay for quests in the higher level content that was already in the established world. The entire base game is free here. LOTRO also locked out certain classes and such for free players

 

[Dr. Kitty Muffins]

Is cash limit going to force me to eventually upgrade?

 

[Killthee]

Is cash limit going to force me to eventually upgrade?

Probably not. The only thing you need money for is to buy stuff in the Auction House (all of which you can farm if you really want it) and for repairs. Repairs wont be an issue until you start doing raids and even then the first 5 raids are so easy you probably wont even need to repair while playing them.

 

[Yanksfan]

Oh, lame. I'll pass.

..just because of no trophies? Do you pass on all games before this gen, and all PSP/DS titles?

Probably not. The only thing you need money for is to buy stuff in the Auction House (all of which you can farm if you really want it) and for repairs. Repairs wont be an issue until you start doing raids and even then the first 5 raids are so easy you probably wont even need to repair while playing them.

Awesome, good to know. I am a MMO noob myself, but I was a little worried when I saw the currency cap on FTP.

 

[BiggNife]

Yup, there are some restrictions though.

All things considered those actually aren't terrible restrictions for free players

Really surprised they don't have a free-player-only level cap like a lot of F2P games have

 

[TheSeks]

..just because of no trophies? Do you pass on all games before this gen, and all PSP/DS titles?

If there's a version with achievements vs no achievements, I'll take the achievement version.

Meanwhile, I'm not wasting bandwidth to install an 18+ gig game and have 0% on my achievement list just because they won't throw "free users" a bone. Screw that, not worth my time.

 

[VGChampion]

I think I'll give it a try again. Played the PS3 version when it launched for a few days but now that I have a gaming PC I'll try it there. I knew I should have waited.

 

[Dr. Kitty Muffins]

OK, second question:

Is the game any better than it was at launch?

 

[Killthee]

All things considered those actually aren't terrible restrictions for free players

Really surprised they don't have a free-player-only level cap like a lot of F2P games have

Probably cause there's not enough solo content for them to implement something like that. You can reach max level in a couple of days if you plow right through it.

OK, second question:

Is the game any better than it was at launch?

Stability wise it's been a huge improvement on the PS3 side. It still has its issues and I'm sure the influx of new players will stress the servers for a couple of weeks, but it is nowhere near as bad as it was at launch. Content wise they've added 1 lv ~20 mission, 2 lv 30 challenges, 3 duos, 1 lv 30 alert, 4 raids, 1 PvP map, and the GL DLC (Light powers, 3 lv 30 alerts, and a duo version of one of the alerts), but everything else is mostly the same.

 

[GoldandBlue]

The heck. I login, create a character, and it took forever to load a sever so I just quit. I'm trying to get back in now and it keeps telling me my login is wrong. Even after changing the password again.

 

[Mr_eX]

I wasn't a big fan of the beta but now that it's free I guess I'll give it another shot. I think I'll try the PS3 version this time.

 

[The End]

Downloaded the PS3 client last night, definitely going to give this a go. Some of my friends are pushing me to create my our own league.

 

[Killthee]

The heck. I login, create a character, and it took forever to load a sever so I just quit. I'm trying to get back in now and it keeps telling me my login is wrong. Even after changing the password again.

Maintenance.

Maintenance Nov 3, 2011, 8:00am PDT (ALL DCUO servers)

All DCUO servers (PC and PS3, US and EU) will be brought down for maintenance tomorrow, November 3, 2011, at 8:00 a.m. US Pacific Time. The anticipated duration is one hour.

 

[MikeE21286]

Man, 18GB on the PS3....

Thinking PC for me when I (eventuall) try this out.

Can you downloaded/attach to Steam?

 

[theta11]

I downloaded this yesterday, when I have some free time I'll give it another go. I did do a quick run of Kahndaq yesterday, Black Adam seems harder than he was before or maybe I'm just rusty lol.

 

[Effect]

Is that 18gb for the PS3 version the full download or the final install size with the download being smaller?

Wish there was some way to just use the PC disc to install on the PS3, even if it had to be patched to correct things.

 

[Killthee]

Man, 18GB on the PS3....

Thinking PC for me when I (eventuall) try this out.

Can you downloaded/attach to Steam?

It's up on Steam.

Is that 18gb for the PS3 version the full download or the final install size with the download being smaller?

Final install I believe. There's a ~125MB client download from the store, then a ~125MB patch for the client, and then a 14.5GB download once you launch the client. The final size for the download after the installation is 17GB.

 

[Nightz]

Will be jumping back in after I finish this season's games. Probably around holiday time.

 

[Jetman]

If there's a version with achievements vs no achievements, I'll take the achievement version.

Meanwhile, I'm not wasting bandwidth to install an 18+ gig game and have 0% on my achievement list just because they won't throw "free users" a bone. Screw that, not worth my time.

Maybe you can retroactively earn them? Ie. play the game on Premium, do all the requirements for the trophies, then pay $15 for a one-time Legendary and unlock them?

 

[GoldandBlue]

Maintenance.

Ah, alright.

 

[BattleMonkey]

If there's a version with achievements vs no achievements, I'll take the achievement version.

Meanwhile, I'm not wasting bandwidth to install an 18+ gig game and have 0% on my achievement list just because they won't throw "free users" a bone. Screw that, not worth my time.

So actual games are meaningless? It's all about achievements?

 

[Effect]

It's up on Steam.


Final install I believe. There's a ~125MB client download from the store, then a ~125MB patch for the client, and then a 14.5GB download once you launch the client. The final size for the download after the installation is 17GB.

Yikes.

Anyone know how the PS3 is with downloads of that size? Will it resume downloads if they are stopped and the system is turned off?

 

[Toki767]

Maybe you can retroactively earn them? Ie. play the game on Premium, do all the requirements for the trophies, then pay $15 for a one-time Legendary and unlock them?

Nope. They aren't retroactive. What people will most likely do is get 6 characters to level 29, pay for Legendary for a month, and then level up to 30 and make 3 new characters to level up to 10.

 

[Nightz]

So actual games are meaningless? It's all about achievements?

Achievements. Serious business. =P

 

[Dunlop]

Thanks for the OT,

It's a villain's life for me.

Spoiler

Quest #1 Hero - Beat up talking gorilla's
Quest #1 Villain - Drug has not been approved for human testing, prove them wrong and test it on university students walking around the campus

no contest

Not that I ever see myself raiding in this game, but is the end game content hero/villain specific or is the storyline pretty much based on the hero arc?

 

[Toki767]

Thanks for the OT,

It's a villain's life for me.

Spoiler

Quest #1 Hero - Beat up talking gorilla's
Quest #1 Villain - Drug has not been approved for human testing, prove them wrong and test it on university students walking around the campus

no contest

Not that I ever see myself raiding in this game, but is the end game content hero/villain specific or is the storyline pretty much based on the hero arc?

The end game is apparently the same for heroes and villains.

 

[Owzers]

My biggest problem with this game, and some noted in the op, the combat/powers are just not fun. The powers especially are some of the least "super" abilities you'll ever see, it's basically a brawler no matter what class you play as and instead of a punch having an orange glow if you're fire, it will have green for nature or blue for ice but you're all just doing the same mashing combo over and over again.

 

[broham]

Currently downloading at the speed of not very fast at all.
I haven't played in a couple of months so it'll be neat to see what's changed.

 

[Mulligan]

So i want to go damage dealer and like the idea of a nature powered char. Are the any powers that allow you to control weather e.g Storm?

 

[Jetman]

Nope. They aren't retroactive. What people will most likely do is get 6 characters to level 29, pay for Legendary for a month, and then level up to 30 and make 3 new characters to level up to 10.

.... good idea

 

[Zomba13]

I'm interested in trying this out. Played the PS3 beta and enjoyed it but not enough to sub.
To get 'premium' status do you get everything in the column and do you only have to pay $5 once?

 

[BattleMonkey]

Thanks for the OT,

It's a villain's life for me.

Spoiler

Quest #1 Hero - Beat up talking gorilla's
Quest #1 Villain - Drug has not been approved for human testing, prove them wrong and test it on university students walking around the campus

no contest

Not that I ever see myself raiding in this game, but is the end game content hero/villain specific or is the storyline pretty much based on the hero arc?

End game is not affected. Each mentor story arc only affects the beginning quest chain fr the first handful of missions, and then the "final" mission that you do solo. Rest is basically open to everyone.

 

[Dunlop]

I'm interested in trying this out. Played the PS3 beta and enjoyed it but not enough to sub.
To get 'premium' status do you get everything in the column and do you only have to pay $5 once?

once,

Buy something from the ingame marketplace, log out of the game and then back in (PS3) and your status should be updated

 

[MikeE21286]

It's up on Steam.


Final install I believe. There's a ~125MB client download from the store, then a ~125MB patch for the client, and then a 14.5GB download once you launch the client. The final size for the download after the installation is 17GB.

Steam it is then.

Thanks

 

[Killthee]

Thanks for the OT,

It's a villain's life for me.

Spoiler

Quest #1 Hero - Beat up talking gorilla's
Quest #1 Villain - Drug has not been approved for human testing, prove them wrong and test it on university students walking around the campus

no contest

Not that I ever see myself raiding in this game, but is the end game content hero/villain specific or is the storyline pretty much based on the hero arc?

End game content is the same. Raids are basically Heroes helping

Spoiler

Batman/Superman stop Brainiac from taking over the Batcave/Fortress of Solitude

while Villains team up with

Spoiler

Batman/Superman/Lex Luthor to stop Brainiac from taking over the Batcave/Fortress of Solitude

. : |

 

[Tonner Cyn]

So I downloaded this on the 1st and messed around a little yesterday. I did purchase the Green Lantern dlc but I have no idea how to actually get it in the game. I have not been upgraded to the Premium level at this point. I did browse their forums and it looks like this may be a known issue they are working on. Any GAFers having the same problem?