DC Universe Online – Review

DC Universe Online, a free-to-play MMO, gives the player a chance to create their dream superhero or villain, while also offering exciting gameplay and an engaging story. Fans of comic books will be instantly drawn to this game and the average MMO fan can also find their place. It is not perfect and it could use some tweaking, but there is no other way to become a hero or villain while fighting alongside the iconic DC characters.

The Basics

This game has many typical MMO elements, but it also has many things that set it apart from the rest and make it feel quite different. For one thing, players are not set in a medieval fantasy land or somewhere in a strange future. Players are set inside the DC universe along with all of their favorite characters. Members will create a hero or villain and be thrust into the city of Metropolis or Gotham. It is an experience that any comic book fan will love, while still giving the typical MMO player a great amount of free content.

Hero/Villain Creation

When a game like this is created, you can be sure that the character creation is going to be expansive and DC Universe Online does not disappoint. It gives the players everything they need to create a hero or villain they can be proud of. They can customize everything about the character and his/her costume. Players are even given the option to choose a look that is based off of their favorite iconic character. If this style does not suit the player, he/she can easily use the character creation to model after their favorite hero or villain. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of Batman and Superman clones in the game.

Mentors

One of the most unique things about DC Universe Online is its use of mentors. During the character creation process, players are given the option to choose a mentor from among DC’s flagship characters. It changes for villains and heroes, but there are always three choices. For heroes, players can either choose Superman, Batman or Wonder Woman. If the player has chosen to become a villain, they are able to choose Lex Luthor, The Joker or Circe. When the player chooses a character, they will either be sent to Gotham City or Metropolis. Each villain and hero mentor has a different story that pits the player against numerous DC characters during many different quests. This offers players a large amount of replay ability and it is a great feeling when you encounter some of the most famous characters in the game and either battle or fight alongside them.

Quests

As for the quests of DC Universe Online, they are quite similar to something found in another MMO. The player will typically have to destroy a certain amount of enemies while also bringing a set amount of items to another location. These quests can be fun, as players will fight the goons of various well-known characters. It does, however, become very repetitive after some time. The quests are always exciting and the story helps keep the player going, but the combat definitely gets old after the player has destroyed 50 of the same enemies. The greatest part about the quests is fighting alongside the heroes and villains you love. There will also be missions in which you must best them as well. It is always exciting when Batman joins in to stop the Joker or Superman comes to the player’s aid to defeat Lex Luthor.

Raids, Missions, Dungeons, and Other Special Activities

The game level cap is thirty levels. During the player’s ascension to level 30, they will fight with their mentor to either defeat evil or help it flourish. Once level 30 is reached, the game truly begins. There is no longer a set linear story, but the player can participate in numerous raids, dungeons, and other special missions with fellow players. For example: One extra mission puts a group of 8 team members together to help stop villains from escaping Arkham Asylum. Multiple villains are attempting to flee and all of the players must battle through this mission to earn points and in game cash that can be used to purchase iconic armor pieces.

Iconic Armor

As the player completes raids and dungeons, they will be awarded points. When they have acquired enough of these points, they can buy pieces of armor that resemble their favorite heroes’ or villains’ actual costume. It is not exactly the same as their costume, but many of them are actually much cooler in design. There are also many other costume and armor options that require these points. These items are typically quite expensive, so it will take a long time to acquire them.

PVP

DC Universe Online has an intense PVP scene. It has its own armor meant specifically for PVP and the community takes it very seriously. It is not very welcoming to newcomers, as most of the players doing it are highly skilled and have much better equipment. There is, however, a unique PVP feature that helps put all players on an equal playing field. It is called Legends and it allows players to choose an iconic hero or villain to take control of. Then players must battle one another in multiple different game modes for points that allow them to buy PVP armor or new Legends characters. It is a great way to allow anyone to play PVP, as everyone is put on the same scale.

Conclusion

DC Universe Online is a solid MMO and it has enough unique features to make it new for anyone, even veteran MMO players. It features exciting combat, many great stories, allows players to fight alongside famous DC universe characters and it provides a wealth of content. While the grinding can get frustrating and the normal PVP scene is quite difficult to break into, it is still a fantastic game that deserves the player base it has. It is free to play, so there is nothing to lose, but everything to gain. [subscribe2]