DC Universe Online outlines monthly updates, Legends PvE coming soon

The DC Universe is in good hands with thousands of superheroes patrolling the lands of Metropolis, Gotham City, and beyond. But don't think for a second that the world is safe. The world (and the entire universe, for that matter) is still in grave peril, but fortunately, there's still more superheroic help on the way. Sony Online Entertainment came to SOE Live to outline what's to come from DC Universe Online, with their list of monthly DLC releases headlined by the newest Legends that are set to hit the game in the next year, led first by Blue Lantern Kyle Rayner.

The DC Comics-based MMORPG has had an eventful year, enjoying most of its success on PlayStation consoles. Roughly 76% of the player base has adopted the game on either PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 3 since the game switched to a free-to-play model. Those players have been on the ground floor of some major changes, including changes to the game's loot system, revamped feat unlocks, weapon mastery, combat balance changes, and the addition of new features like Teleporters and League Halls.

After getting those housekeeping matters out of the way, creative director Jens Andersen detailed what's coming up in the next update, GU41. This will see the list of Legends add Kyle Rayner in his Blue Lantern costume, filled with the power of Hope. The villains will later get some Lantern help of their own in the form of Guy Gardner, the heroic Green Lantern blinded by the power of rage and consumed by a Red Lantern ring. This will pave the way for the next round of heroes set to release over the course of the next year. They include Green Arrow, The Flash, and Shazam for the heroes' side and Deathstroke, Black Adam, and Gorilla Grodd will join the villains' side.

The other big addition to the game is a new cosmetic form of movement called Skimming. This is modeled after Mister Miracle, who made his first DCUO appearance in last month's Halls of Power DLC. The movement is based on flight, but will consist of the player gliding across the world.

DLC content is also undergoing a bit of a change, which some players may have already noticed. Rather than combine new Legends, story content, and power sets into a single pack released every three months, the development team is opting to separate these items and release them on a monthly basis. This format began last month with the Halls of Power story DLC releasing as its own piece of content.

Future DLC stories will see the continuation of DCUO's ongoing three-part storylines. War of Light will continue with Star Sapphires making their debut, along with some new ranks to Larfleeze's Orange Lantern corps, most notably Lex Luthor, paralelling the Blackest Night storyline. Amazon Fury will continue with Amazon Queen Hippolyta launching an attack on Gotham City, shortly after Brainiac's attack on Paradise Island. Hades and Ares will be revealed as the masterminds behind the storyline, with Brainiac set to make his return. Halls of Power will also continue, with Orion adding to the Fourth World debuts. Once those stories progress, the devs will look to kick off an all-new storyline, centered around "something Kryptonian."

Future updates will include new power sets for custom heroes. Munitions will add explosive power, like what you'd see from WWII-era hero Sgt. Rock. Atomic powers will add new support powers at a molecular level, close to what you'd see from Firestorm the Nuclear Man. The third power set is Experimental Serums, like what you'd see from Bane, with characters able to inject themselves for quick boosts to add to their tank qualities. New power sets are set to come later down the line.

Perhaps the biggest upcoming change is the addition of Legends PvE, which will allow users to replay some of DCUO's PvE content as DC's finest. Andersen notes any Legend character owned by players will become playable for certain existing missions and join with up to three friends. There will be no restriction in terms of hero selection, giving players a chance to storm Gotham with the Bat-family or protect Metropolis as a ragtag group of B-list heroes. No date has been given for this feature, but it is expected to come soon.

Also look for PvP to receive a significant revamp, with several arenas set to make their return. Stat banding will also make its way into PvP to help bring along newcomers and acclimate them to the environment. Other additions will include further performance improvements, PSN disconnect fixes, and removal of deserter penalties for those suffering from network disconnects.

The action is set to begin with GU41 set to arrive this fall, with many of the other outlined features set to release over the coming year.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?