DC Universe Online (PC/PS4/XB1/PS3) F2P

[volcanicweather]

Ahh.. cool. So, 50$ new (PS3/PC?) and 15 a month? Ugh.

Yes, that's correct. I personally don't understand why people have such issues (not saying you do) with low monthly subscriptions but whatever.

Had a few questions if you guys wouldn't mind answering. Forgive me if they come off stupid, but I figured this place would be the best place to ask.

Is this an MMO you can just leave and pick up whenever you want? Only other MMO I played before this was FFXI, and you couldn't really do that there. Just wondering if I could accomplish anything by playing for like 30 minutes, do something else and come back an hour later and pick up where I left off.

On the flip side is there anything to do that would keep me glued for say 3+ hours?

And finally PS3 or PC?

Thanks in advance for answering =]

It's definitely a game where you can play for small amounts of time and still get stuff done, at least leveling your character as I'm only level 16 right now so I can't answer your end-game question. If you're going to be going AFK a lot I would recommend playing on a PvE server. I would also recommend PS3 or using a controller on the PC as it's not like FFXI with auto-attack, here you have to perform combos to pull off special weapon attacks.

PvP is MUCH more fun though if you can take the heat. The penalty for dying is low (no XP lost, sent to nearest "safehouse", which is like a checkpoint) and it definitely adds an awesome element of randomness to the game that makes it unique. It's not like WoW where the maps are sprawling, stuff is pretty condensed together so you can easily find allies and team up on people without being in a party.

My favorite thing about the game though thus far is how they've cut through all the crap of go to NPC, get quest, travel, finish quest, return to NPC for reward. Sure you do that sometimes but with quite a few quests when you complete them you'll be contacted by the quest giver immediately after completing it and they'll give you a new one. You can also "turn in" quests by simply accessing the menu and selecting the quest - they also can give quite a bit of XP so they are definitely worth doing.

My biggest gripe with the game, and it seems as if it's most people's biggest gripe, is communication. If you're expecting White Knight Chronicles with voice chat and a polished chat function think again. The game has voice chat but for your mic to work you have to turn it on before you even start the game, which is really annoying. Also the text chat is probably among the worst I've ever seen, the window is partially transparent (can't change it) and the text is small (you can't change the size either) so it's very difficult to read on the PS3 and I even play on a huge screen. Sony is supposedly working on this, but who knows.

All in all, it's a fun game and is a very welcome change from MMO grindfests, but you'll have more fun if you just view other characters as the random element to the game instead of allies you're going to rely on all the time. It could certainly change end-game when more people rely on Ventrillo and other computer software to communicate if Sony doesn't get their act together.

[Darkdreamer]

So tempted to play this right now, I'm getting fed up with some of the BS in Aion right now and I could use a change. But I would much rather try it out before I make the decision to throw money down the drain and I find out I don't like it. I guess I'll wait till they introduce a free trial rather than deal with this buddy system that seems annoying at best.

[Vickaz]

Thanks for the input! Plan to pick it up today for PS3 then. Any particular server to look into?

[volcanicweather]

So tempted to play this right now, I'm getting fed up with some of the BS in Aion right now and I could use a change. But I would much rather try it out before I make the decision to throw money down the drain and I find out I don't like it. I guess I'll wait till they introduce a free trial rather than deal with this buddy system that seems annoying at best.

It will probably be awhile before there's a free trial, seeing as the game just came out...

Thanks for the input! Plan to pick it up today for PS3 then. Any particular server to look into?

I play on No Man's Land (PVP) for PS3 - PC and PS3 have different servers

[Darkdreamer]

Yeah sadly I know it will be awhile. I do have several console games I could always bust out and try and get platinum on.

[Trichocyst]

I played APB for a while when it was in beta (which lasted about as long as the game itself, lol).. and it ran pretty choppy for my PC. How's this compare? Still curious on monthly fees too.

DC Universe Online minimum PC requirements:
OS: Windows XP 32 bit
CPU: P4 3.0 GHz or AMD equivalent
VGA: NVIDIA 7800+ or ATI 1950+ Video Card
Memory: 1 GB of RAM
Hard Drive: 30 GB of Free Hard Drive Space
Broadband internet connection

DC Universe Online recommended system requirements:
OS: Windows XP / Vista / Windows 7
CPU: 3.0 GHZ CPU Dual Core Processor
Memory: 2 GB RAM
VGA: NVIDIA 8800GTX+ or ATI 3800 series+ Video Card
30 GB of Free Hard Drive Space
Broadband internet connection

Runs very smoothly on my machine.

[Akiyama]

Ah cool, I'm good on all that. Hell.. that's easier than FFXIV by a mile, lol. Fucking FFXIV. I bet this is infinitely more fun too.

[Trichocyst]

I am having a total blast in DCU. I've been trying to come up with a silver age style hero all day after Particle Man was taken.

[Akiyama]

I know a little about the DC Universe, but I haven't followed the comics well at all, so I'd probably go for a hero that's known fairly well. Still though.. getting super speed or flying, and bossin' shit left and right would be awesome.

[Trichocyst]

It's really gratifying. My main has super speed and I love bouncing off buildings and taking huge leaps. I like that it's an action oriented game that also follows some MMO standards. I play on a PVE server, but I could turn on PVP if I wanted to or do PVP events. The powers get pretty crazy. I'm still waiting to get an extra power point to toss into super strength, ha.

What you do is create your hero or villain and then choose a mentor. Batman (Gotham), Superman or Wonder Woman (Metropolis) for heroes and Joker, Lex Luthor, or Circe for villains. Then you fight as part of their entourage and often alongside them.

[Kisamoo]

Endgame consists of 6 4-man alerts for Tier 1. These alerts are split into 3 normal difficulty, and 3 medium difficulty. You earn a Mark of Triumph from each Boss, and 2 for the final boss, amounting to approximately 5 per dungeon. You can also run 'duo' dungeons, 2 man 30min instances which will net 2 each, for 8 total per day. Assuming you can run the normal instances and duos, you're getting appoximately 24 Marks of Triumph a day, and each Tier 1 gear ranges from 40-60 marks each. Ofcourse, blue-purple items always have a chance to drop during these runs.

Once you have aquired Tier 1, you can begin doing 8-man raids, which are all very difficult. The same system as Tier 1, except you're earning Marks of Distinction this time for Tier 2 gear. Rinse, repeat. It sounds boring, and endgame is pretty much grinding these instances- but the game is fucking fun. The game is fast paced and requires a lot of strategy.

Leveling requires NO grind whatsoever- you're always doing a quest chain which ends with an instance fight with an iconic DC character, which is awesome.

Thus far I have cleared all the normal difficulty alerts, and we're currently working on Stryker's Island, the easiest of the medium difficulty instances. We made it to the final boss and did acouple of runs, we got him to about 30% so I'm sure we'll down him tonight. Smallville, we only made it to the second boss and then the server crashed mid-fight. > Arkham Asylum is probably the hardest by far, we havn't found an effective strategy for Scarecrow yet.

Also, Ventrilo is a must for running the level 30 dungeons. Since the game is fast paced, situations change dynamically and your team has to be able to react. I can clear every dungeon under 20 minutes with my main group, but I've tried a few PUGs and it's always been a long, slow death fest. Most PUGs can't even clear the armory because the last boss requires tight coordination and team work.

[Akiyama]

It's really gratifying. My main has super speed and I love bouncing off buildings and taking huge leaps. I like that it's an action oriented game that also follows some MMO standards. I play on a PVE server, but I could turn on PVP if I wanted to or do PVP events. The powers get pretty crazy. I'm still waiting to get an extra power point to toss into super strength, ha.

What you do is create your hero or villain and then choose a mentor. Batman (Gotham), Superman or Wonder Woman (Metropolis) for heroes and Joker, Lex Luthor, or Circe for villains. Then you fight as part of their entourage and often alongside them.

Batman, Supes and WW are the only three good-guy mentors? Aw.

But man.. that does sound like a fuckton of fun. Wish it wasn't so damn expensive per month, thuogh, lol

[Trichocyst]

You'll interact with a lot more than just those three though. I've done missions with Nightwing, Robin, the Titans, Green Lantern, etc. Those three are just the bosses for the good guys, which makes sense in the DC Universe.

End game sounds fun. I need more of my friends to play the game. :\

[Akiyama]

Yeah, WW, Batman, and Supes as the 'bosses' does make sense. The fact that you can interact with Nightwing, Robin, the Titans... I think I also saw Raven in a video? As far as Robin goes, which one is it? Drake?

[Trichocyst]

It's Tim Drake. I rescued Raven in a mission in the Superman series of quest lines. It's the current generation of DC for the most part. Barbara Gordon is Oracle, etc.

[Riposte]

Cassandra Cain Batgirl?

[Trichocyst]

I haven't run across Batgirl yet. Kate Kane is Batwoman.

[volcanicweather]

Ah cool, I'm good on all that. Hell.. that's easier than FFXIV by a mile, lol. Fucking FFXIV. I bet this is infinitely more fun too.

As someone who played both, I can definitely say it is.

[Akiyama]

It's Tim Drake. I rescued Raven in a mission in the Superman series of quest lines. It's the current generation of DC for the most part. Barbara Gordon is Oracle, etc.

Yeah, was just curious if it was Tim Drake or Damion Wayne. I assume since Dick is Nightwing and all. Any Starfire and her trampness around?

[Trichocyst]

Ran into Starfire on the same mission I rescued Raven.