Earlier this month, Daybreak took the wraps off its rework plans for DC Universe Online, now that it’s apparently under new leadership. Substudio Dimension Ink told players that it’s replacing its episode update structure with story arcs, which are multi-chapter narratives that are “highly focused on delivering compelling and compassionate storytelling.” The first story arc will release its first chapter sometime in late January and kick off a four-part mystery that the studio promises will be the MMO’s darkest yet.
And we’re apparently getting our first tease of the new narrative release in the form of the game’s new “story blogs,” the first of which released earlier this week with Batman beginning to follow initial clues alongside no less than Jim Gordon and Catwoman.
“Jim Gordon looked out over the city and winced – effects from the recent alien invasion were still visible; fresh scars and open wounds on a battered landscape. The skies were still filled with a red haze, thanks to a massive fire pit carved out of the earth by cruel Parademons. First responders and relief forces were working around the clock to move things back toward normal – well, normal for Gotham City, at least. And, in the midst of all the chaos and destruction, it looked like a serial killer was stalking the streets – a killer strong enough to take down super-powered prey. In cases like that… it was time to light the signal.”
As we previously noted, the producer’s letter at the top of the month also discussed the game’s next big story arc, which will make renown earnable by defeating bosses in all instanced content. As one might expect, higher difficulties will grant more renown rewards, and those who defeat new elite-level bosses will be granted unique R&D recipes for elite gear with new feats attached. Overall, developer Dimensional Ink says this adjustment will bring more players into additional features of DCUO like elite equipment and the affinity mods system.
There will also be an all-new event system that centralizes events, letting players select content, view progress, and examine rewards. This holds hands with an annual campaign system that rewards players who complete multiple events throughout the year with “mega prizes;” more details on that feature will be shared soon.
Additional features that the studio is “exploring” include account-wide cash currency, cross-faction leagues that let hero and villain characters form a guild, improvements to knockout and revive gameplay, and group size restrictions being removed from private queues.
