Beginning with Game Update 47 and continuing after Halls of Power Part II, Daybreak Games is seizing the opportunity as a new company to do things differently, to do things better. Here’s what’s happening at a very high level.
- After Halls of Power Part II:
- We will launch new content Episodes roughly monthly instead of quarterly.
- We will launch new gear and rewards roughly monthly instead of quarterly.
- With Game Update 47:
- Marks of Victory will replace both Marks of Fury and Marks of Triumph, for a single Mark for currency across the game.
- Marks of Victory will only be awarded when content is relevant to a player, based on Combat Rating.
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New content Episodes monthly instead of quarterly
Previously, DCUO would release one large Episode every quarter. This amounted to roughly six pieces of content every three months. DCUO delivered them all in one big chunk expecting that the content would last players until the next big chunk came out. DCUO still plan to deliver the same amount of content per quarter, just differently.
After Halls of Power Part II, DCUO will release two pieces of content monthly, in a three-month cycle. Members will still automatically have access to all Episodes. Non-members will be able to purchase the Episodes that interest them in the Marketplace. Over two cycles that will look like this:
Green is cycle one. Blue is cycle two. Each set of two is one month of content
New gear and rewards monthly instead of quarterly
Previously, each quarterly Episode would include new sets of gear to unlock. This will look similar over a 3-month cycle going forward, but instead of having all the gear sets available right away, the gear will release in partial sets with each month’s content.
New content will bring new dropped gear, plus more gear will be added to the vendor for Marks with each new content release. The idea is that an entire cycle represents all of the rewards a traditional large Episode would have offered, but spaced out to match the monthly release of content.
Here is what the gear additions will look like over a cycle:
Each column is one month’s release of content and gear. Normal gear drops commonly in all content.
You are likely already familiar with Normal Drops, Vendor Gear, and Rare Gear, but what is Set Gear? Set Gear replaces the rare gear that was previously found in Elite raids. Instead of that Elite gear having higher item level and stats, it will now have the same item level and stats (so it will not affect Combat Rating), plus a highly desirable new type of game mechanic called a Set Bonus.
A Set Bonus grants special qualities once a prerequisite amount of pieces from the gear set are equipped by a character. In short, when you complete each set of four, good things will happen. Here is a breakdown of what you can expect to drop where:
Marks of Victory will replace both Marks of Fury and Marks of Triumph
With Game Update 47, Marks of Fury and Marks of Triumph will be converted to Marks of Victory, and this new Mark will be used in all content across the game, both going backward and forward. This means several things:
- All content will award Marks of Victory in standard amounts. Solo content awards 1. Two player content awards 2. Four player content awards 5. Eight player content awards 10.
- All gear vendors will require Marks of Victory and costs have been normalized from tier to tier.
- Mainframes, Utility Belts, and other forms of upkeep will require Marks of Victory, and these costs have been normalized as well.
- Mainframe boost levels will be consolidated into one scaling boost that will last for 60 days, to make Mainframes easier to maintain.
- Symbols will be removed from the game.
Marks will only be awarded when content is relevant to a player, based on Combat Rating
To implement Marks of Victory, we must also change where characters are eligible to receive Marks. By relevant, we mean challenging to a character based on Combat Rating. How that works looking backward is outlined below. These changes do not impact other rewards or drops, only the receipt of Marks. You must be within the Combat Rating range for the content you are in to receive Marks of Victory.
- Tier 1 – Eligible to receive Marks between Combat Rating 0 – 42
- Tier 2 – Eligible to receive Marks between Combat Rating 43 – 52
- Tier 3 – Eligible to receive Marks between Combat Rating 53 – 69
- Tier 4 – Eligible to receive Marks between Combat Rating 70 – 83
- Tier 5 – Eligible to receive Marks between Combat Rating 84 – 99
- Tier 6A – Eligible to receive Marks between Combat Rating 100 – 108
- Tier 6B – Eligible to receive Marks between Combat Rating 106 – 116
Going forward after Halls of Power Part II, what content is relevant to you will change more frequently as you progress through the new monthly Episodes, because each month’s content will have increasing Combat Rating requirements. At any given time, twelve pieces of content (or six months of content) will be relevant to you.
Let me make a diagram that shows a full year’s worth of content. This amounts to four cycles. The diagram shows 3 players that each have different Combat Ratings. This means they all have different content relevant to them, but the same amount overall.
Each piece of content has a minimum Combat Rating required, as it has for some time. This prevents players from jumping into content that is too high for them. Now, each piece of content will also have a maximum Combat Rating required. If a player has over the maximum, the content is no longer relevant and will not award Marks of Victory.
As you gain Combat Rating, the bracket showing relevancy shifts to the right, and content to the right of the diagram will become available to you, while content to the left will no longer be relevant. You can still queue for non-relevant content and earn other rewards like Feats, Renown, and Drops, but not Marks.
Let’s update the diagram and assume Player 3 took a break and that Player 1 worked really hard over the next few weeks. Player 2 was off and on, and interested in doing something other than gear progression during that time. It might look like this.
DCUO is seizing the opportunity.
- Fresh content more often.
- Monthly content releases mean there will always be something new just arriving or about to arrive.
- All content matters.
- Unlike with large Episodes, every piece of content will for a month be the hardest content, awarding the best rewards.
- More content variety.
- With monthly Episodes, we won’t necessarily have to build a full six pieces of content that fit together thematically. We can now build one-off storylines and smaller series.
- More choice.
- Members still have the same incredible value in full Episode access, and non-members can more specifically choose to purchase content that interests them.
- Simplified progression.
- New and existing players will be less intimidated by skyrocketing Marks of Triumph numbers, and better able to utilize features that require upkeep.
- More gear and more interesting gear.
- Combined with our already-in-progress improvements to the loot system, this content cadence and Set Gear means players will have more gear and more interesting gear to chase.
- More collaboration with DC/WB.
- As DCUO are not locked in to a large Episode, we will be better able to jump onto opportunities DC Comics and Warner Bros. present to us, to tie in with what’s going on in the greater DC Comics world out there.
- In fact, when this new plan launches one of the first pieces of content will be one of these opportunities. We’re so happy our partners at DC are working with us on this new direction.
Frequently Asked Questions
How will new Episodes be purchased?
Members will still automatically have access to all Episodes. Non-members will be able to purchase the Episodes that interest them.
Do these changes impact Halls of Power Part II?
The Marks of Victory and Mark relevancy changes begin with Game Update 47 and Marks of Victory will be used in Halls of Power Part II. Monthly Episodes will begin after Halls of Power Part II.
Will the trilogies be completed?
We intend to give the trilogy storylines worthy endings with Episodes after Halls of Power Part II.
What are Elite Alerts?
Just what they sound like! Elite Alerts will be challenging pieces of 4-player content that drop the best rewards the month they are released.
What will gear cost in Marks after the transition to Marks of Victory?
Gear costs will be on a scale that closely resembles what you’re used to for top tier Episode content. Some tiers have lower costs, and we won’t be raising them just for the sake of consistency.
What will initial Mainframe unlocks and boosts (recurring unlocks) cost?
Unlocks for the Orbital Strike, Supply Drop, and Tactical Mods all cost 25 Marks of Victory. Unlocks for Sidekicks cost 5 and 20 Marks of Victory. Uplocks for Backup/Henchmen cost 10 and 25 Marks of Victory. The new boosts cost 7 Marks of Victory.
What will Utility Belt slots cost?
Unlocking extra Utility Belt slots cost 5 Marks of Victory.
What will Lair locations cost?
Lair locations that previously cost Marks of Triumph will each cost 5 Marks of Victory.
What will R&D components cost?
Vendor plans will cost 25 Marks of Victory. Catalysts will cost 1 Mark of Victory.
What will the cap be on Marks of Victory?
100.
How will Marks of Fury/Triumph be converted to Marks of Victory?
With Game Update 47, your current Marks of Triumph will be converted to Victory at a rate based on your current Combat Rating. Marks of Fury will convert to Marks of Victory at a 1:1 ratio.
Will Symbols be converted into Marks of Victory?
No. Symbols will simply be removed as a requirement on Vendor gear and from your currency tabs.
When will the new monthly content begin to be released after Halls of Power Part II?
New content will be released starting about three or four months after Halls of Power Part II releases.
What will happen to inventory items that grant Marks when consumed?
After Game Update 47, consuming these items will not award Marks of any kind. Players will want to consume these before Game Update 47 so that the Marks can be converted into Marks of Victory.
How will Mark relevancy work as we transition to Tier 7/Episode 14/beyond?
When Halls of Power Part II launches and end-game players progress into the content, they will have six pieces of content relevant to them. After the first monthly release, they will have eight. After the second monthly release, they will have ten. After the third monthly release, they will have twelve, and then twelve pieces of content relevant forever after that.