Tomorrow, DC Universe Online‘s latest DLC pack, Hand of Fate, will go live. Hand of Fate is our fifth DLC pack, and it will be unlike anything we’ve offered to date. We’re incredibly excited for you to check it out.
We have designed this DLC to get you and your friends fighting again in DCUO’s open world. We want you back out there, battling in the DC Universe’s most storied locations – Gotham City and Metropolis. With the massive open world areas in the game, we felt it was time that we enriched these areas in unexpected ways to give you a deeper gameplay experience as you encounter the world and other players.
The content is high-fidelity, but serial in nature – our high-end players will definitely enjoy this. We have new group missions we call Operations, as well as more than 60 unique side missions. Additionally, we have added the Utility Belt Attachments feature. This is a fun upgrade that will give you more flexibility in combat by allowing you to use more than just a single trinket or consumable item in your loadout, and will also give you more freedom to use some of those fun toys you’ve had stashed away in your inventory. The producer’s letter I posted when we announced the DLC pack goes into detail about Operations, Side Missions, and the Utility Belt.
What I didn’t dive into in my letter is some of the DLC’s back story. Hand of Fate focuses on two of the most powerful magic users in the DC Universe, Doctor Fate and Felix Faust. The storylines that weave through the DLC are classic tales of magic and mystery, and as we all know, when there is magic involved, anything can happen. In this particular case, at the bidding of Doctor Fate (heroes) or Felix Faust (villains), you will undertake three new Heroic and three new Villainous episodes. Each episode will start in the inner sanctum of these legendary characters, where the story begins with an intense encounter against the episode’s adversaries. After you defeat them, Doctor Fate or Felix Faust will instruct you on the next step of your mission, which will take place in the open world.
For the first time in DCUO, Heroes and Villains will have unique content, with three new missions for each group. If you’re a hero, you’ll align with Doctor Fate, and help the Lords of Order protect innocent souls from the forces of darkness. In the Operation “A Black Dawn” – Tala, the mistress of Hell, uses her demonic powers to unleash an apocalyptic army upon Gotham City and Metropolis. It’s up to you and seven of your heroic allies to stop her. In “With a Vengeance” – Eclipso’s rage flows through the streets of Metropolis, and only those brave enough to stand against him will save the city from his wrath. This is also an 8-Man Operation. In the 4-player Operation “Wayward Souls” – Felix Faust is raising spirits and stealing souls to bargain for more power; but he foolishly stored them inside the behemoth Solomon Grundy and created an even bigger threat to Gotham City.
If you’re of the Villainous persuasion, you’ll join forces with Felix Faust and reap the rewards of his contracts. In “Unpaid Dues” – Faust has drawn the ire of the League of Assassins for defiling the Lazarus waters in Kahndaq. Now Ra’s al Ghul himself seeks revenge for this offense. This is an 8-man Operation. Another 8-man mission, “Seeds of Rot” – sees Faust attempting to create a sapling from the Tree of Rot. But Swamp Thing, defender of the Green, tries to oppose him before the tree’s influence falls into Faust’s hands. Finally, “Soulful Alchemy” is a 4-man Operation that starts with Faust making a bargain that has gone awry, now he must pay a debt — or the ultimate price. Countless lives hang in the balance as Faust tries to sacrifice innocent souls to save his own.
In addition, there will be 60 Side Missions – 30 for each side – for players to uncover while they tackle the six new episodes in the DLC. These missions will drop as rewards, and will be added to the mission journal when used. These missions will take players all over Metropolis and Gotham City as they attempt to accomplish the goals set before them. Players will feel the power of their characters as they return to some of their early adventures in the city streets – only now the old foes before them wither under their might. But new dangers have arisen, and they should not be taken lightly.
As you can see, there is tons of new content in Hand of Fate that will keep you entertained for hours, so dive in and check it out. See you in game!
