I think we’re getting the hang of the game. We know how the controls work, mostly. We know our roles and how to use them, as shown by the score cards that pop up after each “On Duty” mission – DCUO’s instanced dungeons and battlefields. Kaptain KY and I, the controllers, had the high scores in power return. Stingheal, Stingite’s new healer (since we discovered we didn’t have one) was a healing gnome of some sort. Not sure what he is. Lord Spode just brought the hurt.
We started out the night trying to get Kaptain KY a little more XP so we could try the Gorilla Island instance (home of the Ultra-Humanite). Queen Bee was hoping for a swatting, and we did not disappoint her. That got the Kaptain his level. The appropriately-named Sting and Spode went and worked the quest line up to the instance, so we went back in and killed her MORE.
No good picture opportunities.
Still not quite enough XP, so we re-did Area 51. It went like clockwork. Being a couple of levels passed the recommended levels for the instance didn’t hurt, but even with that – we were learning the thing about teamwork, staying close together, and letting those heals and power regen flow to keep everyone up and fighting.
We did the final boss without one death – maybe one close call, but we were all still standing – flying? – when Brainiac came to collect the broken circuitry of his robot army.
After that, Kaptain KY had slid into level 13 and we were eligible for Gorilla Island. Now, I’d heard nothing good about this instance, but if we don’t fight the apes, the apes WIN. It’s a WAR ON APES. It’s a war on SMUGNESS. It’s not so much that these apes, who are the transformed civilians and security forces of the base Gorilla Grodd invaded, seem whole-heartedly in favor of becoming apes and not having to wear clothes anymore. It’s how self-satisfied they are about it, even as we’re slaughtering them and fending off angry phone calls and sternly-worded tweets from the Wildlife Conservation Society about it.
Bane’s followers, too – as I slaughtered one this evening, his only regret was that he would never get the strength-enhancing Venom, now. Hey, why didn’t the Bane in the latest Batman movie use Venom? He was just naturally strong, I guess. The Bane from the George Clooney Batman had to use it, though.
Now, Gorilla Island was no walk in the rain forest. These apes were pissed. First thing we had to do was destroy four teleporters that were continually porting more apes in (from where?). Then we had to ship some containers out by tossing them out the front door or anything. And then came Tiny. Tiny and weak. He must have been a transformed gnome, like Stingheal.
It got worse, though, with Bean, who grinned and leaped; got some deaths while fending off the barrels of explosives thrown down by the hundred Donkey Kongs on the catwalks. Yeah, DCUO is ALL ABOUT the bad visual puns.
Not sure if there was another boss before Mr. Humanite.
The Ultra-Humanite was another smug neo-ape who, in between shouting his superiority, walked from console to console pushing buttons. This is his superiority. To be a cubicle warrior. Who can’t type very well.
Four turrets around the area needed to be destroyed, and kept destroyed even when the Gorilla Island IT department came by to re-install Windows XP and get them running again. Elite gorillas and marksman gorillas would pop up, needing killing. Ultra-Humanite couldn’t leave his cubicle, which made killing him something you might want to do ranged. It was midway through the fight before I realized all those blocking moves we were taught in the tutorial WORKED GREAT against the U.H.’s ranged attacks. Unfortunately, all my best power regen abilities were tied to melee attacks (though I have tonight added a ranged one), so I had to dart in and do some damage with the light claws to get the regen started before heading back out to keep the turrets down, take care of the adds, and do what damage I could to the U.H. I think we all died at least once, but someone was always there to keep the encounter from resetting, and in the end, we won.
Gorilla Grodd was pissed at the Ultra-Humanite for dying to such an inferior force. And it was pretty unbelievable; seriously, four under-trained heroes completely annihilating the whole place? I’m wondering just how superior these apes are. Nonetheless, in the ending cinematic, it seemed Grodd had decided to spin this as a victory for his side, somehow.
If we do this instance next week, I’ll pay better attention, because I was under the impression that we had WON and his side had LOST.
Last weekend, DCUO raised the drop rate of furniture for the Home Turf bases. They’d really talked up the amount of furniture that would be dropping. We were all excited to get a little more stuff in our empty, cavernous bases. Well, we did Queen Bee twice, Area 51 and Gorilla Island once each, and we got precisely one piece of furniture, the couch here that Stingheal found in some musty office on Gorilla Island.
It really does look way more comfortable than it has any right to look, though what’s with that green light? Is that kryptonite? Venom? There are SO MANY green things in DCUO, and almost all of them are deadly, including the green light from my power ring.
Speaking of, and this is a bit of a rant, there are TOO MANY Green Lanterns running about. I mean, I know “in universe” that Earth is infested with Green Lanterns – Alan Scott, Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, Gus Gardner and now Simon Baz – because (if I remember right) Earth was, in antiquity, where life first arose, a fact the “Guardians of the Universe” kept hidden for aeons.
This might be why the “Guardians” are currently killing all the Green Lanterns to prepare for the eventual extinction of all life because these guys have SERIOUSLY lost their way. I’m unsure why the other heroes of Earth don’t consider this much of a threat. Anyway.
Lots of Green Lanterns. I’m not sure where in the continuity DCUO is set; clearly it’s not aware of the “New 52”, since Nightwing hasn’t become Red Robin. And there are no Black Lanterns or any of the other colors, and this is my rant: WHY NOT? Even though I have become the Teal Lantern, my ring still shines green, as does every other Lantern out there (except light-using villains command the yellow light).
I want to choose the color of my constructs! Also, I want a lantern emblem for my costume. But I guess that isn’t going to happen. Maybe I can get one of those GL hoodies from the Vault…..
Anyway, Was a fun night last night, we all got things done, we’re all pretty happy to be in DCUO for now. My first choice would have been The Secret World, but I’m having a great time in DCUO. I know because I want to play it outside of group nights.