Written by AAMCSYSTEMS; PSHG Team Writer
Well, it hasn’t been too long since the last big DCUO update. Now the latest Home Turf is well underway and it looks to be a real game changer. This podcast focused on lairs themselves and how they worked. They intentionally avoided talking about anything else, but more on future podcasts as they develop.
To own a base you need to buy the deed to it and select the style. The DLC will come with 3 styles: Gothic, Deco (modern), and Dive. Dive (rundown, beaten up, not very pretty) is for EVERYONE and will be the only one available for free.
The purple icons (2nd and 3rd rows) are the deeds, while the 3 blue ones (center of middle row) are the styles. The top row, including the one highlighted in the picture, are powerups which you can use in battle.
The system is simple as they are used as consumables and once you use a deed icon it’s yours. All you need to do is select a style, which city (Metropolis or Gotham, Central City is not an option), and an address. However, the address will not be exclusive to you.
Notice the list along the left side, each one is an address shown on the map that can be chosen as a base location. It’s called “Base” by default but you can change the name. Prices range from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. The choices available also depend on the style and a Modern style won’t have all the same locations as a Gothic style. While in other cases, two styles may have the same place listed but the entrance will be in a different spot (Arkham Asylum was cited as an example).
In addition, if you look closely at this photo, this choice is Amusement Mile (the Joker’s base). These are called Iconic Locations and besides cash they will also cost Marks of Triumph.
Lastly, know that these are PERMANENT purchases not rentals, as is the case with the trinkets. If you choose to move your lair to a different location, however, you must pay for it. Multiple lairs can be bought in the marketplace. It seems there WILL BE a cap, but as of this writing it is unknown what it will be.
You can own multiple bases, but you just need to own the deeds for them, and once the base is yours it is treated like any other point on the map, as it can be marked with a waypoint marker.
That’s the Science Spire in the picture. Notice the green aura, just like a safehouse.
It appears that league bases will be part of a future update. The title “Lairs of Power” was mentioned a few times, but you can still support your friends.
You can have a max of 20 friends in a lair at once. They are somewhat reminiscent of clubs in Home. You can choose to allow your friends into your base on a person by person basis, or it seems you can allow your league to enter as well.
Anyone with access to your base will see it on their map, just like a safehouse. They can find it via a new option on the friend list.
The things inside the lair, like spaces in Home, depend on the user. You can give your friends access to amenities inside your base like the bank or repairs. Essentially the same things you find in a normal safehouse, but only you, the owner, can use the mainframe for henchmen, orbital strikes, and such. It seems the mainframe and amenities will be discussed in a future podcast, they were intentionally avoided in this one.
It is also worth noting, while anyone can use amenities, no matter their status, only legendary members and owners can use mainframes. Understand that if you buy a lair, it’s yours to keep, but if you go back to premium and don’t own the content, then you will not be able to use the mainframe.
You can also use your base as a warp point and it works just like the watchtower and rally warps. As you can see from the photo, you can even warp IN-BETWEEN bases, even if they are in a different city.
The lead developer has a Twitter account; @Spytle is the address. It would be a good idea to follow him because he has answered a lot of questions about not only Home Turf but other aspects of the game as well.
I’ll conclude with a few examples:
Marketplace themes are bound by account, once it’s yours, all of your characters can use it.
A new chat channel is going to be added. It’s called “LFG Channel” (LFG = Look For Group). However, it will not work in a private instance, ie Duos, Raids, etc.
Amenities are granted as a reward for completing Home Turf collections. Complete the collection and you unlock that amenity for use.
If you enter a base that a friend also has (again, base addresses are not exclusive) you will be asked if you want to enter your base or your friends.
Heroes can overlap entrances with villains. This should make PVP more interesting.
Mainframe is where you get Sidekicks, Henchmen, Orbital Strikes, and Supply Drops. All of those features are only for the Lair’s owner.
There are plans to make weapon packs (styles) for all the super powers.
And that about wraps it up mi gente, all in all, it looks like Home Turf will be well worth the wait.
SPECIAL THANKS TO GIDDEUS AND BRENNSINGER FOR THEIR HELP!!!!!
update: it now appears that the lair cap is 4
I found your Home Turf preview exciting and this review fascinating. Thank you.
Q1 I’m a premium player new to DCUO confused by your statement that “only legendary members and owners can use mainframes” but that a premium owner can’t use mainframes unless they own the content.
Q1a—How else might a premium owner acquire a mainframe unless owning it?
Q1b—What option ensures that a premium player also owns the mainframe acquired?
Q2—Referring to my same confusion:
How does a legendary owner differ from being any other owner in regards to using a mainframe?
Does being legendary means you can acquire a mainframe in some way other than by owning it?
Does legendary status give an advantage in price or content during this transaction?
Q2—I’d like to get a free Dive lair. I know you buy a deed to your lair and and consume it to activate. I just don’t know:
Q2a —What or who sells a deed to you?
Q2b—What or who sells content to you?
Hi,
Well, to sum up most of your questions, there are two ways to access Home Turf, buy it (for ten dollars) or be a legendary member.
Now take me for example, I’ve been legendary for a while, but im letting it expire. While im legendary, i can use Home Turf, but I DON’T OWN IT. Once it expires, i can still use my base and amenities that ive unlocked, furniture (remember, furniture was released BEFORE Home Turf) redecorate, do whatever I want, because i ALREADY own those bases, but if im not legendary, i cannot use the mainframe, which provides orbital strikes, backup, mods, etc.
After my legendary membership expires, if i want to use the mainframe, i have to buy Home Turf for ten dollars, now i can use it whether im legendary or not, because now i OWN it.
As to advantages, well, if you OWN the DLC you can use it whenever you want, the question is, do you NEED it?
To my mind, that depends largely on your CR.
You dont need to buy any DLC until you reach level 30. And then, it depends. If you just want more alerts, raids etc, The Battle for Earth DLC probably wont be your first choice, since it will be a while before your CR is high enough to use a larg portion of the content.
But if you say….are just reaching level 53, Lightning Strikes DLC is a good choice, the gear in Central City will help you immensely. But it all depends on your needs.
Lastly, deeds come from the marketplace, (3 dollars a piece) but again, the deed is useless if you aren’t legendary OR own the Home Turf DLC.
Content is found in the in-game marketplace, if you arent legendary, the DLC packs are usually the 1st thing you see when the marketplace opens.
Let me know if i missed a question
AAMCSYSTEMS