The DC Universe Online team has sent word that the Artifact System is now in place in the game. Artifacts are a gear piece that is placed into a new gear slot. They can then rank up and be upgraded over time with the ultimate goal of unlocking powerful bonuses. "Artifacts require a long term investment and grow with your character" and many of them will provide players with Passive or Active abilities in addition to stats.
Players will receive their first Artifact in a special Level 20 scenario from John Constantine. Others will become available for purchase from him with Marks of Victory from Watchtower or Hall of Doom.
Upgrading will require "Nth Metal" that will be a rare drop from NPCs or from a large cache earned by completing Valt and Stabilizer events. Players will also need Catalysts to "break through Milestone Ranks". These are earned through completing specific Duos, Alerts and Raids.
The system was added as a companion to the recent Stat Revamp that brings new ways to grow characters and to add further customization to builds. Artifacts are considered the first step in that effort and are at the core of responding to player feedback and concerns from the players.
With this update, we’re laying the foundation. Artifacts will continue to expand in the future. Over time we will add new Artifacts, unlock new Artifact equipment slots, and increase the Rank caps with new Rank and Milestone bonuses to make your characters even more powerful!
With new Artifacts, we may see new character builds, new group strategies, and new play styles emerge.
You can check out the full blog post on the DC Universe Online site.
