Which powers reign supreme in DCUO?
JOURNAL LOG, DAY 27. The Justice League prevails yet again. After weeks of planning, they ruin my plans yet again. I need to compile a list of the strongest powers to figure out their weaknesses. - (A)Lex (Broadnax)
DC Universe Online is a great game for anyone who wants to live their dream as a DC superhero. I first came across this game in 2018, and I immediately fell in love with it. A huge part of its appeal is being able to create your own original superhero, and the hardest part is deciding what power to choose. To help you pick, here is your list of the best DCUO powers that are OP.
10. Nature
All bow down to Nature's Gorilla Form
No doubt that Poison Ivy is a threat to be reckoned with, but she better watch out because there’s some competition in town. The Nature power is a good combination of healing, distance attacks, and awesome supercharges.
Your nature-loving hero takes some inspiration from Beast Boy in transforming into animals. It is a cool feature as it allows for you to experience all the main movement modes (not including skimming) in one build and expand the moveset that your character can use.
Plus, each creature has its own temporary buff. The Insectoid transformation is great for healing. Then, the speedy Primal Wolf increases your damage. The bulky Gorilla increases attack and defense, but it comes at the price of speed. Lastly, there is the secret danger of the Canine form which has completely new powers along with increased power regeneration.
Ultimately, the Nature has a lot of good things going for it, but with an otherwise subpar moveset and low basic damage output, it is outclassed by many of the other power types.
What Nature Excels In
- Able to Change Fighting Style with Animal Transformation Supercharges
- Decent Distance Attacks
Best Powers for Nature
- Serpent Call
- Swarm
- Gorilla Form
9. Celestial
Make way for the Divine and Cursed moves of the Celestial hero.
Celestial is one of the most magical of the powers (after Sorcery, of course). I feel like Dr. Fate using these elegant-looking powers, but don’t let the looks fool you because Celestial powers are a force to be reckoned with.
Celestial is a great power for those who do not like fighting up close. It is an almost exclusively long-distance power set with some ability to push back your opponents who are getting too close. Furthermore, there is a great potential for the Celestial being to heal himself and his allies.
But some weaknesses that come with using the powerset. The Celestial powers are highly based on power interactions and combos to provide any significant damage. Failing to chain the correct moves together will not lead to heavy damage which isn’t ideal when Celestial’s movement speed is slower than other distance fighters.
This is truly a powerset better suited for its Healer role, but it can still hold its own for a good DPS build. This is a powerset that requires some practice to get powers and combinations just right. But when you have mastered the Celestial hero, you will not be able to go back to using other simple powers.
What Celestial Excels In
- Healing
- Fighting Long Distance
- Combos and Power Interactions
Best Powers for Celestial
- Haunt
- Malediction
- Plague
8. Light
Beware my power - Green Lantern's light!
Show off your willpower (or fear) with your Lantern Corps builds. The Green and Yellow Lanterns have always been such amazing powerhouses in the DC Universe, and that is no exception in this game. Your strength is based on your willpower and creativity. As such, your Light build can fight with the best of them.
Whether your opponents are nearby or a bit more distant, you are able to use moves that can deal out decent damage. No evil can escape your sight whether near or far, but there is a danger to the Light-powered character. Your willpower drains quickly because of the high power consumption from your moves. So unless you want to use extremely weak moves consistently, be sure to balance your powers with good weapon usage.
What Light Excels In
- Pretty Good Combinations
- Close-Range and Distance Fighter
Best Powers for Light
- Chompers
- Light Weight
- Impact
7. Earth
Talk about ROCK and roll.
Terra was arguably one of the strongest Teen Titans in the original series, being able to stop an entire volcanic eruption in Jump City. While your Earth-powered heroes may not be able to do that much, they will still make your opponents quake in their boots.
The ability to summon Golems is pretty neat. Both Golems can reduce your passive power regeneration. The primary difference between the two is that the Crystal Golem attacks, but the Brick Golem defends. They can be buffed with another power to give another additional effect: the Brick Golem gives healing over time while the Crystal Golem adds a temporary damage buff. The move Totem can also provide healing to your Golems, further increasing your strength as you pummel your enemies.
The Earth power may have some of the highest damage output in the game with various potent melee abilities. You will deal heavy damage to any boss or minion! Anyone who gets within the range of your hero is going to get ROCKED. But as with many heavy hitters, this comes at the great disadvantage of speed, leaving your down-to-earth hero at a disadvantage against speedy and far enemies. So fight carefully!
What Earth Excels In
- Powerful Close-Up Moves
- Heavy Damage Output
Best Powers for Earth
- Epicenter
- Localized Tremor
- Earthquake
6. Fire
Watch the flames, hot shot.
There are never enough Fire-based heroes in the DC Universe, so make your mark as the most powerful fire starter. Flame the competition with the extra burn damage associated with so many of the fire-based attacks. This is the strength of the Fire power! Not only can fire give some heavy damage on its own, but also, the extra fire damage chips away more health.
If your enemies can’t take the heat, they won’t last long. The strongest attacks are some long-distance blasts, but there is still some opportunity for melee combat. The overall combat potential for a fire hero is high, but it is just outclassed by some of the other powers.
What Fire Excels In
- Close-Up and Distance Attacks
- Additional Damage from Burn
- Variety of Attack Types
Best Powers for Fire
- Snuff Out
- Backdraft
- Flame Cascade
- Spontaneous Combustion
5. Mental
Mental's Psychic Shock is a big-brain move.
Mental is one of the most underrated powers ever which is shocking when you have such iconic telepaths, such as Martian Manhunter and Jean Grey in modern media. If I were to have real superpowers, I would definitely choose mental, but some problems prevent this from taking the top spot.
Mental has a relatively high power consumption for many powers, and it underperforms for close-up combat. But don’t let that lead you to underestimate it because Mental has one of the most OP powers in the entire game.
Psychic Shock is a staple power in all of my mental builds. This power shocks your opponent from a really far distance, but it doesn’t stop there because all enemies within close range of your target will also get damaged. It is also easily spammed with a half-second cooldown. The best part? It has an extremely low power cost allowing you to repeat this move continuously for minutes without being interrupted.
What Mental Excels In
- Damaging Multiple Enemies at Once
- Fighting Far Distance
- Ability to Cause Additional Effects from Elemental Psychic Moves
Best Powers for Mental
- Psychic Shock
- Mass Levitation
- Reflect Pain
4. Munitions
Who knew that DCUO was a shooter game?
Deathstroke was an iconic villain of my childhood. His contrast as the villainous mastermind to the heroic Robin was iconic, and as he grew to become more of a mercenary in other iterations. He showed that Munitions heroes can fight with the best of them. If you have ever fought with a Munitions hero in this game, you will know that they can cause some damage.
While Munitions are mostly distance fighters, they can fight close-up as well. You don’t have to sacrifice power for distance, but you can cause some major damage no matter where you are.
You do need to be careful, though, as the munitions fighter is a bit slower and has higher power consumption than other powers. But when your hits get in, you will have your opponents think twice because of how hard they destroy, especially with the explosive powers and supercharge Biggun.
What Munitions Excels In
- Well-Rounded Moveset
- Powerful Moves
Best Powers for Munitions
- Particle Gun
- Mini Nuke
- Biggun
3. Rage
Trying to battle a tank makes me enRAGEd.
“With blood and rage of crimson red, ripped from a corpse so freshly dead” is an apt description of the carnage left by the heavy-hitting Rage hero. This is the best power for those who want to leave a trail of destruction wherever they go. If this was a battle of the Tanks, Rage would be reigning as number 1, but that doesn’t mean that it cannot still dominate as a DPS role.
There are some killer combinations that you can do with your raging hero or villain. After using the Plasma Retch to slowly chip away at your enemies’ health, you can utterly demolish the nearby enemies with the spinning close combat move Lacerate. Anyone in the range of your attack will be defeated within a few seconds.
With Rage, you can crush your opponents at close-range, but the problem arises when there are long-distance enemies. There are a few longer-distance moves, but they are not worth using to truly get the most of your Rage build. Best rely on your teammates to help you sweep those distant opponents and bring them closer for you to knock them out.
What Rage Excels In
- High Damage Output
- Top-Tier Close-Up Fighter
Best Powers for Rage
- Lacerate
- Beserk
- Mangle
- Plasma Retch
2. Gadgets
I guess this is the newest gadget master of the Bat family.
Anyone who has played the game will be unsurprised that Gadgets is near the top because it is so broken. After playing with gadgets for a few minutes, you will see why Batman doesn’t need powers to compete with the best of them. Gadgets provide you with opportunities to fight both distance and melee.
Various effect moves cause additional disadvantages to your opponents, such as burn or paralyze. Each of these conditions can compound with more damage with certain moves. Furthermore, the gadgeteer can summon assistance in the form of a drone or a hologram to blow away the competition. But the real strength of Gadgets is its destructive force with rockets. Keep your distance as the rockets blast away your enemies.
What Gadgets Excels In
- Wide Range of Attacks
- Attacks with Secondary Effects
- Great Distance Moves
Best Powers for Gadgets
- Cryo-Field
- Battle Drone
- Photon Blast
- Bunker Buster
1. Electricity
Electricity at number one? How shocking!
The number one spot goes to Electricity as one of the most well-rounded powers and best for DPS. Electricity trumps over all the other powers with its strong far-ranged abilities paired with its ability to heal. Become the DC version of Thor Odinson as you annihilate enemies with your powerful Area of Effect move and your superb ability to heal your team.
Electric heroes also have a powerful ability similar to the Mental Psychic Shock which will blast your target and enemies nearby them. The only catch with this power is that it has a higher power cost, but that does not stop you from using many other moves to well balance your character.
There are also various moves like Attract and Electrostatic which draw in your opponents for a powerful attack that can work well with a powerful Tank partner to then sweep the now close distance opponents. Not only can you draw in heroes, but you can also repel them when they get too close for comfort.
Speaking of teamwork, Electric heroes have moves that can heal and protect. The Galvanize power can heal your team, while the move Electrogenesis, will damage your opponents while just providing health to you and your closest teammate. But wait, there's more! There are supercharges which can shield or gradually heal your team over time.
But it doesn’t stop there. The cherry on top of the entire Electricity power is in its powerful supercharges with a short cooldown, compared to other superpowers. This will leave you destroying bosses and carrying your team. Regardless of what abilities you choose, Electricity will leave your teammates shocked at how well you can to save the universe. You’ll be able to see why Static and Black Lighting are some of the most powerful heroes in the DC Universe.
What Electricity Excels In
- Healing and Protecting
- Strong Ranged Attacks
- Great Addition for any Team
Best Powers for Electricity
- Voltaic Blast
- Shockwave
- Attract
- Ionic Drain
- Megavolt
Any ability can be powerful depending on how you use it. DC’s heroes are not solely based on damage, but their strengths come from desiring to protect and do what is good. Leave a comment with your favorite powers and moves, so that Lex can find a weakness to let one of his plans finally succeed.
You May Also Be Interested In:
- DCUO Best Weapon Types Ranked from Worst to Best
- DCUO Best Tank Powers That Are Excellent
- DCUO Best Healer Powers That Are Excellent
- DCUO Best Solo Powers That Are Awesome
- DC Universe Online Characters: Heroes and Villains
- The 5 Superheroes in “Justice League” and Their Superpowers
- Top 10 Justice League Members and Their Powers
