DC Universe Online MMO News, Guides, and Features at Ten Ton Hammer

Travel powers in DC Universe Online are far more than just a zippy way to get from here to there. They are actually more akin to other powersets offered in the game, complete with progression trees and even special moves that can be used during combat. Whether you've decided to float through the air with the greatest of ease, or be faster than a speeding bullet, there's far more to these abilities than initially meets the eye.

Which is a very good thing because - let's be honest - the pickings are slim. When faced with the meager offering of only three travel abilities to choose from, most DCUO players give a resounding "meh?"

In this guide, I will show attempt to bring to light some of the many customization options that each of these powersets contain. What begins with a mere three options is actually just a gateway into a world of possibilities.

Super Speed

Faster Than A Speeding Bullet

Modeled after The Flash, this is the fastest of all of the available travel powers, but also the most vertically challenged. Jumping under the effects of Super Speed gives you great horizontal distance, but not the ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound. To overcome this obstacle, this power includes the ability to run along obstacles without the interference of gravity. As long as you remain in motion, you'll be able to zip straight up the sides of buildings and even along ceilings hanging upside-down.

This can be very disorienting. Since your character is pretty much glued to the surface, you'll frequently find yourself running along too close to a nearby trash can or lamp post, and suddenly running along its tiny surface in circles at a 90-degree angle to the ground, unable to proceed along your intended course. To avoid this as much as possible, give yourself plenty of space while using this power. Don't hug corners, and don't try and zip over jagged debris fields. Think of it this way: If you're traveling near the speed of sound, would you really want to trip?

Keep moving and you can defy gravity!

The speedster's super-leap is a trick that takes some practice, but when used properly can let you overcome obstacles like small buildings and dangerous areas through the clever use of your surroundings. To initiate this super-leap you must be attached to the surface of an object in such a way that you are "defying gravity" (and will fall if you hold still). Pressing jump at this time will initiate a controllable leap several times more powerful than you basic jump. The easiest way to practice this is to take a run straight at a building, and leap once you're attached to it. Continue pressing the direction you were originally running, and you'll find yourself quickly scaling the building in aerial mode. Using this trick with passing cars, mailboxes and planters takes a bit more practice and finesse, but is very rewarding to learn to do well.

The very first speedster power you'll be able to invest in, beginning at level 9, is a supersonic speed boost that can be initiated while in superspeed mode and drastically increases your rate of movement, finally allowing the power to live up to its name. The next movement-enhancing ability you can invest in gives you the ability to translate falling momentum into horizontal motion, allowing for a type of short-term flight when descending from elevated areas.

The remaining powers available in this tree seem to focus primarily on stunning, pushing and pulling your opponents around the battlefield. Through the use of your incredibly fast reflexes, you can created a vortex that sucks enemies toward you, or propels them away. If you invest your points properly, you can also learn techniques that draw upon the kinetic energy of your enemies to restore yourself and your teammates during a difficult battle, while draining the surrounding enemies of their energy and health.


Investing into the top-most skill in this tree enables you the option of becoming a whirling dervish of death, spinning around the battlefield at blinding speeds and knocking any unfortunate enemies away from you while restoring your own energy. And, as with both of the other travel powersets, speedsters can also invest their points into buffs that increase their stability and resistance to knockbacks and stuns. There is also a "bounce back" power that draws upon your supercharge, that will restore a large amount of health and power and render you temporarily immune to control powers. But since supercharge takes so long to build up, I wouldn't personally recommend relying upon this ability on a regular basis.

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