When Sony Online Entertainment has said in the past that an update was “coming soon” for DC Universe Online (DCUO) they usually weren’t joking and we’d see those updates released relatively quick following the announcement. Well, they’ve said it again with DCUO’s Game Update 9: Assemble for Battle (GU9).

Details about the latest update have been to the DCUO website and they include some new things that should be a pretty welcome addition for some players and an ensured heated discussion for others. The new Novice Raids are one of those things. Novice Raids are a little more forgiving than their more difficult counterparts and will provide the same kind of rewards in a smaller number. Novice Raids will be available for all three Fortress of Solitude, the Batcave, and the Kahndaq.

GU9 will also include Role Optional Alerts, which will allow players to queue up to form groups with any combination of roles to cut down on queue times and receive a “team buff” to help out if grouped in a non-optimal formation. The buff can have a number of effects such as decreased damage if you don’t have a tank, increased regeneration for no healer and additional periodic power if you have no controller.

There’s no solid release date for DCUO’s GU9 yet, but once SOE has stated an update was “coming soon” in the past, they’ve been relatively quick with deploying the update. We'll update you with more details about the update's release as they become available.

Source: DCUO GU9 Announcement