Dust 514

Developer: CCP Games
Platform: PlayStation 3/ PlayStation Network

SYNOPSIS

Dust 514 is a free-to-play tactical and team-based MMOFPS set in the famous persistent universe of EVE Online. This next-generation shooter offers intense infantry combat, large-scale warfare, and deep character advancement. When players wage war, a single victory could prove the crushing blow to a galactic empire of thousands of EVE Online gamers.

STORY BACKGROUND

Dust 514 takes place in a faraway galaxy called New Eden that was colonised by humanity via the lost EVE Gate. It’s a place of cutthroat intrigue, far-future technology, endless potential, and deadly mystery where the four empires and countless corporations wage a never-ending battle to control galactic resources. Immortals created through alien technology shape New Eden’s future: the capsuleers who pilot starships in EVE Online as well as the unstoppable mercenaries of Dust 514.

MAIN FEATURES

-    Massive, interconnected and living universe

-    intense infantry combat, augmented by powerful ground and aerial vehicles

-    dynamic battlefields

-    corporations and alliances between Dust and EVE Online players

-    nearly unlimited customisation options for characters, weapons and equipment

-    completely free-to-play

CHARACTER CREATION

When creating their characters, players are able to choose from four races: Amarr, Caldari, Gallente, and Minmartar, each consisting of three distinct bloodlines. This choice determines their starting corporation, their initial location in New Eden, and the appearance of their starting Mercenary Quarters. The decision for a gender is merely a cosmetic choice as it only affects the appearance while skill progression or future advancement of the clone body remain unaffected.

Furthermore, you may opt for one of four specialities of your character. This choice affects the skills and inventory you receive to start your mercenary career, but it does not prevent you from changing your play-style, nor does it limit your available upgrade choices later on. The available specialty options are the following:

Arbiter
Specialists in reconnaissance and precision combat, Arbiters are elite operatives who possess incredible battlefield awareness. Newly trained Arbiters are issued a sniper rifle and shield modules.

Artificer
Artificers are highly skilled support personnel capable of repairing mechanised units, reviving fallen soldiers, and keeping squads well-supplied. Newly trained Artificers receive an SMG, nanite injector, and repair tool.

Enforcer
The ultimate frontline soldiers, Enforcers excel at direct assault and close-quarters combat. Newly trained Enforcers are issued an assault rifle, nanohive, and anti-vehicle grenades.

Sentinel
Often the last line of defence, Sentinels are trained and equipped to never flinch or retreat as they neutralise vehicular threats on the battlefield. Newly trained Sentinels are issued a swarm launcher and armour modules.

MERCENARY QUARTERS & NEOCOM

The Mercenary Quarters is where players spend downtime between battles. Everything they need can be accessed from the kiosks in this room or via their personal Neocom which is as vital to victory as any weapon they will ever wield. It provides remote access to the market and allows customising combat fittings, planning your skill build, communicating with other mercenaries, and joining battles throughout the cluster.

SKILLS

Dust 514 players start their mercenary careers with a set of skills defined by the specialty they chose during character creation. In order to learn new skills, they have to purchase skill books. Every skill has a corresponding skill book that can be purchased on the market. Only one skill book is needed to train any given skill, so long as you’ve also trained all that skill’s prerequisites.

To become effective combatants, players will need to train new skills using skill points that are earned by fighting in battle, and are also awarded over time whether you log in or not. With their skill points, they are able to train up skill levels (to a maximum of five) for which they have already acquired the necessary skill books.

Except for basic (militia) gear, all items have skill prerequisites that must be satisfied before they can be used. As players’ skill levels increase, their effectiveness with gear improves. Additionally, certain skills will unlock more advanced skills, which in turn grant access to even more powerful gear.

CUSTOMISATION

In Dust 514, players are able to develop and upgrade their characters any way they want, outfitting their mercenaries to suit their play-style with countless weapons, dropsuits, and vehicles. They can tailor and enhance their characters’ equipment and skills to create their own unique soldier class, whether that’s a heavily-armoured sniper or a quick-footed scout with a big gun. In addition, every vehicle in the game can also be deeply customised with different weapons and capabilities.

There are tons of weapons, vehicles, turrets, equipment, dropsuits, implants, modules, and much more available for players to use, modify and upgrade.

SQUADS

A squad is the smallest unit of mercenaries within a team. Each squad is composed of up to six members, including the squad leader who can issue an order to attack a visible hostile entity, defend an allied entity, capture a neutral or hostile objective, installation, or vehicle, and rally to a selected location on the battlefield. As members of a squad kill enemies, destroy vehicles, and complete objectives, their squad will earn war points that can be used to access off-map support such as orbital strikes.

If players have not created or joined a squad prior to entering a battle, they will be automatically placed into a squad upon spawning. Squads created outside of battle will persist between battles, allowing friends to move between battles together.

CORPORATIONS

The game features both player-run and non-player corporations that are much like a guild or clan. Players start in a non-player corporation, but can apply to join a player-run corporation or create their own. Player corporations are created and overseen by a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and can include of both Dust 514 mercenaries and EVE Online capsuleers, allowing players from both games to work toward a common goal. Corporations take part in the planetary conquest in order to build up their own empire across New Eden.

ORBITAL STRIKES

Once a squad has accumulated 2500 war points, the squad leader will receive authorisation to deploy an orbital strike that will be fired from orbiting starships. If no EVE Online starship pilots willing to respond to the request are standing by, a standard strike will be fired. If an EVE Online starship is connected to the warzone and the pilot responds, you may select one of three specialised orbital strikes: Pulse Laser Strike (small area, high damage, laser beam), Electro Magnetic Strike (large area, shield damage only, EM blast), or Hybrid Strike (medium area, high damage, combined arms salvo).

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

PS 3 + internet connection