The DC Universe Online (DCUO) beta has shown us a different side to an MMO, one filled with heroes and villains. Since there is so much to talk about in the new DCUO beta, I will break it into segments. Let’s take a trip and share some dirty secrets about what many are calling World of Warcraft’s dirty mistress.

Today’s segment is character creation. Character creation is very broad and you can spend hours alone here without stepping foot into the DC universe at all. In the beginning there are two ways to start your created character: from scratch 100% custom or to be similar to or inspired by a preset hero or villain. The most fun will be had with the 100% custom character, as here you can really let your imagination fly.

You start by picking if you want to be a hero or villain and your gender followed by your frame style: small, medium or large. You can choose your characters personality to be comical, flirty, powerful, primal or serious. Personality will affect how your character expresses themselves and stands in the universe. Next is the important choice of mentor: who you want to model your character after and what kind of categories of armor and weapons will be available to you.

You then choose your power which determines your combat strategy and role in groups. Next you choose your movement type followed by your weapon choice. Then you can go into the actual gear that your character will be wearing. Aside from gear you can also set up your skin type and hair with a lot of variation. So there are a lot of options even before getting to the physical looks of your character.

Once you have a look nailed down you can adjust the color scheme of your character or the individual gear colors to get them exactly where you want them. Then it is on to naming your hero or villain. Character names are controlled so that you cannot have anything profane or funny enough, or anything from the Marvel Universe either. I guess a Marvel character in a DC game is pretty dirty?

Once all of that is taken care of you have yourself a character, but wait there is more. One awesome thing in DCUO is that the gear you pick up while playing will change the look of your character as you equip it, but in case you don’t want to wear the mask of Robin or the hat of Scarecrow you also have the option of equipping items and taking their attributes while not changing your look. Happy creating! Let us know what you plan on making!

If you haven't seen it already, below is our interview with one of the game's designers, Chris Cao, which focuses a lot on the character creation process.