It’s been a while since my last Lego Universe update but there is a lot that’s been going on since then. I fired it up this weekend with my kids and explored some of the new worlds since we last played. (We took a break over the holidays and let our subscription lapse but with the new updates I’ve gotten an extension.)
Starbase 3001
In early November the Starbase 3001 was released: it’s a safe zone which can be accessed behind the Assembly area of Nimbus Station. Aside from a vendor who sells some exclusive models, there are a few backpack flags to collect, and a rocket launch pad that takes you to a few other worlds created by the LUP teams. (The LUPs—Lego Universe Partners—were teams around the world who helped design models and came up with ideas for worlds for the game.) Two of the worlds, the Moonbase and Portabello, have a few missions that will net you new rocket parts. Deep Freeze is a wintry world that is fun to look at but doesn’t have much going on other than a big Zamboni that drives around automatically and some Dark Beavers to fight.
Also in November, the world of Frostburgh was opened up—it’s a winter-themed world where you can build snowmen, smash open Lego presents and take on a few short missions. There are some exclusive items in Frostburgh like the pet reindeer and some festive-looking racecar parts, but to purchase them you have to have both coins and candy canes (which you can collect by smashing things in Frostburgh). You can also get snowballs to throw at your friends. It’s not clear when Frostburgh will be closed, but the Lego Universe team has hinted that it’s a seasonal world that will only be accessible for a few months out of the year—so chances are it will be shutting down soon.
Crux Prime
This month, Crux Prime was opened up for exploration, and it’s a tough world with some extremely challenging missions. Crux Prime was the little cube-shaped planet from the original trailer which exploded and was scattered across the universe. Now it’s a source of pure Maelstrom and the world is full of shards and places you can fall through the cracks. Oh, and lots and lots of monsters—you’ll find extra-nasty versions of the Stromlings, Pirates, Ronin, Gorillas and Dragons here. As soon as you arrive you’ll be warned to travel in teams of four for safety.
Within the world you’ll also come across the skeletons who are mining the Maelstrom, and an old Ninja monastery where the Sensei will reveal the secrets of Spinjitzu. It appears that this will create a connection between Lego Universe and the world of Ninjago: Lego Ninjas.
With lots of new missions and some builds requiring teamwork, Crux Prime extends the Lego Universe and gives you some new excuses to dive in. For more about Lego Universe, check out my post from last fall which takes a detailed look at the game. If I can make some more time to play through some of the new worlds I’ll try to return with some screenshots—but it’s been hard to hit those keys when I’m being swarmed by Stromlings!
