Level sigils ?

[Faelyndel]

So just to clarify something I read in another thread; You have to PAY for "level sigils" just to be able to level, as a F2P player? Seriously? I understand there are limits to free playing to make it worthwhile to be a VIP and i apologize if I sound like a whiny brat, but do we honestly have to pay to advance every four levels?

[oberon131313]

So just to clarify something I read in another thread; You have to PAY for "level sigils" just to be able to level, as a F2P player? Seriously? I understand there are limits to free playing to make it worthwhile to be a VIP and i apologize if I sound like a whiny brat, but do we honestly have to pay to advance every four levels?

no, you can also randomly get them at the end of quests, but no promises on how long it takes (some people on the beta server would have been level 5 or 6 before they got theirs)

[captain1z]

, but do we honestly have to pay to advance every four levels?


all it a leveling tax, if you dont want to pay you can hope you win the lottery.

[Faelyndel]

Interesting. I appreciate the fact that there's a way to get them without purchasing them, even if it's random. But hey, I get to play my favourite game without having to pay money I don't have to subscribe, so I can't complain ;)

Now, are level sigils per character, per server or per account? Can I only level the character who finds/buys the sigil past level four or every character afterwards as well?

[oberon131313]

Interesting. I appreciate the fact that there's a way to get them without purchasing them, even if it's random. But hey, I get to play my favourite game without having to pay money I don't have to subscribe, so I can't complain ;)

Now, are level sigils per character, per server or per account? Can I only level the character who finds/buys the sigil past level four or every character afterwards as well?

per character, and bound to that character. So all characters you make need to find one for themselves.

[knightgf]

So just to clarify something I read in another thread; You have to PAY for "level sigils" just to be able to level, as a F2P player? Seriously? I understand there are limits to free playing to make it worthwhile to be a VIP and i apologize if I sound like a whiny brat, but do we honestly have to pay to advance every four levels?

Its turbine's way of adding challenging concepts to F2P and encouraging you to either get a VIP subscription, buy a sigil from the store or grind for favor on various characters. It is impossible to avoid purchasing items from the Turbine Store: there is no way whatsoever to avoid that place unless you want to completely stop leveling. However, the good news is that it is entirely possible to play the whole game without spending a single penny on purchasing Turbine Points, but this will take a lot of time and skill to do. (Well, mostly time, but the more skill you have, the better!)

And some GREAT advice for you in using the Turbine store: NEVER purchase any cosmetics, potions or any other disposable items from the Turbine store as F2P, especially if you cannot use real-world cash to purchase points. And only buy leveling sigils for your characters if you plan to keep them as your 'main' characters (I.E.:Characters that you wont use to simply get points for favor). Otherwise, you will find it to be a waste and end up having to spend more time getting points.

[ArkoHighStar]

Interesting. I appreciate the fact that there's a way to get them without purchasing them, even if it's random. But hey, I get to play my favourite game without having to pay money I don't have to subscribe, so I can't complain ;)

Now, are level sigils per character, per server or per account? Can I only level the character who finds/buys the sigil past level four or every character afterwards as well?

no its per character I believe

[Faelyndel]

I guess it makes sense that it's per character. It sucks, but it makes sense. Do you think it would be possible to get enough favor by the end of level four to equal enough TP to purchase the level sigil?

And on a similar note, would it be possible to earn enough favor by playing the game to equal enough TP to purchase some of these adventure packs? Or will I have to spend some money on adventure packs to enrich my playing experience and/or have access to enough quests to level?

[Lorien_the_First_One]

I guess it makes sense that it's per character. It sucks, but it makes sense. Do you think it would be possible to get enough favor by the end of level four to equal enough TP to purchase the level sigil?

And on a similar note, would it be possible to earn enough favor by playing the game to equal enough TP to purchase some of these adventure packs? Or will I have to spend some money on adventure packs to enrich my playing experience and/or have access to enough quests to level?

I think at some point you will need to buy a couple things. Plus you will need to buy at least 1 Turbine Point to fully unlock some important game features like /tell, in game email, the auction house, and to maximize the gold storage you are allowed.

[Angelus_dead]

I guess it makes sense that it's per character. It sucks, but it makes sense. Do you think it would be possible to get enough favor by the end of level four to equal enough TP to purchase the level sigil?
That is possible, but it would be a mistake, and you'd be better off spending those points on an adventure pack. Obtaining the first levelling sigil by grinding a 60-second quest is easy compared to earning that many points.


Or will I have to spend some money on adventure packs to enrich my playing experience and/or have access to enough quests to level?
Considering that the game goes up to level 20 and free quests stop at 12...

Even if you could find a way to proceed past 12 without adventure packs, why bother when there will be nothing to do?

[merrylady]

Its the game killer for me. I have several issues with it all so far (and its only day 1 lol) but that one is the one that does it for me.

There are 2 things I hate doing in games more than anything. One is grinding and the other is grinding. I refuse to do it. Not for favor to get the level sigil through the store, not to repeat dungeons/quests in the hopes that it might drop.

The adventure packs are another issue for me but I will never get that far. However, in my opinion, barring content is not going to be the smartest decision they made when they did this F2P thing.

That all being said I am having fun in the starter area and will get as far as I can get without falling prey to the grind. Most every one in there with me seems to be having fun as well however I have seen a few ppl today claim that they "were done" due to one issue or another. Anyway, I wish Turbine and DDO all the best and I hope this plan works for them. That its not "my cup of tea" doesnt make it a bad game or anything, I just wont pay to play a so called free game, and dont have the time to go "VIP".

Good luck all.

M

[TheBlueFox]

So please clarify. WHAT quests give off level sigils? all of them at a small percentage or just a specific few?

[Limmie]

Well, in beta I've played 3 characters: a favored soul to level 5 who found a sigil at level 3, a level 4 wizard with a sigil at level 4, and my "main" was a level 9 ranger/rogue who received a sigil in the very first quest and another sigil (a silver one?) at level 7.
Maybe I was just lucky, but even if the sigil hunting goes somewhat slower than this, it's still not much of an issue.

[TheBlueFox]

so it was just...any quest?

[Faya]

So far i would say any quest. Maybe get quests with more chests in it as they have by default a higher chance to drop sigils.

Faya

[MagicianBlade]

Its the game killer for me. I have several issues with it all so far (and its only day 1 lol) but that one is the one that does it for me.

There are 2 things I hate doing in games more than anything. One is grinding and the other is grinding. I refuse to do it. Not for favor to get the level sigil through the store, not to repeat dungeons/quests in the hopes that it might drop.

The adventure packs are another issue for me but I will never get that far. However, in my opinion, barring content is not going to be the smartest decision they made when they did this F2P thing.

That all being said I am having fun in the starter area and will get as far as I can get without falling prey to the grind. Most every one in there with me seems to be having fun as well however I have seen a few ppl today claim that they "were done" due to one issue or another. Anyway, I wish Turbine and DDO all the best and I hope this plan works for them. That its not "my cup of tea" doesnt make it a bad game or anything, I just wont pay to play a so called free game, and dont have the time to go "VIP".

Good luck all.

M


Grinding sucks, and it's why I haven't played any MMOs since they were called MUDs, until I got the invitation to the beta for this. However, there simply is not enough content even if you have everything, to get you through to level 20 (or even probably to 10) without doing a lot of repeats. And, also, since there's nothing to do once you achieve 20, what do you do after that?

You're not going to get away from it, but at least in DDO, it's a lot less repetitive. Although, frankly, I'll be on my fourth run on the first few quests, once I finally get logged in on Cannith, and I'm totally freaking bored to tears by doing them 3 times in 3 months .. but, if you get a good party to run with, or sometimes even if you get a terrible party to run with, it makes the repetition a lot more palatable. The game is also just way more fun at the higher levels, too.

I just can't figure out how people with 10 character slots find themselves in need of more, it's just unfathomable that you could ever repeat that starter quest that many times, without wanting to blow your own head off.

* I'd really hope that they'll add in a way to skip the tutorial quest, and go straight to Korthos.. because it's going to be a painful experience for me to run that one more time.. :D

[7-day_Trial_Monkey]

So please clarify. WHAT quests give off level sigils? all of them at a small percentage or just a specific few?

Any quest.

For example, I got one offered as the reward from the quest giver, after finishing Information is Key on nomal difficulty.

That's a very easy quest to run through quickly, solo. I got it shortly after reaching level 4, so there was no delay in leveling for me.

[7-day_Trial_Monkey]

* I'd really hope that they'll add in a way to skip the tutorial quest, and go straight to Korthos.. because it's going to be a painful experience for me to run that one more time.. :D

That option is there.

Just tell the guy you want to skip it! It's right there in his dialogue..

[adamkatt]

So just to clarify something I read in another thread; You have to PAY for "level sigils" just to be able to level, as a F2P player? Seriously? I understand there are limits to free playing to make it worthwhile to be a VIP and i apologize if I sound like a whiny brat, but do we honestly have to pay to advance every four levels?

Just got a lvl sigil from durks as a quest reward. Copper, now my cap was raised to 8 instead of 4.

But i was grinding for a muckbane...

[Faelyndel]

Well it's soounding like sigils aren't hard to find, so that's promising. Buying a bit of Turbine Points for adventure packs, being able to send tells etc. wouldn't be a problem in terms of money, I'm not completely broke ;), but I'm too young for a credit card so I'm not quite sure HOW I'm going to buy these points.

Information is Key, hm? If I remember correctly, that one's not too hard, so that's a good thing.

[Arianrhod]

so it was just...any quest?

It's possible that those few quests that give only a cash reward (no popup window of quest rewards to choose from) - like Arachnophobia - might not be able to generate leveling sigils as rewards. Probably best to avoid those if you're specifically looking for a sigil.

[MagicianBlade]

That option is there.

Just tell the guy you want to skip it! It's right there in his dialogue..

well i just played thru it, and i don't know which guy you're talking about, but i sure didn't see any way to get straight to korthos

[Cylock]

I got mine from Durk as an end reward option. Wonder if the silver sigils drop in harbor quests, but I'm guess it will probably be quest lvls 4-8 that have those in the loot table.

Btw........first post. Hi :)

[lortext]

Its the game killer for me. I have several issues with it all so far (and its only day 1 lol) but that one is the one that does it for me.

There are 2 things I hate doing in games more than anything. One is grinding and the other is grinding. I refuse to do it. Not for favor to get the level sigil through the store, not to repeat dungeons/quests in the hopes that it might drop.

The adventure packs are another issue for me but I will never get that far. However, in my opinion, barring content is not going to be the smartest decision they made when they did this F2P thing.

That all being said I am having fun in the starter area and will get as far as I can get without falling prey to the grind. Most every one in there with me seems to be having fun as well however I have seen a few ppl today claim that they "were done" due to one issue or another. Anyway, I wish Turbine and DDO all the best and I hope this plan works for them. That its not "my cup of tea" doesnt make it a bad game or anything, I just wont pay to play a so called free game, and dont have the time to go "VIP".

Good luck all.

M

It's not a "so called" free game. It is free. You're just too lazy to put in the time to play for free. Your time has intrinsic value and it's pretty clear that grinding isn't something worth doing for you. I hate grinding as well and in FTP games I'll pay to avoid it. I don't have time to grind either.

A movie ticket costs about $10 for a few hours of entertainment and in my experience I get more out of my VIP sub playing a few hours a week than most movies. How much does a leveling sigil cost? Is it more than a candy bar or two; perhaps a large latte?

Eve Online is a sub based game and yet it sustains a free to play model because there are people who have fun grinding to the point that it pays for playing the fun parts of the game. I spend my time grinding at the office.

[7-day_Trial_Monkey]

well i just played thru it, and i don't know which guy you're talking about, but i sure didn't see any way to get straight to korthos

When your new character 1st appears in game, there's a npc standing in front of you.

That guy.

[Limmie]

Sorry to go off-topic, but what's the obsession with muckbane anyway? Everyone I've met seems to want it. What about just equipping some +1 elemental handwraps.

And OT: the sigils I've found so far were all from end rewards, not from chest. Well, all 4 of them, it's not really representative...

[Limmie]

When your new character 1st appears in game, there's a npc standing in front of you.

That guy.

With the first character you make on a server, you don't have that option. You have to complete the grotto first, but after that you can go directly to the first mate and tell her you want to go to Stormreach and skip Korthos.

[nickvale]

Well it's soounding like sigils aren't hard to find, so that's promising. Buying a bit of Turbine Points for adventure packs, being able to send tells etc. wouldn't be a problem in terms of money, I'm not completely broke ;), but I'm too young for a credit card so I'm not quite sure HOW I'm going to buy these points.

Information is Key, hm? If I remember correctly, that one's not too hard, so that's a good thing.

hmmmm! maybe u should learn 2 grind 2 acquire that level sigil from my experience in closed beta level 5-8 sigil from the buthhers path hard mode my level was just 2 then and 8-12 from waterworks and house maybe you should learn to grind and end the quest simply 2 enjoy and established friends that was just my opinion cause im just a F2play asian player here for me it's better it to acquire thru grinding cause when u recieve it as a reward it's all worth it

[Laith]

you got your 8-12 sigil from waterworks?

i assumed that sigils were only available in quest rewards of similar level. since i'm looking to get some 17-20 sigils, this is of great interest to me.

has anyone else gotten high level sigils from low level quests?

[7-day_Trial_Monkey]

With the first character you make on a server, you don't have that option. You have to complete the grotto first, but after that you can go directly to the first mate and tell her you want to go to Stormreach and skip Korthos.

Yes, thanks for that clarrification.

[merrylady]

It's not a "so called" free game. It is free. You're just too lazy to put in the time to play for free. Your time has intrinsic value and it's pretty clear that grinding isn't something worth doing for you. I hate grinding as well and in FTP games I'll pay to avoid it. I don't have time to grind either.

A movie ticket costs about $10 for a few hours of entertainment and in my experience I get more out of my VIP sub playing a few hours a week than most movies. How much does a leveling sigil cost? Is it more than a candy bar or two; perhaps a large latte?

Eve Online is a sub based game and yet it sustains a free to play model because there are people who have fun grinding to the point that it pays for playing the fun parts of the game. I spend my time grinding at the office.

Oh, Im not lazy. I do all kinds of things all day long before I sit down to my computer to game. What keys I press or what dungeon Im doing and whether it is the first time or the one hundred and first time Ive done said dungeon has absolutely NOTHING to do with whether I am lazy or not. Its not about that, its about repeating the same things over and over in the hopes for a fake pixel item that I find not fun.

As I said, Ill go as far as I can get before it sets in. I dont know how long that is, Ive never played this game past the first couple of levels. All I do know is that if in order to level I have to repeat dungeons for whatever reason, xp to level, for a sigil to drop so I can level, because there is a lack of content and that is all there is to do, what EVER, I will lose interest fast. I find repeating content to be mind numbingly boring.

Yes all MMOs have some degree of this. But I have managed to play other games literally for years without running out of things to do. Without repeating content or grinding excessively. We shall see how long this one can hold a player like me, one who is either lazy or one who prefers stimulating NEW content on a regular basis, which ever you prefer to call it.

I havent made a judgement yet, as I said, I will go as far as I can get while playing "my way".

M

[sirfink]

I guess it makes sense that it's per character. It sucks, but it makes sense. Do you think it would be possible to get enough favor by the end of level four to equal enough TP to purchase the level sigil?


I don't think so. But we'll have to wait and see. Maybe they tweaked it since beta, but assuming things haven't changed then the answer is no.

Early on in beta, leveling sigils -- at least the first one which unlocked level 8 -- dropped like crazy in Korthos. You were almost guaranteed to get one prior to hitting level 4, sometimes you'd get one on the very first quest you did with that character. Then, late in the beta, they changed things and you never ever found one in Korthos and were lucky to find one in the Harbor or Marketplace. I assume that's the version that went "gold" so I don't have high hopes about finding sigils from quests. If that's the case then, yeah, it's gong to be very discouraging to people.

[Victorie]

The new options (Free, Premium and VIP) for access were designed to give players a range of choices for game access. As different players have different styles and preferences (and pocket cash) these choices to have options that work for many players.

Faelyndel, the DDO store accepts PayPal. Turbine accepts pre-paid credit and debit cards as well as credit cards (for subscription payments and purchases of Turbine Store Points). If the card has a Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover logo on it, we'll take it. Please just be sure you've registered the card with your name and address for proper verification in our system. ;)

[SangRahl]

Oh, Im not lazy. I do all kinds of things all day long before I sit down to my computer to game. What keys I press or what dungeon Im doing and whether it is the first time or the one hundred and first time Ive done said dungeon has absolutely NOTHING to do with whether I am lazy or not. Its not about that, its about repeating the same things over and over in the hopes for a fake pixel item that I find not fun.

As I said, Ill go as far as I can get before it sets in. I dont know how long that is, Ive never played this game past the first couple of levels. All I do know is that if in order to level I have to repeat dungeons for whatever reason, xp to level, for a sigil to drop so I can level, because there is a lack of content and that is all there is to do, what EVER, I will lose interest fast. I find repeating content to be mind numbingly boring.

Yes all MMOs have some degree of this. But I have managed to play other games literally for years without running out of things to do. Without repeating content or grinding excessively. We shall see how long this one can hold a player like me, one who is either lazy or one who prefers stimulating NEW content on a regular basis, which ever you prefer to call it.

I havent made a judgement yet, as I said, I will go as far as I can get while playing "my way".

M
I'm right here with you... Though I'm a bit thicker-skinned when it comes to repetition than some. (But once it sets in that I'm not enjoying it, anymore, it is VERY hard to go through it just one more time, even if my goal is in sight.)

My suggestion: Expect to run some/most quests twice. Do the Solo option, if it's available, to get a feel for th quest and the location. Then either do Normal again alone, or seek out a group to tackle it, or one of the more difficult itinerations.

If you come upon a quest with end rewards you like (only the Korthos quests have static rewards, so this advice is mainly for on the island), run the quest the number of times you need to get the items you want.

Note: The end rewards from Misery's Peak are a ONE TIME DEAL. So pick the set bonus you want the absolute MOST, and choose accordingly.
Then run the Mayor's quest again to flesh your kit out with his other options, if you so choose. (The +1/- DR gloves are nice, as are the +5%Striding/+3Tumble boots... then I top off with the Goggles for my Rogue Set, and I'm good to go, personally.)

Once off the island, there's a good deal of variety for your questing enjoyment... Then add in some comradery and chat, and you may not notice when someone asks to do a quest for the4th or 5th time to try for a specific drop.

And, on that note...

Sorry to go off-topic, but what's the obsession with muckbane anyway? Everyone I've met seems to want it. What about just equipping some +1 elemental handwraps.
The muckbane is one of the best weapons for fighting the dreaded Oozes and Rust Monsters who make it their greatest goal of their existence to EAT expensive weapons and armor.

It's 'Glass' which makes it immune to the durability damage cause by hitting these monsters and, as a bonus, it also includes a nice 1d6 bane damage against said Oozes.

Of course, you could just put on a pair of enchanted Handwraps, use a 1d6 Club that costs 1c to replace, or plink away with a Bow or Crossbow... But, once you get past the 'Grey' variety of oozes, the damage from Slashing or Piercing (including Arrows/Bolts) can cause the targeted ooze to split into two... thus doubling the amount of trouble you're already in. In the end, until you come across another nice '+X Glass Y of Lesser Ooze Bane', you pretty much have Muckbane as your best choice for in-your-face anti-ooze damage.

And, after typing all of this, I've come to the realization that the word "oozes" is both fun to type and to say aloud.

Oozes.

[TheBeastly]

Well it's soounding like sigils aren't hard to find, so that's promising. Buying a bit of Turbine Points for adventure packs, being able to send tells etc. wouldn't be a problem in terms of money, I'm not completely broke ;), but I'm too young for a credit card so I'm not quite sure HOW I'm going to buy these points.

Information is Key, hm? If I remember correctly, that one's not too hard, so that's a good thing.

It's very easy. You get a Mastecard vanilla card from any store, and then you type it in and voila!

[Faelyndel]

It's very easy. You get a Mastecard vanilla card from any store, and then you type it in and voila!
I forgot about those! Thanks for the tip.

Intersting how some people have mentioned it being hard to stumble upon the level sigils, while others have seemed to have found their's rather easily. I'm hoping I'm one of the ones that finds it easily, but I'm willing to repeat quests if necessary.

[Red_Knight]

Any quest.

For example, I got one offered as the reward from the quest giver, after finishing Information is Key on nomal difficulty.

That's a very easy quest to run through quickly, solo. I got it shortly after reaching level 4, so there was no delay in leveling for me.

Probably has to be a quest which can give loot off a table instead of the same item(s) all the time.

[Red_Knight]

Sorry to go off-topic, but what's the obsession with muckbane anyway? Everyone I've met seems to want it. What about just equipping some +1 elemental handwraps.

And OT: the sigils I've found so far were all from end rewards, not from chest. Well, all 4 of them, it's not really representative...

Slimes and oozes damage whatever weapon you hit them with, except Muckbane. It also does extra damage to slimes and oozes. In other words it's an adventurer's best friend when a slime or ooze comes around.

[Red_Knight]

The new options (Free, Premium and VIP) for access were designed to give players a range of choices for game access. As different players have different styles and preferences (and pocket cash) these choices to have options that work for many players.

Faelyndel, the DDO store accepts PayPal. Turbine accepts pre-paid credit and debit cards as well as credit cards (for subscription payments and purchases of Turbine Store Points). If the card has a Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover logo on it, we'll take it. Please just be sure you've registered the card with your name and address for proper verification in our system. ;)



The turbine store accepts paypal? SWEET!

Just gotta figure out how to set it for that.

[Serverdown]

Should change the name from DDO Unlimited to DDO Completely Limited. Not only do you charge for people to level, but you charge for old content, INCLUDING base release content. The concept of a "free to play" system is cool except for the fact that everything short of inviting someone to your group has a buy button next to it.

[Red_Knight]

Should change the name from DDO Unlimited to DDO Completely Limited. Not only do you charge for people to level, but you charge for old content, INCLUDING base release content. The concept of a "free to play" system is cool except for the fact that everything short of inviting someone to your group has a buy button next to it.

You don't have to pay to level. Got a copper sigil (5-8) first quest, and he was level 4 when this was announced.

[UltraMonk2]

Here is a recommedation for those people trying out the free to play, pay for just one month VIP and you will get 500 TP's for the trouble.

In addition, once you go back to free to play you will be a premium free to play. So 4 characters slots, less restrictions, etc.

Considering that a character slot is 595 TP's (or round about $9) x 2 = $18, paying for a $15 subscription for just one month is very good value.

Alternatively go through bargain bins at gaming stores and pick up the DDO box, it has been found for as cheap as $1 (but probably paying around $10-$20). That will give you a VIP subscription for 1 month.

And in that VIP one month, you will have access to all the content. So level up a toon as much as you can, earn favor as much as you can (because you earn TP's from doing that as well!) and when you go back to free to play you will only need to get leveling sigils for that toon past the level you are at, eg lvl 11 toon, only need to get 13-16 and 17-20 sigil's.

[Red_Knight]

I'm already Premium actually. I had a pre-existing account, but wasn't active. Can't renew just yet either. Banks closed, so I can't put money on my pre-paid visa.

[SangRahl]

Here is a recommedation for those people trying out the free to play, pay for just one month VIP and you will get 500 TP's for the trouble.

In addition, once you go back to free to play you will be a premium free to play. So 4 characters slots, less restrictions, etc.

Considering that a character slot is 595 TP's (or round about $9) x 2 = $18, paying for a $15 subscription for just one month is very good value.

Alternatively go through bargain bins at gaming stores and pick up the DDO box, it has been found for as cheap as $1 (but probably paying around $10-$20). That will give you a VIP subscription for 1 month.

And in that VIP one month, you will have access to all the content. So level up a toon as much as you can, earn favor as much as you can (because you earn TP's from doing that as well!) and when you go back to free to play you will only need to get leveling sigils for that toon past the level you are at, eg lvl 11 toon, only need to get 13-16 and 17-20 sigil's.I'd go review the updated info about the differenced between Free, Premium, and VIP access. http://www.ddo.com/vip

While I know you're just trying to help new players get a "better deal", the truth is, you can get the same 4 character slots, and open access to chat, mail, and the auction house (as well as the removal of the maximum gold per level restriction)... all with smply purchasing the lowest package of points from the DDO Store (400 TPs for ~$7). The only major difference being that a single month of VIP would grant access to WF, Monk, and all purchasable content from the get-go... which would be removed upon cancelling the sub at the end of the month. So, pay the $15 VIP access and essentially 'rent' open access for a month for $7.50, and the other $7.50 effectively pays for the "free" 500TPs you gain as a short-term VIP (and still have to pay out for the shared bank/WF/Monk/etc. after the end of the month)... or just pay for a points package, and possibly save money if you only get the lower quantity.

Cent-for-cent, VIP is worth the money if you are planning on really pushing for Favor and moving straight to Lvl.20... You get free access to zones that will allow you to level as efficiently as possible, especially since Lvl.13+ practically requires purchased content to reach.

My advice for the seriously money-conscious would be to get a pre-paid C/C, pay for a points package (and purchase WF/Drow/Monk/FS, if you really wanted any of them for your main or three alternate characters), and level as far as you feel comfortable in finding groups and quests you enjoy. When you either reach the current leveling limitations imposed by the purchase-only content, or just decide you want to see some of the areas that other players keep going on about, then reconsider going VIP for full access. (content-wise, VIP is the way to go if you're planning on playing for the long haul... piecemeal content purchases, while permanent regardless of account status, are certainly the more expensive prospect).

[Gladiator_206]

The game is also just way more fun at the higher levels, too.
:D

The game is SIGNIFIGANTLY more fun at high lvls, as is the case with almost all games. Also getting into a good guild wll help wit the "fun" factor.




I just can't figure out how people with 10 character slots find themselves in need of more, it's just unfathomable that you could ever repeat that starter quest that many times, without wanting to blow your own head off

* I'd really hope that they'll add in a way to skip the tutorial quest, and go straight to Korthos.. because it's going to be a painful experience for me to run that one more time..

:D

Trust me, sometimes the vets do want to blow their heads off with the low lvl content. However, once you have completed the tutorial quest (called ingame as "The Grotto"), along with miserys peak at least one time - the next time you talk to jeets the rogue upon creation of a new character, he does give the option to skip The Grotto and go strait to (sunny) Korthos!


P.S: sorry if this has allready been discussed to death by someone else, but i never read the whole thread :P

[Tarrell]

Its the game killer for me. I have several issues with it all so far (and its only day 1 lol) but that one is the one that does it for me.

There are 2 things I hate doing in games more than anything. One is grinding and the other is grinding. I refuse to do it. Not for favor to get the level sigil through the store, not to repeat dungeons/quests in the hopes that it might drop.

The adventure packs are another issue for me but I will never get that far. However, in my opinion, barring content is not going to be the smartest decision they made when they did this F2P thing.

That all being said I am having fun in the starter area and will get as far as I can get without falling prey to the grind. Most every one in there with me seems to be having fun as well however I have seen a few ppl today claim that they "were done" due to one issue or another. Anyway, I wish Turbine and DDO all the best and I hope this plan works for them. That its not "my cup of tea" doesnt make it a bad game or anything, I just wont pay to play a so called free game, and dont have the time to go "VIP".

Good luck all.

M

Do you also raid your neighbour's trash cans for Pizza leftovers? Seriously, how tight are some people that a one time payment of around 5 bucks is too much money to spend in a game that has no monthly subscriptions.

[abull74]

Best thing to do is go VIP.....If you plan on really playing then you will be better off just paying the monthly fee and have access to EVERYTHING.
This F2P is, IMO, an advertising bump. "Let's get them in with the F2P, and when they realize how much of a pain in the A$$ it is to purchase everything, they will just subscribe."
Excellent tatic if you ask me, because it doesn't take long to get addicted to the game.


I AM THE FPOON!!!

[Faelyndel]

I understand why VIP would be worthwhile for people who plan on playing long-term, and I can certainly see the appeal, but the thing with F2P is that it allows people to play who otherwise would not be able. I myself am an example of someone who loves the game, and would happily pay the subscription fee for VIP, but is lacking both money and a credit card and can't go VIP. So being F2P, even if I have to pay for some areas/races/classes etc; allows me to play the game without forking over money I don't have.

And more on-topic with the original stream of thought, I got a level sigil as an end reward from the Den of the Kobold Brothers quest from Durk the Deranged in the Leaky Dinghy, and was at level three at the time. Perhaps I just got lucky, but it seems like they aren't too hard to find if you are doing quests that offer a selectable end reward.

[merrylady]

Do you also raid your neighbour's trash cans for Pizza leftovers? Seriously, how tight are some people that a one time payment of around 5 bucks is too much money to spend in a game that has no monthly subscriptions.

Where does my post say that I wouldnt pay it if it were worth it? My issues are with repeated content and time, not money. Id happily fork it over, heck Id sub on up, if the game were worth it to me. Its not. Im just dabbling around until I either get stuck due to no leveling sigil or am forced to repeat content in order progress. Since I already know that the game was purposely made to require repeating content I wont be all shocked and come in here screaming how bad the game sucks when that happens. Ill just take my leave. I havent repeated a thing yet and have made level 3 tho so who knows lol.

Oh, and you could try to be a little nicer to people you know nothing about.

M

[merrylady]

Best thing to do is go VIP.....If you plan on really playing then you will be better off just paying the monthly fee and have access to EVERYTHING.
This F2P is, IMO, an advertising bump. "Let's get them in with the F2P, and when they realize how much of a pain in the A$$ it is to purchase everything, they will just subscribe."
Excellent tatic if you ask me, because it doesn't take long to get addicted to the game.


I AM THE FPOON!!!

I would agree but for one thing. If someone really dug the game and was willing to grind their guts out they can actually purchase all that stuff in the store with TP that they earn while doing so. It CAN be totally free to play in full. Which actually is kind of cool.

M

[idbi]

I understand why VIP would be worthwhile for people who plan on playing long-term, and I can certainly see the appeal, but the thing with F2P is that it allows people to play who otherwise would not be able. I myself am an example of someone who loves the game, and would happily pay the subscription fee for VIP, but is lacking both money and a credit card and can't go VIP. So being F2P, even if I have to pay for some areas/races/classes etc; allows me to play the game without forking over money I don't have.

I understand that finances can be tough and that obviously people wish everything was free but really the amount of money that it costs to VIP is negligible. If you can afford to have a computer capable of playing DDO and if you can afford monthly internet access for that computer you can afford to be a VIP you just choose not to. You might even have convinced yoruself that you can't afford it but you can ... about 50 cents a day.



And more on-topic with the original stream of thought, I got a level sigil as an end reward from the Den of the Kobold Brothers quest from Durk the Deranged in the Leaky Dinghy, and was at level three at the time. Perhaps I just got lucky, but it seems like they aren't too hard to find if you are doing quests that offer a selectable end reward.

Congrats! I still haven't found one.

[Faelyndel]

I understand that finances can be tough and that obviously people wish everything was free but really the amount of money that it costs to VIP is negligible. If you can afford to have a computer capable of playing DDO and if you can afford monthly internet access for that computer you can afford to be a VIP you just choose not to. You might even have convinced yoruself that you can't afford it but you can ... about 50 cents a day.
That's a good point. I probably COULD afford it. Problem remains, though, that I lack a method of paying.

[Red_Knight]

That's a good point. I probably COULD afford it. Problem remains, though, that I lack a method of paying.

Could do what I was doing before getting a reloadable Visa Buxx card. I would go to my bank every month and get a 20 or 30 dollar prepaid visa gift card. This was fine actually. I just got tired of having to cancel every month and put in a new card.

[FlameofAngband]

Best thing to do is go VIP.....If you plan on really playing then you will be better off just paying the monthly fee and have access to EVERYTHING.


I AM THE FPOON!!!


That really depends on how long you think you are going to play this game, if you think you will play it for at least 2 years, and you trust that Turbine will still have the servers up in that time...you are actually probably better off buying all the adventure packs/races/classes and getting out of VIP. You'll save money.

[MagicianBlade]

Should change the name from DDO Unlimited to DDO Completely Limited. Not only do you charge for people to level, but you charge for old content, INCLUDING base release content. The concept of a "free to play" system is cool except for the fact that everything short of inviting someone to your group has a buy button next to it.

that's funny, i've played through to level 6 now, without a single need to buy anything. However, I do understand that once you get to around 8th level, if you haven't bought some content, you're going to prboably be pretty bored with what's available.

btw, got my first level sigil at 3rd level

[Usagi101]

Could do what I was doing before getting a reloadable Visa Buxx card. I would go to my bank every month and get a 20 or 30 dollar prepaid visa gift card. This was fine actually. I just got tired of having to cancel every month and put in a new card.

You couldn't just recharge the gift card?

[Red_Knight]

You couldn't just recharge the gift card?

My bank offers 2 types of stored value visa. The first is non-reloadable visa gift cards. The second is a Visa Buxx card. The buxx card is a stored value visa that is reloadable.

[xriz]

My level 2 wizard was offered a copper Sigil as a quest reward in one of the early Harbor quest, a level 2 quest. As a note, this NPC offered about 20 items to select from as a reward rather then a hand full like a lot of the NPC's offer.

So, instead of taking the first item wiched looked realy good, I scrolled throght all of them and there the Copper Sigil was down tward the bottom. So I think the NPC's that offer a lot of differnt rewards could be replayed and maybe a Sigil will be generated after a few times.

[darkkhan]

That's a good point. I probably COULD afford it. Problem remains, though, that I lack a method of paying.

Well, if your problem isnt $$ but the plastic, go to your local Blockbuster, 7-11, Walmart, or gaming store and see if they have Ultimate Game Cards. Its another way to get TP or subtime.

[Noctus]

Slimes and oozes damage whatever weapon you hit them with, except Muckbane.

Or get some "Everbright" weapons. They are immune to rustys or oozes, too. And come in much better shapes and enchantment boni than a +1 club.

[lugoman]

I got a copper sigil as an end reward doing Durk's quest also. For the record it was on solo difficulty at level 2. I did this quest twice, first on normal and got no sigil as a reward option. I got the quest again and went back and did it on solo and then had sigil as a reward option. So 50% sigil rate so far.

FYI, Durk is in the floating tavern.

[Gaunthor]

What about platinum Sigil of Leveling for level 17 to 20? Anyone got them? Where did it drop?

I have been playing day and night ever since I came back trying F2P grinding favor to unlock things but stuill no Sigil of lvling for 17-20... or any for that mather. I have 4 my 4 character waiting on a sigil to hit lvl 17+ and still nothing. I am saving my TP for the Vale AP and only 50 points away so I don't feel like wasting it on Sigil. Not when I am so close to unlocking the shroud. I also had to unlock WF and it really isn't cheap to pay 595 TP to play your alts just because for some reason they decided WF wasn't F2P.

I also feel I got screwed with F2P as all my alts had pretty high favor and I didn't get credited for it prioperly. (By Properly I mean, I have 4 character with each over 1200 FP so I should have like 1200 TP right? well I only got 300 or so.)

[Halo_572]

I can understand wanting to play to get the sigils for free, but surely if you are a free player spending $6 to buy one and have spare points isn't too much to ask?

I will play to the maxed level and maybe a bit further before I buy any needed as I take it as more of a skill thing and more rewarding than just being tight. If I can't eventually find one I'll happily pay what for me is around £2.00 for it and the same with the module packs. There is always the chance they will be on offer at some time too.

If no one ever spends anything the game won't last very long and as I consider it better than the equivalent buy once non-subs Guild Wars that would be a shame.

The complete Guild Wars is still £25 ($37) and when you have been banned by having another anonymous nazi player making false allegations about you and submitting a report, you wouldn't consider buying another NSoft game again. I can do without spending time in a fascist online world where you can have a random visit from the secret police in the middle of the night. It also leaves you with a $37 tea coaster.

$37 buys 3300 turbine points, more if you wait to see if they have a sale.

[Junts]

I guess it makes sense that it's per character. It sucks, but it makes sense. Do you think it would be possible to get enough favor by the end of level four to equal enough TP to purchase the level sigil?

And on a similar note, would it be possible to earn enough favor by playing the game to equal enough TP to purchase some of these adventure packs? Or will I have to spend some money on adventure packs to enrich my playing experience and/or have access to enough quests to level?

You would but you should get one from an hour or two spent working on harbor quests .. those 150 tp are way better spent on an adventure pack in the future when you run out of good quests to run to level. Please keep in mind there are no free quests past level 12 or so, so you will need to save your free points and farm more free points to get access to quests to level past 12 or 13.

If it is your goal to play ddo for free, you cannot afford to ever spend turbine points on anything except new quests, possibly new character slots, and if you really want them the paid races/classes.

Turbine points accumulate slowly enough that buying all your level sigils is equivalent to giving away enough points to purchse access to another dozen quests and raid to level yourself in in the level 13-16 range (its the same cost as gianthold or the vale of twilight, the two must-have higher level packs before devils of shavarath).

[Lorien_the_First_One]

What about platinum Sigil of Leveling for level 17 to 20? Anyone got them? Where did it drop?

I have been playing day and night ever since I came back trying F2P grinding favor to unlock things but stuill no Sigil of lvling for 17-20... or any for that mather. I have 4 my 4 character waiting on a sigil to hit lvl 17+ and still nothing. I am saving my TP for the Vale AP and only 50 points away so I don't feel like wasting it on Sigil. Not when I am so close to unlocking the shroud. I also had to unlock WF and it really isn't cheap to pay 595 TP to play your alts just because for some reason they decided WF wasn't F2P.

I also feel I got screwed with F2P as all my alts had pretty high favor and I didn't get credited for it prioperly. (By Properly I mean, I have 4 character with each over 1200 FP so I should have like 1200 TP right? well I only got 300 or so.)

Sounds like you had the favor prior to EU launching. Favor wasn't fully retroactive, all you got credit for retroactively was for the server based favor, not char based.

[adamkatt]

Well it's soounding like sigils aren't hard to find, so that's promising. Buying a bit of Turbine Points for adventure packs, being able to send tells etc. wouldn't be a problem in terms of money, I'm not completely broke ;), but I'm too young for a credit card so I'm not quite sure HOW I'm going to buy these points.

Information is Key, hm? If I remember correctly, that one's not too hard, so that's a good thing.


I may be a bad example but it took my sorc 150 lvl 5-8 to get a silver and 60-70 9-12 quests to get a gold sigil.

[Slagar]

I understand that finances can be tough and that obviously people wish everything was free but really the amount of money that it costs to VIP is negligible. If you can afford to have a computer capable of playing DDO and if you can afford monthly internet access for that computer you can afford to be a VIP you just choose not to. You might even have convinced yoruself that you can't afford it but you can ... about 50 cents a day.

Unless of course you purchased your computer while still employed and are now living off of the good graces of others/family who have internet. Just to be technical, there are those people that have the ability to play without the means to support a VIP account or even buying turbine points.

[Gaunthor]

Sounds like you had the favor prior to EU launching. Favor wasn't fully retroactive, all you got credit for retroactively was for the server based favor, not char based.

If it's the way it's suposed to work, then I am pretty much done for ain't I. Yes I had the Favor prior to to EU launching. What am I suposed to do, delete my character with high favor(and Raid items) and make new ones? So I can have a chance to unlock AP so I can once more enjoy the game?

I did submit a ticket to account support. I'll see what comes of it.

[stilldamom]

I read about 3 pages of this thread and several times "gold limit" was mentioned. What is meant by this?

[adamkatt]

I read about 3 pages of this thread and several times "gold limit" was mentioned. What is meant by this?

Free 2 Play accounts are limited on how much gold they can carry. This limit is increased every time you level up though.

[skarwolf]

I got a level 6-8 sigil from the npc at the harbour Inn, Stormreach one of the first quests I did upon arriving where you clear out the gambling den.

[Thaldon]

silver sigil soloing hard mode house deneith sewer quests.

[scidude]

So just to clarify something I read in another thread; You have to PAY for "level sigils" just to be able to level, as a F2P player? Seriously? I understand there are limits to free playing to make it worthwhile to be a VIP and i apologize if I sound like a whiny brat, but do we honestly have to pay to advance every four levels?

The sigils are relatively common, though I'm convinced that harder quest settings make them more common. I only had one character so far go beyond the cap and not get his sigil. Was that same character that made me realize, sometimes leveling up as soon as you can is actually the worse thing you can do if you are doing the F2P content. Sometimes it's best to NOT level.

[castion99]

I have a ranger that got his Sigil on the first try of Information is Key Quest at level 2.

But my Wizard I have fun that quest at least 15 times on all sorts of difficulty settings and durks got a secret 3 times.

Any other quest suggestions? I am about to spend my 50 turbine points and buy it on the DDO store.

[idbi]

Unless of course you purchased your computer while still employed and are now living off of the good graces of others/family who have internet. Just to be technical, there are those people that have the ability to play without the means to support a VIP account or even buying turbine points.

Okay granted. If someone is barely making it, living off of charity, and has no possible way of coming up with 50 cents a day other than petty crime perhaps spending their days in pursuit of free content in an MMO is not the best use of the resources they do have. Just to be technical, people paying money pay server costs and development costs, they are customers. They are catered to (in theory ;-) If you do not have the ability, for any reason, to sub VIP or purchase points but do still want to play just go ahead and enjoy the available content and work within the confines of the f2p model and re-evaluate spending money on the game should your situation change. Just because someone is incapable of purchasing something doesn't mean that it should be given to them.

[jimmymac32409]

Here is my question. What if a F2P character hits his XP cap and still hasn't found a sigil? If he keeps trying new quests in an effort to find his sigil is he loosing that xp? or is it like when the level cap was 16 and any quests you did while capped didn't count. Then once the level cap was raised the next time you did that quest you got your full xp for first time completion.

If you loose the first time completion xp when your F2P capped then that sucks. Can anyone confirm how it works?

[CE2JRH123]

You can overcap to "pin", which is 2 levels ahead -1 exp.

So you can be level 4, gain exp, gain all of level 4's exp needed to reach level 5.
Then you can gain all of level 5's exp, -1, to reach level 6.

When you find your sigil, you'll be level 5, 1 exp point from level 6.

[jimmymac32409]

You can overcap to "pin", which is 2 levels ahead -1 exp.

So you can be level 4, gain exp, gain all of level 4's exp needed to reach level 5.
Then you can gain all of level 5's exp, -1, to reach level 6.

When you find your sigil, you'll be level 5, 1 exp point from level 6.

But my question is once you hit that actual cap and keep running quests to find a sigil what happens to the xp you can't get? Use to be when there was no such thing as free to play (MOD 8 and before) once you hit the level cap you could do quests but would not get penalized for not getting the xp. I.E. you wouldn't loose your first time completion bonus and once the level cap was raised you could do the quest again and get that first time bonus even though it really wasn't your first time doing the quest. Just your first time getting the xp. I am wondering if this is true now for F2P players when they are capped but still want to search for a sigil instead of buying it. Anyone know? Because if not then F2P players would try to get a sigil by running quests over and over then have run it so many times that they lost all the xp before they ever got any of it.

[z0mbyjr]

I completely support the concept of leveling sigils.
Turbine needs $...

And finding them isn't that hard. By the time you're level 4, if you do enough quests to even be close to level five, you'll most likely have found a copper sigil.

On my 1st character, I bought a sigil, not knowing they'd be so easy to find.
For my 2nd character, within me getting to 1 rank after Level 4, I found my sigil...
Same for my 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc.

And anyway, Turbine Points can be earned in game. So even if you can't find a sigil, you can still get it without paying a cent.

[jimmymac32409]

I am not sure that everyone is aware of this but as the level goes up the 'Drop Rate' of the sigil goes WAY down. I would agree that finding a copper sigil is easy. It seems to have a very high drop rate. After that though all other sigils look to have a very very low drop rate. I have friends and guildies that have made it to the 1exp below level 10 cap and ran every F2P quest they could up to elite and have had no silver sigil drop. I figure from what I'm seeing that the drop rate for silver and above is less than 3%. It looks like its less likely to drop than most raid loot in the game.

I'm not complaining about that and my F2P buddies don't mind that much about the drop rate either. What they don't want is to have repeated the quests so many times that they get no xp once they do get the sigil by either finding it or finally giving up and getting one through the store. Guess no one knows the answer to this. A ticket was even sent into the GMs and they said they didn't know the answer to the xp question. I will say this if they are loosing the xp for running quests when they are capped then it should be changed. Don't see the fairness in that at all.