Newbie Q's (and a newbie's guess at A's)

[GuntherBovine]

I have been playing for a few weeks and have had various questions as I played, most of which I think I have answered. So here is my Q and A's

User Interface
When I mouse over another player, the focus window has lots of buttons, but when I try to click on them the window goes blank. How do I click on them?
Right click on the player and then you can click on the buttons

When I hire a hireling, his/her shortcut bar is in the middle of the screen and I am constantly accidentally clicking on it. What can I do?
All of the pieces of the UI are draggable. Personally, I moved my shortcut bar to the bottom left and moved the hireling's shortcut bar to the bottom right.

How do I tumble?
Hit the Shift key and then the direction you want to go (W, A, D or S). Don't hold down the direction key and then hit Shift as that only puts you into a defensive stance

I have 3 potions of Jumping and I want to sell 2 of them. How do I do it?
Within your inventory, click on the potions and drag them to a new spot. While dragging, hold down the Ctrl key. When you let go of the mouse button, the UI will ask you "How many?" Specify 2 and then sell that group

How do I combine arrows/bolts in inventory with arrows/bolts that are on my character?
Drag and drop. The limit for arrows on your character is 100, so you can't drag and drop to combine if that will give you more than 100

What is a good key layout for the shortcut bar?
I put my best healing pot in slot 1. I put my most frequently used skills in spots 2 and 3 because they are right above the "w". I put my weapon switches on the right end. But I am just a newbie.

What is the value of these skills?
Balance - Vital for a front line fighter as there are animals that will knock you down and this gets you back up quickly
Concentration - Allows you to cast spells while getting whacked on. Also, key for monks to have good ki
Diplomacy - When monsters are picking players to attack, they will be less likely to pick you. Helpful for Rogues so they can slip around and backstab. It can be useful for the quest "Where There's Smoke...", but I haven't seen other quests where it can help
Haggle - improves prices when buying and selling. See here (http://my.ddo.com/theris/2010/05/13/tips-tricks-shopping-in-stormreach/)
Heal - The highest heal value of your party increases the amount of hp's restored at a shrine. Really useful for healing clerics
Hide - Must be paired with Move Silently. If you play a solo, this can be really useful skill. It is really nice to pick off enemies one by one. Many groups won't take the time to let you use
Intimidate - When monsters are picking players to attack, they will be more likely to pick you. If you are playing a tank, this will make your non-tank party members really like you. Occasionally useful in quests.
Listen - from what I gather, a near useless skill
Jump - When you are hemmed in by enemies, Jump lets you jump out of there. There are also occasional parts of quests where you have to jump to the next location. I don't know the value of increasing the Jump skill
Move Silently - Must be paired with Hide. See Hide
Search - Allows you to find hidden doors and traps. It is really annoying to know that there is a hidden door revealing part of a level and not being able to find it
Spot - Allows you to notice hidden door and traps. If you play with people who know a quest or if you pull up a quest map from DDOwiki (http://ddowiki.com/page/Category:Quests_by_name), not much value. I think it allows you to make out hiding monsters such Kobold Rogues and Wolves, but I am not sure
Swim - Lets you swim better, duh. Given the starter Ring of Waterbreathing, I have not seen any value
Tumble - Got me. A standard recommendation is just one point, but I don't know why
Use Magic Device - UMD for short. Allows you to use magic items like wands. Also allows you to use magic items like weapons that you are not a fit for (wrong race, class, alignment, etc.). I don't know if low levels of UMD is of value

Hirelings
Are hirelings useful? If so, which one should I hire?
Hirelings are wonderful. They are very valuable if you solo and are great at buffing up a small party for a quest that is slightly above their level. Which one you should hire depends on your party. If you don't have a cleric, a cleric hireling is incredibly useful. I find Sorc and Wizards not useful when soloing as many monsters go right to them and consequently they frequently die

I am not sure I will need a hireling for this difficulty. What should I do?
Do not summon the hireling when you enter the quest. If you are having troubles with the quest, run back to the entrance and summon the hireling

When I rest my cleric hireling, the first thing he/she does after resting is waste SP's healing me while I rest
Always have your character start resting before resting your hireling cleric

How can I keep traps from killing my hirelings?
The leftmost button on the hireling's shortcut bar toggles whether the hireling will move or stay in one place. Go somewhere the hireling will be safe, click that button, get past the trap, then click on the second button (the one with footprints) to have the hireling come to your location (which also gets the hireling out of stay mode). If you can put a barrier that your hireling finds impossible to pass like a closed door or water, the hireling will teleport to you and completely avoid the trap

How do I resurrect a hireling?
Grab their soulstone and head to the Sun Shrine. The hireling will follow you. Once there, release the soulstone. Right-click on the shrine and then click on the gears icon on your hireling's shortcut bar

How do I get my hireling to cast a spell on another player?
I am not really sure

How do I get my hireling to activate an INT rune?
I wish I knew

Gameplay
What is aggro and why should I care?
Aggro is short for monster aggression. Monsters with no aggro are standing around scratching themselves, on the look out for nasty adventurers. Damaging a monster triggers aggro and monsters target the player that damaged it. If you have a party, managing aggro is very important. You want your melee fighters drawing most of the aggro and the spellcasters avoiding aggro. Screwing up aggro will make you unpopular with your party

How do I resurrect another player?
Grab their soulstone and head to the Sun Shrine. Once there, release the soulstone. The player can then resurrect themself

How do I cast a spell on another player?
Right click on them then cast. Or press the function key for the player (F2 for the second player, etc) and then cast

Is blocking with the Shift key worthwhile?
As far as I can tell, no. I rather be whacking on the monster and working through the hit cycle

Groups/Social
What is an opener?
To run a quest on Elite, someone in the party has to have completed it on Hard. So an "Elite opener" is someone who has already completed the quest on hard

Should I play solo, join a guild or go with Pick Up Groups (PUG)?
Personal preference. Personally, I play solo the first time through a quest because most PUG's I have joined go through a quest so quickly that I don't know what is going on.

I joined a PUG and they are totally disorganized. What should I do?
One option is to message the party that you just got a phone call and bail. If it starts badly, the odds aren't good that it will improve. Generally, I complete the quest and then bail. OTOH, I have joined disorganized PUG's and by hanging back, I will find an intelligent player who is disgusted with the rest of the party and is fine to quest with without the other players

I joined a PUG and they want to do a quest on a difficulty that I don't think the group is up to. What should I do?
Personal preference. I don't like my characters to die, so I wouldn't enter the quest. Say you are sorry, but you aren't up to it. I once joined a PUG that was about to start Kobold Assault. The first person picked Hard even though we weren't up to it and then immediately opened the gate. By the time I got in, the party was swarmed and I didn't have time to summon the cleric hireling I had. We quickly died

What should I do with the potions I find?
Bear's Endurance - Buffs Constitution for 3 minutes. I can't think of any use for low-level characters, so sell
Bless - Too short of a duration. Sell
Bull's Strength - Buffs Strength for 3 minutes. In "Walk the Butcher's Path", there is a lever that requires 17 STR. If you have a STR or 13-16, this will get you to that part of the quest
Cat's Grace - Buffs Dexterity for 3 minutes. I can't think of any use for low-level characters, so sell
Cure Light/Moderate/Serious Wounds - Keep!
Eagle's Splendor - Buffs Charisma for 3 minutes. I haven't done this, but I think if you quaff it before a big sell, it will boost you haggle and allow you to make more money
Fox's Cunning - Buffs Intelligence for 3 minutes. There are a number of low level quests that have runes that require a certain intelligence (typically 14) in order to get past. If you have an INT between 10 and 13, this can get you past those runes
Invisibilty - If you have a stealthy character, makes you super stealthy. Still, I can't think of any use for low-level characters, so sell
Jumping - Keep one for parts of quests where there are difficult jumps and sell the rest
Mage Armor - If you wear armor, sell
Oil of Light/Moderate/Serious Repair - Sell unless you are Warforged
Paralysis Removal - Keep for when someone gets paralyzed
Protection from Evil - Too short of a duration. Sell
Shield of Faith - Too short of a duration. Sell
Tumbling - Sell

Playing for free
Can I really play for free?
Yes. I think you will have problems with the lack of free content for higher levels, but you can have an excellent gaming experience for a long time without spending a penny

Should I play for free?
If you find the game enjoyable, no. $5 gives you a premium account, which removes a lot of hassles

I want to run multiple characters. Should I run them on the same server or different servers?
The advantage of running them on different servers is that you get Turbine Points (TP's) for hitting certain favor totals on each server (50 for 5, 25 for 25, 25 for 50, 50 for 500). So if you have three characters with 50 favor on three different servers, you get 300 TP's instead of the one 100 you would get if they were on the same server. However, I think having all your characters on the same server makes the most sense. You can mail items and money between the characters on the same server. Favor unlocks character options such as the Drow race on the same server. The additional TP's you get from being on separate server won't really buy you much

I am really like this game and am willing to plunk down some money now. What should I buy?
Tough call. The best options appear to me: unlock 32 point characters, content, races and classes. There is plenty of free content to what looks like level 8, so you don't need to buy content right away. But you will need to buy content eventually. 32 point characters gets unlocked at 1750 favor, which is a huge amount for one character. OTOH, you could possibly save a lot of TP's by buying tomes to boost your stats instead of paying to unlock the 32 point character, but that implies you know exactly the toon you want to run. The Drow is a poor man's 32 character build, but it gets unlocked at 400 favor. I bought the Monk and then couldn't find any enough basic guides to feel comfortable investing the time in running it. I haven't bought the Warforged or Favored Soul, so I can't comment on them. I am favoring unlocking the 32 point characters

[Eladiun]

Blue on Black is awful to read.

[Vynnt]

Some notes about your skills.

Heal isn't even useful on a cleric. (also besides more hp at shrine, you can use heal kits to get people up that are incapacitated, although, any form of healing will get them up easier, thus its a useless skill).

Swim lets you hold your breath longer and swim faster. but like you said, its useless.

You only need 1 in tumble, because that's all you need to tumble post mods. It also makes you take less damage when falling. Some people take lots of tumble, but its mostly just flavor.

You only need 10 or less in jump because it caps at 40 and a jump spell will give you 30.

[sinohptik]

I wont say anything on stuff thats right... :) but ill add some.

Stacks of arrows in inventory is consistent at 100, but some quivers will allow larger stacks. when/if these are placed back into the general inventory, a max stack of 100 is enforced again.

best key layout? that is not just personal preference, but class specific, as well as build specific. I usually have 7 keys macro'd to my mouse, and use control to switch task bars, or just click... However, i almost always use ~10 hotbars in a specific layout on my screen. I use two vertical on the right side, usually for equipment/weapon changes. Two on the very top of the screen, and one just to the right of the minimap, with my status bar right under that. Then, i have three along the bottom of the screen, above the xp bar. on say a monk, ill also put two more bars above the middle bottom bar, and map ALT+(n) so my abilities can be activated by using a key sequence like: Mouse button x (say, water attack1), mouse button y (right next to it other mouse button), alt+mouse button x (water attack2). Then mouse button 7 (scroll wheel clicked right) is for the "finishing move" activation. so, all of my sequences are mapped so that i press alt and be able to hit finishing moves without cooldown, and as quickly as i can figure out how to. I must firmly state, this is personal preference only and may actually make you play worse if it doesnt jive with your playstyle. I thought it would be nice to get an actual example of how someone does it for themselves though.

diplo is an activated AOE skill.

heal is indeed useful for more hp recovered at shrine, however, with a class that usually has INT a bit lower, other skills should probably be focused on.

intim is also an activated AOE spell.

listen is not so much useless as it is simply not nearly as good as spot. the visual cue for footsteps you hear can be next to impossible to see. it can be handy for certain quests (without giving too much away), but not enough to invest in it.

Search is what you use to actually find the hidden doors, etc. It is an activated skill. Spot will alert you of their presence.

hireling casting is similar to normal casting.. you target the subject (using F keys in party default [F1, F2, F3, etc], can right click to target out of party) and click the applicable spell on the hirelings hotbar. The same process is used to have your hireling interact with objects (like runes or shrines). You target using the cursor, and then click the "gears" icon (interact). do note that hireling can and will have more spells/abilities than can be accessed through their hotbar. for a full list, i believe both the wiki and the compendium can give you more info. These spells are cast by the AI, and no one else, and shouldnt really be used in the "battle plan," but its more information.

Potions can be extremely useful... especially the +4 stat ones at earlier levels (become useless once PCs start getting +4 and higher items), keep them, or sell stacks of 100 on AH. I wont go into detail on their specific uses, but youll figure it out quickly... though i will say they can frequently be used in lieu of SP/solo.


you will NOT save money by buying tomes to make up for the 32 pt builds... Also of note is that while you can unlock those things (drow, veteran, FvS) by favor, it only unlocks it on that specific server, while purchasing the same with TP will apply to all servers. The drow is not a "poor mans" anything, but it should be noted, when you unlock 32 pt builds, they still only get 28 (as the extra points are predetermined). Builds utilizing drows strengths are effective indeed..

warforged and favored soul are pretty nice unlocks, personally. warforged can self heal as arcane, and have many strengths (swimming, poison, beholders, etc). FvS are essentially a beefed up cleric, with split spell casting stat spread, and no heavy armor prof. They are also fantastic, but personally, i always cringe when trying to get good DCs and still maximize CHA. Thats just some quick personal insight on those, others will have more to add, and through playing youll find your own answers as well :)

If you want to know anything about monks, there are a lot of people that can help (including myself). But, i will say, i really feel its a class that is best to learn by doing. With that being said, what server are you on? Im sure someone can show you some stuff. I am on cannith, and a few of my toons are in sig.

If you farm TPs, you can buy a significant amount of in game packs completely for free. There is a guide around here somewhere that is just fantastic, brb ill see if i can find it... and i cant? hahah, oh well, im sure someone can, if they would be so kind. Also, take advice that new players give with a grain of salt (im aware what it says under my user name ;) ), while vets can and do get things wrong, they have been playing for years. Anyone who does anything dedicated for years will likely be able to give you some incredible insight, if they are kind enough to do so. It seems a big trend lately that people who have been playing a couple of weeks seem to want to educate everyone on game mechanics (they would probably try to tell Mr. Gary Gygax[RIP] how to play the game). I have actually had people downright tell me to not give them any advice because they knew everything already. Some are not as bad, though. Just dont take offense if someone says something like "you probably need more CON." Couldnt tell you how many <200 hp lvl 20 rogues i have told that to only to get some pretty aggressive responses. I only bring it up when its a noticable issue (rogue death count can be telling...), but even then almost every single one has taken offense. Things like that really just shouldnt be an issue, IMO, but thought i would throw it out there since you will undoubtedly encounter both sides of that coin. Just be open to advice from people who are friendly. Doesnt mean you have to take action on it, but if they are friendly, and have been playing longer than you, they probably have your best interests at heart.

Also, dont even bother with multiclass builds until you get the game down a bit more. Not only can they work, they can be incredibly effective, but ONLY if you have some decent knowledge on all of the classes, their core stats, and synergies between classes. However, i encourage anyone new to try out a "noobie friendly" multiclass build. People are harsh on builds, so you can read the threads to figure out which ones will work for that (there are a 'few' different builds out there :) ). But on that note, get creative. Try things out, its the only way to really learn things in this game! For completely experimental builds, its advised to either have self healing (Heal (spell)/Reconstruct) or a cleric hireling (much cheaper than buying pots). When you get some good friends, then they can keep you up as well (if healers/arcane of course!). I dont personally mind experimental builds at all (as i frequently make them!), but some people might get a bit upset with ya if you can not carry your own weight. This is solved simply by making some friends :) mine put up with my bs, for the most part, haha.

i think im done editing now :D

[Matuse]

For the love of mike, do NOT sell invis potions. Hoard them like Smeagol hoardes engagement rings. There is no vendor for them, and they are INCREDIBLY useful at all levels. They don't need any UMD, and require no spellpoints to use.

[vVAnjilaVv]

Swim lets you hold your breath longer and swim faster. but like you said, its useless.



Not anymore...future content is going to have underwater battle.....I would guess swim is going to be very nice for that content.

[MrkGrismer]

Not anymore...future content is going to have underwater battle.....I would guess swim is going to be very nice for that content.

Swim skill would still be made absolutely obsolete by an underwater action object (such as a bottle of air for instance). How common such items are seems to be somewhat debatable, however.

[Kralgnax]

Not anymore...future content is going to have underwater battle.....I would guess swim is going to be very nice for that content.
If actual swim skill, and not just underwater action items/merfolk's blessing spell is needed for the underwater content, no one will go. Never spend skill points on swim.

[Eladiun]

Blue on Black is awful to read.

Much better...

[Eladiun]

I am really like this game and am willing to plunk down some money now. What should I buy?
Tough call. The best options appear to me: unlock 32 point characters, content, races and classes. There is plenty of free content to what looks like level 8, so you don't need to buy content right away. But you will need to buy content eventually. 32 point characters gets unlocked at 1750 favor, which is a huge amount for one character. OTOH, you could possibly save a lot of TP's by buying tomes to boost your stats instead of paying to unlock the 32 point character, but that implies you know exactly the toon you want to run. The Drow is a poor man's 32 character build, but it gets unlocked at 400 favor. I bought the Monk and then couldn't find any enough basic guides to feel comfortable investing the time in running it. I haven't bought the Warforged or Favored Soul, so I can't comment on them. I am favoring unlocking the 32 point characters

Drow unlocks at 400 favor which is easy. Get 32 Point characters the old fashioned way; 1750 favor and FVS at 2500. As for purchases....

Buy WF and Monk if you like.
Must get shared character bank.

Packs...by importance (In my opinion)

Vale, GH, Desert, Reavers, Nec4, Amarath, Delera's, IQ

Optimal Purchase Order

Delera's, Nec4, Desert, GH, Vale, Reavers, IQ, Amarath

[GuntherBovine]

More Q's:
Collectibles
What are collectables and why bother?
When doing quests outside of Korthos, you will occasionally see sparkly spots that will give you an item when you click on them. The collectibles for the Marketplace quests have a lot of junk, but a few of them can generate a lot of cash. DDOwiki (http://ddowiki.com/page/Collectable) has a full list of collectibles

What do I do with collectables?
There are three basic uses:
1. Sell them at the Auction House (AH)
2. Trade them in for items
3. Use them for crafting

Which Harbor collectables are worthwhile?
The value of Harbor colletables at the AH is driven by the other uses of the collectables. Trading collectables for items is the primary use of collectables. Find the collector in the Harbor who wants the item, give them a set of collectables and they will give you an item in return. Typically, the item is randomly chosen from a list of possible items, some of which are much better than others. Most of the stuff you can get with collectables is junk that resells for not a lot of money. The exceptions are:
Sweet Whitecap: Can get you a Potion of Cure Light Wounds
Deadly Feverblanch: Will get you a Potion of Remove Disease (but don't use for this!)
Khyber Prayer Pamphlet: Will get you a level 1 wand, which is helpful you have a character that can use it. Otherwise not useful
String of Prayer Beads: Can get you Masterwork arrows, 100 of which will sell well at the AH
Small Wooden Idol: Can get you +1 arrows, which will sell well at the AH
Icon of Khyber: Can give you +1 Reptilian Bane arrows, which sell well at the AH
Vial of Contagion: Will give you a robe worth 1000gp, which you can immediately sell for at least 100gp

The other use of Harbor collectables is crafting. The following items are used in crafting recipes:
Deadly Feverblanch: 12 used in Force Critical Ritual
Tome: Prophecies of Khyber: 2 used in Alchemical Shield Eldritch Ritual
String of Prayer Beads: 15 used in Alchemical Armor Eldritch Ritual
Vial of Pure Water: 5 used in Alchemical Armor Eldritch Ritual

For a low level character, crafting isn't worthwhile as you will quickly outgrow any item you currently have. However, the popularity of items used in crafting provides an opportunity to generate huge amounts of cash for a low level character. Strings of Prayer Beads drop so often that they want sell well on the AH, but Vials of Pure Water and Deadly Feverblanches are worth 10K to 20K gp each and Prophecies of Khyber are worth 50K to 100K each as of this writing. If you can build a complete crafting set, you can earn a premium on the AH - I netted over 100K gp for a set of 5 Vials of Pure Water.

When I with a PUG, all the other party members don't pick up bags dropped by Kobolds. Should I?
Yes. It is really nice of them to let you scoop money lying on the group. Grab the bags, swap the collectables, sell the non-arrows and put the arrows up for sell at the AH.

I have got some dragonshards. What are they useful for?
Eberron Dragonshard Fragments can be traded with collectors in sets of 3 for some pretty nice loot. See the DDOwiki (http://ddowiki.com/page/Eberron_Dragonshard) page for exactly what. A small one is worth at least 100K gp at the AH

Khyber Dragonshards are a component of the Trap The Soul spell (http://ddowiki.com/page/Trap_the_Soul). They are sold at the AH under Ingredients. 10 gp each seems the standard price

Siberys Dragonshard Fragments can be used to swap feats with Fred in House Jorasco. You get one free feat swap at level 4. The number of fragments needed depends on your character level. You can sell Siberys Dragonshard Fragments at the AH under Miscellaneous. They don't seem worth a whole lot

What about other collectables?
I have just started getting there

The Auction House (AH)
How do I sell something at the AH?
Look on the map for a red icon that is suppose to be a gavel above a heavy line. Find that person and talk to him/her. Click on the Post tab. Open your inventory. Drag the item you want to sell into the Auction Item box. Enter your price restrictions. Click the Post Auction button

What should I sell at the AH?
When you are a low level character, most of the stuff you want to sell is garbage that no one wants to buy. Items you will get that I have been able to sell:
* Arrows
* Magic, in-high-demand weapons (my guess - Rapiers, Composite Bows, Bastard Swords, Dwarven Axes, Khopeshes)
* Some potions (see earlier)
* Some collectables (see earlier)

What price should I start at?
My rule of thumb is at least 25% of the base value and that may be too low. You have to pay a listing fee (~5% of base value for 8 hour auctions, 10% for 24 hour, 15% for 48 hour and 20% for 72 hour). The AH also takes a percentage of your sell (30%?). So if you sell something for less that 25% and you probably would have been better off selling it to a vendor

Should I include a buyout price? If so, how much?
Always include a buyout price as people want something NOW and are willing to pay a premium to get it now. My rule of thumb is 50% of base value for items that I don't know how they are going to sell. If an item sells, then the next time I sell that type of item I increase the buyout price

How long should I list an item?
It depends. If you are listing a collectable for much more than its base value, then you want to list it for 72 hours as the additional listing cost won't eat much into your profit margin. If you are selling something with a buyout price at 50% of base value, then 24 hours is probably a better option. Either it is going to sell at the price or it isn't

Something is for sell for a good price, but it has 3 days to go. Should I bid on it?
It depends. Bidding on it with more than 24 hours to go is only a useful as a way of tracking that the item that is for sell. See if the same item is for sale for a similar price with a shorter wait. If not, bid on it. But expect that you will get outbid before the auction ends

An item I really want is for sale for much more than base value. Should I bid on it?
In most cases, no. Hit the vendors in the pawn area and see if you can buy it there instead. I wanted some +3 Search googles (base value 1K gp) and the only ones I could find on the AH where like 10K. I bought one at a pawn vendor for ~1300 gp. Even if you can't find it at a vendor, most items aren't worth significantly more than base value

What should I buy?
When I get to Stormreach, what should I buy first from the AH?
It depends on your character. For melee characters, buying good armor and weapons are top priority. As I have only played melee characters, I can't say for other characters

I just struck it reach on a collectables sell. What expensive item should I buy?
If you are less than level 5, nothing. When you hit level 5, you can starting using lots of much better equipment. But you should wait until you hit level 5 and see what items you have managed to acquire through questing before spending the big bucks

Are there arbitrage opportunities where I buy make money just buying and selling?
Check at the AH for items that are dirt cheap and see if you can make money off of them. People regularly list crafting collectables for too little and you can occasionally pick one up cheap to resell later in a crafting set. People regularly list non-crafting collectables that you can buy and trade for useful stuff. People regularly list items for less than 10% of their base value and you can occasionally buy them for less than what you can resell the item to a vendor for. When trying to arbitrage, bid only on auctions that are going to end in less than a day. You only have a limited number of bids that you can make at the AH

[sinohptik]

I would suggest waiting a bit on finalizing those opinions on items and collectables.

The good ones to keep/sell are for the eldritch rituals, which you have learned. I personally like to keep a set or two of the rituals i might just perform at some point, and then sell the rest. It took a bit to get ones like, lightning split soarwood, but then i know i can personally perform the ritual whenever i want, on whatever i want, and i can sell all of the excess. As far as turning them in... I dont think i can remember the last time i turned one of those in... and even then it was probably a wavecrasher manifest. AH values will vary, price accordingly. I almost always sell things at base value, and would never think about 25% of that, but thats all personal preference. Many items, i would never dream of selling even remotely close to base value (collectibles, obviously, and various specialty unbound equipment). I also find that individual collectibles tend to sell better than a "pack" (full amount needed for ritual, at a bulk type discount). Your mileage may vary on that one though, to be sure. Khyber shards are also used in eldritch rituals.

Items higher up will frequently go for more of their base value, and money becomes... much different. Whether or not its "worth" the extra cost, well thats up to you. I wont hesitate to spend 200k gold on a vorpal weapon (and neither should you, really). Even though that is quite a bit more than the base value (usually), its actually quite a good price. Youll figure all that out though :) If you want money, i personally suggest farming shreds of tapestry in the Orchard (Necro IV). Save a few sets of twenty for your current character, and a few future ones, and sell the others. Orchard also provides great XP in the form of slayer, and rares. Vale is around the same time, and overall i prefer it, but i have a soft spot for the orchard :)

Much of that last post there are going to be things that are simply personal preference, or even "strategy" if you want to look at it that way. The AH can be approached in many ways. Very, very, very rarely will i ever actually bid on an item, i just do the buyout. When i post, i usually set the opening bid at or slightly below base value, and the buyout will be anywhere from 10%-25%, item depending obviously. I know people that sell most items for (vendor sale value +10%), its all up to you. However, i feel that the time that is needed to really make good money off of buying low and selling high is relatively substantial, given how much you can make by doing loot/collectible runs. But hey, once again, thats up to you. That is simply the conclusion i came to for myself.

I will tell ya, when you are just starting out, you dont necessarily have a concept of what the actual "value" of money is. After a while, you wont think twice about someone who has 1 million plat, it even becomes a low amount of money (when i go under 1mil total wealth between my chars, i can get a bit antsy! though this happens frequently as i try to outfit constant Alts... heh). Im not a very good saver, to boot. Many people are able to generate millions of plat within days of hitting cap, and thats on their first toon.

So, the perspective on value and worth will shift pretty dramatically as you play and gain wealth.

[vVAnjilaVv]

Swim skill would still be made absolutely obsolete by an underwater action object (such as a bottle of air for instance). How common such items are seems to be somewhat debatable, however.

OK...moving faster in water while doing battle is worthless...that's like saying striders are worthless.....which they aren't.

Sorry but being able to outrun your opponent has always been a huge advantage...something that a higher swim skill also gives.....it's not just for being able to breathe longer underwater......which if anyone does invest in the skill is probably NOT the reason they are taking it.

Not to mention some people may be hard pressed to remove one of their items to put on an UWA item....especially if it's high end content.

[vVAnjilaVv]

If actual swim skill, and not just underwater action items/merfolk's blessing spell is needed for the underwater content, no one will go. Never spend skill points on swim.

I doubt it will be needed....but if someone has the skill points to spare it will probably be a nice advantage.

[GuntherBovine]

Thanks to all who replied, particularly sinohptik. I think I am a bright guy who is good at researching stuff, but I am still a newbie and I appreciate corrections by veteran players. I am going to have at least one more post of new material - equipment and favor - then I will go back and correct my original posts


best key layout? that is not just personal preference, but class specific, as well as build specific.
I am beginning to see as you accumulate clickies, spells, etc, the number of shortcut bars you need steadily grows. So my advice was definitely premature


you will NOT save money by buying tomes to make up for the 32 pt builds.
Let's say I want to run the Arcane Archer (http://forums.ddo.com/showpost.php?p=2882691&postcount=90). The difference between the 32 point build and the 28 point build is +1 DEX and +1 WIS. Couldn't I just buy a +1 Dex tome and a +1 Wisdom tome from the DDO store for 355 TP each instead of paying 1495 for a 32 character? In fact, couldn't I just buy the two tomes from the AH and not spend any TP's? I am closing in on enough money to do that.

This obviously wouldn't work for all builds, but I think it can work for some


I would suggest waiting a bit on finalizing those opinions on items and collectables.

The good ones to keep/sell are for the eldritch rituals, which you have learned. I personally like to keep a set or two of the rituals i might just perform at some point, and then sell the rest. It took a bit to get ones like, lightning split soarwood, but then i know i can personally perform the ritual whenever i want, on whatever i want, and i can sell all of the excess. As far as turning them in... I dont think i can remember the last time i turned one of those in... and even then it was probably a wavecrasher manifest.
I think as a veteran player, you are having a tough time remembering what it is like to be a new player. With a level 4 character playing Normal level quests, I am making at most 1000 gp for each quest from chests and quest rewards and probably average ~500 gp. What I am seeing is that the price of good equipment for a level 5 character is signifcantly higher than what it was for levels 1-4. So it would take me a long time to get enough to buy a nice rapier for my level 5 toon if I only got money from chests and quest rewards


AH values will vary, price accordingly
True


I almost always sell things at base value, and would never think about 25% of that, but thats all personal preference
What I am seeing is that there isn't much demand for items that a low level character finds and consequently you have to cut your prices to sell them


Items higher up will frequently go for more of their base value, and money becomes... much different. Whether or not its "worth" the extra cost, well thats up to you. I wont hesitate to spend 200k gold on a vorpal weapon (and neither should you, really). Even though that is quite a bit more than the base value (usually), its actually quite a good price.
I am starting to see that now that I am shopping for a level 5 character

[Kralgnax]

Let's say I want to run the Arcane Archer (http://forums.ddo.com/showpost.php?p=2882691&postcount=90). The difference between the 32 point build and the 28 point build is +1 DEX and +1 WIS. Couldn't I just buy a +1 Dex tome and a +1 Wisdom tome from the DDO store for 355 TP each instead of paying 1495 for a 32 character? In fact, couldn't I just buy the two tomes from the AH and not spend any TP's? I am closing in on enough money to do that.

This obviously wouldn't work for all builds, but I think it can work for some
Well, yes and no - you can, of course, buy tomes - but so can the 32 pt. builds. Arcane archer isn't that stat intensive - TWF Paladins and some exotic multiclasses are where the need for 32 pointers come in - some builds require 32 points AND tomes to work at all.


What I am seeing is that there isn't much demand for items that a low level character finds and consequently you have to cut your prices to sell them
Your best cash cows at level are rare collectibles used in crafting - Deadly feverblanch, lightning-split soarwood, pure water, etc.
But, really, your best bet is just to level onwards - there's a big cash break around level 10-12 (desert & Gianthold), and another one when you can do Shroud flagging quests/shroud raid.


I am starting to see that now that I am shopping for a level 5 character
You need to know that in the really nice low-mid level items - I'll use a no-ML permanent featherfall ring as an example - you're going to be competing with twink alts of higher level characters who can & will spend millions of gold on a low level item that they want.

Oh, and Welcome to DDO!

[Rowan00]

I applaud what you are trying to do.

A suggestion: maybe once you compile the Q and As, combine the posts and turn it into an FAQ thread (if one is not available yet).

[Rhys667]

What is a good key layout for the shortcut bar?
I put my best healing pot in slot 1. I put my most frequently used skills in spots 2 and 3 because they are right above the "w". I put my weapon switches on the right end. But I am just a newbie.

How do I resurrect a hireling?
Grab their soulstone and head to the Sun Shrine. The hireling will follow you. Once there, release the soulstone. Right-click on the shrine and then click on the gears icon on your hireling's shortcut bar

How do I get my hireling to cast a spell on another player?
I am not really sure

How do I get my hireling to activate an INT rune?
I wish I knew


- You can open multiple shortcut bars.
- Resurrecting the hireling is easier by just selecting the res shrine and clicking on the hirelings use icon (looks like a gear)
- Select the other player and then click the hireling spell to cast
- Activating runes with hireling is just selecting the rune and using the hirelings use icon (looks like a gear).

[Rowan00]

OTOH, you could possibly save a lot of TP's by buying tomes to boost your stats instead of paying to unlock the 32 point character, but that implies you know exactly the toon you want to run.

An important thing to note is that if you buy a 32-point build, it applies to ALL the characters you create. So if you want to play multiple toons, simply buying tomes with TP to compensate the shortcomings of a 28-pt build will be costlier in the long run.

[MrkGrismer]

OK...moving faster in water while doing battle is worthless...that's like saying striders are worthless.....which they aren't.

Sorry but being able to outrun your opponent has always been a huge advantage...something that a higher swim skill also gives.....it's not just for being able to breathe longer underwater......which if anyone does invest in the skill is probably NOT the reason they are taking it.

Not to mention some people may be hard pressed to remove one of their items to put on an UWA item....especially if it's high end content.

Each point in swim increase your swimming speed by roughly 1%, not worth it. Not unless you got skill points coming out your wazoo.

[Rakelilly]

This thread rocks.

Question:
Healing potions (and other things) say target can be self, friend, but when a select an NPC or party member and click the potion from a bar, it's applying it to Self instead of Friend. Is there a trick to this?

[sinohptik]

Let's say I want to run the Arcane Archer (http://forums.ddo.com/showpost.php?p=2882691&postcount=90). The difference between the 32 point build and the 28 point build is +1 DEX and +1 WIS. Couldn't I just buy a +1 Dex tome and a +1 Wisdom tome from the DDO store for 355 TP each instead of paying 1495 for a 32 character? In fact, couldn't I just buy the two tomes from the AH and not spend any TP's? I am closing in on enough money to do that.

So, for a single character, you are probably right. To get to a 32 pt build, its probably cheaper to just buy the tomes. However, with my playstyle, i would have spent my life savings on Tomes, haha. I guess if you will never TR, and only make a single character ever, then buying the tomes would be the way to go. Otherwise, unlocking 32pt by favor, or TP, is absolutely the way to go. I have discovered that at 32 pt, a couple of builds i have wanted to try are simply not viable until i get more pts (through TR), and classes that have split skills (such as FvS) are not advisable to do with 28pt.


I think as a veteran player, you are having a tough time remembering what it is like to be a new player. With a level 4 character playing Normal level quests, I am making at most 1000 gp for each quest from chests and quest rewards and probably average ~500 gp. What I am seeing is that the price of good equipment for a level 5 character is signifcantly higher than what it was for levels 1-4. So it would take me a long time to get enough to buy a nice rapier for my level 5 toon if I only got money from chests and quest rewards

You know what? you are entirely correct on that. I call myself a perpetual newb, but perhaps the only one im deceiving with that is myself... Thanks for opening my eyes on that, as it will help me help others much better. Its so easy to get caught up in your own game experience that i forgot others can/are significantly different. With that being said, youll be "rich" by the time you reach cap, if you play your cards right :) It does take a while to start up that initial wealth, but once it starts rolling in, it doesnt really stop. That is, unless you have a serious problem, and cant stop rolling alts and beyond that, cant stop outfitting them with the best gear for every level :D. This eats away the plat quickly, especially if all you do is play the alts, hehe.


I am seeing is that there isn't much demand for items that a low level character finds and consequently you have to cut your prices to sell them


I am starting to see that now that I am shopping for a level 5 character

To conserve money, open up the horizons a bit. Search for equipment multiple levels above your current character (ill even go so high as 6 or so levels above). The reason for this is not to get an item that will sit in your bank, its to let you keep on eye on prices. Especially when someone decides to be nice and sell something that should have sold for 200k+ gold for something like 500gold. It can and will happen, but if you arent keeping on eye out for it, you wont see it. It may sit in your bank for a bit, but youll have saved significant money by the time you get to using it. You can also use this process to buy low and sell high, but honestly, its not all that great of a way to make money in the current game. Between initial investment, time involved, posting fees, and AH cut, it tends to be easier and more profitable to just loot, loot, loot.

[sinohptik]

This thread rocks.

Question:
Healing potions (and other things) say target can be self, friend, but when a select an NPC or party member and click the potion from a bar, it's applying it to Self instead of Friend. Is there a trick to this?

If someone is in need of healing potions, i always just trade them to the person. So, i am unaware if you an actually use a potion on a target. Giving them the potions makes them responsible for their own healing, which is good on every level :)

[Rakelilly]

If someone is in need of healing potions, i always just trade them to the person. So, i am unaware if you an actually use a potion on a target. Giving them the potions makes them responsible for their own healing, which is good on every level :)

Oh! I didn't realize that when someone was, say, incapped I could trade with them!

[GuntherBovine]

Just to be clear, the intended audience of these posts are players playing their first toon, levels 1-4

Favor
What is Favor and why should I care?
Favor is like the virtual currency of DDO. Whenever you complete a quest for the first time at that difficultly level, you get some Favor. As you hit different amounts of Favor, you get Turbine Points (TP) that you can use to unlock different game features. Also, hitting certain amounts of Favor with a character will unlock game features. For example, 400 Favor will unlock the Drow race for you on the server your character is on

What are Patrons and why should I care?
Patrons are the different factions in Stormreach and every quest is associated with a particular Patron. When you hit a certain amount of Favor with a Patron, a game feature is unlocked

Who are the important Patrons early on?
Early on, most of the quests earn you Favor for either the the Coin Lords or the Free Agents. 75 Coin Lord Favor earns you another inventory tab (20 additional boxes). 150 Coin Lord Favor allows you to have buy another inventory tab. 75 Free Agent Favor allows you to buy lock picks, repair kits and healing hits, which may not be useful to you. You can't get enough Favor to unlock bonuses for the other Patrons until you are mid-level. So concentrate on Coin Lord quests. "Shan-To-Kar" and "The Sharn Syndicate" are low-level pay-to-play modules that provide Coin Lord Favor

Quests
What is the quickest way off Korthos
Complete the village quests, then Redemption then Misery Peak. You can then go to the ship in the Korthos Harbor and sail to Stormreach

What are the "Snowy Side" and the "Sunny Side"?
When your character starts in Korthos, the village environment is snowy ("The Snowy Side"). Once Misery Peak is finished, the village environment is sunny ("The Sunny Side"). Players in the "Snowy Side" can't party with players in the "Sunny Side" and vice versa. If you have a character on the same server who has gone to Stormreach, you can reach the "Sunny Side" by going to the harbor and traveling to Stormreach and then back to Korthos

How do I get to the chests in "Redemption" and "Necromancer's Doom" without a rogue?
You can't. Just learn to accept that there are going to be certain chests that you can't get to unless someone in your party has rogue skills

Why do you walk on water in "Redemption"?
Korthos was added to DDO well after launch. Some of its quests are hacked versions of other quests, so they have pieces in it that make no sense. See this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfFCfHa_E1w) for the precursor to "Stopping the Sahuagin"

What quests should I not try to solo and/or without researching?
Most Elite quests - They are really tough
Come Out and Slay - The final battle is really difficult. The first time I did this quest, I blew through the whole quest and got slaughtered at the end
Endgame: The Archbishop's Fate - Really tough final boss
Freshen The Air - You will take damage continually over a long time, so not really suitable for solo play
Irestone Inlet - This is meant for a 4-6 person party and you will get overwhelmed if you attempt it solo
Kobold Assault - This is meant for a 4-6 person party and you will get overwhelmed if you attempt it solo
Misery Peak - Hire a cleric hireling. The quest is just too long with too many battles to do it by yourself
Setting the Wards: The Patriarchs' Crypt - After you complete a certain action, you have to immediately run (preferably hasted) a certain direction or you will die
Stealthy Repossession - very easy to fail on this quest
The Stormreach Fresco - You will take damage continually over a long time, so not really suitable for solo play
The Swiped Signet - I find this a really hard quest for level 3. You have to get past lots of traps and fights before you get to your first shrine

What are the differences between Normal, Hard and Elite?
As the difficult is increased:
1. The enemies are of a higher level
2. There can be more enemies in a specific area
3. Traps are harder to find and disarm
4. Traps do much more damage (elite traps can be lethal)
5. Bosses (names in red) are much stronger
6. Magic users cast more powerful spells

What is at the end of the road in the Kobold Assaul?
A Krispy Kreme selling fresh donuts. Mmmmmm

[Psyker]

Tumble - Got me. A standard recommendation is just one point, but I don't know why


I am one of the few that loves Tumble, even with the changes that are coming that will make it even less used I will always try to find a way to fit some in on a character. Its best use will soon be simply for falling, and while you can negate all damage while falling with a FF item you go much faster without and with a decent tumble skill even large falls won't hurt (much)