DDO is a make build over build game or a real MMO ?

[Venur]

Usualy game with the "build" system of DDO are more toward making different character over and over to try different combination. Especialy as a noob since you will make lot of gimped character before you learn how to make successful ones.

I am wondering if DDO falls into that category or not ?

[~Griandubh]

Yes. Although the game has been out for a while so most of the trial and error has been done already. You can find many well established builds on the forums.

Also you don't have to delete a character to remake them, you are able to swap feats, reassign your enhancement points and even reincarnate if you want to totally remake without giving up your progress/items etc.

[Enoach]

The other thing to keep in mind is that as Increase in Character Level, Class Enhancements, Feats and Gear changes in DDO builds change as well.

Some builds that did not work based on splits, become options as other aspects become available.

Over the years DDO has seen many Flavor of the Month builds - some last through changes, some don't.

[Teh_Troll]

I'm not sure there if there are any 7 year old games out there besides DDO where the rules are written in chalk and CONSTANTLY change.

This is a half-finished game written by developers who don't play it and things change constantly, hence the gimping of builds and the rebuilding of toons and all that jazz.

[PermaBanned]

Yes. Although the game has been out for a while so most of the trial and error has been done already. You can find many well established builds on the forums.
I can't think of any other statement I've ever seen in the forums that I both 100% agreed and disagreed with. :D

On the one hand, it's totally true for anyone who's either been in the game long enough to try out every build idea they've had; or if they're the kind of player who uses "established" builds and piggy-backs on other folks trial & error.

On the other hand, I've been in the game since it went f2p and have never looked up a build. I prefer to do my own experimentation and still have lots of ideas ahead to try. While some may have indeed been done before, I don't look to see what others' results were so they're all "new builds" to me. Incidentally, that's the best thing I can see about the coming enhancement pass: the potential for new possibilities. (I'm trying hard not to think about the extinguishing of existing possibilities!)

So all in all, to answer the op, I would have to say yes it's a build game, though how it stacks as a "real" mmo I have no idea; this is my first one.

[ImanCarrot]

I'm not sure there if there are any 7 year old games out there besides DDO where the rules are written in chalk and CONSTANTLY change.

This is a half-finished game written by developers who don't play it and things change constantly, hence the gimping of builds and the rebuilding of toons and all that jazz.

+1 Rep.

[Ironclans_evil_twin]

Usualy game with the "build" system of DDO are more toward making different character over and over to try different combination. Especialy as a noob since you will make lot of gimped character before you learn how to make successful ones.

What is this "real MMO" of which you speak?

Every MMO I've enjoyed enough to play for more than a month has had deep Character progression/customization to some degree or another.

Also nearly every MMO I've ever played has had nerfing and buffing and rebuilding or respecing to some degree or another, and usually as a result or reaction to mechanical changes in the game. Ultima Online had at least three different combat system and dramatic changes to every single aspect of the game over 8 years. Star Wars Galaxies nerfed my and everyone elses "deeply custom" characters so hard the game died.

MMO means Massively Multiplayer and Online is says nothing about "life long characters that never change" nor does it have anything to do with simple path, totally custom or completely set in stone character advancement.


I'm not sure there if there are any 7 year old games out there besides DDO where the rules are written in chalk and CONSTANTLY change.

I'm pretty sure all of them have this. How many MMO have you played that never change, nerf, buff or alter game design and mechanics? I'm interested because I've never heard of one.

[~droid_327]

Character customization is one of the things that makes an MMO an MMO....either by 'build' or by 'gear', and usually both in equal parts.

If you dont have robust build customization, then you have a handful of cookiecutter builds. That's not really an MMORPG, you're getting more into multiplayer FPS territory there, with "sniper" and "engineer" and "machine gunner" etc. archetypes that you cant really customize.

Or at the very least, half-baked browser-based MMO, where you just pick some anime-drawn sprite for "wizard" or "archer" or "fighter" and run around isometric candyland worlds blowing up pokemon lookalikes...

[Ykt]

DDO is a make build over build game or a real MMO ?

A MMO is a massively multiplayer online game. DDO is a MMO.

DDO is also a RPG with lots of options for character customization (build).

The answer to your question "DDO is a make build over build game or a real MMO ?" is yes.

[~Ruda]

Usualy game with the "build" system of DDO are more toward making different character over and over to try different combination. Especialy as a noob since you will make lot of gimped character before you learn how to make successful ones.

I am wondering if DDO falls into that category or not ?

I think the real question here is if the game is balanced enough to allow for a wide variety of VIABLE build solutions. At them moment the anwser is no.

Can it be balanced? Before the introduction of the epic destinies i'd totally say yes to that question but now i'd say the chances are slim to none. Turbine did not manage to completely balance the limited number of variables that existed in the game at that time but decided to introduce even more...

Not even sure if we can call it an MMO any more as there does not seam to be any need for cooperation if we exclude the forced lever pulling and such nonsence.

[~NewForumNameGoesHere]

I think the real question here is if the game is balanced enough to allow for a wide variety of VIABLE build solutions. At them moment the anwser is no.

You're wrong here. DDO does allow you to build and play a wide variety of very viable builds.
The problem is most people don't want to take the time to build them, and play them/gear the correctly.
People want the easiest and fastest way to become uber and they copy others who have good builds.
This continues until you log in and join a pug raid, and 8 out of the 12 people have the same build.

Does this make other builds less viable somehow? No, not in the least.
What this means is people are stupid, and rather than think for themselves they will follow the crowd.
and right now the crowd is focused on a small number of builds.

[ForumAccess]

You're wrong here. DDO does allow you to build and play a wide variety of very viable builds.
You are quite mistaken here. Before the latest update, you would have been mostly correct. As it stands now there are only a handful of viable ways to run the hardest content in the game efficiently.

Hopefully, this was just a flaw in the design of Epic Gianthold and the course will be corrected. But.... not in Update 18, it seems.