Just Starting Out

[Kitnboots]

So I have been an MMORPG player since vanilla WoW and i picked up playing DnD about 3 years ago. I'm looking to make this game my new main MMO since i only hop on WoW for raids twice a week. Does anyone have any recommendations on what to play or about the Eberron and The Forgotten realms settings. I and paying the subscription fee as of now and i am still not quite sure as to what that gives me. Also please forgive my terrible grammar.

[Sehenry03]

Welcome to DDO =)

Simple classes yet VERY effective right now:

Melee - Paladin. You can splash whatever you want but make sure you get 14 or 15 lvls in Paladin.
Casting - Sorcerer or Druid. Both are fun. Sorcs are more uptempo clear a dungeon fastr and druids are more tankish and slower to kill but safer.
Trapping - Artificer. Rogue is nice but tough as times being new. Artificer is self healing and ranged with trapping skills.
Ranged - Artificer. Up to 20 they are very powerful and self sufficient and have trapper skills.

Lots of classes work but those are the simple easier classes that are still fun.

If you make a new toon on Sarlona send a tell to Ziffin or Duskh or Mheka or Hirtz and take a look at https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/454409-Offering-help-for-Vets-and-New-players if you want some help getting started =)

[bartharok]

Sub gives you 500TP a month, one free gold roll once a moth (You know when youre up for one when you get a golden blob next to your icon), the option to open elite diff on any quest, movement speed, a 10% bonus to xp (total) and access to every quest that is not a part of an expansion (2 expansions so far). Plus you max limit on gold, more character slots and lots of minor stuff like that.

One piece of advice, dont buy fluff until you have saved enough TP to buy the expansion quests. Some like them, and some hate them, but they are useful to have.

[Uska]

Sub gives you 500TP a month, one free gold roll once a moth (You know when youre up for one when you get a golden blob next to your icon), the option to open elite diff on any quest, movement speed, a 10% bonus to xp (total) and access to every quest that is not a part of an expansion (2 expansions so far). Plus you max limit on gold, more character slots and lots of minor stuff like that.

One piece of advice, dont buy fluff until you have saved enough TP to buy the expansion quests. Some like them, and some hate them, but they are useful to have.

That's one gold per week

[bartharok]

That's one gold per week

Shouldnt work and type at the same time...

[Kitnboots]

Welcome to DDO =)

Simple classes yet VERY effective right now:

Melee - Paladin. You can splash whatever you want but make sure you get 14 or 15 lvls in Paladin.
Casting - Sorcerer or Druid. Both are fun. Sorcs are more uptempo clear a dungeon fastr and druids are more tankish and slower to kill but safer.
Trapping - Artificer. Rogue is nice but tough as times being new. Artificer is self healing and ranged with trapping skills.
Ranged - Artificer. Up to 20 they are very powerful and self sufficient and have trapper skills.

Lots of classes work but those are the simple easier classes that are still fun.

If you make a new toon on Sarlona send a tell to Ziffin or Duskh or Mheka or Hirtz and take a look at https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/454409-Offering-help-for-Vets-and-New-players if you want some help getting started =)


Thank you all for the advice i really appreciate it. I think i might go with a druid they seem pretty fun. Ill also make a toon on Sarlona and follow that thread. I am glad that the community for this game is actually involved and helpful.

[Livmo]

Thank you all for the advice i really appreciate it. I think i might go with a druid they seem pretty fun. Ill also make a toon on Sarlona and follow that thread. I am glad that the community for this game is actually involved and helpful.

If you ever roll up an articifer on Sarlona let me know and I can chat arty and gear.

[Sehenry03]

Well PM me here or look for me in game if you would like any help to get going or if you have questions. If you are gonna do a caster druid I would start here:
https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/427398-Gingerspyce-s-caster-healer-quasi-tank-build

Follow that build exactly your first life then change whatever you want later when you TR (true resurrect).

Again read the first post I sent you if you want to get ahold of me for anything and I would be happy to get you going.

Livmo knows a lot more about Arty's so if you decide to try one out get ahold of him or me as I still play one and love the class also.

[firemedium_jt]

Welcome to DDO.

Players love this game because the combat is unlike any other MMO. It is more real time tactics and less of the click and watch that you might be use to. For example if you are moving and attacking you get a -4 to hit. Lots of tactics in combat, and lots of numbers and calculations going on in the background that make this game great. The character building is second to none, and probably the best out there IMHO. With that being on the forums helps.

There are lots of options for you in this game. There are tons of builds for characters and multi classing to suit your needs.

Since this is not your first game you should ask what kind of character do you like to the forum community instead of this sounds good. There are lots of options, but that also depends on how much 'money' you want to invest off the bat. VIP is not necessarily the best deal for you as a new player, but if you go VIP you might as well go every 3 months for $30. If you are not locked in to VIP yet and want versatility with the game then buying turbine points might be better. Another option is to just get an expansion that comes with turbine points along with tons of other options like Iconic characters that start at lvl15 and Vet status that starts at lvl 4 or 7. Also with expansions you get some great adventure packs. If you buy Shadowfell Standard with Iconic Purple Dragon Knight you also get the Menace of the Underdark expansion for like $18. I would say this might be a better way to jump in to the game than starting at lvl1 VIP. It all depends on how much money you want to spend off the bat to support the game.

http://www.ddo.com/en/shadowfell/
https://store.digitalriver.com/DRHM/store?Action=DisplayProductInterstitialDetailsPage&SiteID=turbine&Locale=en_US&ThemeID=29252200&Env=BASE&productID=285142600

You are already on the forums and that is half the battle for new players with this game. There are some elitist on here, but most players are helpful on here and in game.

I have not played Heroic (lvl1-20) content a lot recently, but I have made toons for all levels of the game to run stuff at will. That allows me to play any content at any time. Sometimes there just is not a lot of content being run at certain lvls for one reason or another. That is the flexibility that having all kinds of builds at different levels allows and the flexibility that the expansions give from Iconics and Vet status. You may opt to keep it simple, but really with some light reading on these forums you can get lots of well built toons to play at all Heroic lvls in most Heroic content. Especially since this is not your first MMO you can take advantage of the knowledge on here and the flexibility of the Iconics and Vet Status.

By using the forums you can get an idea of what feats are good and which feats are a waste for your builds. Lots of free apps for character building and posting it on here like http://www.rjcyberware.com/DDO/
Also being more specific on what kinds of characters you like in terms of casting, healing, melee can help the advice to you.

Some heroic gear I would look for:

Fortification best at all levels
Everbright suffix weapons for slime
Bloodletter suffix
Paralyzer Prefix at mid lvls
Metalline
Keen 1,2,3 especially at low levels until you get Improved Critical Feat
Potency (items other than weapons)


Melee:
Deadly items if pure melee along with Accuracy items if caster mix.
Divine Power items helps Melee Caster mixes.
low lvl - Keen weapons with a good critical range like Falchions, Scimitars, Rapiers, Kukri

Caster:
Spell Power and lore items for you elemental attacks fire, acid, cold, force, sonic etc.
If melee mix then Divine Power items

For most builds, but really the forums help so much for you to get your plans for a toon to make it umber
Best Melee Feats:
Improved Critical
Power Attack

Best Caster:
Maximize



Also research which server has the most players at the times you play. I like Kyber for English, and I am on Orien.

I would not jump into the auction house shard market, but you can raise platinum trading Raid Bypass Timers bought at the DDO store with Tuirbine Points for in game platinum money (Turbine did this to kill the China Platinum market. It had to be done to move that money to the game), and jump into the auction house right away to get some recommended gear for toons at all levels. The AH gear is not that bad with some light research on the forums.

[Khatzhas]

. . . if you're used to WoW and other MMOs.

There isn't really much scope for tanking: Mobs in DDO are a lot more glass cannon style as you start. Group tactics are far less advanced than in WoW, particular if you've played WoW earlier. However character strategy is more important: optimisation can make a much bigger difference, and do not expect the level of balance that WoW has.
Likewise healing. It is more prevalent among the forum community, but it does happen in game as well: there can be an expectation that all characters are self-sufficient when it comes to healing and dispelling ailments. Naturally some classes find this a lot easier than others, and some may have to start jumping through some rather unintuitive hoops in order to get up to the spec some other players demand.
Thankfully by the time you run into life-threatening (as opposed to just annoying) diseases and curses, you should be able to afford a stack of removal potions.

Do not expect someone playing what you might think of as a "healing class" to have any interest in healing/supporting you. Many will, particularly if you're making an effort to be self-sufficient, but don't make the assumption. You can ask, but don't demand, and don't try to tell them its part of their job.

Going VIP as you have is probably a good idea for the first month or so, since it means you get to try everything. Spending up-front cash to buy content can be done once you are sure you want to stick with the game. Bear in mind that if you start a VIP class or race character, you will have to buy them to play them if you drop VIP though.

Edit: Also, the DDO wiki is your friend: http://ddowiki.com/

[EllisDee37]

There are several new player builds linked in my signature.

[nibel]

Welcome to DDO, and I hope you like here. We are a bit of a tangled mess, but we still have the best action-based combat and character build complexity of any other MMO in the market.

First of all, since you decided to join my home server, be sure to join the Help channel (https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/439927-Hey-Newbies!-And-well-anyone-on-Sarlona-who-wants-to-get-or-give-a-little-help-)). And don't be shy of asking questions. We are there to provide help.

Don't rush to get to level cap. The "real game" in DDO is mostly enjoying the travel. Currently there is very little to do once you cap, but we will improve. Enjoy your first time leveling up, talk to the NPCs, read the storylines, listen to the DM narrations, get angry because an ooze ate your weapon, and so on. You can only enjoy the feeling of discovery once. Don't throw it away trying to rush to a (currently) non-existent endgame.

When new players are willing to spend money on the game, first thing I recommend is going VIP, so that you get a lot of character slots for experimentations, and access to almost all classes and races (Except the favor-unlocked ones), and well as access to all* quests from the bat (*Expansions are epic content, you shouldn't care about epic content when you are starting). Later you can decide if you want to stay VIP (and buy the expansions), or go Premium and buy packs a la carte.

Also the DDO Wiki (http://ddowiki.com/page/Home) is your friend. specially the Glossary (http://ddowiki.com/page/Glossary), since like every game, we have a internal slang that takes some time to get used.

See you around.

[Ykt]

paying the subscription fee as of now and i am still not quite sure as to what that gives me.

http://ddowiki.com/page/Account_comparisons

[firemedium_jt]

Running quests gives you favor for the first time on that difficulty. Elite difficulty gets you the most favor quickly and VIP is good for that or you can get someone who had run the quest before to come over and open elite for you. Just advertise this in the LFM.


Some favor to run first.

Coinlord - gives you free inventory space. It is the first favor I run on a new toon. First slot of 20 inventory spaces is easy at 75 favor. The second at 150 favor also requires a Portable hole..
House of K - gives you more bank space. You get 2 slots for 40 items at 75 and 150 favor plus spending some plat.

I probably would not buy this stuff at the store, but if you drop VIP I would prob get the shared bank with TP to share bound to account items.

[Kuttamia]

So I have been an MMORPG player since vanilla WoW and i picked up playing DnD about 3 years ago. I'm looking to make this game my new main MMO since i only hop on WoW for raids twice a week. Does anyone have any recommendations on what to play or about the Eberron and The Forgotten realms settings. I and paying the subscription fee as of now and i am still not quite sure as to what that gives me. Also please forgive my terrible grammar.

You sub basically gives u access to adventure packs, class and race options, which otherwise you need to pay for using ingame turbine points. It also allows you to open any heroic quest on any difficulty. For non sub players, they can only open normal difficulty by themselves if they are on the 1st life and if they are on the 2nd life up to hard. They cannot open elite until the 3rd life. In heroics, Elite streaks are very handy as it gives you up to 50% bonus to the base exp of the quest, ontop of the the 1st time completion of quest. Together, the exp bonus is huge and helps you lvl up really fast. In epics, its a diff story altogether. Maintaining an epic elite streak is a waste of time, as its significantly faster to farm for exp on en or eh for 99.9% of the content. You sub also gives you a additional 10% exp boost for all quests. You can further boost your exp earned by buying a Greater tome of experience from the cash shop, which is a permanent buff, EXP Potions from the cash shop, Voice of the master (5%) and ship buffs, all the exp stacking with one another.

Since you are a vip, I would suggest that you try out the iconics 1st, it starts off at lv 15, and you get a faster understanding about some build ideas. In DDO, the possibility of builds are just massive. You can pretty much be anything you want. You have plenty of character slots available too, so don't hesitate to experiment. If you don't like a build, just delete it and start over. You can check the forums for build guides, use it as a guideline then make your own personal builds. Most importantly, have fun.


Sincce

[Hobgoblin]

Since you are a vip, I would suggest that you try out the iconics 1st, it starts off at lv 15, and you get a faster understanding about some build ideas. Most importantly, have fun.


Sincce

disagree with the first part. agree on the 2nd

starting with iconics is a bad idea imho

learn the game first then jump to iconics.

they are fun but the learning curve is steep

just sayin.


hob

[Wanesa]

disagree with the first part. agree on the 2nd

starting with iconics is a bad idea imho

learn the game first then jump to iconics.

they are fun but the learning curve is steep

just sayin.

hob

/signed!

I still have troubles with playing iconics. I can access two of them: Bladeforged and PDK and none of them suits to me. I cannot use them even to test builds. It is better to learn every aspect of character one by one, level by level from the very beginning.

[cdbd3rd]

disagree with the first part.... (re: @ starting iconic.)

hob


/signed!....

/Thirded.

Start from the beginning. Seriously.

[PermaBanned]

Best advice I can give:

• If/when you join groups, don't be shy about telling people you're new. Most folks I know are pretty accommodating and glad to have new folks in the game, but we're a mostly old & veteran playerbase so if you don't tell folks you're new to a quest the standard assumption will be that you know it backwards & forwards.

• On the chance you group up with some schmuck(s) that give you grief for being new/making "rookie mistakes" just note their names on a sticky pad (or whatever) and avoid them in the future. They're the exception, and not the standard of our community.

• You're only doing it wrong if you're not having fun! Welcome to the game & enjoy!

[Cordovan]

Welcome to DDO, and we hope you have lots of fun here!

[sebastianosmith]

Hey Kitnboots!

Here is a link to Aphion's Game Information Resource Guide (https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/422040-Game-Information-Resource-Guide-(Spoilers!)). If you have questions, that will have at least a pointer to the answer.

I hope you enjoy the game and welcome to the community. :)

[Seikojin]

Thank you all for the advice i really appreciate it. I think i might go with a druid they seem pretty fun. Ill also make a toon on Sarlona and follow that thread. I am glad that the community for this game is actually involved and helpful.

Also if you play during pacific times on sarlona, send a ping to Toy and or seikojin and I can help ya out as well.

[UurlockYgmeov]

welcome and have fun storming the castle!

[axel15810]

Thank you all for the advice i really appreciate it. I think i might go with a druid they seem pretty fun. Ill also make a toon on Sarlona and follow that thread. I am glad that the community for this game is actually involved and helpful.

As you can tell the community is very open and welcoming of new players.

When you group let others know you are new - for the most part they'll be happy to help you. Mention it though, older players tend to move really fast through quests and assume everyone else is a vet as well unless told otherwise.

[moomooprincess]

Welcome to DDO.

Your first character will be built just about 100% wrong. Don't worry about it. You are learning on that one. Don't sweat it. My first character, a cleric is built wrong, and I still play him/her/it. If you make a character with a Constitution of 6, well, OK, that is a bad one. REROLL. People will tell you "CON is not a dump stat!!!"

Once you get used to the mechanics, this is/was my first MMO, it took me quite some time, you will sort of understand what you want and don't want.

such as, having a feather fall item(boots, gloves, belts, rings) is going to come in very handy. They are very, very common.

If you roll up a rogue(rogue or artificer) you will find that it is near impossible to find disable(to disarm traps), minute seeing items(to search for traps). Escape items(for lock picking) are easier to find)

The very basic of this
Eberron is the old game setting for level 1s on up to level 28s.
Forgotten Realms is meant for level 12 or higher and you get to deal with Elminster.

If you don't mind sharing your character name(s) people will probably send you junk in the mail, such as LOOT, platinum, and other goodies.

[HastyPudding]

DO NOT HESITATE to ask questions. People in DDO tend to be sticklers for tradition, especially the multi-TR crowd, who have long gotten used to running things a certain way. We're a crusty, jaded lot, but don't hesitate to ask questions about the game. If there's one thing people in DDO like talking about, it's D&D.

1. Be a newb, not a noob. First time in a quest? Ask questions about what to expect! First time making a certain class or character? Ask questions on build paths! Got a question about gear/loot/items? Ask around!

2. If you don't know the quest, stay behind others who look like they do. Traps are an everyday part of DDO (and one of its more dynamic aspects). If you see a rogue or artificer standing still and their character is looking around, back off from them; they probably found a trap, which will probably one-hit most new players on harder difficulties. If a rogue or artificer says STOP, then you stop and don't go ahead of them. Trapping might sometimes slow things down, but in the majority of quests that have traps, getting all or most of them gives the group a 30% experience bonus upon completion.

3. Don't demand or expect to be healed. Self-reliance and sustainability is key in DDO. Clerics, druids, and favored souls are NOT healers: they are divine classes with access to healing spells, but also plenty of offensive ones, and not all of them are dedicated spellcasters (like warpriests and most multiclass cleric builds). A spellsinger bard will probably be the first to heal others, considering they're a full support type of build (ridiculous amounts of crowd control, debuffing, healing, and buffing with some pretty decent damage). It's okay to ask for a greater restoration or energy burst (cleric ability) when you have negative levels or a large amount of stat damage. Also, most clerics, favored souls, and druids don't mind throwing out a death ward (protects against instant death and negative level spells) when asked nicely.

The vast majority of divine classes (including some rangers and paladins) would toss around a heal or two to keep the party alive (nobody likes a 10% experience penalty), but don't rely on it. And don't forget to say thank you when people buff you, especially spellsinger bards, and when you see a cleric with a shiny yellow aura around them, don't hesitate to stand next to them for a moment and heal up; that's what it's there for.

That being said, most raids (12-man quests) will probably have one, maybe two people that are designated as a healer, simply because of the scope and danger of the quest. Self-reliance is still expected, however, and you should never be without cure potions and assorted other potions (such as remove poison/curse/disease/blindness and lesser restoration). It might seem daunting in lower levels (heroics) to keep yourself healed, but once you get into higher levels (epics) it'll be fairly easy in comparison, especially if you got rejuvenation cocoon, renewal, and/or healing spring.

4. Zerging (a term I'm sure you're familiar with, having played WoW, a Blizzard game, which also makes Starcraft, where we get the word zerg) is pretty commonplace in DDO. That multi-TR crowd I mentioned will usually rush through a dungeon before you have a chance to learn it (if you happen to find one of their parties). Keep up with them, if you can, but don't wander off track. Don't ask them to slow down, either, that will most likely end in flames. Expect a group you join to zerg, and if they don't, enjoy a nice dungeon crawl (not as bad as it sounds, it's just a nice, fun way to run a dungeon, looking at every optional, getting the maximum XP possible, and not worrying about time).

5. You probably heard this already: CON (constitution) is not a dump stat. Most builds will start out with a 14 base constutition, although a few can get away with 12 depending on the class and build. Many will go for 16 or even 18 base constitution (probably spellcasters, who really have nothing else to spend points on). Dwarves and some warforged might even go for 20 base constitution, depending on their build. Going lower than 12 is a NONO: just don't do it. For every 2 constitution above 10 you get your character level in HP. Meaning, at lower levels it doesn't show, but you quickly realize you're lagging way behind other characters and it begins to show in your performance.

All-in-all, your most hardcore DDO player is nothing like what you're used to in WoW, no doubt, so don't worry overly much.