Returning played needs MUCH guidance!

[Thalamask]

Hey folks...

I played this game WAY back, before DBG/SSG, before DDO, before DDO:EU etc. back when it was still Stormreach and subscription only, and I've been thinking of returning and giving it another look. From browsing the forums and guides and stuff, it's clear that the game has changed MASSIVELY since my time, for the better, it seems.

Anyway, to smooth my way into this, I was hoping that the denizens of the forum could answer a few questions for me.

1. What's the difference between the servers? There were way more servers back when I started. Essentially, I'm looking for a server that'll be decently active most hours of the day (I work shifts, so my playtime is... erratic). Which ones would you recommend?

2. If I remember rightly, this isn't really a solo-friendly game. Any guilds you'd recommend? I'd like a large enough guild that there'll be people around most of the time (see playtime issues above), but not so large that you're just a number in a sea of numbers. In terms of playstyle, I'm primarily into progression and grinding "achievements" such as they are! :P That said, it could be fun to do a little permadeath on the side (if that's still a thing).

3. I'm pretty sure that my characters probably won't have survived all the moves and mergers and other such shenanigans, so I'll be looking to start fresh. Any suggestions for a starting race/class/build that's relatively easy to play to get my feet back under me?

My thanks, in advance, for those who take the time to answer!

[Rienuaa]

First things first, if people on these forums tell you that this game is awful, please ignore them. DDO has changed a lot and for the better, you are right. However, threads about returning players somehow catch the worst of the worst and it ends up in a forum scuffle.

The best advice I can give you is to pick a server at random, or hop in the DDO discord and ask around. You can find the DDO discord server at http://discord.me/ddodiscord, if that link doesn't work let me know. Each server is territorial and thinks they're the best, but it's all about the same (except for Wayfinder, which is very depopulated due to its origin story).

The game has changed so much that I would recommend you start fresh on a new character before you open the old ones and see what you have sitting there for you. Character generation has been shifted so many times you may be missing critical parts to any really old character.

Right now, most players are enjoying Reaper Mode, which is an extreme challenge setting available on basically all quests. If you're familiar with TRing, you'll be okay, just play at your own pace and ask for help when you need it.

Welcome back to DDO!

[Graskitch]

when you say "start fresh" do you mean that you would create a new ddo account? if you still remember your old account details, it is worth checking out the 8 current servers to see which one your characters were migrated to. Some of your characters may have been renamed slightly (with a suffix attached).

I think it is worth checking out your existing characters - it is always fun discovering the state of your characters and inventory after a long absence and getting them up to speed. If you actually remember the name of your old server, we might be able to figure out which server you were transferred to. What Rienuaa said about character generation though is very true; you will want to make a new character as well to see all the updates and new class/race features available to you.

I have hopped around the different servers, and it is interesting to notice the different game economies (auction house) as well as lfm behaviors, but it is not something that most players would notice, and it probably varies over time as well. So yeah, either choose the current default server, or just a random server to try out (although I really do think you should try to find the server where your characters were transferred to).
You cannot really ask for guild recommendations until you establish your server.

- Sarlona server does have a large Chinese population playing on it; when I went to hit up lfm's I would sometimes run into groups that were speaking chinese (occasionally noone would speak English).
- Wayfinder does have a very small server population - the auction house and astral exchange are very limited in supply, and it can be difficult to find lfm's. however, if you prefer to solo in a small community, that might be an ideal server.

Let us know if you find your characters, and which server you are on - I am very curious.

[ArgentMage]

One trick I've heard you can try is to select "Transfer" from the launcher, and it will show where all your characters currently are.
Don't actually do a transfer - it's a paid (and not cheap) service.

[Graskitch]

One trick I've heard you can try is to select "Transfer" from the launcher, and it will show where all your characters currently are.
Don't actually do a transfer - it's a paid (and not cheap) service.

wow, that is a really good trick to know, thanks, yeah, it keeps track of how many characters you have on each server. that is very useful, thanks.

[TDarkchylde]

OP, if you remember which of the old servers you were on, we may be able to help you narrow down where your old toons ended up.

[Gargoyle69]

Welcome back, hope you find many years of fun here :-)

Good class builds to ease you back into the game, depending on what playstyle you enjoy :
* if you enjoy melee, swashbuckler bards & Knight of the chalice paladins are solid
* if you enjoy ranged, arcane archer rangers & mechanic rogues are great
* if you enjoy casters, the new warlock is very strong (tho it's VIP or purchase)

All of these can solo well and still bring lots of utility to groups. Plus they're reasonably straightforward to learn & play.

Fair travels to you!

[Chai]

If the join date in 2009 is correct, that was post merge, therefore whichever server you played on is the one your characters will be on.

[Thalamask]

Many thanks for all the information, folks.

Apparently, according to the transfer thing you recommended, my characters have ended up on Thelanis, so I'll probably be rolling there. I'll go poke around the server forums and see who's around, but if you have any recommendations for a guild, I'm all for it.

I think that starting off as melee is likely to be my best bet, but I'm the kind of person that does completionist things, so eventually I'll be TR'ing (I think that's what it's called) across everything. If you can recommend a solid build I'd be grateful.

As always, my thanks.

[Morroiel]

Many thanks for all the information, folks.

Apparently, according to the transfer thing you recommended, my characters have ended up on Thelanis, so I'll probably be rolling there. I'll go poke around the server forums and see who's around, but if you have any recommendations for a guild, I'm all for it.

I think that starting off as melee is likely to be my best bet, but I'm the kind of person that does completionist things, so eventually I'll be TR'ing (I think that's what it's called) across everything. If you can recommend a solid build I'd be grateful.

As always, my thanks.

Hit me up in game or pm - morroiel or archangal. I'll help you out.

[unbongwah]

2. If I remember rightly, this isn't really a solo-friendly game.
A lot's changed: outside of Reaper Mode (http://ddowiki.com/page/Reaper_difficulty), which was deliberately designed to encourage grouping, most of DDO is soloable by any toon with decent DPS + self-healing. Naturally, some classes are a lot more self-sufficient than others.

Any suggestions for a starting race/class/build that's relatively easy to play to get my feet back under me?
That's a pretty nebulous question, so my suggestion would be to browse the Build Repository (https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/470423-Build-Repository) for your favorite class(es) and ask about specific builds which catch your eye.

Welcome back and have fun. :)

[Satyriasys]

I will give you the best advice possible. Play another game and never give one dime to this company.

[Thalamask]

Thanks for all the advice, folks.

I've decided to roll a dwarf barbarian on Thelanis using this build : https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/461645-Thorix-a-first-life-EE-capable-Dwarven-Barbarian

I'll keep an eye on the subforum's and ingame to find a good guild once I make it off the starter island.

Keep on being awesome!