Old Player thinking about returning

[Emerikol]

So I was here when it all began. My daughter and I used to play together. My daughter is grown up and has her own family now and we thought we might get on and group together to adventure.

I'm sure a lot has changed. I appear even to be missing some equipment when I log in my wizard.

What is everyone's advice? My daughter 13 or 14 when she played before and she only played a fighter. She is 21 now. I played extensively. Her man is a heavy video gamer but he has never played DDO. There would be three of us for now.

So Questions?
1. Should we start on a whole new server and if so which one?
2. Should we try to get other people into our groups or get hirelings?
3. Can we start in the Forgotten Realms or is that only for high level groups?
4. Should we buy 32 point right off or not?
5. Should one of us subscribe and buy guest passes or should we just all buy modules? Or should I buy modules and get guest passes for them?

[Nebless]

So Questions?
1. Should we start on a whole new server and if so which one?
2. Should we try to get other people into our groups or get hirelings?
3. Can we start in the Forgotten Realms or is that only for high level groups?
4. Should we buy 32 point right off or not?
5. Should one of us subscribe and buy guest passes or should we just all buy modules? Or should I buy modules and get guest passes for them?

1. It might matter if you go looking for more people to group with, depending on your playtime some servers will be more populated than others so you might want to create test characters on all the servers to see which are most active when you plan on being on. Over all I think Cannith is the most active one right now. if you two still have your old account info your old characters will still be there giving you a source of equipment & money that'll help beginning characters.

2. If you're all going to start at level 1 and work your way up I won't really worry about other's right now. It is possible you'll meet someone on Korthos Island and group up or form your own guild and become a regular play group. I play solo and so far have never used hirelings, that one will depend on how your group shakes out as far as who plays what really on if you need them or not.

3. All of the 3 expansions are for higher levels so unless you all jump on making lvl 10 characters TODAY (cuz the special weekend ends today) you'll be looking at the regular game for a bit.

4. I wouldn't just because unless you're very familiar with D&D or how to really utilize that build it would just be a waste of money.

5. I'd play the free game for a while, plenty of free dungeons to get and keep you going until you decide to branch out and try some of the Adventure Packs.

[Emerikol]

1. It might matter if you go looking for more people to group with, depending on your playtime some servers will be more populated than others so you might want to create test characters on all the servers to see which are most active when you plan on being on. Over all I think Cannith is the most active one right now. if you two still have your old account info your old characters will still be there giving you a source of equipment & money that'll help beginning characters.

2. If you're all going to start at level 1 and work your way up I won't really worry about other's right now. It is possible you'll meet someone on Korthos Island and group up or form your own guild and become a regular play group. I play solo and so far have never used hirelings, that one will depend on how your group shakes out as far as who plays what really on if you need them or not.

3. All of the 3 expansions are for higher levels so unless you all jump on making lvl 10 characters TODAY (cuz the special weekend ends today) you'll be looking at the regular game for a bit.

4. I wouldn't just because unless you're very familiar with D&D or how to really utilize that build it would just be a waste of money.

5. I'd play the free game for a while, plenty of free dungeons to get and keep you going until you decide to branch out and try some of the Adventure Packs.

Thanks. I also already own some adventure packs from my former days so my options are even broader. I believe my family of course will start with a lot of open slots and I may need to buy one (or delete one) but that is no big deal.

Thanks for the info.

[EllisDee37]

I'd probably start with:

Rogue (int-based mechanic using crossbows)
Fighter or Paladin (vanguard sword & shield, intimidate to soak up aggro)
Cleric (DC caster, can heal the other 2 and do some crowd control plus insta-killing at later levels)

No hires needed, nor any other group members. If everyone goes VIP you don't need to worry about buying packs. (But you still need to buy expansions.)

In early levels the cleric can spam a bunch of light spell SLAs to contribute instead of just being a heal bot. Once in the teens, Greater Command is a nice CC for large fights.

[Niminae]

So I was here when it all began. My daughter and I used to play together. My daughter is grown up and has her own family now and we thought we might get on and group together to adventure.

I'm sure a lot has changed. I appear even to be missing some equipment when I log in my wizard.

What is everyone's advice? My daughter 13 or 14 when she played before and she only played a fighter. She is 21 now. I played extensively. Her man is a heavy video gamer but he has never played DDO. There would be three of us for now.

So Questions?
1. Should we start on a whole new server and if so which one?
2. Should we try to get other people into our groups or get hirelings?
3. Can we start in the Forgotten Realms or is that only for high level groups?
4. Should we buy 32 point right off or not?
5. Should one of us subscribe and buy guest passes or should we just all buy modules? Or should I buy modules and get guest passes for them?

Sounds like fun with the family!


1. - As long as your server is one of the more populous ones, I see no reason for you to leave behind all your existing characters. Just make a new one, or clear out a bank mule you've left at level 1.
2. - This is a social game, so why not post a LFM for the dungeons you're running and see if people join you? You might want to take a little time to get re-familiarized with the game before that, but you don't have to.
3 - Starting in the Forgotten Realms requires an Iconic character. There are 6 of them now. You can buy access to 3 of them with the Shadowfell Conspiracy expansion Collector's Edition (which comes with several other perks) for dollars, or buy individually them for points (that you buy with dollars). If you keep playing you're going to want access to the dungeon packs that the Shadowfell Conspiracy includes and are not available any other way, so that's the route I'd recommend. When you check out you'll be offered a few additional bundles, and the 50% off Menace of the Underdark expansion and the 11,000 store points are good deals.
4. - You never need to buy 32 point builds. You will eventually earn it for free just from playing the game, but every character starts with a Lesser Heart which allows you to respec your character if you mess up. When you use it you are upgraded from a 28 point to a 32 point build, and you can use it right away. If you go the Iconic route they all start at a 32 point build.
5. - That's a tough one, and a lot will depend on how much of an investment you're willing to make. Buying the Shadowfell Conspiracy ($50), Menace of the Underdark ($17.50), and Ravenloft expansions ($40), plus the 11,000 store points ($60) adds up to real money real fast, and there are three of you, and two on the same household budget. That price can go up or down depending on whether you want some of the higher priced Ravenloft bundles or buy the Standard Edition Shadowfell Conspiracy, or pass on the store points (but that really is the best deal on store points around). You can certainly play for free for quite a long time before taking the plunge. If you do this then I'd recommend that you each buy a 3 month or a 6 month VIP subscription so you can enjoy all the content except that included with the expansions for that amount of time while you settle in to the game. Just be careful about what classes and races you select when you create your characters, because when your VIP subscription expires you'll lose access to any characters with a race or a class which is not free content. You can get access back if you purchase those races or classes, or renew your VIP subscription. A VIP subscription is more expensive in the long term than just buying points on sale and buying content on sale.


The wiki is your friend for all kinds of information on the game that the game should share with the players but fails to do.
http://ddowiki.com/page/Home

[LeslieWest_GuitarGod]

All good advice above.

DDO still has one of the best guild communities in MMO world.

Check out the Tyrs Paladium guild. We have lots of families. Very few kids since its a 30+ years old guild, but we HAVE made exceptions if they were well behaved and their parent was in guild and now THEY are in college too :) We have very friendly guildies that will get you both up and running.

Its our 10th year this year -- and we host the Tyrs Ghallanda Fellowship alliance channel. No drama and no zerg. We are a very active guild and there ALWAYS someone on to run with. We are still 100 guildies strong, and still love the game as much as it did when it all started. We have a hyperactive website, and just about everyone knows everybody around these parts. Camaraderie is King in Tyrs Paladium..

We reside on Ghallanda. Its quite an active server, but more importantly guild life kicks ASS on GLAND.. check us out! :)

Research our Guild here: Read our official Recruitment thread (https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/261110-Tyrs-Paladium-is-hiring!-quot-The-30-50-Year-Olds-Guild-quot) |

Sign up here: Tyrs Guild Website (http://tyrspaladium.shivtr.com)! (http://tyrspaladium.shivtr.com/?site_game_id=103929)

[PsychoBlonde]

5. Should one of us subscribe and buy guest passes or should we just all buy modules? Or should I buy modules and get guest passes for them?

The cheapest thing to do is just to subscribe for a few months. You get 500 DDO points per month when on a subscription, so you can save those until after your sub is over and use them to buy packs once you've run a few of them and know what you'd like to buy.

Summer Sails (big discounts each week) is currently going on, so check every week for what is on sale for some big bargains. It's possible that the expansions will go on sale as well in the next few weeks and you can pick them up for a song (sometimes as much as 75% off). Those tend to come along with some nice things like a few extra adventure packs.

[unbongwah]

Hi, welcome back, OP. :)

2. Should we try to get other people into our groups or get hirelings?
With the right mix of toons, a three-player static group can can handle most content fine without hires or other players. A few quests / raids require more than three players, but that's it.

3. Can we start in the Forgotten Realms or is that only for high level groups?
The Forgotten Realms quests start at level 15-ish and go into epics; so they're intended for either experienced toons or Iconic Heroes (http://ddowiki.com/page/Iconic_Hero), which start at level 15.

FYI, the Greyhawk quests (ToEE and Slave Lords) are lvls 7 & 8 in heroics, though they're pretty challenging compared to older DDO quests in that range. And Ravenloft is lvl 10 in heroics.

4. Should we buy 32 point right off or not?
The extra build pts are nice but not essential for most first-lifers. You can unlock 32 pt builds via Favor (http://ddowiki.com/page/Favor#Total_Favor); and once you do, you can upgrade from 28->32 pts by doing a Lesser Reincarnation (http://ddowiki.com/page/Lesser_Reincarnation) (LR). All new characters start with a free Heart of Wood which can be used to LR.

5. Should one of us subscribe and buy guest passes or should we just all buy modules? Or should I buy modules and get guest passes for them?
You've re-joined right at the start of SSG's annual summer sales. This week's deals (https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/497436-DDO-Store-Sales-June-28th-July-5th) include Double bonus DDO points, the Vault of Night adventure pack for half-price, 20% off miscellaneous adventure packs (https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/497443-DDO-Store-Sales-quot-Select-Adventure-Packs-quot), and Gnomes for 75% off. So it's a good month to buy a bunch of DDO Points and unlock the best on-sale content.

[Niminae]

The cheapest thing to do is just to subscribe for a few months. You get 500 DDO points per month when on a subscription, so you can save those until after your sub is over and use them to buy packs once you've run a few of them and know what you'd like to buy.

Summer Sails (big discounts each week) is currently going on, so check every week for what is on sale for some big bargains. It's possible that the expansions will go on sale as well in the next few weeks and you can pick them up for a song (sometimes as much as 75% off). Those tend to come along with some nice things like a few extra adventure packs.

Just to make sure this is clearly known by the OP: If you buy a VIP subscription you are barred from purchasing any content that VIP gives you access to while it is in effect. So while PsychoBlonde's advice is good advice, you'd want to take it in reverse order:

Buy some points, either as the 11,000 point add-on when you purchase Shadowfell or through the store there is a double bonus points sale ongoing through July 8th.

Then buy content as it goes on sale throughout the July summer sales event.

Then pick up a 3 or 6 month VIP subscription if you're still lacking dungeon packs that you want to play. In 3 or 6 months you should be able to go from 1st to 20th even playing just ~4 hours per week, and possibly more than once.