Understanding the game

[Premier2k]

Hello all,

I've recently started playing DDO and so far enjoying it, so much so that I've joined as a VIP but I have a number of questions.
But first some things about me which may influence the answers I receive.

I've had a play with a couple of classes but I'm not sure where to go with them.

I'm largely a solo player until I understand the game fully, I don't like to hold people back in dungeons etc so I like to have a firm grasp of all the mechanics first.
I've played loads of Final Fantasy 14 and to date remains my favourite MMO, I enjoyed tanking, black mage (pure dps) and summoner (dots). I've not really played WoW much as I didn't feel like there was a main story-line which made me wonder what the point was :p

On to the questions....

1. I'm looking for a good beginning class, I have googled this question but I've had many conflicting answers so here I am. I don't care whether it's a tank or dps, or even healer if need-be! just something that I can play easily whilst figuring out the rest of the game.
2. Is it true that soloing is near impossible if you aren't a rogue? (I don't really want to be a rogue if possible)
3. I'm thinking of buying astral shards with my DDO points so I can hire a gold rogue hireling will that solve the above problem?
4. If I hire a gold hireling can I hire a platinum one as well?
5. Is there crafting in this game? How detailed is it?
6. When I decide to join a guild, how do I go about this? Where/How do I apply?
7. How good is the main story-line?
8. Is there anything I should be aware of? Anything you wish you'd known before you started? (without spoilers)

Additional: What is this 1st life business? I keep seeing 1st life and 2nd life?

Thanks everyone for your feedback! ????

Premier2k

[Kenpai]

1. Everyone will say something different here. I would say a Cleric or FvS. They have the option to go Warpriest/Warsoul and play similarly to a Paladin while also having the option to go the nuke route or party healer route. Though really anything that has self healing (ie Druid, Warforged Wizard/Sorcerer/Artificer) can work.
2. Not even close. I can't think of a single quest where a rogue is required. And if there are and I can't remember them, you can easily skip them. Most of the time I solo and I haven't been a trapper in ages.
3. Don't. That's a waste of both ddo points and astral shards. Hirelings are garbage, and there are times where the trap box is inside or on the other side of the trapped area, so you would have to run through the trap anyways to get your hireling to find it. Ignore rogue hirelings and instead learn trap mechanics and timings so you can run through them. For the always on traps that you can't time or jump over, invest in hp and self-healing.
4. Yes
5. Yes. There are, like, 11 different crafting systems. Cannith Crafting is the main one, letting you create generic gear of any level. More specialized crafting systems like Greensteel and Thunderforged only have a few handfuls of effects and are locked to certain levels. Most of them are grinds but the items are typically worth it.
6. Depends on the guild. Some will randomly invite anyone standing around in the harbor. Others will ask if you want to join if you run quests with them enough.
7. There isn't what I would call a "main" story line. Pre-MotU quests' stories are good (ie. many of the lower level quests). However it's a big web of interconnected (and occasionally out of order) quests, which means you probably won't 'get' it your first time through.
8. Something I see people do far too often is accept resurrection inside the trap that killed them. Or on the wrong side of the trap. Ghosts can't die more than they are already, run through the trap and THEN raise.
Use Magic Device is a great skill regardless of your class.
Always keep a handful of remove curse potions, remove disease potions, remove blindness potions.
Talk to a spirit binder in a tavern in a convenient location so if you die and need to release, you won't have to run across 3 zones to go anywhere. https://ddowiki.com/

9. First life means a new character. Once you get to level 20+ you can True Reincarnate: return to level 1, but gain a past life feat which gives you a permanent benefit. First life characters have 28 or 32 points to distribute between STR, DEX, CON, WIS, INT, and CHA. Second life characters have 34 points. Third life+ characters have 36. However Second and Third life characters require more exp to level up than First life characters do.

[Premier2k]

Lots of awesome advice

That my friend, was exactly what I needed :D
Thank you for taking your time to help me out.

Premier2k

[Lonnbeimnech]

8. Is there anything I should be aware of?

In most RPGs there are party roles, the healer heals, the fighter is the guy with the 2 handed sword, the paladin is the guy with the long sword and shield, the ranger has a bow, etc

In this game those roles are much more loosely defined. You can make a dps fighter, or a tank fighter, or a paladin with a cross bow, or a dps cleric. It just depends on how you build your character.

also, any locked door you come across( with the exception of maybe 1 or 2 quests) can either be opened by lighting a rune, killing a monster, or finding a key somewhere in the dungeon. If none of these are true, then it is an optional door.

In other words, you don't NEED a rogue to finish the quest.

[Arianrhod]

A few additional points to consider -

If you're going to be mostly playing solo, try a variety of difficulty settings until you find your comfort level. Most of the advice on these forums assumes that people will be playing Reaper, but there's no real advantage to doing that if elite (or even hard) is sufficiently challenging for you. So when people say you need a trapper, they're probably thinking of elite/reaper traps that will kill you. On Normal, and even hard, this is much less of an issue. Sure, it's nice to get all the bonuses (like ingenious debilitation, for disarming all traps) and do all the optionals (some of which are behind secret or locked doors), but certainly not necessary if the rogue playstyle doesn't suit you.

As for what kind of character to play - once you've found a difficulty setting that suits you, really any class/race can work well. I'd suggest trying out a variety of classes on servers other than the one you intend to play on regularly - that way you get a feel for which you enjoy and which you don't, and pick up a few extra DDO points along the way as well (for first-time-per-server favor rewards)

Also, many people will recommend the Use Magic Device skill, and they have a point, it is really useful. But it takes a whole lot of investment to get to the useful level, due to very high DCs (difficulty class - the die roll needed for success, in this case), making it less useful for some characters than others (especially first life/no tomes). I'd say if you're a class that has it as a class skill, definitely take it; if you're a class with a lot of skill points and nothing urgent to spend them on (especially if you have a high charisma, as that's the stat UMD uses), probably take it. If you're a class with very few skill points, not charisma based, and can use raise dead scrolls without UMD (most clerics, many favored souls, and some paladins, for example), maybe don't worry about it so much. In any case, if you do take it, keep it maxed, and carry a +charisma item and +UMD item to boost the skill when you really need it.

[Vish]

Here's my advise
Get VIP, you did this good deal.
Save up get +6 tomes, or +8. Get supreme.
They are best power creep price ratio in game. Also allow better building

Then, run reaper
Reaper is best do, and best power creep in game
Also, run r1 lfm. Join r1 lfm
Don't worry, the vets will carry you. Just keep up with the group.
I wouldn't solo, not where the game is at.
Personally, I get my enjoyment from watching others play.

Join a guild.
Best marker is to run with some of them.
Vets will help you. Give you advice you need.
I always tell noobs to play a cleric,
It teaches you how to heal, and how to follow
Also, clerics are loved. Everyone loves having a cleric in the group

Then, tr. true reincarnation
This is level to 20, then reroll
You do that twice, get a 36 pt build

So, 36 pt build, +6 tomes, and running reaper
You will be set
Then you can start experimenting with builds

[Eventus]

First of all, welcome to ddo :)

Other than the sound advice above, I'd merely like to suggest a little less holding back in terms of party play. While I commend your wish to get a full firm grasp before engaging in party play, so as not to hold others back, I found that it was really through party play that the game reveals itself, wholly (this may be stating the obvious, but this is no less so with ddo). Indeed, party play was and is my main motivation for playing and staying in this game. It is here that you will find your role(s), and to this extent also your strength and weaknesses, which is really what you need to learn, in order to get better and know which parties (i.e. which difficulties to play) to join. Thus it is hard to learn one without the other - and both will naturally change with your own experience, past lives, and classes. (Don't get me wrong, indeed solo play can and will certainly also teach you about strength and weaknesses of your playstyle, class/build etc., but I find this is more the case once a more firm grasp and experience of the game has been obtained.)

Ddo has, socially, the whole spectrum of players - from the elitists to the open minded players, where it is often the latter that dont mind taking some time out (or hold back, as it were) and ease new players into the game (which, on a side note, some server populations needs!). When I began, I was very open with the fact that I was a new player when joining groups - especially if I was venturing into difficulties above my normal comfort level or new quests - and I found that this gesture was often returned with the players in the group (or some at least :) ) not minding taking time out to ease me into it and learn me some of the ropes - be it with simple or advanced strategic advice for certain monsters, quests and mechanics. In other words, dont go solo'ing too much, would be my advice, because party play WILL make you better at this game. Here a guild can play a crucial role too!

Good luck, and have fun!!

[Nebless]

On to the questions....

1. I'm looking for a good beginning class,

-- Easiest would be anything that swings a weapon; Fighter, Barbarian, Cleric or Paladin. Not much thinking required; move in close and keep hitting the mouse button to attack. Hint: You do NOT need to target an NPC (unless your using a bow). Move in and start swinging, anything in front of you will get hurt.

2. Is it true that soloing is near impossible if you aren't a rogue? (I don't really want to be a rogue if possible)

-- No it's not. I'm playing a Barbarian solo. Now I did take some Rogue skills when I got to lvl 8 or so (officially I'm multi-classed as a lvl 11 Barb / lvl 4 Rogue now). Why? I like finding Secret Doors, opening optional doors to get at chests and finding traps BEFORE I spring them.

-- A note on Rouge's: Don't think of them as straight Thief type class. Using my advice down below; I have a 2 weapon thief on Korthos Island I play with some. Granted he's weaker on hitpoints than a fighter would be, but fun too.

3. I'm thinking of buying astral shards with my DDO points so I can hire a gold rogue hireling will that solve the above problem?

-- I wouldn't. On the whole it seems hirelings aren't all that they should be. I know of only 1 (but I think there's a couple more) quest that you NEED another body to do, and that's a lvl 10 one. One the whole if you just play right you can solo stuff, if not on level than when you get a couple levels above.

4. If I hire a gold hireling can I hire a platinum one as well?

-- You can always hire as many as you want. Thing is only 1 can be out at a time. Also if you do go the hireling route (as I did for that 1 quest that needed another body), after you use them and get out of the dungeon, go put him in your bank vault, otherwise the timer keeps running. Putting him in the vault will freeze his timer until you need him for a dungeon that requires another body.

5. Is there crafting in this game? How detailed is it?

-- Yes, not sure as I've never done any.

6. When I decide to join a guild, how do I go about this? Where/How do I apply?

-- Best bet is to use the server sub-forums here and look under the guild sections to see if there's one's you like. There should be contact info in the posts. Hint: DON'T except Ninja invites while you play. My thought is if they can't be bothered to actually TALK to you first, than it's not a guild worth joining.

7. How good is the main story-line?

-- There's a long post somewhere here on the forums that tie's all the quests together and lays out an overall story line. I found it a bit confusing and gave up, but supposedly there is a story line. Now the one on Korthos Island is very clear cut and pretty good. Once you get to the mainland it's better to think of all the dungeons as stand alone's. There are some that are chained together; The Catacombs, The Seal of Shan-To-Kor, Tangleroot Gorge and Delera's Tomb come to mind and those make sense and are good.

8. Is there anything I should be aware of? Anything you wish you'd known before you started? (without spoilers)

-- DON'T hurry, take your time and do the optional's. If you do group to do a dungeon; tell them at the start you want to take it slow and see all the sights. Alot of players are on their next life, Alt's etc..., know the dungeons, don't care about the optional's and just want to speed through. If you don't want that tell them.

-- While as VIP you can jump into a dungeon on the Elite setting, I'd recommend against it. Do them at Normal, than Hard and then at Elite. Not only will you get more XP that way, but loot also and you'll learn the dungeon. Do a bunch at Normal and then go back and do them all at Hard, repeat for Elite. Don't do the same one 3 times in a row as that get's boring.

-- Go into your options and turn off 'Accept Sparring Requests' and maybe 'Guild Invites'. The guild invites will take care of those Ninja Invites and unless you want to do Pvp, the sparring one will stop those few that run around spamming those.

Additional: What is this 1st life business? I keep seeing 1st life and 2nd life?

-- The max level is only 30. If you haven't hit that yet you're on your 1st Life. When you get between lvl 20 and 30 you can reincarnate and start over at lvl 1 again as a different class, building upon what you used to be. In effect you just keep getting stronger and stronger.



First off, Welcome to the game. Best piece of advice ever given: Don't sweat your first characters. They're learning 'toon's and you won't end up keeping them. Actually what you should do is create a different class of character on each server (they can all be named the same thing), not only will you get to check the pop of that server during your normal play time, but you'll get to try out the different classes.

If you want to do dungeons with others, go ahead and go to the Social panel and create your own LFG post. List in it you want to do slow and optionals, RP whatever so they'll know before signing up.

[C-Dog]

Welcome to the game!

(I'm going to answer some of your questions out of order, just cuz my answers will make more sense that way...)


I'm largely a solo player until I understand the game fully, I don't like to hold people back in dungeons etc so I like to have a firm grasp of all the mechanics first.
There are some who would feel "held back", but also some who would enjoy helping a new player. Tell people "I'm new", and few will have a problem either helping you, or towing you. ;)


2. Is it true that soloing is near impossible if you aren't a rogue? (I don't really want to be a rogue if possible)
First, no. It helps, but it isn't necessary. You can jump/time many traps*, and/or just run through and then heal up (if not on Elite - which tends to be a killer). Grabbing a hireling Cleric/Favored Soul who can heal you helps.

(* You can "cheat" and find the traps on the DDOWiki (https://ddowiki.com/page/Quests) before you go into a quest. Ymmv.)

Second, in DDO, you can be a "trapper" and not be a pure Rogue. Depending on the build, 1 level of Rogue (or Artificer, for that matter!) will get you access to all the skills you need. Rangers, Bards, even Wizards can all be great "trappers" with only 1 level of Rogue.


I've had a play with a couple of classes but I'm not sure where to go with them.
...
1. I'm looking for a good beginning class, I have googled this question but I've had many conflicting answers so here I am. I don't care whether it's a tank or dps, or even healer if need-be! just something that I can play easily whilst figuring out the rest of the game.
Probably THE question new players ask - and there is no single answer. Too much depends on your play style, on your personality, on what you find "fun".

But, everything equal, and without knowing/guessing much about you, I'd recommend one of these:


o 2-weapon Ranger trapper (https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/423116-Tempest-Trapmonkey-for-new-players?p=5072817&viewfull=1#post5072817)
o Bow-using Ranger trapper (https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/472671-Ranged-DPS-Ranger-that-can-deal-with-locks-and-traps?p=5793839&viewfull=1#post5793839)

Very similar, and flexible, with some "buffing" spells and some combat (one melee, one ranged). They can both trap, so that's taken care of. And Ranger comes w/ many free feats, so the 2-weapon can use a bow okay, and the bow-user can use 2-weapons okay. Not to rely on in a big fight, but just to beat up on the occasional lone guard, if you want to experiment a little.

But any of these can work, esp if they are labeled "solo" and "new-player friendly": https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/470423-Build-Repository?p=5759353&viewfull=1#post5759353


3. I'm thinking of buying astral shards with my DDO points so I can hire a gold rogue hireling will that solve the above problem?
Yes, but unnecessary (see above). Also, if you have money to throw at the game, there may be better things to aim for (e.g. Expansion packs). But for now, save your money/shards, and get a feel for the game, so you can answer these things yourself.


4. If I hire a gold hireling can I hire a platinum one as well?
You can only have 1 platinum-bought hireling in use at a time, but you can have as many Gold-Seal hirelings as you want (up to party max size 6).


5. Is there crafting in this game? How detailed is it?
Yes, it's a bit grindy, but you can custom make most anything. The best high-level gear is still "named", but the ability to fill in with crafting to suit your needs/preferences is huge.


6. When I decide to join a guild, how do I go about this? Where/How do I apply?
You can do that on these forums (there are subforums for each of the 8 servers, plus a general one for "guilds"), and/or by finding one in-game. Keep your eye out for something that looks good. And remember - you're not just applying to them, they're also auditioning for you! If you don't like them, find another!


7. How good is the main story-line?
I don't follow the main story line, except by accident. It's good, but there are many good detours and tangents as well.


8. Is there anything I should be aware of? Anything you wish you'd known before you started? (without spoilers)
If you've played table-top D&D, don't expect to directly translate that experience to character building. Think of this as a new edition of D&D, one you've never played before. Follow some builds on the forums before trusting to your own creativity - it's VERY easy to design a character that starts strong but fails by level 8 or so - VERY easy. :o:rolleyes:



Additional: What is this 1st life business? I keep seeing 1st life and 2nd life?
For your first character, you will only have 28 build points (or 32 for a non-basic account). These are the points you use for the basic 6 stats - Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma.


o https://ddowiki.com/page/Build_point

When you reach Level 20 you can reincarnate and start over at Level 1. The benefits are that you then have 34 build points, plus a small benefit that is an "echo" of your previous life. If you do that again, you'll then have 36 build points (the max) for your 3rd life and another echo. You'll never have more than 36 build points 9so "3rd life" is the highest for build points), but these "echoes" all add up.

At Level 20, you can also go on to Level 30, and get different (and better?) past life benefits, plus there are other options - but basically that's what that's about, reincarnating so your future lives will be stronger.

"3rd life" also implies that you, as a player, have played the game to Level 20 at least twice, and so you know you're way around the block. :cool:


Any more questions, just ask - we'll be here.

[Fivetigers33]

Welcome to the game.

You might consider playing an Artificer. They can disable traps and find doors like rogues, but they don't play like a typical "sneaking around" roguish character. They can be made into tanks and have self healing. They have a pet to help pull levers for when you are soloing. And they can easily be set up as melee, ranged, or magic nuker, whichever fits your preference.

Basically they are a pretty versatile character depending on how you build and gear them. I will say with so many options, they are a little more complex than a barbarian, paladin or fighter are to play, but once you get things figured out, this class might check off all the boxes on your checklist.

[DrowsworD]

Very good advice from others, even if some of it seems conflicting.

There are several players and guilds that will help new players. If you take your new character to Korthos on the right server (can't remember which one), there is usually a player in the village to help. That being said, there are also those that will not except you in their group if you are new. Do not get discouraged.

I disagree with the person that said to jump in to reaper. That level is for the better geared and multi-life crowd. Yes, you may be able to run with a group and survive, but some groups will expect you to have the best gear, best stats if you join their reaper group. Best to stay away.

Finding your answers on the forum is good, but many do not use the forum. You can get the answers in game faster and as they come in during game play if you are running with other people. I and others often run quests with new players to help them learn the game. PM me with what server and day/time you are on and we can run together.

Hirelings can be helpful or a hindrance. Some of them have good AI, some very bad. Learning how to use one while learning how to use your new character takes your attention away from your main task. It is better to play with others than trying to use a hireling.

Spend your DDO points on adventure packs or save them for sales on expansions, storage, etc.

Welcome !!!

[C-Dog]

Very good advice from others, even if some of it seems conflicting.
Wha??? Never! The internet is based on consensus and compromise, always finding a middle ground that holds The Absolute Truth! :cool:


I disagree with the person that said to jump in to reaper... Best to stay away.
Hrmmm... best to treat it with caution, let's agree on that.

There are some first-life builds that can handle Reaper, but the dangers for any quest on that difficulty are different from and in addition to Elite. If you are smart and cautious, even as first life you can "tag along" R1 even without a build like this one...


o https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/488109-12-Artificer-6-Fighter-2-Monk-Reaper-Build?p=5995673&viewfull=1#post5995673


Hirelings can be helpful or a hindrance... It is better to play with others than trying to use a hireling.
Hirelings can sometimes(?) be suicidal, uncooperative idiots, and so the ultimate in frustration, true, but if used correctly* they are a godsend, and are a real safety net for any character who cannot crush content. And if you do solo, and you understand how to use them, "better" is def a "ymmv" thing.

* For example - Healer hires, unless they are over-level for the quest, will often not survive in combat. So, park them where they are safe (at the entry, at a shrine, in an empty(!) hall, etc.), and call them to heal you between your combats - then park them again and repeat. If you insist on dragging them along, put them on "passive", so they will not go looking for a fight. :rolleyes: If you expect to die, switch them to "Active" (when they ~tend~ to heal you on their own) and call them to your side - and hope for the best. :rolleyes: Or, better(?), wait until you die and the bad guys wander away - then call your hire (on Passive), have them grab your stone and run to a shrine - and you're good to go again. Similar with crossing unsurvivable traps. :cool:


Spend your DDO points on adventure packs or save them for sales on expansions, storage, etc.
Agreed, 110%! Sales can easily save you anywhere from 20-35%, and sometimes 50% or as much as 75%! Unless you have money to throw at the game (which does, admittedly, solve many problems), wait for things to go On Sale.

[Arianrhod]

Hrmmm... best to treat it with caution, let's agree on that.

There are some first-life builds that can handle Reaper, but the dangers for any quest on that difficulty are different from and in addition to Elite. If you are smart and cautious, even as first life you can "tag along" R1


While this is true, different people want different experiences in the game. For those who want to build their way to "endgame" as fast as possible, getting carried through Reaper groups might be the best strategy. For others, who want to experience the game as fully contributing members of any group they might happen to be in (and would rather solo Normal than be dragged through Reaper), other approaches may be called for.

[Selvera]

1. A good beginning class is hard to define. Personally, I believe Paladin is an excellent beginning class. It has great, well rounded defenses in all important areas for a starting out character, can wade into melee and dish out a punishment; while also casting a handful of spells which range from mildly useful short term buffs to incredibly powerful long term self buffs. They can self heal, and they can be immune to some of the nastier debuffs the game can throw at you.

I can also see arguments that rogue, barbarian, cleric, bard or warlock can make great starting classes for this game (among others).

2. Is it true that soloing is near impossible if you aren't a rogue? (I don't really want to be a rogue if possible)

Rogues can disarm traps. Traps in higher difficulties can be non-trivial. Traps can also be avoided or timed (most of the time); and with powercreep and attention to defenses, traps can be tanked, even on higher difficulties.

Rogues can also detect secret doors. There are no secret doors that I can think of that are required to be found to complete a quest. Sometimes there are optional objectives or extra loot behind secret doors.

Rogues can pick locks. The vast majority of locked doors have alternative ways to bypass them; ranging from finding a key to blowing them in with a fireball or high strength. There are a couple doors where picking locks is the only option, but I think that these only exist within raids.

It's worthy to note that Artificers can do all of the above just as well as rogues can.

3. I'm thinking of buying astral shards with my DDO points so I can hire a gold rogue hireling will that solve the above problem?

Hirelings can't be summoned in raids, but the raid I'm thinking of requires you to have 5 people in your party to finish it anyways. And like all other quests/raids in the game, you can skip it if you don't want to do it. There's easily enough XP in the game to reach level 20 without repeating any content, if you have all content available to you. (F2P accounts will run into issues and have to repeat content at some level).

From what little I've seen of rogue hirelings; they're usually good enough to disarm traps, unlock doors/chests and find secret doors in quests that they're an appropriate level for. Personally I've never used one or felt the need to have one. There are better things to spend your ddo points on.

4. If I hire a gold hireling can I hire a platinum one as well?

Yes. You're limited to 1 plat hireling; but can have any number of gold hirelings.

5. Is there crafting in this game? How detailed is it?

There are a ton of different crafting systems; most of them tied to the loot in a "quest pack", which means they're often very level specific. The exception is Cannith Crafting; which lets you make a large variety of items that can fit into any item slot at any character level, and can be useful for any class. Due to how leveling cannith crafting works; I would suggest you don't worry about it until you're character level 20 and can level up your crafting "quickly", unless you're really keen on getting into crafting asap.

6. When I decide to join a guild, how do I go about this? Where/How do I apply?

I find that a lot of the time if you're unguilded you'll get a bunch of guild invites, even if you're just standing around afk and not doing much. If you want to pursue a particular guild to get into; try looking up any of their online members and asking if there's an officer online that you can talk to. (Officers are the ones who recruit new members).

7. How good is the main story-line?

DDO is a game of many story lines; most of them contained within a 3 to 12 "pack" of quests. Many of these story lines are interlinked and may lead up to various raids or expansions that the game has to offer.

8. Is there anything I should be aware of? Anything you wish you'd known before you started? (without spoilers)

If you're looking at being F2P or premium; you'll want to spend most of your first DDO points on quest packs; allowing you to run quests that normal F2P accounts can't. These can be used to get specific pieces of useful loot (Such as the voice of the master) or bridge gaps in leveling up which are sparsely populated by f2p quests (levels 14-20 mostly).

There is a huge powergap between those who have top tier builds, best in slot gear, incredible quest and game mechanic knowledge, pastlives and reaper points; and those who don't (yet) have those things. Fortunately a good player can bridge a lot of this gap fairly quickly, (Go for learning quest/game mechanics, acquiring gear and building properly as your first goals to bridge that gap, if you so wish); but that last stretch can be a large grind. Also; those top-tier players have plenty of reason to be running low level quests.

This can mean that there are players at low levels who are kind, and willing to help out new players learn the game, get better gear, give out plat, and/or just make fast XP grouping options. Many of these people don't mind (or even enjoy) having a newer player in their group, regardless of their contribution to the quest. This can also mean that it's easy to feel overshadowed in a group; if you join a group as a newer player and see someone accomplish a quest that was designed for a full 6 person group on a difficulty you can't survive a fight with a single enemy; faster then you can keep up with them. Don't worry; we all started there, and most people are quite nice. If you make friends and an effort to learn the game/improve your play, you'll get to that point sooner then you might think. And if you don't want to do this... there's actually a lot of people out there who keep on playing lower difficulties at a slower pace for years because they find it fun.

[Enoach]

1. I'm looking for a good beginning class, I have googled this question but I've had many conflicting answers so here I am. I don't care whether it's a tank or dps, or even healer if need-be! just something that I can play easily whilst figuring out the rest of the game.
There will be many opinions on what is the "best" starting class. My answer is it depends on your own personal preferences. But I will put out that starting as a Paladin will be rough as that is a class that is what is referred to as M.A.D. (Multiple Attribute Dependent).

Of the classes out there the Cleric and Favored Soul have the flexibility of being either Physical damage (melee/ranged), Nuke style caster or DC style caster. The recent updates open up several options for building which only adds to their flexibility. I mention this as you discover the style you like or dislike, the Cleric and FvS are classes that can allow you to change their style.

2. Is it true that soloing is near impossible if you aren't a rogue? (I don't really want to be a rogue if possible)
Interesting point about DDO is that it has not put itself in a place where any "Class/Build" is required. That being said, there are places where a build that can disable traps can make the quest easier, but you can say that about a lot of features such as some quests are easier with Crowd Control etc.

Now there are some quests that have optional areas where finding secret doors can open up paths or lead to loot. There is only one quest that I can think of that has a secret door that has to be opened to complete the Quest, but if you can't find it, triggering and completing the optional in that area will open it. You just have to fight a giant skeleton.

3. I'm thinking of buying astral shards with my DDO points so I can hire a gold rogue hireling will that solve the above problem?
Don't do this. While you quest every 100 favor earns you 25 DDO points, buying stuff in the store will mean if you stop being VIP you will not be downgraded to F2P but gain Premium status. I would recommend only getting a Gold Seal Hire such as the Rogue if after attempting the quest you discover that this type of hire would allow you to complete. Keep in mind that at tougher difficulties you may need to "buff" your rogue.

4. If I hire a gold hireling can I hire a platinum one as well?
Yes, you can summon one hireling bought with platinum, but you can summon as many gold seal hirelings as your party can hold.

5. Is there crafting in this game? How detailed is it?
There are many crafting systems in the game. Check out https://ddowiki.com/page/Crafting it is a jump off point for each system.

6. When I decide to join a guild, how do I go about this? Where/How do I apply?
Every Guild is different, some have more formalized recruiting systems then others. My recommendation is to keep track of the different people you run with and their guilds, don't be afraid to ask about the guild. Then with more knowledge when you find a guild that you feel you would be a good fit with ask a member about joining.

7. How good is the main story-line?
I wouldn't call it a main story-line, more there is connecting threads between all the stories and houses. I've enjoyed the NPC dialogs which I think people have a tendency to skip. But some of these dialogs can actually give you information about the quest or series you are currently running.

8. Is there anything I should be aware of? Anything you wish you'd known before you started? (without spoilers)
Don't be afraid to join a party even if you don't know all the mechanics. Let the party leader know you are new. If they are like me, they will make sure you get as much enjoyment out of the adventure and even give you tips to help you along the way.

Additional: What is this 1st life business? I keep seeing 1st life and 2nd life?
DDO has implemented Reincarnation Systems. The 1st life, 2nd life and 3rd plus life is known as the Heroic Reincarnation System. Basically starting at level 20 you can choose to "start over", this gives you some benefits based on the current primary class or if you want race of your character. You start back at level 1, keeping all your equipment. This resets your favor but that allows you to re-earn it. You will have more options available to you in these next lives. Check out https://ddowiki.com/page/Reincarnation for more details.

[Frogger1234]

7. How good is the main story-line?


You don't have to know or follow the main story line. Or, more accurately, a series of sometimes inter-related and sometimes not lines of quests. There is a 324 page PDF (https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/464539-The-Stormreach-Campaign)put together by some players a few years ago if you are interested.

[DrowsworD]

One important thing about building your character. DO NOT use any of the pre-made builds in the character creation pages. These were poorly made at the beginning and have not been updated since they were added.

Create your character from the start, read the notes given and the descriptions of everything from stats to feats. This gives you an idea of the depth you can go in creating a character, and familiarizes you with the terminology of the game. Not everything will make since at first, but it will all come in time.

And, as someone else posted, don't sweat the first characters you make. You may play them for sometime, but many may be abandoned as you want to try other classes or builds.

See you in game.

[kelavas]

Hello all,

I've recently started playing DDO and so far enjoying it, so much so that I've joined as a VIP but I have a number of questions.
But first some things about me which may influence the answers I receive.

I've had a play with a couple of classes but I'm not sure where to go with them.

I'm largely a solo player until I understand the game fully, I don't like to hold people back in dungeons etc so I like to have a firm grasp of all the mechanics first.
I've played loads of Final Fantasy 14 and to date remains my favourite MMO, I enjoyed tanking, black mage (pure dps) and summoner (dots). I've not really played WoW much as I didn't feel like there was a main story-line which made me wonder what the point was :p

On to the questions....

1. I'm looking for a good beginning class, I have googled this question but I've had many conflicting answers so here I am. I don't care whether it's a tank or dps, or even healer if need-be! just something that I can play easily whilst figuring out the rest of the game.
2. Is it true that soloing is near impossible if you aren't a rogue? (I don't really want to be a rogue if possible)
3. I'm thinking of buying astral shards with my DDO points so I can hire a gold rogue hireling will that solve the above problem?
4. If I hire a gold hireling can I hire a platinum one as well?
5. Is there crafting in this game? How detailed is it?
6. When I decide to join a guild, how do I go about this? Where/How do I apply?
7. How good is the main story-line?
8. Is there anything I should be aware of? Anything you wish you'd known before you started? (without spoilers)

Additional: What is this 1st life business? I keep seeing 1st life and 2nd life?

Thanks everyone for your feedback! ????

Premier2k
*1 > I'd recommend just a swinging fighter or barbarian as those kill things the most. Spellcasters are usually harder to understand or learn because you have to click spells on your hotbar and do less a second than a melee. Learn towards a human barbarian, those are easy to understand with some hotbars for knowledge. SSG isn't new player friendly so we're here to help you.
*2 > Rogues are not needed, but there for a trap bonus for more experience, traps are not deadly until higher difficulty dungeons.
*3 > Not worth it, don't try it - trust me.
*4 > Only one of these can be purchased, and used at a time - but gold seals can have as many as your party can fill.
*5 > There are various crafting possibilites from Cannith Crafting to greensteel crafting, to slave lords crafting or ToEE crafting, ETC. These can be found in the pack lines except for Cannith Crafting. You get essences in quests and turn them in for shards and craft certain item(s). I'd recommend using a planner for any of these.
*6 > Mostly any guilds will accept you that aren't endgame. Endgame guilds you want to stay away from as far as possible until you are ready. Those guilds like doing super high difficulty (reaper 10) and until you are ready to handle that kind of challenge, you should not join those guilds.
*7 > There really is no main storyline. You go from Korthos (starter) to Harbor (meh) to Marketplace (okay) to the various houses and eveningstar. You can travel inbetween these but afaik there is no current storyline, sorry.
*8 > Not a spoiler, I hate those. I'd recommend saving up your points for when you stop being VIP and getting packs the quickest as possible, after the second reincarnation, elite is unlocked and having VIP is not necessary unless you want a 10% bonus. (to be fair it should be upgraded to 15%)

Additional: It is how many times a player has started a new life via a reincarnation system implemented by Turbine. You can use this to get more abilities or bonuses unlocked for your character. This is recommended when you are no longer interested in the life (have to be 20+) or out of favor to unlock.

If you are on Argonnessen, please hit me up.
Orien, got some characters on there, not much anymore.

If you are on the default server Cannith, wouldn't recommend asking anyone in GODS or what was it... ASCENDANCE? Those are some mean ol' people. (just kidding, they are just the high endgame guild(s) of Cannith.

[Pyed-Pyper]

Here's my advise
Get VIP, you did this good deal.
Save up get +6 tomes, or +8. Get supreme.
They are best power creep price ratio in game. Also allow better building

Then, run reaper
Reaper is best do, and best power creep in game
Also, run r1 lfm. Join r1 lfm
Don't worry, the vets will carry you. Just keep up with the group.
I wouldn't solo, not where the game is at.
Personally, I get my enjoyment from watching others play.

Join a guild.
Best marker is to run with some of them.
Vets will help you. Give you advice you need.
I always tell noobs to play a cleric,
It teaches you how to heal, and how to follow
Also, clerics are loved. Everyone loves having a cleric in the group

Then, tr. true reincarnation
This is level to 20, then reroll
You do that twice, get a 36 pt build

So, 36 pt build, +6 tomes, and running reaper
You will be set
Then you can start experimenting with builds

Maneuvering a new player into Reaper is about the worst advice I've ever read.

---

OP, most of your questions have been answered adequately. I would add the following:

Character choices: so long as you don't run a difficulty level above 'hard', as a new player you should be able to complete most quests by yourself. A few quests require more than one character to complete (eg 4 characters stand on 4 pads simultaneously to open a door/gate etc). Those quests will be identified as such in the quest UI.

Some class titles you may recognize, some you may not. Names of the classic archetypes generally follow what you might expect of the class. Wizards use magic, fighters swing swords, and so on. Some you might not, such as 'artificer'. Some classes are free, some are for sale, some may be earned by running enough of the right quests.

In my opinion, the 'best' class is the one you enjoy playing. If you're not sure what you like, then try different classes. Even free-to-play accounts get more than one character slot. Create a different character and try that. If you don't like it, delete it. The character creation process is clunky and can be intimidating, so don't be upset if things aren't perfect the first time.

In game, there is an advice channel where other players can respond to your questions. If your chat window does not have a tab labeled 'advice', you can access the channel by typing:
/advice [message]

Storage: If you don't have it already, I suggest you buy an account upgrade, "Shared Bank". This is the easiest way to transfer things between your characters. It is the only way to transfer "bound-to-account" gear. If you decide to delete a character, move all of your non-bound-to-character items to your Shared Bank.

Lastly, I would suggest you try, at least once, to run each quest solo before joining a group to run the quest. That is the way you get to explore the world without spoilers.

[Ultinoob]

1. I'm looking for a good beginning class, I have googled this question but I've had many conflicting answers so here I am. I don't care whether it's a tank or dps, or even healer if need-be! just something that I can play easily whilst figuring out the rest of the game.

2. Is it true that soloing is near impossible if you aren't a rogue? (I don't really want to be a rogue if possible)

3. I'm thinking of buying astral shards with my DDO points so I can hire a gold rogue hireling will that solve the above problem?

4. If I hire a gold hireling can I hire a platinum one as well?

5. Is there crafting in this game? How detailed is it?

6. When I decide to join a guild, how do I go about this? Where/How do I apply?

7. How good is the main story-line?

8. Is there anything I should be aware of? Anything you wish you'd known before you started? (without spoilers)

Additional: What is this 1st life business? I keep seeing 1st life and 2nd life?


1) DDO is not like any other MMO. You can mix and match almost any build outthere which makes for really interesting delves into how to construct a new character. I spend about as much time coming up with new character builds as i do playing the game even though i started on the EU servers about a year after the game came out i still consider myself a noob - hence the name. This also makes it possible to build a complete failure if you don't know what you are doing. So do take one of the builds on the forums with good feedback. Don't make one yourself initially.

2) I solo reaper 1-3 on my current build - no i am not gonna post it yet - but i also have past lives. I'll get back to past lives later. To answer your question i would recommend you a rouge or artificer build or splash as traps can kill you very easy if you don't know where they are and since you don't know any quest you have no idea where the traps are. If you are an artificer or rogue you should invest in spot, search, disable device and maybe even open lock. This way you will get a notice when a trap is near. A hireling will generally not suffice. If you insist on not being a trapper you should either have evasion/improved evasion and high reflex saves or high prr and mrr. the first will let you completely disregard the damage from traps and the latter will make you take less damage. So if not a trapper there is only really monk or ranger left with evasion. For high prr and mrr you need atleast a medium armor. Paladin, FIghter, barbarian could do. Now there are special builds out there which can "bypass" traps like the warlock after level 12 (enlightened spirit and massive temp hp), but i can not recommend this as a first lifer.

3) No. the hireling will generally walk behind you and the traps will be infront of you so the spot you get from the hireling will come after you stepped into the trap. Generally don't buy astral shards just yet. make do with normal money and get to know the game before you spend a fortune on shards.

4) I am not sure what a platinum hireling is but you can buy one for ingame platinum but you can only have one normal hireling at a time and remember to summon them in the start of a quest. Gold seal hireings you can have up to
5 of. any hireling will however take up a party slot.

5)There is loads of crafting. Cannith crafting, alchemical crafting, ToEE crafting, slavelords and i probably missed some. I recommend you look into CC as this type of crafting can make the same no name items that can drop from quests. At level 10'ish start deconstructing all random loot and get some Cannith crafting xp. House k is where the crafting is.

6) Oh this is a bees hive. If you end up in a guild you don't like don't be afraid to change. I ended up creating my own guild and we are just two in it. If you are on Ghallanda i can look into having you join my guild but since we are only two players you have to solo.

7) This game is massive. I have played a long time and just recently got into greensteel crafting. So many storylines. I would recommend you look into sagas and try to complete all of them except maybe Epic pirates as there are two quests i always fail so i skip this. Otherwise google level xx quest when you are that level and see what adventure pack that quest belong to and try out the whole chain. You will have to find out which quests you like by yourself.

8) I could talk for hours on giving advice but one thing i wish i had done earlier is try to make a list of quests i like. If you find a adventure pack you like, make a note about it for next life/char.

9) Reincarnation. That is what it is called. https://ddowiki.com/page/Reincarnation
Generally it is a good idea to play all the way to level 30, and my recommendation is not to use an iconic as you will then skip half of the game. start from level 1 and don't use any smart xp potions or ottos boxes. Start at level 1. Simply try all lvl 1 quests and make a note about whether you like them or not. This might take a long time, and you might wanna change your build multiple times. What i suggest is you stick with this one char - You might do a lesser reincarnation to try and change the build - but even after all these years i am almost never satisfied with the build. This is also why i recommend you first race to be human. Another thing is even though you are VIP and can open the quests on reaper don't do this. Start on normal. If this is too easy up it a bit, but most important when you die, find out why. look at the combat log. don't use astral shards to resurrect yourself or cookies as the thing that killed you probably will kill you over and over again. So make sure you bind in the closest tavern. I could go on but i think i will go to bed now. Btw i do NOT consider myself a pro player though i have over 30 past lives on my main, but maybe because of that i can better relate... Who knows. Just hope this makes sense.

Remember the game is meant to be fun. If you die all the time on normal, do casual instead.

Best regards
The Ultinoob

[Alrik_Fassbauer]

There is an older thread in the "Hall Of Fame" part of the DDO forum, which contains "The Story Of Eberron" until some point :
https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/319677-The-Story-of-Eberron

Since it is from 2011, it doesn't cover the newer stories.



Regarding character builds, there are seemingly a lot of possibilities (I'm not deep into builds, so I can't say).

There are a few extremes, however, which you rather should *not* consider, like the so-called "Swimcleric build" : https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/302802-The-Lifeguard-A-Swimcleric-build

[lyrecono]

1. I'm looking for a good beginning class, I have googled this question but I've had many conflicting answers so here I am. I don't care whether it's a tank or dps, or even healer if need-be! just something that I can play easily whilst figuring out the rest of the game.
A simple 2 handed melee if you're free to play, a ranger is easy too.
Stay away from anything that requires a DC, DC based spell-casting, trap finding, dc based combat feats, even Armor class on a tank, until you understand their mechanics and you can reach the required numbers.

2. Is it true that soloing is near impossible if you aren't a rogue? (I don't really want to be a rogue if possible)
not at all, good reflex save and evasion or just having good hp gets you through most traps (or get party members

3. I'm thinking of buying astral shards with my DDO points so I can hire a gold rogue hireling will that solve the above problem?
no, you can buy rog hirelings straight from the store too but i wouldn't, real live party members are more useful and have a better chance of unlocking&disabling

4. If I hire a gold hireling can I hire a platinum one as well?
yes, get real people instead though, why play an mmo solo?

5. Is there crafting in this game? How detailed is it?
there are a stupendous amount of crafting systems in this game, there is (99%)no random chance involved, just get the right ingredients and craft them.

6. When I decide to join a guild, how do I go about this? Where/How do I apply?
run with people, if you like them and they like you, ask for an invite.

7. How good is the main story-line?
There isn't just 1 main story line, there are some interconnected stories, someone here posted a link

8. Is there anything I should be aware of? Anything you wish you'd known before you started? (without spoilers)


Yes, be very critical, this game changed over the many years, to cater to whales, a lot of stuff is hidden behind paywalls and a huge grind, meaning that access to particular play-styles are locked behind those walls too.
for example, to succeed as a DC based spell-caster in the hardest of content requires a lot of equipment (from paid content), tomes, past lives, etc, wich means that even if you have paid for that content, you're not likely to succeed on every type of build or even find people to play with.

The problem is the DC (difficulty check) type of game-play, you either reach those numbers or don't bother because you're useless without them.

[banjo174]

Paladin master class for beginners. I personally really enjoyed paladin when I was beginning my character. I did a 15 paladin 3 wizard 2 fighter back when paladins were the strongest melee dps. Now they aren't of course, this was before the fighter and barbarian reworks, but anyways. Paladin is just really great for beginners, tons of saves, tons of utility with lay on hands, their own healing, their own deathward, and they have defensive stance which will help out a ton when someone is lacking in gear.

For a while even after I stopped heavily speccing into paladin, I would use what I referred to as my, "Noob suit" I would make builds that each had 6 levels of paladin, and 2 levels of monk. The benefits of these were extraordinary.

The 6 levels of paladin would give you a maximum of, 20 to your saves if you had a 20 modifier to your charisma. What I mean by modifier is the, "+" to the right of the actual stat as you can see in the picture below.
https://i.imgur.com/f4da6Nm.png

You get 1 modifier for each 2 stat points above 10 stat points, so you would have a 20 modifier when you reached a total of 50 in a stat.

Not only do you get the immense bonuses to saves and the lay on hands/spell utility. But you would also get the feat "remove disease" Which through the knight of the chalice enhancement tree, can be used to give the effect of greater restoration, which is an extremely useful ability, you can use it while you are anti-magic'd, and get rid of all stat damage and negative levels that are on your character.

Paladin also has one of the best heroic abilities for level 1-20.

Holy Retribution, Melee Channel Divinity: Executes 3 powerful holy strikes against all targets around you (same AoE as Cleave) that deals +1/+3/+5[W] damage. On Damage: Evil creatures with less than 1,000 HP have a 50%/75%/100% chance to be forced to make a WIll save (DC 10 + Paladin Level + Charisma Mod) or be destroyed. On a successful save, the affected creatures take 100 holy damage from this attack as well as -6 to all ability scores for ten seconds. (Cooldown: 6 seconds) This ability also recharges one Smite Evil.

This basically turns paladins into insta killers throughout heroic levels, not as effective in epic levels, but it will make the leveling experience through heroics extremely entertaining. You will be out performing the usual try hard TR, but as a first lifer.

As for the 2 monks levels, You could even go with 6 monk levels, the biggest issue that first lifers have, is surviving. I suggest 2 monk levels, because this will give you evasion, as well as access to the stances (Water stance in particular). I am huge on saves, the way I see it, saves are the bane of everyone... If you are CC'ed (Crowd controlled) You might as well be dead, if you take a disintegrate to the face and you fail your save, you are probably dead. If you fail your reflex save, you are either dead or close to being dead. So with the 6 paladin levels, and 2 monk levels, you are going to be rocking extremely high saves, with little to no worries about ever failing. Of course no matter what, you will always fail 5% of your saves, as there is always a chance of rolling a 1. Until you get the epic saves in epics, but yeah.

So, this is why I suggest the, "noob suit" 6 paladin 2 monk, it worked for me when I was starting out, I enjoyed it a lot. This gives you 12 levels to play with on another class, more than enough to get the past life, and experience the other classes imo, unless you are playing a caster. You could even go the extra mile and go 6 paladin 6 monk. The 6 monk would give you another defensive utility being incorporeal. This would give you 25% chance for enemies to miss you. Which, there are ghostly items in the game that gives 10% as well, so in reality, the 6 monk levels would only give an extra 15% which is is why I wouldnt really suggest it.

Hope this helps, I know I was all over the place.

[Grace_ana]

Hello all,

I've recently started playing DDO and so far enjoying it, so much so that I've joined as a VIP but I have a number of questions.
But first some things about me which may influence the answers I receive.

I've had a play with a couple of classes but I'm not sure where to go with them.

I'm largely a solo player until I understand the game fully, I don't like to hold people back in dungeons etc so I like to have a firm grasp of all the mechanics first.
I've played loads of Final Fantasy 14 and to date remains my favourite MMO, I enjoyed tanking, black mage (pure dps) and summoner (dots). I've not really played WoW much as I didn't feel like there was a main story-line which made me wonder what the point was :p

On to the questions....

1. I'm looking for a good beginning class, I have googled this question but I've had many conflicting answers so here I am. I don't care whether it's a tank or dps, or even healer if need-be! just something that I can play easily whilst figuring out the rest of the game.

I would second artificer. One of the trees gives you some survivability, and you can choose between the other two to be more of a spellcaster or a melee/ranged toon (either melee or ranged, don't try to do both!). You'll also be able to disable traps. Which brings me to the next question...


2. Is it true that soloing is near impossible if you aren't a rogue? (I don't really want to be a rogue if possible)

I think a lot of the advice on traps is coming from veteran knowledge. No, you don't have to be a trapper, but as a new player, it helps a lot. Most of us at this point can jump or run through the traps, we know which ones we need to do what for, and we know the jump spots. New players don't. It's also super handy to be able to find hidden doors and unlock. You can get to the necessary trap numbers easily with gear, which you can find on the auction house or craft (or have someone craft for you). You can usually get guidance/help with that in your guild (see below)


3. I'm thinking of buying astral shards with my DDO points so I can hire a gold rogue hireling will that solve the above problem?

I would not waste your astral shards or points on a hireling. If you're an artificer, you can do all that yourself, and if you aren't, just try to run it without. If you feel you really need one, you can get one for in game platinum at the hireling vendors.


4. If I hire a gold hireling can I hire a platinum one as well?

Sure, but there would be no point in it. The gold hirelings aren't better than the platinum ones.


5. Is there crafting in this game? How detailed is it?

YES. There is crafting. SO MUCH CRAFTING. At some point a few years down the line, you will start complaining about how much crafting there is.

Cannith crafting is the basic crafting most people think of. There are also a lot of specialized sets of things that involved crafting - greensteel, slave lords, etc. You will probably learn them all along the way. For now, Cannith crafting is great to get some decent stuff that you can't find, but you have to level it up. There is a Cannith crafting hall in House Kundarak and House Cannith, as well as on some guild airships.


6. When I decide to join a guild, how do I go about this? Where/How do I apply?

If you are a solo player, this is more difficult. Most of the time, people run with other people, enjoy their company, and then ask to be in their guild. Without that, I would recommend looking at the subforum for your server (Khyber, Argo, etc.) and clicking on the "guild recruitment" section. Read what they say, and when you see one that seems like what you want, send them a message and ask to be in their guild. They will give you any other instructions. It varies from guild to guild.


7. How good is the main story-line?

There isn't one. It's essentially a world in which everything is interrelated in some way. Just like real life.


8. Is there anything I should be aware of? Anything you wish you'd known before you started? (without spoilers)

Don't stress, and it's fine if your first toon is a mess. They almost always are. I would advise grouping more, because you will meet people that will help you along the way and become great gaming friends (or in the case of some of us, spouses). One of the most fun things about this game is the people that play it. Without that, I would have quit long ago.

Oh, and use the wiki.


Additional: What is this 1st life business? I keep seeing 1st life and 2nd life?

Once you get to level 20 or 30, you have the option to reincarnate. There are now several ways to do this with different benefits. When people are talking about 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. lives, they are generally talking about true reincarnation unless they specify "epic lives" or "iconic lives." You can read about reincarnation on the wiki: https://ddowiki.com/page/Reincarnation. Basically, you get to start over at varying degrees for different benefits.

Have fun! Also, you should specify your server so people can help you out.

**If you let us know what class you decide on, we can help you with a new player build.

[Alrik_Fassbauer]

And don't forget that *right now* ! there is the Anniversary Event going on in House Phiarlain (or how it is called) !

[Saaluta]

Hi, welcome to the game :) I personally like adding 1 level of rogue if you are going to solo a lot. Putting a couple of points into disable every level is not game breaking and if you start out with a rogue level, you get extra skill points for your build. You can also do a level of artificer to get the disable/open locks if that is an option for you. If you can afford it, I suggest getting the warlock class and you can basically steamroll through quests. My first character was cleric and I enjoyed it as everyone wants clerics in their groups for healing when things turn sour. CON is not a dump stat!! Invest in it for hp!! Then, whichever main stat is useful for your build put points into. If you don't want to multiclass, then cleric/fvs/or pally are good starting classes, sorcerer and druid are also very powerful classes if built right. There are many good builds on the forums if you wish to use one of those. As to your guild question, one of the previous posters said it and I will repeat it, run with them and eventually you will get an invite to someones guild :)

Saal :)