Two New players Could use help/advice

[felwood]

Hello, My buddy and I are from DnD tabletop sessions. We have high hopes for this game and are looking for any advice and help you guys could offer. We are going to be a fighter / cleric combo. I also noticed that a lot of this game is pay for content as well as the majority of the classes and races. A few questions I already have are:
1. Is there any way to unlock races/content through gameplay that will not take a year of grinding to get?
2. He is interested in playing dragonborn because it is his favorite race in dnd. Will he have to spend 20$ to unlock the race.
3. When doing quests is it best to go through all of the difficulties at first?
4. What should we do when we have done all the difficulties of a quest? Is it worth running it on elite more than once?
5. Is it better to build my cleric more around melee or as a caster since he is going fighter?

[Nebless]

I also noticed that a lot of this game is pay for content

** There's enough free content to keep you busy up to lvl 10 and while a pain you can make it to lvl 20 just on the free stuff. Will it be fun? Probably not, so plan on throwing $20 at the game from time to time to pick up some adventure packs and then if you stick with it for the expansions.

as well as the majority of the classes and races.

** Well I wouldn't say majority, but yes the premium stuff is B2p.

1. Is there any way to unlock races/content through gameplay that will not take a year of grinding to get?

** There are guides around, both here and on the Steam forum that will tell you the best way to play to earn 'Favor'. This is what that's all about: https://ddowiki.com/page/Favor You earn X amount of favor and it'll give you free store points and unlock things. From just a quick look the only race I see is Drow. Some say they can rack up store points pretty easy, but I've never found it so, so I think we're back to that 'throw $20 at it from time to time'.

2. He is interested in playing dragonborn because it is his favorite race in dnd. Will he have to spend 20$ to unlock the race.

** Yes I think that's the only way.

3. When doing quests is it best to go through all of the difficulties at first?

** Some people will say don't bother, go VIP or group with someone who is so you can go straight to Elite, I'm not of that mind. I play all the dungeons on Normal, than Hard and than Elite. Not only do you get more loot that way, but you also get more XP. Favor points are a set factor so if the dungeons worth 12, you'll get that whether you do it once on Elite for the whole 12 or get 4 points when you do it on Normal, another 4 for Hard and the last 4 for Elite. Total favor you only get once, unlike getting xp over and over.

4. What should we do when we have done all the difficulties of a quest? Is it worth running it on elite more than once?

** As long as you haven't totally out leveled a quest it'll give you xp, plus it'll always give you loot (as long as you don't ransack the place by trying to do the same dungeon a hundred times in a single day! :) ) If you don't have other Adventure Packs to do, you'll end up having to repeat content. The way I work it is I'll do a bunch on Normal and after that I'll come back and do them on Hard, repeat for Elite. That way I don't out level them as I might if I was just doing the same dungeon N, H & E in a row, prior to moving to the next dungeon.

5. Is it better to build my cleric more around melee or as a caster since he is going fighter?

** I'm going to say that kind of depends on how you want to play. Others that run cleric's in groups would have a better answer. I've got a low level one I just solo with.

Welcome you two to the game, best D&D experience to have MMO-wise. Google DDO dungeons by level and you'll find a list of them all with if they're free or belong to an Adventure Pack. Also google DDO Adventure Packs as there's a nice write up that tells you about the pack and breaks down cost vs favor vs xp vs loot so you get the best bang for your money.

[Amundir]

The best advice I can give you from a table top perspective, and I'm not being sarcastic, is to forget most every thing you know. There are still lots of similarities that you can draw from, but there are also a lot of differences.

I'd advise you guys to throw together a couple toons that you won't feel attached to, and just play around a bit to get a feel for the game. Keep asking questions on the board, and troll https://ddowiki.com for information.

But definitely keep an open mind, :)

[MacRighteous]

My best advice to you guys is the following:

DDO and DnD have parted ways log ago - Dont expect PnP knowledge to help you much or even make sense of the game - DDO is "Loosely" based on 3.5 but it is its own thing.

Even though you can get a long way running F2p and earn DDO points by playing the game - why limit yourself or set yourself up for a grind at the beginning? You can sub for $30 bucks for 3 months and get a taste of all there is to offer (except xpacs) and earn yourself 1500 DDO points free just by subbing (500 free DDO points a month for VIP) Enough to unlock a class or race after you go premium (if you go premium) Premium is where you own the content you buy from the store - a step up from F2P

I wouldn't worry about difficulty much at first - new players might find anything above Hard too difficult at first - Hard bravery bonuses and Elite streaks - Champion spawns - Reaper 1 through 10 - were all created with veteran players in mind - players who have played through the game a time or two and have Reincarnated (a system where you go from 1 to level cap and have TR'ed back to level 1 to do it all again on a higher difficulty. Each time they TR they get a small increment of permanent power called a past life - these past lives over time help make a very powerful character for endgame. You may get away with running elite i Korthos and quests in the harbor - but sooner or later you'll probably find yourself very frustrated trying to do each difficulty in each quest on your first life. Run quest on normal at level and occasionally dip into Hard (warning hard and up has champion spawns _ monsters who are designed to kill you - yes you) up to 2 levels over quest level if you want to farm an item will be more than enough challenge at first - if something is too difficult on normal - no shame in dipping down to casual to learn how to do that quest

find a "first life friendly" build here and try to build it - again - using PnP knowledge to build with may not serve you well
https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/470423-Build-Repository


lastly - have fun and dont worry about what the ubers are doing - they have had 13 years to get really good (and powerful) at the game. check the wiki for info - its your friend: https://ddowiki.com/

good luck

[TitusOvid]

Go VIP for a limited time to get a feel for it and then decide. It is possible to get a lot of content with a wee bit of money. You even find guides here on the forum.
And I recommned to join the unofficial official discord server http://discord.me/ddodiscord . There are a lot of knowledgeable people who are willing to help out.

Good luck.

[C-Dog]

Welcome to the game!

In my sig is a link "Basics of DDO" - that covers a lot of it. But I'll address your specific Q's too...


We are going to be a fighter / cleric combo...
First, understand that there's no absolute need for "a healer" in the group - a LOT of diff ways to do self-healing. I'd strongly suggest that both of you play around w/ some classes and builds first, then make a final decision what your pairing will be. (No trapper?!)

Also, understand that classes and "roles" are not as tightly tied in DDO as they are in tabletop DnD. A Paladin or a Ranger can be a "trapper" (and just as good at that as a pure Rogue!), and a Wizard or a Bard can be a solid front-line melee. All depends on the build.

This means that very few players end up sticking w/ their very first character, just because DDO does have so many diffs from tabletop, and so many diff directions a concept can go, to get the feel you want in unexpected ways. Lots of ways to skin a cat in DDO. :cool:


I also noticed that a lot of this game is pay for content as well as the majority of the classes and races. A few questions I already have are:
1. Is there any way to unlock races/content through gameplay that will not take a year of grinding to get?
Depending how much you play, yes! But there are 5 "free" races (inc. Drow), and many cool classes, so there's a LOT you can do without worrying about the Premium content.

You can get Drow almost right away (which make great starting characters for new Free-2-Play accounts), and every new quest you do adds to your "DDO Points" (aka DP's), with which you can buy more stuff. (Wait for Sales - see "Adventure Pack Sales" in sig!)

I've been strictly Premium (never VIP, but spent some small real cash on the Expansions), and currently own almost everything except the latest content. But a lot of that def falls into the "bells and whistles" category - you don't "need" anything extra, but can get some good add-ons fairly quickly, and then it's no rush to build from there.


2. He is interested in playing dragonborn because it is his favorite race in dnd. Will he have to spend 20$ to unlock the race.
Well, DB are pretty cool, and powerful in some classes - that's why it's not one of the free ones. But he should remember - this isn't "DnD", it's DDO, which is like an entirely new Edition of DnD, one that you've never seen or played. You may or may not like all the changes you find. :/

I'd strongly recommend saving up DDO Points and buying it when it's On Sale (35%, 50%, sometimes more!), rather than rush in - then TR into it for his 2nd life, and/or start a 2nd alt if he wants to. But if that's what he really, REALLY wants - and is willing to pay for it - then don't let anyone stand in the way of fun!

However, I will add that DDO Dragonborn are kinda best as Casters (esp Sorcerers or Warlocks), when they can take Feats and special Enhancements to boost both their spells and breath weapon together. The +Str can add to melee, but it's not their strongest suit. Just sayin'. :/


3. When doing quests is it best to go through all of the difficulties at first?
As a new (non_VIP) account, you are not going to be able to open anything except "Normal" difficulty - then, after that, you can go back on Hard, and then finally Elite (and if you are not VIP, you want to run Elite sooner or later).

The alternative is to join a group that is running Elite - once you run on Elite, you can run again, and so can anyone else in your group.*

(* Many non-VIP accounts create a 2nd Free account, and create an "opener", a toon that has run the content on (at least) Hard and can open Elite for new alts on the Main account.)


4. What should we do when we have done all the difficulties of a quest? Is it worth running it on elite more than once?
There are 3 main reasons to repeat a quest - more xp, more loot, or searching for Named Loot (which may be a rare/ish drop). And/or just b/c it's fun - many quests are like that.


5. Is it better to build my cleric more around melee or as a caster since he is going fighter?
It's better to do what you find "fun"! Don't worry about being a focused Healer - your build will have that by accident. But do NOT try to invent a new build yourself, based on your tabletop experience! That's a guaranteed road to Fail-town. :p

That said, building a DC-based combat-casting cleric requires a lot of good gear, or the spells just don't land (i.e. the target makes its Saving Throw :p) - so ~maybe~ a melee for the 1st build?

Here are some solid Cleric(-type) builds:

o https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/470423?p=5759354&viewfull=1#post5759356 (esp Axel's Battlecleric, if you're not going to 30 1st life - and I recommend you don't.)

o 3 variations - https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/475893-Healers-are-Back!-Heals-and-Kills-3-Ultimate-Battle-Clerics?p=5831910&viewfull=1#post5831910

o a "not-a-cleric" Fighter/battlecleric https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/426765-Kensei-Warpriest-for-new-players-(Human-12-8-Fighter-Cleric)?p=5115573&viewfull=1#post5115573


Go VIP for a limited time to get a feel for it and then decide...
I suggest exactly the opposite - go completely Free-to-Play to see if you like the basics, ~then~ decide if you want to pay for the bells and whistles. If you like the bare-bones version, you'll like the fancy version that much better. ;)

[felwood]

Hey thank you all very much for the info. It has been very helpful! I am not a very big fan of micro transactions to be honest, but we will see how much we get into the game. If we like it a lot then we will go with some of your options. Thanks again!

[lyrecono]

Hello, My buddy and I are from DnD tabletop sessions. We have high hopes for this game and are looking for any advice and help you guys could offer. We are going to be a fighter / cleric combo. I also noticed that a lot of this game is pay for content as well as the majority of the classes and races. A few questions I already have are:
1. Is there any way to unlock races/content through gameplay that will not take a year of grinding to get?
2. He is interested in playing dragonborn because it is his favorite race in dnd. Will he have to spend 20$ to unlock the race.
3. When doing quests is it best to go through all of the difficulties at first?
4. What should we do when we have done all the difficulties of a quest? Is it worth running it on elite more than once?
5. Is it better to build my cleric more around melee or as a caster since he is going fighter?

1) there used to be, by making new characters (called toons here) and run content to earn favor. This is no longer valid in most places because elite ( wich gives the most favor) is filled with champions that will make your life misserable. Back in the day, you could run with veteran players who would have helped you gt favor and teach you about the game but due to reaper mode (even harder then elite), those vets rarely run elite.

2) no, pay for a sub, the f2p part of the game is to entice you in, if you want more, you need to pay for it.
You can however, wait for a sale and then pay less

3) o, elite will be out of reach later in the game, especially newer content is out of ballance for a f2p player .

4)a f2p account has acces to a very limited amount of quests (that give a lower exp), you'll need to repeat a lot of quest later on, or pay up to get access.

5) you can do both.

[C-Dog]

1) there used to be, by making new characters (called toons here) and run content to earn favor. This is no longer valid in most places because elite (which gives the most favor) is filled with champions that will make your life miserable...
This is still perfectly viable, champions not withstanding. I do favor runs when I need DP, run Elite all the time on a new toon. Just have to build it for frontloaded power (not going anywhere near 20, much less Epic) - and if you do die, heal real fast and dive back in, XP penalty isn't an issue, an ugly completion is the same amount of favor, and that's all you care about. :cool:


@ New Players & OP - Here's how it works, in a nutshell...

As you complete quests, you earn "Favor". Every quest has a "base favor" - if you complete a quest on Normal, you earn x1 that amount, Hard = x2, and Elite (or Reaper - n/a here) = x3. But only the highest you ever run counts - no repeating 5x Hard for 10x total - Hard is x2, done, until you do Elite, then your score is x3 base for that quest, the max.


o Example of a quest w/ Base 4 Favor (https://ddowiki.com/page/The_Kobolds%27_New_Ringleader), so potential 12 Favor max
o List of Free-to-Play quests (https://ddowiki.com/page/Guide_to_Free_to_Play#Quest_list), sortable, showing total favor possible (on Elite)

For every 100 favor you earn, you get 25 DDO Points. However, there are some bonuses for the "first time" you hit a benchmark on any Server on your account (not per character, just the highest character per Account). And the first bonus is at "5 Favor", which is almost any quest on Hard - and that's +50 DP! There are 8 diff Servers, so you can earn 8x50 = 400 DP real fast by running maybe 2-3 runs on every server, way less than 2 hours, done.

The next benchmarks are at 50 Favor (+25 DP bonus) and 100 (25 bonus, + the normal 25 you earn/100) - so a 100 Favor run on a new server earns 125 DP; x8 Servers = 1000 DP.

After that, no bonus until 500 Favor (which is maybe ~around~ Level... 8?) - so after the first 100, you'll proly only earn 25 DP/100 Favor on everything except your "main" on any server.


Now - "Is that viable?" I find it still is. You can join an LFM (Looking For More, i.e. an advert for a group w/ room for more) and tag along, and get 100 Favor in an hour or two on a new Server, done. During a Sale, 1000 DP can get you a core pack, or several "also very nice" packs. Or a race, say... Dragonborn. :cool:

Links for full info:

o https://ddowiki.com/page/Favor
o https://ddowiki.com/page/Guide_to_Free_to_Play#Example_DP_Runner ("frontloaded" example)
o https://ddowiki.com/page/Favor#See_also
o https://ddowiki.com/page/DDO_Point#Earning_DDO_Points
o https://ddowiki.com/page/DDO_Store (misc prices)
o https://ddowiki.com/page/Adventure_Packs *




(* See link in sig for discussion (& more links) re what packs to buy first, etc. etc.)

[TitusOvid]

Welcome to the game! ...

[snip]

I suggest exactly the opposite - go completely Free-to-Play to see if you like the basics, ~then~ decide if you want to pay for the bells and whistles. If you like the bare-bones version, you'll like the fancy version that much better. ;)

Well, one of his aims is to play Dragonborn. I think it would be a good idea to test that, too. He could buy just that race but Imo would be better off with VIP for costs and benefits.

[spyder7723]

The most important thing is to get started on the right server for your playstyle. Browse the forums for an hour or two and see what different people are saying about the different servers.

Next i would recommend you go vip at least for the short term. The 3 month package is a pretty good deal. That's enough time that if you play semi regularly you can explore every different area in the game to find out what adventure packs you enjoy.

Along the lines of going vip, i would also suggest you not buy anything in the store for a few months, to many of those items look good at first but with a bit of knowledge gained by experience playing the game you see how useless or sub par they are. the only exception to this would be extra storage if they have a sale.


I'll make the same offer to you that i have to many other newer players here. If you find yourself struggling, i will do everything i can to help you. Be it help farming gear or even help getting xp. But that does require you to be on the server i play which is khyber.

[Junk]

Also there are a lot of different ways to play DDO. I would of quit right after I started if I had not found out about Perma Death, check out Mortal Voyage Guild if curious. The guild system is awesome in DDO find a guild that has the same play style as you and join. There are role playing guild, raiding guilds , min max guilds, perma death, casual guilds so alot to choose from. DDO is the best game out there to get your DnD fix.

[Wh070aa]

1)No. This game is hellishly expensive, and has mandatory stuff like Epic destinies that gate your progress. You pay a lot of money (monthly rent as VIP and end up with nothing at the end, or 200+$ as premium, probably even more by now, and that is by buying stuff on sale), Or grind for literal years. I mean if you been grinding a lot, you can keep up with the new packs (discounting expansions), but they rise up the cost of things as they go so newer stuff costs way more (300 point old packs vs 1400 new packs). Yes you can play for free. But this is a freemium game and it will be grindy as hell, and Pay to play players will not party with you.

2)Yes. I mean you can grind for it, but it's not worth your time to grind it. You can technically get it for free, if you run all quests in game 3 times on all servers (or have someone open them for you for 1 time, but good luck with that). It's more time efficient to pay, unless you like the grind.

3)It's best to run everything on Reaper 1 difficulty. I mean you can't do it as free to play character, so yea. Just do whatever difficulty you can, and then come back todo elite for favor later.

4)You have to run quests multiple time for XP. Also you can reincarnate and start over with better character.

5)Depends on what you like more. Both work, and have some problems. If you go melee, you die more easy, and dead cleric is bad times for fighter. That said buffs and healing aura work better if you do that. Caster style gives you more suitability, and CC, but you have less spellpoints to heal with. Just do what you enjoy more. I personally like caster.

All that said, one of you should consider getting few levels of rogue to get traps (or recruit 3rd party member). They play big part in the game, and while you can bypass them, being able to do them give you extra 30% XP boost (even more for secret doors), and make your life a lot easier.

Also you can recruit cleric hirelings to do the healing for you. The AI is really bad, but eventually you will learn to wrangle it with decent success %, so you can skimp on healing stuff, as long as you can keep them alive.

Also you can buy stuff as you go, (get gianthood for only good armor in the game). Also you need XP and stat tomes (also skill tomes, if you play rogue), that are the games pay to win mehanic. Also possibly enchantment trees, depending on your build.

There are 2 ways you can go about this, duo everything slowly and with lots of trouble and have fun at your own time, Or join up pick up party zerg groups for easier time and items , but arguably worse experience. That said having reaper XP and gear from Pay to play packs makes the game dozen times easyer.

People are really rude to free to play players, so generally try to ignore them. Especially monk players. I mean you sometimes find good people, but as soon as they find out you cant solo Elite, or heal raids you don't own they tend to leave you , or call you names. Especially if you don't know about mechanics that lock them out from progressing the quest while you are lost in the quest.

Also prepare for lag spikes. You should always leave one hireling with raise dead at the entrance, so after you lag out and your party gets wiped, you can call it in to rise dead.

If the puzzle titles glow with force of 1000 suns and you cant see stuff, you can try to lover your brightness settings, same for quests where designer turns off your monitor, spam ray spells(eternal wands are good for that) and turn up your brightness.

Also get a feather fall item as fast as you can. There is ever present bug that gives you infinite fall damage out of nowhere, or another bug that does same if you get stuck on enemy heads.

Use /stuck command to get out of stuck spots.

You can hold down Ctrl to type in how much potions/spell ingredients you ant to buy, so you don't have to click for each one. Also you can buy potions of Jump, Protection from evil, and haste. They help a lot. Scrolls of Blurr, rise dead,invisibility, shadow walk, protection from elements, teleport greater heroism, true seeing and wands of stoneskin. Protection from evil potions(and items) are bugged and does not prevent mind control (stun) effects properly (it lasts 1 minute out of the 5 minute duration). Freedom of movement does not protect you from effects you think it protects you from. It's massively nerfed, and bugged out. Item effect stacking is really freaking weird. Most feats don't tell you what they actually do, and if you can do it with Ranged weapon, or if they stack with stuff. Same for weapon/spell effects. Some spells/abilities don't crit, or don't apply attack speed bonuses, and they do not show up on weapon/inventory/character sheet/combat log properly. All movement speed bonuses are incorrect (40% boosts are actually 31/32% boosts, and 50% boosts are actually 40% boosts, save for items, they show the right speed). Also stacking of stuff is real weird. Like some stuff stacks multiplicative, some stuff is same as other stuff, even if it says it's different... Its weird. Also Ranged weapons cant use most feats, and bonuses, unless they can. Literally never stated if you can use something with ranged weapon, even on wiki. So yea. Be prepared to pay real money for respect, or deal with having sub par character.
Mob HP has been ramped up to millions (for non-bosses). DC's for stuff don't work unless you really max them out (and have a item for skill, stat, Paid tome, and couple of past lifes).
Most doors can't be picked, and ones that can have 80+ DC. You can get ~20 from level ups, and +15 from an item. Good luck with doing anything. Same for diplomacy/bluff checks.All 5 of them in the game.
Also get some sort of fireball spell to break down doors you cant do by force, or pick.

Speed enchantment does not show up on items, but lets you move 30% faster, so you should get one.

Armor class works really wierd, and remember that Creature levels are usually 2 to 3 times higher than the "at level" % they show on character sheet. In my personal, controversial opinion, unless you go all in and get 120 to 400+ armor, its worthless, and you should be using blurr scrolls, or displacement clickies instead. Armors really freaking suck in this game. Like they are REALLY bad, so I would not recommend playing a melee character, unless you have really good ping.

That said some of the earlier traps and jumping puzzles in this game are really nice. If you see fire breathing heads on the wall you will have good time.

DO NOT BUY Shadowfell Conspiracy. It's awful (like getting stunned and killed trough walls, your screen becoming purple blur that needs closing down the game tier bad), and only reason anyone I know is playing it is to get trap parts for rogue. Also do not preorder stuff, especially expansions. Yes they do put the rare drops on higher drop rate in first week or so of it coming out (well the formula works off total items in game, If I understand it correctly, so the later you play the worse drop chance you get), but you generally end up spending way too much money for broken mess that gets abandoned after a month.

In be4 I get banned and my post is deleted for negativity, but You gotta know these things as new player, or you end up wondering why you are randomly dying even if you have your dearth ward and heavy fort item on, and there are no monsters on screen.

Also Con is not a dump stat. You have points for 2 stats, and you will have to make some tough choices, and be sub optimal as free to play, at least till you get couple of past lifes and pay fore some stat tomes to qualify for feat prerequisites.

[ValariusK]

Every now and then the starter pack goes on sale 75% off. That takes it from $10 to $2.50. That's the cheapest and IMO best way to get upgraded to premium status (that pack also includes Catacombs and 250 ddo points along with other goodies). If you're looking to do some DDO on the cheap, that's IMO the best way to go.
Now, another thing you probably ought to do is make a character on each server. Do about 100ish favor total on each one. This will get you more cheap DDO points and more importantly, it'll help you find a server you two feel comfortable on. If you decide you really enjoy it, like I said the various expansions go on sale every now and then. Some of those packages on 75% off are really good deals.

[Grace_ana]

1)No. This game is hellishly expensive, and has mandatory stuff like Epic destinies that gate your progress. You pay a lot of money (monthly rent as VIP and end up with nothing at the end, or 200+$ as premium, probably even more by now, and that is by buying stuff on sale), Or grind for literal years. I mean if you been grinding a lot, you can keep up with the new packs (discounting expansions), but they rise up the cost of things as they go so newer stuff costs way more (300 point old packs vs 1400 new packs). Yes you can play for free. But this is a freemium game and it will be grindy as hell, and Pay to play players will not party with you.

2)Yes. I mean you can grind for it, but it's not worth your time to grind it. You can technically get it for free, if you run all quests in game 3 times on all servers (or have someone open them for you for 1 time, but good luck with that). It's more time efficient to pay, unless you like the grind.

3)It's best to run everything on Reaper 1 difficulty. I mean you can't do it as free to play character, so yea. Just do whatever difficulty you can, and then come back todo elite for favor later.

4)You have to run quests multiple time for XP. Also you can reincarnate and start over with better character.

5)Depends on what you like more. Both work, and have some problems. If you go melee, you die more easy, and dead cleric is bad times for fighter. That said buffs and healing aura work better if you do that. Caster style gives you more suitability, and CC, but you have less spellpoints to heal with. Just do what you enjoy more. I personally like caster.

All that said, one of you should consider getting few levels of rogue to get traps (or recruit 3rd party member). They play big part in the game, and while you can bypass them, being able to do them give you extra 30% XP boost (even more for secret doors), and make your life a lot easier.

Also you can recruit cleric hirelings to do the healing for you. The AI is really bad, but eventually you will learn to wrangle it with decent success %, so you can skimp on healing stuff, as long as you can keep them alive.

Also you can buy stuff as you go, (get gianthood for only good armor in the game). Also you need XP and stat tomes (also skill tomes, if you play rogue), that are the games pay to win mehanic. Also possibly enchantment trees, depending on your build.

There are 2 ways you can go about this, duo everything slowly and with lots of trouble and have fun at your own time, Or join up pick up party zerg groups for easier time and items , but arguably worse experience. That said having reaper XP and gear from Pay to play packs makes the game dozen times easyer.

People are really rude to free to play players, so generally try to ignore them. Especially monk players. I mean you sometimes find good people, but as soon as they find out you cant solo Elite, or heal raids you don't own they tend to leave you , or call you names. Especially if you don't know about mechanics that lock them out from progressing the quest while you are lost in the quest.

Also prepare for lag spikes. You should always leave one hireling with raise dead at the entrance, so after you lag out and your party gets wiped, you can call it in to rise dead.

If the puzzle titles glow with force of 1000 suns and you cant see stuff, you can try to lover your brightness settings, same for quests where designer turns off your monitor, spam ray spells(eternal wands are good for that) and turn up your brightness.

Also get a feather fall item as fast as you can. There is ever present bug that gives you infinite fall damage out of nowhere, or another bug that does same if you get stuck on enemy heads.

Use /stuck command to get out of stuck spots.

You can hold down Ctrl to type in how much potions/spell ingredients you ant to buy, so you don't have to click for each one. Also you can buy potions of Jump, Protection from evil, and haste. They help a lot. Scrolls of Blurr, rise dead,invisibility, shadow walk, protection from elements, teleport greater heroism, true seeing and wands of stoneskin. Protection from evil potions(and items) are bugged and does not prevent mind control (stun) effects properly (it lasts 1 minute out of the 5 minute duration). Freedom of movement does not protect you from effects you think it protects you from. It's massively nerfed, and bugged out. Item effect stacking is really freaking weird. Most feats don't tell you what they actually do, and if you can do it with Ranged weapon, or if they stack with stuff. Same for weapon/spell effects. Some spells/abilities don't crit, or don't apply attack speed bonuses, and they do not show up on weapon/inventory/character sheet/combat log properly. All movement speed bonuses are incorrect (40% boosts are actually 31/32% boosts, and 50% boosts are actually 40% boosts, save for items, they show the right speed). Also stacking of stuff is real weird. Like some stuff stacks multiplicative, some stuff is same as other stuff, even if it says it's different... Its weird. Also Ranged weapons cant use most feats, and bonuses, unless they can. Literally never stated if you can use something with ranged weapon, even on wiki. So yea. Be prepared to pay real money for respect, or deal with having sub par character.
Mob HP has been ramped up to millions (for non-bosses). DC's for stuff don't work unless you really max them out (and have a item for skill, stat, Paid tome, and couple of past lifes).
Most doors can't be picked, and ones that can have 80+ DC. You can get ~20 from level ups, and +15 from an item. Good luck with doing anything. Same for diplomacy/bluff checks.All 5 of them in the game.
Also get some sort of fireball spell to break down doors you cant do by force, or pick.

Speed enchantment does not show up on items, but lets you move 30% faster, so you should get one.

Armor class works really wierd, and remember that Creature levels are usually 2 to 3 times higher than the "at level" % they show on character sheet. In my personal, controversial opinion, unless you go all in and get 120 to 400+ armor, its worthless, and you should be using blurr scrolls, or displacement clickies instead. Armors really freaking suck in this game. Like they are REALLY bad, so I would not recommend playing a melee character, unless you have really good ping.

That said some of the earlier traps and jumping puzzles in this game are really nice. If you see fire breathing heads on the wall you will have good time.

DO NOT BUY Shadowfell Conspiracy. It's awful (like getting stunned and killed trough walls, your screen becoming purple blur that needs closing down the game tier bad), and only reason anyone I know is playing it is to get trap parts for rogue. Also do not preorder stuff, especially expansions. Yes they do put the rare drops on higher drop rate in first week or so of it coming out (well the formula works off total items in game, If I understand it correctly, so the later you play the worse drop chance you get), but you generally end up spending way too much money for broken mess that gets abandoned after a month.

In be4 I get banned and my post is deleted for negativity, but You gotta know these things as new player, or you end up wondering why you are randomly dying even if you have your dearth ward and heavy fort item on, and there are no monsters on screen.

Also Con is not a dump stat. You have points for 2 stats, and you will have to make some tough choices, and be sub optimal as free to play, at least till you get couple of past lifes and pay fore some stat tomes to qualify for feat prerequisites.

I disagree with almost all of this, except for "con is not a dump stat."

[Fauxknight]

You can earn plenty of DDO points in game to unlock races, classes, and modules. It is a little slow at first, but eventually it gets to a nice rolling pace depending on how much you play. Joining an active guild will really help speed up your early gameplay as they'll often have members who can open quests for you on higher difficulty and help you actually complete them, not to mention guild ships offer some really nice free buffs.


As mentioned earlier the best way to start off your free DDO points is to play a character to 100 favor on each server. After that you just play and let your points add up. There are weekly sales, keep an eye on them once you have some points, low level modules regularly go on sale...waiting for dragonborn specifically to go on sale could take awhile though.

With higher favor totals there are some nice fixed unlocks as well like drow, favored soul, and veteran status.

Use your time playing on each server to test different builds out, then after you've farmed the easy favor you should have a better idea of what you would like to play.

As mentioned earlier you may not want to run a cleric as a heal bot. They're good for raids and large groups doing super hard content, but for just the two of you grinding dungeons cheap hireling healers are more than adequate. Hirelings are generally more competent at healing than any other role. Melee cleric would be the better option if you still want to play a cleric after trying other things out (and they work pretty well). Nuking cleric is the other option, though I personally think melee is easier to do as an early life.


4. After clearing a quest on elite you have all the favor it will grant as well as have already used the "first time on elite" xp bonus. The main reason to rerun a quest on elite is for named item drops, if a quest has named items the difficulty usually has a large influence on the items drop rate. For just xp it is generally better to rerun a quest on a lower difficulty to complete it quickly and move on, usually to burn off the +20% daily play through.

[C-Dog]

I disagree with almost all of this, except for "con is not a dump stat."
+1

[Drecas]

1)This game is hellishly expensive, and has mandatory stuff like Epic destinies that gate your progress. Yes you can play for free, but this is a freemium game and it will be grindy as hell.

People are really rude to free to play players, so generally try to ignore them. I mean you sometimes find good people, but as soon as they find out you cant solo Elite, or heal raids you don't own they tend to leave you.


These are the parts that I agree with. This game IS very expensive, I've spent a small fortune on it, and I still haven't got every quest and expansion on offer. Pay up or grind like mad.
If you're both new and playing this game on normal difficulty, you don't really need to worry about anything, normal difficulty is very forgiving. If you group up with others and play on elite or higher, then you need to worry about having solid builds or accept that you'll mostly just be a hindrance for the rest of the party.

[Grace_ana]

These are the parts that I agree with. This game IS very expensive, I've spent a small fortune on it, and I still haven't got every quest and expansion on offer. Pay up or grind like mad.
If you're both new and playing this game on normal difficulty, you don't really need to worry about anything, normal difficulty is very forgiving. If you group up with others and play on elite or higher, then you need to worry about having solid builds or accept that you'll mostly just be a hindrance for the rest of the party.

It's really not that expensive. Most of the game can be gotten for $10 a month. That's nothing. Anything that has to be bought outside VIP is relatively inexpensive, compared to a ton of other games I've played/seen.

I got 99 criticisms of DDO, but cost ain't one.

[Drecas]

It's really not that expensive. Most of the game can be gotten for $10 a month. That's nothing. Anything that has to be bought outside VIP is relatively inexpensive, compared to a ton of other games I've played/seen.

I got 99 criticisms of DDO, but cost ain't one.

Respectfully, that's a load of bullcrap.

Let's take a look at how much money you need to spend if you want to buy everything the game has to offer, if you're not willing to wait months upon months for deep discounts.

Quest packs:
25100 DP

Challenges:
1950 DP

Epic Destinies:
995 DP

Monster Manuals:
4165 DP

And then there are the various races and the expansions too.
You need to spend easily over 400$ to unlock everything in this game.
That or spend 100$/year to rent the content.

[Coffey]

Did you include the +8 supreme tome. Gonna get me one mhmm.

[OrodelaSol]

These are the parts that I agree with. This game IS very expensive, I've spent a small fortune on it, and I still haven't got every quest and expansion on offer. Pay up or grind like mad.
If you're both new and playing this game on normal difficulty, you don't really need to worry about anything, normal difficulty is very forgiving. If you group up with others and play on elite or higher, then you need to worry about having solid builds or accept that you'll mostly just be a hindrance for the rest of the party.

The game is as "expensive" as you want it to be... from free to break the bank... start f2p n figure out if you want to invest more

[Drecas]

start f2p n figure out if you want to invest more

Was this bit aimed at me or at the OP? I've been playing this game for close to a decade now, I own most of the quest packs and the races, and frankly if you want to your experience being more than just dipping your toe in, there are quest packs and abilities you will need to stay relevant in the current meta. This game really does not cater to the f2p player. The devs keep making the quests harder and harder and then sell you power so you can run those quests. Just look at the new Inquisitive tree, it's disgustingly powerful, and no doubt future content will be balanced around the new meta created by it. It's buy the latest content or accept your ever increasing irrelevance. Supreme tomes are almost mandatory these days and if you hit epics Epic Destinies most definitely are.
I remember when people were disgusted that Turbine was selling +2 tomes and now we have +8 tomes and the remaining playerbase is totally okay with that.

[spyder7723]

Was this bit aimed at me or at the OP? I've been playing this game for close to a decade now, I own most of the quest packs and the races, and frankly if you want to your experience being more than just dipping your toe in, there are quest packs and abilities you will need to stay relevant in the current meta. This game really does not cater to the f2p player. The devs keep making the quests harder and harder and then sell you power so you can run those quests. Just look at the new Inquisitive tree, it's disgustingly powerful, and no doubt future content will be balanced around the new meta created by it. It's buy the latest content or accept your ever increasing irrelevance. Supreme tomes are almost mandatory these days and if you hit epics Epic Destinies most definitely are.
I remember when people were disgusted that Turbine was selling +2 tomes and now we have +8 tomes and the remaining playerbase is totally okay with that.


No one with any common sense would suggest this is a free to play game. Being vip(or buying the adventure packs with ddo points) and getting the expansions is practically required. And that's ok, nothing in life is free. But this idea you got to spend a bunch of additional money in the store on tomes, mana pots, or whatever to play the game is a bunch of hogwash. I have never bought any of those things and do just fine running any quest or raid in the game.

[Drecas]

No doubt you have years of experience, past lives and items to fall back on. Sure you can get +5 tomes "for free" if you grind them out through several lives but imagine being a new player trying to play catch up.

EDIT: Also imagine playing with someone who has all these advantages vs you not having them. Next to them you seem to be just sitting there with your thumb up your ass. Enjoy essentially piking your way through all the quests without being able to really contribute, since you lack all this awesome power the other party members have bought.

[Fauxknight]

Respectfully, that's a load of bullcrap.

Let's take a look at how much money you need to spend if you want to buy everything the game has to offer, if you're not willing to wait months upon months for deep discounts.



Certain things are very expensive, other things not so much. Supreme ability tomes are indeed insanely high priced, but many modules are just a couple hundred points. I would argue that you probably do want to unlock at least a couple of modules to really enjoy the game, on the other hand, you don't actually need that supreme tome.


That brings up my biggest complaint with new 100% f2p accounts, and that is level gaps in the f2p adventures. You can level without buying any modules, but there are level ranges where there isn't much, or anything, available. Without any modules unlocked you will often find yourself playing the same quests repeatedly to grind your way up. Fortunately modules are one of the cheaper items in the store and just a couple of strategically purchased modules to cover those bare levels makes things a lot easier. This is why I suggest playing the 100 favor per server game to get starting DDO points, those 1000 points go a long way towards purchasing your first module or three.


...and yes while your friend can earn the points and spend them towards dragonborn, I highly suggest you get some modules first and make race/class unlocks a longer term goal.

[Grace_ana]

Respectfully, that's a load of bullcrap.

Let's take a look at how much money you need to spend if you want to buy everything the game has to offer, if you're not willing to wait months upon months for deep discounts.

Quest packs:
25100 DP

Some you will want to buy, some you won't. Even if you don't, they are frequently on sale for at least 25% off.


Challenges:
1950 DP

Frankly, most people don't even run challenges. So again, not a necessity.


Epic Destinies:
995 DP

A necessity once you get to epics, but these are new players. They won't be there for months or a year.


Monster Manuals:
4165 DP

Nice, but again not a necessity to play the game.


And then there are the various races and the expansions too.

The expansions are good to buy, but they aren't required out of the gate. Some of them include point packs in the purchase as well if you get them in the DDO Market (https://store.standingstonegames.com/store/ssg/en_US/list/categoryID.58516100). No one needs to buy all the races immediately. You just buy what you want to play along the way. Some are also unlockable (i.e. never buy drow).


You need to spend easily over 400$ to unlock everything in this game.
That or spend 100$/year to rent the content.

Not many people need to unlock everything in the game, and no one "needs" to do it right off the bat. I've been playing this game for 9 years now, and I have access to everything through purchases and VIP. I don't play half of it, to be honest. And as a new player, I wouldn't need most of it.

VIP, or "renting" as you call it, is a decent deal. You get access to nearly everything, and you get 500 points a month to spend on the stuff you HAVE to have. For new players, it's a great way to test out everything in the game pretty cheap. Ten bucks a month is in no way expensive. But if you want to microtransact, it's still not bad. $400 over the course of years is cheap. I've spent way more than that on the game, and I'm not exactly rolling in dough. Some spend more, some spend less, but it's reasonable either way.

[Drecas]

Such a wealthy westerner point of view. 400$ is cheap?
That's enough to buy a library of games to last a lifetime. To spend that much on a single game is obscene.
I spent maybe 30$ back in the day when I bought Diablo 2, still play it to this day. And I don't have to pay a 10$ ransom each month to enjoy it online either.


Not many people need to unlock everything in the game, and no one "needs" to do it right off the bat.
EDIT: Also, well done beating that strawman. What did I say?
if you want to buy everything the game has to offer

[Grace_ana]

Such a wealthy westerner point of view. 400$ is cheap?
That's enough to buy a library of games to last a lifetime. To spend that much on a single game is obscene.
I spent maybe 30$ back in the day when I bought Diablo 2, still play it to this day. And I don't have to pay a 10$ ransom each month to enjoy it online either.

$400 over the course of 9 years IS cheap. It's not a "wealthy westerner point of view." If someone doesn't have that, they probably also don't have the money for a computer that would run the game, or internet that is reliable enough to play it. DDO has constant new stuff added, which is why it's more expensive than Diablo 2. How many Diablos do you have to buy to get everything, and how much new stuff is there compared to the new stuff added to DDO? Exactly. DDO is still a bargan comparatively.



EDIT: Also, well done beating that strawman. What did I say?

Which is why I said not many NEED to have everything. It's not a strawman. It's not fair or helpful to tell a new player that they have to own everything off the bat to enjoy the game.

Dude, you seem angry with the game. This thread seems to not be the place for your gripes.

[Drecas]

If someone doesn't have that, they probably also don't have the money for a computer that would run the game
Hogwash. My computer is 10 years old, maybe even older and it runs DDO just fine. You could buy a computer like mine for 40$, and my internet costs me 15$/month.

You don't like D2 as an example of a game you play online? Fine. How about Guild Wars 2? You pay 50$ and that gets you the base game and both expansions.


It's not a strawman.
To point I was making was: if you like the game, and want to access all it has to offer, you need to spend a small fortune on it. So yes, it was a strawman.


Dude, you seem angry with the game.
No, just with people who make excuses for this game's predatory business practices.

The selling of power and then designing new content around that elevated power level. Destroying the game's economy with astral shards. The ridiculously expensive expansions. Designing the game around an endless grind, and then offering you the chance to skip all that with money. There was a time, if I don't remember wrong, when the re-roll loot button didn't ask for a confirmation and it was super easy to accidentally click that.

[spyder7723]

No doubt you have years of experience, past lives and items to fall back on. Sure you can get +5 tomes "for free" if you grind them out through several lives but imagine being a new player trying to play catch up.

EDIT: Also imagine playing with someone who has all these advantages vs you not having them. Next to them you seem to be just sitting there with your thumb up your ass. Enjoy essentially piking your way through all the quests without being able to really contribute, since you lack all this awesome power the other party members have bought.

New player on new character compared to old player on twinked out character loaded up with top end gear is a huge difference. But it has nothing to do with store bought items. A good build properly geared and and back with game knowledge will always trump store bought power, and the margin isn't even close.

Heck past lives don't even make that big a difference. I have a 2nd life alt with zero store bought tomes sitting at 30 and can solo (or carry 5 others) every quest in the game on r3 (too i usually run R1 when solo cause its faster). When grouped for raids he will contribute in a meaningful way, sure maybe not the top contributor if someone with 50 reaper ap is in the party but he will be in the top 30%.

[Drecas]

New player on new character compared to old player on twinked out character loaded up with top end gear is a huge difference. But it has nothing to do with store bought items. A good build properly geared and and back with game knowledge will always trump store bought power, and the margin isn't even close.

Heck past lives don't even make that big a difference. I have a 2nd life alt with zero store bought tomes sitting at 30 and can solo (or carry 5 others) every quest in the game on r3 (too i usually run R1 when solo cause its faster). When grouped for raids he will contribute in a meaningful way, sure maybe not the top contributor if someone with 50 reaper ap is in the party but he will be in the top 30%.

A good build properly geared you say? And what do you need to properly gear a character, hmm? The latest quest packs. Which are bought from the store. Someone who has access to Ravenloft gear at level 10 has a massive edge over someone who doesn't have that stuff.

I imagine this 2nd life alt you have has Epic Destinies, yes? More store bought power.

[Grace_ana]

Anyway.

OP, you don't have to buy everything, but certainly some purchases along the way are pretty necessary. In heroics, that is generally content. You can earn some points to buy stuff by playing. Alternatively, you can try out VIP for $30/3 months and have access to most stuff. A lot of stuff that *looks* great in the store isn't, so check in with other players before you spend your hard-earned points.

Also, have fun!

[spyder7723]

A good build properly geared you say? And what do you need to properly gear a character, hmm? The latest quest packs. Which are bought from the store. Someone who has access to Ravenloft gear at level 10 has a massive edge over someone who doesn't have that stuff.

I imagine this 2nd life alt you have has Epic Destinies, yes? More store bought power.

I stated in my prior post that being vip(or buying the packs) and getting the expansions are basically required. If you consider that a money grab by ssg then i don't even know how to have a discussion with you on the topic. Every game cost money to make and is made to produce a profit. Perhaps you would prefer the games that use advertisements every 2 minutes to generate that profit? That way the only thing it costs you is is half your game time spent watching ads.

[Drecas]

I stated in my prior post that being vip(or buying the packs) and getting the expansions are basically required.
Yes, you did, and OP asked if he could viably play this game without a sizeable financial commitment. I said, no, this game is very expensive. Thank you for proving my point.


If you consider that a money grab by ssg then i don't even know how to have a discussion with you on the topic.
Imagine hitting Epics for the first time, only to realize that all of a sudden you're now a second class citizen because you haven't got some of the fancier toys the big boys have, and the game going "oh but don't worry, just fork over your dough and we'll fix that little problem for you". It's just fees on top of fees.


Every game cost money to make and is made to produce a profit.
Yes, but there are degrees. The reason EA is universally hated is because of their greed. CD Projekt Red on the other hand is widely loved and respected because they don't try to swindle their customers, they respect them and their business practices are fair.


Perhaps you would prefer the games that use advertisements every 2 minutes to generate that profit? That way the only thing it costs you is is half your game time spent watching ads.
Ever heard of Stockholm Syndrome? You may be suffering from it.

[spyder7723]

Yes, you did, and OP asked if he could viably play this game without a sizeable financial commitment. I said, no, this game is very expensive. Thank you for proving my point.


Imagine hitting Epics for the first time, only to realize that all of a sudden you're now a second class citizen because you haven't got some of the fancier toys the big boys have, and the game going "oh but don't worry, just fork over your dough and we'll fix that little problem for you". It's just fees on top of fees.


Yes, but there are degrees. The reason EA is universally hated is because of their greed. CD Projekt Red on the other hand is widely loved and respected because they don't try to swindle their customers, they respect them and their business practices are fair.


Ever heard of Stockholm Syndrome? You may be suffering from it.


By the time a new player hits epics he will have gained enough ddo pints via vip to buy epic destinies of he didnt want to buy the expansion, or puck up the expansion for a very reasonable amount of money.

Not familiar with projekt red but if their games are so awesome and cheap then why are you playing ddo?

So you equate me not expecting my entertainment to be free to suffering from Stockholm syndrome? Seriously?

[OrodelaSol]

Again, the game is as expensive as you want it to be... i have 5 f2p accounts of to maximize my mains solo guilds renown, on which i have leveled numerous toons to 20 np. a yearly vip costs $8.25 a month. a little more than half the price of the angry ones internet... in order to be the best you must spend more money but you can have tons of fun for free. i recommend Khyber for your server, TONS of awesome players happy to help you out.

[Grace_ana]

Again, the game is as expensive as you want it to be... i have 5 f2p accounts of to maximize my mains solo guilds renown, on which i have leveled numerous toons to 20 np. a yearly vip costs $8.25 a month. a little more than half the price of the angry ones internet... in order to be the best you must spend more money but you can have tons of fun for free. i recommend Khyber for your server, TONS of awesome players happy to help you out.

Khyber has enough longstanding vets that we have more than we need, so we are generous with our gifts :)

[Drecas]

Not familiar with projekt red but if their games are so awesome and cheap then why are you playing ddo?

So you equate me not expecting my entertainment to be free to suffering from Stockholm syndrome? Seriously?

Ever heard of Witcher 3? One of the best games ever made? That CD Projekt Red.
Why do I play DDO? I ask that question myself every day. All I see these days are reaper groups, and I absolutely loathe reaper difficulty, but I still have ideas for builds I want to try, so I grin and bear it (in game, obviously I gripe about it on the forums).

Also asking that is like asking: "Well if you like X, then why are you trying to enjoy Y right now?"

And I think that you're suffering from Stockholm Syndrome because in spite of the borderline abusive relationship the players have with this game, they still make excuses for it.
SSG moves the goalposts and whaps your ass with the proverbial bat of another-thing-that-is-now-basically-required (your words) and all you can say is:
"Thank you, sir! May I have another?"

[Drecas]

Again, the game is as expensive as you want it to be... i have 5 f2p accounts of to maximize my mains solo guilds renown, on which i have leveled numerous toons to 20 np. a yearly vip costs $8.25 a month. a little more than half the price of the angry ones internet... in order to be the best you must spend more money but you can have tons of fun for free. i recommend Khyber for your server, TONS of awesome players happy to help you out.

Sometimes I play this game on one of my free to play accounts, to remind myself what it's like for a new player. It's never a great experience.

[spyder7723]

Ever heard of Witcher 3? One of the best games ever made? That CD Projekt Red.
Why do I play DDO? I ask that question myself every day. All I see these days are reaper groups, and I absolutely loathe reaper difficulty, but I still have ideas for builds I want to try, so I grin and bear it (in game, obviously I gripe about it on the forums).

Also asking that is like asking: "Well if you like X, then why are you trying to enjoy Y right now?"

And I think that you're suffering from Stockholm Syndrome because in spite of the borderline abusive relationship the players have with this game, they still make excuses for it.
SSG moves the goalposts and whaps your ass with the proverbial bat of another-thing-that-is-now-basically-required (your words) and all you can say is:
"Thank you, sir! May I have another?"

Are you seriously trying to compare the pricing model of a stand alone game to an mmo? Really dude? This is even made funnier by the fact that very same stand alone game has its own paywall expansion. Freaking hysterical. Might as well be comparing the pricing model of what you can buy a game like baldurs gate for on gog to ddo.


If you want to have a logical and intelligent discussion about pricing models you need to at least be comparing ddo to other mmos. How does ddos pricing model ccommodate to everquest or world of warcraft?

[Drecas]

Are you seriously trying to compare the pricing model of a stand alone game to an mmo? Really dude? This is even made funnier by the fact that very same stand alone game has its own paywall expansion. Freaking hysterical. Might as well be comparing the pricing model of what you can buy a game like baldurs gate for on gog to ddo.


Of toy want to have a logical and intelligent discussion about pricing models you need to at least be comparing ddo to other mmos. How does ddos pricing model ccommodate to everquest or world of warcraft?

No, I am not trying to compare the pricing model of a stand alone game to an mmo, stop erecting these strawmen, I'm allergic to hay!

[spyder7723]

Khyber has enough longstanding vets that we have more than we need, so we are generous with our gifts :)


Again, the game is as expensive as you want it to be... i have 5 f2p accounts of to maximize my mains solo guilds renown, on which i have leveled numerous toons to 20 np. a yearly vip costs $8.25 a month. a little more than half the price of the angry ones internet... in order to be the best you must spend more money but you can have tons of fun for free. i recommend Khyber for your server, TONS of awesome players happy to help you out.


Count me as vote 3 for khyber. I'll help in any way i can. My main is currently doing racials so his level varies but I have a capped alt if a person needs help in epics or great farming when level doesn't matter.

[spyder7723]

No, I am not trying to compare the pricing model of a stand alone game to an mmo, stop erecting these strawmen, I'm allergic to hay!

You used them as an example of a gaming company loved by consumers in your arguement against ddos pricing models. So what exactly was your point in bringing them up if not about pricing structure?

[OrodelaSol]

Sometimes I play this game on one of my free to play accounts, to remind myself what it's like for a new player. It's never a great experience.

Why is it not a great experience? is it only enjoyable if you are able to easily win? not accusing just want to know... with the difficulty range from casual to r10 ddo has plenty of flexibility for all. f2p caster and range still very viable just need to play smart/safe, melee is tougher but just grab a hire if no group.

[Drecas]

You used them as an example of a gaming company loved by consumers in your arguement against ddos pricing models. So what exactly was your point in bringing them up if not about pricing structure?

I'm currently asleep, just woke up for a midnight pee, but let me quote Iyrecono from another thread:


Since you don't seem to be aware, go look up EA's practices.
Peer/social pressure is what humans experience, they try to keep up and separate themselves from those that can't keep up, due to the grindy nature of the game, people want first time completions instead of 12 tries to get through.
so with an unreasonable difficulty, people are pressured into getting past lives, tomes, gear, etc and will try to use short cuts like buying tomes, exp stones&otto boxes and shards to re-roll.
It worked for arcades in the late 70's (the coin gobblers), countless of browser games, EA's unethical loot crate gambling system where loot crates were publicly shown to all the players nearby and the chat displayed wich player killed you and with what overpowered weapon (to boast sales of those).
Players will do a lot to keep up, to stay within the community, this is why the churches ex communication is such a powerful psychological weapon, this is why loot crates worked so well in EA games.

DDO employs a similar tactic, it works on the emotions of newer players to get them to spend more money. And yes Hall, you might have bought only what you felt was required, not everyone experiences the world like that.
To be honnest, most people don't, this is why in Europe, more and more countries are discussing and in some cases prohibiting gambing and emotional manipulation in video games.

Ok, back to bed.

[C-Dog]

Guys - OT much? Maybe start your own thread? Just a thought, suit yourself. :cool:

[spyder7723]

Guys - OT much? Maybe start your own thread? Just a thought, suit yourself. :cool:

You are right. Guilty as charged. I often find myself caught up in debates better left alone. My apologies.

[psykopeta]

Hello, My buddy and I are from DnD tabletop sessions. We have high hopes for this game and are looking for any advice and help you guys could offer. We are going to be a fighter / cleric combo. I also noticed that a lot of this game is pay for content as well as the majority of the classes and races. A few questions I already have are:
1. Is there any way to unlock races/content through gameplay that will not take a year of grinding to get?
2. He is interested in playing dragonborn because it is his favorite race in dnd. Will he have to spend 20$ to unlock the race.
3. When doing quests is it best to go through all of the difficulties at first?
4. What should we do when we have done all the difficulties of a quest? Is it worth running it on elite more than once?
5. Is it better to build my cleric more around melee or as a caster since he is going fighter?

hey welcome to DDO, first thing i will tell you is... when i joined DDO, it was during the MotU prepurchase, and well i spend like... 200$ in a row? top prepurchase and top points bundle (at "triple" rate) the main reason i did it... well, because it was pretty clear there was nowhere to go without it, given the xp needed to cap a 1st life toon and because only ******** players think it's funny to repeat the same quest 9 times to go next quest "because it's free", well i cut insert my finger in my butt and it would be free too, but guess what? i'm not interested on it, too

so let's answer your questions from my pov, because that's what ppl do lol
1. no, you gotta GRIND ON EVERY SERVER REPEATING THE SAME QUESTS TO GET THOSE 1ST TIME BONUSES TO BE ABLE TO BUY SOMETHING, or you won't be able to lvl, unless someone is carrying you (that last part "carrying you" is what fanboys are ignoring)
2. yes, maybe he can get it cheaper (with motu or shadowfail prepurchases, IIRC they come with some extra points, which would be cheaper than 20$, but dunno, i bought em in 2 mules so can't help you because i forgot it lol)
3. no, best option is going from highest diff (you need someone to "open" for you, and that person must be in the "bravery bonus" range) or you will get less xp, enough to make a boring journey to hit next lvl, i mean... more boring than repeating quests during the same day? ppl do it, a lot, and guess what? they have paid for it, so you can do if you want to XD
4. everytime you run a quest "in a difficulty you haven't run" you get no penalty, but after that you come into the "xp/min efficiency" in which case the highest diff you can handle won't be the best option, remember if you run 2 times elite and 1 hard, the 2nd time you run hard you will get penaly, but if instead you run your 1st normal you won't get penalty (cause 1st time doesn't give you penalty, but 2nd and further count towards the "ransack penalty" which stops at 80%, check wiki for better explanation
5. if your cleric is going fighter you can go "hey i'm a clr bashing heads" or "hey i'm a clr taking a nap in melee range while healing and exploding things", it's mostly about preferences

and yes, DDO is one of the most expensive games you can find, but at the same time if you spend enough time... it can become cheaper due to not investing money on it (cause you get points via favor and don't need to spend more money for more stuff if you run different quests during a life, instead of farming the same for 3972429347 times)

i may have spent... 400? 600? dunno, i got always the "collectionist bundle" cause i like the name and cause i think every damm game needs money to be run, so if you can't spend a certain amount in that or any game... well, better don't play em! lol would you work for free? good, i think the same

so making some maths, assuming i spent 600 during 7 years... i spend aroung 8$/month, for some content i have access at anytime (not like vips lol), you should set some priorities and if you think that's too much money... well, there're more options, but there's not another d&d option (and if u played d&d you should be used to the robbing xD)

[Niminae]

[re: 1950 DP for Vaults of the Artificers (https://ddowiki.com/page/Vaults_of_the_Artificers) pack]

Frankly, most people don't even run challenges. So again, not a necessity.


The wiki (https://ddowiki.com/page/DDO_Store) says that this pack is 1295 DP. It is required to unlock Artificer in game, which costs 995 DP to purchase otherwise. Secrets of the Artificers is also required and costs 650. So taking the Artificer class as a defraying of the cost the Vaults of the Artificers and Secrets of the Artificers packs gives a cost of 950 DP for the Challenges. They are well worth this price IMO, and Secrets of the Artificers has 3 quests, 2 raids, and 3 slayer zones in addition.

Cannith challenges provide targeted access to best in slot elemental spellpower and crit items which also have a fair amount of other utility (level 3 permanent Blur, anyone?), several other very useful items (stalker ring, spare hand, etc.), a huge amount of first time XP every life and across many different levels (which I understand that people focusing on their Reaper XP might ignore), and most importantly: Since Challenges run as Normal level quests they are particularly suitable to new players looking to focus on specific loot items in dungeons which are not above their power level.



OP, you've gotten a lot of advice to parse through in this thread. Here's mine, in addition to the above:

This is a game of patience. Time can be replaced by money since that is the business model and the company needs to make a profit to remain in business. As Grace_ana and others have said, you don't have to buy everything up front. If you intend to play for a long time your most cost effective way to do so is to purchase points on sale and then purchase content on sale. Expansions typically go on sale in the Thanksgiving to New Years time frame. Buying expansions on sale for dollars is often very economical compared to buying parts of expansions separately using points. Other content is placed on sale on a more hit or miss basis. The wiki has some tracking which might possibly help a person predict future sales.

But the advice to buy a short term VIP sub is very sound as a means to both allow you to explore the game much more fully while making that decision, since VIP gives you access to all content which isn't in an expansion. You'll also accumulate a small amount of store points since VIP grants 500 points/month, but again buying points on sale is far more economical than a VIP sub in the long run.

Just be careful not to create characters with pay-to-play classes or races unless you're prepared to see them locked away from you after your VIP expires, or until you either purchase the class/race or purchase a VIP sub again.

Playing on multiple servers before settling on one is a good idea, but avoid Wayfinder since it is a ghost town and the devs have no plans to merge servers ever. All other servers should provide you with a far more robust grouping experience, and Wayfinder doesn't even have any advantage over those other servers with regards to lag. So there is no benefit received in exchange for the negatives (grouping, raiding, auction house, guilding) of a server with a very small user base.

While you're deciding what to run, use the forums. You'll find builds posted which aren't traps. Ask specific question in the New Players forum, people will help you both here and in game. Help will always be had at Hogw *cough*cough* oh, excuse me. Find and use a character builder, it will help you avoid further traps as you level up. Don't be afraid to ditch a character you don't like and restart, the time spent finding a niche you enjoy playing will be cheap in the long run. Again, this is a game of patience. I hope to see you both in the game worlds!