Thinking of Playing Again

[GhostJ]

So, I stopped playing a few years ago cause the lag was pretty bad, but I noticed the new paladin archetype and with my love of unarmed combat I was thinking of giving the game a chance again and starting fresh with a new character. From what I recall the people on these forums are pretty good about sharing their thoughts on the state of the game.

Have the lag problems been resolved at all, and if I want to start playing again which server should I pick to start fresh? It's been so long that I can't recall which server I used to play on so I'm just looking for opinions.

[KoobTheProud]

Orien is the new default server for new players. That's the one I would pick if you are starting fresh with DDO again.

If the cause of the lag you experienced previously was related to the virtualization and outsourcing of the servers then you are probably in for a pleasant surprise as the servers are back in house again.

[GhostJ]

Okay, that's good to know. The last time I played Hardcore server was the newest feature from what I can recall, but the game had some serious issues with my character being forced to stand in place for a few minutes while I watched them die in the middle of combat. So as long as that has been handled I'll give the game another chance.

I'll try out Orien and see how it goes later tonight.

[cadaverash]

How long ago were you playing?

"i2049" raid lag is not around anymore.

Most folks have forgotten about it.

The instance farming to avoid it brought us closer together back in the day.

[GhostJ]

How long ago were you playing?

"i2049" raid lag is not around anymore.

Most folks have forgotten about it.

The instance farming to avoid it brought us closer together back in the day.

I think I stopped playing in 2019, so roughly 3 years ago.

[TPICKRELL]

Lag is a lot better than it was back then. There is still lag, but it is less frequent and mostly stutter lag for a few seconds. Freezes long enough to be dangerous are pretty rare now.

The new handwrap pally is solid early at least, just made a lowbie farmer on hardcore and its doing really well for a solo melee toon. Looking at the trees and spells, I think it will be solid for leveling, but I'm concerned about end game. Melee at end game need DC's for life preserving CC, and Sacred Fist doesn't get them. Hopefully it will be tanky enough and have enough self healing to be solid, but it could easily end up being pretty meh at end game.

[GhostJ]

Lag is a lot better than it was back then. There is still lag, but it is less frequent and mostly stutter lag for a few seconds. Freezes long enough to be dangerous are pretty rare now.

The new handwrap pally is solid early at least, just made a lowbie farmer on hardcore and its doing really well for a solo melee toon. Looking at the trees and spells, I think it will be solid for leveling, but I'm concerned about end game. Melee at end game need DC's for life preserving CC, and Sacred Fist doesn't get them. Hopefully it will be tanky enough and have enough self healing to be solid, but it could easily end up being pretty meh at end game.

Thanks for the heads up! I'll keep that in mind.

[Eantarus]

I was thinking of giving the game a chance again

Don't.

The devs have made it clear they intend to nerf everything remotely interesting straight to into the ground. Now is not a great time to start back up.

[Oxarhamar]

Don't.

The devs have made it clear they intend to nerf everything remotely interesting straight to into the ground. Now is not a great time to start back up.

Nerfs are a part of balancing it happens in every mmo I've ever played & I've been playing mmos since the beginning

They are rarely just right but it's no reason not to return especially since they won't know what they are missing from any particular nerf

Welcome back OP

[cadaverash]

I think I stopped playing in 2019, so roughly 3 years ago.

Might be better off waiting a month for them to fix the bugs in the last update.

Lots of gear has gone missing.

Maybe we get it back sometime.

[spifflove]

I would start with a bard toon until you reach 1750 favor then convert it to a haggle bot bank toon. Then when you get 32 point builds make a barb. Once you are comfortable playing that go from there.

[Knightrose]

As someone who has been playing since beta I can tell you the lag is definitely better. That said, my eyes and brain are well trained for DDO. It does not have the response one would expect from other action games. I hope they can still improve it but you will notice both intended and not intended delay. Some wonkiness still parades. Especially if you're like me and have quick fingers. I still find myself timing things in my head but as I said it's second nature now. Hope you return and more importantly have fun again. I will say that regardless of the current fiasco the game overall is in a great state and super fun. Obviously I'm bias otherwise I wouldn't be VIP and still playing after all these years. My 2 Pyreals.

[TitusOvid]

If you need any help on Orien, hit me up. I might be able to assist.

Cheers,
Titus.

[Sarandra]

Don't.

The devs have made it clear they intend to nerf everything remotely interesting straight to into the ground. Now is not a great time to start back up.

Do you really have to spread your negativity and spoil things for everyone else?

OP: The game is good, ignore the negativity of certain people that will never be satisfied.

[Bjond]

Have the lag problems been resolved

IMHO, the lag is MUCH worse than it was when I started playing in 2018. It's just in different spots; eg. Baba doesn't lag for 5m in the shadow/totem area anymore, but it can take 10m to sell items at vendors and the game will randomly "hang" an instance for a while now and then (classic jump up, stay airborne entire time).


which server should I pick to start fresh

If Hard-Core didn't have the hounds, I'd actually suggest that because you meet people from all servers there. If you happen to find a group you like, you can then go with them back to that server. HOWEVER, HCL at present has some extra difficulties that can make it overwhelmingly frustrating for a new/returning.

And, all the servers have severe population issues right now due at least partly to HCL. If you don't mind solo'ing until people return, when you return doesn't matter. If you want to group a lot right away, it would likely be better to wait until HCL ends.

[WallStreetDragon]

So, I stopped playing a few years ago cause the lag was pretty bad, but I noticed the new paladin archetype and with my love of unarmed combat I was thinking of giving the game a chance again and starting fresh with a new character. From what I recall the people on these forums are pretty good about sharing their thoughts on the state of the game.

Have the lag problems been resolved at all, and if I want to start playing again which server should I pick to start fresh? It's been so long that I can't recall which server I used to play on so I'm just looking for opinions.

I would stay off the game for now. Game is riddled with bugs, melee combat is horrible and the dev team has not changed for the better. For your better mental health, go play outside or reinstall BG1&2.

[donblas]

I really haven't seen any bad lag for quite some time.

Come back - the game is fun!

[slarden]

For me the lag is worse than it was a few years ago and in places you wouldn't expect - the bank, trying to log off, losing your party and guild chat.

As for returning, I would say return as free-to-play and try it out for free for a few months before committing. If you enjoy it you can consider spending money.

[GhostJ]

Thank you everyone for the replies, and the help!

I'm going to try my best to respond to people right now.


If you need any help on Orien, hit me up. I might be able to assist.

Cheers,
Titus.

I started playing again and started fresh on Argonnessen, I decided not to play Orien because when I logged in I saw that was indeed the old server I used to play on and was filled with characters I hardly remember what I was doing with so I grabbed a different server that I didn't have any characters in yet.


I would start with a bard toon until you reach 1750 favor then convert it to a haggle bot bank toon. Then when you get 32 point builds make a barb. Once you are comfortable playing that go from there.

I am very much enjoying the sacred fist paladin at the moment, I just got to level 12 last night and so far it combines everything I like about monk into paladin very neatly.


IMHO, the lag is MUCH worse than it was when I started playing in 2018. It's just in different spots; eg. Baba doesn't lag for 5m in the shadow/totem area anymore, but it can take 10m to sell items at vendors and the game will randomly "hang" an instance for a while now and then (classic jump up, stay airborne entire time).



If Hard-Core didn't have the hounds, I'd actually suggest that because you meet people from all servers there. If you happen to find a group you like, you can then go with them back to that server. HOWEVER, HCL at present has some extra difficulties that can make it overwhelmingly frustrating for a new/returning.

And, all the servers have severe population issues right now due at least partly to HCL. If you don't mind solo'ing until people return, when you return doesn't matter. If you want to group a lot right away, it would likely be better to wait until HCL ends.

I have noticed the game still has lag problems here and there, but it is not nearly as bad as it was when I quit. I am also intending to play without spending more money on the game so Hardcore is not an option for me.


For me the lag is worse than it was a few years ago and in places you wouldn't expect - the bank, trying to log off, losing your party and guild chat.

As for returning, I would say return as free-to-play and try it out for free for a few months before committing. If you enjoy it you can consider spending money.

I'm currently playing free because I still own most of the content in the game excluding the newer releases of course.

[StormKnight]

So, I stopped playing a few years ago cause the lag was pretty bad, but I noticed the new paladin archetype and with my love of unarmed combat I was thinking of giving the game a chance again and starting fresh with a new character. From what I recall the people on these forums are pretty good about sharing their thoughts on the state of the game.

Have the lag problems been resolved at all, and if I want to start playing again which server should I pick to start fresh? It's been so long that I can't recall which server I used to play on so I'm just looking for opinions.

Flip a coin. Dam I'm getting old and get off my lawn.

[spifflove]

I am very much enjoying the sacred fist paladin at the moment, I just got to level 12 last night and so far it combines everything I like about monk into paladin very neatly.

Reply: you can true res out of your 28 point build so that is not a problem but you lose the haggle bot. That could have helped you jump start your plat. Still can be done later but not optimal.

You probably already had 32 point builds on orien unlocked that you could true res and possibly loaded with goodies like raider boxes and plus 20 lesser hearts of wood. Even a plain lesser heart could turn them into a useful character.

[slarden]

I am also intending to play without spending more money on the game so Hardcore is not an option for me.

One thing that changed is that VIP is no longer required to play on hardcore, however, the same constraint exists on live that you can't open on hard or elite on your first run.

At a minimum it's worth running for 5 favor (2 korthos quests on normal) to get 50 DDO points. You get another 25 at 25 favor, another 25 at 50 favor and another 25 at 100 favor so running for 100 favor nets you a quick 125 DDO points and it's super easy to find groups running low level quests.