[Massive Help] Starting DDO Journey

[Nervly]

Greetings, adventurers!

My name is Nervly and I would like to request your services to aid the beginning of my journey.
Seriously though, I've played DDO before but I wasn't "playing correctly" and I would like to start once again from scratch and try to understand the mechanics of this game. As of right now, I can't seem to understand anything about how the game works when it comes to multiclassing, good stats for each class, feats, skill points, modifiers, the damage system (i.e. 1d20), all the used abreviations and so on... Which I apologize for in the first place.

When it comes to choosing a class, there are a few points that I think will help you understand my style:

- I love anything that's stealthy when it comes to combat and walking around unseen (like Assassin's Creed and Thief mechanics) and finding secrets, etc. This would lead me to choosing a Rogue, which was my class back when I used to play, however, I believe I didn't know how to fully enjoy the rogue due to my narrow knowledge about the game.

- I like Dual Wielding weapons. Before I wrote this post I was looking into Paladin builds and saw that some of them use Two Handed Fighting, which is something that I never really liked. It feels too heavy and I usually prefer swift weapons, like dual wielding and the sort. The Paladin is a class that I don't think I would mind on using, because I'm usually into DPS aswell.

- I've always enjoyed magic and I tried using a spellcaster (I can't remember if it was a wizard or a sorcerer) for a while, but it didn't feel that right. I like magic but I think I need a touch of melee aswell and more fast paced combat.

- Regarding ranged attacks, I can't say I would mind on playing with a Ranger. I've read that they use both bows and swords (dual wielding if I'm not mistaken) and they seem like a good class to start with.

- I'm not interested in Tanking.


Now that I've analysed my likings on classes, I'll shoot another doubt I've always had:

- Lets say I choose a rogue. A good race for him would most likely be either an elf or a halfling, right? I used to be a halfling rogue back in the day, because the halfling gives a bonus to Listen, Jump and Move Silently skills and his short size allows for easier dodging and more easily moving around unseen. However, the Elf has keen senses which give a bonus to Listen, Search and Spot, but that's about it. However, a rogue would also be good as an elf because of the bonus to those three last skills I mentioned. This always gets me very undecided on whether to choose one race or the other, be it with a rogue or not (same happens with the ranger, in which I don't know if I should choose a Human or an Elf, since the latter has higher dextery, which brings me to the next point).

- I know that strength is what determines the damage. The dextery determines our defense, through the Armor Class, and the chance of ranged attacks hitting the enemy. Does it affect the damage done by ranged attacks aswell? Like when using a bow? There's a feat called Weapon Finesse which, from what I understood, uses the Dextery stat to determine the damage we'll deal to the enemy instead of using the Strength stat, is that correct? If so, that'd be good for both Rogues and Rangers, right?


Now for a few more questions:

- How does the damage system work? I never understood the 1d20 thingy and the sort.
- How do modifiers work? Regarding damage, armor class, skills (like spot, search, tumble, jump, etc.), bonus given by feats, etc.
- How do I know if a bonus given by a feat is worth it? Like, for instance, Great Fortitude gives a +2 bonus on my Fortitude Saves. Is that a high number? Is it a big difference? Or lets say I want the Two Weapon Fighting feat, is reducing the penalty by 20% - 40% alot? Is the +2 combat style bonus to melee power a nice difference? And what is the combat style? Or for a last example, the Stealthy feat, is a +2 bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks good? What does it actually affect/mean? Or the Toughness feat, does it increase my hitpoints by only 3? Like if I have 40HP, it'll turn to 43HP? Or is it +3 on the Constituion modifier?

- How do I know which classes go well with other classes when multiclassing?
__________________________________________________ __________________________

Finally, I must say that I'm not able to spend money on the game. I can only do 28pt builds and only have the default races and classes.
I deeply apologize for the ridiculous high amount of questions, but I would love to finally be able to understand how the game works. I've tried reading several articles that explain the mechanics but I can't seem to understand almost anything x_x

Thank you in advance,
- Nervly

[Tscheuss]

1) Check out the wiki.

2) A fun ranger build is Ellisdee37's Tempest Trapmonkey.

3) Sneaking, spying, and two weapon fighting suggest a rogue assassin with some mechanic enhancements to boost trapping.

4) If you run up 1,750 favor on a character, you will unlock Champion for that server. This will unlock 32-point builds for new characters on that server.

5) The rogue Assassin enhancement tree offers Dex to Hit and Dex to Dmg with daggers and kukris (and finessable weapons if you have the Weapon Finesse feat).

6) Weapon Finesse uses your Dex to Hit for light weapons and such, but does not affect damage on its own.

There is so much more, but I hope this will get you started.

[UurlockYgmeov]

Welcome Back!

There is no 'correct' way to play! only incorrect way is if you aren't having fun!

Have fun storming the er.... castles!

[Stinging_Bee]

Hello Nervly!
It's awesome that you have so many questions! Means that you are deeply interested in the game and this is always the start of all the greatest players!
It would be incredibly easy and fast to give you the answers to all your questions using voice chat.
That's why I'm going to encourage you to find a good guild that use a voice chat client like teamspeak.
You would be surprised by the number of players that would be happy to answer all the questions that come up to your mind.

Now to answer some of your questions:

First thing first in DDO you are expected now to be self sufficient in almost every single situation. Occasionally you will have a cleric or a bard or a rogue doing stuff for you like giving you a buff or a heal or removing a trap you cannot overcome but that's something pretty rare.
You are going to play with people that are maybe new to the game or just don't feel like helping you.
This means that you should build your character with the idea of being able to solo everything even if you will play in a group everytime.
This will allow you to finish quests and dungeons even if your party members are not helpful and will also allow you to be able to help other people that may be struggling.
Last but not the least you will be able to split and do something while the rest of the group does something else in the dungeon (this is how usually veteran players play).

Rogues are a great class but they lack on saves (fortitude and will) and buffs so they are great when you have some nice gear that will boost your saves and give you useful buffs (deathward clickies, Fom potions etc).
For this reason Rogues perform way better in end game (epic levels) and especially if you have past lives and gear in your TR cache from those past lives.
For this reason I'd recommend to start with some class that is less dependent on gear like a paladin or a bard for example.
Bard has access to great self buffing spells like Displacement, Fom, Greater heroism and some self healing spells. It focuses on single weapon style that features light finessable weapons, high attack speed and doublestrike.
You can easily multiclass bard with rogue to be able to disable traps, gain evasion.

Another option is to go pure paladin (no multiclass). It's a very sturdy class, has access to good self heals like lay on hands and cure spells, immunity to negative levels, great hit points pool, great saves, and great damage mitigation. You can go for a two weapon style (2 kopeshes) or a single weapon style (1 kopesh) and be very very effective.

I definitely recommend you to pick either pally or bard and get to level 20 with it.
After you gather the good gear and get more experienced with the game you can then Reincarnate back to level 1 rogue with everything you need to get the best out of the class.
Differences between paladin and bard:
Paladin can dish out more damage and is much simpler to play. Definitely a great beginners class especially if Single weapon fighting style is chosen.
Bard is incredibly interesting class to play. You will have so many options and different skills that it will blow your mind. It's also similar as far as playstyle to an assassin's rogue. You even have coup de grace as a very powerful instakill.

Pick one and I'll direct you to a custom build.

[SamaelBael]

Hello Nervly,

As a rogue-fanatic I can tell you that there is no better class in game. Obviously.

Here a link you might have been searching for:
http://ddowiki.com/page/Glossary

For inexperienced players though, they can be a challenge.
For handling traps you need decent Intelligence and the skills Spot(WISdom), Search(INTelligence) and Disable Device(INT).
For Stealth you require high Dexterity and the skills Move Silently(DEXterity), Hide(DEX), Jump(STRength) and Open Locks(DEX).
Some points in Tumble(DEX) and Balance(DEX) are never misplaced.
Use Magic Device(CHArisma) will allow you to use scrolls for buffs and heals. You are no rogue without it (seriously. experienced players might start laughing if they encounter such a character).

As you can see skillwise, Dex and Int are very important. A Dex of 17 enables you to take all Two Weapon Fighting Feats(musthaves for twf builds).
Main stat: Dex, 2nd stat: Int and try to stay above CONstitution of 13!(con 14 is considered minimum by a lot of players)

I would like to point out the versatilty of the Human race especially for undergeared newish players. Humans get
+1 Feat slot at creation
+1 Skillpoint per levelup ( you can max out 1 full skill!)
get racial boosts great for rogues:
-skill-boost: +4 to all skills for 20sec. enough to get that annoyingly difficult trap^^
-saves-boost: +4 to all saves for 20sec. and no fail on a diceroll of 1(would be autofail). want to get through a trap because the trapbox is on the other side? use this and Uncanny Dodge for a huge boost to reflex saves for trap evasion.

The Assassin enhancements are trimmed towards TWF with daggers/kukris. Use daggers, hardly any decent kukris out there.
the Assassin offers Dex to hit and damage rolls. forget about Str. The Finesse feat is a relic of times long past.

For defense look at Dodge and the Thief Acrobat(TA) enhancements.
I advise you to get Kip Up, nr. 4 of the core enhancements in that tree.
Nr. 3 allows you to tumble through the enemies, has often saved my neck.

For free to play (F2P), please consider buying the Gianthold pack. it is well-liked by PUGs (groups in the LFG, the "O" key)
It offers XP in levels where F2P quests start to get thin, offers good rogue gear and gear that can be sold in the auction house. Great in epic levels as well.
http://ddowiki.com/page/Itemream_Visor
http://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Giantcraft_Siberys_Compass
http://ddowiki.com/page/Gloves_of_Forgotten_Craft
http://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Ring_of_Shadows
http://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Jeweled_Cloak - absorbs spells, rare and useful ability!
http://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Backstabber%27s_Gloves
http://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Intricate_Field_Optics

some more links you might want to check out:
http://www.gwen-morse.com/wiki/index..._for_DDO_Noobs
https://www.ddo.com/en/store - at least for the weekly free stuff
https://sites.google.com/site/ddostealthteamsix/
http://ddowiki.com/page/Chat - maybe there is a serverwide channel for you? do you want to create one? /joinchannel name password(optional)

[Nervly]

1) Check out the wiki.

2) A fun ranger build is Ellisdee37's Tempest Trapmonkey.

3) Sneaking, spying, and two weapon fighting suggest a rogue assassin with some mechanic enhancements to boost trapping.

4) If you run up 1,750 favor on a character, you will unlock Champion for that server. This will unlock 32-point builds for new characters on that server.

5) The rogue Assassin enhancement tree offers Dex to Hit and Dex to Dmg with daggers and kukris (and finessable weapons if you have the Weapon Finesse feat).

6) Weapon Finesse uses your Dex to Hit for light weapons and such, but does not affect damage on its own.

There is so much more, but I hope this will get you started.

Thank you for your reply!

I will be sure to check the wiki more carefully and try to learn more about the game through it.
Thank you for the build suggestion! I have a question though: In the Skills list of that build, Disable Device and Open Lock are available. However, in-game, they're not there. I remember that back when I played they were available in the character creation aswell, but now they're not. Was it an update that removed them or is it just on my side?

Hmm, it seems like an Assassin Rogue would be something I'd like to play with, however, taking to account what Stinging_Bee told me, I'll leave the rogue for when I'm more experienced with the game.

Ah, it's good to know there's a way to get the 32pt build without having to spend money on the game. How does one get favor?
Oh, so that means that Damage will still be determined by STR even though I'd be using Weapon Finesse?

Thank you once again!

Hello Nervly!
It's awesome that you have so many questions! Means that you are deeply interested in the game and this is always the start of all the greatest players!
It would be incredibly easy and fast to give you the answers to all your questions using voice chat.
That's why I'm going to encourage you to find a good guild that use a voice chat client like teamspeak.
You would be surprised by the number of players that would be happy to answer all the questions that come up to your mind.

Now to answer some of your questions:

First thing first in DDO you are expected now to be self sufficient in almost every single situation. Occasionally you will have a cleric or a bard or a rogue doing stuff for you like giving you a buff or a heal or removing a trap you cannot overcome but that's something pretty rare.
You are going to play with people that are maybe new to the game or just don't feel like helping you.
This means that you should build your character with the idea of being able to solo everything even if you will play in a group everytime.
This will allow you to finish quests and dungeons even if your party members are not helpful and will also allow you to be able to help other people that may be struggling.
Last but not the least you will be able to split and do something while the rest of the group does something else in the dungeon (this is how usually veteran players play).

Rogues are a great class but they lack on saves (fortitude and will) and buffs so they are great when you have some nice gear that will boost your saves and give you useful buffs (deathward clickies, Fom potions etc).
For this reason Rogues perform way better in end game (epic levels) and especially if you have past lives and gear in your TR cache from those past lives.
For this reason I'd recommend to start with some class that is less dependent on gear like a paladin or a bard for example.
Bard has access to great self buffing spells like Displacement, Fom, Greater heroism and some self healing spells. It focuses on single weapon style that features light finessable weapons, high attack speed and doublestrike.
You can easily multiclass bard with rogue to be able to disable traps, gain evasion.

Another option is to go pure paladin (no multiclass). It's a very sturdy class, has access to good self heals like lay on hands and cure spells, immunity to negative levels, great hit points pool, great saves, and great damage mitigation. You can go for a two weapon style (2 kopeshes) or a single weapon style (1 kopesh) and be very very effective.

I definitely recommend you to pick either pally or bard and get to level 20 with it.
After you gather the good gear and get more experienced with the game you can then Reincarnate back to level 1 rogue with everything you need to get the best out of the class.
Differences between paladin and bard:
Paladin can dish out more damage and is much simpler to play. Definitely a great beginners class especially if Single weapon fighting style is chosen.
Bard is incredibly interesting class to play. You will have so many options and different skills that it will blow your mind. It's also similar as far as playstyle to an assassin's rogue. You even have coup de grace as a very powerful instakill.

Pick one and I'll direct you to a custom build.

Thank you for your reply!

I'm glad the high amount of questions isn't a problem then!
I will try to find a good guild that can help me throughtout the game too, thank you for the suggestion!
It's good to know there's people that like to help newer players!

Hmm, sounds like a good point! Makes sense too. I will definitely go for the Paladin as it sounds more like my style and seeing as it is a simpler class to play with, I reckon it would be a better choice for now. Do you recommend Two Weapon Style or Single Weapon Style? I'll be waiting for the build then!
Also, I'd like to know your opinion on Rangers, they seem like an interesting class aswell.
As for the Rogue class, I'll leave it waiting until I get more experienced with the game.

Thank you so much for your reply, it was very helpful!

Hello Nervly,

As a rogue-fanatic I can tell you that there is no better class in game. Obviously.

Here a link you might have been searching for:
http://ddowiki.com/page/Glossary

For inexperienced players though, they can be a challenge.
For handling traps you need decent Intelligence and the skills Spot(WISdom), Search(INTelligence) and Disable Device(INT).
For Stealth you require high Dexterity and the skills Move Silently(DEXterity), Hide(DEX), Jump(STRength) and Open Locks(DEX).
Some points in Tumble(DEX) and Balance(DEX) are never misplaced.
Use Magic Device(CHArisma) will allow you to use scrolls for buffs and heals. You are no rogue without it (seriously. experienced players might start laughing if they encounter such a character).

As you can see skillwise, Dex and Int are very important. A Dex of 17 enables you to take all Two Weapon Fighting Feats(musthaves for twf builds).
Main stat: Dex, 2nd stat: Int and try to stay above CONstitution of 13!(con 14 is considered minimum by a lot of players)

I would like to point out the versatilty of the Human race especially for undergeared newish players. Humans get
+1 Feat slot at creation
+1 Skillpoint per levelup ( you can max out 1 full skill!)
get racial boosts great for rogues:
-skill-boost: +4 to all skills for 20sec. enough to get that annoyingly difficult trap^^
-saves-boost: +4 to all saves for 20sec. and no fail on a diceroll of 1(would be autofail). want to get through a trap because the trapbox is on the other side? use this and Uncanny Dodge for a huge boost to reflex saves for trap evasion.

The Assassin enhancements are trimmed towards TWF with daggers/kukris. Use daggers, hardly any decent kukris out there.
the Assassin offers Dex to hit and damage rolls. forget about Str. The Finesse feat is a relic of times long past.

For defense look at Dodge and the Thief Acrobat(TA) enhancements.
I advise you to get Kip Up, nr. 4 of the core enhancements in that tree.
Nr. 3 allows you to tumble through the enemies, has often saved my neck.

For free to play (F2P), please consider buying the Gianthold pack. it is well-liked by PUGs (groups in the LFG, the "O" key)
It offers XP in levels where F2P quests start to get thin, offers good rogue gear and gear that can be sold in the auction house. Great in epic levels as well.
http://ddowiki.com/page/Itemream_Visor
http://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Giantcraft_Siberys_Compass
http://ddowiki.com/page/Gloves_of_Forgotten_Craft
http://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Ring_of_Shadows
http://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Jeweled_Cloak - absorbs spells, rare and useful ability!
http://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Backstabber%27s_Gloves
http://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Intricate_Field_Optics

some more links you might want to check out:
http://www.gwen-morse.com/wiki/index..._for_DDO_Noobs
https://www.ddo.com/en/store - at least for the weekly free stuff
https://sites.google.com/site/ddostealthteamsix/
http://ddowiki.com/page/Chat - maybe there is a serverwide channel for you? do you want to create one? /joinchannel name password(optional)

Thank you for your reply!

The rogue is definitely a fun class to play with!
Thanks for the Glossary link, it will be extremely helpful to me!

Interesting, I didn't know UMD was so important in a Rogue, I honestly never touched it back when I played xD
I think I had Weapon Finesse and Dextery was what I increased the most. Good to know about the constituion minimum, I'm always struggling about whether or not I should give it more points or less points when creating a character or leveling up.

Hmm, so I'm guessing that the Human bonuses we get make up for not getting the bonuses Elfs/Halflings would give us, am I correct?
Got it, daggers. So the Dextery does determine the damage dealt when using, in this case, Daggers, right? Which means that STR would be completely discarded.

Thank you for all the links, I'll look into each one of them throughly and carefully!
I'll play the Rogue after I get more experienced with the game, following Stinging_Bee's advice. But I'll be ready thanks to you!

Thank you once again!
______________________________________

Thank you for the welcome, Uurlock!

I'm very thankful for all of the help you all gave me so far!
Getting more excited about the game x3

Take care,
- Nervly

[Lonnbeimnech]

What I did when I first started was roll up a human fighter, the most vanilla of builds, just to get a feel for the game. After getting to level 7 or so I made use of my second character slot and rolled up a ranger and played him for a bit. Then swapped servers and rolled up a barbarian and a paladin. Then swapped servers and made bard and whatever.

You get the idea, just try out different builds, play em for a bit, then make another one. You get 2 slots per server as a free to play player, you get more if you start paying.

Just remember It's a game, play whats fun for you. Yeah paladins are strong right now, but if you want to play a sneaky assassin rogue, you should do that.


Btw, humans make the best everything.

[Tscheuss]

Thank you for your reply!

I will be sure to check the wiki more carefully and try to learn more about the game through it.
Thank you for the build suggestion! I have a question though: In the Skills list of that build, Disable Device and Open Lock are available. However, in-game, they're not there. I remember that back when I played they were available in the character creation aswell, but now they're not. Was it an update that removed them or is it just on my side?

Hmm, it seems like an Assassin Rogue would be something I'd like to play with, however, taking to account what Stinging_Bee told me, I'll leave the rogue for when I'm more experienced with the game.

Ah, it's good to know there's a way to get the 32pt build without having to spend money on the game. How does one get favor?
Oh, so that means that Damage will still be determined by STR even though I'd be using Weapon Finesse?

Thank you once again!




Thank you for your reply!

I'm glad the high amount of questions isn't a problem then!
I will try to find a good guild that can help me throughtout the game too, thank you for the suggestion!
It's good to know there's people that like to help newer players!

Hmm, sounds like a good point! Makes sense too. I will definitely go for the Paladin as it sounds more like my style and seeing as it is a simpler class to play with, I reckon it would be a better choice for now. Do you recommend Two Weapon Style or Single Weapon Style? I'll be waiting for the build then!
Also, I'd like to know your opinion on Rangers, they seem like an interesting class aswell.
As for the Rogue class, I'll leave it waiting until I get more experienced with the game.

Thank you so much for your reply, it was very helpful!



Thank you for your reply!

The rogue is definitely a fun class to play with!
Thanks for the Glossary link, it will be extremely helpful to me!

Interesting, I didn't know UMD was so important in a Rogue, I honestly never touched it back when I played xD
I think I had Weapon Finesse and Dextery was what I increased the most. Good to know about the constituion minimum, I'm always struggling about whether or not I should give it more points or less points when creating a character or leveling up.

Hmm, so I'm guessing that the Human bonuses we get make up for not getting the bonuses Elfs/Halflings would give us, am I correct?
Got it, daggers. So the Dextery does determine the damage dealt when using, in this case, Daggers, right? Which means that STR would be completely discarded.

Thank you for all the links, I'll look into each one of them throughly and carefully!
I'll play the Rogue after I get more experienced with the game, following Stinging_Bee's advice. But I'll be ready thanks to you!

Thank you once again!
______________________________________

Thank you for the welcome, Uurlock!

I'm very thankful for all of the help you all gave me so far!
Getting more excited about the game x3

Take care,
- Nervly

I would not completely discard Strength. It would be to easy to become burdened or made helpless by a caster. Make your base STR at least 10, and slot a STR (Ogre Power) item as you find one. Buffs of the same type do not stack, so you just replace a current item with a better one as it comes along.

[EllisDee37]

From what you describe, I'd start with a pure rogue, either TWF assassin using daggers or a mechanic using crossbows. I hear good things about Great Crossbows in the hands of a mechanic, but I imagine repeaters would also be solid.

[Stinging_Bee]

Thank you for your reply!

Hmm, sounds like a good point! Makes sense too. I will definitely go for the Paladin as it sounds more like my style and seeing as it is a simpler class to play with, I reckon it would be a better choice for now. Do you recommend Two Weapon Style or Single Weapon Style? I'll be waiting for the build then!
Also, I'd like to know your opinion on Rangers, they seem like an interesting class aswell.
As for the Rogue class, I'll leave it waiting until I get more experienced with the game.

Thank you so much for your reply, it was very helpful!

Rangers are definitely an interesting class but they will be changed soon by the devs. Since there is no way at the moment to predict how to build a ranger to make the best use of the changes I'd wait until the update to build one.

About your paladin build. Two weapon style requires you to invest many points into dexterity when you create your character . this is because you need 17 dexterity to qualify for Greater TWF.
Normally this wound not be a problem on a multi reincarnated character with 36 points at character creation and +7 tomes.
Since you are going to start from a 28 point build (everyone started from there so don't panic) its much more convenient for you to go Single weapon as it requires no points invested in dexterity.

Remember not to put any weapon or shield into your off hand because it would prevent you from gaining advantage of your Single weapon fighting feats.
Later on in your journey you can (and should) use an orb into your off hand (orbs can be obtained around level 12) to gain devotion spell power (better self healing) and special properties attached to the named orbs (thunderforged orb can be crafted with fortification bypass and action boost regeneration which is a huge deal).
As for the rest of the gear while leveling make sure to wear items with the following stats on them:
Strength X
Constitution X
Charisma X
False life X
Resistance X
Fortification
Deadly X
Accuracy X
Wisdom X
Kopesh of the highest level you can equip
Heavy armor with vitality or deathblock

Level 28 Lawful Good Human Male
(20 Paladin \ 8 Epic)



Starting
Abilities Base Stats
(28 Point) (Level 1)
Strength 16
Dexterity 8
Constitution 16
Intelligence 10
Wisdom 8
Charisma 14


Level 1 (Paladin)
Skill: Heal (+4)
Skill: Balance (+2)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+2)
Feat: (Deity) Follower of the Sovereign Host
Feat: (Selected) Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Khopesh
Feat: (Selected) Single Weapon Fighting


Level 2 (Paladin)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)


Level 3 (Paladin)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Feat: Power Attack


Level 4 (Paladin)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Heal (+1)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)

Level 5 (Paladin)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)


Level 6 (Paladin)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Single Weapon Fighting

Level 7 (Paladin)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)

Level 8 (Paladin)
Ability Raise: STR



Level 9 (Paladin)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Critical: Slashing Weapons


Level 10 (Paladin)


Level 11 (Paladin)



Level 12 (Paladin)
Ability Raise: STR
Feat: (Selected) Greater Single Weapon Fighting


Level 13 (Paladin)


Level 14 (Paladin)


Level 15 (Paladin)
Feat: (Selected) Empower Healing


Level 16 (Paladin)
Ability Raise: STR


Level 17 (Paladin)


Level 18 (Paladin)
Feat: (Selected)Quicken Spell


Level 19 (Paladin)


Level 20 (Paladin)
Ability Raise: STR


Level 21 (Epic)
Feat: (Selected) Epic: Overwhelming Critical


Level 22 (Epic)


Level 23 (Epic)


Level 24 (Epic)
Ability Raise: STR
Feat: (Selected) Cleave Required to select momentum swing in Legendary Dreadnought Epic destiny


Level 25 (Epic)


Level 26 (Epic)
Feat: Toughness


Level 27 (Epic)
Feat: (Selected) Epic Toughness if you have a +5 Constitution tome. If not basic toughness


Level 28 (Epic)
Ability Raise: STR
Feat: (Epic Destiny) Epic Destiny: Perfect Two Weapon Fighting

[PsychoBlonde]

Hello, and welcome back.

I'm a big rogue fan too--I love trapping and sneak attack--but they're also one of the more complex classes to play. If you really are just baffled by the game mechanics at this time, paladin is a really good class to start out learning them.

Since you're f2p, what I'd actually suggest is making a character on each server so you can get some Turbine Points from easily-accessible low level favor rewards, and then buy the Harper class tree, which is 495 points. (You can also unlock it via Harper favor, but you can't get any Harper favor unless you get packs, so it's probably easiest just to get the tree outright). The Harper tree lets you use your Intelligence score for hit and damage, which can really help with fleshing out a rogue and making it much easier to play, because it consolidates combat and trapping under the same primary stat.

After that I'd recommend going after Eberron packs that have epics in them: Phiarlan Carnival, Sentinels of Stormreach, Vault of Night, Red Fens, Sands of Menechtarun. Once you get your character to 20 it's extremely easy to run these packs and get "Tokens of the Twelve" (or fragments of tokens). Once you have 20 tokens you can turn them in for a free True Heart of Wood and reincarnate your character. This gets you more build points, access to some nice bennies (like being able to do a quest for the first time on Hard difficulty--and Elite once you've TR'd again), and a past life. It also resets all of your favor so you can get more turbine points by running the quests you have access to a second time. And so on, every time expanding what you have available to you to access and fiddle around with.

Also, one important note: there are two sets of "challenge" quests in the game, one in house Cannith and one in Eveningstar. While there are Challenge Packs on the DDO store, you *do not have to pay* to play these, and you can start running some of the ones in House C as early as 4th level. There is an NPC in Eveningstar and House C that hands out "Universal Challenge Tokens"--one free per day. One token will let you run the challenge of your choice. So I'd HIGHLY recommend logging in each day to at least grab a challenge token and maybe run a challenge. It gets you XP and you can turn in the ingredients you get from the challenges for a wide variety of useful equipment and consumables. ALL of them can be solo'd (although not necessarily for full stars, but you can at least finish them and get the minimum reward). Since you can set the level of the challenge this is also a good way to get XP if you find yourself at a level where there aren't many free to play quests.

It is possible (though exceptionally grindy depending on your personal interests) to play the *entire game completely for free*. You just have to be a little bit smart about it and use your free Turbine Points judiciously. Also, don't spend TP for ANYTHING that you can get in-game in some other way (except MAYBE Harper if you're really excited for roguing up the place), like the challenge tokens I mentioned above. You can get a lot of things just as favor rewards, including some races and classes.

Don't be afraid to make mistakes or "mess up" your character--learning is part of the fun! I play very eclectic builds that pretty much nobody else plays. People are always asking me about what the heck I have built. The mechanics of the game are quite complex and most people are happy to answer questions as they come up. Optimizing a character is a long, slow process of refinement, and IMO it's best that way--you get better and better as you TR.

If you're ever on the Thelanis server, feel free to message any of my toons to say hi--names are in my signature. I'm generally quite happy to have people to play with.

Oh, also, my guild on Thelanis is always quietly recruiting these days and we have a wide mix of players. You can put in an app to join at Stormlords.net

[Stinging_Bee]

PsychoBlonde idea of creating a character on each server to get the initial bonus turbine points is very good.
I'd recommend to spend those points in the necropolis 4 pack.
It will give you access to some great quests in heroics (from lvl 12 to 16) and 2 different raids and will give you access to some of the most powerful items in the game from the epic version of the quests.
If you can buy only one pack that's the one you will use the most.
I'd definitely NOT recommend to buy Harper tree since it can be unlocked for free with favor points.
It's a good tree for a rogue because of the know the angles enhancement but I'd not rush and buy it with TP. It's really not that big of a deal on an assassin rogue so better buy adventure packs first instead

[PsychoBlonde]

I'd definitely NOT recommend to buy Harper tree since it can be unlocked for free with favor points.

Only if you FIRST buy The High Road, Druid's Deep, Wheloon, and the Storm Horns, tho. You can't really unlock it "for free" very easily, esp. since two of the packs (wheloon and storm horns) are part of an expansion. (I think you might also need some other miscellaneous stuff, too . . . you basically have to have all the Harper favor that is available to get this tree--and that only unlocks it on ONE server).

It depends on how excited he is to get his rogue on, but I think that buying the Harper tree first is legit.

[PsychoBlonde]

If he's not married to the Rogue idea then just playing Paladin is fine and dandy. Can give Harper a miss easily then and just farm favor for packs and to pick up the free tomes, then TR. Paladin past lives are some of the best ones out there for melee builds.

If you can get in a guild and find a good-natured and generous guildy or three, you might be able to swap them minor favors (like helping them farm some gear) in exchange for guest passes to packs you don't have and rack up extra favor that way. Heck, I know people who will happily shell out for guest passes just to have some company running some of the content. Getting a free +5 tome per life (which requires you to get very close to all the favor available in the game) will REALLY add some viability and versatility to your character.

You can also, if you're so inclined, play the Shard Auction house a bit. You need a few shards to start (which you don't necessarily have to pay for--you can occasionally win some in various ways IIRC), but this is also a way to get access to a lot of the bennies that are nominally pay-to-play.

Figuring out how to play the game without ever spending cash on anything can actually be kind of a fun mini-game all on its own.

[Nervly]

Rangers are definitely an interesting class but they will be changed soon by the devs. Since there is no way at the moment to predict how to build a ranger to make the best use of the changes I'd wait until the update to build one.

About your paladin build. Two weapon style requires you to invest many points into dexterity when you create your character. This is because you need 17 dexterity to qualify for Greater TWF.
Normally this would not be a problem on a multi reincarnated character with 36 points at character creation and +7 tomes.
Since you are going to start from a 28 point build (everyone started from there so don't panic) its much more convenient for you to go Single Weapon as it requires no points invested in dexterity.

Remember not to put any weapon or shield into your off hand because it would prevent you from gaining advantage of your Single Weapon Fighting feats.
Later on in your journey you can (and should) use an orb into your off hand (orbs can be obtained around level 12) to gain devotion spell power (better self healing) and special properties attached to the named orbs (thunderforged orb can be crafted with fortification bypass and action boost regeneration which is a huge deal).
As for the rest of the gear while leveling make sure to wear items with the following stats on them:
Strength X
Constitution X
Charisma X
False life X
Resistance X
Fortification
Deadly X
Accuracy X
Wisdom X
Kopesh of the highest level you can equip
Heavy armor with vitality or deathblock

Level 28 Lawful Good Human Male
(20 Paladin \ 8 Epic)

Starting
Abilities Base Stats
(28 Point) (Level 1)
Strength 16
Dexterity 8
Constitution 16
Intelligence 10
Wisdom 8
Charisma 14


Level 1 (Paladin)
Skill: Heal (+4)
Skill: Balance (+2)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+2)
Feat: (Deity) Follower of the Sovereign Host
Feat: (Selected) Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Khopesh
Feat: (Selected) Single Weapon Fighting


Level 2 (Paladin)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)


Level 3 (Paladin)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Feat: Power Attack


Level 4 (Paladin)
Ability Raise: STR
Skill: Heal (+1)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)

Level 5 (Paladin)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)


Level 6 (Paladin)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)
Feat: (Selected) Improved Single Weapon Fighting

Level 7 (Paladin)
Skill: Heal (+1)
Skill: Balance (+0.5)
Skill: Use Magic Device (+0.5)

Ah, I see. Curious about what they'll do with them.
Well, I will definitely go for a Single Weapon Fighting Paladin then!

I've got some questions about the build:

- I read here that it is usually better to skill up Jump instead of Balance, because there's some quests where it would be useful to have a high jump as to reach new treasures and other secret places, aswell as to even escape from swarms. That same article also said that the Balance skill only affects how long you take to get up again and that it doesn't reduce the chance of getting pinned down. I did some research on others experiences and some said it was very useful for a melee fighter to get up as quickly as possible as to prevent HP loss but I've also read some people saying that Balance is useless and that they've lived through several lives without using it. Others say that Jump is much more useful because of the same reasons I mentioned above. What would be the best for my Paladin? Should I go through with Balance or skill up Jump instead? And is the Jump skill really worth it regarding the new reachable places and escapes it provides? What about the Balance? Does each increased skill point reduce the prone duration or only each X points? And is the decreased duration significant?

As for the rest of the gear while leveling make sure to wear items with the following stats on them:
Strength X
Constitution X
Charisma X
False life X
Resistance X
Fortification
Deadly X
Accuracy X
Wisdom X
Kopesh of the highest level you can equip
Heavy armor with vitality or deathblock

- By X, do you mean the bonus it gives? (Like +2 Str, etc.) If so, is Fortification different in that regard?

Thank you so much once again for all your help!

__________________________________________________ ________

Regarding what PsychoBlonde suggested, I'll give it a try at creating several characters for the Turbine Points! Thank you for the suggestion!
For now I'll leave the Rogue aside as it seems like it's better to start with a Paladin to learn more about the game and once I feel comfortable with how the game works, I'll go for a Rogue following all of the given tips. It really sounds like the Rogue is a pretty fun class to play with when one actually knows how to play with it.

As for the server, since I'm still going to create the Paladin, I'll be joining the Thelanis server. I'll make sure to contact you now and then!
It's also good to know I might have a chance to join a Guild! I'll send in an application once I get going with my character, thank you!

[Stinging_Bee]

You need 7 ranks into balance to qualify for greater single weapon fighting feat.
After that you can go for jump.
X is the highest number you can get based on your level. Fortification works in the same way. Get the highest possible bonus you can get either in chest or on the auction.
Problem of rogue is not experience but good gear like greensteel hp item, visor of flesh render guard, kundarak delving boots and possibly more.
I'd definitely recommend to roll a dex based rogue not until your second life.

[Nervly]

You need 7 ranks into balance to qualify for greater single weapon fighting feat.
After that you can go for jump.
X is the highest number you can get based on your level. Fortification works in the same way. Get the highest possible bonus you can get either in chest or on the auction.
Problem of rogue is not experience but good gear like greensteel hp item, visor of flesh render guard, kundarak delving boots and possibly more.
I'd definitely recommend to roll a dex based rogue not until your second life.

I understand. Balance is more important for now then, I'll go for it. Thanks!
Oh, alrighty. Highest possible bonus, got it.
Hmm, I see. I'll only do it after I play through all of my first life then.

Thank you so much for all the help, off to create my Paladin now!

Take care,
- Nervly

[Nervly]

A new doubt has invaded my mind. I was just reading this, more specifically the following portion:

Heal: This skill is both passive and active and is modified by Wisdom. Heal allows you to heal unconscious characters back to 1 hit point by using a heal kit and increases the number of hit points regenerated at a rest shrine (the highest heal skill in the group is used for this purpose). This skill is worthless. After a level or two, you’ll have healing wands or spells to use on group members who are down, plus you don’t want to waste an inventory slot on heal kits. Plus, at rest shrines, the normal procedure is for the healing spellcasters to use all their remaining spell points healing up the group and then they rest to recoup their spell points.

What's your opinion on that text? It doesn't seem like the 'Heal' skill would be completely worthless, especially when on the build you gave me it is stated to skill it up to 4. I remember that back when I played it there was something about 'Heal' that seemed off, but I can't remember what it was. How good does the skill actually do? Is it really worth it spending Skill Points on it?

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: Sorry for the double post, just noticed it x_x

[Stinging_Bee]

From the DDO wiki
From Update 19, the Heal skill is now much more useful, as it adds 1 point of Positive and Negative Spell Power per point of skill.

This enhances Positive Energy spells (such as Cure Wounds or Heal) and Negative Energy spells (such as Inflict Critical Wounds) and Positive/Negative spell-like abilities for all classes. It does not affect spells cast from scrolls or clickies.

[Drathsiddh]

Greetings, adventurers!

My name is Nervly and I would like to request your services to aid the beginning of my journey.
Seriously though, I've played DDO before but I wasn't "playing correctly" and I would like to start once again from scratch and try to understand the mechanics of this game. As of right now, I can't seem to understand anything about how the game works when it comes to multiclassing, good stats for each class, feats, skill points, modifiers, the damage system (i.e. 1d20), all the used abreviations and so on... Which I apologize for in the first place.

When it comes to choosing a class, there are a few points that I think will help you understand my style:

- I love anything that's stealthy when it comes to combat and walking around unseen (like Assassin's Creed and Thief mechanics) and finding secrets, etc. This would lead me to choosing a Rogue, which was my class back when I used to play, however, I believe I didn't know how to fully enjoy the rogue due to my narrow knowledge about the game.

- I like Dual Wielding weapons. Before I wrote this post I was looking into Paladin builds and saw that some of them use Two Handed Fighting, which is something that I never really liked. It feels too heavy and I usually prefer swift weapons, like dual wielding and the sort. The Paladin is a class that I don't think I would mind on using, because I'm usually into DPS aswell.

- I've always enjoyed magic and I tried using a spellcaster (I can't remember if it was a wizard or a sorcerer) for a while, but it didn't feel that right. I like magic but I think I need a touch of melee aswell and more fast paced combat.

- Regarding ranged attacks, I can't say I would mind on playing with a Ranger. I've read that they use both bows and swords (dual wielding if I'm not mistaken) and they seem like a good class to start with.

- I'm not interested in Tanking.


Now that I've analysed my likings on classes, I'll shoot another doubt I've always had:

- Lets say I choose a rogue. A good race for him would most likely be either an elf or a halfling, right? I used to be a halfling rogue back in the day, because the halfling gives a bonus to Listen, Jump and Move Silently skills and his short size allows for easier dodging and more easily moving around unseen. However, the Elf has keen senses which give a bonus to Listen, Search and Spot, but that's about it. However, a rogue would also be good as an elf because of the bonus to those three last skills I mentioned. This always gets me very undecided on whether to choose one race or the other, be it with a rogue or not (same happens with the ranger, in which I don't know if I should choose a Human or an Elf, since the latter has higher dextery, which brings me to the next point).

- I know that strength is what determines the damage. The dextery determines our defense, through the Armor Class, and the chance of ranged attacks hitting the enemy. Does it affect the damage done by ranged attacks aswell? Like when using a bow? There's a feat called Weapon Finesse which, from what I understood, uses the Dextery stat to determine the damage we'll deal to the enemy instead of using the Strength stat, is that correct? If so, that'd be good for both Rogues and Rangers, right?


Now for a few more questions:

- How does the damage system work? I never understood the 1d20 thingy and the sort.
- How do modifiers work? Regarding damage, armor class, skills (like spot, search, tumble, jump, etc.), bonus given by feats, etc.
- How do I know if a bonus given by a feat is worth it? Like, for instance, Great Fortitude gives a +2 bonus on my Fortitude Saves. Is that a high number? Is it a big difference? Or lets say I want the Two Weapon Fighting feat, is reducing the penalty by 20% - 40% alot? Is the +2 combat style bonus to melee power a nice difference? And what is the combat style? Or for a last example, the Stealthy feat, is a +2 bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks good? What does it actually affect/mean? Or the Toughness feat, does it increase my hitpoints by only 3? Like if I have 40HP, it'll turn to 43HP? Or is it +3 on the Constituion modifier?

- How do I know which classes go well with other classes when multiclassing?
__________________________________________________ __________________________

Finally, I must say that I'm not able to spend money on the game. I can only do 28pt builds and only have the default races and classes.
I deeply apologize for the ridiculous high amount of questions, but I would love to finally be able to understand how the game works. I've tried reading several articles that explain the mechanics but I can't seem to understand almost anything x_x

Thank you in advance,
- Nervly

Honestly the first thing I can say is that I'm pleased with your craving to your knowledge.
If your looking to start a Rouge, Assassins are the stereotype tree, what you kind of expect when you hear a Rouge. They can be built pretty easily, but I really don't think rolling a Rouge for your first toon is such a good idea for a few reasons:
a) While they can be built easily they also have a really tiny margin-for-error. In other words they are really easy to gimp.
b)The attitude other players have towards Rouges. Playing a Rouge can be incredibly stressful and without proper gear and since the only difficulty you can get groups on is elite, you will most likely run into the traps when you don't know their exact location and your spot was too low. You will be hounded if you miss a trap or blow a box.
c) The most powerful Rouges now are the Mechanic rouges, but those are fairly difficult to build without proper know-hows (which I myself do not posses.)
If you wana play a Rouge then go for it. As long as you like what you are doing, you will not be a gimp (I once rolled a 5/5/5 Sorc/Wiz/Clr simply because I liked casters :P)
Rangers are a solid option, as are paladins and bards. From your description, Paladins are excluded (though keep in mind, they are the current bosses of DDO now) so that leaves us with Bards and Rangers. I recommend a Drow Paladin (you unlock Drow after reaching 400 favor) as those are pretty awesome, if you want to play Paladin. Really though, with your interest in sneaking, I'd say go Ranger.

While they aren't kings of DPS (damage per second) or survive ability they do most of both pretty well. Rangers automatically get all the TWF (Two Weapon Fighting) feats as they level up, so you will be able to dual-wield without spreading your stat skills too much. In addition they get the basic Ranged feats too so you got close and Ranged fighting bases covered. As for self healing, they do get a few Cure spells so it will make your time alot easier. Added to that they gain Evasion at level 9 (Rouges get this too) which makes alows you to 'evade' damage completely. They do have a few traits that make them sneaky inclined too. I would say Rangers are one of the easier classes to play, as long as you finalize which tree and fighting style you are going into early, perhaps even before you start perhaps.

A lot of information can be foun from the wiki but your ultimate source of information is the game so get in their and kick some monster but!