What keeps you playing this game?

[Alrik_Fassbauer]

DDO is different.
DDO has actual trap disabling. Nothing is as satisfying as the "click" sound of an disabled trap !

DDO has Adventure.
DDO has a story - even though it develops itself only inside of your mind because you have to pice together all of these story parts by yourself.

DDO has a non-war , non-factions setting.
DDO has a Fantasy setting with Pirates !
DDO has living constructs.

[apocaladle]

The builds. I F***ING love the builds. I have over 4000 hours in the game and more than that just on the wiki.

Path of Exile comes close to build complexity but DDO just feels cleaner the way in your build you can make everything work like clockwork and have every piece fit with every other one, no wasted feats or enhancement points all working together like a well oiled machine. I chase the dopamine rush of finding two pieces that fit that both I had not considered before and is greater than the sum of the parts.

I have yet to build a perpetual feedback loop on DDO though, still working on it.

[myliftkk_v2]

Originally, support for alt characters. Had Wizard, Thief, Sorc, Monk, and Fvs all capped at one point. Was a remix of some of my SSI Gold Box parties from c64/128 days.

Now, nostalgia.

When someone merges Souls combat mechanics with the high level of customization expressed by DDO and throws against that a statistically reactive AI, then I'll have what I really want and I'll de-install.

[cdbd3rd]

.... Let me know what keeps you here.

[krimsonrane]

Hi so lets be honest, after 50+ lives (which isn't even the end of the lives you can get) you've seen this content a lot. You've played through this game enough to know where all the collectibles are and which optionals are worth doing. So why do you stick around? Is it in expectation of new content? Is it the community? Is it the familiarity? Is it time invested and don't want to walk away? Let me know what keeps you here.

There are worse time sinks that don't include fighting dragons.

[unbongwah]

Sunk cost fallacy.

[TDarkchylde]

Build variety, guildies, and even after all this time the game will throw something at me I either wasn't expecting or didn't know existed.

Plus, the toxicity level from other players is practically nonexistent compared to other games with an online component, which is crucial for someone like me.

[ThomasHunter]

Boy, there is a lot that keeps me playing this game.

It certainly isn't the past life grind (the most I have on a toon is about 5 or 6). It's not the Reaper points (the most I have is about 11).

I've probably played for 12 years now in total. If I could nail down the one thing I think it would be this: PASSION.

I'm drawn to people who are passionate about stuff. It's really amazing to see that in the workplace. I mean, Sev and team didn't have to form SSG, but they did. I couldn't be happier with what they've done with DDO in that time (see RL and Sharn).

All of the devs we see on the forums are just awesome. I mean, I get to interact with the people who make my favorite game - and they listen. WHOA! That is crazy to me. My personal favorite story is Lynnabel asking about the Reign buff. She changed it to 10 minutes - after I engaged in a conversation in the forums. Man, that is so amazing to me.

I would so love to visit their offices sometime. Would be so much fun (I've not met any of the team as I don't go to the Cons).

Enjoy!
Taleisin

[kanordog]

1. There's no other MMORPG like it. No other online game offers the amount of character/build customization as DDO.

2. I don't feel like starting over in another MMORPG. I don't want to learn an entirely new system.

3. I've spent over $600 on this game over the last 10 years. I better d@mn well play it.

Thank you for typing it out for me

[Shazzie]

For me, the question is more "Why do you keep coming back to this game?"

The answer, in one word, is: Rogues.

However, to elaborate: I know that it's been a long, long time since your typical DDO group was fine with the Rogue scouting ahead to clear out the traps. I know there's not many quests that a Rogue can sneak through solo and complete objectives. Yet, still, DDO is where I can get my Rogue fix. I freaking LOVE having a bag of tricks as a Rogue instead of being nothing more than DPS, as the Rogue class has been stripped down to being nothing more than in so many, many, many games. So I come here, to DDO, to play a 'real' (to me) Rogue as I am unable to elsewhere. To roll a fresh, new Rogue and complete Stealthy Repossession with Insidious Cunning Bonus on Elite by level 4 at the latest. I have some fond memories of, years ago, fielding requests in this game of "Are you a good trapper? Are you good enough to come to 'X' and clear out the traps?" and the answer was always "Yes" (though honestly I was mentally saying "Oh yes please let me come handle that for you" because I truly enjoy it... that might make me weird but normal can be boring, so I'd rather be weird). I wish I could remember the name of a (mid/upper teens? level) quest that had a crazy number of traps in hallways that I joined in for so many times just for clearing traps. Not even sure if I ever did that quest from start to finish... I only remember lots of traps and people being pretty adamant about needing a Rogue for them. That would've been probably over 10 years ago, now. Times have changed, huh?

I have 4 level 20s (well, one is 21, I decided to finally continue on past 20). 2 of the 20s are Rogues. My next 20 will be an Artificer, who is also, you guessed it, a trapmonkey. I have yet to TR, but that might happen soon, but I've been saying that for years with those Rogues sitting at 20, so who knows if that'll happen.

As for why the question has to be why I keep coming back vs. what keeps you playing... I usually wind up not staying because my friend or two that I'm playing with leave the game, and those are friends who are usually willing to let the Rogue go first. We never re-play quests enough to memorize all the trap locations (or it's been years since we did it and the memory faded) so that still has to happen unless we're overlevel or just 'who cares' about triggering traps. Which we usually wind up regretting, due to being first lifers with crummy gear.

Long story short, what this game has for me are Rogues, and a playstyle I can't find elsewhere.

[Altamedes]

For me...as many have said....the customization is unparalleled in MMOs. You can make a complete disaster of a toon or make the best build out there. I've tried out other MMORPGs and they are all so cookie cutter.

Of course, the classic D&D setting....the classes, races, etc. are what I grew up on and adore. Such a great game!

[Alrik_Fassbauer]

The builds. I F***ING love the builds. I have over 4000 hours in the game and more than that just on the wiki.

I think it was on Steam, there is an RPG that consists of nothing but building a character.

Plus, the toxicity level from other players is practically nonexistent compared to other games with an online component, which is crucial for someone like me.

Compared to other MMOs, this is a very, very strong positive point of DDO in my eyes.
Maybe it's that DDO is so much mechanics-heavy and solo-friendly which makes toxic players stay away from DDO.


And yes, the devs reactions and reaction times here are good, in my very personal opinion. Apart from some exceptions (customer support), I feel as being seen and not ignored by the devs here - or, in other words, I get the feeling as if the devs really care for the players. But, again, this is my very personal view.

[Artos_Fabril]

The meshing of complex systems (when they're all working) to create an interesting and unique game experience, in a setting that doesn't feel like samey generic medieval fantasy (as long as you stay away from FR).

But I can't really say that I've "kept" playing it. I just came back from several years away to play Ravenloft and Sharn.

While the friends who got me into DDO in the first place came back for a couple of weeks, they seem to have lost interest again. They'd rather play ESO, which has a lot of the same hooks, with less granularity and better graphics.

On the other hand, I was able to bring in another friend, who came up with a pretty succinct summation: "It feels like everything I had always wanted EverQuest to be." Which I find extremely apt, because it sets the era for which DDO is an exemplar.

[Kaboom2112]

Despite it's flaws it's he best game of the genre.

[Chilldude]

Hi so lets be honest, after 50+ lives (which isn't even the end of the lives you can get) you've seen this content a lot. You've played through this game enough to know where all the collectibles are and which optionals are worth doing. So why do you stick around? Is it in expectation of new content? Is it the community? Is it the familiarity? Is it time invested and don't want to walk away? Let me know what keeps you here.

I think it's easier to tell you what pushes me away, but I'll get back to that in a second. There are 15 classes, each with at least 3 specializations, and characters can take up to 3 different classes in their build, all of whom can group with up to 5 other players in a dungeon or 11 in a raid. DDO could be a different game every single time you play it, and once upon a time it pretty much was. When I started playing DDO, even a quest as basic as Irestone Inlet was anything but a guaranteed success for a random party on elite. While with one party it could be an uphill struggle the whole way, another party coasted through. The times you were in a really strong party that could just steamroll were infrequent enough that you really enjoyed every minute of it and hated to see it end. Back then, nobody started strong, everyone had to progress through gaining experience with the quests and how to build their characters stronger, so when it was your turn to finally shine it felt good being the one leading the pack running from encampment to encampment laying waste to any mobs foolish enough not to flee in terror.

One time I might be on a wimpy little, poorly built barbarian fearing for my life the entire time, having to run to the safety of the group any time I got attacked. The next time I might be on a tenacious fighter tank smashing intimidate every time it came off cooldown just begging every mob around me to bring their worst. A backstabbing assassin played completely different than a bard with danceballs, as did a webbing wizard, a healing cleric, or whatever other crazy concoction you could come up with. Depending on the quest, your character, and your experience with the game you could be leading the pack, slinking in back looking for an easy kill, or anywhere in between.

The great thing about DDO back in those days however was that no matter who was in your party, you could make it through with strategy and teamwork. Perhaps not on the first try, but that made victory all the more delicious when you would regroup, formulate a plan, gather the required resources to execute that plan and then go back in to face the same foe that just sent you packing. Sometimes it was as simple as getting the rogue some better tools, getting the cleric a few wands, or everyone grabbing a few potions. I remember other times helping someone completely rebuild their enhancements, going back in, and it was a night and day difference! They were stoked, they had no idea their character could do the things it had just done, which made me feel pretty good by extension. A few quests were devilishly difficult and took a great deal of coordination to pull off, but I don't remember any time where I didn't feel like if we gave it another go there was a path to victory. Certainly some groups wiped and walked away, other groups got massacred and ran away, but I always felt like with a few tweaks here and there we could have done it.

DDO was a great game and the community was a great community.

Even in a time where there was less than a quarter of the content we have today, and half the classes and races to play it on, DDO didn't get old and boring because every time you stepped in a quest it was a different experience than the last.

I told you it would be easier to tell you what pushes me away, because there is very little keeping me here today. DDO is no longer a game where almost any group can find their way through almost any content. It's not a game where players work together in an attempt to overcome the challenges set forth by the dungeon. It's not a game where a group steps into a dungeon not knowing if they face an uphill battle with a narrow margin of victory. It's not a game where one time you'll be in a group that will struggle and another time you'll be in a group that dominates. There is no longer any nuance. The only gradient now is between easily completing the quest in 7 minutes or easily completing the quest in 10 minutes.

Gone are the days where any random party can take their time, work together, and strategically overcome the challenges set forth by the dungeon. If a party of first life characters leveled their way up through heroics on elite, taking their time and working together, when they step foot into their first EE dungeon they are going to get chewed up and spit out before they get to the first turn.

What pushes me away is that DDO has become entirely about running content as fast as you can for a quick and efficient guaranteed win. Every time you play DDO today it is EXACTLY like the previous time you played DDO. Run as fast as you can, mash a few buttons, collect XP, rinse and repeat.

DDO is no longer a great game and the community is no longer a great community.

This doesn't have to be the case. We all know the cause, and the cure is very simple. Create a no reincarnation server where everyone is on equal ground and character stats won't have the wild and untenable fluctuations between players. This would afford the developers the opportunity to actually tune the content to the majority of players, where some players will inevitably be rather weak while others might be very strong, but everyone is still playing the same game. Reaper isn't a terrible idea, in fact, on a server where reincarnation isn't possible, reaper might not really need much adjustment, if any at all.

[AbyssalMage]

Hi so lets be honest, after 50+ lives (which isn't even the end of the lives you can get) you've seen this content a lot. You've played through this game enough to know where all the collectibles are and which optionals are worth doing. So why do you stick around? Is it in expectation of new content? Is it the community? Is it the familiarity? Is it time invested and don't want to walk away? Let me know what keeps you here.

Honestly, Boredom. The IPS/Ranged nerf a couple updates ago was the "Last Straw" so to speak. I'm playing but not for enjoyment or any personal benefit. If I could find a game that was half of what DDO was when I started I would switch in a heartbeat. So now its farming stuff and just wasting time in hope the game improves or something comes along that captures the spirit of D&D again.

[Bunker]

what keeps you here.

The illusion that "success" in game translates to success out of game.

The need to feel useful in life that is filled by pulling that next piece of raid loot (aka just pixels)

The cultivation of an amazing group of friends over 13+ years of gaming, all the while still making them call me by my character name

Candy Crush just didn't make me feel like I was crushing life

T.V. has just not been the same in a decade

Addiction

[The_Human_Cypher]

I just enjoy playing the game. Most other MMOs are tepid or awful. DDO stays relevant year after year.

[Zhijie]

Hi so lets be honest, after 50+ lives (which isn't even the end of the lives you can get) you've seen this content a lot. You've played through this game enough to know where all the collectibles are and which optionals are worth doing. So why do you stick around? Is it in expectation of new content? Is it the community? Is it the familiarity? Is it time invested and don't want to walk away? Let me know what keeps you here.

Thank you for your question.
Your question has caused me a lot of memories, and I am proud, because I am a clear player,
2017 Establish an excellent role, mainly to learn DDO WIKI
2018 Become a Guid officer, mainly familiar with all tasks
2019 R points 123
2020 scheduled R 156 and Test new builds

[banjo174]

I have been playing DDO off and on for ten years. I stay because I like experiencing new things. Contrary to the OP saying that all the content has been run too much. New things to me, is new builds, new ways to improve myself, new ways to improve my group, etc.