Dungeons and Dragons Online - Free to Play

[astrosfan315]

I built a guy on Thelanis with several friends that are all F2P players. We are having a blast. I'm currently a lvl5 cleric. We ran waterworks on normal this weekend and going to run it again this coming weekend. I am really impressed with the gameplay and like the way questing is carried out, you pick up a quest and the entrance to the instance is usually right there I just got another inventory bag for free tonight and have earned 125 turbine points just playing the game. Great fun, I recommend it to anyone. I dropped my LOTRO sub b/c I'm logging so many hours in this one!

We've been running as a group everynight and taking the game on together.

1 Cleric
1 Monk
1 Rogue
1 Ranger
1 Fighter
1 Favored Soul

 

[tk149]

Originally posted by: coloumb
If they change the game combat mechanics or add new feats, they should allow you to re-roll the feats. That's one of the glaring annoyances I found playing DDO - your feats were set in stone - there was no way you could ever drop a feat to learn a new feat [let's say you wanted to drop tower shield for TWF] unless you died and started over. And now it'll cost you if you want to share your inventory items with your new baby.

/stomps off like a spoiled little 2 year old who use to play WoW

Actually, you can swap feats now. Go to the mindflayer "Fred" located in House Jorasco, pay him gold and a siberys dragonshard fragment (depending on your character level). You can swap one feat at a time.

If you mean skills, then you're right. We still cannot change skills.

If you mean enhancements, just pay any appropriate class trainer gold (and maybe a dragonshard - I haven't done it since the new update). You can reset all of them at once, every 3 days.

Hmm...re-reading your post, it does look like you're talking about feats. Tiny Dragonshard fragments drop all over the place now, and you can combine them to create bigger shards.

 

[tk149]

Originally posted by: JoshGuru7
DDO is best played with a small group of regular friends where the wizard running straight to a chest and getting half the party killed by a fire trap is hilarious rather than aggravating.

Last night, my Wizard got killed by a fire trap. I was standing where I thought I was safe. The rogue ran through a trap, and the blast got me.

 

[tk149]

Originally posted by: astrosfan315
I built a guy on Thelanis with several friends that are all F2P players. We are having a blast. I'm currently a lvl5 cleric. We ran waterworks on normal this weekend and going to run it again this coming weekend. I am really impressed with the gameplay and like the way questing is carried out, you pick up a quest and the entrance to the instance is usually right there I just got another inventory bag for free tonight and have earned 125 turbine points just playing the game. Great fun, I recommend it to anyone. I dropped my LOTRO sub b/c I'm logging so many hours in this one!

We've been running as a group everynight and taking the game on together.

1 Cleric
1 Monk
1 Rogue
1 Ranger
1 Fighter
1 Favored Soul

Just be very careful. As you know, there are 4 difficulty settings for each instance (solo, normal, hard, elite). Hard is maybe one or two levels harder than easy, depending on the instance. Elite is maybe 3-4 levels harder. Ignore what the "XP" tab says...trust me on this. Unless you know the instance well, and have a very well equipped character, Elite is very very dangerous.

Also, traps on Elite will outright kill 90% of level appropriate characters, and they're very difficult to SPOT, SEARCH, and DISARM.

PM me if you want to group up or if you just want some advice. Also, the DDO forums are full of advice and helpful posters.

Welcome to the game, and I hope you have fun!

 

[tk149]

<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=200726">25% off Select Adventure Packs and their Guest Passes!

Tomes are on sale!</a>

Using a Tome will increase your ability score (Str, Int, Wis, Con, Chr, Dex)permanently. Tomes do not stack (i.e. using a +2 STR Tome and a +1 STR Tome will only increase your STR by 2, not 3).

All the +1 Tomes (except for the +1 Tome of Supreme Ability) can be found as rare random drops in the game (beginning at Level 9 IIRC), and you'll find them on the Auction House too.

And... 25% off Collectibles Bags, Gem Bags and Ingredients Bags! You can find these as random loot also.

Honestly, if I were on the Free to Play program, I'd save up my Turbine Points and just buy more Adventure Packs (instances).

 

[astrosfan315]

Originally posted by: tk149

Originally posted by: coloumb
If they change the game combat mechanics or add new feats, they should allow you to re-roll the feats. That's one of the glaring annoyances I found playing DDO - your feats were set in stone - there was no way you could ever drop a feat to learn a new feat [let's say you wanted to drop tower shield for TWF] unless you died and started over. And now it'll cost you if you want to share your inventory items with your new baby.

/stomps off like a spoiled little 2 year old who use to play WoW

Actually, you can swap feats now. Go to the mindflayer "Fred" located in House Jorasco, pay him gold and a siberys dragonshard fragment (depending on your character level). You can swap one feat at a time.

If you mean skills, then you're right. We still cannot change skills.

If you mean enhancements, just pay any appropriate class trainer gold (and maybe a dragonshard - I haven't done it since the new update). You can reset all of them at once, every 3 days.

Hmm...re-reading your post, it does look like you're talking about feats. Tiny Dragonshard fragments drop all over the place now, and you can combine them to create bigger shards.

If you do the Dragonmark quest in the Harbor (over by the mailbox), which takes all of 5 minutes of reading, you have to turn it into 'Fred' the Mindflayer. This is your opportunity to get change 1 Feat for FREE! So if you screwed up and want something else, you can choose it or remove one, and go with the dragonmark for your guy. I chose to go with a different feat then what I originally picked instead of dragonmark.

After that it is like 6K gold and shard to change feat...which I'm sure would increase in price the 2nd time you do it.

You can also respec your skills/action points at your trainer for a price in gold. What this does is removes all skill poinst and action points that have been applied and allows you to redsitribute them.

*stomps off to the house from the office to run the catacombs tonight!

 

[coloumb]

Originally posted by: astrosfan315

Originally posted by: tk149

Originally posted by: coloumb
If they change the game combat mechanics or add new feats, they should allow you to re-roll the feats. That's one of the glaring annoyances I found playing DDO - your feats were set in stone - there was no way you could ever drop a feat to learn a new feat [let's say you wanted to drop tower shield for TWF] unless you died and started over. And now it'll cost you if you want to share your inventory items with your new baby.

/stomps off like a spoiled little 2 year old who use to play WoW

Actually, you can swap feats now. Go to the mindflayer "Fred" located in House Jorasco, pay him gold and a siberys dragonshard fragment (depending on your character level). You can swap one feat at a time.

If you mean skills, then you're right. We still cannot change skills.

If you mean enhancements, just pay any appropriate class trainer gold (and maybe a dragonshard - I haven't done it since the new update). You can reset all of them at once, every 3 days.

Hmm...re-reading your post, it does look like you're talking about feats. Tiny Dragonshard fragments drop all over the place now, and you can combine them to create bigger shards.

If you do the Dragonmark quest in the Harbor (over by the mailbox), which takes all of 5 minutes of reading, you have to turn it into 'Fred' the Mindflayer. This is your opportunity to get change 1 Feat for FREE! So if you screwed up and want something else, you can choose it or remove one, and go with the dragonmark for your guy. I chose to go with a different feat then what I originally picked instead of dragonmark.

After that it is like 6K gold and shard to change feat...which I'm sure would increase in price the 2nd time you do it.

You can also respec your skills/action points at your trainer for a price in gold. What this does is removes all skill poinst and action points that have been applied and allows you to redsitribute them.

*stomps off to the house from the office to run the catacombs tonight!

Enhancements [Action Points] - knew about that - they've added so many since 2006. I had to do a bit of research on the forums as to what the cool kids are [feats, enhancements, gear, etc].

FEATS is definitely what I was talking about - from what I recall - you couldn't change FEATS back in 2006 [which I thought was idiotic] - glad this is an option now [or maybe it was back then - I don't remember].

I hoarded a lot of plat back in the day [most of my gear is loot drop/reward items - which is more than sufficient in a group setting] - so paying for respec's isn't an issue [I don't respec that often anyhow].

Man..now my interest as been renewed... I may have to buy the shared bank slot and a few other items.

 

[astrosfan315]

I am really enjoying the free 2 play option here. I bought the 900 TP point option for $12. I have bought 2 adventure packs and have yet to run them. Since I bought them, I am now a premium subscriber and have 4 character slots available. There is so much to this game it is ridiculous with the zillion different vendors, figuring out what the shards are for, etc..so I am able to play this game at my own pace while figuring it out. And if I can?t play for a week..no big deal. When I was playing LOTRO I felt compelled to play everynight because I was paying a sub for it. With this model I?m able to play much more casually and take my time to actually read all the quests instead of just clicking through them. At the same time I?m able to earn TP through just playing the game, so maybe in a month or so I?ll need to purchase another pack. But for now 2 adventure packs + the f2p waterworks zone unlocked on all servers with 4 character slots is plenty of game for me to push 2 slots up to higher levels, and at that time maybe I?ll have a better understanding of the game and want access to everything and switch to subscription. But for now F2P is great.

 

[drebo]

Originally posted by: Koudelka
I've never heard of another F2P MMO that requires you to pay to keep playing. You have to pay a fee to keep on leveling your character past certain levels. You have to pay this fee multiple times.

Apparently you didn't pay too much attention.

The leveling sigils that you need to be able to level past 4 drop randomly from bosses. You do NOT need to purchase them. Additionally, you can purchase them with TP, which you can get for free.

 

[Arglebargle]

Their accounts system could use some work....

 

[tk149]

Originally posted by: Arglebargle
Thought I might give it a look, but every attempt to follow their little account tree ends up back at the beginning form. Without any explanation why. Not impressive for people trying to enter....

Yeah, I agree. Turbine really needs to improve some of their customer service aspects. I encourage you to report your problem. If they don't know about it, they can't fix it, or if they think it's just a few people experiencing it, they won't devote the resources to fix it.

 

[tk149]

Originally posted by: astrosfan315

You can also respec your skills/action points at your trainer for a price in gold. What this does is removes all skill poinst and action points that have been applied and allows you to redsitribute them.

*stomps off to the house from the office to run the catacombs tonight!

I talked to a trainer, but as far as I can see, their is no option to respec skills (e.g. Jump, Diplomacy, Concentration), only enhancements. You got me all excited.

Also, as an addendum to my previous post - Resetting your Enhancements only costs gold, and can only be done every 3 days.

Once you've played for awhile, gold becomes meaningless except for buying things from other players. Nothing in the game costs much gold compared to the amount you will accumulate, except for Heal scrolls and Raise Dead/Resurrection scrolls. Those can still be awful expensive.

 

[astrosfan315]

I could have sworn I got my skill points refunded to me and was able to redistribute them as I saw fit. Reason being, I didn't see a use for diplomacy, and thought I had bumped up my heal to much and put more in balance b/c it was taking forever to get up from being knocked down.

 

[CountZero]

Is three people running instances a possibility? I game with a couple friends online once a week, since its free it might be a fun option but I doubt we'd want to spend our night trying to get a group together if three wasn't enough.

 

[tk149]

Originally posted by: CountZero
Is three people running instances a possibility? I game with a couple friends online once a week, since its free it might be a fun option but I doubt we'd want to spend our night trying to get a group together if three wasn't enough.

Non-raid instances are supposed to scale down in difficulty if you don't have a full party. This is only on "Normal" difficulty. However, a very few instances require at least four people to trigger switches (although I have heard of some people actually solo-ing these - I don't know how).

I have done many of the lower level instances with 3 or less players on normal and hard difficulty.

You can also purchase "hireling" contracts for in-game gold, so you can fill out a party with AI-controlled characters. I don't have much experience with this. You can control the Hirelings actions to some degree (e.g. stay here, advance, follow me, heal).

 

[astrosfan315]

I ran the first part of the Necropolis with me and two of my buddies. We did it, but would've been nice to have one more..maybe two. We needed a fighter type to bash doors, but couldn't. But we were able to complete the mission. I think another thing they do is scale the game so that you can complete the quests, but to maximize your run through a quest you need a healer, rogue, fighter, and someone with high INT. So High STR to bash doors/turn valves, hihg INT to do runes, Rogue to spot secret doors lockpick, and healer to keep everyone alive

 

[coloumb]

Originally posted by: astrosfan315
I ran the first part of the Necropolis with me and two of my buddies. We did it, but would've been nice to have one more..maybe two. We needed a fighter type to bash doors, but couldn't. But we were able to complete the mission. I think another thing they do is scale the game so that you can complete the quests, but to maximize your run through a quest you need a healer, rogue, fighter, and someone with high INT. So High STR to bash doors/turn valves, hihg INT to do runes, Rogue to spot secret doors lockpick, and healer to keep everyone alive

From what I remember - "The Xorian Cipher" is one such instance which requires a high min stat [ie: str, int, wis, char, etc] in order to flip various switches, triggers, etc. And from what I recall - it was one of the most fun dungeons to run - you're group has to split up in one part as well stay alive and block the door at the end.

 

[Yreka]

Downloading it now.. How are the rogue type characters ? This class was always my favorite in EQ. Hoping to get something comparable here..

I found this so far. Sound like a good place to start ?

 

[JoshGuru7]

Originally posted by: CountZero
Is three people running instances a possibility? I game with a couple friends online once a week, since its free it might be a fun option but I doubt we'd want to spend our night trying to get a group together if three wasn't enough.

You'll have a blast in this game with a static group of three but four would be even better if you can drum somebody else up simply due to some of the quests at later levels. If you have a regular time, it should be really easy to find a fourth simply by posting on the DDO forums that you're looking for somebody to join your regular group. Heck, it sounds like posting in this thread might net you a fourth from the general interest I've seen.

With four you can go a lot of different ways - I'd probably recommend Cleric, Paladin, Rogue, and Wizard for a start and then you'll get a lot of great ideas as you go along and want to try other builds and groupings.

If you want to stick to three then I recommend an unconventional approach because you'll be doing things on normal mode. Try a WF Fighter with max intimidate and high AC, a WF Barb with max strength/to-hit and greatsword/greataxe, and a WF Wizard with high intel and a starting level of rogue to be a trap monkey (and finishing level of rogue for evasion and to catch up on trap monkey skills). The Wizard will mainly be using SP on repairs and should avoid DD spells in favor of group CC/DoT (Hypno, Web, Ottos, Solid Fog/Cloudkill).

 

[JoshGuru7]

Originally posted by: Yreka
Downloading it now.. How are the rogue type characters ? This class was always my favorite in EQ. Hoping to get something comparable here..

I found this so far. Sound like a good place to start ?

Assuming you're starting out, you'll be limited to 28 point builds and won't be able to access the drow or favored soul classes yet.

I'd recommend a WF 2rog/18wiz for you. Take rogue as your first level, max your intelligence stat and then keep your Search, Disable Device, Spot, Open Lock, and UMD skills maxed as best you can. From there on take wizard levels with a second level of rogue after you have some of your important buffs like Haste.

There are a lot of advantages to this for a new player. You'll be able to fulfill the function of a rogue in a party very well, but you'll also have a lot of self sufficiency being able to repair yourself which will help for soloing or smaller groups. Finally, all the spells will be a lot of fun and as a wizard you'll be able to switch them around at each shrine to suit whatever you want at the time.

 

[tk149]

Originally posted by: Yreka
Downloading it now.. How are the rogue type characters ? This class was always my favorite in EQ. Hoping to get something comparable here..

I found this so far. Sound like a good place to start ?

That's a level 10 build. The level cap is now 20. It's also a 32-point build, but if you're just starting, you only have 28 points to distribute. It's not a big difference, but you'll notice it when you try to create it.

I've never built a paladin multiclass myself, but I believe you need a minimum wisdom to be able to cast any spells, and it goes up by 1 point for every higher level spell. The charisma seems rather low for a paladin as well.

I think I've tried one or two of sigtrent's builds myself. Good stuff usually.

 

[tk149]

Originally posted by: JoshGuru7

Originally posted by: CountZero
Is three people running instances a possibility? I game with a couple friends online once a week, since its free it might be a fun option but I doubt we'd want to spend our night trying to get a group together if three wasn't enough.

You'll have a blast in this game with a static group of three but four would be even better if you can drum somebody else up simply due to some of the quests at later levels. If you have a regular time, it should be really easy to find a fourth simply by posting on the DDO forums that you're looking for somebody to join your regular group. Heck, it sounds like posting in this thread might net you a fourth from the general interest I've seen.

With four you can go a lot of different ways - I'd probably recommend Cleric, Paladin, Rogue, and Wizard for a start and then you'll get a lot of great ideas as you go along and want to try other builds and groupings.

If you want to stick to three then I recommend an unconventional approach because you'll be doing things on normal mode. Try a WF Fighter with max intimidate and high AC, a WF Barb with max strength/to-hit and greatsword/greataxe, and a WF Wizard with high intel and a starting level of rogue to be a trap monkey (and finishing level of rogue for evasion and to catch up on trap monkey skills). The Wizard will mainly be using SP on repairs and should avoid DD spells in favor of group CC/DoT (Hypno, Web, Ottos, Solid Fog/Cloudkill).

I like that idea. I have met a similar group of WarForged characters. It was 3 WarForged melee characters, and a wizard who usually grouped together. My dwarf felt very...short.

 

[tk149]

Originally posted by: JoshGuru7

Originally posted by: Yreka
Downloading it now.. How are the rogue type characters ? This class was always my favorite in EQ. Hoping to get something comparable here..

I found this so far. Sound like a good place to start ?

Assuming you're starting out, you'll be limited to 28 point builds and won't be able to access the drow or favored soul classes yet.

I'd recommend a WF 2rog/18wiz for you. Take rogue as your first level, max your intelligence stat and then keep your Search, Disable Device, Spot, Open Lock, and UMD skills maxed as best you can. From there on take wizard levels with a second level of rogue after you have some of your important buffs like Haste.

There are a lot of advantages to this for a new player. You'll be able to fulfill the function of a rogue in a party very well, but you'll also have a lot of self sufficiency being able to repair yourself which will help for soloing or smaller groups. Finally, all the spells will be a lot of fun and as a wizard you'll be able to switch them around at each shrine to suit whatever you want at the time.

Just a difference in opinion - I strongly recommend that first-timers create a melee-based character first using a traditional build (pure fighter, paladin, ranger). Until you learn game tactics (such as managing aggro and mana), you might actually be a liability to your party. My first character was a wizard, and I learned aggro management the hard way. I'm not suggesting you take take your first character all the way to level 20 - just long enough to learn how to play smart.

A good rogue is actually difficult to play.

Example: Today I took my Favored Soul into Kobold Assault with a PUG. A rogue was dual-wielding and would consistently be the first to rush in to attack Mobs. I blew half my mana healing him (and I'm a melee-based, offensive caster). At the end of the quest, he bragged that he got 65 kills. If he'd been smart, he would have gotten 80 - 100 kills, and I never would have had to heal him. I was really tempted to just let him die.

 

[JoshGuru7]

Originally posted by: tk149
Just a difference in opinion - I strongly recommend that first-timers create a melee-based character first using a traditional build (pure fighter, paladin, ranger). Until you learn game tactics (such as managing aggro and mana), you might actually be a liability to your party. My first character was a wizard, and I learned aggro management the hard way. I'm not suggesting you take take your first character all the way to level 20 - just long enough to learn how to play smart. A good rogue is actually difficult to play.

I think the casters are a great entry point due to the diversity of spells in DDO vs. most MMOs and the fact that new characters won't have the vast array of clickies to cast spells for them. The wizard I suggested would fill the role of a trapmonkey in the party but wouldn't fight like a rogue at all. It would predominantly use cc/buffs at lower levels (hypno, web, resist element, haste, ottos) as well as the repair on self/other WF and branch out into DPS only at later levels. The 28 point build and lack of tomes wouldn't really be a liability here.

Once the 2rog/18wiz unlocked drow or 32 point builds, acquired some +2 tomes and a decent stash of plat then I'd recommend rolling a 32 point TWF Pally with tomes and twinked gear.

 

[tk149]

Originally posted by: JoshGuru7

I think the casters are a great entry point due to the diversity of spells in DDO vs. most MMOs and the fact that new characters won't have the vast array of clickies to cast spells for them. The wizard I suggested would fill the role of a trapmonkey in the party but wouldn't fight like a rogue at all. It would predominantly use cc/buffs at lower levels (hypno, web, resist element, haste, ottos) as well as the repair on self/other WF and branch out into DPS only at later levels. The 28 point build and lack of tomes wouldn't really be a liability here.

Once the 2rog/18wiz unlocked drow or 32 point builds, acquired some +2 tomes and a decent stash of plat then I'd recommend rolling a 32 point TWF Pally with tomes and twinked gear.

A good plan...but would a newbie know enough to take your recommended Crowd Control spells AND be able to use them effectively? Heck, I still see so-called veterans that spam Direct Damage spells and don't understand why they (and the cleric) are out of mana halfway to the next shrine. Also, a rogue MUST learn to control aggro unless he enjoys dying all the time.

I think you're assuming someone has your background with multiple MMORPG's. If a newbie understands aggro management, mana conservation, saving throws, damage resistance, AND DDO's FPS-like style, then yes, he'd be great starting with your build. But if a newbie understood all that, he could pretty much start with any build and do well.

Also, a lot of PUGs don't want rogues - either the PUG leader isn't aware of what a rogue is capable of, or the PUG leader has had too much experience with badly played rogues. If a quest doesn't have a bad trap or lock, PUGs tend to prefer tanks and casters. A rogue is not going to be able to find as many LFM's.

I'm just saying that it takes a while to learn enough to play well, and as a newbie caster, I was quite frustrated until around level 7. Now that I know much more, my favorite character is a sorcerer.