DDO Goes Faerun

[Shir'le E. Illios]

In what I can only describe as a "wait... what?" move Turbine has announced that this summer its free-to-play MMO Dungeons & Dragons Online will expand into the Forgotten Realms, particularly (but not exclusively) The Underdark. Titled "[url=http://www.ddo.com/underdark/:n6qns4v2]Menace of the Underdark[/url:n6qns4v2]" it lists the following new features:

[quote:n6qns4v2][list:n6qns4v2][*:n6qns4v2][b:n6qns4v2]Journey to the Forgotten Realms-[/b:n6qns4v2] Experience the classic fantasy and adventure of D&D's most imaginative and renowned setting. Arrive in the village of Eveningstar and adventure through the surrounding King's Forest wilderness area where the citizens of the nation of Cormyr must unite to face a new threat to the Realms.

[/*n6qns4v2]
[*:n6qns4v2][b:n6qns4v2]Brave the caverns of the Underdark-[/b:n6qns4v2] Come face to face with the Underdark Drow and Lolth, their Queen and goddess, as you explore this vast and twisted, subterranean world. Infiltrate the Drow stronghold of Shindylryn - the city of portals - where Lolth's forces work to further her schemes.

[/*n6qns4v2]
[*:n6qns4v2][b:n6qns4v2]Attain Epic levels to 25![/b:n6qns4v2] Forge your Epic Destiny and create a unique Epic hero with powerful character customization options as you advance beyond level 20 to epic level 25.

[/*n6qns4v2]
[*:n6qns4v2][b:n6qns4v2]Play the Druid Class-[/b:n6qns4v2] Play as the all new shape-shifting Druid class! Wield nature's magic or transform into a powerful animal form with this classic D&D class.[/*n6qns4v2][/list:u:n6qns4v2]

[center:n6qns4v2][img:n6qns4v2]http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/226977/preview[/img:n6qns4v2][/center:n6qns4v2][/quote:n6qns4v2]
It is probably not a coincidence that this expansion comes around the same time (summer 2012) as Wizard's next Forgotten Realms sourcebook [url=http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Product.aspx ... 0:n6qns4v2]Menzoberranzan: City of Intrigue[/url:n6qns4v2] (a book, I might add, which [url=viewtopic.php?p=40498#p40498:n6qns4v2]has been said[/url:n6qns4v2] to bring Eilistraee back, though that's probably unrelated to the expansion).

It [i:n6qns4v2]is[/i:n6qns4v2] surprising however. Dungeons & Dragons Online is set in Eberron. [url=https://www.tentonhammer.com/ddo/previe ... k:n6qns4v2]Reportedly[/url:n6qns4v2] DDO's next update will begin the story of how the two settings are connected.

I've played a bit of DDO when it was still a subscription game, but decided not to get it. In part the setting isn't much to my liking (or at least what's been presented in the game wasn't), in part because I didn't feel that it was good enough to justify the monthly fee, and in part it just didn't click for me. But since it's gone free-to-play I've heard that it's supposed to be quite good. Being the first major game to switch from subscriptions to a free-to-play model (or to be more precise a model that offers both subscriptions and free-to-play) it's often considered to be a template for how to correctly do a free-to-play game. And yes, it includes [url=http://compendium.ddo.com/wiki/Race:Drow_Elf:n6qns4v2]drow as a player race[/url:n6qns4v2], but you will have to buy the race in the store or unlock it ingame with another character.

Perhaps it is time to give Dungeons & Dragons Online another try... if I didn't already have a load of other games (read Star Wars: The Old Republic) to play and with more excellent looking games (read Guild Wars 2) coming.

And perhaps I should really start using the news section more again.


[EDIT] The gaming news site Rock, Paper, Shotgun has [url=http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/01 ... /:n6qns4v2]a short interview[/url:n6qns4v2] with Fernando Paiz, Executive Producer for DDO and Adam Mersky, Communications Director for Turbine.


Love -x-x-x-

Shir'le


P.s. Yes I know that it's "Faerûn" and not "Faerun", but the rss feed didn't like the special character.

[Zekafae]

I thought I'd like to add a small bit to this for amusement.

Turbine Games is located literally 35 mins away from me, Mr. Salvatore if I recall right, lives within a a couple hours drive from me. And I'm trying to get a job at Turbine Games or 38 studios amongst a few others(whom have also put out some big quality games such as Bioshock and guitar hero)

So if I worked on DDO it would be an amusing twist of things, however due to NDA's(non disclosure agreeements) I couldn't say anything. Though I'm sure as soon as I'd be cleared you guys would be amongst the first to know, that is if I got to work for them lol

[Kaote Bruchedaine]

Seems DDO does not get much love around here hm? Think that will change as more and more of the Faerunian lore and such is introduced?

[Bhaern Quel]

Kaote, as far as I am concerned it is not love or hate. I am indifferent to DDO, though of course read about it from time to time.

[Shir'le E. Illios]

[quote="Kaote Bruchedaine":158ddicm]Seems DDO does not get much love around here hm? Think that will change as more and more of the Faerunian lore and such is introduced?[/quote:158ddicm]
I don't know, though probably not. In part because you need to be a fairly high level before you can even get to the Faerunian bit, and in part because (to me) it feels more like a bit of a side attraction or a desperate plea to make the game seem more interesting. Though I like Faerun and part of the reason I'm not enjoying DDO is because I don't much like the setting, I think I might've respected the game more if it had stuck to its guns.

Still, the main main reason that I personally don't care much for DDO is that I simply didn't enjoy the game all that much when it was first released (playing a bit in betas and a free trial somewhere). It never really felt like an expansive world to me. I can respect it for what it's trying to do and the instanced dungeons are probably closest to pen-and-paper gaming that any MMO has gotten, but it just didn't really work for me.

That is fine though. I'm glad that there are people who do enjoy it and hope that the game does well for them. And on top of that DDO [i:158ddicm]is[/i:158ddicm] to first subscription MMO (that I'm aware of) going the free-to-play route, starting the whole ball rolling that now gives people lots of MMOs to try out (and even fully play) without having to spend money first. And I think it (along with LotRO) is still often held up as an example of how to do free-to-play right. have to give Turbine props for that.


Love -x-x-x-

Shir'le

[Kaote Bruchedaine]

Nah it is not the first P2P mmo to turn F2P. I know of several others. It is however the best one on the market right now that is "Play to earn" in that when you complete a quest you get "favor" and every 100 favor they give you turbine points which you use to unlock additional content. I have been playing since September 2008 and as a fan of Drow based on the lore and the novels I have to say the Drow in DDO are a disappointment for sure.

I honestly think the reason I have stuck with it so long is because I have certain RP characters I have made over the years for free form RP and partners are so few and far between that DDO has sort of become a surrogate form of RP where i can just jump on one of my character incarnations and take off running at my pace rather than having to spend hours in chat rooms looking for a partner to RP with. I do think DDO is one of the best MMO experienced out there right now though. While it does not stick to the tastes that lured me into being a D&D fan, namely 3e's Drow lore, I do love that it is a game that I can boot up and play for 15 minutes or play for 5 hours and close it down without fear or losing out and without the need to feel I have to find bots or cheats or macros to play it.

Today I was having a conversation with a gal about Eilistraee's Wedding styles and remembered there was something here about it. So I figured since I am already here may as well sign back up and see if I can get anyone interested in one of the characters I have trouble finding partners for! (I am pretty sure last time I was here actively seeking RP was back before I played DDO so it has been that long ago. I remember a couple faces. Namely a Drow male that used planeswalking as his excuse for having sunglasses.) And naturally this thread snagged my eyes. Figured if there are any that are curious about the game but do not want to take the dive alone I should make myself useful! So if any wish to take a look I play on Khyber and have a guild (Eilistraee's Champions) and have characters specifically set up for power leveling guild mates if that is your thing.

[Shriastae Tivale]

Personally, I greatly enjoyed DDO when I got to play it. This is likely because I don't have high standards for an MMO and I played with friends, but it had everything I actually wanted in a game. I do wish it was at least barely balanced, and the lack of interesting (or any) prestige classes meant that most of the character concepts that a genuine D&D player would want to use were out of the running, but the soul of the game was there, hidden under mounds and mounds of coding and MMO conventions. You could still be the ghost in the night, the stalwart champion, the fragile yet earthshakingly powerful sage...all D&D style, with concessions made for the mechanics of a 3D MMORPG.

Plus, Eberron is a...[i:20hwtprl]unique[/i:20hwtprl] setting. It was occasionally fun to see what kind of interesting things they would throw at us.

Sorry Kaote. I'd love to join you (even moreso when the Faerûn expansion comes out), but my computer is [i:20hwtprl]not[/i:20hwtprl] a gaming comp. DDO would fry it, simple as it is compared to most MMO's.

[Kaote Bruchedaine]

I would like to point out that they do have some of the prestige classes. DDO however uses the enchantment tree to activate them. Rather than leveling up as a Kensai you level up as a fighter and take the kensai enhancements which still gives the majority of the perks of a kensai without losing your fighter features either. Every class has two prestige lines you can take. Also I am glad DDO did not go with the "lets balance everything" motto that ruins so many MMOs. Otherwise we would end up with an MMO based on 4th edition with wizards wearing heavy armor and only able to cast 2 spells per fight while swinging around a great sword as backup and fighters having to stop to heal others while the cleric is busy attacking with spells from afar.

I personally play a Kensai fighter set up for Bastards and Tower Shield with the backup ability to dual wield bastards in a pinch. I love the ability to go full zerg or step back and tank when needed. 30% striding is useful for overcoming the hyperactive casters that like to join up sometimes. THe single thing that annoyed me most in the game was sprinting across a room towards a mob only to have it drop from a spell as soon as I get to it then have it happen to the next 5 mobs I run towards. No longer happens with striding. Especially when I keep haste potions at the ready.

[Faediira]

Wow this is a really old thread lol. All of the classes on ddo now have 3-4 enhancement trees. The Lolth story line was pretty good I personally had no idea of a lot of the things going on with which edition was doing what until I started reading about something and it led me to this and that. In any case, I've been playing ddo october of 2008 my first character a bard didn't do so well. My hubby who ended up playing 24/7 burned himself out in 6 months. After that he needed to recoup so he gave me his account. I redid my characters on his account and kept his chars as well which was good because i needed the fighter later on to true reincarnate his butt to run with my friends. My main character inherited the guild Darkbrew on the Cannith server from friends who could no longer play due to time constraints. I have three chars that i have successfully TR'd into their 2nd lives once they all reach their 3rd lives i'm not sure what to do with one of them...maybe completionist i don't know. Well ddo has added new additional content in the updates and also made several areas for the epic level quests such as the three barrel cove and the orchard of the macabre. Now what I'm really hoping for is when they make temple of the elemental evil rumor on the ddo game through the players say there may be some Eilistraeens popping up in it as well as Ghaunadaur all the more reason to have an Eilistraeen presence there in my opinion.

I do have to admit a few things about the game at this point though first and foremost being they took away the Mabar festival which was the halloween festival in Delera's graveyard which was a shame because a lot of us loved that festival. Ddo did promise to replace it with something better though. It seems that everytime they update the game something goes screwy somewhere else...lol it always happens. There are a bunch of things scheduled for the new year. Some of which can't come soon enough for me. I'm hoping that DDO will open the gameplay up to more areas perhaps such as myth drannor and an Eilistraeen presence there too. Or head to the city of hope reborn through a magical portal that would be a great idea and it would make for a wonderful story.

Ok rant over go back to what you were all doing lol

[Kaote Bruchedaine]

I have a guild, Eilistraee's Champions, on Khyber server. I am on my fifth life currently as an archer/ranger and I've been trying to recruit people. Got so much money I can't find enough ways to spend it.

[Faediira]

that is cool I have a Faediira on each server was surprised i could make one on each server so i just went with it lol