DDO Memes:
I loved DDO, and played it for 5 years; However, after a publisher change back in 2016, the game radically changed, switching over to uninteresting & lower-effort (in the sense of balancing, accessability, item design, etc) content, a deeper emphasis on paid releases, and- worst of all- introducing an overemphasis on grinding and establishing a trend of profound (and regularly shifting) imbalances among classes and items.
The last few times I checked the game, the servers (and I played on all of them) were all but dead, some with only twenty players online on the entire server [at that time- more generally, player count was around 100, with peaks of 300; however, between guilds hoarding most of those members and the large range of leveled content, even those numbers were fairly problematic], with absolutely noone looking for groups or joining groups for hours on end. So, don't take this thread as a recommendation for the game- in fact, it's probably not a promising sign for the game's future that they're giving the entirety of the game's gameplay content away for free.
That said, I do love the way the D&D dynamic is handled by the game's combat and partying so, at the very least, I'd say this is a solid time to give the game a try if you haven't in the past (in light of how this promotion suggests the game is going under soon). In fact, it's a title that's still rather recommendable (to a point) with a decently sized group of friends, just as a co-op RPG title.
Basically, hit this up while there's a good opportunity to, but give some consideration before investing any money into the game. That said, this promotion gives a decade's worth of gameplay content for free, so there shouldn't be much need for spending money regardless (and by the time you're considering it, you'll probably have a good idea of whether it's worth it or not). ^.^
As a final note, if you're on a server that feels overly inactive, it may be worth giving another one ago- you gain bonus store points the first time you reach various benchmarks of faction favor on any given server, so your efforts on a given server won't really be wasted, even if you do end up favoring a different one later on.
P.S. For the non-D&Ders, Scrags are aquatic trolls. :P
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Have to disagree here.
I've actually returned to DDO in 2017 and the content they released since then was MUCH more interesting than what they used to have before, both story-wise and game mechanics-wise. As for paid releases (by which I mean expansion packs, since you can get everything else with DDO points which aren't that hard to earn), the amount of them is no higher than it was before really, and quality is higher as well. The Curse of Strahd and Sharn are much better content packs than the Menace of the Underdark and especially Shadowfell Conspiracy.
The servers were never dead either. Well, Wayfinder perhaps, but even there it was never "twenty people". A couple hundred at worst.
On the other servers there was always 500-1000 people. And after they made the content free, the number of players skyrocketed so we have a stable online of about 2000 on weekdays and about twice as much on weekends on Orien alone.
So DDO is livelier nowadays, is making more profits and even looks better than ever as the devs release cosmetic updates to older zones on a regular basis now. So no way it's going under considering the circumstances. It's really awesome to play right now.
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It wasn't really a publisher change. Turbine (now WB Games Interactive) was changed into a mobile game developer by WB, and they were going to shut down their MMOs, which had basically been on life support forever anyway. The small group of employees that worked on the MMOs formed their own studio and bought the MMOs from WB for a pittance instead.
It was pretty much the same before and after though, few employees and almost zero budget either way.
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No it's actually a very good thing for them to give away the adventure packs for free. They need to switch to the Path of Exile model. Past newbies were not logging in because they ran out of stuff to do. With so much of the content paygated previously it was a big turn off. Let's see what happens on September 1st though when this coupon is over. Because if they revert back to paygated quests it will be their doom.
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Good or not, my point was more that the game has seemed dead up to this point, and they're giving the content away all at once without any indication of a shift in model. I didn't want to get anyone invested in the game- and spending money- without being aware that there could be a risk in regards to the game's future. That's not necessarily to say that's a certainty but, it is something I wanted to make sure was considered before any money was spent.
But yeah, the last few years have seen a lot of meaningless content, along with making it so that only the most recent end-cap gear was worth farming (as opposed to earlier iterations of the game, where level 3 items could still be used at the then level 20 end-game). That [all-too-traditional] MMO design just doesn't go well together with paygated content.
As you noted, it's similarly worth keeping an eye on if they DDO use this as a motivation for change (though, given that this is a limited time promo-code, not really feeling the motivation on their end for that). At the moment, I'd suggest leaning towards hesitancy until there's a clear sign that the management has changed their approach and the servers are recovering.
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Their business model now is entirely reliant on targeting whales. $180 expansions and loads of pay-to-win microtransactions. Quest packs didn't make them any money anyway since there were no new players.
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i only heard of this game in tv series like big bang theory wonder what it was back those days but i guess this game is not the one it should be ..
its a great idea shame there is no one to take it seriously and make something worth playing . harry potter too ! there is no good game for that franchise ideas been lost for a long time
edit : i`m not sayin its a bad game but i think they can use the idea to make a big and famous franchise like mortal kombat or something like that
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There are a number of D&D games already available and a couple of big one's coming up.
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i mean the topic is intersting and i really like these kinda game most of all Lord of The rings . Hobbit And such and i would be happy to try a game like that .
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This is probably worth dusting off my old DDO account, even if I never go back to playing regularly.
Thanks for the heads up.
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Is it worth trying DDO out? From a player's perspective.
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The main issues I saw over the last few years are:
1: that the diminished population and increased level range means that grouping can be difficult if you don't have friends to party with or a guild to go along with [meaning you may want to google/search the official forums, see guilds you can find that are still active],
2: That they keep imbalancing a class, then updating another class to imbalance it, and just endlessly cycling the process, so that there's always a distinct (bad->good) range on classes (corresponding with how recently they've last been updated), mitigated solely be the fact that some classes have distinct roles [eg, trapping]. and
3: that endgame content is grindy, lengthy to the point where you have to commit some time to finishing a quest, and strict enough on gear requirements that new players (ie, ones without pre-farmed end-game content to share across their characters) may have issues.
There are a few other concerns [that were notable when I left the game a few years back, and appear to still be in play]- most notably, management's continued ignoring of community feedback, merger requests, etc- but those are the ones I think would be most prominent as considerations for new players.
Aside from those issues, it's still one of the best MMOs I've ever played (and the best I've played in the 2000s onwards). Again, if you treat it as a co-op D&D game, it's fantastic. Raiding might be a bit of a chore with that approach, but that's something to consider once that point is reached. Even just playing around for a bit and trying to get into the MMO aspect is something I'd recommend trying. It's easier if you have friends you can rope in, but the game is certainly one I think all RPG gamers and D&D fans would do well at least poking around at, at some point [ie, before the inevitable end all MMOs eventually face].
tl;dr version: Yes. ^.^
side-note: Wonder if there's motivation to getting an SG guild together? That could be a fun and effective way of approaching this.
I'm a bit rusty but, I for one wouldn't mind helping new players along. Hell, I used to do that (by opening LFMs for new players) for fun. :P [Edit: https://www.steamgifts.com/discussion/gTMEy/any-interest-in-forming-a-dungeons-dragons-online-guild]
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I'll try it out then when i'm over the burnout GW2 caused to me, thanks for the detailed answer.
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I remember when I used to play GW2. But key was revoked as I was scammed by the seller =(
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GW2 is a lot more dynamic, since you don't have to party-up before entering instances (well, dungeons aside). I definitely love that part about GW2. But the actual gamelpay- especially the platforming- is a lot smoother in D&D, and combat is a lot more immersive and complex. I'd definitely recommend it over GW2 (though, again, there were parts about GW2 I enjoyed- rather, I should say, I'd recommend DDO over any other MMO :P).
Definitely make sure to claim that coupon while it's active, even if you don't play the game anytime soon (though I'd definitely try and make enough time to get enough premium currency drops from gameplay to unlock the two on-sale expansions while they're on [Steep!] sale.)
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No. Their poor community handling has destroyed the game even for the most hardcore fans. I used to play for years and saw many of my friends getting unfairly banned. Their "community manager", Cordoban, is the biggest idiot I've ever seen in an online game. He was the reason I've decided to quit after so many years playing that game.
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From my experience in the past and from Beta, then rotate from playing 1 year, to time off for 2, repeat.
Casual players usually have fun up until level 8 thru 12 on each character as the bad builds can be forgiving.
That can easily be several months of fun.
So create a character, run it up until you're hitting a wall, create another and use the assets of the 1st to support it and run higher.
Then the 3rd character, you'll want to look at builds with stat points and party roles if you want to have fun in the higher levels.
Or if you enjoy spreadsheet planning, dive into point builds before even creating your second character. I preferred the run up to get the hang of the DDO ruleset, then build.
And the content is pretty extensive, and "grinding" more content as others have said is too easy right now. Until this is over in August, you can unlock more stuff without even thinking about it.
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OK, I have thus spent an hour trying to find out how to redeem this coupon and found nothing. I do not know why this information is so well hidden, but it is. Nothing in the FAQ, nothing in Support, nothing in the Forum, nothing in the DDO Store. Web searches turn up nothing except information about various coupon codes. No information is given regarding how to redeem said codes.
WTH???
If the game is also this difficult and unfriendly to users, I can see why it is having issues with retaining players.
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I have spent an hour I think updating the game... I expected it to be (almost?) ready when Steam had downloaded its part...
About redeeming the code, I happened upon this page - I haven't tried it yet, because I don't have an account yet... I expect I need to make an account once the game is ready to be played.
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I finally managed to get help from an experienced player. Coupons are redeemed in-game through the DDO Store. How does one access the DDO Store in-game? By clicking on the appropriate button in the Main Menu, of course. Ah, but how does one open the Main Menu? There are no hotkeys or shortcuts available for accessing the Main Menu. Instead, you must find the "large" red button hiding in the bottom left of your playing screen and click on that.
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I considered adding those details to the OP, to start with, but since they're standard for most every game with an in-game store, I left the description simply as "there doesn't appear to be a way of activating codes out-of-game". Seems like every time I avoid over-detailing, it bites me. And yeah, forgot they changed how the menu worked with the UI overhaul some years back. It took a bit to get used to even for players familiar with the game, as I recall. Probably a bit of a hassle for those not overly familiar with the game.
As far as the retaining players, the main issue is that they ran off old players and expanded the level range. The combination of which made it incredibly hard for new players to find groups at any given level range- nevermind that even if they made it to end-game, they'd be too undergeared to even group up then. All other issues in the game are secondary to that.
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Additionally, the game's expansions [I recall paying $50 or so for each of them] are now available for $1 in game points (an amount which is EASILY farmable in-game, especially for new accounts [which get bonus points per game server played, which are then usable cross-server] ):
Please explain this in detail for someone unfamiliar with the game. I am interested in "unlocking" all of the expansions, even if I never get around to playing through all of them.
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Only two old expansions (Menace of the Underdark and Shadowfell Conspiracy) are available for this promotion. Basically you have to farm DDO points (you get 25 points for each 100 favor you get from doing quests, also from special rewards - see here https://ddowiki.com/page/DDO_Point#Earning_DDO_Points ) then go to DDO store (I suppose you already found it) and redeem the expansions. I already own them so I can't see where exactly in the store they are as the store only displays things you don't own, so just look for them.
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Really? Really?!
Kobold almost liked you. Then this happened.
Oh well. Maybe trap get you next time.
This is best part: Kobold nap time!
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Thanks for the heads up. I played DDO in the past, and liked it because it felt a lot like a classic single player RPG. The main problem I had, as I recall, was that it didn't have much free content. Seems like it may be worth trying it again.
Edit: I think that was around the time the it went free to play. I also remember trying it at launch and not liking it.
I believe the current install size for the game is about 12GB
I chose to not install the high resolution textures, so the download is about 9GB. It would indeed be 12GB with them.
Edit: Looks like that's the base download. The installer seems to be downloading more stuff after having downloaded that (though not a huge amount of stuff).
Edit2: Looks like tons of small files are being downloaded, taking a lot of time.
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Looks like my steamapps/common/Dungeons and Dragons Online folder comes to 13.4 GB (with hi-res textures). This is after updating everything.
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Heh, my folder is 13.4 GB as well, and I chose not to get the hi-res right away, since I'd rather play the game than wait for more downloads...
I didn't check folder size before starting the launcher, and didn't sit around to wait for it to finish, so I don't know how much it downloaded or how long it took (but more than an hour!)...
Oh, and hi-res is still disabled in the settings; dunno if it downloaded it anyways and just doesn't apply it...
Edit: I enabled hi-res, the client restarted but didn't download anything else. Guess it just downloaded everything from the start.
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Apparently they made hi-res a forced default. You apparently can still manually adjust it, if desired:
The other day i decided to reinstall DDO and give the default textures a try. So i uninstalled the game and set about reinstalling. When it started i awaited the option to choose to install the high res textures and it just went straight into downloading and installing the game. So i tried to search out an answer and found nothing.
The answer was in the Documents folder. Dungeons and Dragons Online folder. I looked in the folder and found the file UserPreferences.ini opened it and found the line: UseHighResolutionGameData=true. So i deleted the DDO folder completely and started the install again and got the option to select high res textures and chose no this time.
Presumably, setting that to false will skip the indicated prompt and directly adjust the setting to low-res. Either adjustment should theoretically be able to be made during the step that is after having downloaded the base files from Steam and before loading the game's launcher.
Not sure if that'd avoid downloading the hi-res textures entirely or not, but it may be worth a shot for those who want to try minimizing their download size (putting aside the fact that one's computer'd need to be both old [like, pre-2009] and low-end to have issues with the game's HD graphics to begin with, graphic settings can still be adjusted within the game itself if necessary; As such, the additional storage space used would likely be the only loss as far as downloading the HD textures would go.)
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That's certainly my sentiment towards it.
But then, I believe it was also literally the only game I played across 5 consecutive years, so.. 🙄
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The experience is definitely NOT like in the "old days." The "Training Camp" is totally gone, replaced by Korthos Island.
I have been having fun, so far, breaking in my new characters, however. )
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The game itself is F2P to begin with, with a pretty generous in-game premium currency drop that allows you to purchase new content [adventures, races, classes] as they come out. (Honestly, it's the most generous unlock system I've seen in a paid MMO to date.) The current coupon code will permanently unlock the past decade and a half of premium adventure content to your account [excepting expansion packs, though half of those are at an extreme discount in the in-game store atm, so you can pick those up easily as well with just a bit of playtime].
In short, you get all but a tiny bit of the game's paid content for free, permanently. The coupon code needs to be activated in the in-game store, so you'll need to install the game and stick the code in, but that also gives you a good chance to try the game out and buy the on-sale expansion packs while they'e on-sale. ^.^
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Thx for the detail info! Everyone is saying good things about this game.
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Thanks for posting this. I never would have known otherwise. Game is deserving of some attention.
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I really liked DDO, this is a good excuse to get back into it
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I can't see myself dusting off any more accounts. I'm done with trying to relive old mmo dreams.
Craving something new. But since I'm waiting for projects like Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen, or Camelot Unchained - I'll be waiting for quite a while still.
Good stuff this though, thanks!
Maybe.. ehh..
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I mean, worth installiing it just to activate the code, maybe? If it'd be a bothersome use of time and energy to arrange the install then sure, avoid it, but if it's something you can fit in, that's a pretty phenomenal offer they've got going on (and you never really know if those things'll be one offs, repeats, an indication of a future shift in policy, or something else altogether).
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All good points.
It's just to hot, to do anything atm.
That is my brand new excuse.
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Seems interesting, but I don’t know if I have the time for another MMO. What’s it like from a single-player story-oriented perspective?
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There's some pretty intense background lore, but not all of it is apparent during quests. The stuff you get shoved in your face is above-average [better than I recall Bethesda quests being, for example], but typically nothing that'll real immerse you until you spend some time digging into the background lore. [So if you're specificially looking for something "Story Rich", in the sense that the narrative is put foremost as you play, then this may not grab you.] The game allows you to play with a hireling, and is notable for its adjustable difficulty settings* on missions, so the vast majority of it is rather readily playable solo.
*[With Normal being recommended for solo play, Hard for party play, and Elite as a challenge for a party; Previously, the XP difference would make running normal undesirable, but the expanded content (which the present coupon'll give full access to) and boosts to leveling for early levels means that's no longer really an issue. You will gain less "Favor" on lower difficulties, however, and Favor results in certain game unlocks, including the game's premium currency. The end-game content is similarly designed for full parties, which may also end up benig a bit limiting. The game does have a Rebirth system which precedes that point, however, so you do have alternative paths available.]
There are a few points where two players or more than two characters will be needed. And, obviously, raids typically aren't soloable. But yeah: If you're looking for an engaging-yet-easy-to-take-at-your-own-pace RPG leveling experience, the combat system is solid, the character building is one of the most expansive and involved and versatile you'll find, the setting is engaging, the quests have a fair bit of color even without getting into their background lore, and there's enough lore to dig up if you become invested to give the quests appropriate context. The game also contains a ton of side systems, such as item crafting.
Basically, I'd definitely encourage you to at least give it a try. ^.^
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Thank you for the detailed rundown! I've never played a Bethesda game, but I do enjoy digging for lore so that sounds good. Looks like I'll need to free up another dozen GB on my hard drive. :)
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There's only two quests you can't do solo, and another one which you can solo if you're a rogue. Raids are generally non-soloable, although there's two or three of them you can do solo as well (probably not on your first life though). Other than that, the game is wholly single-player friendly.
Storywise it is pretty uneven, with certain older content being simply "go to the dungeon and kill everyone" kind. Lots of adventure packs offer solid storylines though, with a lot of background lore to collect (like Ruins of Gianthold or Demon Sands, for example). There's also a few quite faithful adaptations of classic pen and paper D&D adventures like Temple of Elemental Evil, White Plume Mountain, Haunted Halls of Eveningstar etc.
A few of the adventures are also voiced by famous D&D people like Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson and Ed Greenwood; there's also those that feature guest narration and commentary by well-known media people like Travis Willingham and Wil Wheaton.
Regarding difficulty, well,Heroic Normal and Hard difficulties are perfectly soloable even if you're a beginner (there's barely any difference in difficulty really), and you'll be able to solo Heroic Elite difficulty for most quests if you do them being a couple of levels higher than required and if you play a class with high survivability. You won't need to do that though, as there's now enough free content to skip Elite difficulty completely.
It is still advisable though to do Coin Lords and House Kundarak quests on every available difficulty because those factions' favor allows you to get upgrades to your inventory and bank space.
The so-called "end-game content" aka Epic adventures is easily soloable on Normal as well. There's a much larger difference between Normal and Hard in Epic levels though, so Epic Hard isn't really advisable without a party, and Epic Elite is impossible without a party. But again, with the amount of available content you won't need to do Elite anyway.
tl;dr: storywise DDO is much better than regular MMOs, certain adventures (let's say about 50%) are on par with single-player RPGs, the narration is generally good, and the vast majority of quests are single player friendly.
For better experience on your first life, I'd advise against making your first character a spellcaster. Wizards, Sorcerers and spellcasting clerics are pretty hard to play when you have no experience with the game. Melee characters are the best for your first playthrough. I'd say, either rogue (for the ability to disarm traps) or barbarian are the best choices. Basic fighter or melee ranger are good as well. Paladin is a bit harder, but generally ok for starters.
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That sounds right up my alley. I am particularly intrigued by the classic adventures (I always wanted to play pen and paper D&D but to this day I still haven't found a group to do it with!) and the high quality of (some) stories. Thank you for the tips!
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Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson narrate a couple of adventures, it's really neat.
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Nevermind Wil Wheaton and other notable (not normally associated with D&D) names. It's really fun seeing how each one handles their narration, and some really do a great job with inflection, pacing, phrasing, and tone [others, not so much :P]. I usually try to cut out background noise in games as much as possible, but the narration in DDO is actually something I make a point of giving some attention.
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Neverwinter night is in my opinion the best D&D game. but i don't have play some xD.
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many thanks for this hint...hope it work..i'm isntalling the game again right now
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damn why so much Lost connection to server errors??
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I haven't gotten any (though my Steam patching took a whopping 6 hours, compared to the 8 minutes it took to install the base files. Geesh). You could check to see if Akami is still installed (it's only needed for installation/patching), and see if uninstalling that helps, as I vaguely recall that sometimes having some hiccups. Otherwise, hit the DDO forums or Reddit, see if there's an answer there.
If you can provide more details (where it's happening, what server, etc) I can see if I can dig up something for you, if you'd like.
Really shouldn't be on the game's end, though, given that the servers are nowhere near their peak (you'd be able to tell if they were, since VIPs and Premium players get priority on login, so you'd have a short delay on logging in with a character [as I assume you're utilizing a free+coupon account]- but, to be clear, the last time I saw that being a thing was back when the Menace of the Underdark expansion dropped back in 2012). And, again, I'm not seeing anything [specifically, on the Khyber server].
There's always a possibility there's some unique hiccup between your region and that of the game servers [DDO servers are located in New Jersey, apparently], though- I have that, on occasion, with other services.
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managed to log in after a couple of error...maybe was a server issue that ended in a couplòe of minutes..the server name..dont rememebr..its beginning with a C.....but after 3 or more hours of patching...login issue was a walk in the park. thanks though
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The same is being done for LOTRO as well.
https://www.lotro.com/en/friendsforever
Code : LOTROFREEQUESTS
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Oh man, guess I have try this one as well - thank you :)
And wow, it's 30 GB - hope it doesn't take as long to start as DDO!
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Might be worth its own thread, but I've added it to the OP in the meantime. :)
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I wondered if this might happen - good call on their part. I spent a good amount of time in LOTRO, once upon a day.
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I am a LOTRO Lifer (permanent access to everything), but this is a good deal for everyone else.
Smart move, Standing Stones. Smart move.
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I ended up making a few toons on Thelanis. I have no idea which server would be a good idea for an SG guild, but Thelanis has a long history as a server. Let me know if enough interest is sparked to implement a guild as I am currently a VIP player and may be able to help get things established.
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I'm interested in giving DDO another try. Last time i think I only managed to get one char only to lv11.
Need to read up on reincarnation first because from what i remember it requires some deal of planning. Would be nice aim for it this time around.
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Current toons are:
(PAL) Tehrin Perinfrost
(MNK) Muhaajim Perinfrost
(ROG) Falmo Reedcutter
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I was a top player at one point a few years ago, I might be convinced to play again if anyone's completely new and wants company. Was one of the few people to solo EE Shadowfell Conspiracy, back before reaper even existed. All my old stuff is on Sarlona server but not attached to it.
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Where would be the best place to get more knowledge about the game?
Any discord servers, perhaps?
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Before looking into outside sources, the first consideration should always be the game's wiki; While pretty much always outdated on some small details here or there, overall the information it offers for the game is exhaustive, robust, and regularly updated, and will pretty much cover most of your non-technical [ie, bug or interface related] questions even before having to look into other resources.
The official forums (which currently look really glitched for me, not sure if that's on my end alone or not, but if it isn't be aware they don't usually look like that) and Reddit are the two other resources I'm most familiar with, though one can also derrive information from the various guides or guild pages out there, or by soliciting assistance from friendly players in-game. You can always feel free to ask questions here or in the Let's Play thread I made for DDO, as well.
I don't really have much to do with discord and, further, discord wasn't near as ubiquitous an association for things back when I stopped playing in 2015, so it likely never came up during my days of play to begin with. I haven't seen anything mentioned since I've started playing again, either.
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ddo vault dot com is the poorly kept secret for high level play, you have to dig for the info but some of the best information is there.
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Little less impressive, but you can use slowdown code in DDO to receive wand of slow
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Seeing as it's available for cheap in both House P and J, I'd say extremely unimpressive of Standing Stone. :P
Does it have an unusual caster level or something, or is it just pure junk, as it'd seem at first glance?
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I never knew game very well, no idea how useful it is. Dunno how it was distributed either, got it on general chat ingame.
Still its worth 10x more than i have at the moment in my pocket :D
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Looks like an instant sell. Too much hassle to be useful.
At least you'll get some platinum out of it.
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Well, base haggle will get you a 10% return on the listed value of an item. At end-game, you can pick 1000 plat drops off the ground. :P
Moreover, a caster level 5 slow wand just isn't worth using- proper arcane casters will have their own crowd control options, and it just isn't worth swapping in for a UMD caster. Rather, those wands are mostly a relic of an earlier period in the game, back when monsters didn't resist spells as easily and spell points for casters were in much shorter supply (and when prices for most items were calculated in gold and silver, rather than in thousands of platinum).
I guess if you're an artificer speccing into wand enhancements early on, you might get a bit of use for it, and a new player'd certainly be tight on plat, so I can't say it's entirely useless.. definitely a bit niche in its appeal, however.
Unfortunately, the weekly codes generally are rather lackluster, though there's always the rare experience boost or similar boost [item drops, slayer counts, etc] potion. Given that we're still getting wands of slow in 2020, I wouldn't imagine that dynamic has changed much in the past 5 years. :P
The code I added to the OP is actually specific to the game's yearly anniversery event, as a special item exclusive to it [though even that is really just a cosmetic exclusive, as you can get the same item in-game easily to begin with, just with different voice actors].
Dunno how it was distributed either, got it on general chat ingame.
Weekly codes are posted in the announcement for each week's sale, found here. This week's appears to actually be rather good, so y'may wanna grab it while you can, if you haven't already:
Sovereign Elixir of Hidden Potential (6 hour)
Effect: +15% change of getting named loot [from chests which have named loot associated with them]
Coupon Code: HIDDENSOV6
Hopefully your pocket has a bit more in it, since you posted? I've got toons on every server, so let me know if you're having any difficulties. :)
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Thanks for the info about weekly sales, will check it out every once a while!
As for my pocket, money doesn't seem to be an issue and Khalaq helped me get of the ground, but thanks for offer :)
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If you get into the game enough to where it becomes a consideration, I'd also recommend taking a look at expansions/DLCs within the Market [DDO Wiki is the best source for comparing the features of different versions of a given expansion]. Since DDO doesn't refund you for repeated purchases, and the expansions come with included races, it can be worth delaying some Store purchases if you're already considering a future Market purchase.
On that note, Store items generally max out at 75% discount (50% and 35% are the other two regular benchmarks), so that's nearly always the most efficient purchase point [the current 99P promotion on the first two expansions being the obvious exception]. Market items, on the other hand, cap out at 85%, which is enough to bring a $130 expansion [geesh!] down to a far more reasonable $20. Downside, it does generally take quite a few years before an expansion gets included in those steep discounts and, further, I believe one only pops up every 2 - 3 years to begin with.
Anyway, previous point aside, there are definitely a few recommendable upgrades you should probably get a tier of even if they're only down to 50% off- shared account space, shared collection space, shared plat bank, and so forth, are especially good to get a tier or 2 in early on. Conversely, which quite rare, any inventory items in the Store [like collection bags] can drop as rare loot drops in-game. That generally makes them the least favorable purchases in the long run, for the long-term planner. Obviously, if you're more of an as-needed person, that consideration may not benefit you. ^.^
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It depends.
Visually it was never pretty, but it looks ok for me
As for gameplay mechanics its pretty unique. It focuses heavily on instanced quests (only way to get xp) and you get diminished returns for repeating them so you can't just sit in forest and grind boars.
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In case that wasn't clear, the game encourages you to try different quests instead of repeating the same one (more than three times). It also encourages you to get to level cap, and then "reincarnate" your character so as to try something different (or the same, only stronger than before).
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Update, October 16, 2021
DDO code is reactivated, use DDOQUESTS2021 in-game for access to the free quests available in Dungeons & Dragons online.
Update, September 23 2021
New code for acquiring all current LOTRO quest packs: LOTROQUESTS2021 (1/Account, active through November 30th, 2021)
Note that this contains two additional packs over the previous promotion's code. More information on the full promotion available at https://www.lotro.com/en/getready
Original June 2020 thread follows:
❋ DDO Promotion Details ❋
Edit: You can also activate HAPPY14 to acquire an additional exclusive game item. [>>]
Additionally, two of the game's expansions [I recall paying $50 or so for each of them] are now available for $1 in game points (an amount which is easily farmable in-game, especially for new accounts [which get bonus points per game server played, which are then usable cross-server] ):
As there doesn't appear to be a way of activating codes out-of-game, to claim the code one will need to install the game, and then pull up the in-game store (accessible either via "Buy Account Upgrades" in the character selection screen or by clicking the red Dungeons & Dragons icon in the lower left of the screen once loaded into the game with a character). Note that coupon codes are case-sensitive.
Users in this thread are indicating that the current install size of the game appears to come out to 13.4GB.
Fair warning, the patching process can take a fair bit of time [ie, several hours] to complete. Reddit comments suggest that this is primarily an issue with the Steam version's base install never having been updated- thus, those looking for a quicker install may want to utilize the non-Steam installer instead (you'll end up playing through the same launcher, so there's not any real difference between playing DDO as an add-to-Steam-library game or as a native Steam title).
Steam Page
Non-Steam Installer
❋ LOTRO Promotion Details ❋
LOTRO / Lord of the Rings Online is also having a similar promotion:
https://www.lotro.com/en/friendsforever
Code : LOTROFREEQUESTS
Steam / Non-Steam
+ LOTRO Steamgifts Discussion / Grouping thread
❋ DDO Newcomer Tips ❋
Once installed, you can enable the 64-bit client within the launcher, by clicking the ▽ in the top right and going to "Options...". It's disabled by default due to compatability concerns (older systems aside, it doesn't work properly with certain Nvidia cards), so you'll want to disable it if you're getting any problems, but it can noticably improve gameplay and loading times for those it works for.
In-game, I'd recommend going into the game options and turning off the chat filter in the Gameplay, unless you're inclined to favor having such enabled. Also in the Gameplay submenu, you can disable the "items based on character class" seting. This generally yields better drops, especially if you're not playing to archetype with your class, but it can be worth leaving on if you're looking for something class-associated, such as wands for a wizard or pet collars for a pet class.
Within the UI Settings submenu, you can disable hints (when desired) as well as disable prioritzation of enemies over interactables in combat [this is generally desirable, as disabling it doesn't automatically prioritize non-combatants, it simply no longer fights you on selecting non-combatants, which can make it easier to complete certain quest objectives].
For graphics settings and other menu elements, I'd recommend hovering over any given element, as the game does generally provide details via hovertext. If you're having performance issues, I'd recommend starting by minimizing shadow-related settings, followed by reflection and bloom settings. For non-English-native-speakers, note that the "Frill" setting handles elements such as grass and other minor graphical embellishments.
Chat box tabs can be dragged out, and then reorganized by dragging them into the input box of any other chat box. I'd recommend reorganizing into the order of Party > Guild > General > Combat, as by my experience that works best. You'll also have a much, much more appreciable experience if you disable loot information from the Party tab (via rightclicking on the tab).
Hotbars can be locked/unlocked via the key combination of CTRL and the + key. I personally use the rotate symbol to make hireling/pet bars vertical and place them to the far right, where they're out of the way of personal hotbars, so that may be a method which you may also wish to try.
Recommended character planner | Alternative 1 | Alternative 2
Note that none of these are entirely up to date with fine details, so it's still best to look to the DDOWiki first, and then just use the planners for organizing your data. All the more so as the wiki lists bugged elements which the planners may not.
+ DDO Steamgifts Discussion / Grouping thread
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