An In-depth and Honest Review of DDO 2020, from a user with over 12 Years in The Game

[Captain8-Ball]

So here is my first In-depth review of Dungeons & Dragons Online. Yes this is a long post but it wouldnt all fit in the store page review area so here is my full version. please take the time to read thru my story and review before commenting below. Thank You

I am a veteran member and first Joined DDO in its infancy roughly at the time; Module 7: The Way of the Monk was released on June 3, 2008. This was when it was owned and operated by Turbine Inc. The game back then was just getting started and in a matching story like the one put into the game by Wil Wheaton who is the voice of the dungeon master for the "The Temple of Elemental Evil" adventure pack.

My story falls pretty similarly. I was the same kind of childlike Wheaton, and at the time DDO was my way to be me. Granted for all the new users that are complaining about how this game has its quirks like the launcher not having an account creation link or that there are adventures that you have to pay for in reality that's always been like that for DDO and also for D&D.

Let me explain for the newer users; even now if you want to play D&D the board game there are costs. You buy your handbook, maybe a box set, a monster manual, and maybe you splurge out on a tin figurine that expresses your character. In the end, most retail stores will end up charging you about 80.00 USD to 150.00 USD even before you get to the role of your first game. With DDO paying 7.00 - 35.00 USD for content that just works is a lot more fun because you don't have to read the content and learn the new rules for the adventure you just bought.

The idea of also not having to be the dungeon master also means that everyone gets to have fun. Playing the old D&D you always have to choose who would be the DM for your game that adventure and pray that the DM isn't going to wipe your party on the first boss. So rambling aside, yes for you newer users that are taking the plunge first thing you are about to enter an online world where the true way you succeed is not solely based on your skills at being tactical or the highest kill count. This wonderous game is designed that if you can't learn you won't succeed there are puzzles and challenges that require you to take hours out of your day to run one adventure. This isn't like other MMORPG's every class isn't a true solo mode you will die and you will need to form groups but this is the aspect of Dungeons & Dragons. If you don't believe me watch the intro movie and you'll see the proof of this.

But newer users aside, this is about why I recommend Dungeons & Dragons Online to anyone who will read this. I have seen DDO mature from module 7 all the way to the current module at the time of me writing this which is 45. I’ve been through the bumps of the rise of turbines, other MMORPG, Lord of the rings online, and the wave of new players that caused issues and fun for all of those who played DDO. DDO has also impacted me through getting a child with mental and social issues; myself to socialize and become an active community member with users at the time who were many ages my senior. This was to reference a large community outlet for myself thru out my childhood. My first guild i was an officer in was the Legionnaires on the Orien Server the same server i still play on to today. granted those nights staying up late during my middle school days created many memories that I will treasure. I still honor the family of players who ran that guild and I'm sorry to say but i was apart of it as our guild master passed away with cancer irl. that was the first time i uninstalled the game mainly because without the legionnaires guild master his family never really returned to the game. So i left to seek friends on other titles. That was around Update 8 Patch 1: DDO's 5th Birthday - February 22, 2011

I rejoiced with the birth of Update 12: Vaults of the Artificers - November 9, 2011, where i found my dream class of being an arcane magician who worked with mana and machines instead of being a glass cannon. A glass cannon is a slang for a wizard or sorcerer; since most Wiz or Sor builds require high intelligence and rarely do users put points into constitution which is what creates the level of your health points in DDO. So, in essence, being a glass cannon is basically a character who fires spells at long range but can't survive at melee range since they may only last one or three hits. Being an Artificer took me from level 7 - 17 before I left again mainly due to college and the stress that accompanies it. I left DDO for my second time around the time that the Update 22: Pirates of the Thunder Sea, came out on June 11, 2014. At this time there was more paid content then there was free content and to level, you had to buy in or else you were going to be left behind.

So here I am now, Playing in Update 45: Age of the Alchemist which was released on February 12th, 2020. Due to the Covid-19 virus and the abundance of free time that now plagues my existence, I have returned to the game of my childhood to find a new experience again as I reintegrate with the kobolds and demons of the game. The player base is there if you are online during peak hours and the help of the adventure makes this time when we are forbidden to socialize feel relaxing. Even the sound of a busy marketplace sounds wonderful and this game I feel can help with the cabin fever.

So before you read the short one-line negative reviews read this and then take a week, one week; maybe two and play thru the game socialize be the character you want to experience what DDO has to offer rather than just what you first see when you join yes Kortho's island seems very boring but that is what it was meant to do. if you want to truly explore then just go to the starter island dock and skip the intro quest and explore the public places while everything is unlocked. See The 6 Houses of Eberron, The lava Spires of The Twelve, The necropolis, The active groups, and users that if you actually ask will reply most of the time and talk with you.

This isn't meant to be a Solo Game where you can run through killing every enemy and trap. This game was designed around a few simple but golden goals. One to be a game where you can create a party and explore lethal dangers and dangerous beast. To be like Indiana Jones and escape a trapped temple by the skin of your teeth. Two to let you express your character whether you are an elf healer that does necromancy on the side or an old wizard who uses a great axe or a half-orc that is a rouge but is as big as the hulk. this game doesn't set the size to the skill you are as powerful as you choose every decision you make as a character does count. Three this game was meant to be played with friends and family, this game is based on D&D which at least required 2 if not 4 players at the minimum to play since someone had to be the dm so when you play DDO and you see a party of people in the social tab joins them if you can the rewards will be greater and you will have a better experience.
Four, Yes leveling is different then most games you have to level 5 ranks before you get a new level this is an aspect of D&D if you were to realize that in D&D you may get to level 2 but the reality was your new spells didn’t unlock till level 5. So Yes DDO max level is 30 (20 normal Levels and then 10 Epic Levels) but if you multiply 30 by 5 you will get 150 which was the number of levels you could have got in D&D; Except. In D&D your character rarely made it that high since they would likely die and you would have to start over from lv 1.

So to conclude do I recommend DDO? Yes, I Do. Why?

Because if you are really into role-playing or are looking for a game that you want to get months of playtime out of for free without ever having to spend a single dollar then this is the game for you. Does DDO have its quirks? Yes it does, but so does every other MMORPG, can you have fun yes you can but you need to look at this with an open mind and realize this isn’t like a 2020 MMO or Shooter, There isn't an instant reward every five minutes and yes the graphics are dated but it is dated due to the age, there are 45 Modules in all, so just have fun and experience the entirety that is Dungeons & Dragons Online.

Feel free to comment on this if you like im only posting this first to provide the community with another story of why DDO is a Good game. Also if you are looking for a guild on Orien server and or help with the game I am open to DM's or towards the end of the month ill be starting a new series on my twitch.tv/occultatus where ill gladly be allowing people to party with me on live stream.

[Taebrythn]

i think its a nice review but you are wrong about the max level. its 30. another thing to mention to new or returning players. SSG have extended the free month to end of may atm. so you can play any content including expansions.

[Captain8-Ball]

Originally posted by Taebrythn:

i think its a nice review but you are wrong about the max level. its 30. another thing to mention to new or returning players. SSG have extended the free month to end of may atm. so you can play any content including expansions.

thanks fixed the level mix up, math works out better now.

[NavFamG]

Good review.

[Guzen]

:D

[Wulfe]

Came back after a lengthy hiatus and it all feels quite daunting. I used to be able to jump into a group and go from there, but nowadays everything seems to be revolving around Reaper difficulty. I can tackle and manage pretty well and am open to learning, but it feels like I'm mostly standing there being dead weight.

Any advice?

[NavFamG]

Nothing says you HAVE to do Reaper. Feel free to put up your own LFM to run quests on Elite if that's what you're doing. You'll probably find people thanking for it.