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New player questions
Aryas
Member, Newbie CommonPosts: 337
As a noobie having only achieved level 2 so far (w00t!), I have a few questions for the more experienced players (who've tried beta)
- Are there mounts?
- How long does it take to get to level 20 (an estimate is fine)? What is the endgame like? Is most of the game soloable?And finally
- What is the PvP like?
Aryas
Playing: Ableton Live 8
~ ragequitcancelsubdeletegamesmashcomputerkillself ~
Comments
Im a new player aswell but have been playing the beta up to lvl 11 (much thanks to the bonus xp event
) so I will try to answer from my own experience.
1. No there is no mounts sadly, would be nice since some of the wildernes areas are pretty big.
2. Cant tell but getting to lvl 10 probably takes around 1 month of normal playing. Also depends how much you focus on getting xp as fast as possible. If you solo its going to take much longer.
3. I wish I had more experience with the PvP but it seems like normal deathmatch or capture the flag. The reason PvP doesnt work is because classes in the DoD rules arent balanced to fight against eachother. Woudl be cool if they made some pre-made PvP-characters who are balanced to each other. I think for example a 6vs6 ranger fight could awesome with the combat system
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1. Answered above - None
2. Level 20 [level 10 in a month of "normal" play] - impossible to estimate: what is your playstyle? As a very casual player [~10hrs/week spread over 10 characters] i have yet to break level 8 on my highest character IN TWO YEARS. So for me, level 10 will have taken 2 years - level 20 will take about 4 more
From what I have read, "End game" means nothing - the game doesn't really change [whether that is good or bad depends on how much you like how the game works].
Most dungeons are technically solable - only a few require two or more players [or player + hireling/ summoned animals/ properly stoned enemies/ other strategies to have weight on plates, turn switches, etc]. However, even the best players [as an example Ghoste - search his posts on soloing] cannot do most dungeons solo AT LEVEL beyond level 5. One reason that I have taken so long to level is that I play almost exclusively solo [I duo with my 5 yr old nephew about once a month -he started at 4 and loves the game]
3. I would GUESS that the majority of players do NOT PVP - there is nothing to gain by doing PVP. Some people, myself included, do use the PVP pits to practice spell combos, etc with a partner...usually if you tell the others there that that is your intent, they will leave you alone to do so. As is true anywhere, there are a few asshats and accidents sometimes happen when targetting AOE spells [collateral damage as it were].
Nothing wrong...could be interesting to have one competitive dungeon that allows PVP...
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Mounts - no. The game world is designed to allow a player to quickly run from one area to the next in mere seconds. There are even teleporters in the various "Houses" which make navigating "Stormreach" even more quicker. And on top of this, there are teleport scrolls, clickies on items and a feature you can purchase from the store to make your abillity to get around even more quicker. The focus is on the directed content, not the passive game world and this is probably the sole weakness in DDO.
Level 20 - not sure. I would assume it could be easily done in a few weeks, probably sooner if you don't have Work, School or a Family to entertain. The leveling process can easily be stretched out. I would "guess" that if you played 2-3 days a week for 3-4 hours per session that it would probably take you about a month to level to 16. (no experiance level to 20 yet)
PvP - I really like the indoor capture the flag matches. The big problem with D&D is classes are *NOT* balanced for PvP, nor should they be. Most of the player base respects this and understands there's greater problems from having to balance the endless possibilities currently avaialble to make a character. The best means to balance a team is simply by saying "hey, you take this one and we'll take them. there, that should be more balanced and fun."
Good to see you playing and loving the game!
My version of answers this time:
1. No. Traveling in DDO is very fast overall, so there's no real need, though I'd like to see them anyway. Just for fun and that kind of "all-in feel", when you ask someone "are there mounts" and they answer "yes!"
Maybe they'll do it for some larger expansion after launch? I'd be very happy to see very large outdoor areas where you could buy mounts to travel. Would be beyond awesome, cause in the end it's very D&Dish! And Turbine animators are very talented.
Other than that, there's many features in game which help you ,move faster. Striding boots with +5% running speed (and sometimes more effects) are dropping as loot for even 2nd-3rd level characters. I use them very often. Almost every Wizard or Sorcerer of level 5 uses Haste. That's why sometimes they're reffered to as Haste-Bots
.
Then, there are other items, like Haste potions, haste wands or scrolls, teleporters in each of Marketplace Houses which allow you to quickly jump between locations, and many higher lever items. You won't get bored with running like in WoW : ).
But I want mounts too
.
2. Most of the game IS soloable now. Only Raids aren't, because they wont' scale for 1 player and you can't take your hireling there. But if you look at youtube, you'll see Raids done by single person or duos, hehe. There are some hardcore types.
How long to level 20?
I'm casual player. Very deep into the game and its world, community, but casual in real play. Playing for 2 years now, with this new expansion, I've never reached level 20 to date
. I just didn't need to, I have SO much fun with different races and classes that I can't concentrate on just one character for long. But I'm sure after beta I'll speed up!
3. Well, if you ask me - GREAT! I like PvP in DDO more than in Guild Wars or most other MMO games. Maybe there's no in-game reward for winning a match, but I think it's the best that way! Other games nerf your PvE characters to balance PvP, even you don't play PvP at all. In DDO, if you want a brawl, you've got it!
Just be sure to use new Challenge System. This is an icon with 2 crossed swords on you targetting orb on the right. If you target another player, you can challenge him by pressing it.
This was in beta: I remember casting spells in Marketplace. Of course I didn't hurt anyobody, but one dwarf obviously didn't like it. He swinged his axe 2 times, then I got a challenge from him. I've lost, but if we played long, I would win! I've adapted my tactics and use of spells and items to defeat him, and if we continued, he'd lose.
People say PvP in DDO (and in D&D) isn't balanced. Well, all depends on where you are and how you move. If you're wizard or sorcerer, or rogue and want to stand in direct battle, you're dead. But if you hide, maintain big distance, all becomes balanced again. And if there are 2 teams, you can easily divide roles to tanks, crowd controllers, DPS'es etc. like in PvE.
So, I wouldn't say PvP in DDO isn't balanced. It just a game of roles, and you need to rethink your tactics in this game to use advantages of your role. Then you can go smash.
Is there a room for improvement in DDO's PvP? There is a HUGE one. And as long as PvP is just for fun, not PvP items / XP, I'd like to see it made bigger and better all the time. PvP always should be for fun, not ganking on weaker opponents for XP or loot like in other MMOs.
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How long to endgame depends on how efficiently you level. Powerlevelling a new character to cap can be done in a few days but for a new player who plays a fair amount but doesnt powerlevel, 3 months or so i'd say.
The classes arent balanced for PvP, casters rule the pits, melee is chanceless against a good caster.
There are no mounts but those arent needed since this game doesnt bore you with huge, pointless areas to run through. Well, actually we have explorable areas that you need to sprint through to every quest on higher levels but even those arent nearly as big and time consuming as the areas in other MMOs.
DDO is heavily instanced so you get spared of the huge areas that other MMOs are built of. Some people like that because you play well designed, unique quests instead of "slay 100 pigs", others dont like it because they cant explore much. It's a matter of taste. Think Guild Wars with 200 Missions (the instanced stuff) and only few explorable areas.