Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Playing it an loving it...again
Bart3054
Member Posts: 17
I have been a rabid MMO fan for a long time. I was enthralled with UO and remember the frustration and joys of beta testing a Dark Elf Necro in EQ. I have been thru Planetside, EVE, Earth and Beyond, EQII, AC, ACII, and almost everyother MMO ever made.
I played Dungeons and Dragons Online when it first came out. I loved it. It was my true geekness embodied and more fun than should be allowed. The only problem i had was trying to figure what my main Toon was going to be and waiting for a good group.
I know one of the M's in MMO means multiplayer, and to many it equals grouping. But not being a teen I have other responsibilities that dont allow me to log on and wait for a good PUG all the time. So sadly when my twins were born i had to say goodbye to the DDO community.
The twins are older and DDO has changed. Lots of solo content, where if i have time for a group i can find one, but if short on time i can hit a short quest.
With the Drow being implimented and monk and druids coming soon it was a great time for me to start again. I have so much to relearn about the game, but it has been a great experience.
With the 2 year anniversary they are offering a cheap sign-up fee of 9.99 a month. I did not know about it at first, but was glad to find it.
I would recomend old player to come back, my bard was still on the server, and new folks to try it out.
Comments
Out of curiosity anyone else come back and having a good time, or struggling to remember the details?
LOL...yeah, if it's been a long enough time, there's a LOT of details to recall and get back into the swing a bit. The DDO wiki site has a great feat/enhancement/skills breakdown though, which can help. In fact, the enhancement system was totally revamped, so I'd definitely recommend you give at least that a read. The DDO forum here on MMORPG has had several returning posts lately, lots of new players running around again
I am happy you like DDO but there is not lots of solo content. The support for solo is quite sub-par. I like to solo in DDO and find it challenging, but there can be no doubt that a soloist is a second class citizen. Absolutely no doubt.
Play what, love what; love what, play what lol
You know Mod 6 increased both experience and loot for all the quests that offer a solo setting, right? Add to that, the explorer areas, I think DDO is quite solo-able. That said, it's D&D...it's about grouping at it's core...so yeah, if you purely want to solo, it's probably not your game.
I never liked DDO.. In fact I've neve liked any game Turbine has ever made besides AC1... and that was made by completely different people so many years ago.... so you can say todays Turbine never even really made it.
Turbine is one of the worste game dev companies out there IMO. Their games are mediocre rubbish only made popular because of franchise names like D&D and LOTR.
Thanks for the well thought out, fully supported statement of opinion. Always a treat.
In my opinion both D&DO and LOTR captured perfectly the needs and desires of their respective target audience. Just because the target audience is not you, does not make them crap games.
Its great to hear that the game is getting more solo-friendly, sounds like it could be worth a look.
LOL, it took only 6 posts before a pointless flame arrives and tries to hijack the thread.Its great to hear that the game is getting more solo-friendly, sounds like it could be worth a look.
Yeah, the explorer areas are actually a lot of fun to solo in (and I'm really not a solo guy). If you're at the top of the level range for one of them, chances are you can even take on the Unique Bosses solo (and get some nice loot). Combined with some really nice experience rewards, they're a nice inclusion to the game for sure.
EDIT: p.s. we were looking at the exp numbers for these areas on the DDO forum section yesterday, and you could level up to like 14th without ever doing a single quest using just those if you wanted!
Soloing has always been possible in DDO. Yes, its been hard to do, very hard but that's why I like it, the challenge. That's not to say I don't group also. Turbine has just given more options and better reward for those who like to solo.
You must not leave until you free Arlos and have gathered your party safely in this hallway.
I am not sure i agree that DDO was always a game you could solo. I play squishy characters mostly. No armory no shields just me and my wiggling fingers against the world, now and again a song or two might be an option.
I quit playing because i could not solo characters i liked to play. The new options when you enter a dungeon are Solo, normal, hard and elite (i think that is right). So you can run the same dungeon at 4 different settings. If solo is a new setting i think it stands to reason there are some changes.
I am still looking forward to playing a monk when it gets released, A bit of departure from my norm but i think i will like it.
Yeah, many dungeons up to level 6 or 7 have a "solo" difficulty setting now, and the explorer zones are very solo friendly. Monks have been confirmed for Mod 7, btw (next release after the Anniversary special release).
I have not gone to a explorer zone yet. I did not even know about them. Looks like there is more than i realized.
You know Mod 6 increased both experience and loot for all the quests that offer a solo setting, right? Add to that, the explorer areas, I think DDO is quite solo-able. That said, it's D&D...it's about grouping at it's core...so yeah, if you purely want to solo, it's probably not your game.
Sorry but possible does not equal good support.The solo difficulty is way less rewards even Mod 6.
The solo difficulty in not avaiable on at least 50% of quest when you consider all quests of all levels.
For the average player soloing on normal or higher takes triple the time for the same reward every single person in a group would get. And many people do not solo a quest to normal until they are 2 levels above it.
For the average player, many build can't even solo on normal difficulty.
Can a Warforged Wizard make progress solo? Yes sure. Is soloing well supported no, not even close. It is so far off that no sane individual would even argue that it is. A soloist is so vastly disadvantaged that even most rabid fan boi is forced to admit it. That is how large the difference is between grouping and solo.
The opportunity cost for the average player to try to solo is HUGE. Possibly larger than any MMO ever. Certainly comparable or worse than EQ1.
The only redeeming qualities that DDO has in regards to solo is that the real Uber builds can actually go farther solo than most other MMORPGs. Although this still takes much much longer to do. And that going solo is less grindy than most other MMORPGs, but only if you have one of the uber builds than can take things on the normal+ difficulties. Grinding on the solo difficulty would be an awful experience.
And again I'd point out two things...
1. D&D isn't about playing solo...in fact:
2. The explorer areas are very solo friendly.
That said, why should exp or loot rewards be close to normal when the difficulty is so dumbed down? If you really want to play solo most of the time, there's a lot of games out there for you...just not this one. If you want to solo some of the time, even half of the time, you can definitely do it in DDO.
p.s. Considering the adventure areas combine for almost a million experience and are all solo-able...I'd call that pretty solo supporting.
You can't have it both ways.
I never said it should be rewarded the same or whatever. The fact is that it is not supported well and solo options are extremely limited and they DO NOT reward anywhere close to grouping. Which apparently you are admiting.
There is only one reason to solo and that is because you like it. Its not faster, its not easier, its not more rewarding. Its is disadvantageous, in most cases, on every single level.
The only accurate positive thing you can say about soloing in DDO is that its possible and challenging.
The only people who can say its solo friendly are people who think throwing rocks at people is friendly behavior.
I think what I've consistently said is that it's more solo friendly...as in more than it used to be. The game had zero quests with solo difficulty at launch, btw. It had zero explorer zones. Every update since like mod 2 it's added solo difficulty to more and more quests, and most recently with mod 6 it increased the rewards and experience for solo difficulty.
Hope that clears things up. But yes, if you only want to play solo...frankly I'd recommend The Witcher, but I certainly wouldn't recommend DDO.
p.s. Solo'ing explorer zones is exactly equal in reward to grouping, btw.
my original point in starting this thread is how the game has changed. The one thing that many games have lacked is the ability to solo when you dont have the time to get in a group. I didnt want solo play to be as good as a group it is a MMO, i just want to be able to do it when my situation does not allow me to fullfill my role in a group.
Any parent of a young child knows that if you plan to do anything with a little one around you have planned poorly. They dictate if you have 5 minutes at the keyboard or 2 hours (a great nap for mine). I need to be able to walk away and clean up a mess, get a bottle or change a diaper. Most groups get pissy if you go AFK that much. But right now they are both down for the night and i have time to give a group.
I also stated (in the OP) that i loved DDO when it first started. Now with the changes it seems i can have my cake and eat it too.
Just downloaded a trail copy of LOTRO. Going to see if that has any merit to it or not.