Is DDO for me?

The more I play this game, the more I love it.

Approach this game with no preconceptions and be willing to accept that it's different.

At first it wasn't what I was expecting.  I guess I was expecting the usual MMORPG clone wrapped around the D&D rules with a splashing of the Eberron setting on top.  Why I was expecting that, I don't know.  Perhaps because the usual formula, done so well in WoW, was the yardstick against which all other MMORPG's are measured.

Perhaps the best way to explain why this game is good (or for some people, bad) is to take an extract out of my journal - Heinrich Schturmhammer - A Dwarf Barbarian.

I had an hour to wait before I could meet up with Nex.  I was hungry and knew that I would have to eat soon.  However, I had a good thirty minutes to find something to do.

Someone had asked me to find their wife who had been kidnapped in broad daylight.  From what I was told of the circumstances, I knew that I could not tackle this quest alone.  However, I could spend some time scouting the area and perhaps take part in a little information gathering before I met up with Nex.  I found the sewer entrance where the kidnapped women had been seen to be taken and clambered down.  The sewers are a rotten place, but this one was particularly foul smelling.  After a quick scan around the area, it was clear that there was only one direction to set off in.  Immediately I came to a flooded section of sewer.  It was no more than knee deep and perhaps 20 yards to the other side, but I've been caught out before.  Even a patch of filthy water like this one could be home to slime's or jellies that can corrode metal or be split with blades causing them to become two adversaries rather than one.  I put away my greatsword and reached for my simple wooden club and trusty shield.  I chose the walk through the flood, rather than run, who knows what beasts may be lurking in the shadows on the other side.  I could handle one foe, maybe even survive two.  But three at one time would have me into the great beer hall in the sky.  I treaded carefully and reached the other side without event.  You can never be too cautious, as previous corpses I have know would have testified....

... Later, I was faced with a chasm in the sewer.  I had to get to the other side to find out where the woman was being held but the drawbridge was raised.  No problem, as I noticed that behind a few crates, there was a mechanism for operating the drawbridge.  A quick scramble over the crates and I twisted the wheel.  Not that it did much good, the drawbridge had only lowered a couple of useless feet.  To make matters worse, I found out that i could not climb back over the crates, there was nowhere that my hands of feet could get any purchase.  The only option it seemed was to jump down into the chasm to face whatever lurked down there and probably injuring myself in the process.  But wait, the crates didn't completely reach to the end of the ledge.  If I was careful, I could return to my previous position by shuffling along the thin, exposed ledge.  The agility of a Dwarf is not to be underestimated, low centre of gravity you see; I was back safely.  That still left the problem of the chasm.  There was a ladder  reaching down into the chasm on the other side, but that still left me with the problem of getting down there in the first place.  It would definately hurt and I wasn't willing to use one of the two healing potions I had left.  Perhaps I could jump to the other side?  Hmm, even for Dwarven Barbarians,  who are renowned for their acrobatic skill, it was an impossible jump.  What about jumping onto the ladder then?  Possible, but I'd have to make sure I caught it high up, otherwise I could still end up hurting myself.  I could do it, but I'd have to do everything to improve my chances of success.  I removed by bulky armour, as it impeded slightly upon my agility, and took a running jump.  Success, I just managed to grab the ladder before falling to far.  My joy in triumph was short lived however.  Once I'd got to the other side, I realised I had wandered too deep.  As the chasm was behind me now, I only had the choice of pressing on...

This is a proper MMORPG, with the emphasis on role playing, teamwork and problem solving.  Encounters with monsters can be very dangerous.  My Barbarian is good in a toe-to-toe melee, even against several foe's and a good hit can even take some out in a single blow, but you can't rely on coming out on top all the time.  I've been on the wrong end of a severe beating on several occasions.  In fact, as you don't get XP for defeating monsters (only completing objectives and finishing the quest, although some of those objectives could be defeating certain monsters) combat is sometimes best avoided if possible.  There's no regenerating 'mana' to fire off a spellcasters healing and attacking spells, once it's gone, it's gone.  Sure, sometimes there are opportunities to rest, but these a few and far between.

So, it's a MMO because, obviously, there's lots of people to be seen in the public areas and there's nothing to stop your whole guild from taking over a pub while you drink, eat and chat. Incidentally, the only place you can naturally recover hit points and spell points is in the pub (tavern, inn, ale house, etc).  At first it only takes a minute or so to recover from near death.  However, as you gain levels and therefore more hit points etc, it will take you an awful lot longer to regenerate.  Buying food and drink will mitigate this and increase the rate of regeneration.  So after a particularly tough quest, you group can retire to a quiet table, eat & drink what they've bought and generally just socialise.  In fact, it just feels natural to do so.  This, combined with the approach needed to tackle quests and dungeons, helps you slide into the role playing part of the game.  It's you, with a few friends or guildmates sharing stories and food over a pint in a crowded inn, full of strangers doin there own thing.  Much more fun than wandering the wilderness looking for 10 bears and 10 badgers to kill, and realising that everybody else in the area is doing the exact same thing.

It's not comparably better or worse than the other popular MMORPG's (give or take a few letters) out there, it's just different, and good.  Very good in fact.

A winner for roleplayers and adventurers, not so for grinders, power levellers, crafters and killwhores.  I'll leave the following fact for you to digest, which may well influence you into looking at this game or not.  After a hard days play with a new character, you're still likely to be level one when you finish.  There's feats and skills to learn on the way, but you'll still be level one.

Cheers

Aircool