DDO Class Guide for New Players

[@d0tt]

Some timestamps! 03:32 Fighter 05:56 Barbarian 06:57 Paladin 09:12 Sorcerer 11:25 Wizard 14:06 Cleric 16:21 Ranger 17:20 Rogue 19:12 Bard 20:25 Best picks for new players breakdown 21:08 Monk (Premium) 22:50 Favored Soul (Premium, unlockable ingame) 23:59 Druid (Premium) 24:41 Warlock (Premium) 25:52 Artificer (Premium, unlockable ingame) 27:26 Alchemist (Premium)

[@Monna7777777]

Thank you

[@Stina1701]

Thank you for breaking this down for us.

[@inMYtimeOFneed92]

Barbarian gets a semi-spammable option for temporary hp which is in some aspects even better then healing, and it gets a LOT of thp(150!), right at level 2. I think it is a very good starting class, I have been playing a barbarian in HC season 3 and I can faceroll most of the content; you can get a very high HP pool, your damage is pretty high, easy to use and to build.

[@crs2221993s]

As an 11 year veteran player i completely agree with this list cant think of anything to argue. Paladin does seem to be my go to melee now a days normally run a thf quarter staff with the pally diety.

[@Reciprocation_of_goodwill]

I waited 4 years for this xD

[@zap3704]

Same dude

[@wilturvey9029]

Played DDO way back when and just recently returned.. I like Wizard but I start with Rogue at level 1 to get the extra skill points and the open locks, and disarm device. The nice thing is Dexterity and Intelligence are the principle attributes for both classes.

[@r8chlletters]

So so helpful...thank you Axel for thinking of us newbies! I started in May and keep coming back to your content for guidance ☺️

[@AxelAlexK]

You're welcome, have fun.

[@edsonhaefliger6376]

Funny that on the screen of choice they all keep their weapons, and when we are playing there is no such possibility, we have to run through the cities with guns drawn, interesting

[@444ranger444]

/sheathe in the chat to hide your weapons

[@rancorusia]

@@444ranger444 it hides it, but doesnt put it on their back like the creation screen

[@justauser7368]

@@rancorusia Just place an empty weapons-group-field in your bar and click on it. Then your heros weapon will disapear :)

[@davidwagner5788]

I know this is off-topic, but DDO needs UI scaling.. and a general overhaul / remaster ^^ I loved this game, best character customization I've ever seen in an MMORPG, been playing on and off since the start 14 years ago but every time I go back to the game nowadays, it always feels so outdated in terms of graphics, movement and even combat (compared to games like Blade & Soul or Black Desert Online) Nice guide btw!

[@AxelAlexK]

iirc they recently talked about wanting to do UI scaling.

[@davidwagner5788]

@@AxelAlexK oh, nice! That would improve things a lot. Thanks for the info!

[@Valdis63]

So I was thinking about getting this but I'm worried about player base is it worth it. Basically is it worth spending money on or should I stay free 2 play. Are there mercs to supplement lack of players like eq and ff 11 have ?

[@alphasierrabravo5905]

Yes

[@frankcoley1537]

@Axel I'm glad you madw this video. DDO is in desperate need of new players. I lovw the community a lot of nice people, but they don't play the game like they used to. Its been this massive chase for XP now.

[@lufasumafalu5069]

u need far more subs for the content quality you put out

[@AxelAlexK]

Thanks! Appreciate that.

[@ServantRules]

I'm going to say the best (non-premium) newbie classes are the Paladin, Cleric, Bard, and Rogue. They all have soloing ability while also having easy fits for party needs. But really, one of DDO's strengths is that it breaks the "vanilla" tanker/dps/support/nuker choices other MMOs are shackled with. That's not even taking into consideration Multi-classing. So play and experiment!

[@cheezyworm3915]

Ranger too

[@sebbonxxsebbon6824]

I strongly recommend playing a single class character until you know which classes can add to a character and which will ruin your character.

[@catherinemorgan2741]

with druids, they have pets that can lvl along with you and help fight in quests and artificers get a robot type dog

[@ktaikamatika1397]

Iconic notes: Iconics (Iconic classes) were actually introduced back in like 2k13 with U18 Shadowfell Consipracy expansion pack. Their original purpose was to offer players a chance the run the new U18 content even if they had no appropriate level character (due to reincarnation habits, read up about it if you are new to the game, otherwise you will understand what I am saying). Eventually the developers (turbine) back then decided to make these classes part of the reincarnation system, but with a different system called Iconic reincarnation. Each iconic past life (up to 3 stacks) offer some small game benefits, like reduced incoming melee damage if you have Purple Dragon past lives, etc. DDO unfortunately is also tainted by what most MMO players call "the farm and grind" problem, that you basically have to run some contents more and repeatedly, which imho as a veteran player (played in 2k6 first as free trial, then returned to the game when it became f2p in2k9) even I find exhausting. I'd say that the game itself is better if you play with friends, otherwise, you just end up getting bored, but then again this also applies to other MMOs. The graphics imho at highest settings is decent (if not the best), it has some decent storytelling (Mists of Ravenloft is highly recommened among most players, that is a well done "adventure pack"), BUT the UI of the game I gotta say has not really improved much and can be really confusing to new players.

[@lightningandodinify]

To my understanding: Wizard: scientist/philosopher Alchemist: chemist Artificer: engineer/technician.

[@mosshivenetwork117]

Thanks! DDO is one of the most entertaining games of all time.

[@lufasumafalu5069]

which class best to solo dungeons

[@AxelAlexK]

Depends on what difficulty and what level range we're talking. If you're a new player two handed fighting paladin is the first build I'd recommend. Does well at all difficulty levels, is very survivable, has solid self healing, has some nice buffs, is easy to play and has very good DPS.

[@Come2theCraftyside]

Myself , the hubby ,his brother and a friend of ours are starting this game. We all have played a variety of games for YEARS so my question is..what would you suggest as a healer /support class for basically a built grp.

[@AxelAlexK]

The best healers are probably cleric and favored soul. Bards are the best buffers while still being decent healers. Classes like druid can be good healers too, but generally cleric or favored soul is the way to go if you want to be a healer.

[@Willias]

Barbarian is fine to start off as. Make sure to pick up Blood Tribute out of the Frenzied Berserker tree ASAP (Barbs can get it part of the way through level 2). No, it isn’t healing, and it lowers your max HP, but at low levels it gives you more HP than you’d get out of any heal anyway. And you get all of your lost CON back by resting at a rest shrine.

[@AxelAlexK]

Like I said in the video I don't think any class is bad to start off as. I agree Barb is fine, I just think other classes like Paladin are even easier for a new player considering they get so much more utility and self healing while still being simple to play.

[@lufasumafalu5069]

can u multiclasa in DDO like in BG3 ? can i use my light cleric build from BG3 to DDo

[@AxelAlexK]

Yes, you can multiclass up to a max of 3 classes in DDO.

[@miguelmialichi6367]

So basically for my indecisive ass Cleric

[@marksoberay2318]

Bards exclusively could get the coolest looking item in the game, Mad Lute!

[@ktaikamatika1397]

surely you know that moonhowl axe is just as niche :S i mean charisma to attack and damage for bards and sorcs are fine at lvl 4

[@AxelAlexK]

Not my personal favorite but it's a good looking one for sure.

[@MrPierdolification]

DDO is a game which doesn't punish you harshly Noww there is me who played mostly around 2007-2010 thinking about that sentence when well made character was having hard time all game long but badly made character couldn't do anything solo and was just 5th wheel on a wagon dragged around :P

[@jarreddiaz1890]

This is pretty hard to understand as a beginner because there are a lot of words used I don’t understand

[@AxelAlexK]

Yeah, I get that. Feel free to ask away. Or if you want to catch me on twitch (twitch.tv/axelalexk) I'll be happy to answer any of your questions.

[@jonnyh7848]

Class in ddo "NOT" balanced ! ---quote by Cordovan. So just pick class u like 😎

[@brendonwheeler5893]

I stopped the video at that point, I already put up with enough BS from this game, I am not going to watch the same BS on KZbin

[@jonnyh7848]

@@brendonwheeler5893 yea, the actual playing in game is the best.🤗

[@AxelAlexK]

@@brendonwheeler5893 Classes are balanced in terms of any class can be viable, any class can work. Certainly some classes/builds are better than others. The game will never be perfectly balanced. And obviously something like, for example, fire sorc is much better than warpriest cleric in endgame R10, but the main point I was trying to make is that any class can be viable. It's not like other games where some classes are good and others are complete unviable garbage. The gaps aren't all that large in DDO, generally.

[@Rood67]

Correct, classes are not balanced. In some games, the sorcerer can tank as well as a fighter in full plate. However, as Axel mentioned in his reply; the classes are balanced in terms of no class completely suck. Everyone has advantages and disadvantages; which makes for teaming - which is the basis of AD&D.

[@kirtwedel9275]

@@brendonwheeler5893 Has no one told you playing this game is voluntary? IF the game and videos on the game cause you this much aggravation you can stop. No really.

[@starbuck3980]

If i have two universal spell power equipment bonuses in different items, they stack? where can i see my final spell power to check what works or not?

[@AxelAlexK]

Different types stack, same types don't. So if both are equipment bonuses they don't stack. On your character sheet your spellpowers are listed, so you can take items on or off to test if you are ever not sure.

[@starbuck3980]

@@AxelAlexK i checked again my character sheet and i don't find anywhere my spellpower

[@justauser7368]

Thank you for this. Just started a few days ago with this game and I never had such a P&P-Feeling within a Computergame. Love this game, even if it is a bit challenging to play solo at the moment. Is Roleplaying still a thing in this game?

[@AxelAlexK]

You're welcome. And yes, there's groups of players who do. Though you'll need to find some like minded people.

[@muskyelondragon]

The biggest barrier for a new player successfully playing a caster is mastering toolbars and hotkeys. I have a Razor mouse with num keys on the side and a foot pedal with 3 pedals. Both my keyboard and mouse support macros. New player gonna struggle. In my opinion.

[@gxgycf8348]

I just organized hotbars into buffs, elemental dps, and clickies and click on what i need as i need it lol, works for me so far

[@AxelAlexK]

Yeah, it can be. I have a lot of hotkeys myself. Never even heard of using foot pedals, that sounds pretty neat.

[@muskyelondragon]

@@AxelAlexK Search for USB foot pedal. They are inexpensive and easy to set up.

[@AxelAlexK]

@@muskyelondragonJust did, interesting. I really don't want more clutter in my apartment though, lol. I'd probably map my self-heal to it if I got one.

[@iconocast]

would kill for some timestamps.

[@AxelAlexK]

I always select on screen the class I'm talking about so that should help.

[@PWNtiffication]

Thanks for this video! Brother and I are just now going to try this game out, and this is a great help! Which world/server are you on? Thank you again!

[@AxelAlexK]

No problem. I play on the Thelanis server.

[@starbuck3980]

The expansions have discounts at some times of the year? they are really expensive, 40 $ for a expansion? that is like buying another game

[@AxelAlexK]

Yeah, they go on sale from time to time. Next one will probably be this fall with Black Friday sales.

[@starbuck3980]

@@AxelAlexK How big are the discounts usually?

[@AxelAlexK]

@@starbuck3980 Depends but normally a lot. Like 50-75 percent. They recently had a special sale where some of them were down to 99 DDO points which is about $1.

[@VitoPlaysGames]

Best free-to-play classes for new players in my opinion: ( *There are better choices, but if you're completely new and not making an advanced build I recommend these* ) [] ---> Melee Top 3: 1. Paladin (Tanky, decent damage, reliable heals and buffs, slightly above average saves) 2. Bard (I recommend the Warchanter Tree for beginners; Slightly above average damage and heals, lots of buffs, some decent mid-range spells, great crowd control, high utility) 3. Cleric (Similar to Paladin but less melee damage, great heals, good buffs, some decent ranged spells) [] ---> Ranged Top 3: 1. Sorcerer (Great damaging spells, highest base spell points. squishy, low utility and cc, no heals unless Warforged) 2. Ranger (I recommend the Arcane Archer tree for beginners; Good ranged damage, good hybrid between piercing and spell damage, decent heals starting at level 8, decent utility, high evasion) 3. Wizard (Like the Sorcerer but slower, has more utility, more crowd control, almost as much damage, no heals unless if you're either Warforged or necromancy Pale Master build. Hard to explain, but you basically become undead and heal yourself through negative magic which is an interesting mechanic though NOT RECOMMENDED)

[@MasterChief-ie2xu]

You say not recommended (with wizard neg heals) but if you build a good necromancer wizard, you get self healing which increases as you lvl and by lvl 30 you can get up to 3k+(elite) or 1k to 2k in reaper depending on difficulty per tick. Not even mentioning the amount of necromancy dcs and spell pen the palemaster tree gives, with a good build you can drop mobs like flies as well as solo epic quests on r6 easily (granted you've to be experienced and you could go up to r8 with mid difficulty). Palemaster wizard is very strong and quite good to solo with even in reaper difficulties as long as you have a good build (though most new players may struggle a bit due to small low sp you get at low lvls)

[@elvoria]

Warlock is a hybrid of offensive caster and bow user? Hmm.. i didn't know that. I guess time for me to explore that.

[@denewst01]

Kind of :) The eldritch blasts work more like a ranged weapon than actual spells but can have some additional special effects & they get a number of offensive spells available to them too.

[@marksoberay2318]

I know all this stuff!!! Lol Great timing as many new players! Which is absolutely awesome

[@AxelAlexK]

Yep, lots of brand new players at the moment which is why I did this now for them.

[@URMyNewTV]

@@AxelAlexK And many returning players who forgot everything, DDOfreequests FTW!

[@starbuck3980]

I am trying to craft something but the tutorial is really horrible, keep asking to make a shard when i already made one, i made a wizardry shard that i dont know what i must do to craft an item. Also tried to use DDO forums but there is no button to post after registering, this company seems want to make things hard to achieve. Can you add shards to items already found or to deconstructed items without any power?

[@starbuck3980]

I am trying to select Multiple enhancement selector, i have spent more than 5 AP in the archmage tree as it is required, but still doesnt let me choose that skill, do you know why? i met all the requirements for that enhancement but doesnt let me select it

[@LazloArcadia]

Rogue solo - get a tank hireling. They have aggro = you have 100% back stab

[@nothingbutsomething158]

I am planning to play with 2 other people. Any 3 classes that go really well together as beginners?

[@AxelAlexK]

Someone who can disarm traps, so either a rogue or artificer is very helpful. That would be my main suggestion. Other than that, it doesn't much matter. Someone who can heal a bit may be nice but you can always use a hireling, which is a computer AI player, for healing if you need it.

[@nothingbutsomething158]

That was helpful, thank you!

[@starbuck3980]

Do you know why i just have maximize and extend spell feats? i am already 9th level wizard but dont know how to train the other feats like Heighten Spell

[@AxelAlexK]

You get more feats as you level. You must have just not taken the feat yet. You can take it as you level, if you want.

[@starbuck3980]

@@AxelAlexK didnt notice any feat to choose when i leveled, if i didnt chose it then i lost all those points or i can spend them next time i level?

[@AxelAlexK]

@@starbuck3980 Some levels give you feats, some don't. Depends on class but you typically get your choice of a new feat every 3 levels or so. You are required to pick something, so you must have chosen something else. Or if you are on one of the premade paths you picked at character creation it will choose your feats for you automatically.

[@starbuck3980]

@@AxelAlexK i just chose the wizard path, i didnt see any custom paths to chose at start, i couldnt even change my stats and i just can choose the spells at certain levels, but dont understand how is possible that if wizard is a premade path doesnt let you choose heighten spell or automatically picks that feat for you as a premade path, so now for choosing a wizard i cannot be as good as wizard as a custom class? and how can you choose a custom class? didnt find any option, i was looking for it at start to try to change my stats

[@AxelAlexK]

@@starbuck3980 No, wizard is not a path. Premade paths are fixed leveling choices you can choose for certain classes just to make leveling faster and simpler. You would have had the option to choose one at character creation, or to customize (pick everything yourself). Basically all paths do is have the game choose your stat/feat choices and such for you when you level. When you go to to the class trainer to level up it will tell you if you are on a path. It will also give you the option to leave the path. So you'll be able to take heighten still when you gain levels. Wizards get bonus feat choices at 1, 5, 10, 15 and 20. So if you are level 9 you will be able to pick a feat the next time you level up.

[@catherinemorgan2741]

well for one you do get little money going through tutorial in begin and get potions to heal and the little money you do get buy a hireling to heal you or some ask newbies to join guild so money and potions can be given

[@JesusIsTheWay59]

Do I have to wait until level 6 to get the exotic weapon proficiency

[@grassgrazer22091]

Warlock is best

[@Rood67]

*NO* not a level increase. 30 is too much now for us casual players. I don’t have time to get class or racial completionist. Add in the pets from expansion packs are level locked; meaning you cannot access them until a certain level, and within a few more, they are useless. And who wants to run Gianthold, VON 3, Two Toed Debias, and druids deep another 50 times to level up?!?

[@misterogers9423]

I played the game back in 2010 as a paladin. It was great until I had respecced into Paladin/Rogue cross class.

[@AxelAlexK]

Yeah not sure paladin rogue would work that well, they don't really share any main or secondary stats.

[@shubhampathak4967]

It just felt like the fighter was mocking him

[@catherinemorgan2741]

clerics and paladins also turn undead bad guys rofl

[@Fioletowooki]

Omg so i picked premade path so i have to reroll now? (Wizard sage)

[@AxelAlexK]

You don't have to but your character would be much better if you re-roll and follow a good build. You can alternatively buy a lesser heart from the store and Respec although that does not allow you to change everything. You can also just reincarnate once you get to level 20 instead.

[@Fioletowooki]

​@@AxelAlexK I spent all day to create "perfect" character. I didn't even saw that there is an alignment to choose. I'm 29 years old and i feel so stupid for this game. At least i had only level 2 so i rerolled to sorc from a guide you linked but i still don't understand MANY things.

[@AxelAlexK]

@@Fioletowooki Don't worry that's normal. DDO is a very deep and complex game. There's a lot to learn as a new player. Luckily you were only level 2 so not much progress lost.

[@Fioletowooki]

@@AxelAlexK Last question: I have a character from 2006 and he has an item "agony, knife in the dark". It says i can sell it for 9,200 plats but vendor offers me only 920 plats. What's the problem? I want to delete this old char bcoz of nickname for my new ranger but i don't want to lose money. It's binded to this character. 9,200 plats is worth anything? I was studying all internet to get some answers but nope i got nothing.

[@AxelAlexK]

I'm not sure how exactly the plat offered by vendors is determined, sorry. Can't answer that one. But plat is easy to acquire in game by selling random loot which is abundant so losing 9k plat is not a big deal at all. Most long term players actually have literally millions of plat.

[@Terrivian_Vess]

Yeah, there is one class/race combo that I don't believe is balanced. It's Warforged artificer. (Yeah you have to buy them both, so not noob friendly, ik). You get access to the most powerful ranged weapon (repeating heavy crossbow) one handed with a rune arm. You can disable traps, reserved for squishy rouge's. You get a trainable pet like no metal druids. You get a free slot each level to heal yourself and pet, like a cleric. You have unlimited spellbook by inscribing like a wizard. You can bypass any damage resistance like a ranger. And the enhancement trees let you choose to go super melee tank, fire crossbow without reloading for 30 seconds + trip by shooting tree, or 20x more spell points than you will ever need tree. I have trouble playing any class that isn't artificer because of how straight up broken artificer is. And the Cannith "Ring of master Artificer" that you can get and upgrade from level 4-20 makes you Uber heal and sometimes heal on hit. I used a barovian heavy pick and whatever alternate night thingy axe for a melee build. Got me to lvl 20. A heavy repeating Barovian crossbow was used right up until my Artificer hit lvl 29, where I swapped it for the Morninglord Heavy repeating crossbow. A min lvl 10 item carried me through lvl 28 quests. Endless fusilade is busted. Sorry for the long comment. I just do not see how this amalgamation of classes is at all balanced.

[@AceWolf456]

"play the class you want to play, they are all very balanced" I appreciate the septimate, I know some people like to minmax try to be the very best right from the start. But I'm just here so I don't have to make one of every character to figure out which one I want to play.

[@peterkottke2570]

I think it needs to be noted that a characters progression will be different depending on the stage of the game. My first character was a ranger tempest. Strong in early game. Decent in mid-heroics. Struggling in late heroics. Crippled in epics. As a melee I found my limited self-healing could not compensate for my lackluster defensive abilities. Other classes have different progressions. Nukers for example have it rough in early heroics with limited spells and the risk of running out of spell points. But they get much stronger in mid to late heroics.

[@leohale6449]

I find Wizard is better than Sorcerer for soloing due to the Pet you can summon from the Necromancer Tree.

[@starbuck3980]

This game is really confusing, i got an item which gives +1 resistance bonus to saves versus spells but i checked all my saves like reflex, fortitude, etc... and don't change at all

[@AxelAlexK]

if it is just a regular resistance bonus item versus saves then that means you are already getting the resistance bonus from a different source, so it's not stacking. Two sources that are both resistance bonuses will not stack with each other. Only different types of bonuses stack, same types do not. You probably have a spell or another item that is already giving a resistance bonus. If it is one of those items that is saves against only spells, then I don't think that shows on the character sheet since the saves listed there are your overall saves against all attacks - not just spells. I will have to test I'm not quite sure on that. And yeah this is a very complex and deep game there is a significant learning curve. Don't feel bad about that a lot of people get confused about stacking rules in DDO.

[@starbuck3980]

@@AxelAlexK so, even if it is the only item with that resistance bonus shouldn't increase the overall saves shown in the character sheet as it is not just against spells, i just would have to be sure i don't have any other object with resistance against spells cause wouldn't stack

[@starbuck3980]

But how do you heal yourself with wizard? i choose undead form but they dont heal, i just see other skills that give me a better negative healing but i think it wont be useful cause i dont heal at all

[@AxelAlexK]

You need to use the lesser death aura, death aura, greater death aura spells and/or the negative energy burst spells.

[@starbuck3980]

@@AxelAlexK thanks

[@Musiccat95]

Is it normal for it to take forever to download

[@AxelAlexK]

Yes, lol. Updates are normally quick though fortunately.

[@bobrossthegod8434]

Really enjoyed this game a long time ago, but never really got past the tutorial Island I think lol. When watching videos it always seems the character only auto attacks (probably my inexperience). From other mmos seems the abilities and skills are more defined, ive seen player videos that have 30+ action bars on their screen and seems they use a very small amount or non of the skills on the bar and gets me confused. Looking to try this game again in 2020 though to see if I can get a grasp of it this time. Video helping a lot thanks for posting it.

[@ASolzhenitsyn]

Most of the time when people have a ton of action bars what you are seeing is mostly items. Gear they swap to for specific things, consumables, items that have a click to cast ability, that kind of thing. You really don't need anything like that to play the game well though.

[@gingercore69]

Is it possible to grind for points to buy monk?

[@AxelAlexK]

Yes. Monk is 995 points and you get 25 points per 100 favor in game. So it'll take a couple character lives but yes.

[@roguedexx938]

Artificers are Awesome! My Fun build Aasimar Artificer/Sorcerer/Cleric 1/4/2. TrapSpringing/Sorcerer with a repeating crossbow with light self-healing. Using Eldritch Knight Enhancement Tree

[@AxelAlexK]

Sounds interesting, probably too complex though for a new player. I think something such as a classic pure warforged artificer is a really good build for a new player. But warforged and artificer are not free classes so it's pretty doubtful that most new players could use them right off the bat. Except for those that go VIP immediately, but vast majority will stay limited to free to play classes and races at first.

[@wayne1132]

I have a question why is the falconer able to use his skills that require his bird not able to use any of those skills on minotaurs and yet able to use them on any other race in the game?

[@AxelAlexK]

I don't understand what you're referring to. If you're asking about the falconry tree, those attacks as part of the enhancement tree work on every monster.

[@wayne1132]

@@AxelAlexK yes that is what I am talking about, is it a bug then? Because it doesn't work on minotaurs.

[@AxelAlexK]

@@wayne1132yes, that's definitely a bug if it is happening.

[@uvveshlurvvesh6515]

Hi, started tue Game yesterday for the First time - are there no Skills in the Game? O.o

[@AxelAlexK]

Yes, you select skills during character creation and every time you level up. There are a lot of ways through gear and consumables in game to boost them as well.

[@uvveshlurvvesh6515]

@@AxelAlexK Not really, i've chosen to Play an Rogue with an preset Path and there wasnt any Skills to take :/

[@AxelAlexK]

@@uvveshlurvvesh6515 Ah, that's because you chose a preset path. Choosing a preset path with choose all of your feats and skills for you. You still have them though. I'd instead reroll and pick the customize character option to pick what you want. Check the DDO.com forums for some good builds. You can check your characters skills in game by going to the character sheet in game (press the "c" key) and then go to the skills tab.

[@daemiax]

Lol Laughs in Blade barrier, soloing high lv instances as FvS Try that with a solo non construct sorcerer.

[@purgedome2386]

High DC?? Does Marvel score count too? :D UMD.. hmm.. ultimate monster damage.. yeah.. thief it is!!! ;D

[@AxelAlexK]

Lol. DC = difficulty check. Which is basically a measure of how hard your spell or ability is for monsters to resist. Higher the better. UMD is use magic device, a skill that lets you use items like scrolls that aren't a part of your class. So a divine class can use UMD to use an arcane classes spells via scroll, ect.

[@hristo.bogdanov]

Great video, just one thing - the rogue can "Bluff" the target which will enable sneak attacks. Still - the rogues are quite better with a friend.

[@r8chlletters]

Man I wish I’d had this when I started last month lol...Alex, what if you are trying to compliment a 2 or 3 person team? What do you suggest for second and third life?

[@AxelAlexK]

Someone to get traps, so either a rogue or artificer is very helpful in a group of new players, but not required. Can even be a build like 18 wizard/2 rogue, doesn't necessarily have to be pure rogue or artificer. Other than that, really anything goes. Just play the builds you want to play. A healer type is helpful but hirelings (computer AI controlled characters) can also be used for healing if needed. DDO isn't an MMO that requires a certain party makeup. The quests are made to not require certain classes, with very few exceptions.

[@lostyourhumanity809]

So I'm new to ddo and I normally play a tank healer that's good at solo and group play is that possible to make in ddo

[@AxelAlexK]

Yes, though your DPS won't be all that great for soloing. But if you're just wanting to solo the standard difficulties it should work ok. And you'll be very wanted in groups. You kind of need to choose between Tank/healer or DPS/healer. Can't really do both. But yes I've seen some awesome cleric tanks.

[@lostyourhumanity809]

@@AxelAlexK awesome thanks I saw that yesterday I made my character and I was able to clear out the first dungeons but I didn't do a lot of dmg and I'm thinking this is gonna work good for me bc I have a large mana pool so I can heal myself and I don't take that much dmg but as you said it takes me longer to do simple missions bc of my dps

[@KillItAndBurnIt]

Decided to try this game out because of Josh Strife Hayes video. This is very helpful

[@AxelAlexK]

I watched his video yesterday, was a good review!

[@starbuck3980]

How can i play faydark illusionist? ask me to go to ddo store but i cannot buy it from there, just can buy some expansions and some bundles. How they expect attracting new players?

[@AxelAlexK]

You can unlock it in game from favor by running feywild quests, buy it in the DDO store or get it by buying either of the top 2 expansion bundles. It is sold individually n the DDO store afaik.

[@starbuck3980]

@@AxelAlexK Yes, i found it, but why doing feywild quests? i thought you could use favor from any other house. Also can i transform favor into DDO points whenever i want or just when i achieve a new favor level in that house faction?

[@AxelAlexK]

@@starbuck3980 Because different types of favor often unlock different things and that's the benefit tied to Summer Court (feywild) favor. You also get 25 DDO points automatically for every 100 favor of any type you gain in game.

[@starbuck3980]

@@AxelAlexK So i can just unlock it gaining enough feywild favor without paying for any DDO point? how much feywild favor would i need to automatically unlock?

[@AxelAlexK]

@@starbuck3980 Yes, you'll need to own the content though to play it. It's the highest reward. You'll need to do most of the quests from Summer Court on elite difficulty or higher. See ddowiki.com, search summer Court favor for exact details. But essentially if you do all the expansion quests on elite or higher you should get it. Can even skip a few iirc and do some hunter and hunted pack quests instead if you want.

[@denewst01]

I think ranger is probably the best beginner class out there, in large part because it's a class that's very cohesive conceptually as a lightly armoured mobile scout & skirmisher. For melee, it uses 2 weapons & relies more on avoiding getting hit than just tanking the blows & for ranged it uses a bow, complete with ability to tailor the shots to the target. It also receives BOTH lines of feats for those styles just inherently to the class, meaning feat selection is far easier & a new player can check out either playstyle very easily. There's not many spells but in this case that's a good thing, as they also feed into the class concept & it's easy to select ones that will be useful rather than being overwhelmed. Enhancement tree wise, an arcane archer is a great option since paralysing arrows don't need all that much investment to be useful & the "hey, suddenly most of that entire group of enemies are simply unable to do anything thanks to me!" once they get the hang of quick target switching to just tag each enemy with them can be a great confidence booster for a newbie.

[@AxelAlexK]

It's a very good choice for sure. It's really subjective which is "best" for a new player which is why I tried to emphasize that a lot of classes can work well for someone new.

[@denewst01]

@@AxelAlexK absolutely agree, but for a first build since there's so much that comes just inherent to the clas rather than needing more in-depth lookup & AA especially has all the different DR bypasses, ammo summoning etc, it means you can concentrate more on playing the game & get less overwhelmed by it all at once.

[@darkagebeal]

Thanks chief trying to get my gf to play but the choices get too much for her so this helps!

[@AxelAlexK]

No problem, glad the video was helpful

[@Laughingwithtravii]

New ish? player here. Well, I've played enough to try out every f2p class and favor farm on them to see what I enjoyed most, and I have a few questions/comments i guess so: 1.) is Two Weapon or Two Handed better for a Fighter? Or could you do both to some extent, or is that like, way too many feats even for a Fighter? lol The reason I liked Fighter was because it felt like, with Kensei at least, I wasn't punished as harshly for switching between styles, as long as they were both the same kind of weapon, in this case, slashing. It was cool to be able to 2H for trash and then 2W for the single target damage. I assume as I continue to lvl I won't be able to do that (Maybe on Norm or Hard, but defo not higher difficulties.) Which is why I kinda agree Fighters aren't for us newbies, it's too many options for us to get wrong. 2.) Barbarians felt almost exactly like Fighter cept with an easier focus on 2H for me, which I think is way more new player friendly than Fighter, harder to mess up. The movespeed was also nice and I totally understand all the 1 Barb splashes I've seen now, lmao. 3.) You pretty much answered all my Paladins questions so that's rad. 4.) I always thought of Wizard like the Arcane Cleric, so that's a nice comparison to help us newbies understand. My favorite thing about Wiz is just the variety, it's probably the class I've messed around with the most. EK 2H is extremely fun! PM Vampire Single weapon + orb was neat, I really tried to give Zombie a go but the animations were too jarring. My favorite is AM though, I'm not sure why, it's just satisfying in a way that being a knight or necromancer simply isn't, just feels the most wizard! 5.) Because of how much I enjoyed Wiz i still havent tried Sorc to the same degree, a lot because I feel like I lose my sweet sweet buffs, and just, versatility/utility, ya know? but now I shall attempt to do something with an AS cc-ish Sorc, just cause, a different type of support so to speak. 6.) Cleric I don't even know what I wanna do cause you can do so much, it's like Divine Wizard truly fhdsjfkds. It'll probably be the next class I actually like, take the time to dive into. This is such an in depth game it's quite amazing. Do I wanna be 2H or s&b or caster or etc, etc, haha. Also, support is typically my default role in most games its an option in, so now I must ask, are there any 100% always slot buffs people LOVE? So I can make sure to have those. I'm sure I'll learn what's best over time, but really us new players need a little direction. DDO is very much like Warframe in that regard, seems rather simple at first, but once you understand how exactly builds work and why they work, it opens up a lot. Thank you for this vid by the way (and all the comments too!) 7.) Tempest Ranger 2W is probably my favorite melee class, it just feels extremely satisfying. Always having the option to range is cool too. It's probably one of the few classes I've seen where you can kinda have your cake and eat it too. You get two different types of combat without having to invest in a multitude of things, one obviously being superior, but the other not unusable. 8.) I defo wanna grab Druid and Arti now, they look fun and also like they bring utility. Is it worth waiting to grind the favor for the unlocks, or is it just MUCH easier to buy them on sale? I've been enjoying my time in the game so I don't mind spending money. Stinks that I just missed the big free content ordeal, but also happy to support them ya know? 9.) To any other new players out there: always start with at least 14 Con! And if you don't know what lvl1 Feat to take, Toughness is your friend. Also, always check forum post dates, so you know if what you are looking at is relevant. Thank you for this video! So much of the content aimed at helping us newer players is EXTREMELY outdated, though some of it still holds up thankfully. Very glad I found your channel (I think thru forums!)

[@AxelAlexK]

Two handed fighting is better right now, IMO. And yes, I pretty much always start with 14 CON. Hitpoints are so important in DDO.

[@williamlee6358]

cool thanks

[@davevisco78]

👍

[@BlazeTube626]

Rerolled my bard to fighter and I'm having a blast

[@alphasierrabravo5905]

You can reroll your character class?

[@BlazeTube626]

@Phosphenic Resistance 👆🏿

[@JJ-is4wm]

Is Warlock strong?

[@ASolzhenitsyn]

Yes. Warlocks are a good balance of tough and damage dealing. You can be a blaster with crowd control and the ability to cycle a big temp hit point buff. If you go enlightened spirit you dps output goes down but it is super tough with tons of hit points and multiple layers of temp hit point buffs. You can also do a necromancer type but they require more experience, gear, etc to make powerful.

[@lightningandodinify]

Thanks to hardcore ppl are playing elite again

[@AxelAlexK]

Well you aren't wrong lol

[@lightningandodinify]

@@AxelAlexK I can finally play with people again on my new characters. ^~^

[@PURPLEPILLED]

DC?

[@AxelAlexK]

Difficulty Class. Higher the number, the more often your spells/abilities won't fail entirely or won't do partial damage, depending on the spell or ability - and will instead do full damage or succeed entirely in their intended effect.

[@PURPLEPILLED]

TYVM. So many games with different abbr.s@@AxelAlexK

[@PURPLEPILLED]

13yrs LOTRO... just DLed DDO and going to explore.

[@PURPLEPILLED]

Do I need to worry about the other selections ie. path, rage etc? Or do you have vids on those as well?@@AxelAlexK

[@AxelAlexK]

@@PURPLEPILLED if you mean premade path, definitely don't use one of those. Use customize and follow a build from the community or one you make yourself. The premade paths are all really weak builds.

[@keats27]

Not all classes work if you're soloing unless you're using hirelings, but in the beginning...you don't have a lot of money to buy them. You should be talking about effective builds because it is EASY to gimp a char. As for dropping down in difficulty, say goodbye to reasonable exp if you do that. Fighters can gain self healing if they pick the right race. Cleric is the best starter class--not oh...here play a sorcerer and get STOMPED with no melee or healing at early levels. Rogue is surprisingly good because of UMD. All classes can disarm traps--if you dump into disable device....Rogues and Artificers are the two best at it because DD is a class skill for them. Artificer is easy mode--all artificers can use repair to heal selves, the stupid animated suits of armor are just better at it because they can jack up their metal side easier.

[@AxelAlexK]

Hirelings are cheap. They're affordable for new players. Potions and scrolls for healing may not be though. Builds I linked to the forums for that. Yes, fighter builds alternatively can get self healing through race but not through the class itself, which was the topic of this video (btw the only free race that gets self healing in their racial tree is halfing through dragonmarks, and it's pretty limited at that). As I said in the video, there will be follow up video on races. The self-healing available there will be covered in that video. Dropping difficulties isn't a big deal IMO. You still get good XP on hard steak. Leveling isn't an issue on lower difficulties, especially 1st life where the XP required to level is lower than 2nd or 3rd+ lives on reincarnated characters.

[@Willias]

Game pretty well showers you with rewards from chests and quests. Pots, wands, and scrolls are all pretty affordable.

[@Pawc4]

... Unless they just changed it or it's something that requires past lifes, no can put points into DD or Pick Lock unless they have at least one level of rogue or Artificer. The video is mainly meant to be about classes going pure. The game is complex enough for new players, adding in multiclassing is just unnecessary.

[@AxelAlexK]

@@Pawc4 Yep. I did not go into multiclassing and many other nuances in order to keep this video as simple and brief as possible. The game is extremely complex. It took me 30 minutes already just to give a very basic overview of the classes, which was already longer than I wanted this video to be.

[@JahanMisra]

i feel like you’re used to running lives and forgot how fast you level first life. the average player will have more than enough quests to play with everything being free so running everything on normal is definitely feasible.

[@frankcoley1537]

I'm very very disappointed in the direction the game has gone. This direction has also caused the community to play differently. Meaning getting the most XP. Reaper is the worst thing to happen for new players. Reaper difficulty is being run by 90-99% of the community. As a new player leveling may be fast,but the content will be hard if you join groups. I hate Reaper now and I do not like the change in Mentality for how people play. I find myself really having to play missions solo. Finding quests is weird. Building a group is weird. Going solo is ok, but its time consuming. If the server doesn't have a lot of people in it at all levels its boring. People are helpful, but not as much as they used to be. The state of DDO is that its a good game, but needs more direction.

[@starbuck3980]

All mmos do the same, the put fighters like the worse class, don't know why

[@catherinemorgan2741]

recommending a paladin that has spells and newbie has no idea what to take or work a spell

[@dermosquitor9984]

Very good Video but stop begging for Money!

[@AxelAlexK]

Don't know why you'd say that but I definitely don't do that. The most I ever do is occasionally mention how to donate for a few seconds at the start or end of a video which I think is very reasonable considering all the time I have put into the channel. I am of course not entitled to a donation from anyone but they are very much appreciated as I get almost nothing through KZbin ads, and if I didn't occasionally mention it in my videos nobody would know about it.

[@josephine.1226]

Informative, nice video. I am little confused though - Isn't Warcraft kind of ultimate dungeons and dragons thing that contains everything imaginable? I mean... It kind of checks all boxes for many years already, is it not? What was to 'wait for' in this product that WoW did not offered long time ago in package with millions of active players?

[@TheA1111111111]

um, I might not be the right one to reply to this as I've never really played any of the Warcraft games, so I can't agree or disagree if it contains everything imaginable but the ultimate in 'dungeons and dragons' I would not know, I mean DnD modules predate any other such genre by quite a many years, also it is the "DnD" :) I came into the game from Dungeons and Dragons pen and paper games (DDO follows the 3.5 edition rules) and apart from getting the best fix of DnD I could possibly get online, I like the complexity of the game coming from its D20 ruleset - stats, feats, skills and enhancements and such. I have played a few MMOs here and there and couldn't think of a game out there where a mob rolls a save or where despite everything in your favor you roll a fail :) or one where there are multiple paths to a dungeon completion. Also a little personal but I love trapping!.. the crazier the trap, the happier it makes me lol. It might be also that DDO attracts a certain demographic, I joined quite later in life and realized most people in the game were too, so we sadly have very less teens (and drama I might add) and thus less exposure. I wish I had played Warcraft though a bit to compare the games but I did hear it has factions and wars between them.

[@JahanMisra]

ddo has a lot more options for build customization and optimization. it also has the reincarnation feature that allows for quests at all levels to be replayed as different builds and classes all while building up one character

[@AxelAlexK]

The 2 games are very different and play very different. DDO has a real time hack and slash style combat system and really deep character customization. That's probably its most notable defining characteristics. DDO is based on pen and paper DnD. WoW is just a completely different game.

[@unangwatataro7215]

People still play this ? I stopped after they buffed and buffed characters again and again while monsters remained the same, to the point that everyone soloed stuff and was no need for party.

[@AxelAlexK]

Yep, still around. They put in higher difficulty modes called Reaper several years ago which has 10 different settings above Elite and put way more challenge into the game.

[@penisnow1758]

Returning player after 8 years or so. Left when artificer came out. I have 5 or 6 characters on their 5th+ lives and am looking to jump back in and choose which characters to start out on. Any resources or consistent content for folks like myself. Mostly looking for builds metas etc.

[@AxelAlexK]

I do have a lot of video resources and guides and such in my backlog. And I do upload regularly. Though I rarely do build videos and I'm definitely not the best person for that. The DDO forums are definitely the best place to dig into builds and especially the meta builds.