Worst MMO Ever? - Dungeons and Dragons Online

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Session Zero: / sessionzerosz
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I love D&D, but even I can see this game has flaws.
Email sign up issues, overwhelming build choice, barebones tutorial, audio glitches, server lag, forum links breaking, repetitive warehouse corridors, bloated cash shop...
Yet despite all the flaws, DDO is at its very core, a fantastic foundation to build an incredibly enjoyable online adventure on, it's a superbly fun and varied game, just a shame it's coded like a plate of spaghetti.
Thanks to the supporters on Patreon, Twitch and KZbin who keep this channel alive :)

[@dungeonsanddragonsonline]

We just really wanted to thank you for checking out Dungeons & Dragons Online. We'll be digging further into quite a bit of your feedback as well. Team says hello!

[@ShiveringEroticKingBanana]

You guys needed a youtube video to learn your links don't work?

[@Br4vado]

​@A be nice the games only been out since I was in 10th grade. I'm 31 now

[@legendz411]

Cool to see the interaction but it feels so shallow since... like... you have broken URLs served to new players..

[@sahabatgamerID]

Do tell when you updated the UI and gave a good amount QoL. This game is still interesting.

[@holostro]

Lmaooo

[@frtzkng]

Funnily enough, the "sailor washed up on the shore as starting experience" trope is now also in World of Warcraft as the default starter for new players

[@leeschulken8744]

Same with ESO sorta.

[@lilwyvern4]

Kinda like that in Project Gorgon too, although in this case, you're intentionally marooned on said shore by some not nice people.

[@JaneXemylixa]

And like half the starts in Book of Travels too (8 start points/stories, some on the coast, only one of those is disembarking from a ship) it's a tiny, obscure, visionary, troubled game but if even it chooses the shipwrecked route then there might be something to it

[@mattwardproductions7399]

And Neverwinter

[@KoeiNL]

PoE also starts with you washing up on the shore.

[@kulrigalestout]

I think my favorite thing about DDO was being a wizard that had no attack spells but was still praised for being an exceptionally useful group member. Really sold the adventure aspect of it, like I was an explorer who learned magic for the convenience it provided rather than the power it promised.

[@silentdrew7636]

That also sells the Dungeons and Dragons aspect,

[@theiran]

I like to play a buffing wizard, and then sit back and throw dagger while my companions deal with the big stuff. I have have some spells as low cost innate abilities and they're useful too.

[@averse82]

wizards are a slow burn in ddo for sure....but by end game, you are blitzing everything and thats how it should be. strength builds are best early on but if you follow the wis/int/char path...patience builds power and that power is really good

[@bradk8590]

The crowd control magic in DDO is something I really haven't seen elsewhere, and it's really fun and dynamic. Each caster class has different ways to do it, and even within a class there's different methods. You mentally compel enemies to sit down, stand in place (hold), or dance. You can use Earthquake and Tsunami to knock them down. You can blind archers, silence casters, make enemies fight each other. Fascinate them all with a song and just leave them behind. Or kill all of them with death spells. And this is possible in addition to blasting them with Fireballs.

[@theiran]

@@bradk8590 I gave my wizard a couple wands of lighting bolt and boots of speed. He runs around throwing lightning.

[@Ryusagi]

Honestly some of the best of these "worst MMO" vids are the ones where you really enjoy and find things to praise. Only ones better are the ones where the dumbest things happen and it's hard to find ones that truly mess up terribly in a beautiful way.

[@simplemaddness]

You actually meet Jacoby Drexalhand in the first quest you did, he's the guy who opens up the gates into the tomb itself, hinting at a more sinister nature to him *before* you are tasked with hunting down the traitor.

[@creppersaurusrex2300]

Huh, i never made the connexion of the two !

[@bonk78624]

He was also raised as a Wight and is the boss of Necromancer's Doom.

[@TheBkchicken]

@@bonk78624 "coming towards you, no... it cant be, Jacoby Drexalhand stands before you! not alive, but not quite dead..." not sure why that naration stuck with me since i last played that quest oh idk, 6 to 8 years ago? but it did lol Edit: okay i got the quote very wrong, but still.

[@bonk78624]

@@TheBkchicken "Oh no! The Sahuagin found me!" "Please. Try to resist me. I found it more... stimulating." DDO is full of such nice quotes.

[@adamkatt]

@@bonk78624 We beat them off.

[@Uhlbelk]

The forum links breaking is sadly because they just overhauled the forums and had to put all the old forums into a old file storage.

[@rudyhero1995]

Was that "just" about 10 years ago, I remember when playing that the forums, ingame store etceterary to be rather unreliable

[@Uhlbelk]

@@rudyhero1995 hmm, not sure what forums you mean, they have been a very reliable very old style of indexed message for at least 12 years, difficult to search and overly burdened with html inserts and poor response indexing. I mean like 2 weeks ago they put the old forums into uneditable storage and started a whole new one. If you google ddo barbarian build and see forum links, they are ALL broken now since the old forum was placed in storage.

[@rudyhero1995]

@@Uhlbelk proabbly mistook the forums for the ingame store, and the daily rewards (the free stroe stuff) often not working, though i might be misremembering, was a long time I active played it.

[@HollowGolem]

@@rudyhero1995 No, it was earlier this week.

[@death299]

As easy as it is to shit on them for it, Blizzard had the same issue when they changed their forums years ago. Alot of MMOs break the forums for abit when they make them more usable, even sites like reddit broke for awhile when they switched formats so it may or may not even be possible to change a forum ans not break it temporarily

[@Uhlbelk]

Quick note, you don't need a premium item to reincarnate. The items to reincarnate can be purchased in the cash shop, but they are very easy and quick to grind in game

[@GreedyDrunk92]

And how is the lag in the game? I can't stand when a game is laggy (it's the only thing I can't stand about games, honestly). Lag is mentioned often in the video, but I haven't noticed anything on the footage

[@Zarkarin]

@@GreedyDrunk92 I have basically no lag issues and have been playing it fairly frequently for the past few months (I have a longer history with it but current state is what's relevant). There may have been slight things I just didn't make note of, but it's minimal at most in my experience, just expect things to be a bit slow when initially loading in.

[@Divadtube]

From my experience, this is a lie, but maybe its changed since I played.

[@KeuraChan]

@@GreedyDrunk92 I think you are talking about the server lag? It is when you hit something and there is a small delay to register it

[@samfrostinjapan]

@@GreedyDrunk92 The game has poor synchronization around movement/positioning. So if your ping is high, sometimes you'll rubberband around a bit. I play from Japan and have 300+ ping- about as bad as one can get -I only have real complaints when I'm doing platforming related puzzles. Generally speaking, if you're in the US with good internet, it's not much of an issue. Some players complain about the overloaded server related lag, but I've rarely had any issues with it except around seasonal events-- it's likely only an issue on the most populated servers at the most popular times.

[@torrinmaag5331]

I've been playing DDO with my dad since I was a kid, so I'm so happy that it's received such a fair piece of attention and that you enjoyed it so much!

[@gaijinguypod]

who asked

[@Yuni-is-Schrodingers-Fox]

​@@gaijinguypodyo mama asked

[@RAC00NFANGIRL]

I might play I’ve been tired of world of Warcraft it’s story been lack luster

[@Yuni-is-Schrodingers-Fox]

@@RAC00NFANGIRL have you tried final fantasy yet? It's free up to level 60. Btw your pfp is really cute

[@WhoShortsVids]

@@gaijinguypod No one asked. That's the point of a comment section. It doesn't require someone asking for something.

[@purplefanta7142]

Try this game during one of the hardcore server times. Nothing is better than having permanence to all of your actions. Also deaths are broadcast across the server. My favorite ones are 1) A level 1 wizard died in his own grease spell to the like 1d3 damage that falling causes 2) A guy told me my build sucked and left our party then died while I was still running the dungeon he bailed on.

[@joewelch4933]

I always love the guys on HC in reaper that dont want to wait the 20 seconds for the rogue to disarm the traps. Then get mad when no one else wants to run through a trap to save em.

[@RAC00NFANGIRL]

Seems like this game is fun I gotta give it try

[@purplefanta7142]

@@RAC00NFANGIRL Know that the tutorial quests are weak compared to the rest of the game. It ramps up over time. And if you enjoy I recommend 1 month VIP or trying the "unlock tons of dungeons" coupon.

[@gwildordipkin6504]

@@purplefanta7142 Every reviewer plays first few levels/starting areas and DDO has weak repetitive content at start.

[@purplefanta7142]

​@@gwildordipkin6504 Not even that, they do them all in order. If you have a tiny bit of experience under your belt you can leave korthos island immediately and go to the harbor. After a few decent pieces of gear I used to run that one kobold ringleader (the bugbear was the leader) quest

[@soulmuse6129]

As an avid DDO player I have been waiting for this. I expect yo be in extreme ammounts of very accurate pain.

[@davidbrown8546]

But admire the scenery

[@adammorrell8834]

I used to enjoy this game quite a bit. I may have to revisit it again soon.

[@Uhlbelk]

@@adammorrell8834 I would say, 5 years ago they did a major revision that fixed a lot of lag, they have continued to make improvement on lag but still has some issues once in a while. They have improved graphics about 3 years ago and have pumped out a lot of new content, just about once a year they get a big expansion.

[@a_c35]

I hope he played on one of the crowded servers on a saturday to get the full lag experience. As a new player I dont think he will have been able to have even gotten to any significant level of advancement in 8 hours of play. unless he played D&D 3.0/3.5, most of the systems wont even make sense to a new player.. hell, I know people playing DDO for years that still cant grasp the basic mechanics of the game to be able to understand if one item is better than another

[@Meirnon]

@@Uhlbelk The latest update just had a massive lag improvement as well as they changed how a lot of things are handled under the hood.

[@Wyrmshield]

Jacoby Drexelhand was the guy you had to talk to in the first dungeon after the tutorial, with the three crests that taught you about slashing and bludgeoning. You have to talk to him to open the crypt gates

[@legendz411]

How would anyone know thatttttt lol

[@Wyrmshield]

@@legendz411 because you can read what the npcs say to you

[@ShadowWolf0020]

​@@Wyrmshield in fairness, it's not like we get to know the guy before he betrays everyone

[@cupriferouscatalyst3708]

Open the crypt gates, Jacoby!

[@chiefmasterofdeepwarrens3208]

Me and my friends made fun of his existence "He's back! It's THE Jacoby Drexelhand"

[@Crazakun]

I've started playing DDO thanks to this review, and though I am very overwhelmed with the character build options and levelling, the gameplay and experience itself is very fun. I'm actually quite sad I never picked this game up during my MMO-fanatic days! Between this and Star Wars The Old Republic, I'm very much enjoying these old story-driven gems.

[@timothylewis1567]

I've been playing both SWTOR and DDO since their launches... 2 highly underrated MMOs and both amazing in their own right

[@skaphanatic5657]

That "out of ten" rating at the end is quite possible the most accurate and condensed synopsis of 3rd edition D&D I have ever seen.

[@0potion]

Back when I was a kid I played on 2nd edition. Later on I started on the 3rd edition, Am I honestly think 3rd edition The simultaneously the best and the worst Of dungeons and dragons. Is only gone downhill since though 😢

[@jashloseher578]

@@0potion Pretty much the same for myself as well. Went back to 3rd after getting a taste of 5th. Even still run 1E sometimes, for certain folks.

[@digweedrocks]

7/10-8.5/10 once you get to mid game. The dungeons have a ton of variety and personality

[@repentandbelieveinJesusChrist3]

Repent to Jesus Christ “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭4‬:‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬ H

[@Thatonedude917]

@@0potion I've pivoted to Pathfinder at this point

[@TundraShark]

In regards to the point that you mentioned about permanent durability loss, there's actually an extremely easy and free way to make sure this never happens. Collect some Siberys Dragonshard Fragments and bring them to the Stone of Change in the Marketplace. You can then combine any weapon/armor/etc. with the Siberys Dragonshard Fragments to make it bound to your character. All items that are bound to character will NEVER take permanent damage

[@1gient]

Best part is those things drop in near every single chest to the point that you'll eventually actively invest in the crafting system just to get rid of them.

[@Nitidus]

Does the game teach you this once something goes low on durability? No? Well...

[@sociallyineptclownprincech8731]

the alternative that most games do is just not have things permanently break seems like they spent a lot of resources trying to come up with an obtuse solution to a problem they created

[@F14thunderhawk]

permanent durability loss also cant happen to named items.

[@yourguysheppy]

"Just do this specific thing that the game doesn't tell you about" highlights the issue of the learning curve that he described, lmao.

[@Cobalt01]

Korthos Island is genuinely one of my favorite tutorial levels ever. Back in ~2010 when I was playing this game for the first time things felt a bit better explained, although I was a kid and didn't really ever optimize even after 2 reincarnations of learning. The worst thing I can say about the game is that im salty that I got ghosted AFTER an interview when I applied for an internship at Standing Stone

[@chilledpenguins8381]

The reason I love this series of videos even though I don't play MMOs at all is because of videos like this. The ones where someone who is intimately familiar with all the details of their chosen specification genuinely enjoys something despite the flaws. Yes, the videos where Josh's jaded, sarcastic whit is on full display because the game he's playing is genuinely bad are funny. But the delight in his voice with each "spoiler: it actually does matter!" delivery is so infectious. I'll most likely never play this game, and I've never even played D&D, but I enjoyed every minute of this video.

[@nathanmagro1]

I played this game so long ago. one line seared itself into my brain after hearing it over and over again. I was so hoping you'd include it in your video. You did. I am appeased. "Oh no... The Sahuagan have found me!"

[@aaronwilson311]

TIDY LASSES AND PINTS UP THE WAZOO

[@ihaveabigbeard]

Amalgam protect me!

[@yhelm]

"We beat them off... this time."

[@xiadais]

The pawn exchange! My name is Bazdor, and... (something? - my brain has converted it to "and there's nothing you can do about it" but I am 100% sure that's my joking bastardization of the line)

[@anubispatron]

@@yhelm ^ My fav line in the game, who doesn't like beating off Sahuagan?

[@rosalindchapman9035]

I desperately want a modern mmo with no lag in the design tradition of ddo. Quests as adventures with traps and puzzles and unique objectives and open ended character builds. DDO is still my favourite MMO of all time but it is hard to get friends into.

[@LordOfChaos.x]

the closest to that is Elden Ring or souls series but they are not mmo

[@Snowpoiinter]

osrs? lmao

[@jamesbyrd3740]

thing is that's a bad game design for an mmo. try tomb raider

[@Daniel-vi8ox]

Try elder scrolls online it has everything you described and a lot more such as housing amazing pvp and a lot of transmog I’ve been playing since launch still enjoying it 👍

[@Brassmonk3]

So agree with you. There is absolutely nothing like it.

[@vDarkEaglev]

I played this game a lot over the years, so much so that the "Oh no ... the Sahuagin found me!" line is absolutely burned into my brain. Thanks for including that bit in the video. I feel like I need to go back to DDO sometime in the near future and mess around again.

[@PunYT]

WHO IN THE FLAME ARE YOU?

[@LordSturm777]

dude, I reference that all the time and nobody every knows what I'm talking about lmfao

[@christophercheck1590]

"We beat them off... this time."

[@Thal7614]

So sad that you did not find out about the resurrection shrine inside the dungeons Josh, this game has plenty of cash grabs, but that one isn't quite that bad. The presence of the resurrection shrines, and the limits of the rest shrine even create an interesting mechanic: you have to map out the location of shrines, so you can get people up if they die, and you have to consider the pros and cons of using a rest shrine when you find it, since you'll most likely only get one use out of it and it is critical to be able to rest after getting resurrected

[@Einkil123]

You'll likely never see this, but you have no idea how happy the fact you said you had fun in this game makes me. I have been waiting for this video since I started watching you back on like E.20. It is never a game I can truly, genuinely recommend due to all the flaws, but its a game that ive been playing on and of since like 2008. Somehow, some way, I always come back as other MMO's just do not scratch the itch this game scratches. The true feeling of paying D&D somehow emerges past everything in this game, and the build customization has spoiled me against basically all other MMO's (save maybe GW1, but I havent played that nearly enough). No matter how objectively better another MMO is, the subjective fun I get from this one has never been surpassed. I hope it keeps your interest and you are able to get many hours of fun out of it.

[@dopo1548]

I have been in the same situation as you. I HAve played DDO to death, but i keep coming back to it. The dungeon for each quest is just so interesting, and have wanted to see what Josh thought.

[@repentandbelieveinJesusChrist3]

Repent to Jesus Christ “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭4‬:‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬ R

[@nonamesorry7135]

Man, this reminds me of how I've not been able to stop playing league of legends for 11 years now despite it being a completely miserable experience sometimes

[@tylersigi2965]

I have been waiting for this review since I first started watching Josh too. I love this game, but like you said I can't recommend it in good conscience because of all the minor issues, and the huge cost if you don't get the free content code. Though if you get past it, it gets more and more fun as lot of the later released content is really polished compared to the older content (mostly seen in this review).

[@UwUImShio]

This is one of the most wholesome comments I've ever seen

[@spiceywolf15]

This was my childhood mmo after toontown. Me, my dad, and my brother all played this together throughout my middle and highschool years. I am so excited to see it on the chopping block because I know alot of the pitfalls it fell into.

[@meerkatpowergaming9412]

Check out toontown rewritten if you havent already

[@MadameQuiesence]

I'm very glad that you finally got to one of the most niche but unique MMO I've ever played. It is so close to being perfect, between keeping every single class unique from each other rather than homogenizing them, having the ability to go very far with the character concept you personally want to play, and the unique reincarnation system that I never see offered in any other MMO, among so many other things it's done right. It's truly a wonderful experience and with this video, I have no doubt we'll at least see a brief resurgence to the population, and I look forward to helping new players in new dungeons. I'm glad you at least gave it a very fair chance that many people don't. Like you said, there are dozens of quit moments, and many of my friends encounter those roadblocks and stop immediately. I wish there was an easier way to introduce this game to people so that they, too, could experience the game that they've been asking for: An online DnD experience. Standing Stone Games should be applauded for continuously pushing out content for a very, very old game, and keeping to the true passions of what it means to go on an adventure with your friends and build comradery. Thanks for reviewing this game, the fact that you're staying fills my heart with joy and confirms that this truly is a one-of-a-kind experience to be had that many are missing out on. I hope you enjoy DDO just as I do. Highly recommend playing through Ravenloft, if you ever find the desire to spare the money! It is such a well-executed storyline put into DDO, you can genuinely spend hours exploring it, and it very much keeps to the macabre theme of the module of Curse of Strahd many PnP players are so fond of.

[@perryuppal]

I wish Josh would do an episode on Puzzle Pirates. That game was such a huge part of a lot of people's childhoods and it just never seemed to recover despite the dev team's best efforts

[@czarkusa2018]

Could you tell me one thing about it that you'd want everyone to know?

[@zahirsabra1971]

​@@czarkusa2018 you can each other in it and make babies

[@patricklinford689]

Glad to see you try DDO Few notes for new players: 0. Join a leveling guild. You can get buffs from guild airships. 1. Always chose customize when you make a new character. The paths are VERY outdated. (I'd suggest following a build guide. Strimtom makes a lot of them) 2. The solo rating isn't accurate. 3. Iconics are not prebuilt. They start with 15 levels of exp but only the first level is prechosen. 4. To clarify each rest shrine is on it's own 5 min cooldown. 5. Loot isn't pre-rolled. Each person who opens the chest has loot generated for them. 6. The reincarnation items are reasonably acquirable through questing. (It takes roughly 20 quests to get one.) 7. You don't get an experience gain penalty each reincarnation. It caps at 2 times the needed exp for level 1-20. It doesn't effect higher levels. And it only happens with heroic, racial, or Iconic reincarnations (also known as True Reincarnation or TR). 8. The first time you TR you gain the ability to do quest on Hard without doing easy first. The second time you TR all difficulties are unlocked from the beginning. 9. There is a setting to be able to open the store in game. 10. You can get exp pots in-game. 11. Bound gear can't be permanently damaged from repairs. 12. For the 1/day items it refreshes then you use a rest shrine, complete a quest, or wait a few min in a public space. (players call them clickies) 13. You can get 40 more bank slots and 40 more inventory slots from favor (doing quests for certain groups) 14. The gold cap is based on level (maxed at 13). VIP and Premium always have that max cap. If you are at your gold cap just don't worry about looting stuff to sell as it is easy to get more gold than you need. 15. You have to go to a class trainer to level up (this is because you could chose to level up as any class) 16. If you die in a quest (not just incapacitated) you can run around as a ghost. If you can get to a resurrection shrine (they look like the rest shrines but with a flame instead of a moon) you can interact to resurrect. 17. If you are incapacitated there is a 10% chance you will stabilize or 90% you will take 1 point of damage. If you stabilize you will get up shortly after with a little health.

[@Special_Tactics_Force_Unit]

>a few

[@macarrony123]

Every time I see a game and someone tells me I need to follow a build that some random guy made it always makes me not want to play. It's a rpg and I want to make my own adventure if I need to follow a build that someone made it's like I'm not even playing the game... Unfortunately this game has way way too many customization that and completely useless... And as a new player you have no idea what it is... Also gold cap is stupid idea probably made by some corporate person that doesn't play games...

[@Gettenhart]

​@@macarrony123skill issue

[@yousef858]

@@macarrony123 you can just fiddle around and make a shitty build then go cry somewhere

[@karel3xp]

I love following builds made by others, just enjoying the game and not having to worry about million different options

[@TheLetterJ0]

"Spoiler alert: they do" brought such a large smile to my face.

[@GeneralCane]

My friends and I only played this game for a few days but for the short time it was pretty memorable. I recall almost all of the early-game dungeons I saw you play through this dungeon. There's a lot of unrealized potential there.

[@gaijinguypod]

yeah I felt the same way, I have bad memory but despite me and my friend playing this for only a day I recognized a lot

[@Attlanttizz]

It's all been realized in expansions, the game has fulfilled its potential IMO

[@calebfuller4713]

If you played for a few days you have explored about 0.1% of what this game has to offer. It has had 17 years of constant expansion and updates, exploring areas like the Underdark and Demonweb, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Sharn and more.

[@pafauk361]

If you love DnD and can climb the learning curve, this game is the best DnD story I ever witnessed in computer form. Just treated as adventure/crpg, not even mentioning the mmo aspects. The hand-crafted dungeons, the mood set by narrators (some of which are the original DnD creators), the story... I just loved it soo much. And the Ravenloft! Oh, the Ravenloft! The story is set in Eberron, but some of the others are available via portals and such (Underdark, Eveningstar, Feywild, Ravenloft). I didn't even know Eberron existed before playing, now its my favorite setting

[@macrochaos]

DDO, glad you are finally disecting my favorite mmo ever. As a long time player I'll be writing responses to the arguments presented in the video: The lag - the newest update, update 59 or U59 JUST adressed the issue of lag caused by how bonuses to stats were calculated and killed about 90% of the lag. Since SSG aquired DDO they re-hired the original lead engineer and others of the original team slowly rework work the code with modern performance standards. The broken website - along U59 the forums and site are getting migrated to a more stable platform/database, it is taking longer than it should. The new player guide - Use the DDO wiki. Voodoospice, Strimtom and DDO Axel on youtube have enough content for new players that should be enough for most, you can also ask basically anyone in-game for help and it will be given, the community likes new players. ALSO DO NOT USE THE PRE BUILT PATHS THOSE ARE ONE OF THE BIGGEST NEW PLAYER TRAPS. ALSO IMPORTANT: All characters at creation recive a lesser heart of wood that allows one to redo character advancement choices (skills, attributes, feats) in case of a boched build, this can salvage most builds. The chasm - fair critisism but i wouldnt have it any other way and the bottom contains not death but unlimited buildcrafting potential and also the DDO wiki The DnD 3.5 system - DDO takes all the best thing from 3.5 ditches the bad an adds a sprinkle of 4E-like features that fit well in a realtime game. The shop - the steam version of the game opens an external browser to comply with steam policies, thedont use the steam version. also try using DUNGEONCRAWL even bif it feels like it shouldnt work anymore. Reincarnation - The single most genius system in the game that keeps all(most) content relevant all the time. Reincarnated characters only take xp 'penalties' twice, once after the first reincarnation where the xp to go from lvl 1 - 20 is increased by 50%, characters reincarnated twice or more need 100% more xp. For lvls 21 - 32 the xp required does not change, ever. Item durability - This is only the case for items that are not bound to account or character, such items do not suffer permanent damage. Dungeon difficulty options - All characters that have reincarnated once can open all dungeons on hard without having to clear it on normal before, characters that have reincarnated twice or more can open a dungeon on all available difficulties. Higher difficulties give more xp a thing called a streak(bravery bonus) that is just more xp, higher lvl loot and higher chances at blue-bordered named items that are not randomly generated tend to be more powerful than random loot, drop chances are: Normal-10%, Hard-15%, Elite-33% and +1% per reaper skull. Puzzles - The puzzles in this game can be incredibly creative at times and are an obstacle type that should be used in more games. The Pay to complete quest - This is the only quest in the game that does this, its meant to be a tutorial of the store and most players like this one because it rewards a resurrection cake that you can everywhere outside of a raid for only 4 or 5 DDO points where its usually much more, its a once per incarnation deal. Damage resistances - Yellow numbers are ONLY for when the thing you are hitting has any amount of resistance to that damage type. Cosmetic helmets/hats - For the races with more monster-like heads like the dragonborn or tieflings not all helmets reflect graphically but most hats and eye wear should. This can be explored by clicking on the head/helm/glasses icon on the character representaition that is between all of your equiped items. The dungeon master - This is what cements the DnD feel to this game an each adventure pack or expansion have the one voice that narrates it and helps set the tone for that content and sometimes different packs that are thematically related will have the same voice. Per day use items - a 'day' happens when you take a rest at a rest shrine, exit an aventure, spend 1 minute in a tavern or use an item that gives you the benefits of a rest. Reviews - Lag is mostly gone with U59, dont use the steam version, you avoid bad character build choices with 1 quick google or you tune search, the soul and the customization that this game has is what keeps it going despite everything else. Leveling - Speak to you class trainer, use the DDO Wiki or look at a build guide to make your character not suck, it not required to look up builds if you have a small amount of familiarity with the DnD 3.5 system. Death - you have 2 additional options to revive, get your soul stone carried to a ressurection shrine within a quest, these can usually be found next to rest shrines and can be easily seen on the map as little blue-ish statue icons, or acept a revival spell from another player/hireling, these start being available at lvls 8-10. The DDO Wiki - It has gaps yes, but it also has nearly everything else in the game documented and broken down its the single best resource for any player. The small quit moments - hard to argue with this but let me just say that getting past the hurdles is so worth it for DDO. The banishing tooltips - Annoying? yes. Easily fixable by unequip and reequip? also yes. The learning curve - Yes, indeed. this is the largest barrier of entry. Closing thoughts - Im glad you enjoyed this flawed gem of a game. Something barely talked about for DDO is the setting of Ebberron where everything is steampunk is you replace steam with magic, where the world and its 13 moons were creating when 3 planet sized dragons fought to the death, one died and became the heavens, stars and moons, the larger of the 2 remaining ate the other and became the planet. This game is best experienced with a group and said group can be aquired by joining any medium sized or larger guild, odds are they will have a discord where raid, leveling and reaper groups will be needing people. you can make a group with the lfm saying you are looking for an active guild or check the forums(when they start working properly again) for guild recruitment posts for each server. DDO's comunity is one of the most welcoming to new players that I have ever encountered, if anyone needs help please dont be afraid to ask. With love, some guy that likes face punching builds a little bit too much. Also the DMs do not fudge any rolls, they can be brutally honest.

[@okamihikuro1401]

Hireling, hirelings, hirelings. New players- get hirelings. They can also, carry your stone to the resurrection shrines!

[@zanec14]

Are the pre-built paths there just so a player who does not know much would eventually use it?

[@macarrony123]

Sound like a google simulator, if you can't play the game without googling every minute is it a decent game? If you want to min max sure but I'd you want to play the game casually you shouldnt be needed to Google stuff. If you are playing someone else's build are you even playing?

[@garga2]

@@zanec14 Paths are old, and purposefully imperfect. Try them out once. Realize its doing something very wrong and end up doing your own build or follow a guide by people who are more knowledgeable. But yes, basically they are an easy way to level up so that your character won't be broken. My problem is that they do not teach you.

[@okamihikuro1401]

@@macarrony123 Thats the price of build freedom and complexity. Even WoW has knowledge bases and build guides, though there is basicly no complexity, no variety. But I guess some people are just not made to play games like EQ, DDO, Minecraft... Well, you have ummm... Mobile games, ye. Easy, no google... Unless you play Elona.

[@shinami3758]

Josh at 41:22 : I think I just found one of my new favorite games. That is some high praise indeed.

[@davidgast3175]

Man, I love the populated hub design in games. I think it's growing up with GW1, but I really think it's good game design for a number of reasons. The feeling of cities being social places is huge. Every time you discover a new city it's discovering an entirely new community in the game. There's something about that I think is missing in games today.

[@nicodeblauwe598]

This game is seriously one of my guilty pleasures. I have been playing it for over 15 years now, and even though I "quit playing"like 3 times already, I keep coming back. The game is by far the BEST when it comes to character creation. No other MMO ever gave so much versatility and choises then this game does. That is also the reason why I keep coming back. Every time a new class, race or enhancement tree comes out, I come back to test it out and have fun with. Other MMOs bore me very fast, this one never does! I am theirfor proud to call myslef, even with the few breaks in between, a true DDO lover! Yes, the games has flaws... But the gameplay, character creation, and overall feel far outway the flaws!

[@veganwaffle]

I do the same but Diablo 2

[@newspin2477]

DDO was absolutely amazing at its peak. It's SOOO unique in the world of MMOs. Rogue's that actually detect and disarm traps. Every mission has a story... it was one of the earlier games to offer individualized loot for each party member... also (for better or worse) there's absolutely dependence on a party with diverse skills in order to do the highest difficulty. If this same game was released today with updated tech, it would dominate. The Pit is literally my favorite quest/dungeon in any MMO ever.

[@ThePeopleAreFucked]

"the pit" was a masterpiece. There were some others which came close and i still remember names like "the crucible", dreams of insanity, a study in sable, delirium and partycrashers. I remember them and it has been many years since i last played this game xD - sadly here the powercreep and moneygrabbing via powercreep was what really drove me away. i remember i had a full int specced wizard and a multilife fighter on the same level stood next to me with 0 int based attacks or spellpoints-costing skills who had more spellpoints and 10 times the HP of that wizard - at that point i realized they went and milked the game dry with gamebreaking PTW stuff for whales who did not know any better. still my favorite mmo experience to this day.

[@gontear3377]

Isn't the Pit a gigantic sewer? If I remember correctly. It's been more than a decade.

[@whatwhat7119]

@@gontear3377 I ran it once, didnt look at a map before going in, dropped to the bottom a a pit, lost 100 hp on a 151 hp character, had to fight slimes, won, then died to the acid anyway and sat for the next 25 minutes as they finished without me. Got the experience never tried it again.

[@anungunrama7646]

DDO had been my main game since 2010. There's a lot of variety. The melee is fun. The spell effects could use some pizzazz but playing a caster is fun too. You'll find yourself going up against many different creatures, such as bears, giants, giant machines, giant spiders giant-er spiders. You can trip frost giants. That never gets old. There's even a Spider of Unusual Size. I love this game.

[@rupen42]

I'm a mostly f2p player (subbed for a bit a few years ago, bought a few expansions with real money, used the coupon for free quests). My only real complaint about monetization in DDO is the quest packs. If you don't have an account with the quests coupon, the game feels pretty bad. You _can_ play the game entirely with the f2p quests, but a lot of these are pretty old and you won't find groups as easily. It's way too expensive to unlock all of them one by one. *Positive side* is that the subscription gives you access to all the quest packs (minus expansions), so you can see it as an MMO that requires a subscription (or the free coupon they give out every year)... to be fair, subscription isn't a great positive :P Buying the expansions (expansions =/= quest packs; expansions are bigger, have raids, wilderness areas etc.) supplements a lot of the leveling and they're frequently run, so you'll find groups. But, while the old expansions go on sale pretty often, they should just bundle the old ones up or have the sub include the old expansions (up to Feywild at least). TLDR: If you want to spend minimally in the game and are opposed to subbing, expansions are a good alternative. Quest pack coupon is enough to play the game very comfortably, so keep an eye out for that. As for the cash shop, the only "p2w" items people actually buy regularly are exp potions. No one uses the cake to revive or any of that other nonsense. Unlocking races/iconics/classes is good for past lives, but past lives aren't really _needed_, it's just a long term goal for people. Perhaps the most OP sounding thing you can buy are tomes that give you up to +8 to ability scores, but (1) they're also a guaranteed favor reward in-game (2) +8 doesn't change much when stats can get to ~100 just from gear, and the endgame is about multipliers, not flat bonuses (except for DC casters, fair) (3) mostly used for build variety than for power, since they help unlocking feats without spending too many points into prereq stats you don't want.

[@canicusmolinarius]

Very fair analysis of the F2P experience. It is very very grindy without the free code. Use the in-game currency to buy quest packs/expansions to get more content so that you can earn more points. Try to avoid buying races/classes until you have enough content to get on the reincarnation train or sit at end-game (whichever you prefer) then worry about other stuff. Also, keep an eye out for specials and sales. The old expansion are sometimes on extreme sale (about $1) this can be a huge win for F2P players

[@Avatra1]

You can open the ddostore in the game by pressing ctrl+s (you can also find more shortcuts through the keymapping tab in the options) There's also armor appearance vendors that lets you check how some cosmetics look before you buy them (sadly, bugged atm, only shows a white/blank screen, you have to press the yellow coathanger icon on the appearance ) Closest one from start is in the shop near the bank in the harbor called "hammer and chain" Re, the helmet, you need to press the head icon on the little character in the inventory window, it toggles the visibility of equipped items, you can do that for equipped armour, and cloak as well. Also, when you got downed in the quest "the captives" if you have a team mate, or hireling that can heal with spells like cure wounds etc, they can heal you (or use a healing kit) to get you up from the incapacitated status, or you could self heal by waiting (basically the game will roll for you to see if you manage to become stable, if you become stable, you "revive" yourself at 1 hp)

[@nef36]

About dying: The thing you do when you die is, if you can't be healed when you're incapacitated, you go all the way to minus 10 HP (or whatever your death threshhold is) and walk around as a ghost. A party member, or a hireling if you have one, ferries your soul shard to a shrine (your soul shard drops where you die) where you resurrect yourself, and rest if you haven't used that particular rest shrine yet. As you keep dying, you slowly run out of rest shrines to replenish your HP and mana at, and your items slowly break, and you can pretty quickly deplete youir resources if you are too reckless with them.

[@Uhlbelk]

You can revive in a dungeon if your team can carry your spirit shard to a resurrect shrine. Alternatively, if you have a hireling you got to help you, you can order the hireling to pick up your spirit shard and take it to a resurrect shrine.

[@ericb3157]

yes, the Hireling system is quite well done. i remember one crazy dungeon that requires hitting several switches in order, BUT one of them also traps you in a room...after some fumbling, I was able to get my Hireling to flip that switch for me and advance. it says they are only good for one hour, BUT if that time runs out in mid-dungeon, they will actually stay with you until you finish or leave!

[@Pawc4]

@@ericb3157 Going a bit further, it's more going into a public area that causes them to be dismissed. So if you're doing a quest in an explorer area, and it expires in the quest, if you recall into the explorer zone, the hireling will still be with you. If you enter another quest in this case, it'll continue to stick around.

[@fishcatch22]

This is true and adds to his point of the game being tough for new players, because he wasn't told this during Korthos, nor was his partymate

[@antcoley83]

I remember playing this back in the day with my bro, he had to guide me through one of the dungeons in voice chat on skype because my char had been blinded and neither of us had a cure. he apparently had me jumping up about from platform to platform, and I say apparently because I still have not to this day redone that mission lol, was still a great experience though. sadly we lost out original chars do to the company handoff and server transfers, we didnt realise at the time that this was going on so we missed our chance to keep our chars, shame I was a badass warforged barbarian.

[@chloewebb5526]

I cannot wait to play this little game that I missed out on due to my obsession with Guild Wars around that time! You have very charming and wholesome way of showing affection for good features and mechanics in a game - completely selling me on them to the point that I can't wait to enjoy them for myself lol I've been playing nothing but games made in the 90s and early to mid 2000s lately. I dunno, it just helps to keep games in my rotation wildly different and interesting rather than the same graphics and gameplay with the only difference being character names and the user interface, and sometimes even those feel the same in newer games. I have to say, some games feel great with a retexture mod or usable high resolution, but then others can feel best when hooking my laptop up to my personal favorite: my old "HD" CRT television with HDMI hookups but still seems like something between SD and 720p (It's a strange and misleading television that I've had repaired once because it's too precious for retro gaming in my home lol). So I don't mind non-sccaling UI's, and the other problems are nothing compared to the issues of being bored in an uninspired gameworld

[@ruorick]

This was such a wholesome review to one of my old and all time favourites. It's a rough game but it has a lot to love that no other MMO's have, and while it's been a while, the devs are trying to slowly modernise it more. The ladder animation comment was gold.

[@DrZaius3141]

Important fact: The reincarnation is not just cash-shop only, you can very easily farm the required items. The reincarnation system is also head and shoulders above every other attempt of MMORPGs to keep you interested long-term. Essentially, you finish a game (which takes 40-100 hours usually if we're talking epic levels as well) and when you're done there's no insane item grind or complete lack of progression, you just remember that one Sorcerer you partied up with 8 levels ago and think "that looked fun, I want to play one of those now". And because it has been a long time before you did the early game quests, they feel fresh again - except that you now know a bit more. Another correction: If you are on your second life (after your first reincarnation), you can - even F2P - open dungeons at "hard" difficulty, likewise on your third life and later you can open them on any difficulty. Importantly, once you go premium (which means spending the lowest possible amount of real money), you will be able to do anything you want. Almost anything can be unlocked from in-game rewards and that gives you so much, you won't even feel the cash-only expansion packs missing. So despite the ludicrous cash shop, this MMO has the fairest purchasing model I know. Even moreso than GW2 (where you don't have the modular unlocks). And the last correction for today: When you die, you simply need to get to a resurrection shrine. You can only move a certain distance/time away from your soul stone (i.e. dead body), but your team mate can carry that stone towards a ress shrine. Funnily enough, the "try our cash-shop" quest from earlier gives you one "ress me" item virtually for free (5 DDO points is about 2 quests). Lastly, you perfectly found the issues with the game. The lag got particularly horrible of late. Sadly, most of those issues derive from the fact that stewardship of the game has been taken over by a different company which makes it hard to correct some of that stuff and even changes that sound minor become monumental.

[@brodydunn9031]

Thanks for the write up mate

[@eustace2c2]

I used to play pretty hardcore and I went through the whole reincarnation restart thing 5 or so times and I still haven't experienced all the free content.

[@TexasLiberTea]

Great video, I'll have to check this out after all. I started with 3.5!

[@tachikomaomechodeth2297]

Thank you for mentioning age of conan in the intro. I completely forgot about that game!

[@seanpatrickmittelstaedt410]

My uncle had given me a gift card with enough money for a full year of VIP for my 8th grade graduation. I had so many good memories and laughs with the random pick up groups and guild runs. After that year of VIP was up I somehow scraped enough money together to buy another full year and played for about 4 years. This is still my uncles go to game and I wouldnt be surprised if he has 100k+ hours into this. Definitely a good game if you have the right people and a good attitude about it.

[@garneet]

10k hours maybe, nowhere near 100k tho

[@joewelch4933]

@@garneet The games been around for 17 years, so you could get close to 100k hours I guess. You would have to be playing it CONSTANTLY but its possible.

[@garneet]

@@joewelch4933 possible yes ofc but not remotely true. tf2 is 1 year younger and #1 playtime has 86k hours, css for example is 2004 and only has 72k for #1

[@chipsalom]

I had so much fun with this game. Along with Ultima Online, this game and Neverwinter Nights were the games I got my wife into gaming with. Man does this bring back memories. When the 32 point build first came out with Drow, I created a UMD fighter/rogue that was about the most fun character I've ever played in any game. He could use any item I wanted, wands, scrolls, class or race restricted stuff... Back in DDOs heyday our guild had almost 40 active players on at any given time. Hail, Muckbane!

[@jonathanwessner3456]

Ah, Muckbane. I had a rogue who was a lockmaster. he could open everything but a Str lock without using a potion

[@MusMasi]

muckbane that club that did extra damage to oozes and slimes and was immune to their damage?

[@jonathanwessner3456]

@@MusMasi Made of crystal. Sucked against anything else though

[@gontear3377]

This video summoned the spirit of nostalgia inside me. You have to understand, my friends and I played this game when we were young, and at the time, not many MMOs focus on instance-based story-driven adventures. It was the first MMO we played that had a narrator, and that the story had BRANCHING PATHS. I have to admit the idea of instances you have to purchase really limited the experience for us (as we were thriving on our allowances at the time) but we were able to get hold of adventure packs relatively cheap on sale. I see the game has changed a lot since we played - for one, the starting hub world was Stormreach, basically progressing the opposite direction you were going in the video. There were no Dragonborn nor premium classes at the time. Turbine was the company hosting the game. I have many fond memories of this game. For me, the ideal way to play is with friends you know, and blind. Some highlights: 1) Catapaulting ourselves into a minotaur stronghold while the narrator says with increasing amusement "oh look, more minotaurs!" 2) Avoiding an entire boss fight altogether by successfully intimidating the boss (one of us made a barbarian, luckily). 3) Scrambling to get Boots of Featherfall IMMEDIATELY as a lot of dungeons kick our ass with fall damage. 4) Siege of Stormreach Castle which was so epic, at least at the time. 5) Multi-layered maze of a SEWER system with a huge central atrium, but... fun?! 6) Gimmick bosses! It's not just hitting each other until someone dies. 7) Rogues WILL make some adventures less painful by avoiding corridors with traps. 8) EXTREMELY steep learning curve when it comes to building a character. I had to create character several times (there were no reincarnations at the time). It was my first exposure to anything DnD and I didn't even know what feats were. I also like to note that the bugs you mentioned in the video were not there when we were playing. It also seemed to look better? There was an engine upgrade at some point but this may just be rose-tinted glasses talking. Also, the ladder animation would have been done by the developers of the base game while the email bug would have probably been done by a different team entirely given that it's outside the game itself and the hosting changed companies at some point.

[@geek0004]

I played this about a decade ago when I was around eight or so, I made my first online friend here. Lots of good, very fuzzy, memories with this game. thanks for covering it Josh!

[@AxelAlexK]

I'm a long time DDO KZbinr and streamer, feel free to reach out if you have questions. You aren't wrong about a lot of the little issues you mentioned. It's an old game and the staff running it is small. It's really in depth though and satisfying which is why so many of us have stuck with it for so long.

[@dmitryw.2209]

Axel's the man (even if he does play a dumb cleric)

[@okamihikuro1401]

Clerics FTW!

[@BigStankyFish]

I'm literally sold

[@FnRenner]

​@Antwourphious literally sold? Either you misused the word literally, don't understand the meaning of the word, or you need to contact law enforcement. Literally.

[@Justuas]

are you a whale?

[@AuralAzure]

Thank you for covering this game. I have been coming back to it on and off for over a decade now, thanks to watching my dad play it so much during my toddler years, and despite it being such a bug ridden and confusing mess, it has always felt like a home that never fails me. I do wish with all my being that the developers would put more effort into it. It has the potential to be so unbelievably great, and I already think it's incredible. Nothing hits the spot quite like a good waterworks run. I would like to note some things, just to clarify some of the smaller details that don't shine through in your- and I cannot stress this enough- *amazing* review. -This game has an EXTENSIVE wikipedia. Understandable for those who don't jive with wiki games, I myself am a Terraria freak, but the DDO wiki does cover basically everything with nigh unerring accuracy. -The thing at the start of Korthos where it warns you to that Korthos is the recommended path rather than being whisked away to a new area is a premium thing. Free players won't be able to actually choose the option if I'm not mistaken. Beyond that, it is actually another starter area that does have an epic levels (20-32) version. -The large expansions that are box priced have both lower level content and max level content. Masterminds of Sharn is probably the best out of them, but Fables of the Feywild is fantastic as well. Haven't tried much of the other two. These expansions are also important for both low and high levels because they will provide exquisite gear that you can then use again on other characters or as you reincarnate. -The durability thing is not a problem at later times. Items that are bound to your account or character will not deteriorate. It's only tradeable items that can begin to permabreak. -That grog quest in the Korthos tavern is a noob trap. On behalf of all veteran players, we are sorry that exists. -Warning for all would be rogues: Stealth will not work how you want it to. It's buggy, of course, and almost wholly ineffective. It's also irrelevant for sneak attacks so don't worry about it being bad, you just can't sneak around as well is all. I'm not experienced enough to tell you that you shouldn't invest points into it for some other reason, though, so be sure to research beyond this note. -Not a tip, just a shoutout of sorts; basically every unique narrator for dungeons in the game are fantastic at what they do. Always a great listen. -Yeah don't play through steam -About the targeting system and concerning attacking rather than picking up items or interacting with objects: Apologies, I don't remember the default key, but there IS an auto-targeting setting where the game will highlight items and objects in your range where you can then use the interaction key, E by default, to perform the intended action. Note: the key when auto targeting an enemy will also perform the attack action. This game, to a degree, can be played with one hand. -RIGHT! THE STORE! All the cash grab nonsense. Let me tell you now, *it's almost all worthless.* The actual condition of the cash shop is that you will basically never have to interact with it. There are a few things, like (unfortunately) bank space, unique item bags, and some other stuff, that are worth looking into, but don't bother buying potions, armor, weapons, hirelings, anything of the sort. It is a money trap. Focus points onto the former things mentioned for worthy attention, and reincarnation materials once you learn how to navigate that system. Side note, there are cosmetic armors that you can preview before purchasing (however, for me at least, this seems to currently be broken). Some cosmetics, however, cannot be previewed at all, and I agree, it is an issue. -Bank space and money cap can be handled by going to the auction house and trying to look for some upgrades to your current gear, which will drain money, and then selling anything else not worth holding. Honestly though, unless you are frugal to a fault, you probably won't hit that money cap by the time you've outlevelled it. However, it is an annoying and contrived roadblock for sure. -Wondering about PvP? No. That's about it. It exists. That's cool. But no. -If tool tips aren't showing up, make sure you aren't targeting anything. I think that can get in the way of some tool tips not popping up. Otherwise, if it's an equipped piece of gear, take it off and put it back on. Might fix it. -For anyone who read this far: After Korthos, you can access Airships via being in a guild or being invited, which have buffs on them that are extremely helpful. That said, if you're gonna try the game and choose the server "Argonnessen" (I suggest researching server population and the pros/cons of low/high populations), I can invite you to a near max guild with all the bells and whistles accompanying. You can add me on discord, @AuralAzure, if you'd like.

[@repentandbelieveinJesusChrist3]

Repent to Jesus Christ “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭4‬:‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬ N

[@AuralAzure]

@@repentandbelieveinJesusChrist3 Inshallah, god bot

[@Leaf__22]

You're saying the wiki has every information and yet you're unsure about stealth .....how does that make sense?

[@AuralAzure]

@@Leaf__22 "but the DDO wiki does cover basically everything with nigh unerring accuracy." fancy way of saying it's 98% effective, my friend. i noted that it's *possible* stealth has a good use, i just don't know what if or what it is because i don't play classes that use stealth

[@dragoon6551]

I'm so glad you found the same conclusion I had every time I came back to this game.. It's a classic dnD adventure, with rough edges, bugs, charm and a good community. And a gaping chasm of info.

[@xipherzen]

Just started playing this the other day, and honestly with all its jank I genuinely enjoy it so far! It's def feeling like a game best done with friends though. With the funny gambling hall thing, I somehow accidentally was able to use it, and it was only one of the buttons it seemed like that needed to be pressed. Led to an entirely extra bit you can do that's not even listed in the quest that's just a room with the gambling hall leader to murder, and some extra loot and something weird about the mirror? Idk it all happened so fast, but having that extra bit after the quests was supposedly already finished (same with the box breaking dungeon, woo!) is just a weirdly fun touch that makes you feel rewarded for extra time paying attention to your surroundings.

[@Strimtom]

I've been waiting for this review since you put out the LOTRO review. Hi! Strimtom here, #1 DDO content guy. Your review is spot on, this game is an amazing collection of brilliantly designed dungeons and adventures that make you really feel like you're playing dungeons and dragons that is wrapped in a huge blanket of server issues, pretty much no tutorial, loads of outdated UI features, and very few official resources outside of the game. It also doesn't have a learning curve, it has a learning 50 foot brick wall that you need to scale. And I love it. Glad to hear you enjoyed it and had a great time :)

[@Alex.Holland]

Hey boss, thanks for the work you do making the game more accessible.

[@rockpaladin9031]

Thanks for trying to help assuage that impossible an daunting learning curve with all your helpful guides Strim :)

[@Schnokers]

Thanks for your build guides. It helped me during my early days of trying to play the game after messing up my first character.

[@Matuse]

All hail Lord Ltrim.

[@JMeganSnow]

Hah, love that you posted the Cogs map that I made. That one is pretty involved, yes. I like to make the maps for the wilderness areas when we get a new one.

[@JMeganSnow]

Oh, some small notes: You skipped one of the main user-friendly newbie features, which is setting your character to use a pre-made path instead of selecting Customize. The path does your level-up choices for you and makes it MUCH easier to just hop in and start playing. You can leave the path on level up if you want to, but the paths are generally decent build-wise and cut out a HUGE amount of the "WTF does this do?!" stuff at the start so you can start learning how to play and then later engage with the systems once you have the basics down. If you die in a quest, you can actually release from the quest and run back to the quest entrance and go back in and keep your progress. You only have about 5 minutes to do this (unless there's another player in the quest keeping the instance open), which is why making sure you talk to a spirit binder and bind your respawn point near the quests you're currently doing is important. You get a slight xp penalty if you re-enter a quest this way, but on the other hand, you get to keep your progress. Raids and reaper quests generally have a lockout mechanic so you can't do this, though. You can also unlock higher difficulties on dungeons on your first run after you reincarnate, so you don't have to pay to access that feature if you don't want to. You can just charge through the game to level 20 and reincarnate (which is generally recommended because you're going to discover a dozen things about your build that are goofed up by then). There are actually enough free quests these days that you can reasonably get all the way to 20 just playing the free stuff, but you might end up repeating some things to get the necessary xp. Well, apart from doing the quests 3 times to get the Elite favor so you maximize your DDO point gain. You actually don't have to buy a premium item to reincarnate, instead you can do specific epic quests (post-level-20) to get Tokens of the Twelve. Once you have 20 of them, you can turn them in to get the reincarnation item. A lot of things in the store work that way--you can buy it, OR there's a way to get it in game that's a moderate amount of work. And, yes, there are free dungeons that drop these things, so you don't have to buy ANYTHING to reincarnate if you don't want to. Of course, the game doesn't TELL you this stuff anywhere, so on first brush the pay shop does seem much more overpowering than it actually is. Plus, the quest and raid content portion of the expansions (as opposed to all the goofy cosmetic goodies) goes on sale for DDO points about 6 months after the expansion is released. So, if you're patient and willing to grind points, you can literally play ALL of the content of the game and never spend ANY money. I did a feature on the official DDO twitch channel some years ago where I made a free account and played it to see how long it would take me to earn the critical stuff, and I had pretty much all of the non-expansion content by the time I had my character on her third life. And you get a huge leg up on what I did with that DungeonCrawl code. So, the pay store is really just a "If you have more free money than time, you can speed up acquiring some things by spending money" feature. There's also Hardcore mode, which is a seasonal thing that they do where you can go to a new server and create a permadeath character to see how far you can get into the game without dying. Recommend giving that a try, although it's probably one of the most unforgiving game modes ever. They just announced a new season coming soonish.

[@JMeganSnow]

The janky in-game store launching a web page is due to the Steam client not cooperating with the DDO store, so they had to do that as a workaround if you use the Steam version of the game. If you use the non-Steam version it launches properly in-game, yay.

[@Ajkkl21]

You can preview shop cosmetics at a mirror in the armor shop before purchasing them

[@Queen_Zora]

I played DDO back when it first came out (and on and off again for a few years) and let me tell you, this video was a wild trip down memory lane. Not just because of memories long forgotten, but you're describing features that weren't in the game when I played. It's been so long, I legit was surprised to learn the game's still going lol I played for a few years, and I truly tried to like it-and maybe my biggest issue was that this was my first MMO and the information overload was brutal-but I hated it. I can't even give specific reasons why (honestly, it's been too long. I stopped playing nearly a decade ago), but just remember how miserable and bored I was, even playing with my partner (who loved the game). I'm pretty sure one of my gripes was a "too real" one (I've yet to find a DM who can properly include rogues, and DDO felt like more of the same). Though, I loved hearing the DM-narrator again. To this day my partner and I will still quote the "Not on your watch." line, lol. Not long after I quit for good, I discovered FFXIV, and have found my MMORPG home. And even though I didn't "make it" in DDO, I'm actually quite glad to hear it's still around. I genuinely hope y'all continue to have fun, and I hope many (if not all) the issues raised here get addressed (I remember many of them. They've been around for a long time). The game does have potential, and I'd love for y'all to see it realised.

[@C2Cin2Dreams]

"nice to see the cult temples are wheelchair accessible." Such a good line!🤣

[@lordcrispen]

I'd LOVE to see their uptick in new accounts after this release. I really might delve in this week sometime. Looks incredibly fun. I played for a few months on release. It looks way better, if you can ignore certain flaws.

[@SevenFangs]

Played this for months years ago, before I even got 1 minute into the video, checked to see if it's still installed and already had it updated and open before the end XD

[@Midaspl]

The cashgrab shop is not something you can ignore though and devs took care for you to not be able to.

[@baldr12]

Played for 1 month with a few friends - we spent half-hour each gameplay session just to understand which free2play content we were able to do each time

[@VintageNarwhal]

@@Midaspl that’s exactly what’s keeping me from bothering to try this.

[@caffynated552]

I was going to give it another go, but the coupon has expired. Oh well.

[@QDisaCutie]

I remember playing this game with my dad when I was 8! This video was very nostalgic. I wonder if my old account still works

[@ethancowan3431]

37:53 I love the kaiba from yugioh reference

[@Xararion]

I've played this game with friend groups and it is honestly one of the more fun MMOs to play in small group I've played. Figuring out party composition, making your way to dungeons, farming loot your builds need in generally fairly relaxed pace while chatting, it's good fun. Still, for game this old to get updated regularly is impressive to me. It has many, many flaws, but it has a special place for me.

[@drew8235]

I've played tons of MMOs, and I always felt bad about not playing this one more. I revisited it many times over the years but always left after a few weeks. I think at the time, I was just too young to appreciate the D&D system that it was built on. In my defense, I was playing other amazing MMOs, Star Wars Galaxies mainly. So my time was not wasted.

[@HollowGolem]

A big issue with DDO is that it assumes a certain amount of familiarity with 3.5 pen and aper rules. I mean, it has other flaws. But that's a huge one, especially for a new player.

[@TheMyrmo]

I played EverQuest when it was NEW, made levels fighting SHARKS, knew all the early XP farm corners. And... you cant go back. You can't re-create that experience. It's a fool's errand to attempt it.

[@GeorgeMonet]

No. It wasn't your fault, D&D mechanics don't work for dungeon crawling. In an action game like this the rules need to be action game rules, such as making the hits/misses be based on what the character/mob is doing AND NOT HAVING FINITE SPELLSLOTS.

[@drew8235]

@Gary Bridges Damn right. One of the things that breaks my heart the most is knowing that future generations won't be able to experience early mmos like we did. It was just a different world.

[@drew8235]

@Chris Check Yeah, for sure. I had tried to play D&D briefly, but it was by no means familiar. I need to revisit now that I've played a good bit now that I know the system.

[@Blight-fp3vt]

The most unique old MMO, that honestly needs no rose tinted glasses to enjoy. Have been playing it the past month, and can 100% say that I have enjoyed this game immensely. Just reincarnated the first time too! Currently giving the hardcore server a go (which apparently pop up every 6 months or so and go for around 10 weeks), so much fun. The quests, the combat systems, the character builds - it really is different in such a good way.

[@patangman2117]

I've played DDO since it went free to play in 2009. Almost solidly until 2016 and then sporadically months at the time since. I agree that it has a learning curb to it, but it is just like all other games - stuff adds together. Figuring out what combination of stuff that adds together is what can be considered practically unlimited build options. Multi classing allows you to play any type of build and reincarnation allows you to slowly increase your power overall incrementally. In fact you can play this game as an end game raid game, a midgame reincarnation game, causal dungeon crawl, loot goblin run etc. With several type of reincarnation systems in place, you're not just adding some incremental powers, you have a host of incremental power systems at any level. At 1-20 you have racial and heroic reincarnation. At 15 to 30 you have iconic (special class builds that start at 15). At 20-30 you have Epic reincarnation (for additional destiny power). This all make it very hard to 'complete' the game. And since they add new quest packs and once a year something bigger, if you're only doing new quests for additional items of exploration, the game is really one for the ages.

[@MrExplozao]

Just a tip, disable the post processor effect on every game, it will remove the horrible blur effect. especialy on old games.

[@chrisschack9716]

It also makes the "What Goes Up" quest tolerable...

[@NeekyChando]

I'm 26 minutes in, and if this video doesn't start doing stuff to very intensely keep me away from the game, I might wrangle up some friends and play it for a while. No expectation of getting super deep into it, but if I can extract a fun co-op game out of it, I'd be happy with it.

[@PeterSedesse]

It is like the PnP version. If you enjoy the journey and the adventure it is a great game. If you want to powergame or treat it like an ARPG it wont be great.

[@KingLich451]

yeah, it does sound like fun. I remember playing a little bit of this back in the day. Very little though.

[@peeron6829]

​@@KingLich451 WC3

[@admiraltonydawning3847]

So, did it?

[@NeekyChando]

@@admiraltonydawning3847 ye

[@LivingShdw]

For me, this game got particularly good around lvl 11-12 when the extraplanar quests started showing up. The Quori and Slaad both provide for interesting environments. The biggest departure from 3.5 in this game is the way that prestige classes work. Where it's basically a bunch of perks you apply on top of your actual class. Other than that, if you're familiar with 3.5 you should have no trouble creating a build in this game. You can accommodate some missing parts of your build with the hireling system. So, if you're having particular trouble with traps, you can hire a rogue to handle them. (In my case, since I play a rogue, I hire a cleric since it's terrible against undead.) Overall, the game has improved a lot in the recent years. It's good to see it covered.

[@UrMumsaDangler]

I'm so glad you covered DDO and actually enjoyed it. It might be my all time favorite MMO. The way a fully balanced party can change the experience and encourages you to seek out other players is amazing. I'll have to reinstall immediately. ⚔

[@CRAM079]

My whole family has been playing DDO since 2006, our whole family. We do a Christmas session almost every year. My parents still play it to this day. It's such a nostalgia hit.

[@steel5897]

I played this back in 2008 and 2009 and had an amazing time, the RPG mechanics and interactions with the environment were mindblowing back then and are STILL impressive to this day for an MMO. KInd of wild.

[@mandywalker3393]

Been playing this game for over 15 years. Have never paid cash money for anything but expansions (and of course, the monthly fee before it went free to play). As you play, you slowly build up in game faction points and can use them to buy things in the DDO store. I have purchased cosmetic pets, mounts, bags, and the reincarnation items without using real money. Also.. I always seem to have hearts of woods (what you need to reincarnate.) They do drop in game. You can also unlock races/classes to play for free.

[@tsubaki.X]

The re-incarnation system, mentioned here, should be something that modern games should look into, it does have some good pros and more importantly the game stops being all about the end game (which personally I had never understood, I like the journey and experiencing the game instead of rushing through it and then complain) and old content can still be relevant and updated.

[@ApofKol]

Exactly. This might not be the game for me, but I love how early and middle game stay relevant. I hate when it's all about the end game, because I rarely enjoy it in MMOs

[@ipsum2892]

The seasonal DDO hardcore league starts on May 17th! Its a limited time server where if you die, you have to make a new character. Good time!

[@inquisitorichijou883]

The part with Khyber and how he's a rich guy who hates Yugi got a chuckle out of me.

[@ThottyBiscotti]

Great vid as always! have you covered Eden Eternal in this series yet?

[@Furluge]

I remember playing this when it came out. I'm on that founder's stone someplace and I played in the beta. And let me tell you that when it was brand new, with the in game voice chat, when it was new and no one new the dungeons, it really did deliver on feeling like playing a game of D&D in a lot of ways. We'd have rogues sneaking up ahead looking for traps, fighters in the front, wizards in the back, it was fun. But unfortunately, you end up having to replay the dungeons repeatedly and people start to learn everything in the dungeon and that's where the magic started to die. :(

[@Julian-bp7up]

I'm really, really happy you did this one. This game is the reason I became a dungeon master, since I played it when I was really young and didn't understand it but it got me asking questions, 'what is dungeons and dragons', 'why do i find myself really intrigued by it' and tinkering and playing with builds and being genuinely rewarded for choices even if I didn't know what I was doing. Eberron, this game's setting, is now my favorite D&D setting, and it was an incredibly bold move to set this game there instead of something more popular like Forgotten Realms. It kind of hints that this game was a labor of love, rather then JUST something made to be vapid and tick the 'generic fantasy boxes', and the GM narration is honestly super cute and endearing and just hearing it from watching this again brings back fond memories... Maybe I'll see if I can drag my friends to adventure with and play around. We all play tabletop (oddly enough, old Pathfinder as of recent so we kind of all probably have a fair understanding of how things work) together and it could be a fun little thing to do every so often, even just to give inspiration and get creative juices flowing.

[@axelvoss9653]

It's nice to get a genuinely enjoyable game every so often.

[@bwilhelm4214]

Great review. It's good to see someone enjoying a fun old game.

[@calebfuller4713]

The thing I like about this game is that the design means there is no real PvP, except in the most consensual and harmless way by voluntarily entering one of the fighting arenas in certain taverns. No ganking, no fragging, no getting your hard-earned stuff stolen, none of that BS. As a result, the player base is all generally highly cooperative and really tries to help each other out as much as possible.

[@christophercheck1590]

Though at low levels, if you have people without Freedom of Movement, you can harass teammates with Grease and Sleet Storm. But that's about the extent of griefing you can do.

[@iamlyft]

I love this game still because it’s one of the very few good memories of gaming when I was a kid. This is one of the three games my little brother and I would play together all the time. It’s definitely dated and has a lot of issues but something about the narrator characters and setting that just take me back to the days where I would check out all the dnd books and read them. I think a modern dnd mmo that is made with love and patience could be a cool remake or refresh (I’m ignoring some of the more recent debacles with that co op rpg). Can’t wait for baldurs gate 3 to be released fully this year Larian studios did a fantastic job so far with that game.

[@Meirnon]

I'm really sad you didn't do the Gatekeeper's Grove questline for this video. It's one of the newer questlines, and it's got a TON of heart as you learn more about the four initiates you're going to rescue, tons of variety in the quests, along with a supremely charming ending dungeon against three hags that tricked the initiates.

[@Dulkh4n]

AMD the voice acting is super b too

[@Meirnon]

@@Dulkh4n It super is - the DM narration makes the game stand out, so many talented voice actors. I love how the DM for that adventure, and the Feywild expansion it leads into, did the hags.

[@MusMasi]

a lot of the quests especially the earlier ones were awesome. A lot more immersive than a lot of other games out there.

[@Marveryn]

i had trouble with the darn hags. Not sure if i ever did finish that quest. fyi part of the problem is i don't bother to find friend so i tend to solo quest.

[@dmitryw.2209]

@@Dulkh4n They're my songs now Lilly!

[@ava3603]

Your mention about the D&D movie had me pausing the video to laugh because i did the same thing. My session mate right next to me also poked me to ask if that was "legal"

[@mimmikyute]

I’ve been waiting for this vid!! I’m a vet since 2009. Can’t wait to watch this. edit: 8:30 “the AI can hold their own” That’s not gonna age well 😂 9:55 Wil Wheaton also features in the Temple of Elemental Evil :) 17:25 as an xp pot addict; they’re not pointless at all. They help you move through reincarnations way quicker and that’s insanely valuable if you’re stuck playing a class you don’t like.

[@ar47yrr4p]

I wish the xp pots were WAY cheaper. I have been using them a lot since I started my completionist phase... but have decided to stop buying them and will trudge through the levels without them. $200US for 20k DDO points and 10 of the best XP pots cost you .. if I recall correctly, 6k DDO point (all of that is without specials, which help a little) and that means that 10 of the best XP pots cost you $60US...and those pots will last you 60 hours of game time (thankfully pauses when not in a dungeon.. but still). I know some people can just zip through levels 1-20 in a day or two...but it usually takes me 1-2 weeks, and I usually go through nearly all 10 pots. WAY too expensive!

[@Zencaste]

I am literally so afraid to watch this video. I've played this game on and off since I was 11 so I'm incredibly protective of it. Please dont hate it haha. I'm so happy he was able to love this despite its age and its flaws. Cheers.

[@StorybooksInn]

this was me with his lotro video haha

[@rob679]

DDO is now in better shape than it used to be under Turbine and still getting updates and content. As a solo player you can buy a hireling (free players have really basic ones) so you can have a pocket priest or lock opener. The airships you see are not only cosmetic, but also act as guildhalls. I remember being able to revive on the spot as a ghost and your team members had to escort you to the nearest shrine where you can revive, also possible with hirelings, did that change?

[@Miss_Matched]

You do realize that SSG is basically Turbine? The same people mostly.

[@Illesdan]

I was a beta tester for this game and came back once a year later to see everyone had been the victim of 'stat squish'. It looks like they got rid of the worthless D20 that used to roll whenever you tried an ability. Fun story about that: I played a half-elf magic-user with a 20 dex while running with my friend playing a dwarf paladin who was taking a -4 penalty to his dex. The dice roller is spitting out all kinds of random numbers, said I hit nat twenty for a jump, but still failed to make it. My friend, rocking his -4 penalty and rolling a 4 made the jump with no problem, and proceeded to keep making the jump. I could not under any circumstance make the jump he made, even though I had maxed out dex and stood exactly where he stood to jump. That was when we both realized something wasn't quite right with the game

[@user-nb1mk1jg4m]

I played this game when i was 14-15ish , im 30 now , DDO was always and will always be one of my favorite MMO's , the leveling system was odd , but i remember feeling so proud of being a Level 7 barbarian. I loved the class options. The random group content was Golden. Group fights admist the chaos of an adventure was an amazing feeling experience. The pvp was busted , any magic user and Clerics could smoke any rogue , fighter , barbarian twice thier level with a little practice. But regardless , i always loved that DDO had a Pub/arena style pvp area where you just walk right up and see if anyone is your level. If they touched it up a little bit il, it couldve been a nice break from PVE. Nostalgia. Great memories thank you DDO.. PS. If you want to give DDO a try , i still prefer it over Neverwinter and may try it myself. This is a PVE game , and if you like thatv, youll love DDO despite its age

[@LeoLionxyzed]

Pointing out from description: > server lag, forum links breaking They actually JUST made a large set of changes to address lag caused by players having effects, and JUST updated to a new forum platform. Notes about overwhelming build choice will likely be very warranted.

[@darschpugs4690]

pretty sure he was playing this post update.

[@SuperFlawless2010]

The lag is worse and Dungeon Alert change was out of touch as hell.

[@Sniperbear13]

i mean to be fair, DnD does tend to have some Overwhelming choice problems in some areas that can make it difficult for newer players.

[@LeoLionxyzed]

@@darschpugs4690 Yup, I was wrong. He didn't seem to bring up lag much in the actual video though.

[@death299]

​@@LeoLionxyzedbecause they didn't "fix" anything, the lag is just as bad if not worse than it was before.

[@iaminside1]

I remember quitting DDO because of what appeared to me as a bug. I was doing a quest, but the quest marker was in an empty room. There wasn't any switches, doors or anything like that. It was an empty room. I left the dungeon and that fixed the problem, but it left a bad taste. I ran into another stumbling block, and just gave up. I felt like I was fighting the game itself instead of the monsters inside it.

[@paulbarlow9981]

I never knew how much I needed to hear, "Spoiler! They do!" in my daily life until now.

[@callaindarkhawk1073]

resizing ui is not just done by changing resolution but you can corner drag like on your desktop including the map

[@ZeepZerp]

I was holding my breath that entire video waiting for your verdict. DDO is by far my favorite MMO (and I've played almost as many as you have). I really hope you stick with it and dig in. As everyone will say, one of the major factors is the build variety. Folks say things like that about a game and there's never as much as you think there ought to be. But, with DDO it's absolutely true. I've leveled up as a wizard so many different ways. There are so many different ways to play a Druid. So many different ways to play a Warlock. And on and on. I have dozens of characters, some of them that have reincarnated multiple times. DDO has lots of rough bits, that's fair. But it's worth it for the fun you can get out of it despite those rough bits.

[@ataridc]

He doesn't actually play games he builds a giant assumption Off surface level interactions with the games he plays which is why I ultimately dropped this channel. Its like a whole ring of channels like this and lazy peon that just repeat the same videos over and over and ppl lap it up for some inexplicable reason prob because mmo gamers are used to being happy with whatever scraps they're thrown at this point.

[@corvoyami3192]

​@@ataridc and yet you're here commenting 💀

[@ataridc]

@@corvoyami3192 blame youtube I didnt watch the video I Just read the comments anyway

[@seirasnw]

I'm not even an avid gamer but I love this series so much I've watched all of the videos available, so I'm very happy to know that it's still ongoing! Thanks for your hard work. 🖐

[@lycarahunt1414]

My friends/irl D&D group and I have been playing this game on and off for years, to the point that DM and Character quotes from the Korthos Island quests have become oft-repeated in jokes for us. The game is full of jank, and is VERY early 2000s looking, but we keep finding new builds to try on new quests we leveled past, hunting for different items in different areas of the game. We've gotten to use it to see iconic, classic dungeons like Temple of Elemental Evil and White Plume Mountain in full 3D glory, gotten to work together as a one-party guild to save up the funds for our own airship, and even dive into the mist-shrouded lands of Barovia to hunt Strahd. It's just.... fun! But seriously, please guys, the scuff on triggered shop access is a whole thing, please fix it.

[@spectacledWolf]

The end of this video was a treat. From the wholesome miniatures to the 3.5 modifier joke. This whole video was great.

[@ddragoon5481]

DDO is very different from traditional MMOs. The developers have been taking strides to improve it ever since they escaped their original publisher. They recently overhauled the coding to better handle all the features that have been added over the years.

[@KumaBones]

So it has a new publisher now? Maybe I'll return

[@gameprose4293]

@@KumaBones Yeah, was Turbine from 2006 to 2016. Then Standing Stone Games took over both DDO and Lord of the Rings Online.

[@livinlicious]

What? This mess still exists? It was so bad... It was the poster child of missed opportunity. That this still exists is amazing.

[@neophyteredglare961]

@@livinlicious the devs are probably passionate while the publisher did most of the crap, i might check that one out one day to see if thats true tho

[@emupike6]

if you aren't aware the "overhaul to coding" has made things worse, not better lmao. the lagg was better for 2 days and now is way worse. SSG has beyond clueless devs who: A) can not balance the game B) try to blame any sort of lagg on something players are doing (which leads to constant nerfs/attempts at balancing) C) do not care about the end game community D) listen to people are completely clueless about the game (E.G. strimtom)

[@rustybrown4964]

Just wanna correct you, Josh boyo, rogues aren't the only ones who can find hidden passages; any character with a high enough search / spot can find hidden passages. Also, Artificers can disarm traps as well.

[@iroden5335]

the dark hunter ranger archetype can also disarm traps

[@MusMasi]

@@iroden5335 you still get big bonus exp for disarming all the traps? It was a real nice bonus on a 3rd life toon on a big xp quest or even raid to get all the bonus for xp before completing.

[@gavinziozios1431]

​@@MusMasi Yup

[@acciaiomorti]

its beautiful to see that standingstone actually watched this and we're still seeing it being slowly implimented ddo is coming back

[@kennethturner8290]

I recommend anyone playing DDO also keep the DDO Wiki page handy. It is a good resource for any question you have and reviewing the different quests or extensions.