A Look Ahead: Producer's Letter from Tolero!

[Kitty2Meow]

Read more about the year ahead in Dungeons & Dragons Online in a new Producer's Letter!

To celebrate DDO 20th Anniversary, would be nice to add a few QoL Augments? Or transforming a Raid item into Essence Augment?
Would like to see,
True Seeing Augment (ML: 20)
Freedom of Movement Augment (ML: 20)
Sapphire of Fortification 124 (ML: 20)
Sapphire of Fortification 148 (ML: 30)
Insightful Ability Stat +6 (ML: 28)

and most important, Topaz of Melee Power +12, please !!

 

[paddymaxson]

I get that there''s probably only 1 person working on it but "Players can expect this kind of refresh to happen to other older playable character races in the coming years, and we’ll let you know as each one gets slated for a revisit." seems....odd, this doesn't seem like a multi-year project. Though I have to agree Drow feel like they're most in need of it.

 

[mikarddo]

What's awesome is there seems to be agreement--Casters are dominant at leveling and do NOT need help there. Other classes could use help there.

As for how much of the game is leveling vs end game push raids and such, well. the whole game is designed around TRing and leveling. It's great you are an ultimate completionist! Congrats. You are the exception. MOst of us poor noobs are just trying to swing our sword and level. And we are not as powerful as you are.

There is no such agreement. Far from it.

Yes, sorc is the strongest for leveling - but monk, barb and some other martial dps builds are not that close behind, and the best martial builds for leveling are better than most casters for leveling.

Honestly, for anyone with a bit of experience and gear leveling is rather easy and fast on most builds. Sure, some could use a little help, but none are impossibly left behind.

 

[mikarddo]

And you don’t understand that for most players, 90% of the game is leveling. Most players aren’t doing push raids or r10s. You also have no idea how hard it is to clear a mob swinging a weapon and being in the middle of their attacks. We don’t have perches to hide in like you do.

I dont think its as clear cut as you like to present it. Taking a look at DDOAudit roughly 20% of those online are level 34 and thats during the morning (EU) and afternoon (US). During the peak time in the evening I am willing to bet that the distribution is more towards cap. Also, taking a guess, a non-significant portion of the others are on a mule, or on a lower level while waiting for their friends to log on so they can raid or run cap play. And a portion of those leveling are doing so to "get back to cap on a new builds and rejoin the game".

For newer and casual players you are very likely correct with the 90% estimate. For the more mature population I am guessing its more evenly split and possible even with a majority for cap play as their focus - with leveling being a means towards cap play.

As for melee having a hard time leveling. Aye, when you are new, undeveloped or undergeared that is true. Once you get to know the game better, get some gear etc, leveling a melee isn't hard at all. I have been leveling a monk for multiple lives recently and my friend levels a barbarian. Both are fairly easy on R1 for leveling. In some levels they are even easier than a sorc which I have done alot though the sorc overall is faster.

For soloing - a melee is often superior to even a sorc unless the sorc is *very well geared and knows the quest very well - because the sorc is dead is the water when spell points run out. So, if you only see casters dominating kill count in full groups you are missing the full picture - in the full group the melee help the casters by removing the need to defend themselves, by removing the need to kill the more bothersome mobs or the last straglers in the group and overall by making them not run out of spell points. Same team - different jobs.

 

[Shear-buckler]

What's awesome is there seems to be agreement--Casters are dominant at leveling and do NOT need help there. Other classes could use help there.

As for how much of the game is leveling vs end game push raids and such, well. the whole game is designed around TRing and leveling. It's great you are an ultimate completionist! Congrats. You are the exception. MOst of us poor noobs are just trying to swing our sword and level. And we are not as powerful as you are.

If you think casters dominate leveling you have not been keeping up with the massive melee buffs in the recent years.

 

[Smokewolf]

Are there still no plans to reward players who have been here since 2006?

Other than my SSG acount, there isnt much to show this. Certainly not the forums.

 

[Baconator]

Looking back I've had many memorable moments, Turbine itself provided us with 2 happenings that would ultimately help shape the games future. When @Tolero and @Cordovan were hired. Both basically were "cheerleaders" on the outside looking in, but Turbine recognized their passion and how the players gravitated to them. Tolero was there on Thelanis for Chainmail's 5th anniversary (and @Jaggie too) and handed out those green party hat. I still have mine and will never let it go.

Another personal memory was when I was unceremoniously transferred from Xoriat to Thelanis, was out in Necro 1, and knew nothing (still) I was in the quest requiring both runes be lit at same time, & started crying in general chat for a DM to help me, and Hordak from Old Scholl Gamers Guild answered me and then recruited & taught me how to use chat. Since then I've tried to give back as they did for me.

How about the Devs coming in-game to help ressolve problems? Or granting auto-complete in Coal Chamber when they saw 4 people in there for 2 hours & lost. And in the Shroud when pt 5 was bugged & we never got raised to fight Harry. He put up 2 shrines with an auto complete and Lrge Scales for all. This crazy old man has had many great memories over 20 years, and look forward to making new ones.

 

[xaktakorf]

How about an ACTUAL HC event?

*SIGH*

 

[srjefe]

Thank you for sharing the roadmap!

My thoughts/requests:
1) Please keep raid loot BtA as in the Relentless (one of the best decisions made in my opinion!)
2) Could you consider adding 2 or 3 more teleport spots to Myth Drannor wilderness please? Running to The Key of Mythal or Voices of the Dead takes more time than completing many of DDO's quests!
3) We need a Cannith Crafting update - at least give us an option to craft lvl 34/36 gear.
4) What about the promised free 64 to 64-bit world character transfers?
5) Could you consider adding character's reaper buffs to hirelings? Right now they have problems surviving 1 fight, even at low reaper settings.
6) Update hirelings so that we could gear them up! I bet many people would be willing to spend RL money or DDO Points to have that option.
7) Fix Monster Manual please. If it's too much work to fix (versus dev time spent) - wipe the progress out, so we can start fresh.

Solid asks. Especially 1-4. FYI, for some of us point 4 is very important. Personally, I have been waiting patiently for, "We will also facilitate a period of free transfers between our 64-bit US game worlds sometime after August 31st, 2025, with more information provided later. "

 

[DBZ]

Not a single comment about a caster pass?

Did you expect one

 

[Asgard]

Honestly, for anyone with a bit of experience and gear leveling is rather easy and fast on most builds. Sure, some could use a little help, but none are impossibly left behind.

Totally agree — once you’ve got some experience under your belt, leveling really does smooth out. And if you sprinkle in a LOT (LOL) of Cannith crafting, it gets downright silly. Swapping into a fresh suit every two levels turns the whole process into a joyride. Throw a couple of Wishes into the mix and the ‘hard parts’ feel more like tiny speed bumps you barely notice on the way by.

 

[YTSESoldier]

I hope the drow visual update comes with a racial tree update as well...I don't think that the reason drew aren't played too often is their looks (that's dwarves)...which would make more sense for a dwarf visual update to coincide with duergar release which would bee easier to accomplish as the work would be being done for duergar already and there would be some overlap.

I too am disappointed with no mention of caster fixes, hell even a 50% rollback of the r7+ nerfs would go a long way, and I primarily play melee so this is mostly to help my caster friends who are getting frustrated when they don't get accepted to raids because of their class and playing less often because of this.

 

[YTSESoldier]

CRAFTING PASS! Please raise the crafting level!

Yes, L32 cannith crafting and random loot when the level cap is 36 is...disappointing.

Also we need another avenue to spend plat other than filling our banks with reaper wings and eyes.

 

[Denis Iron]

I am one of the first VIPs since beta, then I bought DVD

https://imgur.com/a/fh28WhQ

 

[Spellsinger]

Can't wait for the kick off of the 20th. I know we have a lot Debbie downers on these forums, but I appreciate the love devs have given this game over the last 20 years. I for one never thought it would get this far. I figured I'd wake up to my favorite game being dead after it went free to play. Like Age of Conan did.

I remember the exact spot I was standing when my step father told me we had two copies of DDO waiting at the house. I was in 8th grade leaving my basketball tournament.

We had a full group of friends, we'll too full to be honest. Constantly fighting for the sixth spot every night. We played hours on end into the early mornings most of the time.

My fondest memory would have to be the first time you completed the old low road quest to get into the main harbor so you could group up with your friends. We'll before korthos and the training area was what is now the crystal cover event.

Many laughs came from the time we completed cult of the six and one of our party didn't talk to the quest giver twice after the first part of the chain.

Watching someone complete the first Velah raid and the announcement going world wide was epic.

Seeing the first ever vorpal weapons and they were rare and massacred everything in the hardest quest at the time(Tempest Spine)

From not being able to play the game without a full party to soloing everything for the last 20 years. Thank you for taking what Turbine made and supporting it for years to come SSG/Daybreak. You are all heroes in my book.

 

[Baddie]

- How old are you?
- I used to borrow books from the lighthouse library.

 

[Monicle le Blair]

Why Duergar? Did anyone even ask for it?

My guess its because the model is already ingame, so they just need to make a skill tree.
Easy work for easy $

 

[Spellsinger]

- How old are you?
- I used to borrow books from the lighthouse library.

34 now. I had totally forgotten about that!

 

[Shear-buckler]

Why Duergar? Did anyone even ask for it?

Lots of people have asked for it for a long time.

 

[McBeck]

So many memories! When I first started playing, "I fell" was my catchphrase and my poor guildies would just quietly jump down to whatever part of Korthos I had gotten myself into so they could save me from the hoards of Sahuagin and rats.

How about the first Risia Ice Games, when you could get on top of the pillar in the Bogwater (Bracelet of Friends, anyone?) and cheese the half-pipe for all the coins. I still have Icy Burst kits in my bank, haha.

And the first Crystal Cove event, back when rangers could do some major damage with a longbow. I remember someone joined our party and it was their first time playing w/ a kiter! Poor guy couldn't pull aggro - I would hit the Many Shot and then hop around like a crazy person. I also loved that event for the trash-talking kobolds (kobold remember waterworks).

And then the level caps - I was the first person in my tiny guild to level a toon to 25 and we all thought it was such a big deal.

I also remember my first hardcore, which was season 4. It was like playing DDO for the first time all over again and I loved it. The favor rewards had me playing quests I didn't normally play and wasn't as familiar with - for me, it was like getting tons of new content in my favorite game.

I've been playing DDO for what seems like forever! It's the only game I play, and even though I still fall ALL the time (feather fall is the best!), I've never done a raid, I've only reincarnated a handful of times, and I've collected very few reaper points, I still love everything about it. Well, maybe not all the doomscrolling in the forums, but everything else is the bomb diggity in my book! Kudos to the devs, and thanks to Tolero for giving us a peek at what's to come.