Experiencing Difficulty Bump

[The Narc]

Not keeping up with gear is why you're falling behind as you level up. Here's the optimal gearset for level 16 as a brand new player:

Dread Isle's Curse gear (5pc):
Offhand: Power-Packed Barrel
Ring: Signet of the Earth
Back: Walking Ancestor's Shroud
Head: Walking Ancestor's Helmet
Trinket: Blue Raptor Feather

Feywild gear (6pc):
Wrist: Green Dragonscale Bracers
Belt: Belt of the Ram
Chest: Leafmail
Gloves: Deadringers
Boots: Thorn Boots or Deepsnow Boots
Neck: Amber Pendant

Non-set bonuses:
Ring: Spinneret
Mainhand: Sceptre of Corrosion (I typically play a GOO/Acid warlock, but there's a similar scepter for each element).

I'm not including Sharn gear because you don't typically run it until level 17/18.

Feywild, Isle of Dread and Sharn expansions are worth the money. Typically Feywild and Sharn are available at a deep discount during Black Friday, so right on time for you.

Dont bother with trying to loot set bonuses on random drops(plus most of the stuff on those two sets are garbage), that is just a milking from ssg to try and get you to spend money, plus they continually are lowering the drop rates. There are much more guaranteed ways to gear up.

The advice for the corrosion stick from planar eyes chain is good and something that would be worth trying to loot, but please dont be milked here either.

If you want to spend time doing time sink such as looting set bonuses there are better time sinks that give you guaranteed results now and for the future.

First, always decon and gather cannith essences and any collectibles along the way(dont be suckered into buying collectibles/essences from the astral shard auction house, its another game design to try and milk money). You can craft stuff that covers almost everything available on set bonus gear in cannith crafted gear.

Second the advice on the Spinneret is also good and should be something you spend time on (Slave lords chain) even now at your level go back and ransack it for ingredients. This gear in five slots will cover everything you can get in those two other sets and leave plenty of slots open for other gear that you can craft. Make yourself a slaver sorcery set. On the 3 fully crafted from scratch pieces you can put a feather fall, blindness immunity and fear immunity augment. This gear will be useful life after life.

After the two above you are likely to still have a goggles, gloves, belt, cloak, helm which you craft an assortment of things hopefully on blanks you have created that have augment slots on them.

Be careful on the forums, you will constantly find people trying to advise you to spend spend spend, this forumites can get away with saying anything in the forums because they have the support of the devs/SSG, your goal should be to enjoy the game and not have to empty your wallet. I think its great that you want to enjoy the game at your own pace with your own goals and running solo is perfectly fine, dont feel pressured or bullied by others to join groups.

If you want further info please feel free to pm me and we can meet up in game to chat, there are many things i dont chat about here where there are guidelines and censorship.

I do not think that new player will buy expansions until playing enough to be sure to stay longer in a new game (and he already paid for VIP).
Not to mention that all items must be farmed (repeating or astral shards "test your luck" payment, 10% drop rate per try on normal, 30% on elite - sounds like exciting experience for first timer to keep playing).
I brought here some non casual gamers and most of them left this game saying something like "if you must farm/pay like crazy for just passives instead of using your gaming skill to enjoy the game, then I am done here".
Still, this is good direction to start collecting gear if this idea of playing convinces you enough.

Onboard with this, you are bang on, loot areas sure but dont spend a dime on it and dont be reliant on gear. The whole reason the nukers have become prominent in the game is because it is an easier model for ssg to build gear that can be class dependent. The trick is that you are being convinced by other players that you need that extra 20 spell power to be viable, when really you dont.

 

[Speed]

I think I'm sitting around 26 mrr and 38 prr, 226 hp. My dex is...poor, like 10. I dumped everything into charisma constitution at character creation.

Durability is the biggest problem and I know its partly because I've been solo but I appreciate the good info

14 constitution is enough, because you get just +1 hp per 2 points above 10 per level and ability point costs above 14 are higher (it helps at start, but scales less effective on later levels).
If you have too many abilities with just 8, then you might be blocked with "helpless" easily, when enemy reduced any of them to 0.
Reflex (dexterity) halves damage from most spells and traps, plus can protect from some other things.
Will (wisdom) protects from mind affecting spells/abilities that can block you, but effectiveness of them can be also reduced by spell resistance.
Look for items with resistance (bonus to all saves, it does not stack with single save effects, but stacks with save vs spells), parrying (stacks with resistance) and deathblock (protects from instant death effects, many of them are based on fortitude save, but not all, death ward can be easily dispelled), then add Resistance Ritual (stacks with resistance): https://ddowiki.com/page/Resistance_Ritual
Like someone said, get Tourney Armor (light armor with high ac, 5 dr which is like 5 extra hp per physical hit, parrying) from Sands of Menechtarun wilderness which is easy to farm (I can help you if you are from Ghallanda server) and put heavy fortification augment (100% protection from critical/sneak, but can be bypassed) and ability augment of your choice (it has 50 lbs, so maybe strength to not be overloaded if you have only 8): https://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Tourney_Armor

 

[Zandafolf]

Dont bother with trying to loot set bonuses on random drops(plus most of the stuff on those two sets are garbage), that is just a milking from ssg to try and get you to spend money, plus they continually are lowering the drop rates. There are much more guaranteed ways to gear up.

The advice for the corrosion stick from planar eyes chain is good and something that would be worth trying to loot, but please dont be milked here either.

If you want to spend time doing time sink such as looting set bonuses there are better time sinks that give you guaranteed results now and for the future.

First, always decon and gather cannith essences and any collectibles along the way(dont be suckered into buying collectibles/essences from the astral shard auction house, its another game design to try and milk money). You can craft stuff that covers almost everything available on set bonus gear in cannith crafted gear.

Second the advice on the Spinneret is also good and should be something you spend time on (Slave lords chain) even now at your level go back and ransack it for ingredients. This gear in five slots will cover everything you can get in those two other sets and leave plenty of slots open for other gear that you can craft. Make yourself a slaver sorcery set. On the 3 fully crafted from scratch pieces you can put a feather fall, blindness immunity and fear immunity augment. This gear will be useful life after life.

After the two above you are likely to still have a goggles, gloves, belt, cloak, helm which you craft an assortment of things hopefully on blanks you have created that have augment slots on them.

Be careful on the forums, you will constantly find people trying to advise you to spend spend spend, this forumites can get away with saying anything in the forums because they have the support of the devs/SSG, your goal should be to enjoy the game and not have to empty your wallet. I think its great that you want to enjoy the game at your own pace with your own goals and running solo is perfectly fine, dont feel pressured or bullied by others to join groups.

If you want further info please feel free to pm me and we can meet up in game to chat, there are many things i dont chat about here where there are guidelines and censorship.


Onboard with this, you are bang on, loot areas sure but dont spend a dime on it and dont be reliant on gear. The whole reason the nukers have become prominent in the game is because it is an easier model for ssg to build gear that can be class dependent. The trick is that you are being convinced by other players that you need that extra 20 spell power to be viable, when really you dont.

I totally get everything that you've said here and I appreciate the advice a lot. Anyone would find out within an hour of play that this game REALLY wants you to spend money and you will tend to have an exponentially easier time in the game the more money you spend. Thing is, I don't mind paying for content if I think that content is good. But I also try to be mindful not to get milked. I like this game and wanna play it. I'm not about to run away because I think cash shops are scary or something

 

[Zandafolf]

if you have only 8

My strength is actually 12, because I got tired of getting ray of enfeebled lol

 

[The Narc]

I totally get everything that you've said here and I appreciate the advice a lot. Anyone would find out within an hour of play that this game REALLY wants you to spend money and you will tend to have an exponentially easier time in the game the more money you spend. Thing is, I don't mind paying for content if I think that content is good. But I also try to be mindful not to get milked. I like this game and wanna play it. I'm not about to run away because I think cash shops are scary or something

You dont need to spend money on this game to be good because it is such a complex game it is impossible for SSG to corner you into spending but they certainly try. I compete every hardcore season with all Rimstrommies and Guy Smilies whales and i dont spend a penny, its very satisfying.

 

[The Narc]

My strength is actually 12, because I got tired of getting ray of enfeebled lol

As was suggesteed putting a strength augment in the colourless on the tourney armor is a good idea, use a level 8 augment for strength +5, that way with the heavy fort augment you will have not upped the minimum level of the armor for future past lives.

 

[Matuse]

This link is to my universal caster gearset that can easily take you from 8 to 20, or 8 to 15 if you switch to Sharn items. It is heavy on Feywild and Isle of Dread, but also crams in two sets from TOEE for extra defense. I've run this configuration through several lives and it is amazing. You don't need to follow it exactly (for example, Warlocks wouldn't really need the fear immunity topaz and as a new player you won't have access to Master's Gift yet, the underwater action augment is highly optional, etc), but it is tested and effective.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1tcW2s-f8akXB3ug9QGgJH-1N0b5kU79MoV5XbktebyE/edit?usp=sharing

Without the expansions, it does make things a bit less ideal. The good news as Ying mentioned is that Black Friday is coming, and this usually means heavy sales on content, including putting it on sale within the DDO store so that you can use the store points you've earned and not have to spend extra real cash. They've made a habit of putting the older expansions on sale for 99 store points, which is a complete steal. However, without those two expansions, I'd lean heavily on TOEE, some custom slave lords pieces, and items from Menechtarum.

 

[Dragavon]

I think I'm sitting around 26 mrr and 38 prr, 226 hp. My dex is...poor, like 10. I dumped everything into charisma constitution at character creation.

Durability is the biggest problem and I know its partly because I've been solo but I appreciate the good info

226HP at 16 is very low after today's standards.

I just took lvl 6 on my warlock and she has 194HP at lvl 6. At 16 I expect 600+++

 

[DBZ]

Easiest grind to up defenses and heal amp hp EPLS x 51 for destiny points and they all stack at level 1

 

[Speed]

226HP at 16 is very low after today's standards.

I just took lvl 6 on my warlock and she has 194HP at lvl 6. At 16 I expect 600+++

I do not think it is possible for first life pure spellcaster without passives like past lifes, tomes, reaper tree and high level guild ship buffs.
Correct me if this is doable with just best gear (which must be farmed all to fit all wanted parameters for various classes you play).

 

[Speed]

My strength is actually 12, because I got tired of getting ray of enfeebled lol

1 - Seriously, go for this Tourney Armor in Sands of Menechtarun wilderness, because it is easy to farm (5-30 min, depending on luck and movement speed, so use borderland horse if you have or at least some 30% boots from auction house), not so far from entrance, simple path (it is slightly on top near the end).
I made a map for you (red path): https://ibb.co/rvxLf7d
There is a 10% chance to drop named item, but each chest can be opened only 8 times until you get ransack message (no more chance for named items).
In this case, there is always one of two mini bosses, second with different chest (this one contains gloves of the falcon with true seeing, so you can switch them to auto detect most hidden doors up to level 12+ in the future until get other item for this), so you have 8 to about 20 (if second boss will appear more often than 50%) tries.
You can then jump down for third possible mini boss for some extra chest.
If no luck, then you can wait 7 days (ransack timer) or continue slayer to get 625 antique bronze tokens (bags left by enemies and chests in sands, rarely on auction house) that you can exchange (masei imports) for any item from sands wilderness.
You can also go (even for continued slayer) for shard of vollun trinket (blue path) if you want +40 insight bonus (stacking with standard spell power from other items, so 40% more damage that increases chance to destroy some enemies with single/aoe shot before they can hit you with their statuses/damage) to light/alignment/fire/heal for your fire/evil damage, 121 sp and yellow augment slot (do you have more useful trinket now?).
You can get +3/+5 strength or other ability/resistance/spell augment for 500 mysterious remnants that you probably already have (red bag) from monster hunter npc in hall of heroes.
Heavy fortification augment will be harder to get if there is none on auction house and you do not have astral shards.
So, with this armor, your ac, physical damage reduction (-5 from each hit is like extra hp), parrying (+2 stackable all saves) and some prr/mrr will be covered.
2 - Take resistance (+6 all saves at level 16, but less is still better than nothing), deathblock and optionally spell resistance (16+ at level 16, otherwise it is wasting of inventory slot, or use something with stackable saves vs spells) items, all from auction house (or vendors under bridge in marketplace if you are lucky) for only around 10k platinum.
3 - Perform resistance ritual at stone of change on one of following goggle/necklace/ring/bracers/trinket for additional +1 stackable all saves.

 

[DBZ]

Doin it right now on the next alt while i grind removers n r frags gota start somewhere

Im usin a basic fire bomber great aoe lock would work too

 

[saekee]

I also have dual scepters, and have the enhancement for evil damage as very few mobs resist that. Also the fire pact, lots of light and fire power and lore. I also use cone. The damage part of my setup seems to be mostly fine as I have no problem killing things for the most part. I mow through trash, but I can get got pretty easily by some casters and archers. Sometimes I have had to turn my pact off because the fire damage is healing what I'm hitting or whatever situational thing like that is happening but I can kill the majority of stuff that comes at me in 2-3 blasts unless its particularly tough. Boss, champion or something.

I think I'm sitting around 26 mrr and 38 prr, 226 hp. My dex is...poor, like 10. I dumped everything into charisma constitution at character creation.

Durability is the biggest problem and I know its partly because I've been solo but I appreciate the good info

hi, just to add, some key stuff for boosting defense starts with more hit points. Constitution will give more hp so get some gear with Con, possible insightful CON too although less important for insightful in heroics. Then get false life (even in an augment) or examples here. Then add vitality; between those three things you can boost your hp by about 100 depending on what you have. The PRR and MRR is not bad for a caster.

 

[DBZ]

Yeah casters can have over 100 prr in heroics mrr alot less in robes more in medium

 

[Archest]

I started as premium and generally buy the packs a year or two after they come out on sale to get the most I can from what little I spend. i figure if i like the game I would by it for $50-$60 and pay the same for the upgraded version 1 a year as they come out with new versions of the game. that's my budget so I dont go over board the best value in this thinking is a vip membership. used to get points with premium pack purchases I've even bought the pack 2 times to get more points for the cost of the pack then the cost of the points themselves. cosmetics just take up bank space to me. so if i were to just start playing today I would recommend getting the expansion packs you need to access from the trove purchase because it opens up evening star quests with epic content and a vip membership.

 

[Br4d]

Don't forget to stay on the move and jumping will often get you out of a bind that would otherwise kill you.

DDO is a very active game system. Often simple movement reduces damage more than AC and PRR combined.

 

[Purr]

My advice for warlock would be to use utterdark blast, so you only need to gear for two spell powers. Also, if you use eldritch blast, consider chain instead of cone to add more distance between you and mobs. Finally, make sure you let melees grab aggro before shooting in a fight, or you'll draw tons of aggro. I think of warlock as support dps.

 

[h46av8r]

My 2 cents - ignore the jackwagons posting "first life solo build for high reapers" crap - most are full of sh*t and what they really mean are first life alts who benefit from having access to all the gear, complete sets, etc. and they know the dungeons by heart, cherry pick the quest to show in a video, etc. Pretty sure they'll get whacked good on most quests in high reaper too, raised by hireling, need to jibber, eat a cake, etc. Most people gonna get shellacked on R1 on a true first life. Look at everyone dying on hardcore in elite. Past lives make a huge difference - for example, I have 48 PRR from epic PLs at level 1. Reaper points make a huge difference also. Game gets easier with experience too. Just give it time. And as stated above the best thing to do is to group - I say this as someone who solo's....

As an aside, to your earlier comment re eveningstar quests, I avoid those in heroics - just way too many mobs unless you are a nuker - I find them totally annoying. Much better in epics in my opinion.

 

[Br4d]

My 2 cents - ignore the jackwagons posting "first life solo build for high reapers" crap - most are full of sh*t and what they really mean are first life alts who benefit from having access to all the gear, complete sets, etc. and they know the dungeons by heart, cherry pick the quest to show in a video, etc. Pretty sure they'll get whacked good on most quests in high reaper too, raised by hireling, need to jibber, eat a cake, etc. Most people gonna get shellacked on R1 on a true first life. Look at everyone dying on hardcore in elite. Past lives make a huge difference - for example, I have 48 PRR from epic PLs at level 1. Reaper points make a huge difference also. Game gets easier with experience too. Just give it time. And as stated above the best thing to do is to group - I say this as someone who solo's....

As an aside, to your earlier comment re eveningstar quests, I avoid those in heroics - just way too many mobs unless you are a nuker - I find them totally annoying. Much better in epics in my opinion.

This is largely an accurate description of vets vs new. People really do forget what the game is like when you don't know where the traps are and have limited knowledge of what the mobs cast.

This, BTW, is why I would really like a random dungeon generator. There is nothing like the experience of running a quest for the first time and having to suss it out as you go.

 

[h46av8r]

I'd also recommend just leveling up with whatever gear you find on lower difficulty rather than trying to farm the best gear and sets on a first life. XP comes pretty quick. First life is more about learning. Get to cap, if you want stay there a bit and group with folks willing to carry you to get you some RXP great, then TR (epic then heroic or racial so 2 PL feats). Do that a couple times. Maybe by third life start trying leveling R1.