Looking For Advice

[Tanigawa]

Hello everyone,

I am new to this game. This is the first MMO I have played that has stuck with me very well, I could see myself playing this for a very long time or trying multiple characters. This is my first-life playthrough and I am really loving the game so much that I decided to buy a monthly subscription. My first character is a sorcerer and I was lucky enough to find a guild member who has been helping me along and doing quests with me.

The spell system seems very exciting. I came to ask if there is any information I should immediately look to learning or familiarize myself with? I have experience with DND and although DDO is very different, the character building is very familiar to me.

I have been looking at the wiki, and have been reading starter guides and how to build my class, although most of them seem very basic and don't go very in-depth with advanced knowledge or things I might need to know during later dungeons. I also worry that some of it may be outdated as well, some pages for building classes on the wiki are missing classes that I can see are in-game.

I apologize if this paragraph of questions seems brash, but I have a lot of questions, a lot of advanced topics aren't yet familiar to me and I need help understanding what I would need to do in order to progress further if missions start getting too difficult.

Do I need to follow a build 100% from the get-go, and is it cheap/expensive to rebuild my character if I seriously screw myself over?

Is there any websites I should be looking at to help build my character or that can provide me with information? I also see that I can access the old forums which is greatly helpful in understanding the game as whole.

Is there anything that might trip me up at later levels? I hear that Epic levels and Legendary can be hard, and I guess is there anything I can do in terms of planning to make that journey smoother for me?

Any other kinds of advice would be very appreciated, even just knowing what expansions to buy when they're on sale or if to wait.

Thanks in kind.

 

[Archest]

Does your Race Tree support your Class enhancements?
Do your feats support your class?
You can rework your feats with the free lessor wood for new character creation but can not change your race unless you fully reincarnate.
physical resistance rating and magical resistance rating are good things to have for all class's.
(Sheltering)
criticals
spell power

Its cheep In that you can earn your characters reincarnation for free after level 20.
play Reaper groups and get the Reaper enhancement points so you will be comfortable playing Reaper as soon as you can.

 

[Kalibano]

Hello everyone,

I am new to this game.

Welcome to DDO @Tanigawa
It's a great game: I've been here since 2006, and still having fun

I have a build repository: though not written strictly for complete beginners, it might help give an overview of some of the key systems of the game (which I refer to as the 'core' of the build).

I don't think you need to follow a build 100% from the get-go: not every build will fit everyone's style of play and personal goals. Getting in there are trying and testing things is a great strategy really: perhaps in this sense, some ready-made builds might seem appealing/helpful.

A friendly warning when browsing people's builds online, if you do decide going 100% with someone's build from the get-go:
- some builds include bonuses you might never ever get, no matter how long you play
- many 'Endgame R10 solo builds' will seem overwhelming, and will involve some annoying strategies like endless weapon swaps for snapshot bonuses (which some players, myself included, find extremely annoying and not fun)
- some of these build threads will imply (sometimes very directly) that your character will not be 'viable' or a 'gimp' if you don't min-max everything and play exactly the way they want you to play (highly unlikely to be true: you'll get the chance to make your own mind)

So I'd strongly recommend to try and focus on the basics/core of the build firstly, and think about what will feel fun for YOU to play.

Perhaps studying some builds on the forums and trying to work out why they made the choices they made might be a good start.
You might find this very handy both to help build your character, and to analyze why people made their choices too: Maetrim's DDOBuilder

DDO Wiki is great: I use it a lot. Some things might be out-of-date, but the community are great at keeping it mostly accurate.

---

Trying things out is a great way to learn really. If you do make mistakes, there is a system of Hearts of Wood (mostly purchasable from the DDO store) where you can re-spec your character. A lesser heart of wood costs 895 DDO points. You will earn points as you complete quests, especially as a new player (there are nice 'first time reaching x amount of favor in this server' bonuses in the form of DDO points)

There are other free ways to do it, which would involve farming some ingredients in quests (e.g. Epic reincarnation) which would allow you to re-spec your character indirectly. It would require being a certain level too: just make sure you ask, if it comes to that.

Doing a True reincarnation, and starting a fresh life (with bonuses from your previous life) sort of means you can't be permanently stuck with mistakes you make.

Hope this is somewhat helpful, and the build repository manages to inspire you to make some of your own choices.

Remember to have fun, this is a game!

 

[Br4d]

My advice would be that it is your first life and you should just enjoy it as you go.

Most of the guides will read like advanced calculus to a newer player who does not have enough context to make them simpler. People really like to do multi-page guides with many tables and every skill point, action point, destiny point, etc worked out but with little to no explanation of why they are set.

As you approach level 20 you can look at how reincarnation works and decide if you want to TR right away or go to 32 and then 30 a couple of times. It's probably wiser to get a couple of Epic TR's done before your first Heroic TR but that's a matter of taste.

Most importantly though: just have fun. The game is a lot of fun when you are not trying to race through it at breakneck speed through content you have done over and over again at breakneck speed.

 

[Kalibano]

Most importantly though: just have fun. The game is a lot of fun when you are not trying to race through it at breakneck speed through content you have done over and over again at breakneck speed.

Great advice, so true. Love how you put it

 

[Fhrek]

I am new to this game.

First, welcome to DDO! It is a great game, I always come back after a brief hiatus, because the game is that good and always has new content.

Do I need to follow a build 100% from the get-go, and is it cheap/expensive to rebuild my character if I seriously screw myself over?

No, you don't need to follow 100%, but is better to follow to learn and adapt to your own playstyle. Read a lot, see gameplay videos and ask questions when in doubt. Is kind expensive to make changes on the fly (Lesser Reincarnation costs DDO Points - which you can earn via gameplay on a pace to 25 points per 100 Favor reward, there is first times bonus per server, is time consuming, but pay off). True Reincarnation lets you start over from Lv.1 (or Lv. 15 in an Iconic Character), although second life requires more EXP to level cap again, a third life requires even more.

Is there any websites I should be looking at to help build my character or that can provide me with information?

DDO Wiki is your best friend! Most helpful information about the game is there and updated.

Is there anything that might trip me up at later levels?

Heroic Knowledge! Before throw yourself at Epic/Legendary, Heroic content is where you know about the game - quests, trap locations, mob patterns, where your build excels, where you need caution and help. Take your time on heroics to learn as much as you can. Few quests in the game has only Epic/Legendary versions.

Any other kinds of advice would be very appreciated, even just knowing what expansions to buy when they're on sale or if to wait.

Expensions is a matter of taste. Wait for promotion weeks DDO Store Sales and Promotions, black friday is coming, keep your eyes opened.
IMHO
Saltmarsh, is kind outdated, but has an unique feature others don't have - Epic chests can drop Sentient EXP.
Feywild, Ravenloft, Sharn and Isle of Dread has the best balance between Heroic/Epic/Legendary Gear - EXP - Quests - Raids.
Vecna is the newest, jury stills out.

As other said before, Have FUN must be your top priority! Hope you have a blast!

 

[geltril]

As you level if you just wing it, you will pick feats and enhancements that may not be the best for when you get to lvl32, but were great or even essential as you leveled. You will end up with duplicated abilities such as ghost touch or eschewed materials, etc. So save the free heart of wood until lvl32 IF you like the class and race but just want to clean up mistakes. Otherwise epic reincarnate and then TR/RR and start over with a very slight pat life improvement. Only you can decide if you want to get on the reincarnation hamster wheel. Regardless of level and life, there are certain quality of life improvements you will HAVE to have.
Water breathing and feather fall(permanent, no charges). Attainable by lvl 4 with yellow augments. Extra personal bag storage(through store and reputation). Carry all bags for collectables and ingredients especially. Get the huge ones not those crappy tiny ones you can get for free.
Deathblock. Ghost touch. Running/attack speed boosts. With a few exceptions, dont save any gear without at least one augment slot early on and later on, only save 2 slotted items. Save ALL your collectables for crafting which I wouldnt even bother starting until later Heriocs lvl15+. Im still a newbie after almost 1 year of playing, but I dont run with anyone, so it has been a difficult uphill climb. I assume you are in a guild that has an airship with perks, right? Those guild boosts really help early levels even to end game.