New player, first life need help and some wisdom.

[BarryKent]

Hi Guys !. I`m very new player of this game. And i have some questions to you. So let`s started.

- I`m mostly a f2p player of many online games, so my question is, how good this game is in free to play model ?. Can i beat this game as a f2p player ?. (i mean hit max lv, and get good gear, be a part of guild and so on). My goal is to hit 20 level, enjoy gameplay, find guild, play some dungeons with people.

- I want focus only for one character. Can you recommend me a good class or build for first time player ?. In most mmos i play a healer/dps solo type classes like priest in wow ( i like to handly content by myself but i also like be open for group content, and i`m not a boss in dps or tank classes, thats why i like be a healer in team).

- Are you have any tips or suggestions how make a good/easy start or how have fun playing this game ?.

Thx for you time and answers i really appreciate.

 

[Nebless]

Can i beat this game as a f2p player ?. (i mean:
hit max lv,

No or probably not. Max level is currently 30 and I've heard talk it's going to go higher. I really don't think you'd be able to make it that high on just a f2p account.

and get good gear,

Good yes, best probably not.

be a part of guild and so on).

Yes, joining a guild has nothing to do with account status.

My goal is to hit 20 level, enjoy gameplay, find guild, play some dungeons with people.

If your goal is only lvl 20 than yes you should be able to get there as just a f2p player as there are 76 (maybe more now) free lvl 1 to 10 dungeons and another 24 free lvl 11 to 20 dungeons. You'll be looking at having to repeat the higher level content to grind out xp so it might not be the most enjoyable time.

- Are you have any tips or suggestions how make a good/easy start or how have fun playing this game ?.

Take your time. The games got a fairly steep learning curve. It's D&D, but not pure D&D as they've had to make lots of fixes to get it to fit into an MMO mold.

Don't get super attached to your first character, 99% of them get deleted. Best to think of him as the training wheels on your bike, cuz once you learn how to play you'll get rid of him and start over correcting any mistakes you made along the way.

I'll go out on a limb and say that as a F2p player you might have problems finding groups as most will be doing the Buy to play dungeons.

 

[WielderofGigantus]

No or probably not. Max level is currently 30

Max level is currently 32... will be 34 later this year.

 

[Ying]

"Beating the game" doesn't exist. A small segment of the playerbase chooses to do the hardest difficulty at end-game, which has it's own progression system called Reaper. There are even Reaper raids which have an even smaller pool of players that play at the highest difficulty. What gives the game replayability is the past life system, where you gain a little bit of power from starting your character over at level 1 and leveling back up.

Think of DDO as a beer and pretzels game where you have fun hanging out with your buddies. It's more of a cooperative game than a competitive game.

 

[Ned_Ellis]

Welcome to the game! I can't rmbr what is f2p class/race anymore but for healer and a bit of dps cleric is probably your best bet as f2p; then fvs when you unblock it - this is what you should be after, favour unlocks since you also gain ddo points via favour with which you can 'buy' account upgrades such as content with. Then again imo, pairing this with even just a few, specific purchases will greatly enhance your experience; be patient and look for sales and holiday bonuses. Also, ddo wiki is your friend.

 

[PersonMan]

Most quests in the game are not f2p. You do earn store points as you play which can be used to buy permanent access. If you join a guild there is a good chance someone will be more than willing to spend their points to buy you temporary access (guest passes).

 

[Solarpower]

Can i beat this game as a f2p player ?

You can't beat DDO whatsoever. Unlike some MMORPGs inherited WoW-like gameplay DDO doesn't have the "end" or "endgame". You level up till lvl 20 or lvl 30 or current max lvl 32, drop your level back to 1 and start all over again. Repeat till you get bored of it.
Some people stay at max level but there are not much activities you can do there. Plus new dungeons can be released for level 1, for exapmle, why would you need them staying at max level all the time ?

My goal is to hit 20 level, enjoy gameplay, find guild, play some dungeons with people.

Level 20 is more or less achievable as F2P. Besides, you'll get some in-game Store currency while playing. You may accumulate them and buy new dungeons pack.

Can you recommend me a good class or build for first time player ?

Like with any D&D game - a pure Fighter is never a bad option for a start. In DDO a Paladin might be better.
Warlock if you want to be a caster. Or Alchemist.

In general, healers do not require. Well, the Reaper difficulty change the scene but you won't do Reaper 10 dungeons with the 1st life character.
The most useful class for group is a Bard build as buffer, IMHO. But you literally won't be able to kill anything yourself and therefore won't be able to play solo. Like at all.

 

[Purr]

So, here's how I did it back in like 2009/2010:
1) There is enough ftp content to get you to level 20 (maybe level 30) pretty comfortably without having to spend any money, but you'll likely have to run content 2 or 3 times, (we used to do E/H/N of most quests each life).
2) With the free expansion and quest pack coupons, this greatly adds to the variety of quests you have access to. I don't know if those are currently available or not, but if they aren't, use them when they are.

Each life, you'll earn a hefty amount of DDO points. Use these to buy the content you don't have access to (the content, classes, iconics, and races), or spend them on cosmetics and stuff. Don't waste money on Sibyris (sp) cakes to raise yourself.

I'll also say to get comfortable with DDO Wiki. It's a very old game and there is an awful lot of depth built up here.

Finally, every character, no matter how poorly built or geared, can have fun at any point in the game, but you'll need to do a little bit of work on gearing and "building" your character to have fun at higher difficulty levels.

Also (finally again), remember that everyone is playing a different "game". Some people are grinding out past lives and their goal is to max xp per minute. Others like to explore and discover and don't care if they ever get much xp. Others just like to find cool outfits and run around. Don't get mad if you end up in a party where people are being super pokey, and don't get mad if it seems like everyone is way more powerful than you. Find out what you enjoy about the game and do that.

 

[The_Apocalypse]

You gain Favor from completing quests, more so at higher difficulties. You gain DDO Store points from acquiring Favor, more so on "first time" on each server. DDO Store points are Account-wide, so each server contributes to the whole. You use DDO Store points to unlock quest packs for your account. Can buy other stuff, too, but as F2P, quest packs should be your goal.

 

[Noobcake]

-This game is completely terrible for a new free player and should never be played like that. However if you're willing to sub for a single month and/or wait for their yearly giveaway code (the last of which you missed by a few months), then you'll be able to have actual fun while playing because all adventure packs will be opened.

-You can reach lv20 (with some boredom), play with people (which is gonna completely suck 95% of the time if you just randomly team up) and join a guild no problem.

-Your enjoyment will largely depend on how much of a turbonerd you are. If you're the sort of turbonerd who loves D&D3 style bean counting and paperclip optimizing, you'll love it. Otherwise, you'll be annoyed at how obnoxiously complicated everything is. The actual gameplay of doing the quests and fighting enemies and solving puzzles are quite fun, assuming you didn't make your character too much of a weakling.

-You cannot beat DDO. Especially not for free. You could theoretically beat it (as in make your character as maximally powerful as the game allows) if you made it your day job and kept at it for about 5 years but you're not gonna do that. Not even ddo streamers do that. Also theoretically you could pay to win but you'd pay like a literal million bucks for that. You could enjoy the game after some orientation though.

-The biggest tip to just playing and having fun in DDO is to find a basic build and copy it. I suggest strimtom's acid arrow for a total froob, the original one from years ago is what allowed me to actually keep playing the game and the more recent version is probably good for any newbie. It's on these forums somewhere.

-You earn fakebucks by playing the quests on higher difficulties and then buy content packs from gamestore with fakebucks. You could theoretically do that to unlock stuff but it takes quite a while and is pretty damn boring. But you can still do it if you don't think you'll get sick of the grind and quit the game. But because they're (probably) going to do a giveaway of most everything near the end of the year, you may get buyer remorse for spending your hard farmed fakebucks on adventure packs.

-You'll know for sure if DDO is for you or not by the time you get to lv15ish. If you get there and things seem annoyingly grindy or complicated, don't play DDO. If you're a fan of D&D stuff who can stomach all the jank and/or an actual bean counting turbonerd, you'll love it.

 

[saekee]

hey just to add to all the sage advice. I am F2P (Premium technically as I have bought stuff). Here is how to maximize your time:
1) Every server gives first time favor rewards as store points. So in order to begin exploring the game and figuring out what class + race to play, kill 2 birds by creating a toon on a server, run them until you get 400 or so favor, and then repeat this with another toon of some other possible class/race interest/experiment.

In this way you will accumulate a lot of store points. Don’t spend them on rez cakes or something dumb like that—only use them on expansion packs and only when they are on sale. A special code is given out each year that makes many packs free so research this carefully.

2) By now you will know the playstyle you like most—consider melee, ranged, caster (instakiller etc) and a small subset of stealthplay. Then focus on that toon and develop it.

3) Beating DDO—spend almost no money on it. Time playing is an opportunity cost that could be spent weighlifting, attending a theater production etc so make sure RL dominates and not this silly virtual irreal. If you find yourself not having fun you are losing.

 

[vryxnr]

my two cents, it depends on some definitions.

Getting into a guild? yes. easy.

Free as in never unlocking anything and only running free to play quests? Very difficult. 20 is doable, 32 not sure, maybe not.

Free as in never spending money, but still using points earned in game to "purchase/unlock" content that is not inherently free, then yes, you can get to max level that way. I've known a few people who have purchased and unlocked all the content in the game without spending a single cent. It takes a long time to do, as you earn DDO points by gaining favor, which is done by competing quests on higher difficulties, then you use those free earned in game points to "buy" additional adventure packs and eventually expansions as they become available in the store for points, and use those unlocks to get more favor to get more unlocks, until you have everything. This journey can take multiple years though.

As for build, that is a harder question (that I don't have time to go into at this time, but I'm sure you'll get lots of suggestions from others).

However, DDO is very "I just want to play a single character" friendly. The reincarnation system means you can eventually try many different builds on the same character (gaining a small permanent buff every time). That is, you get to 20 or 30+, reincarnate (die and become reborn anew), start a gain at level 1 but with a "past life feat" that is like a memory of your previous life, that is based on the build (race or dominant class) you had previously. A large part of the long term goal of players in this game is to get all the past lives on a character, so that character will have a lot more base power in their final build. You can also ignore this system entirely and just stay the one build forever without gaining any past lives. The increase in power is substantial, but it is not "everything".

 

[Weaponalpha]

From ddowiki.com

Can this game actually be played without spending a dime?[edit]​

RoBi3.0's Free to Play Guide. Everything you need to know to get the most out of this game. Credit goes to everyone who contributed in this thread on the official forums. (Note that while many of the tips still apply, the thread itself is over a decade out of date.)

Yes, you can play this game for free! However, it is very time consuming to do so and most people will pay for content instead of grinding the favor system for DDO Points (DP) to pay for content.

Some quick math to confirm:

• Currently there are 108 F2P quests in game (including 'The Grotto' and 'Hall of the Mark', which give 0 Favor), plus the 4 Gatekeepers quests (see above), the U12 House Cannith Challenges and the Eveningstar Challenge Pack.
• These quests provide 1721 possible favor.
• That is enough favor to unlock Server favor up to the 5th tier which will give you 250 DP. Do this on every server and you get a total of 2000 DP.
• In addition, each time a character reaches this limit on a server regardless of if they are the first to do so, they will accrue 425DP from rewards for reaching multiples of 100 favor.
• A F2P player gets 3 character slots on each server, so they can make 1275DP a server this way.
• Hence, if you complete all free-to-play content with three characters on every server you will get 10200 DP from standard rewards.
• Combine that with the 2000 we totaled earlier and you get 12200 DP, from grinding 100% free content.

You can then use those DP to purchase Adventure Packs which you can then grind to earn more points. (Hardcore, when available, counts as a ninth server with the first-time rewards resetting each season, offering an extra 1475DP per season.)

(Note the amount of total favor quoted here is slightly unrealistic as it includes, for example, Epic Elite completion of a Legendary raid, and it would take an extremely dedicated free-to-player to even reach legendary levels.)

Then of course there is the option of rerolling which can provide more DP and will only be limited by your willingness to keep rerolling.

 

[Kasanje]

Hi Guys !. I`m very new player of this game. And i have some questions to you. So let`s started.

- I`m mostly a f2p player of many online games, so my question is, how good this game is in free to play model ?. Can i beat this game as a f2p player ?. (i mean hit max lv, and get good gear, be a part of guild and so on). My goal is to hit 20 level, enjoy gameplay, find guild, play some dungeons with people.

- I want focus only for one character. Can you recommend me a good class or build for first time player ?. In most mmos i play a healer/dps solo type classes like priest in wow ( i like to handly content by myself but i also like be open for group content, and i`m not a boss in dps or tank classes, thats why i like be a healer in team).

- Are you have any tips or suggestions how make a good/easy start or how have fun playing this game ?.

Thx for you time and answers i really appreciate.

I would suggest either Paladin or Cleric. Both have self-healing capabilities and can solo the game easily. Just be careful of Traps.

As a first-life player, you will only be able to open dungeons on Normal mode unless you group with others who can open higher difficulties, so I don't think you will have much trouble soloing the game.

I think you would find the Warpriest enhancement tree for Clerics way to start getting into the game. If you go with a Paladin instead, there is an Archetype you can try out called "Sacred Fist," which is like a holy martial artist.

This alternate version of Paladin includes an enhancement tree normally associated with Clerics that can boost your healing abilities which, in my opinion, greatly helps for soloing the game.

 

[BarryKent]

Ah ok then. I have some exp with dnd PC type games (nwn, nwn 2, pathfinder), but i`m to stupid and to bored make and play a complicated classes, i like simple ones like dps or healer classes ( i know that healer mmo classes are not easy to play but they give me some fun and oportunity to play in group, as a dps not many groups want pick me, and also healers can make some dps where i can play some solo content). If hitting 20 lv is super hard and repetetive i think i `m gona play to lv 10 and decide to purchase abo/VIP account. So i will look for some builds that will interest me and find one to play.

 

[seph1roth5]

Grinding first time favor on each server is a great way to get pts. Trouble is, that's not very fast for someone new to the game that doesn't know the quests or classes or anything. Best bet is to get into a guild and ask for help getting favor/pts. Maybe someone's been thinking of doing a favor grind to 5k or something and you can tag along.

 

[Kasanje]

Ah ok then. I have some exp with dnd PC type games (nwn, nwn 2, pathfinder), but i`m to stupid and to bored make and play a complicated classes, i like simple ones like dps or healer classes ( i know that healer mmo classes are not easy to play but they give me some fun and oportunity to play in group, as a dps not many groups want pick me, and also healers can make some dps where i can play some solo content). If hitting 20 lv is super hard and repetetive i think i `m gona play to lv 10 and decide to purchase abo/VIP account. So i will look for some builds that will interest me and find one to play.

There is a coupon code that unlocks most of the paid content. If you wait for that to show up again, you can save a bunch of money and not need to get VIP.

As far as difficulty levels between classes. I think DDO has done a good job of balancing the classes throughout the game's existence. You can solo the game (up to level 20) with any class without any issues once you get familiar with the quests.

There is so much customization available that you can make a cleric that doesn't heal or a wizard that runs around bashing heads. It all works.

For the game content that you will initially have access to and the level progression up to 20 on a first life, check out this post from the DDO Wiki: https://ddowiki.com/page/Guide_to_Free_to_Play

 

[Striga]

You should do just fine. Roll something easy like Dwarf Barbarian (melee DPS with a large two-handed weapon) or Human Bard "spell singer" (moderate spell DPS with heals and strong buffs). Good luck.

 

[Eulrik878]

The game is a complete nightmare for new players. You'll need DDO wiki up in another window constantly as you endlessly mine for information on whats what. The same people that own Everquest own this game now i believe, which means a never ending cash machine where they pump out an expansion every 6 months to keep you chasing the carrot.

 

[Kasanje]

The game is a complete nightmare for new players. You'll need DDO wiki up in another window constantly as you endlessly mine for information on whats what. The same people that own Everquest own this game now i believe, which means a never ending cash machine where they pump out an expansion every 6 months to keep you chasing the carrot.

It can be confusing taken as a whole. However, I think a new player would be largely ignorant of the complexities of the game, and thus not so overwhelmed as such.

Daybreak holds the rights to many MMOs, but I do not believe they are involved in the operations or development of titles. EQ is developed by Dark Paw, and DDO has SSG.