Dungeons and Dragons Online

If you are free to play, the game is horrible! There is a great divider between free to play and pay to play players. Because like 20% of quests are actually free. You must buy packs to unlock more quests either with real money or with turbine points that take months or more to gather,

Very small comunity and lots of players are hardcore. If you build your hero as you like, you will get some complains. If you invite players to your party (aka blindly invite) you will get complains.

The comunity is of old grumpy people so expect the worst.

The game isn't worth playing!

I love this game. Worth VIP .

DOWNLOAD SIZE!?!?!

Alright. As an off and on player since 2010 (I actually found the game due to this site), I believe I can give you a good review of the game. My main character is Insuperable Dead Guy, a 2-time TR Level 10 Bard on Thelanis (I will explain a bit later what TRing means).

Dungeons and Dragons Online is a MMORPG based on the popular table-top game, Dungeons and Dragons, however, you do NOT need prior knowledge of this table-top game in order to play. Of course, if you have played the table-top game, you will have a lot more appreciation for DDO.

Combat ---> Most MMOs have a similar combat system to DDO. I say this and not DDO has a similar combat system to most MMOs because DDO is one of the fathers/uncles of modern MMOs. While some combat is target-and-attack (some spells, melee combat, ranged combat), you need to target some other spells and abilities. Oh, and by the way, get used to buffing and debuffing. This is a HUGE part of the game, especially in higher levels, where you would typically have to get buffs before starting the dungeon on your guild ship (or be invited to someone else's ship) which last an hour, and then buff your group inside the dungeon. Typically bards, clerics, and favored souls are the buff/heal/support oriented classes, but wizards and sorcerers have a lot of important spells as well.

Classes/Customization---> There are many races and classes to play around with, some listed in the above excerpt, and within your selected class, you have the option of customizing your character with feats and enhancements. HOWEVER, the thing that makes DDO really unique is MULTICLASSING. As you level, you don't have to be restricted to just your class; you can take levels (and subsequently feats, enhancements, abilities, spells, etc.) from other classes too. A common multiclass is 18 Wizard/2 Rogue, where the wizard has a lot of his/or spells, but also has the ability to disarm traps and unlock doors. He however, doesn't have all the spells/abilities that a level 20 Wizard does, nor does he have all the cool stuff that comes with being a level 20 rogue, but he has good elements from both classes. With multiclassing, you have a lot of customization options.

Dungeons ---> This part is for the actual dungeons themselves, which you can complete on varied difficulties in order to complete quests and gain xp. Unlike a lot of MMOs, you don't gain xp upon each monster killed; rather, you get experience once you reach the end of the dungeon/finish the dungeons main objectives. All dungeons are not just "kill everything, reach the boss, kill the boss, and win life". They have traps, puzzles, optional objectives that you can complete for more xp/treasure, a variety of monsters to kill and areas for you to explore. Some are linear and quick to complete, some are longer, more varied, and give more experience at the end. Some you can do solo, but most you need a group for (especially if you are still starting out). Groups for normal dungeons have a limit of 6 party members, but raids can have 12 members. A lot of MMOs have raids only at the endgame, but DDO has its primary raids from levels 10-12 and onwards (there is a raid at level 6 though but it isn't really considered a "raid" because it is pretty easy to complete).

Leveling/Endgame/TRing ---> The first 20 levels you can get are called "heroic" levels. The next 10 are called "epic" levels, and are essentially the endgame levels (in these 10 levels, you can't level from your class teachers anymore; these are basically just optional levels, to put it simply). DDO puts a lot of emphasis on endgame (again, levels 20-30), with new areas (the Forgotten Realms), more dungeons, more raid, and more loot. You also have the option of replaying some of the dungeons you were able to do from levels 1-20, but at a higher difficulty. However, not all people like DDO's endgame/have access to it (more on this in the next section), so a second option is for you to TR (True Reincarnate your character). This is essentially putting your character back at level 1 again after you have reached level 20, but increasing its overall power, and allowing you customize your character in a different way. There is also an epic level True Reincarnation, where you can put your character at level 20 after reaching level 30, but making it more powerful in the process also. I have TR'd two times so far, and I am looking to TR a third time.

Now I will proceed to some other things that the game gets bashed for, and I will give my personal opinion on them.

Crafting - Even after playing for about 4 years, I still find crafting extremely confusing. It requires a lot of money, a lot of time, and in my personal experience, it is frustrating as well when you accidentally craft the wrong shard, or something like that. Of course, many people love the crafting system in DDO, but I personally do not.

Graphics - Why do so many people bash about the graphics? Even though DDO is old, it still has pretty good graphics! Maybe not TERA graphics, but if you can put DDO at high resolution, you can see some pretty beautiful stuff, especially in the Forgotten Realms.

Is it truly f2p? - Well, the answer is both yes and no. Turbine has to make their money some way. You need to purchase some races, and classes, but if you really get into the game and want to level up past the first 6 or 7 levels, you need to either purchase a VIP Subscription ($10-$15 a month, but you get all adventure packs and most races/classes for that month, and you also get to open all quests on elite difficulty right off the bat as well as 500 turbine points every month you are a VIP) or buy adventure packs from the cash shop (you own them FOREVER if you purchase them this way; the same goes if you purchase races/classes through the cash shop). Me personally, I have opted buying my races/classes/adventure packs from the cash shop because I play off and on, and I have never regretted any of my purchases.

BUT WAIT!!!!!!! DDO has something you don't find in many MMOs in that you can actually earn turbine points (the cash shop currency) as you complete quests! Each quest gives favor depending on the difficulty level you completed it on, and every so and so favor milestone you reach (typically multiples of 100 but you can get some first time favor rewards on each server, for example reaching 50 favor on a character for the first time on a server) you get a good chunk of turbine points. I love that turbine has this system is in place, to give an equal chance to people who might not be able to pay for the game to get the things they want as long as the work (quest) for them.


Overall I find DDO a very enjoyable game. Thanks for reading this far everyone, and I recommend everyone check DDO out (by the way, when installing this game, choose the "install as you play" option because the game doesn't work for some reason if you choose the other option for installation).

A good game. Currently suggest server Galland as lots of people both newer and experienced and is quite friendly. Other servers might be better depending on timezone and if prefer more roleplaying or if powergamer.

are you able to play with other players in the world

is this mac compatible?

It's a great game but I'm having trouble adding friends to my game because it won't recognize the names.. Help anyone??

on top of the extremely slow leveling becoming super expensive to play this free game. every week it seems this game throws out some new content i can't have as a free player

when your hate asia games, go and join good game

Extremely different to level up and lonely if you dont know anyone. been level 16 for a week

I've tried a couple of other systems and reluctantly tried this one after reading mixed reviews of it. From the start its very easy to get into and in truth I solo'd with my first character until he was level 12, then I kind of fell into my first party and never looked back. The grouping system is very simple and generally there's always groups up for running all kinds of quests. Most are pretty reasonable people and they are happy to play with experienced and inexperienced alike.

Like most games there are always a few exceptions and ddo is no different, you will find some who hate people who dont know every quest inside out, and others who aim to run quests as quickly as possible to maximise xp. But on the whole its a good community (i can only speak for Ghallanda server but I expect the others are very similiar) and has players from all over the world.

The character progression is easy, the quests for the most part are fun (one or two are, well, not popular) and the loot is always sellable if nothing else. If you have a mic there are plenty who voice chat, equally you can type away.

The game is open to playing any way you want and any time you want and that really is a great way to game these days. Some evenings I'm running with americans, canadians, australians etc, guilds are easy to join and some are really really helpful, others are just banded together to get a ship and some bonuses.

You can add friends as you go along and you will keep coming into contact with players over the months as you realise bit by bit that the game is addictive.

I vip it now through choice, but had a lot of fun f2p and would recommend it anyone and everyone - it really does have something for all.

oh, and for the purists, yes I paper roleplay and no, this doesnt really follow the game mechanics, just sort of plays lip service, but then again, it just wouldnt work anywhere near as well if it tried to.

Try it, its free to try, what do you have to lose?

whatever happened to the old pen and paper D&D

this is my first ever MMORPG game ever. i have a really good time plying it for 3 years, met some good people, had extra time. i know that game is most p2p, with little of f2p content. i didnt spend a coin on it, and i still managed to unlock most of the content. the thing that i like about the game is that it requiers to ply in partyes, that i like the most! u get to talk with others, have fun. i played before a NWN 1 and 2, so i like this game system a lot.

over the years i think that playerbase is decreased, but i havent plyed it for about a year now, so it might get better times now

but sadly i am plying on a old laptop, and game get (i atleast think of) some new grafic update, so now it is unplayable for me any more.

i recomend everyone to try this game out.

For starters, this review is coming from someone who has never touched pen-and-paper D&D.

DDO is EASILY one of the best MMORPGs you will find. Customization is fantastic, help is easy to come by in-game, and the ability to choose difficulties for each instance is very helpful for new players or soloists. F2P is very limited compared to P2P, but being able to unlock various quests, races, or classes via gameplay and earning points to spend in the Turbine store is extremely helpful.

This game is the only game I have ever paid money for. I am a big F2P gamer, but my dedication to DDO led me to purchasing a full VIP subscription of it. The sheer amount of content I unlocked made the decision extremely worth it. DDO is a game I continuously return to after a several-month-long break and it's a game I am comfortable playing and experimenting with, no matter the race or class I choose.

I HEAVILY recommend everyone new or experienced with MMORPGs giving DDO a try. I played it with friends who ran their own D&D campaigns, even if I didn't myself, and we all had a blast. It's a game anyone can get into and get a good feel for with little effort. Even with its little quirks some people might find now and then, I cannot possibly praise it enough.

Fun game with lots of fun people, only thing that I don't like is the P2P systems... for me i can't touch the p2p stuff only f2p

its a really relly great game. and enjoy it a lot
but its relly really hard to find some ppl to party up with because most people are a little too serieus about it. and if i ask for someone to party up with me or help me with a dungeon they always say.
no srry im busy.

BUT. i had a party once with a 25 year old teacher and a 20 guy who spoke via the mic
we had some awesome and great adventures but i never saw them again. after the (bat dungeon).
i do strongly recommend this game to people who want to do something fun with their friends.

one of the better games....

Ive played this game for years. Not the online one but the pen and paper one, and it is very good. This online game seems based off the 3.0 or 3.5 edition builds of D&D. It is very good and I've been playing for a while now, its a great game and i would defenatly recomaned it.
This game is not a solo game, all the classes have many different ways to build them from rogues that can tank to ones that can dodge every thing and so forth for every class. Mages can be mellee chars easily or be pure mages.
All through korthos the first island you can solo to get a hang on the game if youd like but once your in Harbor (Storm reach) you should look for partys heavily it will help tons.
Most quests have multiple difs, and the game is set so that if you cant do certain things you simply cant win on the harder difs. This is not a draw back its a plus it forces people to really consider how to build there char and to work with others.
Main draw back is simply that you need the Adventure packs to really get far if your free to play other than that it does take long to lv but since the caps 20 its defenatly understandable.

Well i could say more but getting tired of just repeating others so peace guys.

This, other than being a rather slow-leveling game, is an extremely fun game. Based off of the Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 ruleset and the Eberron world, it all comes together to have something like your classic elf wizard and dwarf cleric standing next to a robot(Warforged) bard and a halfing monk, while still feeling distinctly fantasy. Although some class combinations might not work, being able to have "custom" characters stand next to single class characters and have both contribute well is absolutely beautiful.

The dungeons themselves are worth exploring, and trying to do in different ways, from finding optional bosses, to getting unusual experience bonuses (for example, clearing a dungeon without killing anything), which creates a system that benefits both people who rush and people who poke at every little thing.

The cash shop is completely unneeded for the purpose of advancing, especially with people getting currency for just playing, and getting some features on a server just by playing (without spending the cash currency), but also being worth it if you decide that Turbine does deserve some money for what they've done, and kept going.

The only flaws is the relatively easy capability of building a gimped character (with even some prebuilt paths being considered gimp), and a poor PvP system, at least for 1v1 situations. Finding groups that don't rush dungeons can also be very hit or miss, but hirelings do actually work very well for this.

one of the best mmorpg hack and slash games i have ever played (better than vindictus cuz u dont have to repeat dungeons) however the exp rate is slow and it feels like forever to level up other than that its a must try mmorpg

love this game and mostly the combat.
this is the first game where i dont stand and click skills.
yeah the most updates are p2p but you can buy some adventure packs if you just play.

but all that is already said


SO just awesome from me

Great game nice graphics and all other stuff chillex man... WOOD
i am download it now exiting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11111

my name is on dungeons and dragons online Moltak

I enjoyed playing this game a LOT but the problem was there was no one to play with. My friends got very bored with the game and stopped playing. You can hire people to work with but it's just not the same and I got incredibly tired of telling the healer to heal me when I was close to death in dungeons. The game play is very engaging, the characters are wonderfully customizable (even though they have some of the same looks from LotRO :/ )

This game is very well worth a try but I found the community (in my personal experience, this could very well have been a server thing or even a time frame for me, I do not know or would even try to say it will be the same for all) very lacking and had to stop playing as it felt like a single player for me.

Yes indeed ! to me , Dungeons and Dragons Online is the Best game I've Played so far in this genre Because it has :
- an Interesting storyline
- very very nice graphics
- awesome sound effects , when you're in a tavern you can hear people chatting and the sound of glasses and everything is awesome
- Action Based Battle System
- swiming ( :D )
- and the most important thing is ... DUNGEONS : I'ts really something different in this game , In other games dungeons are just a big grinding city where you kill mobs after mobs and get some coins after you get out BUT IN DDO every dungeon has a story and unlockables and secret stuff and a main goal ( free the prisoners , etc ) and optional goals and a boss and traps and everything !! even the cash shop points can be earned through normal gameplay !
Really DDO Is a great game That you Must try

The only bad thing that currently 99% of the updates are just cash shop sales and the major updates are kinda slow BUT :

- No More Bullies
- No More Grinding
- No More Auto-attack
- No More " Go and kill this and gather that " Quests
..really you must download DDO and you'll never get bored !!

this game is awesome :]

One of the better games (if not among the best) in the genre.

Combat
The active, twitch-based combat really sets it apart from the others. This really is a nice break from all those auto-attack mmo's out there. It doesn't really follow the pnp ruleset but most actions do have (automated) dicerolls.

Graphics
Realistic graphics and really awesome when you have a comp that can handle hight graphics. Some of the locations are awesome (The plane of night or Amrath to name a few).

Sound
The music is kinda meh in this game and you won't really notice it, but the ambient sounds are wonderful. Eery wailing sounds, dripping water, talking crowds,...there's really a lot of detail here.

Setting
The setting is Eberron so expect a more adventurous, piratey mood. This is more like Indiana Jones meets steampunk meats fantasy. Currently, only the continent of X'endrik (and some interdimensional travel) are explored, giving Turbine carte blanche on storyline design.

Customization
Character customization is pretty good here, allowing a lot of options to change your character's looks. But where it really shines is the way you create your skills, feats and stats, allowing for virtually infinite combinations. You can combine up to 3 different classes taking levels into each one as you go (Stuff like 14bard/4 barbarian/2 rogue), get to choose different feats, distribute your stats yourself,...
I advise visiting the forums before attempting a custom character tho, as you need some expertise not to gimp yourself (yes, you can make a character that's unplayable past a certain level).

Quests
These are instanced, so you won't see other players while questing (except those in your party). Which means no boss camping, killstealing, ...
Every quest features an interesting storyline and some really have that dnd feel to them (especially Sorrowdusk).
Raids are basically 12-man quests that are slightly longer than long quests (most of them) and feature special bosses and puzzles.
Oh yeah, there are puzzles, from basic guide the light to the exit-puzzles to harder ones (like the Crucible).
Another important part of the dungeons are traps, which can be disabled by anyone with rogue-skills that are high enough .

Free to play?
Yes. As all f2p Turbine games, cash shop points are earned in game to unlock all the content you'll need for free. (Tho purely free players will have to grind for them.)

Hints:
-The best way to start out is by getting a character to 100 favor on each server, earning you a decent amount of tp while familiarizing yourself with the game.
-Try out all classes, read up on them and find a good build for your first character
-State upfront that you are new, so party leaders will know to watch you.
-First things to buy in the ddo store is The vale of twilight adventure pack, which has 3 raids, 2 explorers and a few quests. It'll allow you to reach cap and has the best gear in the game for most characters. A good buy after that is gianthold or the demon sands.
-Do not buy: Drow, Veteran Status and 32pt-build as these are unlocked ingame.
-Do not buy: Any of the other items in the store except adventure packs and account options.
-Try to find a good guild. They are invaluable for information and help.

Great game, a lot of free quests with regular updates with quests and content. Can buy more quests with Turbine points that can be earned in game. I was able to buy enough quests to get to cap with my free points as i waited for a 50% of sale on adventure packs. Progression is a little slow but questing with groups can be rewarding.

This game is very fun. I've been playing this for quite a while, created 3 characters, all customizable, and very flexible game. Ultra High graphics make it even better. I love this game and I recommend it to anyone.

Cons: Takes a while to level, but that surpasses after you party up with people and just have fun.

Other:
If you get banned for 3 days for cussing or anything else, it will suspend chat after you've been suspended from DDO. I got into a fight, got banned for 3 days, and wasn't able to chat with anyone for a week. I think I learned my lesson after 3 days, and a week without chat.