I Want It All

Who doesn't enjoy a bit of Queen?

So today I sort of felt I should explain while after so many years of playing ddo I am still here and enjoying it. I started playing when level 16 was the cap and us poor Europeans were not well served. Since the migration to Turbine with all the headaches and heartaches that went with it the game has grown and in general improved keeping a level of freshness other games have not. I have started other games over the years but DDO has remained the only constant in my life. Maybe if Konami had of kept Yugi Oh online going I would have played that but to be frank it was getting stale and I have avoided the unlicensed versions of it. So what has kept me coming back? What has seen me reincarnate 30 plus lives and run 25 character slots? Why am I such a glutton for punishment? I have maintained VIP since moving to Turbine and bought both expansion packs.

Gratuitous Dragon Pic

So there must be a reason that a game can keep a level of freshness that sees me play at least 20 minutes every day, 365 days a year for the last 7 years. Well I have barely scratched the surface in terms of different characters, I have run 47 different characters in terms of basic build. But when you consider Race, Class and Prestige Enhancement without the Iconics, Epic Destinies or the Patron tree like Harper or splashes there are over 320 possible combinations. I haven't seen that many Halfling Barbarians nor Half Orc Paladins but if you were to truly explore every heroic option with just the basic changes without adjusting for builds or skills you would need 320 character lives. Add in Iconic, splashes or true multi class and the numbers start frying brain cells. Yes some characters would be complete and utter gimps in the worst possible way but most would be somewhat viable and to truly understand the limits of a character, you should explore what some people would consider unplayable and find out just how realistic that is.

Next year we get Gnomes, so long as they all come with fishing rods and and silly hats I am sure we will all enjoy them. I will be watching for character references to Dragonlance and Shannara in Gnome names. But serious that just will increase the incredible amount of differences within this game I love (okay sometimes hate) but the fact is I still haven't built a Drow Barbarian nor a Half Orc Sorcerer but the option to is there for me. Just in terms of splashes I like rogue so I can get the assassin prestige tree opened for Venomed blades as it is always nice to do more damage. I have one toon that is based on a build from the ddo forums but whilst the character is a good multi class it doesn't feel mine so the intention is to reincarnate it as a support character for my guildie when she reincarnates her paladin as a Gnome... warlock or sorcerer I am guessing as they are her two favourite classes.

Old men can't dance

If I was coming to this game new the amount of options are a bit overwhelming especially if you have never played the desk top version. I have mentioned previously that simplistic option for you first character is good, human is always the safe race choice if you are not sure how a character will play but to truly enjoy the game you need to bury deep into the choices as no two players will be the same. Every sorcerer has the option of different spells, I always like knock as a level 2 spell but I can guess there would be quite a few players who would exercise a different spell choice. Some things you will automatically choose because they make sense and other things really come down to a personally preference. I wont add in the choices with gender and character appearance because it is enough to make my mind go boom. Besides I never could tell the difference between male and female warforged.

So from halfing rogue assassin to Half Orc Barbarian Frenzied Berserker the choice for us as players is immense but will any of us choose the crazy options just to say we have tried them?

Grouseman who is that halfling rogue assassin completionist 32 point build with +5 supreme tome

The Greatest Cockney Rip Off

So firstly sorry for the quiet period but my Guildie was away and I decided to spend the time I was playing just farming keys and chocolate in the night revels event. I wanted to write something up and realised the action by players including myself during the events needs to be discussed because it is not how many players would want to spend their time. As to the title it is one of those punk tunes that you sort of wonder if you like or not but it is by the Cockney Rebels and as a Cockney (or at least a proper London resident) I can sort of get away with it.

Monies kept rolling in

There are two ways of handling an event like Night Revels, the first is to get your keys and do the quests which 90% of people would see as normal. The issue would always be of acquiring keys and that leads to those who farm keys to earn platinum from the auction house. Now I took the approach of farming keys to auction which is unusual for me but I found my cleric stormed the 16-20 area even though he is only level 16. I was earning keys and chocolate fairly quickly so checked the one character who would use the materials from the event and felt I would not be gaining much from it so selling seemed the best option.

Making bank

But here in lies the problem, I checked the going rate for keys and chocolate on the AH (auction house) took the top price and then set my buy out price at one third the price of the top charging auction. And I earned over 3m plat in 8 days, I am sure I could have earned more but I felt I would be over charging. I understand that many players do not have the time to farm keys and do the quests and some characters are not best suited to farming undead. So for me I got a chance to dust off my Cleric and drop comet falls (rather nice divine spell if you have never played div

ine casters) or use turn undead and keys and chocolate came along regularly.

Last day of the event and people still charing too much

The AH does highlight an issue though that especially new players will face and that is over charging. Seeing a +3 health belt going for 75k you think what was the seller thinking but then I realise that people trying to strengthen their character may not have access to multiple toons with a lot of excess kit. Nor do they have characters that can craft, my favourite crafted item is an underwater action helm with a yellow slot for a feather falling topaz... once fitted never removed. But I keep going to the AH looking for little bits and pieces especially when I have 2 or 3 reincarnations down in the lower levels as I tend to sell off things rather than crowd my inventory.

Yet even though I have millions in House K's bank and many of my toons with fat wallets I get aggrieved when I see some items in AH. There is a difference between making reasonable bank and trying to rip people off just sometimes feels like it is better to earn the equipment.

I hope all those who took part in Night Revels enjoyed it as much as I did and depending on how you played it I hope you got what you wanted out of it.

Grousehel