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Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited: Review
Stradden
Managing EditorMember CommonPosts: 6,696
MMORPG.com's Jamie Skelton reviews Dungeons and Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited, Turbine's Free to Play MMO based on the popular pen and paper franchise.
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When I mentioned that I was playing Dungeons and Dragons Online, several of my friends expressed disdain. Sure, it may be free now, but they'd played it in the original beta and it sucked - and they just couldn't be convinced that it could have gotten any better. Meanwhile, it was hard for me to wrap my mind around the massive number of changes the game had gone through. Over time, it has changed from a game that I had once found nearly unplayable, to one I could barely tear myself away from. There's a lot of controversy about a game that suddenly went free to play, and has been sucking in players since. But since subscription rates are up 40% since the subscription model change, Dungeons and Dragons Online is definitely getting something right.
Read the DDO: Eberron Unlimited Review.
Cheers,
Jon Wood
Managing Editor
MMORPG.com
Comments
nice add...
though the game itself still sucks.
Good review. I'm on Thelanis and haven't seen much anti-newbie animosity in-game, but I certainly have seen some on the forums. I imagine it will all settle down soon enough.
I hadn't heard about the 4chan incursion. I'll have to bug some folks on Khyber for details.
Your reveiw lacks some realisum.
Another troll strikes the forum. Nothing wrong with not liking a game, but when you can provide no reasons for your opinion you anoint yourself with the troll label.
Game is vastly improved since I last played it. They still need to work on the new player experience, but when compared to the other f2p games it has a lot of the fun factor others are missing.
I always thought this game was a diamond in the rough. Glad people are finding out about it finally.
A five word post with two typos and no point.
Except for the F2P remarks, this review could have been written a year ago and still held true. It's amazing how perceptions are easily changed by the word "Free." This will teach some of us a valuable lesson. People are resistant to change, so if you want to convince them that the change is good, let the try and play the game for free, then offer incentives to pay money after they've seen for themselves that the changes are good. Otherwise, what do you have? A bunch of blind people who will not be convinced, and will stick to a game that on paper looks better than the new kids on the block.
I am an admitted fanboi of DDO - I've been playing it for over 3 years now. I really like how the game has evolved over time. I recently began playing WoW with my son and another friend - we play both games together - and I must say that it has given me a greater appreciation for the combat system, character customization and development that if find lacking in WoW.
It was really good to see that Jamie came to the game with an open mind. He also raised some very valid points that I hope the devs will take into consideration with future updates.
Jules
I played the game recently since it went F2P and mostly enjoyed it (got to level 15 with my Dwarf fighter), but two things kinda let it down for me and they are the lobby instanced feel that was mentioned here, I mean apart from the central hubs like the market place the game world felt under-populated and at times I had to remind myself it was an online game.
The second is that early on the game you dont have to group much if you dont want to, but later in the game around levels 5-6 the game kinda forces you to group to be able to to do the Elite levels of dungeons and to get the favor score that you need to unlock better charcters/ reputation ect and to get more turbine points.
I kinda like solo play now and again as well as group but you just dont get enough exp or good loot running later level dungeons on normal mode.
Verdict: Overall an enjoyable game, it's now F2P which is excellent but be prepared to get very used to the Looking for group panel in social at later levels.
P.S Also everyone rushes through dungeons at later levels so much so that you end up running at full speed just to keep up with them when somethimes I just want to stop and take a breath and look at the scenery!
i definitely do NOT like such posts..
i can hardly describe HOW i dislike such kinda communication
A great review, and a fair score I thought (unlike the 8.7 Aion got, which is a much worse game, in almost every aspect).
DDO is by far the best F2P game out there, it is better than almost every P2P game, and compared to the other free games on the market, this game is very, very, cheap. You really can access all the content, races and classes that they sell without ever spending a dime... and still have fun doing it, depending on how patient you are and how much you enjoy doing the dungeons. There are usually 4 different difficulty levels for each dungeon, so you can experience it solo or take in a full party and try it on hard or elite mode, which adds alot of replayability for the dungeons.
I think Turbine making this game F2P was a great move, and it fits the dungeon and dragons model perfect. But it also very generous in the free content you can access or unlock for free which makes it, IMO, one of the top 5 MMOs on the market.
some lil changes would be nice,to have a bit more mmorpg feeling (though i usually love the rpg feeling, thats why i love guildwars of course), if you leave the main hub, like marketplace.. u can go to an instanced hub, from ther u go to some dungeons.. sometimes.. i thought.. it would be nice,.. if this "big" dungeon which leads to the different "real" dungeons.. would be public too.
Yeah, this is one of the main reasons why I decided against subscribing and making this my "main" game. There are too many people rushing through WoW-style, and don't take a minute to consider that this is a different type of game.
The game's design and appeal to me that it is a 3-D version of D&D brought to life. However, no one plays it that way, so I've basically taken to just soloing dungeons now with some hirelings.
If the game could somehow address that, or make it easier to find groups interested in slow, immersive play then I'd subscribe. Doesn't matter what you say in the Looking for Group panel, zergers join your group anyway and rush through.
Really though, those that hate/dislike/get irritated when a bunch of new players join a game your playing, should go play a single player RPG...or something one player. 1. New players=more money for the company AND the longer the staying power of the game, 2. More people to play with and 3. Every one was NEW at some point. I agree when there a lot of questions being repeated in advice it can get discouraging..but if you dont like listening to it,turn it off.
PvP? Any...?
My gaming blog
Great review. 100% agree. The combat is certainly more 'active' and the dungeons-with-voiceover definitely give me that pen-and-paper feel from the old days.
I picked up DDO right after it's initial launch in 2006. After giving it up (for reasons that I can no longer remember), I came back when I was invited into the F2P Beta early this year. What a difference a couple of years makes!
Yes, the 'Free' part is attractive. But in just a few sessions I also realized that DDO had aged very nicely. It had expanded (more quests, more classes, better starter experieince) and matured (much more stable, less lag). And while I haven't [yet] subscribed, I have happily paid out a few $ in exchange for a few DDO Store Points.
DDO has a few rough edges but no more than any other MMO. I am a [re]converted DDO fan!
After the extremly poor Aion and Fallen earth reviews, its nice to see that mmorpg.com still can write good reviews. I agree with pretty much everything said in there, both the pros and th cons. DDO is abit of a one trick pony, it does dungeons fara far better than every other MMO on the market. But lacks many of the things from other game.
Glad to see that DDO get the praise it deserves
There is PvP in the form of tavern brawling (free for all) and instanced "mini-games" like death-match and capture the flag. But the D&D rules are extremly unbalanced for PvP so its not very popular and people do it just for fun.
If WoW = The Beatles
and WAR = Led Zeppelin
Then LotrO = Pink Floyd
I agree with the criticisms that the review levelled at the game, a better tutorial is needed to cover aspects the current one doesn't even touch, and the game could definitely benefit from some expansion into uninstanced areas, the game offers what in my view are the best group-based dungeon crawling experiences of any game on the market, but it could use a more open environment for them to exist within, a bigger "meta-game"environment & a more involved & deeper crafting system wouldn't go amiss either.
The huge thing for me when taking this games qualities into account versus other free to play titles is 1 single factor.
"Paying to Win" is not how the game feels, unlike ALL other free to plays I have tried, the other thing is that whilst the store is there anytime you feel like browsing the fact that it exists is not rammed down your throat at every single turn, the game itself does not feel like you need to use it to get along, most free to play games leave you feeling like unless you invest (quite a lot of) cash into the game then the quality of your experience will just plain blow.
I think though that the very highly instanced nature of how DDO is contructed (essentuially it is like a LEGO village) lends itself perfectly to a F2P / shop model & the way that Turbine have set up the adventure packs content of the game was a inspired bit of thinking, you can grow the amount of game to suit yourself, but some reviews here on MMORPG of each individual pack would be a great way to inform the community, up the profile of the game itself, provide a service to newer players, and also provide your team with material for articles.
DDO almost feels like a game reborn (I played beta & wasn't fond of it back then) in it's present guise & my hope is that with the renewed interest, & money coming into the game that it receives some further investment & development & some ambitious things are done for it's future, the game has a huge amount of possible ways to be exapanded & yet kept focused on what it does best whilst growing & improving the experience it offers.
Overall I thought it was a good review & even-handed.
I will definitely agree with the game needing a more advanced tutorial of some sort. Having all the players descend into Stormreach without even knowing how to use the social panel to form or join groups and instead spamming General Chat is one of the biggest annoyances I've seen VIP players comment on. I know that the 'LFG/LFM' system in just about every other game I've played has, in many cases, not been worthwhile to even think about using, but in DDO it's the absolute best way to do groups, especially as you level up and players get spread out and your spam simply will not reach enough players.
If you're doing the quest for the first time, if you want to do all optionals, if you want to take it slow, just create a group for the quest you want to do, and put that info in the Notes section, or simplify it to 'first time on quest' or 'no zerging' or some such. Other new players that want to learn the quest will join. Veterans that like questing that way (like me, most of the time) will join.
I played DDO in beta. I tried the trial a couple of times after that. A few times I'd really wanted to play, but my RL gaming group wasn't interested or was more into something else at the time. I finally subscribed to DDO just a few months ago, about the time they announced that DDO:EU was coming. I was already deeply into other games, but I figured... why not. I'll sub for a bit and play it now and then and then when it goes F2P I'll drop my sub and just play whenever I feel like it. Well.. I feel like it every day. Who knows how long DDO will have me completely captured, but I will enjoy it while it lasts.
~from a Khyberite who's kinda glad she hasn't run into the 4chan stuff
You really need to make a new account to troll kid?
To point out something I notices with the game, the review says you can play a majority of the game without up front costs. I don't know if it was just me, but I was only able to play the first two areas, "The harbour" and "The Marketplace". The Harbour was a good introduction and supplied all the dungeons for getting the gameplay down and pack. But, The Marketplace supplied 5 or 6 dungeons to which was the end of the Free to play game.
Now is this right or did i miss something, because they can hardly claim F2P when 85% to 95% of the game is not free. I mean you can't even finish the campaigns. But I don't know maybe i missed something.
Played:runescape, WOW, Mu, Hellgate london, Floresia, Runes of magic, DDO, Rose online, Alantica, Flyff, Guild wars, Allods, Forsaken world,
playing: nothing
Loved: Guild wars series
future: GW2
I've to say that this is one of the best DDO reviews I've read. For one, the author is honest about his bias. Secondly, the author raises very good issues (pros and cons) in a very coherent manner. He praises the game for its merits while at the same time points out the "shortcomings."
To the mindless trolls: if you want to spew drivel about DDO, please at least have the decency of expressing your issues/concerns in a coherent, cogent manner. I'm a long-time DDO player and I personally have as many reasons to love it as I have to hate it. And trust me there's no lack of issues with this game, but I think Turbine has begun to address some of them -- which is a good thing. But when I've criticized the game I've at least have good reasons to do so and have tried to frame my gripes in coherent fashion. Writing a one-sentence post to express disdain for the game only makes someone look silly (hint: it's not the game).
Peace.
"But since subscription rates are up 40% since the subscription model change, Dungeons and Dragons Online is definitely getting something right."
To be fair, sub rates in a f2p game are hardly indicative of anything. I activated an account, played, didn't like it, didn't spend a penny, uninstalled. But I bet I'm part of that 40%.
What the writer should have said was that since adding F2P, paying subscriptions have increased by 40%. That statement from Turbine was a few weeks ago as well, so there could have been even greater numbers of conversions.
elI have to think that, the longer you play the game, the more likley you are to purchase a subscription and get all the content for all youur toons whenever you want, as opposed to purchases content piece by piece.
Yes its the monthly subscribers ($15/ month like most MMOs) which have increased with 40%, then add all the Free player (probably twice as amany as the VIPs) and you have alot of people playing.
You missed ALOT of content. After the marketplace you have 4 houses where there are alot of free quests. There are free quests up to lvl 12 including a lvl 10 raid. Just go to the marketplace and from there you can enter the other areas for the different houses. I think 1/4 of the quest in the game are free (75 of 300)
If WoW = The Beatles
and WAR = Led Zeppelin
Then LotrO = Pink Floyd