Dungeons & Dragons Online: Overview
Dungeons and Dragons Online: Stormreach (DDO) is the first Massively-Multiplayer Online RPG (MMORPG) based directly on Dungeons & Dragons. DDO uses the 3.5 edition of the ruleset and takes place on the continent of Xen'drik in the world of Eberron.
The game is geared for small groups of players who seek to recreate their pen and paper experience online. Player characters in DDO can select Human, Elf, Dwarf, Halfling or Warforged as their race. The Warforged are a bio-mechanical race that was introduced as a part of the Eberron campaign setting. Players who curry enough favor with the various factions of Stormreach have the option to unlock another race, the Drow. The Drow of Eberron have risen up against their former slavemasters on Xen'drik, and now roam the city as a free people.
Classes in DDO include: Fighters, Paladins, Barbarians, Rangers, Bards, Rogues, Clerics, Wizards and Sorcerers. Multi-classing is also available - any player-character can have up to three different classes at the same time - following standard D&D 3.5 rules.
DDO employs a combat system that is significantly different from the standard MMORPG, opting instead for as system that functions much more like an action game. Although there is an auto-attack option, where your character will continue to swing their weapon at your current target as often as possible, you must block blows manually with your shield or weapon and actively dodge out of the way of attacks. It's not pure action though, with every attack or action a D20 is rolled with the results being displayed on screen.
Of course, there are many other factors taken into account and players must use your special feats and abilities to be an effective fighter, just as casters must stay out of the fray and use their spells judiciously to succeed.
The focus of DDO is quests, rather than killing monsters, and unlike most MMORPGs, no experience for is awarded for anything other than those quests. Because of this, avoiding enemies is just as viable as slaying them all, and might just increase the party's chances of survival.
Many missions are available for repetition on one of three difficulty levels: normal, hard, and elite. The spoils and experience for these levels increase with the difficulty, but so does the chance of ending up dead. For those who can complete a single dungeon on all three levels, there is a bonus.
Due to the focus on quests, groups are important to the enjoyment of the game. Although some quests can be soloed, it is not usually the intended playstyle.
Dungeons and Dragons Online launched on February 28th, 2006 and Turbine continues to update the game with free expansions every few months, called Modules.
