Dungeons & Dragons Online Review: Is DDO Worth Playing In 2024?
Dungeons & Dragons Online was for a long time one of those MMOs that I came back to time and again ever since its launch in 2006.
It’s now 2024 and it’s been at least six years since my last visit to Eberron, so I figured it was once again time to revisit.
What re-sparked my interest in the game was actually reading a presentation on the sale of Daybreak and Standing Stone Games that stated that the monthly active player numbers for DDO were nearly 50.000 players. It’s not the biggest population, but more than big enough for an MMO community to prosper.
Graphics
DDO is a 15-year-old game and when it comes to graphics it’s definitely a bit dated. That is what happens to most MMOs though and I can think of only World of Warcraft when it comes to the older generation of MMORPGs that have been able to successfully update its graphics in any meaningful way.
If we wanted good graphics we would be playing AAA titles right? Not decade-old MMOs. We play those for the story, community, and gameplay, which we will soon get to.
The graphics in DDO are certainly good enough to get immersed in the world and once you get going you’re not paying much attention to the graphics being a bit outdated.
Sound
Speaking of immersion, having a dungeon master narrate your adventures really adds to it! Even low-level adventures are narrated. As an avid Dungeons & Dragons fan this is one of my favorite aspects of the game.
The music is very moody as well, with some great sound effects on top. At times you will only hear monsters in the distance, or doors opening in secret rooms.
Gameplay
DDO has managed what very few games have in terms of itemization, gear feels important from the start.
Every quest also feels at least somewhat important. These two factors make every moment feel like a real adventure in DDO, as opposed to the standard MMO recipe of having the player repeat similar quests again and again until max level.
Much of DDO is instanced which takes away a bit of the feeling that you are exploring a whole new and open world. On the other hand, these instances are very well designed and provide a real sense of adventure and fun, especially when enjoyed with a group of friends, much like the pen & paper version of D&D.
Building your character is a huge aspect of DDO, with almost limitless options as you can level multiple classes, and choose feats, skills, spells, and enchantments. You can even reincarnate and come back stronger in a new life.
All this may seem confusing at first, and building a perfect character seems almost impossible. While this might seem negative to some players, for Dungeons & Dragons fans it likely isn’t, as the game is more about the adventure and less about min-maxing.
Solo Play
DDO was known for being tough on solo players in the early days after it was released, especially at higher levels. The game has softened up a bit since then, and if you prefer to go it alone most of the time you will be fine, especially if you hire a hireling to help you on your adventure.
All the various options when building your character along with the vast range of different items make it possible to be very strategic when it comes to combat. Rushing into a room and hacking away might not always be the best approach, so sometimes you might need to lay a plan on how to defeat your enemies.
End-Game
The end-game in DDO like in most other MMOs consists of getting better gear. The reincarnation system adds a unique feature though as you will always be able to reincarnate in some form and become more powerful.
Population
As I mentioned earlier, DDO doesn’t have the biggest population. But around 50K monthly active players is enough to find some friends to play with.
The DDO Reddit and the DDO forums both have daily activity, where you can get any question you might have about the game answered. Or even find some mates to adventure with.
Is DDO P2W?
DDO does have an in-game store, but I wouldn’t call it pay-to-win. Items from the store can certainly make your adventures easier but I never felt like there was anything that I had to buy.
Who Is DDO For?
Dungeons & Dragons Online is still a great MMO that more players should try. It’s great for casual players or a small group of friends who want to be able to quickly log in and experience an adventure.
It’s also great for players who like having many options to customize and build their character.
If you are curious about DDO, I would say give it a go. For being a 15-year-old game, it is still on par or better than many modern MMOs.
Something you didn’t mention was the naming problem. It seems that it’s difficult to get a name you actually want. This would cut down on the unlimited options for customization. I’ve been wanting to play DND as a specific character of mine for some time and upon trying to give my character their name, I was told I couldn’t. I even tried odd spellings. They don’t allow more than one character with the same name on a server and I was told that every server had that name taken. I heard it’s because they don’t delete old and unused names. This has kept me from actually starting a session because I don’t know what I can name my character. I certainly don’t want to play as klakj1242 or something equally ridiculous.
DDO when you get into it is an excellent though dated game. Do not expect to create a brilliant character first time round without doing some research.You can play the game for free for a good while but you will pay for some quests in due course.If you enjoy it you can sink a lot of cash into it. But you dont have to.Fwiw play a couple of different character classes, meet a guild , and then see how it goes.
Used to play it years ago, but if you join a good guild they’ll help you gear up so you can be useful to them later on. The game gets repetitive if for example, you plan on doing reincarnates, into a new class build for a past life feat (which stacks 3x). Some people can do it in a day, others a week, and more in a month or so. Some classes are harder to play, others are easy. There are raids (whole dungeon raids) and mechanics to be aware of. Fresh starting players should make a rogue to navigate traps with, prioritize ranged weapons whenever possible. Save / google everything to be sure its not important before vendoring it. Work on your crafting skills too.