# Dungeons & Dragons Online now free to play. Is anyone else playing? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 19, 2009, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dungeons-dragons-online-now-free-to-play-is-anyone-else-playing/514375 "2009-10-19T19:02:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Captain\_C](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Captain\_C](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_C)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dungeons-dragons-online-now-free-to-play-is-anyone-else-playing/514375/1 "2009-10-19T19:02:44Z")
My associate pointed out the other day that Dungeons and Dragons Online has gone to a free to play system, with slight bonuses for paid subscribers. I went through the tutorial last night and it seems to have potential. It is definitely faster paced than WoW, which is a pleasant change. Is anyone else playing this? I have no idea what I’m doing in the game yet, so some people to quest with would be nice. ---
**Author:** ![ElectricZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58f4c7/32.png) [@ElectricZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElectricZ)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dungeons-dragons-online-now-free-to-play-is-anyone-else-playing/514375/2 "2009-10-19T19:45:15Z")
I’ve been playing it for a few weeks and am enjoying it. Decent graphics and controls, familiar RPG system, and best of all, it’s free! I passed on the WoW experience but was always a fan of Neverwinter Nights, and this seems to be a nice balance between Single Player and MMPOG. DDO seems to be as massive as you want it to be, playing with just friends or strangers as you see fit. I like how the dungeon quests are handled, with each party getting their own instance so you don’t have to worry about spawn campers or loot jacking, and the combat system is actually pretty fun. It’s not quite the pencil-and-paper experience but it’s pretty good fun with a group. It’s yet to be seen if we’ll all collectively shell out any money to play the modules, but the quality of the free content is making us consider so perhaps their decision to introduce free play will pay out for them in the end. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dungeons-dragons-online-now-free-to-play-is-anyone-else-playing/514375/3 "2009-10-19T20:31:11Z")
I’ve been at it for almost a week. I’ve been playing solo and learning how to do stuff. At sometime I’ll get into groups. First I have to learn more about selling at auction. I still have other stuff to get better at too. Lastly I’ll join some groups. > **[Alternatives to World of Warcraft that are fun & free(mium)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=534610)** > > I’ve left it very late, but I’m thinking of taking up something like World of Warcraft. But money is very tight, so it’s got to be free, at least to start with. I don’t mind advertising messages, and I don’t mind freemium games like Ikariam where... ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dungeons-dragons-online-now-free-to-play-is-anyone-else-playing/514375/4 "2009-10-20T00:42:22Z")
I don’t know much about it, but the D&D stat system is just awful (assuming here the online version is using the old 1-18 system, with racial bonuses.) I’m pretty much automatically turned off by it nowadays. ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dungeons-dragons-online-now-free-to-play-is-anyone-else-playing/514375/5 "2009-10-20T01:51:43Z")
DDO is based on 3.5e D&D rules, so it’s got all of the good & bad from that system. Although, I suppose, technically it is 1-18 to start, it’s not maxed at 25, nor is it hard to get past 18 any more. Stat bonuses, for instance, are calculated with a formula, rather than with a table, and are the same for all stats. The skills system is also much more mature and usable than earlier editions of D&D. I took part in the beta for this release of DDO, and I have to admit that I wasn’t (if you’ll pardon the pun) wowed by it. It’s definitely _different_ from WoW, but I didn’t personally find it better. It’s good, and it’s free, and it can be fun, but I don’t find myself anxious to play. Part of that might be that it was buggy as hell, and won’t run on my desktop at all. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dungeons-dragons-online-now-free-to-play-is-anyone-else-playing/514375/6 "2009-10-22T16:06:54Z")
> [@Captain\_C](#): > > My associate pointed out the other day that Dungeons and Dragons Online has gone to a free to play system Man, I wish I hadn’t read that. \…ah well, it was nice knowing you all. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dungeons-dragons-online-now-free-to-play-is-anyone-else-playing/514375/7 "2009-10-22T18:05:27Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > I don’t know much about it, but the D&D stat system is just awful (assuming here the online version is using the old 1-18 system, with racial bonuses.) > > I’m pretty much automatically turned off by it nowadays. How old are you thinking? The 3.5 system is way way more straightforward than the old AD&D system. As far as I know DDO uses the 3.5 system (like Neverwinter Nights), not the old AD&D system (like Baldur’s Gate). ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dungeons-dragons-online-now-free-to-play-is-anyone-else-playing/514375/8 "2009-10-22T18:21:54Z")
I played it way back when, in beta, and strangely enough the thing that drove me away was the way you healed in dungeons- you found shrines, or wells, or whatever, and they were one-shot resting locations. For some reason, that just broke the immersion for me- suddenly, I was just playing a “game”. Do they still have those? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_C](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Captain\_C](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_C)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dungeons-dragons-online-now-free-to-play-is-anyone-else-playing/514375/9 "2009-10-22T23:03:45Z")
Yep, the one-shot heal shrines are there. It’s a fun game, and I like playing it with my real-life buddy. But when he isn’t on, I just can’t get into this. What else is there to do other than run the instances? Is there a crafting system, PvP arena, gathering profession aspect, etc that I haven’t found yet? It also drives me nuts that I can’t attack all these other players I see running around in town. And since all the dungeons are instanced, there isn’t the option to attack other parties while they are questing. I dunno, I guess I just miss the golden age of Ultima Online. Heck, I’d take the PvP server settings of World of Warcraft over this. At least I’m getting my money’s worth. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dungeons-dragons-online-now-free-to-play-is-anyone-else-playing/514375/10 "2009-10-22T23:27:01Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > I don’t know much about it, but the D&D stat system is just awful (assuming here the online version is using the old 1-18 system, with racial bonuses.) [1st Edition Nerd ON] That’s 3-18 (i.e. 3d6), and there are age bonuses too… [1st Edition Nerd OFF] ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dungeons-dragons-online-now-free-to-play-is-anyone-else-playing/514375/11 "2009-10-22T23:27:31Z")
> [@Captain\_C](#): > > I dunno, I guess I just miss the golden age of Ultima Online. It’s probably worth noting you couldn’t attack anyone in town in UO either, even during its wild west days. The guards would own your ass so fast. EVE Online is UO’s current spiritual successor, anyway. Different genre, but same unhindered playstyle. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dungeons-dragons-online-now-free-to-play-is-anyone-else-playing/514375/12 "2009-10-23T00:44:15Z")
> [@Captain\_C](#): > > It also drives me nuts that I can’t attack all these other players I see running around in town. And since all the dungeons are instanced, there isn’t the option to attack other parties while they are questing. > > I dunno, I guess I just miss the golden age of Ultima Online. Heck, I’d take the PvP server settings of World of Warcraft over this. At least I’m getting my money’s worth. It doesn’t seem to me that “world” PvP is in the spirit of D&D. I haven’t played DDO, but if it’s supposed to be a computer version of the tabletop game, then I don’t see world PvP even making sense, considering that in D&D your character is supposed to be a hero (and non-evil), and non-evil heroes don’t generally go around attacking the other non-evil heroes. Are “monstrous” races like orcs and goblinoids playable in DDO? Even then, IIRC, DDO uses the Eberron Campaign Setting, where good & evil aren’t as “black and white” as in previous settings. Alignment isn’t a racial thing (that is, in Eberron you can’t just say, “Ah, an orc! Orcs are evil, so let’s kill him and take his stuff!” With a few exceptions, alignment is an individual thing, not a racial thing. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dungeons-dragons-online-now-free-to-play-is-anyone-else-playing/514375/13 "2009-11-27T20:54:44Z")
Dunno if this is a necro-answer or not, but DDO doesn’t have Orc or Half-Orc as player races. Here are the options: Drow Elf Dwarf Elf Halfling Human Warforged I’m playing this on F2P. I should probably start a thread to see if I can hook up with other DDO Dopers, as finding a good group to run with is kinda’ tricky. ---
**Author:** ![Brainiac4](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brainiac4/32/3534_2.png) [@Brainiac4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brainiac4)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dungeons-dragons-online-now-free-to-play-is-anyone-else-playing/514375/14 "2009-11-27T21:46:07Z")
I wanted to try it out, but it refused to run on my system. 64bit Vista Ultimate. I’ve upgraded to Win7 Ultimate (still 64-bit, obviously) and have a new video card (Nvidia instead of ATI) so maybe I should give it a try again to see if it works. Then again, I have Torchlight, Dragon Age and City of Heroes already asking for my free time, and precious little of that… ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dungeons-dragons-online-now-free-to-play-is-anyone-else-playing/514375/15 "2009-11-28T00:11:30Z")
> [@Mr.Slant](#): > > Dunno if this is a necro-answer or not, but DDO doesn’t have Orc or Half-Orc as player races. Forget it, then! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Lars\_Aruns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@Lars\_Aruns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lars_Aruns)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dungeons-dragons-online-now-free-to-play-is-anyone-else-playing/514375/16 "2009-11-28T19:19:07Z")
Does anyone know if the free-to-play offer is valid only in the US? Here in the UK I can only get a 15-day trial. Downloading it now, to give it a spin, but I’d like to know if I can play the game for longer than that. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dungeons-dragons-online-now-free-to-play-is-anyone-else-playing/514375/17 "2009-11-28T19:38:00Z")
They are free to play now. You must not have looked recently. [DDO site](http://www.ddo.com/playnow/) ---
**Author:** ![Lars\_Aruns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@Lars\_Aruns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lars_Aruns)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dungeons-dragons-online-now-free-to-play-is-anyone-else-playing/514375/18 "2009-11-28T19:57:00Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > They are free to play now. You must not have looked recently. [DDO site](http://www.ddo.com/playnow/) I checked just a few minutes before posting that, thankyouverymuch, but I think I discovered what’s up: your link is to the American site, and I went to the European one, where accounts are handled by Codemasters, not Turbine. Maybe they didn’t get the email? 🙂 Anyway, I created an account on the American site as well; let’s see what is going to happen. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dungeons-dragons-online-now-free-to-play-is-anyone-else-playing/514375/19 "2009-11-28T20:49:37Z")
f2p does not apply in EU zone, that’s correct. ---
**Author:** ![Lars\_Aruns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@Lars\_Aruns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lars_Aruns)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dungeons-dragons-online-now-free-to-play-is-anyone-else-playing/514375/20 "2009-11-28T20:50:56Z")
> [@Mr.Slant](#): > > f2p does not apply in EU zone, that’s correct. Yep. And the system does not accept the login I created on the American site, only the European one.