D&D Online free this summer

Courtesy Wikimedia.

Dungeons & Dragons Online (DDO): Stormreach, will be transitioning to Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited this summer.  DDO Unlimited will raise the level cap and add major new content, as well as make the game free to play for everyone.

Originally based on the 3.5 edition of Dungeons & Dragons and set in the Eberron campaign setting, DDO made several concessions to online play, including real-time combat. Real-time combat changed how feats worked, which changed how the spell system worked, which had reverberations throughout the game, including an increased amount of hit possibilities in a round, increased spell casting resources over rest periods, and a spell point system instead of spell slots. To handle the challenge of a player-based (rather than Dungeon Master-regulated) economy, magic items were underpriced by about an eighth of typical Dungeons & Dragons prices. The DDO Wiki elaborates on the many differences between the two games. 

For about six months or so, I played DDO. I tried very hard to get my friends to play it too. And then one day we all quit.

Unlike many other massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), DDO featured a party system that was both its strength and its downfall. If you wanted to be successful, you had to find a compatible party. The problem was that not every party was suitable for every character class or level, which meant that sometimes finding a party was hard. With only six slots, competition for partying was fierce. As the game became less popular, a solo option was added at a significant experience point penalty, removing some of the unique features that made DDO special in the first place.

DDO Unlimited will introduce an innovative new pricing model that allows players to download and play for free, purchasing adventure packs, items, and account services a la carte from the new DDO Store, or to subscribe to get unlimited access to all of the game’s content. Players interested in getting a sneak peak of the new DDO Unlimited can sign up for a chance to participate in the Beta program.

DDO Unlimited will deliver a new class (possibly the druid), increase the level cap, introduce new adventure packs including a new 12-player raid, major combat improvements and more.

For the time being, DDO Europe will not be assuming this new business model and the European DDO game service will remain a monthly subscription-based game with all new content created available to all subscribers, as has been the model up until now.