What is DDO?

DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS™ ONLINE: Stormreach™ is the only massively multi-player online game that recreates the classic D&D® experience, as players join with friends and face dangerous and exciting dungeon challenges together.

Authentic D&D®: DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS™ ONLINE: Stormreach™ is based upon the Dungeons & Dragons version 3.5 Core Rules, featuring nine classes and five races, including the Eberron warforged race. The dice are always rolling in the background through feat and skill checks. Dungeon Master text appears across the screen, setting the tone and filling in the details of each of your adventures. Deadly spells and traps test your fortitude, reflex and will.

Action Combat: Combat is fast-paced and rewards your skills and intuition. While your character’s statistics control many abilities and options, you can further enhance your combat effectiveness through your own actions. By blocking, tumbling and staying active in combat you have a greater chance at survival and eventual triumph over the menace that awaits you in each adventure.

Adventuring in Stormreach: Pacing and teamwork are a must. Though a fighter may feel secure in a collection of potions and his cleric companion’s divine favor, he must be sure not to indulge in it too much. While hit points may be recovered in the field through the use of magic, items, or potions, spell points have far fewer means of recovery. Many dungeons contain only one rest shrine, where party members can safely take a breather and recover from battle, replenishing their spell and hit points. True to D&D rules, resource management, spell limitations and the need to rest create an atmosphere of tension and growing risk to those who campaign against the forces that threaten Stormreach.

Once I stopped trying to "force" the game into doing what I thought it was supposed to do, though, the real genius of Turbine's design came out. Basically, the dungeon- delving experience feels more "real" in DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS™ ONLINE than any other MMO I've played. - GameSpy

Each dungeon that you enter is designed to provide personal and memorable experiences. You and your companions are the stars of this adventure. You will not have to negotiate spawn disputes and no others can interfere with your objectives. As you challenge these dungeons, the environment itself will present obstacles not seen in other games. As you battle your way to your objectives, you will trigger events such as doors crashing behind you or the floor itself dropping out from beneath your feet.

DDO looks like it's taking a joyous detour into the fun zone. The key? Basing everything on D&D® modules instead of tiresomely generic quests to kill a certain number of whizzywhigs, or collect 8 foozles, or deliver this zingythingy to Ted in Accounting. - IGN

With such attention to detail in quests, it is important that each one have something it can offer to characters of any class or race. Experience is earned for achieving the main objectives of a dungeon, not for grinding through hours of random encounters. Each dungeon has multiple paths to success - while a fighter is best off slaying the enemies before him, a rogue with Hide and Move Silently skills might be best off avoiding their notice.

There are no killing fields or places to randomly ‘hunt’ monsters in DDO. Experience isn’t earned for each monster you kill, but for quests completed. In fact, many quests can be successfully finished by slaying a single creature, whether by stealth or subterfuge. Simply put, this game isn’t about level-grinding. - PC Gamer

With its strong focus on combat and teamwork, communication is critical to success. DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS™ ONLINE: Stormreach™ is the first massively multiplayer online roleplaying game to feature voice chat integrated into the service. Coordinating your actions with your allies has never been easier! Of course, if you are feeling social, the wards that make up Stormreach are public spaces for meeting new friends and socializing. Adventurers gather in the city taverns between dungeons to replenish with food and drink, making them a natural place to find allies and make friends.

Characters: Parties consist of characters of diverse races and classes, filling the roles that will be essential to conquering the dungeons of Stormreach. Characters advance through levels and ranks, earning new feats, skills and enhancements along the way. You may choose to specialize to become the master of a single class, wielding arcane power or combat prowess second to none. Others may choose to be versatile multi-classes, combining the skills of two or three classes, to stand fast in the face of the unexpected.