Cheap Dungeons & Dragons Online: StormReach (Software) (Windows XP) Price

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Customer Reviews of Dungeons & Dragons Online: StormReach

Not so good
If you want an MMORPG this is *NOT* the game you want; you should look to World of Warcraft (still). This game is only 'massive' when you are waiting around, other times its pure instance based. Partying is certainly encouraged, its encouraged so much that you effectively cannot solo, so make sure you find a good group. <
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>If you want a literal interpretation and very good implementation of the D&D rules in a game this *NOT* the game you want; you should try NeverWinter Nights or the forth coming NWN2. This game totally screwed up the rule balance, throwing in random things like '+5 to all skills' and a Mechanoid race in an effort to maintain balance. <
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>The requirements for this game imply that it should be graphically very advanced. Guess again, its kinda far behind the current crop of games from a graphics perspective. <
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>Overall this title could have had *HUGE* potential, but it really failed. Its a mediocre at best game with an 'offical' license attached to the box. Save your money and wait for NWN2 to hit the shelves

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I can't say buy this.
I am a big fan of Dungeons and Dragons, however this game has some serious problems that make it worthless online. There will be fans come along and rip me up about saying so and claiming that this is a niche game and like arguments. It's just filler arguments to gloss over the fact that the game is seriously lacking in content. <
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>I played all through beta and headstart and am now into the first free month. I won't be subscribing to the game and here is why. <
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>The game had maxxed characters after the first 3 days of release. <
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>The dungeons are repeating. You have to continually re-do the same dungeons over and over if you start new characters. There is no path difference between races. Ever race, every character starts in the exact same spot and levels up through the exact same dungeons. BORING. <
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>There is no world to explore. This game launches from one city where you gather and try to find a group to quest with and then you launch into the dungeon. Fans will say yes thats good.. no time running or porting around.. blah blah blah. What it really means is boring time spent sitting in one place forever. Waiting to find a group to quest a certain dungeon with. <
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>Which brings up the worst problem. The first few days it was easy to get a group to do the dungeons with. As the days go by though, it is getting harder and hard to find good people to quest with each time you log in. Most of the idiots I have ended up grouping with have now desire to run the dungeon as it was made. They only want to rush through the dungeon and get it finished as fast as possible. Rushers. <
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>Another really big problem is that the experience you gain isn't assigned to you as you go along in the quest. Only at the finish. So there are tons of messages (happened to me 3 times so far) from people on the official boards for the game where they have wasted 2-5 hours trying to do a quest, only to have it bug up at the end and not get credit for doing it. <
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>All in all.. the game is fun for what it is. Unfortunately what it is right now is a stand alone game. It's fun the first few times throught the dungeons. Then you find out the problems and the glitches and the repeat content and slowly you realize, this game isn't worth the money. <
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>Sorry to have to put a thumbs down, but this game is really not an MMORPG. <
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>Don't let the fans of the game tell you to just wait and Turbine will bring more content or fix all the problems. That's exctly what they said about Asheron's Call 2 and after people put a lot of time and effort into their characters.. Turbine closed the doors on that game. It wasn't profitable enough for them. <
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>My advice... check out the official forums at ddo.com and pay read what actual players are saying. Pay attention to the tech forums and see all the problems they have. Then wait 6 months and see if it gets any better. I canceled my subscription and will do just that. Wait 6 months and see if they can do anything to make this game better.

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Brilliant
Long-time fans of fantasy-oriented MMORPGs will remember the glory days of Ultima Online. When that game was heavily distressed by the "next-generation" MMO, EverQuest, fans of both games found themselves at a disadvantage that would continue for nearly a decade. There were no good games. The heavy penalties for death in EverQuest alienated the casual players of the time, while at the same time the open PVP in UO alienated its fair share of folks, causing both games to suffer heavy population detriments. It didn't help when the MMO boom began, either. Dark Age of Camelot, City of Heroes, Asheron's Call, AC2, EverQuest 2, and many others followed in quick succession, each having their own flaws that left MMORPG fans with the plain and saddening belief that no good game would ever see the light of day again. Dungeons and Dragons Online: Stormreach proves this notion wrong. <
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>The biggest and most terrifying thought about this game is that it is based on the Dungeons and Dragons pen-and-paper RPG. Set in the DnD realm of Eberron, players must know the d20 system backwards and forwards if they expect to reach their full potential. This leaves two different groups of people with two different questions. Long-time DnD fanatics will want to know how closely this game sticks to the rules, while at the same time, World of Warcraft junkies will want to know how easy this game is to pick up. Both of them will want to know if it is fun. <
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>First off, DnD. The city of Stormreach and the Eberron campaign operate under Dungeons and Dragons Revision 3.5 Ruleset by Wizards of the Coast. This ruleset features d20 (combat, skills, saves, etc.) and feats. Most of the general rules are followed very closely. Every time a d20 check is made, you see the actual dice roll on your screen. That's right: every swing of your sword, every disarming of a trap, every attempt to use a magical device: the dice are -always- rolling. The huge discrepancy this game has from PnP (pen-and-paper) is Action Points. You do not use Action Points to reroll your dice, as you would in PnP. Instead, four times per level, you achieve a new rank, at which point you gain Action Points to spend on enhancements. Low level enhancements are approximately equal to one additional feat. Higher level enhancements can equal nearly four feats combined (example: level 9 rogues get one that gives +7 to Disable Device and Open Lock simultaneously, passive). All players may have four different enhancements granted to their character at any time. While some may think that this may make your character terribly over-powered, this is not necessarily the case. The game is designed to overcome the problems a live action environment creates with the PnP game, and, as a result, your character will be expected to have the proper enhancements. These abilities are what make characters of varying levels significantly more or less powerful than each other in DDO. Each class and race has their own unique enhancements to choose from, but you must keep in mind as you develop your character that you are limited to having four at any given time. In addition, every time you level, you lose unspent Action Points, and the set of available enhancments will change every level also. The current level cap is 10, which Turbine has announced that it will raise in a few months. Prestige classes are also in the works. Other than Action Points, the game plays largely like PnP DnD, with a few very minor exceptions. Fans of the game will undoubtedly enjoy the MMO atmosphere of DDO. <
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>Now for the gamers. So you're used to sitting in dungeon, blasting away at countless critters until you eventually gain a level? Maybe a few Catacombs raids will do you some good. Not in Stormreach. In this troubled city, you must use your brain more than your braun. Each class has a very specific purpose that you must play well to survive. If a fighter runs ahead of the rest of the party, for example, trying to blaze the way, he will undoubtedly be killed quite quickly by hidden dungeon traps that can only be disarmed by well-equipped rogues. Similarly, a rogue cannot hack and slash his way into a group of enemies without getting severely torn up. You have to use strategy, and you have to read up on your class. Know how the game works. It is very important. This game also features active combat. You click to swing your sword, fire your bow, raise your shield, or tumble away from an attack. DnD features both a targetting cursor and a targetting system, allowing you either to mouse-over the specific enemy you want to shoot at and fire or, if you happen to be trying to aim at a small critter that jumps around quickly, you may decide that you simply want to target it and auto-attack away. Both options are available (when using a weapon--spells can't be autocast). The game has no crafting system, which does not affect your ability to acquire items. The economy (at lower levels) is quite an easy one, with most players giving gear they do not need to other players in their party who do need it, free of charge. Mosts quests also offer very useful item rewards. You do not regenerate spell points or hit points unless you rest or are in a tavern (and resting is only possible at special shrines found in dungeons), although healers can heal you and even sometimes restore your spellpoints. This system makes strategy very important. The game is very easy to play and user-friendly, but difficult to master. You do not need any knowledge of DnD to get started, but, as your interest in the game grows, you will undoubtedly spend hours reading up on how things work and what people think works best. This is a huge boon to the players who take pride in their accomplishments. In addition, DnD features quest-based advancement. You do not get any experience for "grinding". In fact, you do not get any experience at all for killing individual monsters. Your experience comes from quests, which are all instanced. The quests are very well-developed, featuring a wide variety of stories, monsters, and objectives (everything from rescues to obtaining an item to defeating an enemy to solving a mystery and more). The graphics, controls, and musical scores are without a doubt some of the best I have ever seen. I have seen better graphics (namely in Asheron's Call II: breathtaking), but combined with the other artificial elements, this game is very pretty indeed. The avid gamer will not be disappointed. The main issues for some players will be the following: lack of player versus player combat, different gameplay style of Dnd, lack of crafting skills, and necessity to complete quests in order to advance (the good ones are long and involved). The pros of the game, though, heavily outway these potential cons: grouping is VERY heavily encouraged (meaning it is always possible to find a group), the storylines are extremely engaging (if you take the time to read them), combat is intense, and strategy is important. Most gamers will very much enjoy this game. <
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>Overall, then, players will find that DnD Online (also known as DDO) is a great game. It fills a niche that many MMORPGers have sought for years. DDO isn't just your next hack-and-slash, ding, level up game. It is very involving, requires strong knowledge of your character, and features many things never before seen in MMORPGs. The game is fun at all levels; not just at maximum level. You will find the depth of character advancement to be absolutely astonishing. On the whole, Eberron is an amazing world and Stormreach an amazing city. With so many ways to customize your character and so many things to do with him (or her), many DDO players feel confident in calling the game flawless--the best ever made. After all, it is Dungeons and Dragons, which has remained a brilliant RPG for decades. And there you have it: Dungeons and Dragons Online: Stormreach is simply brilliant. <
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>Other game notes: DDO features the races and classes of the DnD 3.5 ruleset, with the current exception of Monks and Druids (which are in development). These classes are Paladin, Ranger, Fighter, Cleric, Rogue, Barbarian, Sorcerer, Wizard, Paladin, and Bard. Each class has its own role in a group, except for the Bard (who is a sort of jack-of-all-trades). Each character may choose one class at character creation and either continue that class to the level cap or multiclass to a second class when they reach their next level (so if a level five Fighter just reached level six and wanted to multiclass to a Ranger, he would become all of the following: a level five Fighter, a level one Ranger, and a level six character, meaning that the sum of your class levels cannot exceed your current character level, which cannot be higher than the level cap). Each character is also of a particular race, and each race receives particular advantages or disadvantages that may allow it to excel at one or more particular class types. Available races in DDO include Humans, Elves, Half Elves, Dwarves, Halflings, and Warforged. You may only select one race. Information on feats, spells, enhancements, skills, racial abilities, and class abilities can be found at many DDO fansites, but documentation on the game can sometimes be hard to find because of so many inaccurate references. Check with reliable sources (open source works best, such as Wikis). The game also features a sort of tutorial area to help new players get started. It is optional. <
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>If you are considering trying this game, do it. Period.