04-15-2011, 06:26 PM
I play DDO on and off and have done the 9 quest series that DA narrates. I also got the Mantle of the World Shaper.
DA does indeed narrate in areas. IIRC in the intro to each quest and a few points along each way. Also, just outside the entry areas is a memorial to Dave Arneson.
DDO is now kind of free to play. IIRC I think you can download it free at the website. Not sure I can post a link but it is pretty easy to figure out.
What they do you is you can have 3 different kinds of account
free- you can have IIRC a couple of characters and the standard quests are free to play.
pay for content- You can buy certain quest chains and account upgrades a la carte.
VIP- Sometimes on sale for $9.99 per month. Sometimes more. Up to 10 characters per server upgradeable, All quests available, but there are some where you have to complete another quest first. Also, 500 free Turbine Points each month. And there are a few other unlocks as well.
The "Threnal" chain that DA narrates is Pay to Play (P2P) content.
If you are dead set against paying, but want to do the DA series for free you can also pay for the content by earning Turbine Points (TPs). This is accomplished by collecting favour. Favour accrues when you complete a quest depending on the quest and the difficulty level. For example a quest can have a favour breakdown as follows
norm 3
hard 6
elite 9
You cannot do the same quest over and over with the same character for more favour. 9 would be the max total for that quest in the previous example. However, if you make a new character you can have that one also earn the favour which will translate into IIRC 100 favour=25 TPs. A few bonus TPs for new people tot hat server.
also they got Gary Gygax to narrate the Delera's chain of quests.
Minor spoilers below....
If you have never tried DDO before the Threnal chain is for intermediate level characters so you will have to play somewhat before trying these quests. You will start in the new peoples area of an island called Korthos. There is a tutorial and some entry level quests. Once you do the Korthos capstone quest (Misery's Peak) you will be qualified to sail onto the main play area known as Stromreach. Slightly more difficult beginner quests will await you in the harbour and a few high level quests as well that you can return to the harbour later to complete. After some quests in the harbour you will move onto the market place. There are some slightly more difficult quests in the market. The market is the central hub and most other areas of town can be accessed through it. One of the areas attached to the market is known as House Phiarlan (House P) It is in here that you can be transported to the ruins of Threnal. Come ready you will have to fight your way through giants to get there. In Threnal there are a series of 9 quests accessed through 3 different entrances. There is 1 quest giver per entrance. IIRC you have to do 3 the western quests and the 3 eastern quests before qualifying for the 3 southern quests.
THIS IS IMPORTANT - often after completing a quest 1 will reset the quest by talking to the quest giver after getting the end reward so they are ready the next time they want to do it. DO NOT DO THAT HERE. Unless DDO has fixed this it will screw up your quest chain and you will not be able to the 3 southern quests until you repeat the quest chain you reset.
After doing all 9 quests you will be given the option of some pretty sweat end rewards. The Mantle of the World Shaper is normally among them. No guarantees though.
Happy hunting!
Best regards,
Hunter Fairbanks
DA does indeed narrate in areas. IIRC in the intro to each quest and a few points along each way. Also, just outside the entry areas is a memorial to Dave Arneson.
DDO is now kind of free to play. IIRC I think you can download it free at the website. Not sure I can post a link but it is pretty easy to figure out.
What they do you is you can have 3 different kinds of account
free- you can have IIRC a couple of characters and the standard quests are free to play.
pay for content- You can buy certain quest chains and account upgrades a la carte.
VIP- Sometimes on sale for $9.99 per month. Sometimes more. Up to 10 characters per server upgradeable, All quests available, but there are some where you have to complete another quest first. Also, 500 free Turbine Points each month. And there are a few other unlocks as well.
The "Threnal" chain that DA narrates is Pay to Play (P2P) content.
If you are dead set against paying, but want to do the DA series for free you can also pay for the content by earning Turbine Points (TPs). This is accomplished by collecting favour. Favour accrues when you complete a quest depending on the quest and the difficulty level. For example a quest can have a favour breakdown as follows
norm 3
hard 6
elite 9
You cannot do the same quest over and over with the same character for more favour. 9 would be the max total for that quest in the previous example. However, if you make a new character you can have that one also earn the favour which will translate into IIRC 100 favour=25 TPs. A few bonus TPs for new people tot hat server.
also they got Gary Gygax to narrate the Delera's chain of quests.
Minor spoilers below....
If you have never tried DDO before the Threnal chain is for intermediate level characters so you will have to play somewhat before trying these quests. You will start in the new peoples area of an island called Korthos. There is a tutorial and some entry level quests. Once you do the Korthos capstone quest (Misery's Peak) you will be qualified to sail onto the main play area known as Stromreach. Slightly more difficult beginner quests will await you in the harbour and a few high level quests as well that you can return to the harbour later to complete. After some quests in the harbour you will move onto the market place. There are some slightly more difficult quests in the market. The market is the central hub and most other areas of town can be accessed through it. One of the areas attached to the market is known as House Phiarlan (House P) It is in here that you can be transported to the ruins of Threnal. Come ready you will have to fight your way through giants to get there. In Threnal there are a series of 9 quests accessed through 3 different entrances. There is 1 quest giver per entrance. IIRC you have to do 3 the western quests and the 3 eastern quests before qualifying for the 3 southern quests.
THIS IS IMPORTANT - often after completing a quest 1 will reset the quest by talking to the quest giver after getting the end reward so they are ready the next time they want to do it. DO NOT DO THAT HERE. Unless DDO has fixed this it will screw up your quest chain and you will not be able to the 3 southern quests until you repeat the quest chain you reset.
After doing all 9 quests you will be given the option of some pretty sweat end rewards. The Mantle of the World Shaper is normally among them. No guarantees though.
Happy hunting!
Best regards,
Hunter Fairbanks