Follow along after the jump for a look at what to expect from today's content patch.
Veteran Status
The first feature of the update is veteran status: the newest total favor reward for long time players. Veteran status is intended for those players who have already been through the game a few times and want to skip straight to playing with their alt characters. It can be unlocked on your account with 1,000 total favor, and allows you to create new characters at level four, skipping past the familiar tutorial content. Don't worry, though; if you find yourself missing Jeets and Cellimas, or just want a quick refresher course, the option to start at the beginning is always there. As with the other total favor rewards, veteran status will eventually be available in the DDO store.
Epic Difficulty
One of the most exciting features of Update 1 for long time players is the introduction of epic difficulty. Turbine will be revisiting some of the adventure packs you loved back in the lower levels, and making them available to you with bigger and stronger mobs, tougher bosses, and new surprises. It's a challenge only for high level, advanced players -- everyone in your party must be level 20 -- so be ready!
The Demon Sands Adventure pack was the first one to get the epic treatment. We got to visit the Menechtarun Desert and explore epic difficulty by going up against Queen Lailath, and we can tell you that it's worth every point. All the original content is there, and it now packs a much bigger punch.
If you love the idea of epic difficulty, you've got plenty to look forward to as Turbine promises more epic difficulty adventure packs with future updates. So high level players, gear up for some new challenges.
Epic Loot
You can't call something "epic difficulty" and not provide equally epic loot. Happily, the end chest (as well as the loot throughout the quests) has been given as much of a buff as the monsters you fight to get to it. You know the drill: kill the boss, loot the chest, then... loot the second chest? Open up the Epic Chest to reveal even more items, plus the definition of "epic loot" -- the glowy purple Epic Token. Okay, it's purple, shiny, and located in an end chest, so it's got to be good, but what's it for?
Epic difficulty has incorporated a whole new path to explore for those players who love their gear. Back when you were level ten, you probably picked up some great gear that was perfect at the time, but it just didn't keep pace as you advanced, eventually losing its use to you. Epic dungeons will include a multistage loot crafting system for high level, advanced players. Collect various ingredients as you play through, and get one of those original items with increased base stats, better enchants, and everything needed to make it useful to you again. Now add in one of those epic tokens, turn it into a vendor in exchange for an augmentation crystal, and customize your shiny new gear!
New adventure pack
Next up? Update 1 will give a brand new adventure pack called "The Path of Inspiration", available to VIP players today and to everyone else later in the week. Remember the lower harbor area that you couldn't access? Trying to enter just netted you a brief encounter with some stonefaced guards who informed you that there was nothing back there to interest you. Well, if you're level 16 you can check it out now. We don't want to give too much away, but here's a little look at what's back there.
The area is populated primarily by people from the city of Dar Qat. After a long period of tension with Stormreach, the two cities have opened trade relations, and the citizens of Dar Qat are doing their part. They've moved in, set up trade, and renovated the area at their own expense to help gain a bit of a warmer welcome. They follow a religion of sorts called -- you guessed it -- the Path of Inspiration. Followers are called The Inspired, leading the harbor area to be known as the Inspired Quarter.
The Inspired are a friendly group, if a bit quirky. They hang out in the square and chat with passers by, talking of truth, knowledge, and their headquarters, which they would love to have you visit. You may notice that the one in the middle seems to have something on his head, maybe a funny hat. It's probably fine.
Once you've helped Wylkes find Jonas, he's got more for you to do, and a familiar face or two to show you. As it turns out, you weren't the only one Wylkes appealed to for help -- he hired a local rogue to investigate the Path to Inspiration as well. It didn't end so well for that rogue, and here we find our old friend Jeets unconscious and rambling nonsense. Back you go to check out The Inspired, but this time you're investigating the aforementioned shiny happy facade, and accepting their invitation to take the initiation in an effort to save Jeets. This quest takes you into an alternate reality dream state and offers up some truly stunning new instances, so you need to be sure to take your time and explore -- you don't want to miss anything. This isn't just for the eye candy, though. Reality is a bit skewed, things aren't always quite what they seem, and there are plenty of surprises and hidden places to explore. Can you imagine what lies in the deep recesses of Jeets' mind?
These are just two quests of the five available in the newest adventure pack, available free today to VIP players in Update 1. In addition to the wealth of new content, Turbine offered up some news of even more upcoming goodies to keep us interested, such as store items, new features, and adventure packs. We won't lack for new things to explore in DDO for a long, long while.
Thanks to the Turbine team -- Executive Producer Fernando Paiz, Lead Systems Designer Steve Muray, Producer Eric Boyer, Design Director Ian Currie, and Senior Content Designer Charles Miles -- for taking their time to show off the new update. We can't wait to see the rest!
