| Mail |

You might also like: WoW Insider, Joystiq, and more

More Sites You Might Like

Turbine reveals shape-shifting DDO Druid class

by Jef Reahard on Mar 20th 2012 11:00AM

Fantasy, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Classes, Expansions, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play

Dungeons and Dragons Online - Druid shapeshifting

Turbine has a present for all you would-be shape-shifters out there, and it takes the form of the new Druid class coming with Dungeons and Dragons Online's new Menace of the Underdark expansion.

The content drops on June 25th, and the Druid will be available as a premium playable class (and free to VIPs). The Druid is primarily a caster, but he's also proficient with daggers, sickles, staves, and clubs. His signature ability allows him to transform into a winter wolf, a dire bear, a water elemental, or a fire elemental. Each shape has its own set of spells, and the class also features a Druidic oath that boosts resistances to entanglement, poison, and other natural ailments.

More info on the expansion is available via Turbine's official website.

[Source: Turbine press release]

More coverage: Official site

Tags: classes, ddo, dnd, druid, dungeons-and-dragons, dungeons-and-dragons-online, expansions, f2p, fantasy, forgotten-realms, free-to-play, menace-of-the-underdark, shape-shifting, shapeshifter, turbine, turbine-entertainment

Reader Comments (20)

no doubt will be the most played class soon

never really got into DDO, is it fun?

@Lashley93

It's unique. Whether you'll find it fun or not I don't know. There isn't really anything else like it in the MMO world from a dungeon crawling point of view, from my experience.

Download it and give it a try. I'd suggest doing something like a caster, Artificer, or rogue. They get more interesting options, imo, that show off the different ways you can approach various missions beyond running through and slaughtering everything in sight.

@Lashley93
DDO is the most fun I have had so far in an MMO. The combat system cant be beat. Building characters can be complex but you have a lot of freedom to mix classes and such. Mistakes are expensive though. If you can get a small static group going it is great.

no doubt will be the most played class

never really got into DDO, is it fun?

I attempted to play DDO at launch and didn't care much for it, but by golly any game that adds a Druid gets my immediate attention. Maybe. Maybe!

is that dog taking a shit?

@(Unverified)

I thought the exact thing.

@(Unverified) I was about to make the same comment!

In fairness though, turning into a dog to do your business is a lot easier than dealing with all those robes and such.

If DDO were set up like GW1, with persistent hubs, great instanced dungeons, and the ability to use heroes, I'd be playing this game.

DDO does, in fact, have persistent hubs and great dungeons, imo.

It's the mercenary/hireling system in DDO that sent me packing.

However, I haven't tried DDO in years. Are the hirelings customizable yet? Do they have decent (and adjustable) AI skills and stances? Can you use a group of them? It's been years since I tried this game. Maybe they're better now...

If DDO would rework its hireling mechanics, I'd give the game another go. I'm hoping that Cryptic's Neverwinter (assuming it ever gets released) will succeed on this front where DDO failed. The hirelings in DDO were the make-or-break issue for me, and they were beyond lousy . Pet AI was also one of the main reasons I got fed up with LotRO (captain, Loremaster, skirmishes...).

You'd think Turbine could at least look at the (much older!) GW1 and take a few pointers on how to design Hirelings correctly. Heck, I'd even pay for a few Hirelings in the DDO in-game store if they were as good as the ones in GW1.

@Tom in VA Hirelings were never meant to replace actual party members. They are just meant to be there when a group decides "Man, we can really use a healer/tanker/ect., but none seem to be biting, so lets just grab a bot". Honestly, I stopped playing GW1 because of heroes. They were too customizable and were in many ways better than actual party members, since you could just tailor them to meet your needs exactly and never asked for a share of the loot. Killed party play, in my opinion. I much prefer DDO's hirelings, which are much more of a Plan B than a "meh, who needs party mates?" feature.

@Kaoy

"They were too customizable and were in many ways better than actual party members, since you could just tailor them to meet your needs exactly and never asked for a share of the loot. "

I'd just like to point out that heroes and henchmen in GW1 do actually cut into your loot, it's just you don't actually ever get to see the loot that gets "assigned" to them. If you go out solo you'll notice you get many more drops than if you went through that area with a full party of heroes.

In wow, druids shape change instantly with a puff of smoke.

This class will make me play LotRO. I never could really get into the game years ago since none of the classes did much for me and the races were pretty boring.

@(Unverified) Wait just noticed it's DnD Online. I forgot Turbine even made other games lol

Remind me about the LoTR lore - Are druids a part of Middle Earth? Around the time these events are supposedly taking place?

Not hating on the game, just would like to know

@Samael You and (Unverified) above could both due with a higher prescription for your glasses.

@Kaoy

You are right. I am extremely sorry. Again sorry for trolling.

@Samael

To answer your question, no Druids would not make sense in LOTRO. There was one character I know of that could turn into a wolf or bear or something, but he was a unique case.

Definitely gonna give it a try then

Dungeons & Dragons Online preview: http://www.mmohunter.com/dungeons-dragons-online.html

Turbine reveals shape-shifting DDO Druid class

Reader Comments (20)

Posted: Mar 20th 2012 11:02AM Lashley93 said

Posted: Mar 20th 2012 11:12AM Ehra said

Posted: Mar 20th 2012 11:59PM donweel said

Posted: Mar 20th 2012 11:03AM Lashley93 said

Posted: Mar 20th 2012 11:10AM AlienFanatic said

Posted: Mar 20th 2012 11:20AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Mar 20th 2012 11:36AM Arcline said

Posted: Mar 20th 2012 12:03PM Anatidae said

Posted: Mar 20th 2012 11:42AM Tom in VA said

Posted: Mar 20th 2012 9:28PM Kaoy said

Posted: Mar 20th 2012 11:40PM Ehra said

Posted: Mar 20th 2012 12:01PM Mikx said

Posted: Mar 20th 2012 2:22PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Mar 20th 2012 2:26PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Mar 20th 2012 8:01PM Samael said

Posted: Mar 20th 2012 9:31PM Kaoy said

Posted: Mar 20th 2012 10:01PM Samael said

Posted: Mar 20th 2012 11:42PM Ehra said

Posted: Mar 21st 2012 10:04AM Lashley93 said

Posted: Mar 21st 2012 11:58PM aimooy said

Info

Description

MSRP

Release Date

Genre

Developer

Publisher

Rating

Breaking News

Massively surveys WildStar's Scientist and Settler paths, the Esper class, and the crazy things Jeremy Gaffney says

Featured Stories

The Summoner's Guidebook: Why you shouldn't always buy Deathcap on LoL casters

The Guild Counsel: Managing the peaks of success

Ask Massively: The irony of media and betas

Engadget

Joystiq

WoW

TUAW