DDO Tactics

[PooMonkey]

A little blurb on some good tactics (sorry about the length)

Where are you in relation to your enemy; melee range, missile range, detection range? Consider line of sight, and not just for the path of an arrow. Can you see the enemy, and can she see you? Are there nearby crates to duck behind or other aspects of your surroundings that could be of use? In DDO, it matters! All these come into play when employing the game’s inherent combat tactics.

Flanking (+2 attack bonus)

When a monster is targeting a specific player for his melee attack, anyone else attacking that monster gains a +2 attack bonus. Be warned, though, that turnabout is fair play; monsters also get the same bonus against you! This is a subtle break from the norm that makes for a whole different game dynamic. If you wade into combat the way many MMORPGs let you, you’re going to take a beating! The key in DDO is to react to such a situation - move when you get surrounded - jump and tumble - don’t just stand there and get butchered like a sheep.

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee

In the typical sandwich combat MMO, there’s little point in trying to dodge blows from a monster you’re fighting; it’s programmed to hit you regardless. While you can engage a DDO monster in that manner, real-time reactions will make you a much more efficient fighter (with a lot more hit points left over at the end of a fight). Don’t just stand in front of the enemy and trade blows. Keep those feet moving - to the flanks - adjust your position. Much like boxers and marital artists do, move around to keep your opponent off-balance. Nimble monsters present a challenge, they may move to face you as fast as you move away, so mix your movement by also jumping back and forth as you attack. I see too many barbarians and rangers (in light armor) trying to trade blows toe-to-toe. They may win, but are often more wounded than necessary and are soon dipping into their potion supply or crying for the nearest healer when the next encounter slams the party. And healers, just like fighters, are working on a strategic budget in any given dungeon crawl - there’s no automatic health or magic point regeneration here!

Concentration of Fire

A common mistake in any online cooperative game is when a party charges into a room and everyone spreads out to attack individual targets. We all know that everyone should concentrate their attacks on one target to most efficiently remove that target from the battle (especially given DDO’s Flanking Bonus dynamic). Coordination of the party’s efforts is even more important when faced with a mixed group of monster types. If we enter a room with an ogre and six kobolds, what do we go after first? The kobolds that nickel and dime us or the ogre that can any kill party member in two hits?

Sure, the above may seem like no-brainer advice in theory, but it is usually not so easy to employ in practice. It’s often mission impossible for a party leader to try and instruct different party members on tactics in the heat of battle – typing can be torture when seconds count. DDO has an excellent alternative, though: it comes with integrated voice chat. That makes life a LOT easier when it comes to coordinating attacks! It makes combat feel a lot more engaging, and it’s hard to go back to typed instructions once you’ve been spoiled by the immersion of a voice chat battle.

Missile Fire

There are many opportunities to properly employ massed missile weapons. From the top of waterfalls/sloops, the whole party should shoot down at the enemy. Many dungeons and outdoor quests feature ideal terrain for this tactic, so use it. Find good positions for the party to rain a hail of arrows/bolts/daggers/throwing axes down on the enemy. Whenever the enemy does not have their own archers or ranged magic-users, start by softening them up with missile weapons. Target the casters: (cleric, shaman, wizard, sorcerer, witch doctor).

In many other dungeons (the Butcher's Path and Waterworks, for example), the casters are among the most dangerous monsters, with the capacity to cause the most damage to the party.

Charge them, press them back, and continuously attack them so they can't cast spells. The casters are often quite nimble; they jump and move out of melee range quickly, so press them and keep attacking, because it is possible for them to fail their concentration checks and lose their spell just as players can. When entering a room full of monsters, the casters are generally in the back on top of crates or any high ground they can use for clear line of sight. Some fighters should stay and protect your casters, but at least one melee character should attack that caster; otherwise, he can stand back there and just cast spell after spell (acid splash, magic missile, scorching ray, ray of enfeeblement, flame strike, fireball, and so forth). That caster will usually inflict the most damage to the party. At higher levels this becomes more critical as fireball after fireball will quickly decimate a party. You must kill the casters quickly!

Shield Wall

If you have two fighters with shields, have them get in the front, with Fighting Defensively turned on and shields up (shift). Generally they will take little or no damage. Also, put the casters behind them with burning hands or sleep, cutting down the mobs. Archers should be shooting enemy casters or anyone attempting to turn the flank. This is especially effective in narrow tunnel fights, and when fighting monsters with poison attacks.

[Yazule]

you in beta poo?

[Undead_Mercenary]

I know Badash got in, the lucky sob! Apparently, you level much slower in the closed beta compared to the stress test.

[BadAsh]

it's not that you level slower so much as once you hit level 4 leveling slows down quite a bit...plus I'm really in no rush to level as there are awesome adventures to do at each level....so the end-game is not something you need to rush too.

[PooMonkey]

Sadly I'm not in the beta, but i did pre-order so hopefully i get the beta pass soon

[DenKirson]

While that may be all well and good for meaty combat guys, there are sexy awesome methods of subverting the tide with the overlooked intricate class. Bard-Fu.

As a true Jack of Trades, combat should be on a lower tier for a Bard, while tradeskills and ability is more prioritized. Focus on ranged weapons, Dexterity and Charisma allow a Bard to get the most out of what a Ranger, Rogue and Cleric can do, as well as make him a very skilled explorer with Jump and Move Silently. His slight lack in what the real three classes can do is forgotten with his Bard Songs or plain versatility.

Best spell for magic dabblers = Sleep, followed by Cure Light Wounds.

As a Bard (especially a vagrant loner), Sleep is possibly the most valuable tool in a one-on-many fight. Later on, if the Bard were to learn Weapon Finesse so handheld weapons rely on Dex, combined with high Charisma leading to high success with the Sleep spell (and Rank Powers giving extra Mana), The Bard could very well get through a long-high-level quest on his lonesome with nothing but putting enemies to sleep and sleep-slay them. Because Sleep is an area effect, the Bard can draw attention to himself, lead the enemy in a group and drop a sleep or two to get six or more of them (with Jump and Tumble, the Bard has good skill at escaping and would have more success).

Since the Sleep spell lasts on all enemies from thirty seconds to two minutes (and you don't get XP for direct combat), a loner with successful Sleep casts can turn an infested sewer structure into a slumber party and walk right on to the objective.

I wonder if my brother made a Bard yet.