#119 *NOR/news Dungeons & Dragons Online

Hail *NOR/!

(Please note that all of the numbers and calculations in this article are approximations and do not take into account DDO deals, specials, and promotions)

One of Dungeons and Dragons Online’s claims to fame is to be the first free-to-play MMORPG on the market.  While other games of the mid 2000s such as World of Warcraft maintained a subscription-only system, in 2009, DDO switched from its strictly subscription-based plan to a hybrid of both a premium “VIP” subscription plan and a free-to-play a la carte method.  The latter provided players with the ability to pick and choose which quests and expansions they wanted to have license to for all of their characters for the duration of DDO’s existence.  To purchase all of the expansions and quests would require 50,000 to 60,000 DDO points, or approximately $500-$600 dollars USD.  Subscriptions run around $130 per year, so in four to five years, a player could be ahead of the cost curve by purchasing DDO points in bulk or when the DDO Store ran “double bonus points” specials akin to what they are running this week.

To incentivize players to purchase VIP subscriptions, DDO established several perks that come with being a VIP.  These perks include giving VIP members 500 DDO points a month; a monthly VIP reward that ranges from additional bank or inventory space, special mounts, DDO points, or special cosmetics.  VIP members also received additional character slots, full access to most classes and races, and the ability to open up quests on hard or elite rather than only on normal.

DDO realized quickly with its free-to-play model that there was money to be made from both “pay to win” items in the DDO Store and cosmetics that enhance the aesthetics of player characters in-game.  Over time, DDO expanded their available a la carte items to include special “coffers” that meld unique cosmetics with additional in-game perks.  Their most recent coffer, the Crystalforged Coffer, provides three tiers of inclusive items (Patron’s Greater, and Superior), and offer members who wish to indulge in a coffer with Crystalforged weapons, weapon auras, pet, mount, armor, helm, cloak, character bank slots, and shared bank slots depending on the tier a patron chooses.  While the pay-to-win aspect of these coffers remain minimal (i.e., additional storage), the cosmetics allow players to stand out and to mix and match their cosmetics to create unique armor, helm, cloak, pet, and mount combinations.

Over time, most if not all MMORPGs have come to have an a la carte system through their respective stores and to have some amount of free-to-play content.  Non-MMO genres like MOBAs (Dota 2 and League of Legends) have built their entire platform based on the free-to-play methodology.  For those of you who prefer to dabble in a game without keeping an active subscription, you can thank Dungeons and Dragons Online for pioneering the free-to-play system.

For additional information about The Crystalforged Patron’s Coffer, see the link below.  The Crystalforged Patron’s Coffer will remain in the DDO Store through November 9, 2026.

https://www.ddo.com/news/ddo-crystalforged-patrons-coffer

See you in-game!

Yavool Ramnoth
Lord and Branch Leader, *NOR/DDO – Thrane Server