How does ESO compare to DDO?

MikarESO

Greetings

Having played DDO for several years now, a bit of WoW before that, and loads of EQ1 10-15 years ago I may be looking for something new to do.

I have enjoyed DDO quite a bit - but its current state is a mess with lag dominating so hard to make it unplayable.

I am hoping someone that has played DDO might point me to the differences between ESO and DDO and whats great about ESO. I dont care at all about PvP in any shape or form so while I understand thats quite good in ESO its not for me.

If this has been debated previously and not too long ago I apologise but hope you might link the proper place took. My seach only showed a comparison from 2014 which is hardly reasonable today.

Much appreciated.

Cadbury

Well, DDO is more of a hub-based MMO, sort of like Diablo, Vindictus, Dragon Nest, etc.

By that I mean you gather your party in the cities and queue up for instanced dungeons/areas. Elder Scrolls Online is more of a traditional MMORPG like WoW. Basically completing quests and exploring an overworld.

I personally like it because of the brand name and lore. It may not be the most original MMO out there, but I have little issue with that. I can't gauge how you are as a player, but that's my take on it.

DDO and ESO are two different styles of MMO imo

Alphashado

Yeah, they are completely different. ESO is much more like EQ or WoW than DDO. It's an open, persistent world. The only places you find private instances like DDO are in group dungeons.

lihentian

IMO- ESO is an better version of the DND gameplay.. while Ddo have the traditional dnd character advancement system(to certain degree.. such as prestige done wrong, no domain, no familiar, 5e warlock while everything else 3.5e..etc)

stealth in ddo just wouldn't work.. stealth in eso work great.. also the pickpocket and stealing really make my rogue felt complete..

MikarESO

Thanks, that does shed some light on a difference.

How about movement and combat though? I am somewhat fond of the way thats handled in DDO where you have alot of flexibility in both movement and things you can do in combat - including placing persistent AoE in an area.

WalkingLegacy

Cadbury wrote: »

Well, DDO is more of a hub-based MMO, sort of like Diablo, Vindictus, Dragon Nest, etc.

By that I mean you gather your party in the cities and queue up for instanced dungeons/areas. Elder Scrolls Online is more of a traditional MMORPG like WoW. Basically completing quests and exploring an overworld.

I personally like it because of the brand name and lore. It may not be the most original MMO out there, but I have little issue with that. I can't gauge how you are as a player, but that's my take on it.

DDO and ESO are two different styles of MMO imo

Wait a minute. ESO isn't a traditional MMO. It's an online RPG.

clayandaudrey_ESO

WalkingLegacy wrote: »

Cadbury wrote: »

Well, DDO is more of a hub-based MMO, sort of like Diablo, Vindictus, Dragon Nest, etc.

By that I mean you gather your party in the cities and queue up for instanced dungeons/areas. Elder Scrolls Online is more of a traditional MMORPG like WoW. Basically completing quests and exploring an overworld.

I personally like it because of the brand name and lore. It may not be the most original MMO out there, but I have little issue with that. I can't gauge how you are as a player, but that's my take on it.

DDO and ESO are two different styles of MMO imo

Wait a minute. ESO isn't a traditional MMO. It's an online RPG.

Right it is actually an MMORPG.

Cadbury

WalkingLegacy wrote: »

Cadbury wrote: »

Well, DDO is more of a hub-based MMO, sort of like Diablo, Vindictus, Dragon Nest, etc.

By that I mean you gather your party in the cities and queue up for instanced dungeons/areas. Elder Scrolls Online is more of a traditional MMORPG like WoW. Basically completing quests and exploring an overworld.

I personally like it because of the brand name and lore. It may not be the most original MMO out there, but I have little issue with that. I can't gauge how you are as a player, but that's my take on it.

DDO and ESO are two different styles of MMO imo

Wait a minute. ESO isn't a traditional MMO. It's an online RPG.

Reevster

WalkingLegacy wrote: »

Cadbury wrote: »

Well, DDO is more of a hub-based MMO, sort of like Diablo, Vindictus, Dragon Nest, etc.

By that I mean you gather your party in the cities and queue up for instanced dungeons/areas. Elder Scrolls Online is more of a traditional MMORPG like WoW. Basically completing quests and exploring an overworld.

I personally like it because of the brand name and lore. It may not be the most original MMO out there, but I have little issue with that. I can't gauge how you are as a player, but that's my take on it.

DDO and ESO are two different styles of MMO imo

Wait a minute. ESO isn't a traditional MMO. It's an online RPG.

lihentian

MikarESO wrote: »

Thanks, that does shed some light on a difference.

How about movement and combat though? I am somewhat fond of the way thats handled in DDO where you have alot of flexibility in both movement and things you can do in combat - including placing persistent AoE in an area.

personally i would say Eso combat is much much more fun, not only that you don't have limited mana pool(they regain even in battle, just not as much) it felt so much like a fighter not a mana tank..

Also spell here don't require dc.. so none of that dc casting crap.. you don't have to stack your prr/mrr/ac/save sky high to do hard content, all you need is decent health with some crafted equipment. oh right.. crafting really shine here~~ and they are easy and simple too.. well except enchanting.. which could be a bit hard. but you could always glyph from auction house..

You don't need to grind past life or search for +7 tome.. though there is champion point, which is something like destiny in ddo. But instead making you grind on every character. you only need to do it once and it is shared among all your character...


p.s. as of movement they are about the same..

Wing

ello

DDO was my main MMO, it was my first because I came from table top and was interested in doing that more (bonus a lot of the base character stuff is the same) I left for ESO because I was both upset with turbine (but still enjoyed DDO) and loved TES and ESO was brand new.

I wont go into to many little points like cosmetics and character creation as ESO wins just because of how new it is but more into the things that matter.

-Combat:
the transition between DDO to ESO is actually very easy as they are both soft lock systems, you hit who your facing or those around you with AOE and don't require tab targeting or hard lock, though the option does exist in both games.

ESO has regen and DDO does not. self explanatory

-Classes/Builds/Skills:
no contest hands down this goes to DDO, though this can be good or bad. DDO has the biggest build diversity and options of any MMO out there, 14 classes, max 20 levels each, 3 trees per, can multiclass any amount of levels into 3 total classes. and that's before you get into races or epic destines, feats and twists, etc.

however that can also be daunting, DDO has an incredible skill gap in that regard in that you can actually make a TERRIBLE character and really F yourself.

ESO has a much more simple build system and its really actually hard to mess up, everything is pretty straightforward and easy to understand.

ESO also restricts you to a maximum number of skills (5 plus ult x2 bars) and lets you do whatever you want with em.

-Social aspects/Guilds/Groups/Quests:

much larger population (obviously) can be a member of up to 5 guilds with a guild cap of 500 people per so a maximum of 2500 guildies to chat with before you get to friends list.

no built in voice chat and that can be good or bad.

ESO's group finder pales in comparison to DDO's LFM panel, your pretty much relegated to asking in zone/guild channels for people to group with.

fully (and well) voiced NPC's and quests. though you often feel like your solo even if you in a group as often everyone has to activate quest objectives independently, they are working to improve this, but honestly it just makes it confusing as it can change on a quest by quest basis.

group dungeons are fun but coming from DDO where literally EVERYTHING was a group dungeon it may feel like a disappointment. If you were in a group in a quest in DDO it felt like it, in ESO it feels like everyone is soling together (aside from trials/ vet dungeons)

-Trials/Raids:
there are only a few, and they don't stay relevant (this could change) and reward gear is not good to the point of being required (I personally like this though, more on that later) impossible to solo (VERY SAD) because all of them (most group content) have mechanics in place that simply require 12 people (standing on 12 platforms at once, etc.) some of my best times in DDO was trying to short man or solo raids, that is impossible in ESO.

-Gear/Itemization/Crafting:
is actually very good. the system is very well done and super easy once you understand it, some of the best sets in the game are crafted and the crafted set list is continuously updated as new DLC comes out. there is a VERY drawn out grind period before you can craft everything (expect to take months at the earliest) but its well worth it. its nice not to have to grind quests and pray to range to get the gear you want (though that still happens depending on the gear you want)

-PvP:
DDO pretty much has none so ESO wins be default. balance and lag are colossal issues that don't seem like they are getting fixed any time soon. but honestly the huge sieges can be some of the coolest things you have experienced in an MMO. . .or the most infuriating depending on the zerging / stacking / lag / cheese that's taking place.

-the open world:
ESO wins hands down. a lot of times its fun to just walk around, some areas are simply gorgeous and you just stop to look at everything. and the game world is huge and getting bigger all the time. there are areas for everyone from swamps to deserts to forests to flinty mountains to snow and ice.

the races and racial culture is done really well but that should be obvious as they had a long line of TES lore to pull off of. they are all different and have the cultures well represented and there is plenty of lore and information to find on all of them.



well geez there you go, hope that helps. need anything more feel free to ask for specifics.

Xendyn

Okay, don't derail the poor guys thread here.

I love the combat and movement in this game. It's one of the reasons I came here and stay. I played DDO a few years ago and then LOTRO where I really didn't like their version of magic-users and the target-assist, CD watching gameplay.

Combat here is very mobile, in fact, mobility is required. AOE, depending on the class and skill can be ground targeted and placed, placed by where you are standing or mobile (radiating from your character).

Most of my Kin I came here from LOTRO with couldn't make the transition in gameplay and went back. For me though, it's a great fit and I doubt I'd ever go back to any CD counting game.

MikarESO

Much appreciated everyone. I will give it a try and see what its like for me.

jamesharv2005ub17_ESO

I think the main difference between the two is DDO is not technically open world where ESO is. I also play DDO have been playing it since the launch and before in the beta. Its the game I went to after I quit Ultima Online for the last time. Truely enjoyable but I like open world games like LOTRO and ESO.

olsborg

MikarESO wrote: »

I have enjoyed DDO quite a bit - but its current state is a mess with lag dominating so hard to make it unplayable.

I.

You will feel right at home in eso then..

Knootewoot

Wing wrote: »

-the open world:
ESO wins hands down. a lot of times its fun to just walk around, some areas are simply gorgeous and you just stop to look at everything. and the game world is huge and getting bigger all the time. there are areas for everyone from swamps to deserts to forests to flinty mountains to snow and ice.

the races and racial culture is done really well but that should be obvious as they had a long line of TES lore to pull off of. they are all different and have the cultures well represented and there is plenty of lore and information to find on all of them.

Which open world. All i see is seperate zones, invisible walls, slaughterfish and instances.

LegacyDM

One thing people didn't mention is the differences in gaming community. I played ddo for years. It was awesome because the player base was really good. Player base on ddo is mature, friendly, and good. Dungeons in ddo require teamwork and it has a built in voice system which made things very easy. Player base in eso can be toxic. Dungeons are a dps check and don't require so much teamwork. Most of the game is solo based and the lag in cyrodil pvp is real. But if you find yourself a good guild with good people that makes a world of difference.

Cadbury

joshdm2001_ESO wrote: »

One thing people didn't mention is the differences in gaming community. I played ddo for years. It was awesome because the player base was really good. Player base on ddo is mature, friendly, and good. Dungeons in ddo require teamwork and it has a built in voice system which made things very easy. Player base in eso can be toxic. Dungeons are a dps check and don't require so much teamwork. Most of the game is solo based and the lag in cyrodil pvp is real. But if you find yourself a good guild with good people that makes a world of difference.

To be fair, that was because in DDO, grouping was necessary the further along you were. That and the fact they active worked together because of smaller populations meant that reputation was everything. No one wanted to be "that guy" who wiped a run.

Modern dungeon-running in many MMOs has become less personal and more about a speedy finish with minimal distractions.

redspecter23

DDO has amazingly well crafted dungeons. The raids, at least back when they were relevant, were a work of art. Traps and puzzles were devious and meaningful. You won't find that here. The actual dungeons ESO has are basically boss fights separated by waves of trash. The puzzles, for the most part, can be solved by trial and error faster than you can figure them out in game and often faster than you could google up the answer. Traps are an afterthought.

With the negatives out of the way, here are the positives. The lag in ESO is real but you'll find it far less distracting than DDO. If you find lag here, it's mostly just in PvP zones during high traffic times... mostly. It's not even remotely comparable to the apocalyptic lag that plagues DDO on a regular basis. Character customization here isn't on the level that it is in DDO but it's still very solid. While it seems simpler, there are quite a few choices. All weapon styles are viable though some are arguably more powerful than others. There are not crossbows here. There is no Sword of Shadow that will take you years to track down just so you can play a viable 2 handed build. Buffs and especially item buffs are mostly minimal additions. You won't have to craft up 20 displacement clickies. If you craft items here, it's to actually wear. In DDO, you might actually consider wearing a lv 12 necklace at level cap. Not a chance here. At level cap, you wear cap gear if at all possible or you're gimped.

The player base in ESO is maturing and I'd say it's very comparable to DDO, especially in PvE. If you want to do the hardest content or play pvp competitively, I recommend getting into a guild that can help out. It will save you a lot of stress dealing with the dungeon finder here which is a laughable joke compared to the elegance of the DDO grouping tool, which ZoS should take a very close look at for how well it works and what little effort was required to put it together over 10 years ago. They struggle here to come up with anything even remotely close.

BlackEar

I don't know.

Lysette

.

Reevster wrote: »

WalkingLegacy wrote: »

Cadbury wrote: »

Well, DDO is more of a hub-based MMO, sort of like Diablo, Vindictus, Dragon Nest, etc.

By that I mean you gather your party in the cities and queue up for instanced dungeons/areas. Elder Scrolls Online is more of a traditional MMORPG like WoW. Basically completing quests and exploring an overworld.

I personally like it because of the brand name and lore. It may not be the most original MMO out there, but I have little issue with that. I can't gauge how you are as a player, but that's my take on it.

DDO and ESO are two different styles of MMO imo

Wait a minute. ESO isn't a traditional MMO. It's an online RPG.

And next year it will be - sadly ZOS did not follow up on what their enhancements and efforts promissed in 2015. We gave it the "best MMO 2015" in the hope, that they would continue to aggressively take on the challenge to finally get the game to what it could be. But maybe we should not have praised them too early on. In 2016 they released a couple of DLCs, but sadly enough there are still long-standing bugs, which plague the game since the very beginning and put a game, which had that much potential, back to mediocre. We somewhat regret, to have given the "best MMO 2015" to them, it spoiled them.

Something like that - because ZOS is not following up on what this award praised them for.