The new content to be included in the upcoming launched Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited has been revealed in this latest announcement from Turbine.

DDO Unlimited will bring with it several new features, including a new class, the Favored Soul, which has access to a wide array of healing spells and possesses a strong proficiency in melee weapons, more so than any other caster in the game.

Coming in alongside the new class is a raise of the level cap to 20, a new zone called The Plane of Battle,  the return of the marketplace, and updated visuals as DDO takes advantage of DirectX10.

The full press release is available below:

TURBINE unveils new content coming to dungeons & Dragons Online®: Eberron Unlimited™

Turbine, Inc. today unveiled the new content coming to Dungeons & Dragons Online®: Eberron Unlimited™ (DDO Unlimited). Launching later this summer, DDO Unlimited will introduce an innovative new pricing model that allows players to download and play for free, purchasing adventure packs, items, and account services a la carte from the new DDO Store, or to subscribe to get unlimited access to all of the game’s content. Players interested in getting a sneak peak of the new DDO Unlimited can sign up for a chance to participate in the Beta program at http://www.ddo.com.

The new upgrades to DDO Unlimited include:

Ø New Player Class: Players can now create characters using DDO Unlimited’s newest class, Favored Soul. Favored souls draw on divine magic to both heal and destroy. Like clerics, favored souls have access to powerful healing spells, but they are also more skilled with weapons than any other spell caster. Like sorcerers, they get a larger number of spell points than other spell casters and cannot freely switch spells at taverns or rest shrines.

Ø Raised Level Cap: Players can now advance to 20th-level under the D&D® rules. This includes access to new arcane and divine spells, new character abilities, feats, and skills.

Ø New Adventure Packs:

o The Plane of Battle -- Players can now travel to the Plane of Shavarath and explore a large wilderness area as they try to infiltrate several fortresses and upset the carefully laid plans of the Devils.

o The Crime Syndicate -- Coin Lord Yorrick Amanatu, who controls the Stormreach Guard, wants players to help him eliminate the growing Sharn Syndicate presence in Stormreach.

Ø The Fiercest Combat – This update introduces some exciting enhancements to DDO’s extraordinary combat experience including a new combat feedback and smart targeting system that gives players even more information and control that lets them fully engage in the battle by relying on their wits and reflexes in real time.

Ø Mind-blowing Visuals – Explore DDO’s vivid and dangerous online world featuring some of the most advanced graphics in the industry with the fully deployed DX10 technology that brings the world to life.

Ø The Return of the Marketplace! – Last year, Turbine held a spectacular live in-game event that resulted in the complete destruction of the Stormreach Marketplace. The Coin Lords have completed their beautification project and the once desolated Market has been restored to its days as a center for trade, entertainment, and welcome to all who come to Stormreach!

DDO Unlimited is based on the world-renowned DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® franchise of Wizards of the Coast LLC, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc.® (NYSE: HAS), under license to Infogrames Entertainment S.A.® Published by Atari, Inc.®, DDO has been enthusiastically received by many gaming critics, including The New York Times, PC Gamer, Game Informer and many more. For the latest information, please visit www.ddo.com.

 is F2P yet? 

Are you sure you don't mean DirectX 11?

DDO was coded for DX10 at it's launch 2 years ago...

Originally posted by Postal13

Are you sure you don't mean DirectX 11?

DDO was coded for DX10 at it's launch 2 years ago...

Very very very sure it is DirecX 10. They have not tried/used DX 11 as of three months ago when I quit.

Peace.

I don't grasp why these developers keep touting Directx 10.  I have yet to see a game where the differences are that noticable and most of us refuse to install that piece of garbage Microsoft calls Vista.

Originally posted by Ozmodan

I don't grasp why these developers keep touting Directx 10.  I have yet to see a game where the differences are that noticable and most of us refuse to install that piece of garbage Microsoft calls Vista.

Well.. dev's want to give more eyecandy to his games.  And seems there are some features that Microsoft have locked into DX10.  Like better shaders.    

While Microsoft control this, will refuse to backport these features.

And don't seems OpenGL is any strong in our times. So is all on Microsoft hands to do that. 

But I don't blame dev's.  

Probably some games *do* look and run better on DX10.  But who cares?..  

Originally posted by Teiman

 is F2P yet? 

No :) Not yet ... you know the funny thing is? You troll the forums and their community personnel are either 1)delusional 2)on drugs or 3)desperate. According to them the world has come to a complete stand still and the media is collapsing on DDO going F2P. =/ What's even funnier, you ask? Most of the news the "media" have about DDO is actually pushed by Turbine and then he so-called reporters of the gaming world simply post that w/o giving it a thought.

Peace.

Originally posted by Teiman

Probably some games *do* look and run better on DX10.  But who cares?..  

 You know this is SO true, it should hurt the devs. To me even if DDO were to surprise the gaming world and release DDO with DX 12 (which doesn't exist .. yet) ... it would still be a bleh game. Graphics are meaningless when the end-game content is non-existant and is the opitome of a grindfest. :(

Peace.

graphics:   

grind:  

Originally posted by Postal13

Are you sure you don't mean DirectX 11?

DDO was coded for DX10 at it's launch 2 years ago...

You may be confusing it with LOTRO. DDO is over 3 years old and had DX10 support (beta) added last year.

Personally I couldn't go back to DX9, I like the moving shadows too much.

Originally posted by Dr.Rock

Originally posted by Postal13

Are you sure you don't mean DirectX 11?

DDO was coded for DX10 at it's launch 2 years ago...

You may be confusing it with LOTRO. DDO is over 3 years old and had DX10 support (beta) added last year.

Personally I couldn't go back to DX9, I like the moving shadows too much.

Does dx11 even exist? LotrO, DDO are actually the only MMOs that have dx10 support. (AoC have a test version of it aswell).

Originally posted by vvistovv

graphics:   

grind:  

I actually found the DDO adventures (quests) quite interesting to do (from what I saw from the demo), but not ineresting enough to pay €15 a month for it (I just wouldn't play it that often). The ability to buy specific content at your own leasure, and with no time limit on when you use it, is something I find quite attractive. This way I can play DDO when I want to without paying a monthly fee, but Turbine will still see some money from me when I want to try out stuff that isn't free.

 but Turbine will still see some money from me when I want to try out stuff that isn't free.

Which, as has been said, will be very often. Just to level from 1-7 if you go buy-as-you-go you probably spend more than if you just subscribe "VIP" for one month, level your toon to the mid teens in that time. Then come back whenever you feel like playing again. If their content packages were more reasonable, you'd be right. But as it stands, you pretty much gonna have to fork cash just about to do anything in the game.

Peace.

Originally posted by vvistovv

graphics:   

grind:   

The game's community:  (mad)

The game's producers:  (mad)

Their stupid secrecy games: (awful)

City of Heroes have the best class graphic design.

DDO have the best class system, and the best dungeons. 

Age of Conan have the best graphics, next to AION.

Planetside have the best mix of arcade and MMO.

WoW is probably the most popular mmo because is the best "overal" generic mmo.

EVE is the most complex mmo.

Darkfall is the best FFA fulllot game.

UO is the best  MMORPG of the old generation.  (the current generation still have to re-invent most of the UO features).

For a "MMo gourmet" DDO is a obligatory visit, since is unique and adds something unique to the "MMO table".   Actually... 2 things unique: the dungeon design, and the class designs.

Even after reading the above posts, I gotta say I'm excited by the latest announcement - they're not just risking going F2P (which I do believe will save the game), but also improving it: new class, raising the lvl cap, introducing new combat mechanics, trying to improve the graphics (somehow)... Even if it were still P2P, I'd definitely take a new trial. I'll be playing it as soon as it goes live.

Originally posted by toord

Originally posted by vvistovv

graphics:   

grind:   

The game's community:  (mad)

The game's producers:  (mad)

Their stupid secrecy games: (awful)

 

 

Man, some people will never get it. Would you like to see some other developer stealing the idea before DDO: Eberron Unlimited comes? There will be copies of this game for sure, but this way it makes a major difference - D&D is first again.

It's really not that hard to understand, and I applaud to this decision. If you want, you can play closed beta under NDA, almost everyone gets invited... So a win-win situation. And stop saying nothing changed since Mod 9, just look at release notes, etc.

THE ABOVE is based on press releases, common knowlegde. I'm under NDA and going to shut up now.

content.turbine.com/pages/www.ddo.com/beta_signup/index.php