''Dungeons & Dragons Online'' is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by

Turbine A turbine ( or ) (from the Greek , ''tyrbē'', or Latin ''turbo'', meaning vortex) is a rotary mechanical device that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work. The work produced by a turbine can be used for generating e ...

for

Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

and

OS X macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and lapt ...

. The game was originally marketed as ''Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach''. Upon switching to a hybrid free-to-play model it was renamed ''Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited''. The game was rebranded ''Dungeons & Dragons Online'', with the introduction of Forgotten Realms-related content. Turbine developed ''Dungeons & Dragons Online'' as an online adaptation of '' Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''), originally based loosely on the ''D&D'' 3.5 rule set. The game is set on the unexplored continent of

Xen'drik Eberron is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') role-playing game. The game is set primarily on the continent of Khorvaire following a vast destructive war. Eberron is designed to accommodate traditional ''D&D'' elements an ...

within the Eberron campaign setting, and in the Kingdom of

Cormyr ''Forgotten Realms'' is a campaign setting for the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as ...

within the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.

Gameplay

Quests are narrated by a Dungeon Master, with some voiceover work done by ''Dungeons & Dragon'' co-creators Gary Gygax and

Dave Arneson David Lance Arneson (; October 1, 1947Minnesota Department of Health. ''Minnesota Birth Index, 1935–2002'' atabase on-line Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2004. – April 7, 2009) was an American game designer best known ...

Plot

Development

''Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach'' was developed by Turbine over two years. The initial prototype and concept were created by Jason Booth, Dan Ogles, Cardell Kerr, Ken Troop, and Michael Sheidow, in coordination with Wizards of the Coast, the publisher of ''Dungeons & Dragons''. Gary Gygax provided some narration before his death.

Release

After testing was complete, a special head start event began on February 24 for those who pre-ordered, with the game opening to the public on February 28. As of April 2008, there were less than 100,000 subscribers for the game. In June 2009, ''Dungeons & Dragons Online'' reopened beta testing, in preparation for their new free-to-play subscription structure. The free-to-play business model was introduced with the Eberron Unlimited upgrade in the summer of 2009. After the game went free-to-play, the company said subscriptions increased 40 percent by October 13, 2009.

Engadget ''Engadget'' ( ) is a multilingual technology blog network with daily coverage of gadgets and consumer electronics. ''Engadget'' manages ten blogs four of which are written in English and six have international versions with independent editori ...

noted pros and cons from a player's perspective with the change. A

beta Beta (, ; uppercase , lowercase , or cursive ; grc, βῆτα, bē̂ta or ell, βήτα, víta) is the second letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 2. In Modern Greek, it represents the voiced labiod ...

of the

version was released on December 17, 2012.

Post-release modules

On June 9, 2009, the official ''D&D Online'' website announced that ''Dungeons & Dragons Online'' would convert to a subscriptionless "free to play" game for players in North America, under the new name ''Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited''. The level cap would be increased to level 20 and free users would have access to the majority of game content; some features would have to be purchased with ''Dungeons & Dragons Online'' points or unlocked through play. There would be VIP access with additional features available, as well as free DDO points. Closed beta registration opened on June 9, 2009. The game and contents were free to download on September 1 for VIP members and September 9 for the general North American public. On December 19, 2016, it was announced that Turbine would no longer develop the game, rather a new studio was formed under the name Standing Stone Games, the staff of whom would be ex-Turbine. The publishing of the game would transfer from

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WBIE; also known as Warner Bros. Games or WB Games) is an American video game publisher based in Burbank, California, and part of the newly-formed Global Streaming and Interactive Entertainment unit of ...

Daybreak Game Company Daybreak Game Company LLC is an American video game developer based in San Diego. The company was founded in December 1997 as Sony Online Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment, but was spun off to an independent investor in ...

. While a reason was not given for the transition, it was assured that the game would continue with new development.

Expansions

# Turbine presented its first Menace of the Underdark expansion module at the

PAX East PAX (originally known as Penny Arcade Expo) is a series of gaming culture festivals involving tabletop, arcade, and video gaming. PAX is held annually in Seattle, Boston and Philadelphia in the United States; and Melbourne in Australia. PAX was ...

convention in April 2012, before releasing it in June. The expansion increased the maximum character level and added the druid class. # The Shadowfell Conspiracy was announced in February 2013, and released in August. It increased the maximum character level to 28, added 4 new races (iconic heroes) and new adventure pack located in

. # With the Mists of Ravenloft, released in December 2017, players venture to the lands of

Barovia Ravenloft is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' roleplaying game. It is an alternate time-space existence known as a ''pocket dimension'' or demiplane, called the Demiplane of Dread, which consists of a collection of land pieces c ...

and ultimately fight Strahd von Zarovich. Additional features include the Aasimar race in two flavors,

Vistani The Vistani are a nomadic ethnic group in the ''Dungeons and Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. They are based on depictions of the Romani people, and over time this depiction has been criticized as overly stereotyped and pejorative, and subject ...

knife fighter, or Sentient weapons. # The Masterminds of Sharn, announced during the 2018 Gen Con and released in May 2019, sends players to

Sharn Eberron is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') role-playing game. The game is set primarily on the continent of Khorvaire following a vast destructive war. Eberron is designed to accommodate traditional ''D&D'' elements an ...

, the City of Towers. It introduced two variants of the

Tiefling The tiefling ( ) is a fictional humanoid race in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy roleplaying game. Originally introduced in the ''Planescape'' campaign setting in the second edition of ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' as a player ch ...

race and a new fighting style: dual wielding crossbows. # In the Fables of the Feywild, announced in early 2020 and released in November 2020 players travel into the mystical plane of the Feywild. Apart from new adventures among the fey, the update also introduces two variants of the Shifter race,

unicorn The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead. In European literature and art, the unicorn has for the last thousand years o ...

mounts, and a universal enhancement tree: the Feydark Illusionist. # In the mini-expansion released on August 4, 2021 players uncover

The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh ''The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh'' is a module for the ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' (''AD&D'') roleplaying game, written by Dave J. Browne with Don Turnbull. The module details a mysterious abandoned mansion at the edge of a town called Sa ...

. The update also includes the Horizon Walker enhancement tree, granting new options to bow users. # Prehistoric dangers await on

the Isle of Dread ''The Isle of Dread'' is an adventure for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game. The adventure, module code ''X1'', was originally published in 1981. Written by David "Zeb" Cook and Tom Moldvay, it is among the most widely circulated of al ...

. The expansion released on June 22, 2022 increases the level cap to 32 and introduces two variants of the feline Tabaxi race. # In Vecna Unleashed, planned for Q2/2023, players will help Morgrave University neutralize the threat posed by Vecna.

Reception

IGN ranked ''Dungeons & Dragons Online'' No. 11 on their list of "The Top 11 Dungeons & Dragons Games of All Time" in 2014. The magazine described as the "first MMORPG to prove that free-to-play payment plans were viable alternatives to the then-dominant subscription model." Robert Hold of the NPR gave it a positive review, although he said some of the exposition seemed obvious.

Awards

* Freebie Award: Best Free-to-play-MMORPG (2009) – RPGLand.com RPGs of the Year 2009 * Best Free to Play MMO (2009) – MMORPG.com 2009 Awards * Best Free to Play Game (2009) – Tentonhammer.com Best of 2009 Awards * Best Multiplayer Game – 2006 British Academy Video Games Awards * Most Anticipated Game – 2005 MMORPG.COM Reader's Choice Awards * Best Persistent World Game – IGN.com Best of 2006 Awards * Nominee – Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year – 10th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards * Third Prize, Best Graphics (Les JOL d'Or 2006) * Third Prize – Public's Award (Les JOL d'Or 2006)

Lawsuits

On August 24, 2009, Turbine, Inc. filed lawsuit against Atari claiming a breach of a licensing agreement for ''Dungeons & Dragons''. The suit alleged six counts over six years, including consistent breaches of contract, a lack of promotion and distribution, and attempting to gain additional money from Turbine's licensing of the D&D properties. Furthermore, Turbine claimed that many of the maneuvers by Atari were designed to either undercut the upcoming launch of ''Dungeons & Dragons: Eberron Unlimited'' or help Atari launch its own competing MMO. Atari filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, and also filed a separate complaint to recover money owed to Atari resulting from an independent third party audit of Turbine. The case was settled out of court in 2011. Ontario-based web services company Treehouse Avatar Technologies Inc. filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Turbine, Inc., which claimed ''Dungeons & Dragons Online'' had violated United States Patent No. 8,180,858 (Method And System For Presenting Data Over A Network Based On Network User Choices And Collecting Real-Time Data Related To Said Choices), which was awarded on May 15, 2012 to Treehouse's parent company

WiLAN WiLAN is a technology development and intellectual property licensing company with headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. WiLan licenses patent portfolios that it owns and also partners with owners of patent portfolios. WiLAN Labs conducts on ...

. Turbine settled the lawsuit by licensing WiLAN's technology.

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dungeons and Dragons Online 2006 video games Active massively multiplayer online games Atari games British Academy Games Award for Multiplayer winners Codemasters games Dungeons & Dragons video games Eberron Fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing games Free-to-play video games MacOS games Video games developed in the United States Video games using Havok Windows games