Decisions, Decisions...

Bah!  Once again that nemesis of mine (you know - the most dreaded of all four lettered words) has kept me from posting.  Mind you, even if that wasn't the case, I'd still use it as the scapegoat, but I digress...

I was going to post about the latest Mimic Hunt event, but I'm now saving that for a later post because...

*Drum Roll*

SSG has announced the pre-release of the Ravenloft expansion for DDO:  "The Mists of Ravenloft".

You can find the comparisons of the (3) different editions here and the FAQs about it here.


As you might expect, the DDO fora (sorry, "forums") have exploded, just like the LotRO fora (sorry, "forums") did when Mordor was (pre)released.  Many people griping about the costs, the cosmetics, the "one and done" mist weapon glamering[sic] effect, not having DDO-Points (DPs), etc.

I, however, had other things on my mind.  While the FAQ do answer some questions, they raised others (at least, for me).  So I asked for some clarifications and now I finally have some of them.  A run down is given below:

FAQ Q1:  Survivor's Package: I'm guessing this will work like the other expansions in that the first toon to use it - per server - gets it? It's the "per server" that I'd like to get clarified (as in "yes, per server" or "no, just the first toon per account, regardless of server").

A1:  "No, just the first toon per account, regardless of server."

Which was disappointing, but not altogether completely unexpected.  Kinda sucky, but there it is anyway.

FAQ Q2:  Weapon Aura: Is this a multi-use item that could potentially be added to multiple weapons, or is it a "one-shot" item (one use only)?

A2:  One-time use only.  However, every character does get one.

Again, disappointing, but OK.  But now I wonder if the aura glamer[sic] is BtC...
(Probably...)

FAQ Q3:  Is there a cool-down on the Bottle of mist (teleport to Barovia - I assume yes)? If so, how long is it?

A3:  Um...I assume so?  But unknown what it is or might be, as it's not in game, yet.

So...maybe?  I assume there is, and I assume it will be rather long.  I suspect it will be similar to the Key to Eveningstar (as do others), which if it really is an hour-long cool-down would be less than ideal.  But then, I understand the "whys" of why it might be that long.  Still, 5-minutes should be sufficient.  Guess we'll have to wait and see.

FAQ Q4:  Can we get the specs on the scarecrows (both versions)?

A4:  Yes!  But I don't have them at the moment and will have to get back to you.

Cool.  Now to wait until they are posted...


Actually, all of the answers here are paraphrases to what was provided by Cordovan in my post.  So if you really want to know verbatim what was said, you can go look at my forum post here.


I'm not the only one disappointed by the responses to Qs 1 and 2.  But I suppose since they are giving away Astral Shards (ASs) with the survivor's packages, that's one of the main reasons it's only the first toon.  But since ASs are tracked/accumulated separately on each server, I don't know why it would necessarily be so bad if there was a survivor's package "per server".  If they were DP, which is strictly account based, then yeah - one per server would be excessive.  Still they could have made that one item a "one per account" item and left he remainder as "one per server".

As far as Q2, well, that should go without saying.  Seriously?  Just one application of the glamer[sic]?  So if I apply it on a level 10 weapon - because the heroic version of Ravenloft is L10 - then when I get a better weapon I have to go and buy another one if I want that effect again, or alternatively, just keep using that weapon cosmetic?  Well, I suppose if I like the effect well enough, keeping the same weapon cosmetic is fine, but at the same time, it would have gone a long way to soothing much of the griping had it had at least a few more uses (like, say 10 uses).  On the other hand, gripers tend to gripe no matter what you do, so...

Still, it would have been nice to have at least a limited number of multiple uses - at least 5.

Oh well.

Regardless, Ravenloft is currently expected to launch on Dec. 5.  They do allow for up to one month push back, but I would be willing to bet good money that that won't happen.  I think Mordor was pushed back like a day - a week, at most, so I expect Ravenloft to be released near the projected date of Dec. 5.  Maybe a few days later, but well within the one month they allow for.  It's just they way they do releases - has been for 11 years, so why would anyone expect it to change now?

Love it or hate it, if you want to run it your choices are to get a copy of one of the 'for real money' editions, or wait until it's available in the DDO store (for DP), which is currently slated to be March 2018.  As for me, I will be buying the Ultimate edition.  But the question is:  Which of my toons (and on which server) will be the lucky recipient of the survivor's package?

{I direct you to the title of this post...}