#Blaugust Day 20 -- My Top Memorable Locations in #DDO

Yesterday I was talking memories from DCUO, but today I'm talking memories from DDO! It's a lot of D's and O's, but much much different . . . Dungeons and Dragons Online.  EPIC!  It's been a long time since I put my little halfling feet into the world of Eberron, So long, in fact, that it took me a good while to patch this game up into a playable state, but it was still safely sitting on my computer just waiting for a time when lightning would strike.

Like that! (That's coming from me, not toward me FYI)

DDO used to be my Sunday Night group's game before DCUO . . . about 3 years ago. Unlike DCUO, I actually did write a nice-sized compendium of my adventures there.

Anyway, three years is a long time, friends! In fact, I was playing DDO before I got my job working for KingsIsle, so let's tax my inner cortex, shake off the cobwebs from the DDO portion of my brain, and see what falls out.  Shall we? Onward to the memories!

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- Staging spot for the Kobol excavation missions in Cannith.

Before the world of DDO went delving into the Forgotten Realms, one of my last memories of really playing this game was when I was hitting the Cannith Challenge Missions over and over for experience, loot, and challenge. They were grindy little instances that were short enough you could complete a couple on lunch time, and for a sorcerer who liked to solo things, and stay one step ahead of the rest of the group, they were perfect!

Plus there was a giant ghost dragon you could fight if you were super crazy! (I was super crazy)

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- The bridge leading to Remembrance Plaza from Lordsmarch Bank in the Marketplace.

There's nothing particularly neat about this bridge other than its view.  It wasn't like I spent a lot of time hanging out on this bridge just passing the time or anything -- it's just a place that comes to mind for me when I'm thinking about DDO . . . um, did I happen to mention it has a really cool view? Onward!

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- Risia Ice Games Ramp in the Harbor.

I had to go to my old DDO blog for this picture.  The Ice Games is when the normally sunshine-filled Harbor goes all Frozone on you, and there's this big, terrible ice ramp where you can rent a pair of ice skates and fulfill your Olympic dreams. I must have made that jump hundreds of times. Such dreams.

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- Gianthold. Yeah, our little group spent far far too long in Gianthold for me to ever forget it.

I remember kiting around giants through Firewalls for hours, and our group had THEE WORST time with a particular instance called Gianthold Tor. We were getting our butts toasted by three dragons for what seemed like two months. *Shudders* But what a cool way to get your butt toasted! Dragons, Giants, and purple rock textures for miles!

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- The Crazy beholder instance, AKA The Reign of Madness. Um, so the only picture I have of this currently is one from my old blog where I must have been in a kind of a strange mood and photo shopped Barbara Streisand into all of the pictures. You can read the blog post here. *scratches head*

If you love beholders in D&D, you'll love this instance . . . and I happen to be one of those that think Beholders are pretty freaking amazing. How could I ever forget being transported into the belly of one.

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- The Waterworks . . . Yup, it's the kobold sewer instance way back at the beginning of the game.

From the first time you wander into the instance and hear the dungeon master say, "The strong smell of sewage permeates the air around you," you know it's going to be a good time.  And by good time, I'm talking about traps, kobolds, and miles and miles of dreary sewer.

In fact, the very location I'm standing in is a recreation of the very first screenshot I ever saw of the game.  My buddy Tony had jumped into DDO when it was new and sent me a screenshot to show me what it looked like . . . I'm standing in that same spot. Good times. I'm glad he shared it with me.

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- Smuggler's Rest . . . the Pirate event. This picture actually comes from the Press Release about the Smuggler's Rest unveiling for the fifth anniversary of DDO.

I ran around a lot in this instance in search of a really awful banana-yellow pirate hat that I wore proudly for several month's afterward . . . what was I thinking?

- Bogwater Tavern

You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villiany . . . Actually it seems like one of the nicer pubs! It's open air with plenty of nice NPCs around and even a small amphitheater.  Hmm, maybe it was just the bouncer that made me always think this place was sleezy. For some reason it's always stuck in my mind.

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- The Eveningstar -- Wait, are you sure this isn't LOTRO?

Well, it could be LOTRO! It's made by the same company after all, right? I still have content here that I've never seen, and I think that's why it's in my head today. I wanted to explore this area . . . I really did, but my group of friends was ready to move on, and I wasn't in the mood to stick it out alone. My character is still level 20, and this world made the levels in DDO go up to 25.  Maybe someday I'll get to fully check it out . . . it'd be nice. (Too many games, too little time)

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- The Den of Obscurity.

What I remember about this instance was that it was like running a maze in the dark, and it was the definition of insanity. I pull the picture above from my blog post about it. This instance kind of lives on in my nightmares. I think if I ended up in Hell . . . it'd be running this dungeon over and over for all eternity.

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- The Cerulean Hills -- It's that open area off to the side of town. Remember that spot? I do!

Well I decided to stop in last night and revisit this place that was haunting my memories. Sure enough, it was still the same ol' Cerulean Hills that I remembered. Bugbears and Orcs a plenty jumping out of you from behind bushes and around unseen corners! The giant walls of Stormreach in the background like a big comfortable line of security. It's pretty too! I can see why it stuck in my mind for so long.

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. . . and that's my "first" ten memorable locations of DDO. I wrote them all down before entering the game again, and the same thing happened to me like it did when I explored DCUO the other night . . . a flood of memories and places came back to me. WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF LOLTH AND THE SPIDER WEB BRIDGES?! Why didn't I think of this bridge, or this rock, or this mailbox? Why didn't I think of the Butcher's Path?  . . . All good questions! It's just what came to mind first. :)

I'm happy I logged into DDO and took another look around. What a great game and what a lot of good memories! 

Happy Dueling

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This post is part of the Blaugust challenge -- Thanks to Belghast from Tales of the Aggronaut for hosting.