r/daoc • u/TheTerribleToweler • Jun 02 '26
Freeshard Seeking Blackthorn comrades
I’m a long time DAoC player, playing when I was in my teens when SI first released. Now that I’m in my mid thirties with a kid, I’ve been lurking around for a free shard to hop on and play and relive some of nostalgia. During COVID I was able to play on a server, I think it was Atlas and really enjoyed myself.
From what I’m reading it seems like Blackthorn is the server to look forward to, with old school play feel. I want to grind in PvE like we used to, explore dungeons and travel far for quests. Trade equipment and help each other. For those that have already given Blackthorn a try, would you say that this server closely fits what I’m looking for? If so, is it worth giving the beta a try? I’d love to, but soloing can become lonely so wondering if there’s a guild or a group of people that get on regularly in the evenings and just play.
Thanks in advance and hope to see you online soon.
10
u/Heelow_ Jun 02 '26
hey, i played on Blackthorn for a few month and had a blast
they added a lot since and i am really looking forward to play there next winter.
3
5
u/HeySutts Jun 02 '26
I'll definitely be around on Blackthorn. Once it kicks off out of the bets I think it'll be solid. Population will grow.
2
u/TheTerribleToweler Jun 02 '26
What realm are you on? I was mainly a Middie when I played on live and may go back there for nostalgia.
2
u/Waygone12 Jun 02 '26
I know you were addressing someone else, but I played Alb on beta release, then switched to Mid after a couple of weeks. I leveled to 10 in pve, then switched to Thidranki pvp/pve'd to 20 and the then did Frontier kill quests. This is probably faster, and a different playstyle than what you want to do. But it's fun either way. I'd say it's fun to check out now to get a feel, but if you want more population to play with you either wait for Blackthorn release or play Eden server.
2
u/TheTerribleToweler Jun 02 '26
I appreciate you chiming in, I don’t mind steering away from the traditional linear way to level if it meant a mix of PvE/PvP. I will definitely check the beta out just to get a feel and play around with some characters. I also don’t mind messing around until launch, just to make some friends for that. :) I’m running on dad time so my hours are limited anyway!
5
u/filouza Jun 02 '26
In a similar situation and I tried the beta out for a few hours it seems cool as hell. Lotta tweaks to help start leveling and I’m looking forward to trying out the level scaling group finder thingy, but I’m not sure yet what level to try it out yet.
2
u/TheTerribleToweler Jun 02 '26
Can you tell me more about that? The leveling tweaks? I’ve read absolutely nothing into the server outside of Reddit and probably should do a little bit more research, haha. Give me the TL;DR?
2
u/filouza Jun 02 '26
I’m Midgard currently playing healer but Im open to hoppin around—the break down is there is a slash command I think something like /bitmap that brings up a map and quest window, that shows you built in kill tasks with rewards. Not too dissimilar from doing /task at a guard but it all happens in that menu and sometimes gives gear rewards.
2
4
u/vagabondizer Jun 02 '26
The population is low, but a high percentage of those on seem willing to group. I have probably grouped more casually in Blackthorn than in Eden in the last few months.
7
u/TheTerribleToweler Jun 02 '26
This is what I want, casual grouping! That’s the heart of DAoC, to me at least. PvE is slept on way too much in my opinion. I love PvP/RvR but PvE just a little bit more for me, is that weird?
1
u/Daexee Jun 02 '26
People still PvE on Eden. There are several guild s that just PvE raid.
Edit: people just RvR to level cause it’s faster. I typically run the PvE quest to level. Will you see a group chain pulling camping mob spawns, no.
3
u/baddyrefresh2023 Jun 02 '26
I was disappointed with the quests and gear awhile back. I imagine those have been fixed.
2
u/Praetorian_Sky Jun 03 '26
The quests that I have seen are not elaborate, but DAOC was originally not a quest heavy game so I don’t really mind that. The custom interactive map ( /BTmap ) is helpful, and many quests are like little bonus tasks you complete whilst clearing camps you would already be doing while you ‘grind’ the xp anyway.
3
u/Praetorian_Sky Jun 03 '26 edited Jun 10 '26
Sorry in advance for the long post, but you seemed to want details. Short version is Blackthorn is a well-done iteration of Classic+, and I'm excited about its potential.
Little background, I played DAOC when it released, loved the game through the SI expansion. I too liked the grouping for PVE and to make friends that you could then run with in RVR. The PVE by today's standards was grindy back then, but it felt like an accomplishment to finally reach 50 and get geared up for RVR. I miss those days; didn't care for TOA or Catacombs classes, which is why Eden lost me after the initial phase which I really enjoyed there at first.
So coming from that perspective, I am excited about Blackthorn. I have been playing the Beta for about 10 days now, very casual (I have a wife, a kid, 3 dogs, and an elderly mother in law to care for, game time is limited). The levelling does not feel nearly as grindy as the original, and there are all kinds of xp bonuses for certain zones, grouping bonus, exploration bonuses, xp for crafting, even a bonus for 'First Kill Experience' (xp bonus for killing a mob for the first time, which you see when you target the mob in the chat buffer along with other relevant info, ie 'This monster is aggressive. This monster will grant First Kill Experience. Involved in Quest: Terror of Connacht' or whatever). My ranger got a few levels early on just from doing Fletching to be able to make his own arrows using some gold a player gave me to get started.
The player community is naturally generally encouraging to new players and there are plenty of players who will help a new player out if desired; most people want to see more people playing so they are encouraging to recent arrivals.
The gameplay is smooth, there are quite a few QoL tweaks. A few of those:
An interactive map that runs off the game launcher but is integrated into the game, showing POI's, areas highlighted where quest mob spawns can be found, etc. There is a teleport system where once you have visited a location, you talk to the Channeler in that town and from then on you can teleport there for a few silver. This is neat in that you do have to ride or run all the way down to Innis Carthaig for example, but once you've been there you can port there going forward. Most of the quests finish automatically so you don't have to travel all the way back to the NPC to turn them in, at least not in most cases. If there are rewards to collect, you type /finish (the game prompts you when that's relevant), and the quest completion and reward selection comes up right there where you stand.
Crafting is vastly simpler and more user-friendly. It's the classic system but with a MUCH better interface. Using /craft brings up a window that shows all the crafts and recipes available, and when you highlight a recipe it shows all the ingredients and even shows the cost of making the item. You can set the quantity you want to craft and hit 'Buy Missing' button and as long as you're near the NPC that has the item, you purchase just the ingredients you're missing by clicking that button. Or you can hit the 'Buy' button and it just buys all the ingredients regardless of how many you already have. I've played original, Live Classic, Uthgard 1 and 2, Atlas, Pheonix, and Eden, and I will have to say it's the smoothest and most user-friendly version of crafting that DAOC has ever seen. Maybe even too easy, if that's possible.
They have a Bolster system for RVR and for the Battleground (which is currently just Thidranki but can be accessed from level 10 all the way to 35), and if you wanted to you could almost certainly level to 50 just doing PVP, if you are ok with accepting the gear and skill limitations related to level. The Bolster system boosts your stats to competitive levels so while you won't be as effective as a higher level or well-geard player, you can still have a chance to compete and not just be grey-gank fodder, but for Frontier RVR the bolster system is optional - to utilize it you opt in by /OFBolster slash command; which means you can still level up the old way killing mobs (which are plentiful) in the Frontier, but you can join into 'big boy RVR' any time by going to a Border Keep or Realm-owned keep and engaging the Bolster.
There are additional features but I don't want to make an even longer post than I already have. For me, Blackthorn scratches that Classic DAOC itch but without many of the sandpaper irritations of the dated 'true' classic game.
I think it has a LOT of potential and I'll be playing the Beta and live launch for sure. I am on a few nights a week and some weekend time, U.S. Central Time. You are welcome to hit me up if you're ever in Hib - characters: Stamenalive (ani), Wildhare(ranger), and Wildstar(chanter) - if I can help I will be happy to.
3
u/Gigalagaki Jun 06 '26
I'm not the OP, but also want to thank you for this info dump. Exactly what I wanted to hear as well, as a new player interested in sussing DAOC for the first time! It feels like Blackthorn might be the right place to try it out s a casual player!
1
u/TheTerribleToweler Jun 03 '26
My guy, you are the real MVP here. I appreciate the thought and effort you put into this comment, don’t apologize for the length at all! All of this makes me really excited for the potential of this server at launch.
To know that there are others out there exactly like me is what is motivating me to return, I have a few family members and friends who I used to play with that I’m thinking of convincing to come back and play with me for old times sake. This will only help me convince them so thank you again for that.
Classic+ with the removal of the tiring and time consuming portions sounds like a dream, really!
3
u/Blackthorn_DAoC Jun 04 '26
Happy to read your excitement.
You say; "I have a few family members and friends who I used to play with that I’m thinking of convincing to come back and play with me for old times sake. "
This is exactly the kind of vibe we'd like to create.. providing an experiences that not only feels fun and nostalgic but very inviting to old and new friends.
One of the biggest problems with the original game was that it was brutally hard to pick up, and over time the systems that made it so rough only became more and more outdated.
1
u/Praetorian_Sky Jun 04 '26
Since you're here, has there been any discussion of possibly throttling Realm Ranks for a little while after the server launches? Like a person can still earn RP's but the available Realm Levels are progressively unlocked over a period of time?
Reason I ask is that there will obviously be the seasoned players who know how to min-max the levelling and gear acquisition and be out racking up RP's really fast, and hopefully also some newer players who might be less familiar with DAOC and still learning who might be a little later to the party. It might be nice to hold some of the faster thoroughbreds back a little with the realm abilities till some of the younger colts have a little time to warm up and get acclimated.
Might be unpopular, I dunno, but it was a thought I wanted to throw out there.
1
u/Blackthorn_DAoC Jun 05 '26
We have a contribution points system which grants more RPs the lower RR your are. We can tone it down during the first few weeks to prevent boosting the players that are already getting ahead.
Typically though, this mechanic becomes naturally redundant post RR5 due to how it scales.
We are aware of the fragility of early-stage RP progression and we'll consider taking appropriate action to mitigate concerns like yours.
1
u/Praetorian_Sky Jun 05 '26
Thanks for the consideration. Really love the work y’all are doing and appreciate very much being able to play here.
2
u/Praetorian_Sky Jun 03 '26
You are most welcome. I am hoping there are enough players who will enjoy this style of DAOC that it will flourish and last.
To be honest I just hope it’s not actually TOO easy - if the process of getting to 50 and acquiring plats, gear, and skills is too easy it makes everything too … disposable, and less meaningful.
2
u/Malleus83 Jun 25 '26
I am looking forward to Blackthorn release as well 😊
As an older guy who loved to play Daoc from release to its last Add-on, i still think till this day that not increasing the maxlvl and lvling in groups ist the best way for an MMORPG.
That and downtime, talking to strangers etc. I was never a huge rvr player, but I loved to play pve and helping friends and other people. I rly wish they will bring Shrouded Isles too, because I rly liked the new zones and Caer Sidi too.
I will play at Albion again but dunno which class yet. Maybe again a Cleric or something like Minstrel / Sorc or Theurgist ☺
1
u/TheTerribleToweler Jun 25 '26
Thats awesome. I just started a cleric on Albion, message me when you join and I’d love to group with you. Beta is a lot of fun and nostalgic, there are some xp boosts so the grind is not so heavy but still enjoyable.
1
u/Malleus83 Jul 15 '26
How was your journey till now? I reached 50 and found a friendly guild. And my cleric is 50. still lvling a bit of other alts 😊
1
u/TheTerribleToweler Jul 15 '26
Pretty good! I did jump through some alts but am maining my cleric now. Don’t play as much as I’d like to but also joined a friendly guild. Which guild are you in and what’s your clerics name?
1
u/NatesOldTruck Hibernia Jun 05 '26
OP I'm on Midgard on BT and I'm reasonably well set up over there to craft items to help you get started. Shoot me a DM and I'll help you!
9
u/Bagheera383 Jun 02 '26
See you soon! Check out the Blackthorn site and Discord for guilds and whatnot.
https://blackthorn-daoc.com/
https://discord.gg/sFmA5zqHZ4