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DDO Leveling Guide 1-20 and Epic Leveling 20-30

Welcome to our DDO leveling guide. Leveling up in Dungeons & Dragons Online will be a vastly different experience depending on a number of factors. If this is your first time playing DDO, you will be going through your first life as it is called and you will need less experience than TR (True Reincarnation) characters.

There are also things such as being a VIP vs having a F2P account. If you are willing to spend some cash you can also get the powerful Tome of Learning or Sovereign Pots which will greatly increase the time it takes to level up.

This DDO leveling guide will go through all aspects of DDO leveling to show you the fastest ways to level up for solo or group leveling, with or without xp buffs.

XP Bonuses

There are quite a few different XP bonuses that you can get in DDO, and they will greatly impact how fast you can level.

Stone of Experience

Using these stones are the fastest method of leveling. You will be instantly granted 2 million XP, + any XP bonuses that you have active. You can only use one of these per life.

The heroic one is used up to level 20, and the Epic version has to be used after level 20.

Stones of Experience are available only through buying (Improved) Epic or Heroic Otto’s Irresistible Box.

Stones of Experience will provide the fastest method of leveling in DDO.
Stones of Experience are available in Otto’s Irresistable Boxes from the DDO Store.

Tome of Learning

Lesser and Greater Tomes of Learning are available in Epic and Heroic versions in the DDO store. These provide you with permanent bonus XP.

The Lesser version will grant a 25% bonus for completing a quest for the first time, and 10% to all other XP. The values for the greater one is 50% for first time and 20% for all other XP.

Tomes of Learning will provide you with permanent bonus XP in DDO.

Sovereign Potions & Experience Elixirs

There is a plethora of different XP potions in DDO with the duration and % bonus ranging from 3 or 6 hours, and 10% to 50% XP bonus. Most of the time these are called Sov Pots because the most powerful potions are the Sovereign Elixirs that grant 50% bonus XP for 6 hours. These are bought in bundles of 5 or 10, so they will potenitally last you for up to 60 hours from one bundle.

XP potions in DDO will boost your experience for a limited time.
The most powerful XP potion is the Sovereign II Experience Elixir.

Bonus XP Days

Occasionally there will be bonus events in DDO. These will vary from bonus VIP XP to bonus heroic or epic XP, or bonus XP to groups. Pay attention to the DDO news for event announcements.

Bonus XP for Equippable Items

There are a few items in DDO that will give the “Heroic Inspiration” effect that grant 5% bonus to XP. These items do stack with other effects but not with each other so there is no point in equipping more than one.

Heroic Inspiration will give you 5% bonus XP.

VIP Bonus XP

Becoming a VIP player will grant you a few different bonuses, one of them being a 10% XP bonus.

Main & Bonus Quest Objectives

During a quest you can click on the “XP” button to see how much XP you will gain on completion of the main quest and from bonus objectives.

The Experience Report will show you the amount of XP gained from main and bonus objectives.
  • Bravery Bonus – This bonus is granted once per life as a 100% bonus if completed for the first time on Elite or Reaper or 50% for completing on Hard. If you complete it on Elite or Reaper after completing it first on hard you will get the additional 50% upon completion.
  • First Time Completion Bonus – Also granted once per life you will get a 20% bonus for Casual, Normal or Hard, 45% for Elite, and 95% for Reaper.
  • Daily Playthrough Bonus – Completing a quest for the first time during a day will give a 25% bonus for Heroic levels and 40% on Epic quests.
  • Monsters Killed Bonus – 10% (Aggression), 15%(Onslaught), or 25%(Conquest) depending on % of mobs killed during the quest.
  • Monsters Avoided Bonus – 5%(Discreet), 7%(Devious), or 10%(Insidious Cunning) depending on mobs NOT killed during a quest.
  • Breakables Smashed Bonus – 8%(Mischief), 10%(Vandal), or 15%(Ransack) depending on number of breakables smashes during a quest.
  • Disarming Trap Bonus – 10%(Tamper), 20%(Neutralization), or 30% (Ingenious Debilitation) depending on the number of traps disarmed.
  • Find Secret Doors Bonus – 8%(Observance), 10%(Perception), or 15%(Vigilant Sight) depending on the number of secret doors found.
  • Flawless Victory Bonus – 10% bonus for not dying during the quest.

What bonuses to go for will depend on the quest, but going out of your way to get a small bonus is generally not worth it. Like the Ransack bonus for smashing objects is generally not worth it on long quests, but will be worth it on a short quest with only a few objects.

Solo Leveling in DDO

DDO is a pretty solo-friendly game when it comes to leveling, but it all comes down to a variety of factors like if you are on your first life or TR, what XP bonuses you have active and whether you are F2P or VIP.

Normally when trying to level fast in DDO you will want to go for Elite or Reaper difficulty, but if you are new to the game, leveling on Normal is fine. If you are on your first life it will be quick anyway, especially with some XP bonuses active.

If you are struggeling with quests, go and hire a hireling to help you out. A Cleric hireling will do wonders to keep you alive in tough situations.

Hirelings will help you out when leveling in DDO.

F2P Leveling in DDO

Leveling as a “Free to Play” player in DDO is entierly possible but will take a lot longer, especially when TRing.

It is possible to earn some DDO points but earning favor. By playing through the first quest “The Grotto” and the then three quests after that you can earn 50 DDO Points. This takes about 30 minutes and can be done once per server for a total of 400 DDO Points. See the F2P guide on the DDO wiki for more info on this.

Once you’ve got some DDO points you can spend them on Adventure Packs for more quests.

When leveling F2P you will probably be doing most of the available quests several times. See the full list of F2P quests on the Wiki.

First Life Leveling

First life leveling differs from TR leveling in that you are a bit weaker but will need less XP to level up.

On your first life there will be plenty of XP to go around, especially if using Sov pots, Tome of Learning, VIP or other bonuses.

You don’t really have to worry about streaks or what difficulty you are running quests on for the most part. Normal or Hard will do fine, but you can up the difficulty if possible.

You can follow the quests listed in the True Reincarnation Leveling section below on your first life, but just lower the difficulty as you wish.

Since leveling speed in DDO is much determined by the speed you can complete a quest it will go faster once you learn all the different areas and dungeons. A tip for new players is to use the maps that are available for each quest on the DDO Wiki.

DDO Quest maps will help you level faster.
Maps for each Quest is available on the Wiki and will help you complete quests much faster if you are stuck.

True Reincarnation Leveling

True Reincarnation or TR leveling takes more time than leveling your first life, so having as many XP bonuses as possible is recommended here, and will be nearly impossible for F2P players.

Leveling from 1-20 TR will take around 30-40 hours with a lot of XP bonuses.

When TR leveling you will be running quests on R1 or Reaper difficulty. It is important to invest in Reaper Enhancements here to increase the survivability of your character.

When running a quest on R1, a rule of thumb is that you should be two levels ahead of the quest. So a level 3 quest on Reaper should be done at level 5.

If you can’t run a quest on Reaper, do it on Elite and Hard instead.

Some quest can be worth it to run different difficulties. Quests in the list below will be marked with R for Reaper, E for Elite and so on.

The list below is not set in stone but more of a general guideline for a good selection of quests.

Level 1

  • The Collaborator – Wavecrest Tavern from Sigmund Bauerson – EHN
  • Heyton’s Rest – Korthos Village from Kaja Bauerdatter
  • The Storehouse’s Secret – Korthos Village from Linus Weir
  • The Cannith Crystal – Korthos Village from Baldar the Bold

Level 2

  • The Kobolds’ New Ringleader – The Harbor from Guard Jung – REHN
  • Information is Key – The Leaky Dinghy from Shir Clowenks d’Phiarlan – R
  • Haverdasher – The Harbor from Kalimnal d’Kundarak – R
  • Durk’s Got A Secret – The Harbor from Durk the Deranged – R
  • Garrison’s Missing Pack – The Harbor from Garrison Felmar – R
  • Walk the Butchers Path – The Harbor from Mistress Ahura – R
  • Stealthy Reposession – The Harbor from Lesto Half-Price – R
  • Recovering the Lost Tome – The Habror from Dalsamira Courdry – R

Level 3

  • The Kobold’s Den: Clan Gnashtooth – The Harbor from Guard Tember – R
  • The Kobold’s Den: Rescuing Arlos – The Harbor from Guard Tember -R
  • The Cloven-jaw Scourge: Blockade – The Marketplace from Wayfinder Dael – R

Level 4

  • Venn’s Trail: Clan Tunnelworm – The Harbor from Guard Tember – R
  • Venn’s Trail: Venn’s Fate – The Harbor from Guard Tember – R
  • Irestone Inlet – The Harbor from Niles Cage – REHN
  • The Cloven-jaw Scourge: The Caverns of Shaagh – The Marketplace from Wayfinder Dael – R
  • Missing in Action – The Marketplace from Ulcana Braddock – R
  • The Sunken Sewer – The Marketplace from Aurla Courson – R
  • The Depths of Darkness – Hammersmith’s Inn from Giggs Elorreathi – R
  • The Depths of Despair – Hammersmith’s Inn from Neville Stormhammer – R

Level 5

  • Halls of Shan-To-Kor – The Marketplace from Wayfinder Dael – R
  • Tomb of the Burning Heart – The Necropolis from Skorn – R
  • Tomb of the Crimson Heart – The Necropolis from Fram Redbones – R
  • Tomb of the Immortal Heart – The Necropolis from Vikram Nanpoor – R
  • Tomb of the Sanguine Heart – The Necropolis from Raddha Cross – R
  • The Stones Run Red – Three-Barrel Cove from Idas – R
  • Brood of Flame – Three-Barrel Cove from Idas – R
  • The Legend of Two-Toed Tobias – Three-Barrel Cove from Laurent Chastel – R
  • Prove Your Worth – Three-Barrel Cove from Dirty Vingus – R
  • Ghost of a Chance – Three-Barrel Cove from Marteen Worley – R
  • Guard Duty – Three-Barrel Cove from Lars Riflee – R
  • The Mystery of Delera’s Tomb – House Jorasco from Derek Grospic – R
  • The Depths of Discord – Hammersmith’s Inn from Scholes of Vedykar – R
  • The Depths of Doom – Hammersmith’s Inn from Keane d’Deneith – R

Level 6

  • The Troglodytes’ Get – Three-Barrel Cove from Red Tom – R
  • Return to Delera’s Tomb – House Jorasco from Hargo Kimmare – R

Level 7

  • The Missing Party – Delera’s Graveyard from Colam Mersein – R
  • Free Delera – Delera’s Graveyard from Colam Mersein – R
  • Old Grey Garl – Three-Barrel Cove from Red Tom – R
  • The Scoundrel’s Run – Three-Barrel Cove from Rosie the Jinx
  • The Tide Turns – House Deneith from Greigur d’Deneith – R
  • The Black Loch – House Deneith from Tyn d’Deneith – R
  • Storm the Beaches – House Deneith from Galton d’Deneith – R
  • Bargain of Blood – House Deneith from Lille d’Deneith – R

Level 8

  • Spies in the House – House Deneith from Brysen d’Deneith – REHN
  • Thrall of the Necromancer – Delera’s Graveyard from Hargo Kimmare – R
  • Tharashk Arena (VoN 1) – House Kundarak from Dirge of Karrnath – R
  • The Prisoner (VoN 2) – House Kundarak from Shen Kulle – R

Level 9

For the quests 4 prequests for The Shadow Crypt it is recommended that you have an SC opener which is a character that has done the “Tomb of the” quests and are on the Shadow Crypt quests. They will just stay outside but allow you to zone into the quest.

  • Tomb of the Shadow Guard – The Necropolis from Bragdii Wyvernborne
  • Tomb of the Shadow King – The Necropolis from Samir Sirka
  • Tomb of the Shadow Knight – The Necropolis from Gunther Gloomtender
  • Tomb of the Shadow Lord – The Necropolis from Xaeon Penthrax
  • The Shadow Crypt – The Necropolis from The Herald – REHN
  • The Jungle of Khyber (VoN 3) – House Kundarak from Clipse – REHN
  • Haywire Foundry (VoN 4) – House Kundarak from Arlsie Forr – R

Level 10

  • An Invitation to Dinner – Blood on the Vine Tavern from Ismark Kolyanovich – R
  • Tempest’s Spine – House Jorasco from Chamberlain Cyrese Embree – R
  • Fresh-baked Dreams – The Land of Barovia from Aglaya Karushkin – R
  • Death House – The Land of Barovia from Magdelena the Curious – R
  • Into the Mists – Old Svalich Road from The Mists of Ravenloft – R

Level 11

  • Sealed in Amber – The Land of Barovia from Kasimir Velikov – R
  • A Raven at the Door – The Land of Barovia from Oksana Cantemir – R
  • Oath of Vengeance – The Land of Barovia from Zigmund Kovalev – R
  • Mad Tea Party – The Land of Barovia from Jirko Lukresh
  • An Offering of Blood – Zawabi’s Refuge from Calyx Shattermoon – REHN
  • Maraud the Mines – Sands of Menechtarun from Wilderness walk-up – REH

Level 12

  • The Chamber of Raiyum “Wizard King” – Zawabi’s Refuge from Miroc Thrice-Born – R
  • Against the Demon Queen – Zawabi’s Refuge from Zawabi the Elder Djinni – R
  • Eyes of Stone – Lordsmarch Plaza from Tollis Kalmor – R
  • Frame Work – Lordsmarch Plaza from Gavin Northus – R
  • Diplomatic Impunity – Lordsmarch Plaza from Naleen Lassite
  • Sunrise – The Land of Barovia from Ireena Kolyana – R
  • Ravens’ Bane – The Land of Barovia from Muriel Vinshaw – R
  • Wrath of the Earth – The Land of Barovia from Grilsha Targolova – R
  • The Final Vintage – The Land of Barovia from Davian Martikov – R

Level 13

  • Siegebreaker – Lordsmarch Palace from Delera Omaren IV – R
  • Undermine – Lordsmarch Palace from Varen Lassite – R
  • Blockade Buster – Lordsmarch Palace from Graden Wylkes – R
  • Assault on Summerfield – Lordsmarch Palace from Yorrick Amanatu – R
  • A Cry for Help – Ruins of Gianthold from Pheryl Barlo – R
  • Feast or Famine – Ruins of Gianthold from a walk-up – R
  • Trial by Fire – Ruins of Gianthold from a walk-up – R
  • Foundation of Discord – Ruins of Gianthold from Neemef Bakto – R
  • The Maze of Madness – Ruins of Gianthold from a walk-up – R

Level 14

  • Inferno of the Damned – The Necropolis from Lineya Ibane – R
  • Ghosts of Perdition – The Necropolis from Bittany Devile – REHN
  • Flesh Maker’s Laboratory – The Necropolis from Lowan Nilmani – R
  • Desecrated Temple of Vol – The Necropolis from Holton Kisane – REHN
  • Madstone Crater- Gianthold from Blaze ar’Rhind – R
  • Gianthold Tor – Gianthold from Crag – R
  • The Prison of the Planes – Gianthold from Nimbus Ar’Yorg – R
  • A Cabal for One – Gianthold from Jorgundal ar’Grund – R
  • The Crucible – Ruins of Gianthold from Darsak – R

Level 15

  • Litany of the Dead – The Necropolis from Sir Rohine Stiedra – REHN
  • Missing – The Harbor from Godwick Spurge – R
  • Fear Factory – The Harbor from Felicity Mallow – R
  • Disciples of Shar – Eveningstar from Abella Toth – R
  • Escape Plan – Eveningstar from Barthold Moncrief – R
  • Shadow of a Doubt – Eveningstar from Celia Pendrick – R

Level 16

  • The Coalescence Chamber – The Vale of Twilight from a walk-up – R
  • Rainbow in the Dark – The Vale of Twilight from a walk-up – R
  • Ritual Sacrifice – The Vale of Twilight from a walk-up – R
  • Running with the Devils – The Vale of Twilight from a walk-up – REHN
  • Through a Mirror Darkly – Wheloon Docks from Jacinta Last – R
  • Friends in Low Places – Wheloon Docks from Faline Abbot – R
  • Army of Shadow – Wheloon Docks from Iden Krell – R
  • A Lesson in Deception – Wheloon Docks from Gaspry Bennik – R
  • The Thrill of the Hunt – Wheloon Docks from Hargrove Jalt – R

Level 17

  • The Sane Asylum – The Tower of the Twelve from Horace Neble – REHN

Level 18

  • The End of the Road – Eveningstar from Olyn Araphyr – R
  • Detour – Eveningstar from Tibalt Dormen – R
  • Lost in the Swamp – Eveningstar from Eradin Krall – R
  • Rest Stop – Eveningstar from Freda Gambosi – R
  • A Stay at the Inn – Eveningstar from Kordo Sweetspire – R

Level 19

  • What Goes Up – Eveningstar from Sherrod Starym – R
  • The Tracker’s Trap – Eveningstar from Nevyle Dunwaite – R
  • A Break In the Ice – Eveningstar from Renton Finne – R
  • Lines of Supply – Eveningstar from Rina the Keen-Blade – R
  • Breaking the Ranks – Eveningstar from Orin Arroway – R
  • Murder by Night – Eveningstar from Delethir Mistveil – R
  • The Riddle – Eveningstar from Ingval Muth – R

Epic Leveling

When you get to level 20 in DDO you can choose to progress into the Epic Levels (Level 21-30).

During your epic levels you get a 40% bonus to XP for completing a quest for the first time that day. This should be taken advantage of during your epic levels.

Early in your Epic Levels you might want to consider playing quests on a lower difficulty, especially if you don’t have great gear.

There is a ton of content you can run to level up, but below are some tips for some of the best quests, chain, and wilderness areas.

  • Eveningstar Quest Chains
  • The Red Fens Wilderness Area Slayer – Epic Level 21
  • Sentinels of Stormreach Chain – Epic Level 20
  • The Lord of Dust – The Harbor from Dectaran – Epic Level 21
  • Servants of the Overlord – The Harbor from Felnis – Epic Level 21
  • The Spinner of Shadows – The Harbor from Orrex – Epic Level 21
  • Beyond the Rift – The Harbor from Tavnar Kronnak – Epic Level 21
  • Spies in the House – House Deneith from Brysen d’Deneith – Epic Level 21
  • Impossible Demands – Eveningstar from Helena Falagon – Epic Level 21
  • Don’t Drink the Water – Eveningstar from Unmar Halberg – Epic Level 21
  • The Druid’s Curse – Eveningstar from Tarim Inavule – Epic Level 21
  • An Offering of Blood – Zawabi’s Refuge from Calyx Shattermoon – Epic Level 21
  • The Chamber of Raiyum – Zawabi’s Refuge from Miroc Thrice-Born – Epic Level 22
  • The Jungle of Khyber – House Kundarak from Clipse – Epic Level 22
  • The High Road of Shadows Chain – Epic Level 24
  • Shadow Over Wheloon Chain – Epic Level 26
  • Through a Mirror Darkly – Wheloon Docks from Jacinta Last – Epic Level 26
  • The Storm Horns Chain – Epic Level 27
  • What Goes Up – Eveningstar from Sherrod Starym – Epic Level 27
  • Orchard of the Macabre Wilderness Area Slayer – Epic Level 29
  • The Land of Barovia Wilderness Area Slayer – Epic Level 30

That’s it for our DDO Leveling Guide, grats on hitting level 20 or 30! Our guides are continuously updated and improved so if you have any questions or suggestions about DDO leveling please get in touch through the comments below!

carson

Saturday 25th of July 2020

You mention Epic Red Fens slayers, but there is no epic version of that wilderness.

Zeed

Tuesday 16th of June 2020

Doing these on Reaper when new and only 1st or 2nd life will be an extremely frustrating experience. Death will be continual and overall it will be slower until you have the gear and know the quests literally like the back of your hand.

WTS

Tuesday 2nd of June 2020

I'm also a fan of the Borderlands quests and slayer area. There is a good density of monsters in the slayer area for volume, and a good mix that will help those with monster manuals get basically effort free XP. The low level loot drops there are also great for new players (feather falling) that will make the game more playable and enjoyable. The daily dice are also great for leveling. The more you play, you can get items to sell on the shard exchange to earn enough for free gold rolls. VIP makes the daily dice even better.

Cris

Monday 1st of June 2020

Thoughts: This is a good guide for those people who want to get to endgame as fast as possible, if that's their play style/goal. But it's not very new to the game friendly.

(You might want to change "increase" to "decrease" in "Tome of Learning or Sovereign Pots which will greatly increase the time...")

Terry

Sunday 31st of May 2020

I noticed that none of the Keep of the Borderland quest were used. They are quick even on reaper