In development

'''This page aims at listing dev words on future updates of the game (as a kind of a WDA replacement). Feel free to contribute by adding your own finds.'''

Release Schedule

 * Update 13 - Web of Chaos - released in February 2012
 * Menace of the Underdark expansion - to be released 25 June 2012
 * Update 14 - to be released in August 2012

Menace of the Underdark Expansion (June 2012)

 * Maximum levels increased to 25 - available automatically even to players who don't buy the expansion
 * New enhancements - available automatically even to players who don't buy the expansion
 * Epic Destinies
 * A alternate advancement system that players can use to advance their level21+ character. The game will be separated into "heroic" advance (as now, except up to level25) and "epic" destiny advancement, which will require players to run epic content to earn XP to spend on these special enhancements. They will likely be unlocked at level21, but unlike regular "heroic" advancement, you can may progress your epic destinies indefinitely - even after you hit the new level cap of 25. Speculation: You may be limited in how many you can slot, and require addition "epic" experience to replace slotted destinies, similar to games original enhancement system from 2006.
 * Epic Destinies are included with the expansion, and will later be available for purchase seperate on the DDO store in Update 14 for 995 TP.
 * New class - Druid - free to VIP even without buying expansion, purchasable separately from the DDO Store with Update 14 (1495 TP).
 * Druids will be able to take on the wolf and bear forms. They gain access to a number of new abilities while in animal form.
 * Variety of animal companions that you can level up and customize
 * Three Forgotten Realms Adventure Packs - available with expansion, or purchasable separately from the DDO Store with Update 14 (2495 TP). Premium content intended for players level 20 or higher.
 * The King's Forest - Explore deep into the King’s Forest and defend the village of Eveningstar from Lolth’s Drow legions!
 * The Underdark - Venture down into the Underdark and confront Lolth’s elite followers in the Drow city of Sschindlyryn!
 * The Demonweb - Journey to Lolth’s home plane in this Raid quest, battle demon hordes and confront the spider goddess herself as you attempt to stop her scheme!


 * Eveningstar Challenge Pack - Free to VIPs, or purchasable separately from the DDO Store with Update 14 (695 TP); for players in the level 15-25 range.
 * Creature companions - cosmetic pets following you around (available NOW if you pre-order expansion)

Sources:, ,

Enhancements
Source:

Enhancement UI is going to be replaced with a tree-based design that should make character planning and advancement much better and also have the added benefit of making it easier for us to implement new enhancements...

Characters will have 1 racial tree and 3 class trees (PREs). The restriction that you can only have one PrE from one class is going away.



Initially, players will have the second (from the bottom) row of enhancements available to them. As players spend enhancement points within the current tree, additional tiers of enhancements will become available to them. Enhancements will no longer have a “total action points spent” prerequisite, this is replaced by a “total action points spent in this tree” prerequisite, and is defined by the tier the enhancement is on. (5 * [Tier of Enhancement – 1]). Certain number of class levels might also be a prerequisite for the enhancements in the top half.


 * The bottom row contains the granted abilities, unlocked by spending points in a tree and meeting the class level requirement (3/6/9/12/15/18/20).


 * Some enhancements will remain the same, but many will be new. The changed enhancements will also help balance out many classes (think augmentation here, not nerfs). Some enhancements will be going away, and others will be combined into others or modified to some degree.


 * Most enhancements cost 1 Action Point. Rare ones will cost more. Costs do not increase each time you take an enhancement. Most of them will have 5 ranks in my current proposal, with class level requirements on the ranks.


 * It won't come before mid year.
 * Free enhancements reset when this goes live; players will have to respend action points.


 * Players should be able to spend action points anywhere in the world by opening up the Enhancements UI, without needing to seek out a trainer. Enhancements can be reset on a tree-by-tree basis using the “Reset Enhancements” button near the bottom of each pane, which is only available in public areas. This has a platinum cost associated with it based on the number of points currently spent in the tree.

Multiclassed Characters
Multiclassed characters are also limited to 3 class trees (but they can select from a larger list). They must decide whether a couple of enhancements from a class are worth locking that tree in as one of the three selectable ones.

A multiclassed character can change a class enhancement tree with 0 points spent in it to a different class tree that is available to them using the drop down menus. For example, if this character multiclassed into Wizard, it could change the Rogue: Thief-Acrobat tree into Wizard: Archmage, Wizard: Pale Master, or Wizard: Wild Mage. Trees that have points spent in them cannot be changed to other trees. The racial tree cannot be swapped out for a different one.

If you choose to take an enhancement from one class and a similar one in another, they'll stack instead of being prohibited.

After player concerns, the limitation of 3 class trees is being discussed. 

Class Tree
Spending points in a class tree unlocks PrE bonuses. For example, the tempest tree has the following enhancements:
 * Action Boost: Haste, Two Weapon Accuracy, Slashing Blades, and A Thousand Cuts.

Tempest abilities for spending points in the Tempest tree:
 * 5 Points Spent: +2 shield bonus when dual wielding
 * 10 Points Spent: Tempest I, +10% off hand attacks, Scimitars are treated as light weapons and can be finessed.
 * 15 Points Spent: +3 shield bonus when dual wielding
 * 20 Points Spent: Tempest II, +10% off hand attacks, Deflect Arrows while dual wielding
 * 25 Points Spent: +4 shield bonus when dual wielding
 * 30 Points Spent: Tempest III, +5% doublestrike when dual wielding
 * 41 Points Spent: Dervish - Full ability score bonus for damage on off hand

Current Tier 3 is at 30 points (level 18 required). Spending 41 points in a tree grants the tier specific capstone. We've taken a bunch of the Dervish abilities and merged them into the Tempest tree. They were similar enough in nature.

There will be fairly large changes to the prereq system for enhancements. PrE's will be gained by spending points in their associated tree. (Spend X points in the Assassin tree and have 6 levels of Rogue [or Halfling] and you're considered an Assassin I.)

Some of the tree enhancements will have feat prereqs, (i.e. can't get Improved Power Attack without Power Attack...) but we're trying to keep the specific requirements of enhancements as simple to understand as possible.

Some of the abilities that are currently attached directly to PrE's are now in the tree - the Assassin poisons, for instance, will be selectable enhancements in the Assassin tree and will work fairly differently than they do now.

General class-specific enhancements are gone; redistributed into the most appropriate prestige tree, e.g.:


 * The Deepwood Sniper is built up as the "forester / hunter" line for the rangers, and has the Favored Enemy modifiers.
 * Extra Song is in the Virtuoso tree for Bards.
 * Some things are currently slated in multiple trees - we've got Assassin Dex I and II, for instance, alongside Thief-Acrobat Dex I and II in the Rogue trees. They're currently expected to stack.

Racial Tree
Each race will have an enhancement that adds another specific enhancement tree to the character’s available list of trees. Elves and Half-Elves, for instance, gain access to the Arcane Archer tree if they take the racial enhancement to unlock it. Dwarves gain access to Stalwart Defender. The player can choose to unlock the tree and then not use it, if they so desire. Trees unlocked in this way use the character’s total character level instead of class level for prerequisites and effects.
 * Dwarf: Stalwart Defender
 * Warforged: Stalwart Defender
 * Halfling: Assassin
 * Half-Orc: Ravager
 * Elf: Arcane Archer
 * Drow: Tempest
 * Human: Pick one. (Slightly higher investment in Racial tree required to unlock.)
 * Half-Elf: Arcane Archer, Human, Elf (Yes, in our current plan they can unlock racial trees from the other races if desired. They might be able to go Half-Elf tree -> Human tree -> Any PrE through gargantuan AP expenditures.)

Dragonmarks

 * We've been discussing some possible changes to Dragonmarks as well. The Extra Dragonmark enhancement is likely to change into an "Improved Dragonmark" enhancement that grants both additional uses and other perks. We've also been debating turning the Lesser and Greater marks into enhancements that have the Least mark as a prerequisite, freeing up some feats on Dragonmark builds.
 * One of the stretch goals is to have additional acquirable abilities for the Dragonmarks. These may not make it in the initial release. (Improved Dragonmark of Healing -> Jorasco Jadehand)

Divine Avenger
(probably available in June with the enhancements revamp)

Source: Eladrin

Favored Soul Divine Avenger I (Sovereign Host) Prereqs: Level 6 Favored Soul, Favored by the Sovereign Host, Favored Soul Attack Boost II, Favored Soul Charisma I, and any of the following: Power Attack or Two Weapon Fighting. Cost: 4 AP Benefit: Everything the gods need to say to your enemies can be said with your weapon. When wielding a longsword in your right hand you are treated as if you have a fighter’s base attack bonus. You also gain the ability to swear an oath of enmity against a foe, vowing to destroy them in the name of your deity.


 * Oath of Enmity
 * Benefit: You mark an opponent as your chosen foe with a righteous smite. This attack gains twice your Charisma modifier to your attack roll and a damage bonus based on your Favored Soul level. Whether or not the attack hits, for the next five minutes, each time you critically hit your chosen enemy  for a short period of time. (This bonus stacks up to ten times.) Your Oath of Enmity recharges after five minutes, or upon the death of your chosen foe.

Repeat for other deities, replacing "favored by" as appropriate.

Lord of Blades accepts any of the following: Improved Fortification, Power Attack, or Two Handed Fighting.

Silver Flame accepts any of the following: Point Blank Shot, Weapon Focus: Ranged, or Zen Archery, and instead of a melee smite as their Oath, gets a ranged attack, and their Oath mechanic was a little bit different (and wasn't working properly at all).

Update 14

 * Release date: August 2012
 * Much of the MotU content will be available for purchase in the DDO Store
 * Just two months after Menace of the Underdark goes live, we are planning to release our first premium Forgotten Realms adventure pack. It introduces an all new story line and our second Epic level raid in the game.

Source:

Epic Item Tweaking
Genasi is looking at improving Epic Items that seem to be lacking in value for the trouble to get them. 

Green Steel Deconstruction

 * Kate Paiz, Ten Ton Hammer live chat (2009 April) - "It’s certainly something that is important to us, it makes sense, and we understand why players want it. ...we just haven’t quite gotten a clear and decisive answer as to when."

All weapon dice tweaking
Eladrin and his crew are revamping all weapons with non-standard dice, to be more equalized, and less variable when the deadly weapons spell is applied.

Follow up:

Tactical Feats
"Prestige enhancements are planned for fighters and paladins. Before that, however, the melee classes (especially fighters) will be glad to see an array of tactical feats made available to them." - Eladrin, Stratics dev chat