Challenges

Adventure Compendium lists Challenges under its own tab.

Challenges are special timed quests that can be repeated many times over to gain collectible-like objects. These objects are then used to purchase and upgrade items from Challenge Traders, who can be found in the central courtyard of House Cannith, just north of the House Cannith Crafting Hall. Challenges are also unique in that you are always given a "score" which has no easy-to-hit fixed limit. Leader boards were later added to compete for the highest score in these Challenges.

List of Challenges and named loot[edit]

See the lists of challenges here.

Vaults of the Artificers - introduced with Update 12

This pack contains 4 new dungeons. These 4 dungeons are separated into 12 challenges with different rewards available. 9 of these challenges have a separate "Epic" variation available (see below), for a total of 21 separate variations across 4 dungeons.
All items are obtained using the new Barter UI in House Cannith. A complete list is available here.

Eveningstar Challenge Pack - introduced with Update 14

This pack contains 3 new dungeons. These 3 dungeons are separated into 5 challenges. Update 15 added a 6th Challenge to the pack.

A word of warning, there is a recent change where Cannith challenge items have their minimum level reduced by 1; however if you upgrade any pre-update items they still retain the levels and abilities from before. Updates will respect the old update paths. Old-style items can be reset to the reduced ML items by deconstructing at a Cannith Crafting station.

Challenge Tokens[edit]

Challenge Token

A universal challenge token can be used to access any one challenge one time. Tokens can also be used in any challenge to purchase items from Supply Vaults.

Challenge tokens are not required for VIPs or players who purchase the pack to gain access to the Challenges. They have unrestricted access to any challenge at any time.

As of the latest patch to Update 14, the free daily token is Bind to Character. Tokens in circulation prior to the patch remain unbound and can be traded, auctioned etc.

You can get a single free bound token for each of your characters, once a day by talking to one of the token vendor NPCs:

Kariya ir'Vannis in House Cannith
Rikhard Downriver in Eveningstar

Max stack size: 100

The timer resets each day at 0:00 UTC (7:00 PM EST/8:00 PM EDT).

Alternatively, you can purchase unbound tokens from the DDO Store, or more rarely, from the Auction House.

Other related mechanics[edit]

Scores[edit]

Your score determines how many reward items you will receive once the challenge is successfully completed. Typically, scores are increased by resources gathered, number of enemies killed, and so on, varying from challenge to challenge. Check each individual challenge for an exact list of what affects its score. Star ranking never directly affects your score (though sometimes they are mutual goals).

Player levels and effects on Score[edit]

Your score is increased or decreased if you run the challenge under or over leveled. For each level the challenge is above the highest level member of your party, your score is increased by 10% (up to a maximum of 50% at 5 levels above the highest level member). If the highest level member is one level above the challenge level, you will receive a 15% penalty to your score. At two levels above, a 30% penalty. At three levels above, a 50% penalty. At four levels above, a 70% penalty. At five or more levels above, a 90% penalty. (Thus, if you are level 20 and running a challenge that only goes up to level 15, you get the same penalty going in on level 15 as you do going in on level 4.)

For example: If a group of level 20 characters run a challenge that normally gives 1 point per kill and they run it on challenge level 25, they will receive 1.5 points per kill. Fractional scores are not shown, but do count.

There is also a Power Leveling penalty to your Score. If you run with players 3 levels above you, there is no penalty to your score. But at 4 levels above you and for each level difference beyond, your score will be halved. (At 4 levels above you, you will receive 1/2 of your normal score. At 5 you will receive 1/4, at 6 you will receive 1/8, etc.) This stacks multiplicatively with the over/under level modifier.

For example: If a level 15 character and a level 10 character run a challenge that normally gives 1 point per kill and they run it on challenge level 18, the level 15 character will receive 1.3 points per kill, while the level 10 character will receive 1.3 * 0.25 = 0.325 points per kill.

Another example: If a level 15 character and a level 10 character run a challenge that normally gives 1 point per kill and they run it on challenge level 10, the level 15 character will receive 0.1 points per kill, while the level 10 character will receive 0.1 * 0.25 = 0.025 points per kill.

Star ranking[edit]

You get 1 Favor point for each star, and 1 additional Favor point if you achieve all 5 stars while running the challenge at its maximum available CR, for a total of 6 Favor possible per challenge. (With 21 Cannith and 6 Eveningstar challenges, this is a total possible Favor of 162.)

Stars are awarded only if the main objective of the challenge is completed successfully, and are not awarded progressively. To get all 5 stars, you must complete all 5 objectives during a single instance.

Stars also reward a large amount of bonus XP. See the XP section for more details.

XP[edit]

Challenges reward a certain amount of base experience; this experience scales at a fixed rate per CR level.

EG: Kobold Chaos has a base XP of 150 per CR, thus the CR4 version rewards 600 base XP, and the CR15 version rewards 2,250 base XP.

(Some challenges that span both heroic and epic levels will have a base XP per CR for levels 20 and under and a different base XP per CR for levels 21 and above.)

Bonus XP for stars achieved:

Each star you achieve rewards a large amount of bonus experience the first time you achieve it: +100% for star 1, +150% for star 2, +200% for star 3, +225% for star 4, +250% for star 5, and +300% for the bonus star 6 you can earn by playing at the max CR level.

If you have already received the first time bonus for a star, it will instead grant you a repeat bonus of +25%.

The first time bonus and repeat bonus are not determined by which objectives you complete in a run, but rather by how many. This means that you can complete the main objective and one other objective in a run and be awarded the first time bonus for both stars. In another run if you complete the main objective and a completely new objective, you will receive the repeat bonus for both stars (even though it is your first time completing the new objective).

Another example for clarity:

Objectives 1, 4, and 5 are achieved in a single run. You will receive the base XP, +100% for star 1, +150% for star 2, and +200% for star 3.
Objectives 1, 2, and 3 are achieved in the following run. You will receive the base XP, +25% for star 1, +25% for star 2, and +25% star 3.
Objectives 1, 2, 4, and 5 are achieved in the following run. You will receive the base XP, +25% for star 1, +25% for star 2, +25% for star 3, and +225% for star 4.
Objectives 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are achieved in the following run. You will receive the base XP, +25% for star 1, +25% for star 2, +25% for star 3, +25% for star 4, +250% for star 5, and +300% for star 6
Objectives 2 and 5 are achieved in the following run. You will receive no XP because you didn't complete the main objective.

Player levels and penalties on XP[edit]

The Power-leveling penalty (Individual) applies to Challenges in the same way that it does for Quests.

Challenges are also affected by an Over-level penalty, one that differs from that of Quests:

If the highest level character in the party is the same level as the challenge, there is no penalty.
If the highest level character in the party is 1 level above the challenge level, there is a -10% penalty for everyone in the party.
At 2 levels above, -15%.
At 3 levels above, -25%.
At 4 levels above, -50%.
At 5 levels above, -75%.
At 6 or more levels above, there is no XP regardless of any bonuses.

Note that unlike the Power-leveling penalty, this penalty does not affect the base XP (and therefore does not effect the XP from Stars, unless you are receiving no XP at all from being 6 or more levels above the challenge level).

Dungeon Scaling[edit]

Individual instances scale the number of enemies at an increasing pace with each player added. Hirelings can also affect this type of scaling, though to a much smaller degree. EG: One additional hireling may mean 1 more monster is generated, while 1 more player can mean 3 more are generated. Large parties of players will encounter more enemies than solo or small parties. This scaling is in addition to the standard Dungeon Scaling present in all challenges (even the epic ones). One of the devs admitted this indeed is excessive scaling, possibly changed in the future.

Quote:

Originally Posted by (former developer) MadFloyd

...the scaling in challenges is absurd because there is both dungeon scaling and generator scaling occuring.

Dungeon scaling: look at party composition and adjust monster HP, damage etc.
Generator scaling: look at party size and spawn less or more monsters accordingly.

This is double scaling, resulting in smaller parties having an easier time. Not good.

Epic challenges[edit]

Level 21-25 version challenges are considered "Epic"; however this is in name only, as they do not actually set the dungeons to Epic Difficulty. For example: You will not encounter monsters with Epic Ward, as greatly increased trap damage, as greatly increased monster damage, or really anything resembling other epic quests. The main differences are the main objective sometimes has an increased requirement to win, and the enemies have significantly more hit points and deathblock.

As of U18, you can no longer enter Epic level challenges with a Heroic level character.DDO Vault

Temporary buffs[edit]

Some challenges drop orbs that provides you with temporary buffs. On Kobold Island, some crates fall off periodically with those buffs. On Dr. Rushmore's Mansion you can find it randomly by breaking stuff (or buy it from the Time Traveller Kobold). On Underdark Arena, the spectators throw out buffs on a timely manner. On every challenge, you can open a Challenge Vault with an Universal Challenge Token for it to open and give you some buffs.

All the buffs lasts for one minute, and can't be dispelled. They are color-coded, so you can identify which buff you will get by touching the orb. However, they are surrounded by a blue aura that makes this identification hard if you play with a far view.

Double Speed: You are quickened, causing you to receive a 50% enhancement bonus to speed, 30% enhancement bonus to melee attack speed, and 50% enhancement bonus to ranged attack speed. (Does not stack with Haste)
Invincibility: You are immune to all damage. Bug: Invincibility makes you immune to all kinds of healing. This might be inconvenient if you get the buff while on low health.
Invisibility: You are invisible. This effect will not be removed when you attack or take damage, but will wear off after 60 seconds.
Hate Magnet: Enemies are drawn to you and wish to fight you above all others. You gain +80 to Intimidate, and every six seconds, enemies within a very large distance from you are automatically Intimidated.
High Jump: You find yourself able to jump much higher and further than usual. You gain a +40 enhancement bonus to Jump, while making you suffers the effects of Light Gravity.
Life Replenish: Heal you in a very fast rate.
Quad Damage: Your doomed enemies quake before your unreal damage! You are currently dealing 400% of your normal damage when you make melee attacks, ranged attacks, and cast spells. (Doesn't work for a warlock's Eldritch Blasts.)

Double Speed (Green)	Invincibility (Yellow)	Invisibility (Gray)
Hate Magnet (Orange)	High Jump (Violet)	Life Replenish (White)
Quad Damage (Red)

Random loot[edit]

Some challenges don't have any chests to loot. Instead, Supply Crates are awarded for each boss kill (What qualifies as a boss varies from challenge to challenge). These go straight into your inventory and can then be double-clicked (either inside or outside the quest; it's generally better to wait until after completion) to generate level-appropriate (for the crate, not the player) random-gen loot. The supply crates have a minimum level to open, so it's possible, if you go into above-level quests, to get ones you can't open. You can get a range of crates from the same challenge.

Chests that do appear in challenges are subject to ransack.

Comparison to the Crystal Cove[edit]

Challenges are the next step in the technology the Crystal Cove introduced to the game, which ended up being a very popular special quest with very nice rewards for those willing to spend time during the event.

Challenges are different in many ways from the Crystal Cove:

They all have 5 unique objectives, while Crystal Cove only had one. (This is no longer true.)
They reward favor based on how many of those objectives you complete; Crystal Cove does not reward any favor.
The enemies contained within can reward guild renown. Crystal Cove had no renown. (For 2020 Crystal Cove event, this is no longer true. Enemies can reward Guild Renown).
There are no special server-wide restrictions on unlocking challenges; they may be played at any time like a regular quest. (As of U52 Patch 1 this is no longer the case. If you have a Treasure Compass you can enter the Crystal Cove any time during the event.)
Crystal Cove was free to play; the challenges offer an adventure pack for unlimited access, and are free to VIP. Premium & F2P players who haven't purchased the pack can talk to a special NPC near the Challenge vendors (Kariya ir'Vannis), who will reward players with tokens to gain entrance to a challenge (which changes every day at 00:01 UT, or 7:01 PM Eastern Standard Time).
- The tokens can be both used to unlock challenges without the pack, and within the challenge itself to unlock special bonuses unique to that challenge.
- Players can receive 1 token per day.
Each item requires you to complete a variety of 3+ challenges to get enough ingredients to create it. Crystal Cove is completely self-contained.
Failure results in accumulating nothing towards a buy-in; in Crystal Cove, characters retain all Gems they gather during a failed run, though no shards are rewarded.
Crystal Cove has no loot within the Cove itself (although treasure chests can be found around Smuggler's Rest); Challenges reward every player in a group with Bound to Character, non-bankable Supply Chests, which appear in the inventory for killing red-named monsters and which can be opened at any time.

Similarities to Crystal Cove:

Collect ingredients, and later use those ingredients in a barter UI to create items. The amount of ingredients you get is extremely variable. Crystal Cove had a limit of 300 (this is no longer true), while Challenges seem to have no fixed limits, other than how well the players can do.
No difficulty settings. Various level options are available, but they are all essentially normal difficulty in terms of unique difficulty effects such as dungeon scale is concerned. However, unlike the Cove, most challenges are also offered in separate Epic-Only variations.
XP penalties for being over level are the same. However, Crystal Cove had a fixed limit of +/- 5 levels to be awarded ingredients/XP (this is no longer true), while the challenges have no hard limits.
You can get special bound to character loot you can take outside of the quest and use in other challenges. Crystal Cove has requisition forms which can help you on further runs. Kobold Island drops universal crests, which may help you on further runs of Dr. Rushmore's Mansion.
The Pirate Hat Kobold buffs from the hatbox in the Crystal Cove will also buff the Kobolds in Vaults of the Artificers.

External links[edit]

http://www.ddo.com/en/ddogameinfo/developer-diaries/1727-update-12-dev-roundtable-challenges
Official guide and rules to the challenges:

http://compendium.ddo.com/wiki/Challenges

Official Guides (2013)[edit]

Epics[edit]

Challenges

Contents

List of Challenges and named loot[edit]

Challenge Tokens[edit]