Update 55 Release Notes

Here are the release notes for Update 55: Isle of Dread, released on Wednesday, June 22nd, 2022.

Of Special Note:

The Isle of Dread has arrived!

A mysterious island reappears off the coast of Stormreach and Foxpaw has been kidnapped by pirates to be dragged away to the island. To make matters worse, the Cult of Vecna has been sighted in the region. It can't be a coincidence. Prehistoric dangers await any that step onto the island's shores...if they can survive the passage.

Explore the island's mysterious ruins, encounter fearsome foes, gather new powerful items, play as the new Tabaxi race, and uncover what the Cult of Vecna is planning. The Isle of Dread is available to purchase now! Players that purchase the expansion now will receive immediate access to ingame items, cosmetics, and the all-new Tabaxi race! Learn more on DDO.com. Get started with Isle of Dread by speaking to Zalnathe the Dread Bundle Item Vendor to get any items with your purchase, and speak to Wulth Sulfork to travel to the Isle of Dread! Both NPCs are located in The Harbor past the Hut from Beyond on the Stormreach docks.

We have put together a series of guides and articles to get you more information about loot, the level cap, and more!

• Treasure, Power, Pirates, and Dinosaur Bones
• A Look at the next Level Cap
• Isle of Dread: Story so Far
• From Page to Game
• Isle of Dread FAQ

Purchase Isle of Dread in the DDO Market!

Bugfixes

• A large variety of typos in various pieces of content and the user interface have been fixed.
• Fixed an incorrect DC description for Devour the Soul.
• SLAs in Divine Disciple may now heal undead players.
• The Heighten Metamagic feat will no longer lower your spell DCs.
• Greater Color Spray SLAs are now considered to be spell level 5.
• Quench from Bottled Rainstorm now has a 1 second cooldown.
• Removed visual effects from Tidal's on-hit imbue to prevent client lag.
• Several armors have had their Maximum Dexterity Bonus corrected to appropriate values.
• The Banquet Hall amenity no longer removes itself while zoning.
• Otto's Stones of Experience no longer tell you that they add Epic Destiny XP.
• Stat damage in dungeons is now restored more reliably.
• Recipe text for augments in the Remnant Vendor are now correct.
• On-hit fire damage from Champions now respects its internal cooldown.
• Produce Flame may now be cast directionally.
• Fixed a Tabaxi character creation bug where bows were sometimes held backwards.
• Fixed typos in Vampire Ascendant Shroud.
• Favored Soul Grace of Battle and Knowledge of Battle's effect on items now have slightly better effect nomenclature.
• The Horseshoe Crab Shield now has a description.
• The Golden Orb of Death's description now has punctuation.
• Some collectibles are now categorized better.
• Resist Energy: Sonic now gets bonus caster levels from Sorcerer's Air Savant correctly.
• Fixed a string table error with the NPC Hada D'Jorasco.
• Shadowdancer's Shadowstrike (Melee) now has a snappier animation.
• Some old Epic Destiny ability scripting has been removed from Exalted Angel.
• Rune Arms with Reaper bonuses now work 100% of the time.
• Magus' Destiny Mantle no longer drops on zone transitions.
• Flame Strike now does its proper damage, respects its line-of-sight requirements, and no longer gets supercharged when cast by a monster.
• The 10% bonus to Ability Score Modifier to Damage granted by wielding a Bastard Sword or Dwarven Waraxe now applies properly regardless of exactly how you are using those weapons.
• Fixed an issue where bonuses to Ability Score Modifier to Damage while using a Bastard Sword or Dwarven Waraxe would not apply correctly in some circumstances.
• Tabaxi Trailblazer's Attune no longer drops on death.
• Belt of the Ram's ability, Ram's Might, no longer drops on death.
• Eldritch Knight's Subtle Force I now gives its listed Sonic Resistance.
• Divine Crusader's Consecrate now properly damages non-evil creatures.
• Using the shift key to fast fall now works on Monk's Slow Fall.

Gameplay Changes

• The evil spirit that has been resetting so many bear traps after they've been triggered has been exorcised from DDO for now. Most bear traps will now only trigger once.
• You may now trade 100 pack ingredients for a Star Fragment, and 100 Star Fragments and 500 Threads of Fate for a Nebula Fragment.
• Enchantment DCs are now an option in Tier 3 of Magus of the Eclipse.
• Teleport items found within expansion packs have been upgraded! These items are now able to teleport you to all destinations that the other teleport items had access to - this means that if you have one of these items, you'll be able to teleport directly to the locations of all of them. You must own the item associated with the location you are attempting to teleport to. This means that, for example, when using the Sharn Boarding Pass, you'll be able to teleport to the Feywild if you own the Feywild Tuning Fork as a part of your account. However, you do not need to have the Tuning Fork with you to do this - which means that carrying one of these items is now equivalent to carrying all of them, potentially saving you inventory space. You may also drag these individual locations from the menu onto your hotbars, so if you need to reach a specific destination often, you can activate them from there instead of from your inventory. The following items are affected:
  • Isle of Dread Treasure Map
  • Saltmarsh Compass
  • Feywild Tuning Fork
  • Sharn Boarding Pass
  • Bottle of Mist
• The Mysterious Ring in the Sands of Menechtarun adventure pack is now a little cooler!
• Many effects in the game that used to scale with Epic levels now scale with the total of your Epic and Legendary levels (effects that have changed this way specifically say so in their text.)
• Bonuses to Ability Score Modifier to Damage are now described the same way in tooltips for both the Single Weapon Fighting and Two Handed Fighting feats.
• If you now have bonuses to Ability Score Modifier to Damage from Single Weapon Fighting feats and Two Handed Fighting feats (including the new ML31 Specialty feats), only the highest of those two sets applies.
• Hamstring effects are now considered Bleed effects and can be removed with effects that remove bleeds such as Close Wounds and Regeneration.
• The dreaded exploding spiders of Sharn have had their Hit Points reduced to 25% of their original value. They also give a little more time before they explode. Blast them before they blast you.

Epic Destinies

In addition to earning more points for your Epic Destinies, the Epic Destinies will be modified to include their 4th core ability with the release of the level cap increase. These 4th core abilities each have a Minimum Level of 32. Here are the 4th core abilities for the existing 12 Epic Destinies, note that all of these cores grant Melee/Ranged/Spell Power/DCs and other stuff that their trees designate, even if it is not listed.

• Draconic: Draconic Heritage II: -5% Spell Point cost on all spells. Your Draconic Heritage's Eschew Materials is improved: You no longer need special material components for your spells.
• Fatesinger: Hear my Voice Friend: Greatest Shout, Great Shout, Shout, and Echoes of Discord spells now target allies inside their cones and heal them for 20% of the damage potential of the spell.
• Magus of the Eclipse: Nightwind: +7 Spell Penetration. Enemies who take damage inside your Cold or Light Zone have a 5% chance to be frozen for 10 seconds with no saving throw.
• Divine Crusader: Sunder Evil: Using Sunder or Improved Sunder deals 1d6 light damage per character level and applies a Divine Sundering effect. The light damage scales with 200% of the higher of your Melee and Ranged Power. Divine Sundering: -10% AC, -25% fortification, -3 saving throws. Lasts 12 seconds.
• Exalted Angel: Multiselector:
  • Heavenly Wrath: When you use Angelic Charge or Leap of Faith, enemies you fly through take 1d6+3 light damage per caster level and 1d6+3 fire damage per caster level. This damage scales with Spell Power.
  • Heavenly Blessing: When you finish an Angelic Charge or Leap of Faith, you and allies near you take 1d6+2 plus 1 per caster level Positive Healing. This healing scales with Spell Power.
• Unyielding Sentinel: Last Hope: When you drop below 20% health you gain +50 Melee Power and Physical and Magical Resistance Rating for 8 seconds and you apply the heal spell yourself as the divine spell, four times over the duration of the effect. This can only occur once every 5 minutes, or if you have the Guardian Angel feat once every 3 minutes.
• Grandmaster of Flowers: Master of Philosophy: Multiselector:
  • Enlightening Philosophy: +3% Dodge bypass, +10 Magical Resistance Rating cap. Your Stunning Blow and Stunning Fist feats are now considered Light builder attacks.
  • Forbidden Philosophy: +3% Dodge bypass, +10 Magical Resistance Rating cap. Your Stunning Blow and Stunning Fist feats are now considered Dark builder attacks.
  • Aberrant Philosophy: +3% Dodge bypass, +10 Magical Resistance Rating cap. Your Stunning Blow and Stunning Fist feats are now considered Void builder attacks.
• Legendary Dreadnought: Unparalleled Accuracy: When you activate an Action Boost, you gain 5% Dodge Bypass for 20 seconds.
• Shadowdancer: Cut to the Soul: +3% Dodge bypass, +3% Fortification bypass, +3% damage versus the Helpless. When you cast the spell Trap the Soul, it automatically applies 3 stacks of the Darkness debuff even if the enemy survives the spell. Darkness debuff: You are vulnerable to Sneak Attacks. -3 Spell Resistance, -3 PRR and -3 MRR per stack. Lasts 12 seconds, stacks drop 1 at a time. Max 3 stacks.
• Fury of the Wild: Be the Whirlwind: Using any of the feats Trip, Improved Trip, or Whirlwind Attack causes a whirlwind of force to burst from you striking nearby enemies for 1d10 bludgeon damage per character level. Scales with 200% Melee Power. Improved Trip also causes all affected enemies to be tripped unless they succeed at a balance check (DC equal to Improved Trip).
• Primal Avatar: Regrowth: When your spell points drop below 5% of max you immediate restore 500 Spell Points and gain Nature's Resurgence which increases your Spell Critical Multiplier by 5% for the duration of the quest. This can only occur once during the quest.
• Shiradi Champion: Fey Countenance: +2 to Saving Throws vs. spells. Whenever you activate Pin or Beguiling Charm, enemies near you become Fascinated for 12 seconds with no Saving Throw. Their Saving Throws vs. spells are also reduced by 2 for 12 seconds, even if the fascinate ends.

Feats

New Destiny Feats

Here are the new minimum level 31+ Destiny feats now available with Update 55:

Weapon Specialty Feats

These four feats grant bonuses that resemble the Greater version of their Heroic feat line. Each feat requires having the Greater version of one of the other three weapon style combat lines, essentially allowing those who have taken feats in one fighting style to gain the effects of the full 3-feat-chain of a different fighting style.

• Single Weapon Specialty: While Single Weapon Fighting (fighting with a single one-handed weapon, and wielding only an orb, rune arm, or nothing in your offhand) you gain a +30% Combat Style bonus to Attack Speed, +6 Combat Style bonus to Melee Power, and +50% more of your appropriate ability score to your damage. For Bastard Sword and Dwarven Waraxe, this adds to their existing 10% bonus. If you have bonuses to ability score modifier to damage from both Single Weapon Fighting and Two Handed Fighting feats (including this one), and are in a situation where both would apply, only the highest of the two applies. This does not work in Animal Form. This does not count as a Combat Fighting Style feat.

• Two Weapon Specialty: Reduces the penalty for fighting with two weapons. You gain +60% offhand strike chance. This does not work in Animal Form. This does not count as a Combat Fighting Style feat.

• Two Handed Specialty: While Two-Handed Fighting: +120% Strikethrough Chance. You also gain a +6 Combat Style bonus to Melee Power while Two-Handed Fighting. For the purpose of this feat, you are considered to be Two-Handed Fighting while using a Two-Handed Melee Weapon (not including Handwraps). You are also considered to be Two-Handed Fighting while wielding a Bastard Sword or Dwarven Waraxe in your main hand and a Shield, Orb, Rune Arm, or Nothing in your off-hand. You are not considered to be Two-Handed Fighting while in Druid Animal Forms. In addition, While using a Two Handed Weapon, you now apply 75% more of your appropriate ability score modifier to damage (This adds to their existing 50% base bonus). When using a Bastard Sword or Dwarven Waraxe in your main hand and a Shield, Orb, Rune Arm, or Nothing in your off-hand you now apply +50% more of your appropriate ability score to your damage. (This adds to the existing 10% bonus for wielding a Hand-and-a-Half weapon. If you have bonuses to ability score modifier to damage from both Single Weapon Fighting and Two Handed Fighting feats (including this one), and are in a situation where both would apply, only the highest of the two applies). Neither bonus applies in Animal Form. This does not count as a Combat Fighting Style feat.

• Shield Mastery Specialty: While wielding a shield, you gain +10% Doublestrike and a +9 Combat Style bonus to Melee Power. You gain +10 Physical Resistance Rating while using a buckler or small shield. If you are using a large shield, this bonus increases to +15. If you are using a tower shield, this bonus increases to +20. This does not work in Animal Form. This does not count as a Combat Fighting Style feat.

Spell Specialty Feats

These require the Epic Spell Focus feat from a school other than the one you're picking here, essentially allowing you to improve your potency with a secondary school. These are also antirequisites of the base spell focus feats - so you can't double up on a school you already have a spell focus for.

• Spell Specialty: Abjuration: You gain a secondary spell focus: +3 to the DC of your Abjuration spells.
• Spell Specialty: Conjuration: You gain a secondary spell focus: +3 to the DC of your Conjuration spells.
• Spell Specialty: Enchantment: You gain a secondary spell focus: +3 to the DC of your Enchantment spells.
• Spell Specialty: Evocation: You gain a secondary spell focus: +3 to the DC of your Evocation spells.
• Spell Specialty: Illusion: You gain a secondary spell focus: +3 to the DC of your Illusion spells.
• Spell Specialty: Necromancy: You gain a secondary spell focus: +3 to the DC of your Necromancy spells.
• Spell Specialty: Transmutation: You gain a secondary spell focus: +3 to the DC of your Transmutation spells.

Elemental Form Specialty

Your elemental forms grant you mastery over the other three elements as well. Excluding the element of your current form, you gain the following bonuses to air, earth, fire, and water as long as you are in a Sorcerer's Elemental Apotheosis or Druid Elemental Wild Shape form: +3 Caster Levels with those elements, +3 to Max Caster Level with those elements, +20 to Spell Power of those elements, +2% Spell Critical Chance with those elements.

Wild Force

While in Druid Wild Shape, you gain some of the aspects of the form you aren't in. While in wolf or winter wolf form, you gain bear form's +10% exceptional bonus to Armor Class. While in bear or dire bear form, you gain wolf form's +10% movement speed.

Legendary Toughness

(Prerequisite: 21 Constitution) +100 Maximum Hit Points. This can be taken multiple times.

Legendary Aim

While using a Ranged Weapon, +10 to Attack, +5% Dodge Bypass.

Enhanced Elemental Dice

+1 damage die with Arcane Archer's Elemental Arrows, Vile Chemist's Poisoned Coating, Eldritch Knight's Spellsword, and Inquisitive's Law on Your Side.

Items

• New augments, requiring Minimum Level 32 and using Level 32 scaling, debut with Isle of Dread.
• Cannith Crafting has been expanded to allow for the crafting of Level 31 and 32 items using Level 31 and 32 power levels.
• All items that are Minimum Level 29 and below that are currently named "Legendary" have been renamed to "Epic" and given their appropriate purple border. Legendary is now a term specifically reserved for items with a Minimum Level of 30 or higher.
  • Editor's note: Fortunately for our item pages, this did not, in fact, happen.

Quests:

• Creeping Death: Some traps have been updated to affect monsters, number of monsters reduced per group.
• The Dragonblood Prophecy Quests ("Black and Blue" and "Newcomers") have had the number of monsters reduced throughout both dungeons including removing several sets of monsters.

UI Changes

• Items within the Shared Crafting Storage now update their names and descriptions automagically should they be changed in a game update!
• Item bind status is now displayed on one line in item tooltips.
• Multiple improvements have been made to how weapons display their dice:
  • Base damage rating now factors in your ability score modifier, which makes it a much better estimator of a weapon's relative effectiveness.
  • Weapons no longer show dice estimations for their base and critical rolls, instead displaying a simplified view so that it's easier to understand what numbers mean.
• Augments now display prettier! Their slot types now appear in examination and are color-coded appropriately.
• There is now a separate icon for each Tome of Learning you've consumed.
• Hovering over your character's build type on the character sheet will now display that character's total past lives earned.
• The party display UI no longer makes players with temporary Hit Points appear to be at a higher percentage of health than they really are.
• Searching in any search bar no longer also sorts your shared bank and Details+ tab.
• Newly created Glamered shields will now cleanly equip to your cosmetic offhand without reporting that there's an inventory error when trying to double-click them.
• Glamered items will no longer improperly show their weapon dice or their augment slots.
• Glamered items have slightly prettier descriptions.
• The Quest Selector UI now has a search bar! This also works for searching by level. You may also now search for a specific level in the Adventure Compendium.

Known Issues:

Some Isle of Dread ingredients are currently Bound to Account erroneously when they should be unbound.

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Source: Official U55.0.0 release notes on DDO.com