To BB, or Not to BB. That is the Question!

On By citiplaysddoIn Beginner, Commentary, Questing

A Beginner’s Guide to Bravery Bonus

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Let’s imagine for the moment that you’re a new player to DDO. You’ve created your new character, gone through the initial quest-learny-thing, and you kind of, sort of know what you’re doing. Maybe.

You’ve learned some new terms, such as AC (Armor Class), HP (Hit Points, or health), and XP (Experience Points). You’re ready for some new adventures, or maybe you’re run some already.

You may even already have yourself a nice, fun group to run quests with, and have gone through your first few levels with great speed. That’s great! However, you have a question:

You heard some people in chat talking about BB. What is it, and should you care?

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As a “First Life” character, the short answer is: No.

BB, or Bravery Bonus, is extra experience you receive when you run a quest for the first time on higher difficulties. In this instance, Hard or Elite.

Let me explain this as simply as possible so you understand the concept:

Casual gives the least experience, and Normal the standard amount. Hard tends to give more experience than Normal, and Elite more than Hard. Only the last two, Hard and Elite, actually give even more XP, called the Bravery Bonus, but only on the first run. However, they are called higher difficulties for a reason, as they make the quest harder to complete.

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Here are some BB benefits:

  1. XP. More XP, faster levels. Simple as that.
  2. Better loot from chests and breakables.
  3. Better End Rewards.
  4. Streak Satisfaction. Some players really enjoy seeing their streaks go on and on, and that’s fine.
  5. More Groups. It’s easier to find people to play with (Many players will only run Elite quests to keep their streaks alive, or just because it provides more challenge) if you run it at the levels other players prefer.
  6. Challenge. Bravery bonus may be right up your alley, if you’re one of those that enjoys a challenge.
  7. Respect. Other players that only want to play on Elite difficulties will look upon you as a peer, and thus invite you to more of their groups.
  8. Favor. As you do each quest at the highest level, you’ll gain House Favor (and the benefits that come with it) in rapid succession.
  9. Streaks. When you’ve completed five quests with BB, you start what is called the “Streak Bonus”, which is the maximum effectiveness of Bravery Bonus. This means you get even more XP!

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Here are some new player BB drawbacks:

  1. Danger. Monsters have more HP, more powerful spells or weapons, and higher Damage Resistance.
  2. Obtrusive. Not a good way to learn quests, as many get deterred if they cannot complete or incur many deaths.
  3. Dependent on having a group that either knows the quest, or a rounded party.
  4. Dependent on having good gear, whether solo or grouped.
  5. Frustration. It can be difficult to continue to play if you are unable to complete a quest. Personally, I quit DDO for a bit because I found all the quests to be too difficult on Elite.
  6. XP/ Time Loss. Reduced XP (which may nullify the BB) if you need multiple re-entries, as well the time you may consider wasted.
  7. Unnecessary. First Life characters get plenty of XP, which can be boosted in ways that will not make the quest more difficult(such as Guild XP buffs, and Voice of the Master).
  8. Cost. Dependent upon having a pay-to-play subscription, or a member of your group that can open Elite.
  9. Players. There are players that will react adversely if you join a group and don’t know how to run it well.
  10. Target Players. BB is really meant for experienced players that have many lives on their character and don’t get much XP for each quest. This means it is dependent on good builds and knowledge of the quest.

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All that being said, if you have a good group, or are just very good at the game then by all means, YES, GET THE BB!

This post is not intended to deter Bravery bonus, just to inform those players that may not be capable of getting that extra XP that they needn’t be CONCERNED. Play at the highest level you’re able, and get to know the quests.

You will find the quests become easier the more you learn them and all their little intricacies. Just enjoy the game, play as YOU want to play, learn the quests on the lower difficulties if you must, and have fun!

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There you have it: My opinion on BB for new players. Have other thoughts, or if you’ve noticed something I missed, please leave me a comment. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

 

8 thoughts on “To BB, or Not to BB. That is the Question!”

  1. THIS. OH THIS THIS THIS.

    There is ALWAYS more XP to be had. You can get all the way to epic cap just fine without it. It’s not something I pay attention to even on multi-life toons who need more XP to get to each level than first-lifers.

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  3. FYI: you start getting more XP for BB right away – theres a first time on hard/elite bonus, plus the streak starts after the 1st quest and increments up to a higher amount. the highest bonus is achieved after running 5 in a row.

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  4. Amberscion

    I’d add two things:

    1) Your very first point is “XP. More XP, faster levels. Simple as that.” This isn’t completely accurate. While you touched on increased time if you have to re-enter, you neglected to mention that even a successful run at a higher difficulty level can often be slower to complete, and thus offset the higher XP in an XP over time sense, simply because you have to beat down the higher HP of the monsters, and there are also more of them. Plus Champions.

    2) Higher difficulty levels don’t just bring more XP per run. They also bring more Favor, which brings more TP and also more perks from the various NPC factions.

    You conflate BB with hard/elite streaks a little bit, especially in your points 4 & 5 of BB benefits. They are related but not exactly the same. You are more clear about this in your point 9.

    When I first started playing I’d run each dungeon three times in a row, on Normal then Hard and then Elite. Because even on a first life as a FTP player you can open on a higher difficulty level once you run a dungeon on a lower level. That helped me learn the dungeons while also making more XP and also getting the highest Favor rewards. This was before BB was a thing, but you’ll spoil your BB for the dungeon by running it on Normal for the first run in any event. But as a FTP player that can be your only option if you don’t join a group with a VIP or a player with 2 past lives.

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