Lesser Reincarnation - DDO wiki (2024)

Lesser Reincarnation[edit]

IMPORTANT WARNING: There are some critical limitations on Lesser Incarnation, especially if you currently have a multiclass build and are using a +# Heart of Wood (+3 HoW, +20 HoW, etc.) to completely replace one or more of those classes with a new class! Read everything, be 100% clear on how it works and what you can/cannot achieve with a single Heart of Wood, and ask questions in the Forums if you are not 100% sure that you are 100% clear!

Description[edit]

Characters that undergo Lesser Reincarnation retain their race, gender, alignment and their Class selections.

• They are permitted to re-spend their ability points, change their feats, reallocate skill points, redo their spell selection, etc. and are free to select a path
  • For classes that have archetypes, they are permitted to choose whether to take the archetype or the standard class when they take their first level in that class
• Any information set during character creation that is not listed above (Warlock pact, Dragonborn colour, first Ranger Favored Enemy, Deity...) is also reset during this process
• Unlike True Reincarnations (HR/RR/IR), characters retain all favor and experience and reincarnate with the same number of build points as the current incarnation
  • If a character using a 28-point build undergoes lesser reincarnation and the account they are on has unlocked 32-point builds, however, the character will reincarnate with 32 build points
• If the character uses a +1, +3 +5, or +20 Lesser Heart they may be able to change their Class Selection at one, three, five, or twenty different levels, with some important restrictions (read below!)
• Characters must re-select their appearance, so if a player wants the character to look the same, they must take careful notes (or screenshots from different angles) to refer to
• A character's cosmetic gear will remain slotted during/after the LR process
• Purchased/applied cosmetic appearance changes, e.g. Hair dyes and styles, will be lost and will need to be repurchased and applied after the LR process is complete.

If a character has enough experience banked to advance in level(s), all must be trained in game before the character can reincarnate. (Spending all Action Points is not necessary.)

Changes during Lesser Reincarnation are made in two distinct phases, parallel to creating a brand new character:

• Firstly, stats and other character attributes must be changed and irrevocably accepted.
• Secondly, the character is reworked level by level, choosing feats, skills, any Class special abilities, etc.
  • If using a +# Lesser Heart of Wood (rather than the basic "+0"), the character is asked if they wish to change class at level 1, then again at level 2+, until the number of levels allowed by the relevant # have been changed. These changes have limitations (read below).
    • A +1 Heart allows the character to swap one level of a class for another one whereas a +20 Heart can allow all twenty to be swapped - if certain conditions are met! (Read next!)...
  • At no point during the reincarnation process can a character have more than 3 classes in total.
    • When calculating your total number of classes, you must always consider all the character's pre-existing levels at once, both current and future, up to that maximum! Remember that all future "potential" classes count against the "3 total" limit, so you must remove all of a previously existing 3rd class (including all "potential" levels) before adding a new class!
    • Only if a current third class is eliminated before the process is finished, from Levels 1-20, then the character can start swapping in levels of a new third class. Otherwise an additional +# Lesser Reincarnation is required, with a new +# Heart of Wood (and an additional cooldown of 3 days).
    • See: (Illustrated guide to +X Lesser Reincarnation involving 3+ classes)
      • Example: A current build is a Level 15 3-class Rogue/Fighter/Barbarian. The Player wishes to swap out Fighter for Artificer, becoming a Rogue/Arti/Barb. Since adding Artificer would add a 4th class to "Rog/Ftr/Brb", all Fighter Levels, up to Level 15, must be removed first before any Artificer classes can be added! (The last Fighter level can be swapped out at the same level as the first Artificer level is swapped in, as that end result does not break the "max 3 classes" rule.)

        This means that if there is more than 1 Level of Fighter, then either 1) those additional levels must be replaced with levels of either Rogue or Barbarian, to remove those early levels of Fighter, OR 2) more than one +# Heart of Wood must be used, and the process achieved in 2 passes, first removing the unwanted Fighter levels, and only then adding Artificer where it is desired.

  • re Alignment-restricted classes* and non-Neutral characters: A character cannot change alignment during the LR process, neither by changing classes nor by using an alignment change token.
    • In order to convert a Chaotic character into a Lawful one, or vice versa, the character must first either:

1) LR +X out your alignment-restricted class to an alignment-neutral one, or 2) use an alignment change from the DDO Store (if that is workable with the current class mix)

then LR +X into the desired new alignment-restricted class

(* Barbarian & Bard = Non-Lawful; Monk & Paladin = Lawful; Warlock varies with Pact choice)

After Lesser Reincarnating, a character must wait 3 days before Lesser Reincarnating again. The character may, however, undergo a True Reincarnation immediately* after Lesser Reincarnating, as True Reincarnations are on separate timer from the timer for Lesser Reincarnation (assuming the character is not currently also on a True Reincarnation timer).

(* NOTE: Although this is allowed, it is not recommended, at least not literally "immediately after"! There have been problems reported with True Incarnation when TR'ing "immediately" after another incarnation. It is strongly recommended that, after performing a LR (or ER), you first log out of the game, wait at least an hour or so, and only then perform your TR, to allow the game time to properly and fully process the first changes.)

Process of Lesser Reincarnation[edit]

Once the Life-Shaper has accepted your request for Reincarnation, that character will have a button on the login screen saying "Reincarnate". You need to log out to use it. If you click on that button, you are required to enter the character's name once again, then the standard process for creating a new character is started, except that depending on the item you have used to reincarnate, you cannot change certain features. Those will either be skipped, or you receive an error message.

Note that when you first log in and are placed into the character creation process, if you wish to swap out the mandatory class assigned at level 1 for an Iconic race, at the "Choose Your Play Style" screen you will want to select the style (Melee, Spell, or Special) which contains the class you desire to change to and not select your Iconic race, which will lead to you being assigned the same default level 1 class. Once you have re-created your character, it will appear as a standard freshly created character in rags on the login screen, but if you log in, you will appear in a special area, floating in space, with only a single NPC for you to talk to. There is no way to leave this place other than by completing the reincarnation process, and as there is no bank and no mail-box, you cannot transfer equipment until you are done reincarnating. All your previous equipment will be undressed and placed into your inventory if there is enough space, otherwise it will be placed into a special reincarnation bag-pack. It is recommended to ensure that you have enough free space beforehand.

The next steps are very similar to the process of creating a new level 4 or level 7 character, except that once you talk to the NPC your previous XP will be restored, so that you are exactly at the same value as before. During the process you can either tell the NPC that you follow your previous path (your previous class), or, if you used a +X Heart of the Wood, that you follow a different path (different class). You can select your class on each level, but you cannot exceed the limit of 3 classes. In addition you make selections for skills, feats and attributes per level as if you were leveling at the appropriate class trainer. Once you are done leveling up, you are given the option to distribute your action points on Enhancements, however this can be done later as well.

Only if you have completed the entire process, you can speak to the NPC again to leave the place. A portal will open that transports you to the Halls of Heroes.

Greater Reincarnation[edit]

Originally a form of Lesser Reincarnation used for and only for Iconic Characters, Greater Reincarnation was removed in Update 20.

Notes: "Other Reincarnation Types: Lesser Reincarnation remains primarily unchanged. The functionality of Greater Reincarnation has been incorporated into Lesser Reincarnation. Lesser Reincarnation is available to both Iconic and Non-Iconic characters. You can Lesser Reincarnate at any level."