Free D&D Online reactivation

In an effort to get old players back to see what they've missed, Turbine is offering all ex-subscribers of Dungeons & Dragons Online a free weekend's gaming, starting this evening and finishing on Sunday.

Us Europeans will also get an additional bonus in the shape of 10 free days, so that we can enjoy next Thursday's release of module 3.3, which overhauls the enhancement-tree system you use to beef up your character's abilities.

On top of all this, those of you who currently subscribe will be gifted with 50 percent more experience gained and a plus one to loot found, in addition to special live events running throughout the weekend.

All this may just be the start of events trying to coerce players back to DDO, according to Chris Collins, community manager for the game at Codemasters, who told Eurogamer this afternoon that it's a shame players are missing out on what now is a vastly improved experience.

"We're trying to hold as many events as possible," he told us. "We're kind of at the stage now where we feel there's been so much added to DDO that it's a shame people are missing out on it; they've had that image of how it was originally."

"We've added so much since we just want everyone to try it out and experience it for themselves."

Since its release late last year, the biggest notable addition has been module 3, which has made the game 40 percent bigger, added player versus player combat, and introduced fantasy-buckets of solo content - something that was sorely lacking from the original package.

Regular updates have piled on top of this, adding more content for one person to tackle alone, as well as the second part of the Litany of the Dead trilogy, which will be finished in the future.

The game's steadily built a mature and dedicated following since launch, one that's "eye-opening" to Collins in its approach and supportive nature. He believes that with the action-based combat now carried over into PvP - where he's seen players literally throw themselves in the way of oncoming arrows to protect weaker characters - DDO offers something unique and exciting in the MMO market.

You can find out more on the Dungeons & Dragons website, where you can also sign up for a free 10-day trial.