A Sound in the Distance

Regardless of which MUD first used a congratulatory aural fanfare as a reward for leveling up, it was EverQuest that made this practice famous. While its loud "ding" sound effect is grating and annoying in any other context, hearing that blaring chime in-game at the end of another filled xp bar is just as rewarding as the attribute points that come with it. Like Pavlov's salvating dogs, we came to long for that piercing ding just as much as the level itself, if not moreso. And why not? The ding, after all, is the sound of progress. More than the "grats" from party members and guildmates, that boisterous sound effect congratulates us on a job well done, and reminds us that we're just a little better off than we were before.

Every MMORPG to follow in EverQuest's footsetps, or at least the ones that matter, has included a ding sound effect. And while the actual sound effects bear little resemblane to EverQuest's famous "ding," more closely resembling exploding fireworks, an angelic harp, or a "boosh" instead, we have come to recognize and understand these sounds as markers of personal progress.

So come and /camp around the warm, welcoming glow of an embedded Flash player and enjoy the very sound of forward momentum. Never again will a levelcap bring with it the disheartening silence of a dingless world. Listen, and enjoy the sound of unending progress.

Solo Quests

In order to avoid returning to this page more often than necessary, feel free to download individual ding sound effects (in MP3 format, of course) for your own perverted needs.

Anarchy Online [Download]
Archlord [Download]
CABAL Online [Download]
City of Heroes [Download]
Dark Age of Camelot [Albion] [Hibernia] [Midgard]
Diablo 2 [Download]
Dungeons & Dragons Online [Download]
Entropia Universe [Download]
EVE Online [Download]
EverQuest [Download]
EverQuest 2 [Download]
Fiesta [Download]
Final Fantasy XI [Download]
Fly For Fun [Download]
Guild Wars [Download]
Hellgate: London [Download]
Lineage [Download]
Lineage 2 [Download]
The Lord of the Rings Online [Download]
Lunia: Record of Lunia War [Download]
MapleStory [Download]
The Matrix Online [Download]
Megami Tensei Online: IMAGINE [Download]
Neocron [Download]
*NEW* Pirates of the Burning Sea [Download]
Phantasy Star Online [Character] [MAG]
Pirates of the Caribbean Online [Download]
Ragnarok Online [Download]
RF Online [Accretia] [Bellato] [Cora]
Secret of the Solstice [Download]
Shadowbane [Download]
Star Wars Galaxies [Download]
Tabula Rasa [Download]
Tales of Pirates [Download]
Titan Quest [Download]
World of Warcraft [Download]

Patch Notes

1.7 – Flying Lab: Best Developer in the World (April 15, 2008)

• Added Pirates of the Burning Sea

1.6 – Outspark Party (March 19, 2008)

• Added Fiesta, Secret of the Solstice

1.5 – A Pirate's (Virtual) Life For Me (March 15, 2008)

• Added Pirates of the Caribbean Online, Tales of Pirates

1.4b – Hotfix: OMG RED PILL PLZ (March 9, 2008)

• Added The Matrix Online

1.4a – Hotfix: The Death of General British (March 6, 2008)

• Added Tabula Rasa

1.4 – Scraping The Barrel (March 6, 2008)

• Added CABAL Online, Entropia Universe

1.3 – Kekekekorea (March 2, 2008)

• Added Fly For Fun, MapleStory

1.2 – Big in Japan (March 1, 2008)

• Added Megami Tensei Online: IMAGINE, Phantasy Star Online

1.1 – The Mike Brust Special (February 29, 2008)

• Added EVE Online, Neocron

1.0a – Hotfix: R.I.P. Iron Lore (February 28, 2008)

• Added Titan Quest

1.0 – The Sound of Progress! (February 27, 2008)

• Added Anarchy Online, Archlord, City of Heroes, Dark Age of Camelot, Dungeons & Dragons Online, EverQuest, EverQuest 2, Final Fantasy XI, Guild Wars, Hellgate: London, Lineage, Lineage 2, The Lord of the Rings Online, Lunia: Record of the Lunia War, Ragnarok Online, RF Online, Shadowbane, Star Wars Galaxies, World of Warcraft