No, Dungeon Defenders 2 is Not an Online-Only Game

While you‘ll need an internet connection to access multiplayer features, it is possible to play Dungeon Defenders 2 solo without being online. However, there are some limitations versus playing on servers, which I‘ll explain below.

Playing Solo, Locally, and Online

Dungeon Defenders 2 supports single player offline play in addition to online multiplayer. Here‘s a quick overview:

When playing solo offline, progression like gear and level ups will save locally so you can pick up where you left off in single player next time. However, offline characters don‘t transfer over when going online.

There are also some limitations around things like the daily quests and rewards you can earn when playing offline. But the core maps and story missions are fully playable.

So in summary – internet required for co-op, but optional to just play solo.

A Brief History of Dungeon Defenders

Dungeon Defenders 2 entered Early Access on Steam in 2014 and officially launched on all platforms in 2021. The original Dungeon Defenders was released in 2011 by Trendy Entertainment, starting out as a student project before becoming a full commercial title.

The tower defense meets action RPG genre mashup resonated with players, though initial reviews criticized things like repetitive gameplay and UI issues. Trendy released numerous patches and expansion DLCs in response to player feedback over the first game‘s lifespan.

When Dungeon Defenders 2 entered Early Access, some fans were skeptical due to the $20 price tag on what was essentially still an unfinished sequel. This time around though Trendy went with a free-to-play model to lower the barrier of entry for new players. They continued actively developing the game based on community feedback for the 7+ years until culminating in the full launch out of Early Access on all platforms in 2021.

How DD2 Compares to the Original

In terms of gameplay, the basic loop still revolves around building defenses to protect an objective from waves of enemies, while also taking direct control of a hero to fight monsters. DD2 expands on the original formula with things like:

• 4 playable classes instead of 2
• Overhauled skill trees and gear stats
• New sentry and trap options
• Streamlined UI for managing defenses
• Graphical overhaul to support modern hardware

Overall, DD2 aims to take the solid foundation of the first game and modernize the graphics and underlying systems while keeping the basic gameplay intact that made the original so addicting.

Dungeon Defenders 2 Player Statistics

To quantify DD2‘s current player base:

• Over 600,000 owners on Steam
• Over 12 million player hours logged on Steam since August 2021 launch
• Peak of 21K+ concurrent players in December 2021 (Steam only)
• Average concurrent players in February 2023: ~5,000

So the concurrent player counts show a solid core community still actively playing daily.

Recent and Upcoming Content Updates

The full free-to-play launch in August 2021 was accompanied by the "Shadow Escalation" update, which added things like:

• New Pole Smasher hero class
• Tower mode
• Endless mode
• Nightmare 9 difficulty
• Hundreds of new loot items
• Quality of life fixes

The developers continue releasing patches with things like balance changes approximately once a month.

In their 2022 recap blog post, Chromatic confirmed they are still "hard at work on even bigger updates" for DD2 in 2024. Though no firm details yet, players speculate this may include:

• New maps / story campaign
• Another playable hero class
• Raids / alternative co-op modes
• Limited-time seasonal events
• Quality of life / UI polish

So the future continues to look bright for new content and events keeping veterans engaged, while also helping attract and retain new players.

Beginner Tips from a Fellow Noob

As someone who picked up DD2 myself in 2022, here are some things I wish I knew starting out as a fresh defender:

Find a Playstyle You Like

The four hero classes play quite differently:

• Squire: Well-rounded melee brawler
• Monk: Hit-and-run melee DPS
• Apprentice: Ranged caster / AOE damage dealer
• Huntress: Single-target archer / sniper

I suggest trying all four for 5-10 hours initially until one "clicks" with your preferred playstyle. You can always level up multiple later!

Start Easy and Slowly Crank Up Difficulty

When first learning, use the Casual difficulty while slowly completing the story maps. This lets you organically unlock gear and level up without too much pressure. Around player level 20, you can experiment with Normal difficulty – and continue stepping up as your hero‘s power grows.

Use Trendy-Approved Builds

The official DD2 wiki has guides on gear sets, recommended stats, and skill builds approved by the devs as optimal for each hero class. I suggest starting there rather than experimenting blindly on your own.

Later on when you have a deeper mastery, you can try crafting your own experimental builds – but sticks to the meta when starting out.

Learn Tower Placement Fundamentals

The optimal positioning does vary by map, but here are some general tips:

• Choke points and lanes to slow enemies
• Encourage pathing towards traps
• Don‘t block line of sight (yours or towers!)
• Leave room for hero movement

Experiment on easier modes to learn what works.

Some great community maps also break down the principles:

• Rift Lord For Beginners
• TowerSim v2

With practice, tower placement will become second nature!

Dungeons from Easiest to Hardest Solo

When you‘re ready to take on DD2‘s dungeon challenges alone, here is how they rank from most to least feasible as a solo experience currently:

As the recommended gear score suggests, Duality is definitely balanced around well-geared teams rather than solo players. But the others become reasonable to complete alone once you have several pieces of Mythical-quality gear.

Prioritize finding gear with healing stats and resistances to smoothen the solo experience.

Wrapping Up

Hopefully this guide cleared up the most common question of whether Dungeon Defenders 2 requires being online (only for co-op). And provided a roadmap to getting started for new players plus incremental challenges as you build mastery.

Let me know if you have any other DD2 questions! I‘m passionate about helping this community grow and supporting new defenders exploring solo or cooperative play.

Happy dungeoneering!