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5 Reasons to be Excited About F2P LotRO

Jun 9, 2010 Articles Recommend, Lord of the Rings Online|147views

There are a lot of reasons to be excited about free things.  I love buying one Coolatta and getting a second free, for instance.  But when “free” is applied to MMOs some players tend to scoff and turn their noses up.  Free MMO, as discussed numerous times on this site and across the internet, is almost synonymous with “bad MMO”.  But Turbine, along with companies like Frogster and gPotato, has been giving players reasons to change their tune.  The quality of the free MMO has only been going up in recent years, and is bound to make a sharp spike with ArenaNet’s Guild Wars 2.  And given the success and complete turnaround of DDO since going free to play, it seemed like only a matter of time before another AAA game tried a different sort of revenue model that doesn’t bank too much on subscriptions. 

And so this fall we’ll be getting to traipse about Middle-earth for the low price of nothing.  It’s a controversial subject no doubt, especially since Lord of the Rings Online isn’t exactly a game that needed the saving DDO once desperately required.  LotRO may be one of the best performing MMOs in the western market, and yet Turbine is obviously confident that going F2P will make it even more successful.  But the change is bound to have its share of ups and downs.  In the spirit of remaining positive, here’s our list of five reasons to be excited about a F2P Middle-earth.  Don’t worry naysayers, next week, we’ll have five reasons to be concerned.

#5 Now Everyone is Lifetime

Now one thing that I’ll be sure to say before anyone who hasn’t read the FAQ gets upset: all existing Lifetime members of LotRO will never have to pay the optional “VIP” subscription that comes with the conversion to F2P.  They’ll automatically get VIP status from day one and never have to pay a cent for those VIP privileges.  But the one of the best things about this conversion is that now everyone will have constant access to Middle-earth without the need of a monthly subscription.  I’ve always had an on and off love affair with LotRO. 

I’ve been playing since launch on and off again, but I never seem to last more than three months at a time because of some other game grabbing my attention.  So I was always constantly subscribing and unsubscribing, and wrestling with the torment (hyperbole I know) that I should have bought the lifetime subscription from the start because LotRO is one of those games that is always deserving of visitation even if you never stay all that long.  Now, with the conversion to F2P, that agonizing and self-derision over subscribing and unsubscribing can finally be put to rest.  Whenever I feel like visiting Hobbiton, I’ll be able to without whipping out the credit card.  I can finally stop beating myself up over not buying the Lifetime membership.

#4 Free Might Mean Free Expansions Too

Initially the launch of F2P LotRO will still require players to buy Moria and Mirkwood to experience the game’s first two paid expansions.  But if history is any indicator further content additions may be more along the lines of “free”, as they have been for DDO.  This is pure speculation, and perhaps I missed some statement from Turbine that said otherwise, but I wouldn’t be surprised if future expansions to the game were more on the smaller scale of those being added to DDO.  Of course there’s still the hurdle for those players who never anted up for Moria or Mirkwood, but beyond the mines and the forest it’ll be interesting to see how Turbine’s Middle-earth evolves.

#3 More Free Peoples

One of the biggest complaints for new players to any aging game is that there simply aren’t enough fellow newbies around.  F2P games never seem to suffer this fate as there is always a stream of new folk hopping in and out of the game, and the conversion of LotRO to F2P should do much for the low-population of the game’s beginning zones.  There are downsides to the influx of new people of course, but this article is for looking on the brighter side so we’ll just leave it at that.  MMOs are best played when they’re filled with players, and the F2P model will undoubtedly help LotRO in that regard.

#2 More and More Content Updates

LotRO is already one of the industry’s best examples of “timely updates”.  But under its new F2P model, DDO has really shown developers how to keep their titles in the eyes of players with a constant stream of “mini-updates” coming every couple of months.  LotRO, already familiar with this format, will undoubtedly seek to keep the same mantra as DDO.  The more often your game grows and changes, hopefully based on the players’ wants and needs, the more you’ll convince them to pony up cash for VIP status and Turbine points.  There’s a lot of Middle-earth already represented in LotRO, and I have a feeling that we’ll be seeing even more in much swifter fashion with the conversion to F2P.  At least if DDO’s any example to go by.

#1 It’s LotRO and it’s Free

Kind of a no-brainer sure, but it’s honest.  LotRO is one of the best traditional MMORPGs on the market today.  And it’s going to be free to play.  Imagine what it would be like to see those same words uttered about so many other titles you might have affection for but not the time to commit to a subscription with.  LotRO is one of those titles for me, and the fact that it’s becoming F2P, micro-transactions and VIP status be damned, means I’ll always have Middle-earth just waiting for me whenever I want to pop in.  If only I could convince Blizzard, NCSoft, Mythic, and well just about all of my current hard-drive inhabitants to do the same thing.  Of course, not every game needs to be F2P.  I’m not saying that.  But it’s clear that Turbine understands the need to innovate in an increasingly competitive market.  Gameplay isn’t the only thing that needs to evolve in the MMO industry.  The subscription-only mentality is frankly something I’m glad to see challenged these days, and I couldn’t be happier that the Hobbits are the ones with the eggs to do it. 

Tags: LOTRO

LotRO: A class made just for you

May 1, 2010 Articles Recommend, Lord of the Rings Online|430views

In some MMORPGs, picking a class to suit your taste and playstyle is as uncomplicated as buying your favorite beverage. Do you want something fizzy? Then get a soft drink. Something to make you think you’re way more witty than you actually are? Beer will do. Something to fill your bladder in under 0.2 minutes? Ice tea, baby. So it is in many MMOs, where players find that game’s version of their favorite class and hit the “play” button without thinking. It’s a sad commentary on the tired and bland class design that’s come from the Holy Trinity of game design, but that’s a discussion for another day (or column).

Instead, I want to devote today’s Road to Mordor to sorting out the nine playable classes of LotRO, because they are very often not what you’d expect from MMORPG class stereotypes. I’ve met a lot of players who end up playing — and falling in love with — a class that they would never touch in another game, due to that unique Turbine Twist™ that’s put into each class. So whether you’re rolling your very first character in LotRO or thinking about taking a walk in another class’ shoes, hit the jump for a handy guide to these nine classes.

The Burglar

• What you might expect: A dual-wielding, high-DPS rogue with stealth capability…
• The Turbine Twist™: …who also is a wiz at crowd control and at starting Fellowship Maneuvers at will.
• Signature Ability: Hide in Plain Sight, which lets you drop all aggro, vanish into stealth even in combat, and regain control of the situation. Or, y’know, just avoid dying.
• Fellowship Role: Burglars may be one of the least-played classes in LotRO, but they are always welcome into groups. They do decent damage, are able to lay down a bit of CC to manage multiple mobs easier, and can trigger FMs when the group needs them the most.

The Captain

• What you might expect: A typical paladin, with heavy armor and healing abilities…
• The Turbine Twist™: …who has a pet and absolutely incredible buffs.
• Signature Ability: Last Stand, which makes you undefeatable for a short period of time. Couple that with In Harm’s Way, and suddenly you’re absorbing half of everyone’s damage — without it killing you.
• Fellowship Role: As buffing hybrids, Captains are extremely group-friendly and can fill the role of a DPS, tank or healer depending on one’s build. As with most hybrid classes, Captains give up being the best at anything for a well-rounded balance of abilities.

The Champion

• What you might expect: A heavy weapons, heavy armor DPS warrior…
• The Turbine Twist™: …who is terrific at AOE damage and has the ability to fill in as a tank.
• Signature Ability: Relentless Strike, a whopper of an attack that not only does big damage, but can’t be blocked or parried.
• Fellowship Role: Damage. Damage, damage, damage and more damage. Occasionally, a Champion might step in as an off-tank, but DPS is where his strengths lay.

The Guardian

• What you might expect: A solid, heavily-protected tank…
• The Turbine Twist™: …who uses a lot of reactive abilities and shield strikes.
• Signature Ability: Protection, which gives a nice defensive buff to another member of your party while enabling you to react to attacks against them.
• Fellowship Role: Guardians are almost as typical a tank class as they come, so expect to be up front and center in all of the fights. They also have the ability to start Fellowship Maneuvers, which is a welcome ability for a tank to have.

The Hunter

• What you might expect: A bow-wielding ranged class…
• The Turbine Twist™: …who can melee a bit, lay down traps and has excellent travel abilities.
• Signature Ability: Find the Path, a nice 15% speed boost to both the Hunter and her entire fellowship.
• Fellowship Role: Massive gobs of damage, which is always welcome as long as you don’t grab aggro and quickly die thereafter. Think of Hunters as LotRO’s mage class, weird as that may sound — a glass cannon.

The Lore-master

• What you might expect: A mage…
• The Turbine Twist™: …who isn’t a mage at all, but a conglomeration of a pet class, a debuff class, a crowd control class and a healer/buffer all in one.
• Signature Ability: Share the Power, which transfers power from you to an ally. Need more power yourself? The suck some from enemies with Power of Knowledge.
• Fellowship Role: Lore-masters excel in groups by juggling multiple roles — using their pets, recharging healers’ power, mezzing mobs and throwing down some damage while they’re at it.

The Minstrel

• What you might expect: A healer wrapped in a weak, granny-like shell…
• The Turbine Twist™: …who uses music to heal — and lay enemies to waste.
• Signature Ability: War-speech, which throws you into a lesser healing mode while making your Piercing Cry a truly awesome offensive weapon, as well as unlocks other offensive abilities.
• Fellowship Role: Healing and buffing — what, did you think you’d find a magical PUG where they’d want a healer to do damage instead? Ha!

The Rune-keeper

• What you might expect: A controversial break in Tolkien’s lore…
• The Turbine Twist™: …who can do terrific damage and healing, depending on the situation.
• Signature Ability: Essay of Exultation, a two-in-one package that protects the Fellowship while healing them at the same time.
• Fellowship Role: Like Minstrels, Rune-keepers can fill both DPS and healing roles in groups, but more often than not will be called upon to heal first and foremost.

The Warden

• What you might expect: A tank that relies more on agility than armor for defense…
• The Turbine Twist™: …who uses a flexible combo system to do ranged damage, DPS, tank and heal.
• Signature Ability: Wall of Steel, which interrupts enemy abilities, causes you to attack three times in a row, and boosts your parry rating. Schwing!
• Fellowship Role: Typically, a Warden will tank, although they’re perfectly capable of being an off-tank or a straight DPS fighter if needed.

Tags: captain, classes, hunter, Lord of the Rings Online

Happy 3rd anniversary LotRO!

Apr 24, 2010 Articles Recommend, Lord of the Rings Online|162views

Three years ago, I was leafing through a computer gaming magazine and found myself intrigued at a multi-page spread for a new MMORPG called Lord of the Rings Online. The very thing that pulled at me was that LotRO, as they described, was blissfully low magic in a way that World of Warcraft’s glitzy shinies was not. Instead, here was a world that was a little more realistic in scope, a lot more beautiful, and connected to a killer IP to boot. I was hooked.

As we celebrate LotRO’s third anniversary this week — don’t forget to log on to get your Writ of Virtue — it’s amazing to reflect on just how far this game has come. It may not be the multi-million subscriber hit that some had hoped for, but it’s more than respectable in player numbers, community growth and general respect in the field of MMOs. Two expansions and several content patches later, we’ve walked with the Fellowship of the Ring from Bag End to Weathertop, down the long road to Rivendell, through the dangerous Mines of Moria, and out into the beauty of Lothlórien. We’ve experienced two new classes, housing, fishing, the skirmish system, crafting dungeons, a new player experience overhaul, the Lone-lands revamp, several major holidays, and the successful reestablishment of the Shire’s postal service.
It’s been a terrific three years, and I sincerely hope the next three will be even greater. As a way to celebrate this milestone, I trekked over to the official LotRO forums and put forth a simple question: what is your favorite memory from this MMO? Six pages later, I have a wealth of personal anecdotes to share with you (and a header graphic, courtesy of Jadzi). So sit back with your favorite Inn League-approved beverage, and enjoy a trip down memory lane:

• “My favorite memory has to be riding down the hill and seeing Rivendell for the first time.” (KouklaGirl)
• “I was just beside myself with joy the first time I met with Strider (and then Gandalf) at the Prancing Pony as part of the epic quest line.” (Dori Bolger)
• “The RL feeling of Fear, when entering Carn Dum for the first time.” (StoneGaijin)
• “Running to Rivendell at a very young level. When I finally arrived, I looked down on that valley and knew I found a new home. I stayed there quite a while.” (Doronlas)
• “Frankly Moria was the most amazing time in this game for me — seeing all those iconic locations as they would have been from the books. Simply awesome! Finding Gandalf’s hat, seeing the Balrog’s corpse, etc etc etc.” (Musicman 2000)
• “On a rainy day I walked up a hillside in North Downs and looked out upon the Fields of Fornost for the first time. I was so enthralled I had to sit there for like 5 minutes or more just taking it all in.” (Clovenshield)
• “Finding Tom Bombadil in the Old Forest. I was so disappointed when he was skipped in the LOTR movies.” (LawLessOne)
• “One of my favorites that I discovered on my own was the questline in Dwaling and finding J.R.R. Tolkien’s Hobbit in-game, Ronald Dwale. I still have his pipe as a reward from that quest, and I make sure that each of my characters that are able to do that quest when they are high enough level to do so, complete it and keep the pipe in honor of Tolkien.” (Valamagne)
• “I only need two words for mine: Amarthiel Event. Nothing else in the game has come even close to the level of fun and excitment of that event.” (Phillbvi2)
• “After battling the long dark of Moria for many months finally reaching the other side. It was night in-game and the stars on the water were beautiful. I stopped and took it all in for some time (being thankful to be out of the mine).” (Boat Drinks)
• “My first glimpse of the game as I saved Celandine Brandybuck from the Blackwolds.” (Mines of Moria)

• “The first time I was running around the Shire, I discovered the Party Tree (great excitement) and then Bag End (more excitement), and spent several minutes trying to get the perfect screenshot containing both Bag End and the Tree. Then I just sat on that patio area and stared out across the Shire into the cloudy sky beyond.” (Trilwych)
• “One of my favorite places when I first subbed was Trestlebridge. I love the look and feel of it, as a besieged town, a town at war. The smoke filling the air as I got there at night. It has an eerie feeling at night with the smokey haze and the glow of the fires throughout town.” (Skigorn)
• “Finding the Cat Lady’s house in Bree-Town” (SassyBrat)
• “Early in the epic quests when you see the Nazgul turn Amdir into a wraith. I remember running up those steps and exclaiming to my friend on voice, ‘Holy **** there’s the Nazgul!’” (FlyinS)
• “Hanging out with my friends in the ‘Moors back in late 2007 early 2008; those were really good times full of fun, for the most part. We had massive conga lines, jumping off various locations ‘contests’, 2-3 person keep attempts that were just silly fun; just lots of good, fun memories of what the ‘Moors used to be like.” (Cerridwyn)
• “I went exploring until I found Hobbiton, then ran up the hill to Bag End. I threw open the door and that little hobbit hole just felt like home. I sat on the porch outside that looks out over the shire and imagined Gandalf sitting there next to me smoking his pipe.” (BerensBane)
• “This may sound silly, but the first real jaw-dropping moment for me was when I saw a tree walking toward me.” (AmAvocet)
• “Anybody remember at the end of beta we had a party in Hobbiton, and the devs popped a level 90 dragon on us there at the party tree?” (EricLewis)
• “It is very difficult to select only one memory, but if I had only one, it would be Frodo’s Burden. Having Gandalf send you to ease Frodo’s mind as you walk with him around Rivendel is still one of the best Middle-earth moments for me.” (Bstrothe)
• “The first time my minstrel did a low level death-run to see Weathertop and Rivendell: I was left somewhere between a wibble and a squee, in both cases.” (Umbrael)
• “Getting lost in the Trollshaws and stumbling into Bilbo’s Strone Trolls” (Galahadur)
• “Jumping down the well in the Chamber of the Crossroads and shouting ‘Fool of a Took!’” (Drogo1)
• “Entering the rift, as my first raid ever, and hearing Barz’s voice, and watching him kick one of the Orcs/Goblins over the edge as he asked if anyone else wants a rest.” (Mesraic)
• “After over 6 hours spent wandering Eriador as a chicken, I finally made it up to the gates of Helegrod and finished the Crosser of Roads quest on my first attempt to do the whole thing.” (Westernesse)
• “I would have to say my most favorite thing has been the wonderful community, as a fellow kinmember said to me ‘LOTRO has this advice channel and people ask questions, AND PEOPLE ACTUALLY ANSWER THEM’….lol you have no idea what little thing like that can mean to people…” (MrsAngelD)

Tavern Talk: LotRO Community Discussion and Links

• A Casual Stroll to Mordor is hosting a 3rd anniversary contest!
• LOTRO Chronicles evaluates all of the raids
• Screaming Monkeys is bewildered at LotRO’s mature community
• LOTRO Reporter looks at the true role of the Lore-master’s bear
• LOTRO Weekly fashionably explains the cosmetics system

Tags: anniversary, Lord of the Rings Online, Turbine

LotRO: How to get started with the Skirmish system

Dec 15, 2009 Articles Recommend, Lord of the Rings Online|467views

With Lord of the Ring Online’s Siege of Mirkwood expansion launch came the new Skirmish system. And with it also came a lot of questions. Though Turbine posted a number of Dev Diaries going over the various aspects of the new private instance system and its reward system, the same questions kept popping up in the game. We’ll try to answer as many as we can here.

How do I get started with the Skirmish system? What level do I need to be?

If you are level 30 or above, you will receive mail with an attachment. Putting the attachment in your bags will start a quest that will send you to the nearest Skirmish Camps. The camps are in many places around Middle-earth. A complete list has been compiled on the new Skirmish forums by a generous player. You don’t need to buy the expansion to use the Skirmish system, but your access will be limited until you do.

How do I, uh, Skirmish?

Turbine wants you to run through a few quests that amount to a tutorial before unleashing you into the real deal. When you talk to a Skirmish Captain at a Skirmish Camp, he will first ask you to bring back 10 War Orders found on evil humanoid mobs (orcs, warg riders, etc) in your level range. The drop rate is low at first, but picks up after you get your first. After you get all 10, you need to get 1 Target List from the same kinds of mobs. If you are in your 50s, I recommend running a quick Crafting Instance in Moria.

After you turn in the orders, the Skirmish Captain there will send you into your first Skirmish. Here you will get two new skills: one to summon a Soldier (an NPC that you control in Skirmishes); and one to direct the Soldier on who to attack. The second skill is important because you won’t have any control over how your Soldier reacts in a fight except for this one, and it has a cool down.

After you finish this first Skirmish, you will use the Skirmish Join panel to get into the second Skirmish tutorial. This one has you defending the Prancing Pony from invaders. But before the fun begins, a quest NPC shows you how to transform your Soldier into a specific Role. You are able to buy the Warrior Role, then open up the Soldier’s Trait panel and slot it. This turns your generic companion into the Warrior Role which specializes in melee dps. After protecting the Prancing Pony from waves of bad guys and a few bosses, you are sent back to the Skirmish Captain to turn in your quest and receive another Soldier Role your choice. You will also find you have now earned a pocketful of a new currency called Skirmish Marks.

How do I turn my Soldier into something other than a Warrior?

Find the Skirmish Trainer at any camp and buy the Role you want (healer, ranged dps, tank, etc.) You may also want to purchase some extra abilities (Skills) and passive skills (Training) for them as well as some personal skills for yourself. All of these are purchased with Skirmish Marks. All Roles, skills, etc. have ranks and you can buy higher ranks with your Marks.

How do I slot my new Soldier abilities?

Find the Skirmish Captain at any camp and he will give you the option to slot these new traits for your Soldier. He’s essentially the bard for Soldiers.

Why is there more than one Attribute slot for my Soldier when I can only slot one Role there?

The other slots are for cosmetic upgrades to your soldier. There is a cosmetics vendor in the camp that sells different outfits and hairstyles for your Soldier to separate them from the generic look of everyone else’s Soldier. This costs, of course, Skirmish Marks (and some other specialized marks, see below.) You can change your Soldier’s gender, race, clothing, hair and more this way, but are limited by the number of Attribute slots available.

Ok, I got my new friend traited and I want to do a real Skirmish. Uh, how do I do that?

You can join a Skirmish from anywhere in the game (except in PVmP, instances or in combat.) You don’t have to be in a Skirmish camp. Just open the Skirmish panel (ctrl + j) wherever you are, select the level of monsters, the level of difficulty, the size of the group and one of the Skirmishes listed. A second window will open confirming your choices and from there you can click TRAVEL and you will be zoned into your Skirmish. When you are done with your Skirmish, you will be transported back to where you were when you joined it. There are Skirmishes designed around going on the offensive, defending an area or simply surviving.

How many Soldiers do I get?

One. He is going to start off weak so be sure to spend Skirmish Marks on upgrading his Role, Skill and Training ranks as quick as you can.

Why is there no loot on the corpses?

Turbine wanted the Skirmishes to be fast paced, so only bosses and lieutenants will drop loot.

What are these other Skirmish Marks I’m getting?

These are used to buy special items in the camp. Check all the vendors in any Skirmish camp to see what each one carries and what Marks they want. If you find you don’t have the right Mark, check with the Curiosities vendor in the camp. He offers the ability to exchange specialty Marks (both upgrading and downgrading.) If you are looking for Campaign Marks necessary for many Cosmetic items, they primarily spawn on the optional Encounter bosses that pop up randomly in Skirmishes.

What do I do with these Bounty drops I’m getting in Skirmishes?

This is vendor trash and the descriptive text for the item in-game will soon reflect that.

What if I don’t like my Archer/Protector/Herbalist, etc.?

Buy a new one at the Skirmish Trainer along with some talents and re-trait your Soldier at the Skirmish Captain. The cost is minimal. It may even be worth it to re-trait a few times a night while running different Skirmishes. As a Lore-master, I’ve been running with an Archer in Skirmishes where friendly NPCs will tank for me. But in other Skirmishes where I’m left to do all the tanking, I’ll re-trait my Soldier into a Protector. Try a few different Soldiers and see which one works best for you in each Skirmish.

What are these golden quest rings next to the Skirmish instance list in the Skirmish panel?

Those mean there is a daily quest associated with that Skirmish. Basically, Turbine doesn’t want you to grind the same Skirmish non-stop so they reward you with extra Skirmish Marks and experience the first time you do it that night via the daily quest. Every Skirmish has a daily quest associated with it, so you may want to hit every one before repeating any in a given day for maximum Skirmish Mark farming.

What’s the exclamation mark next to the Skirmish instance list in the Skirmish panel?

It means you haven’t tried that Skirmish yet. Give it a try.

Why do I keep dying in my Skirmish?

First, check your Skirmish settings. Did you accidentally set it to Small Fellowship when you are really soloing it? Also check the level and difficulty settings. After that, think about changing your Soldier to another Role that may work better with your main character. It doesn’t cost much to experiment. If you think you are using the best Soldier Role, consider buying higher ranks of that Role from the Skirmish Trainer along with higher ranks of their Skills and Training.

If you’re still finding it too difficult, you can always lower the level of the Skirmish so you’re a level or two higher than the mobs inside (though you will earn fewer Skirmish Marks).

Why can’t I kill [insert boss] in my Skirmish?

Each end boss has a different mechanic to defeat them. Pay attention to any NPC or boss speech for a clue. Also pay attention to any billboard text that appears and any buff / debuff icons on the boss for clues on strategy.

What are these Lieutenant monsters that are attacking me during skirmishes?

Lieutenants are a special type of sub-bosses that will appear frequently during skirmishes. Which Lieutenant will appear in a certain location (or at a certain time) is randomized. Each named Lieutenant has a unique set of skills or abilities that they will always attempt to use, no matter which skirmish they show up in. By learning what they can do, and what you can do to counter them, fighting them becomes easier over time.

Killing Lieutenants is rewarded with Skirmish Marks, possible loot and incremental Killing Deeds that reward even more Skirmish Marks.

How does the loot on the Skirmish vendors compare to the rest of the game?

The armor and weapons are about equivalent to quest drops for your level more or less. So don’t be expecting too many upgrades if you are raiding or even 6-manning regularly. That being said, there is a lot more than armor and weapons that you can purchase with your Marks:

• Healing, mana and curing potions
• Rare crafting components
• Rare quest drops for class quests (yes, you read that right)
• Legendary weapons
• IXP runes for Legendary weapons
• Scrolls that reset all the Legendary points spent on your Legendary weapon
• Scrolls that upgrade Legacies on your Legendary weapons
• Soldier Attributes to change their gender, race, hair, clothing and more
• Housing items
• New outfits for players

Be sure to check out all the vendors at a Skirmish Camp (any camp, they all carry the same stuff.)

How many people can I Skirmish with?

You can set the Skirmish for solo, small fellowship, large fellowship and 12 man raid versions. Note: some don’t have a solo mode, i.e. Survival - Barrow-downs.

What’s the penalty for dying in a Skirmish?

Thankfully, not Dread, but a temporary debuff that reduces the amount of Skirmish Marks you get for your activities in the Skirmish. If you die, it’s often not the end of the Skirmish. Your Soldier and helpful NPCs will fight on, allowing you to respawn and head back into the fight. However, some Skirmishes, like “Survival - Barrow-downs” ends upon your death as the goal in those particular instances is to stay alive as long as possible. The debuff is removed when you leave the Skirmish or one hour passes, whichever comes first.

What are these “Encounters” that pop up during my Skirmish?

These are extra bosses that have a random chance to spawn during your Skirmish. They will spawn outside of aggro range so you have the option of engaging them or ignoring them. Note that if you do engage them, it does not stop the rest of the Skirmish and the next wave of mobs will be descending on you whether or not you are ready. I recommend fighting them when an incoming wave of mobs DOES NOT have a lieutenant or boss in it. Defeating these optional Encounter bosses results in a deed and is one of the best ways to farm Campaign Marks.

What are these Minor flags that I have looted?

These are temporary, area-based buffs and debuffs. Basically, click on it out of your inventory to either get the buff or debuff the mobs if they are in the circle of affect that appears on the ground. Use these before the end of Skirmish as they will be removed from your inventory when you leave. Good for that extra edge in fighting a boss if you can manuever within the area of effect.

Why won’t the game let me start another Skirmish?

You are limited to starting 5 every hour. Also, if you haven’t purchased the expansion, you are limited even more than that.

Where can I learn more?

Check out the recent Dev Diaries that go into great detail about many aspects of the Skirmish system:

• Part 1: Overview
• Part 2: Story Instances,
  
• Part 3: Randomization and Scaling
  
• Part 4: Skirmish Soldiers
  
• Part 5: Rewards
• Part 6: Accessibility

Also, one of the devs has started a thread on the official forums with helpful hints for navigating the various Skirmish interfaces.

Whew! Did I miss anything? Any burning questions about Skirmishes that I can answer? Let me know in the comments below. A special thanks to the LotRO devs who checked this FAQ for accuracy.

Tags: Lord of the Ring Online, Siege of Mirkwood, Skirmish system

LOTRO developer diary revisits the Lone-lands

Nov 26, 2009 Lord of the Rings Online|370views

The latest developer diary entry is from Lord of the Rings Online Senior Designer Allan “Orion” Maki, and takes us back to a very familiar area: The Lone-lands. While the region seems like a low-level walk in the park to the majority of players these days, Maki had always felt that there was a bit of a “disconnect” and that players were being sent to an area far above their level. The Lone-lands have been given what he describes as a “massive overhaul”, bringing them more in line with low and mid level players abilities.

Players will find changes such as a solo version of Weather Top, a new horse travel mount to make the initial trip to the Forsaken Inn less dangerous, and some new faction and quest systems. Those, however, are just the beginning. With Siege of Mirkwood only days away, players eager to explore the expansion will find their path in the earlier areas considerably smoother.

The full entry is worth looking at, as it contains four pages of great information on the overhaul — it’s a valuable resource for anyone still hanging out around Ost Guruth.

Tags: Lone-lands, Lord of the Rings Online, LOTRO, Siege of Mirkwood

Turbine Announces LOTRO: Siege of Mirkwood Expansion

Sep 4, 2009 Lord of the Rings Online|428views

Today Turbine announced Siege of Mirkwood,  the second expansion for Lord of the Rings Online.  Looks like Turbine is following  the footsteps of Warhammer with there new “Skirmishes” feature, which sound like it’ll be PvP battlegrounds that you can join from a queue.

Siege of Mirkwood will expand the online world of Middle-earth where players will join forces to press further eastward into the dark, foreboding and treacherous forest of Mirkwood and take part in the epic conclusion to Volume II of The Lord of the Rings Online

NEW FEATURES:

• The Epic Conclusion to Volume II: Mines of Moriaâ„¢ – Under the command of Celeborn and Galadriel, players will fight through vast armies of Orcs alongside the Elves of Lórien in a battle that will take them to Dol Guldur, the fortress of the Ringwraiths.  This update includes Book 9 and the Epilogue to the sweeping epic tale begun with the award-winning Mines of Moria expansion.
• Increased Level Cap — Players will be able advance their characters up to level 65, gaining access to new traits, virtues, skills and class quests.
• Answer the Call of War! – Jump into the heat of battle with the new Skirmishes feature.  Skirmishes offer endless action in repeatable, randomized instances where players can create and lead customizable soldiers into battle, training them to greater skill as they earn victories against the forces of shadow.  Answer the call of war wherever violence erupts with the new “World Join” function that lets players and their fellowships band together to fight in various locations throughout Middle-earth.
• Take up Arms! – Infiltrate the dark jails, deadly arenas and savage stables of Dol Guldur, the fortress of the Ringwraiths, and strike a blow against Sauron’s forces in new 3 and 6-player instances.  Call upon your fellows to adventure into the most deadly 12-player raid yet and face the ultimate challenge – the Nazgûl Lord!
• Major Gameplay Enhancements – Turbine continues to improve the award-winning experience of LOTRO with major improvements to the combat and Legendary Items systems.  Players will experience improved responsiveness when in the heat of battle.  Players will also be able to create and craft their own customized Second and Third Age Legendary Items from raw materials and grow their weapons’ power to level 60.  Achieve new Legacies, new titles, and a fourth Runic slot that will make Legendary Items even more unique and powerful.

Tags: LOTRO

Lord of the Rings Online:Improving Game Mechanics

Jun 18, 2009 Articles Recommend, Lord of the Rings Online|459views

Gamers have started paying attention more and more to the production of upcoming MMOs and discuss relentlessly on forums about the game’s structure, problems and how they see it functioning. As a gaming society, we have earned more and more respect out of the growing collaboration between developers and the public’s requests and needs. There are cries though that never get heard, cries which target crafting systems, PvP and PvE game play, computer requirements and many more. LotRO has been, in fact, a mark of such comments due to some missing features some players have expressed. Crafting is too boring and banal; combat becomes rather repetitive, not enough PvP and most of all not enough incentive to keep on playing for more than reaching the cap. In a way, we have to be realistic about what is possible and what forces the use of super computers as was the case with the release of Crysis. The battle we are fighting today is between complexity and computer power, and since it all come down to income, how can a game company produce something original, complex, fresh and most of all reinvented without burning a hole through our pockets?

Combat

Most of the Fantasy MMOs on the market today base themselves on a dice roll combat system which gives the user only the freedom to choose which spell/action he wishes to cast. It would be very interesting to have a change in that paradigm and introduce a more FPS approach to combat even in a game such as LotRO. If you are a hunter, you should have the ability to aim and shoot the arrow by yourself, taking into consideration the arcs of the shot, distance to the target, wind, movement and other possible factors. Whether it is PvE or PvP, combat is at the base of the game and its importance has to be taken into account. Parrying with a shield should also depend on user based reactions and foreseeing of blows as well as weaknesses in the enemy. The NPCs could be programmed to have weak spots, such as the heart or the head which take more damage and less time to kill. Movement in general is limited to a WASD/spacebar system which has so far been commonly seen in any game of any genre. Characters should be allowed to use movement to parry shots, attack and even to interact more fluently with the environment.

Imagine being able to dodge some of the enemy arrows by doing a roll to the ground, or by simply turning your body to the side at the last moment. At least the projectiles shot should not be triggered to follow a target but have them keep their trajectory without anything else except gravity and air resistance influencing it. Another feature I would see as necessary is mounted combat, or even mounts attacking along your side. If they attack, they have to stand still, therefore avoiding the two causing exploits. We have seen ammunition and such have an exhaustible trait in past games such as Diablo 2, Dark Age of Camelot or World of Warcraft. LotRO does not offer much in that field and ammunition is in fact disregarded as a useful tool in increasing damage or speed of firing. The durability of weapons is the only concerning factor when you are thinking of death penalty, yet this can be brought to be a bit more meaningful as most of us enjoy a challenge. Have the user be able to take a Hobby/Profession which allows him to repair the weapons himself. For example, your axe is at 0 durability, therefore it is either broken or is dull. You can now, interactively of course, sharpen your axe back and even take a risk in breaking it by overdoing it to increase your damage. As the axe gets used, the damage it deals decreases and by sharpening it you can get it back to full durability, yet by taking that chance of going for more damage you can ruin the blade by either making it too thin and having it break or having it distort and performing worse.

Crafting

Now the realm of crafting is a completely different beast that needs to be dealt with. There is no interactivity, no actual manual control and most importantly no variants. Going back to Diablo 2, the horadric cube allowed crafted items to have some variation, therefore making some items much more valuable and rare than others. The forging and building process should also depend on one’s skillful ability to construct and keep measurements exact. The better his/hers ability to do so, the better the variables of the item should be. Farming should be carried out through the days, having users be responsible for pouring water regularly on the plants as well as depending on seasons and weather conditions. The skill points can be awarded accordingly and the time it takes you to reach Artisan level, for example would be the same as before. Cooking would also be influenced by one’s ability to maintain temperature, cooking times and of course measurements and such. Some of the creatures that are hunted could have their meat be used for such purposes and you could select what parts of the animals are cut for you to keep.

A very complex, but nonetheless ideal, system for the end game experience would be the creation of weapons and clothing. Players who have managed to reach their final level and acquire the skills necessary should have the choice of installing a separate mod which allows them to create weapons by their own designs, however, the enchantments have to depend on his manual dexterity and functionality of the item created. Thusly, the mod or a GM could assess the weapon and decide whether it can be put in the game’s inventory for a while or not. This will encourage some to learn software that allow modeling, texturing and animation of such aspects of the game’s architecture and also enable the developers to have a much more game production savvy gamer database.

In the end I like to believe that it all comes down to the people that play the games, and what they want out of what the pay for. With the rise of machinimas and other user generated content players can be trusted more and more to change the game more to their liking. Pulling the Diablo 2 example for the last time, some of you can remember the duped Shako with two sockets instead of one, the duped Oculus, Oculus and Constricting rings or the Ith Bow. It is such content that make a game superbly rendered and alive for a decade. We all need to see more successful projects and fewer disappointments from the gaming industry and I believe the solution is in the gamers themselves. On that note I would like all of you to take the time and write in this thread what you would like to see done with an MMO such as LOTRO, no matter how crazy or how unrealistic it sounds. Be honest with yourselves, since we are the ones who populate these virtual worlds.

Tags: Lord of the Rings Online

The different factors that make lotro be a visually appealing game

May 8, 2009 Lord of the Rings Online|397views

The term “graphics” has been widely identified with a number of aspects of a game’s engine and game play since the creation of the first coin-operated arcade machines. In the 21st century, the era of MMOs, we can identify some specific traits which correspond to a concise definition of what makes a game look good.

Modelling is the first step of creation and that leads to the general sculpted shape of sets, characters and weapons. The rigging and texturing allows for the characters to have a “skeleton” and a skin through which they can be manipulated into moving. Finally, the animation allows the movement, fighting and interacting between players and makes the game immersive. It is necessary for a development team to master all of these steps in order to make a game aesthetically pleasing to the public and, so far, LOTRO has done a tremendous job at keeping Tolkien’s legacy not just in the storyline but also in mood and visual impact.

To be able to look at LOTRO as objectively as possible and be able to appreciate its graphical features, you must take yourself back to the first hours of interaction with the game. Yes, the game has improved since then, yet that first impression is the one that I regard as most genuine and true to what originally appealed to you.

The modeling itself must have been arduous work, yet you can appreciate the care and detail portrayed not only in the characters but also in the environment in which you play. All MMOs deal with factions, and each faction is unique in its look, feel and actions. Hence proportions had to be established and many races, such as hobbits, require adjustments made not only in housing and infrastructure but also in regards of weapons and clothing. If I were to choose the best-sculpted scene in the game it would have to be Bree Town, and it is not only for its size and busy mood but also for the tiny details in archways, décor, guild spaces and interior architecture. The only critique I would make so far is the rigid edges kept in some of the clothing, lamps and fountains especially. It is important to allow for some smoothness as light and texture seams will clearly show later on in the development process.

Now the texturing and lighting process is of the utmost importance to creating a realistic set up of whatever you are attempting to simulate. In the case of Tolkien’s novel, the battle between the Dark Lord Sauron and the inhabitants of Middle Earth was purposefully contrasted in symbolic imagery in both the aura of the characters but also in the battlefields and the homes of the people involved. LotRO, in my opinion, has done the best job in keeping that emotion and tension throughout the game and engaging the players to recognize and sense land that is “safe” and land that is “hostile”. The flickering candle lit interiors offer another great view of the simple rigging that allowed such an authentic feeling and how it directly affects the appreciation one gives to these places.

A suggested improvement would be directed more into the technical application of texturing and the use of “bump mapping”. A bump map is an image the same size as your root texture file which tells how “deep” the shadows should be in the texture. The light is used therefore to create a sense of depth and grain on a certain object without modifying its actual geometric structure. The bump map contains black and white areas, black for “going in” and white for “going out”. Going back to LotRO, we see many cases where bump maps could be used to enrich the architecture as well as some of the clothing. Bricks, wooden poles, roofs and walls are just some of the areas that can be given a bit of touch, especially with such good lighting going around.

And lastly, we have the animation practice which is the most complex and elongating of them all. From the very start the characters themselves showed quite a bit of personality, especially in their walks, and allowed for some good contact with the environment. I have played recent MMOs that have depended on their gameplay so much they forgot about putting some consistent effort into making these aspects work. For example, in one of these games, after gaining a helmet that I had been waiting for, it appeared that the character’s hair would go through the model of the helmet and create this intertwining mess of geometry, as if the back of the helmet was going in my head. Of course I wrote a bug report and nothing got fixed, not a surprise, yet the animation field had some issues too. Shooting arrows was sometimes misleading as they would freeze in the air while being shot and sometimes late even with the damage reports on the hits.

On the other hand LotRO for me has been the most visually complex fantasy MMO I have ever played, with an abundance of benefices. Clothing follows movement on characters, the mounts have well founded offset motions, weapon actions are fairly varied and with no flaws or glitches and there is a great attention to detail such as the interaction of clothing to wind as well as the constantly moving sky. There is also a harmony in the synchronization of the sound with all sorts of actions from pure city life noise to a substantial battle depiction.

I have to say that having all of these layers upon layers of simulations works great in the context of this game. Even if you are walking alone in a city you still get a sense of action, of people chatting to each other and always up and about. It is as if no one ever sleeps, and it keeps you going. There are numerous aesthetic freedoms given to the player too, from selecting your own costumes and clothing to choosing a house and decorating it as you please. The artistic side adds complexity, but also flexibility and choice. It allows each of us to differentiate each other even more and create unique identities in this world where appearances can sometimes go unnoticed.

Tags: Lord of the Rings Online, LOTRO

Lord of the Rings Online: Playing the Auction House - How to Sell

Mar 24, 2009 Lord of the Rings Online|829views

Part 1 How to sell-

If I were to tell you right off the bat the three most important steps to take in order to maximize your gain on the auction house, it would undoubtedly be; timing, timing and timing. In-game economics works very much the same as in real life, and that is through a supply and demand system. Scarcity leads to high prices and abundance has you trying for days and days on end until you give up and lower the price to a point of no profit. Well, the question is, could such a system be somewhat predicted? Is a simulated economy with no material gain easier to control than the stock market? In some ways yes, and I will be sharing some of my discoveries so far concerning the best methods of selling and buying on the auction house. It is important to also take note of different server populations as well as the majority of players playing from a specific time zone.

First of all, if you are looking to sell items of high value, do it when the cluster is most active and a lot of players are logged in. Take advantage of all holidays and most of all the weekends! Most of the high priced valuables sell the best if placed on the auction house Friday at noon and left for 48 hours. This gives you enough chances of having your item spotted by someone and also a large enough window of time in which he can come back and check his bid whenever he pleases. It always pays off to study the market well before planning to put valuable items on it, observe trends and see how much competition you are facing. It is possible that many people start selling with the beginning of the weekend thus you might be able to speculate some of the prices and the demand of your item. Crafting ingredients such as Sturdy Hide or Silver Ingots tend to sell well while recipes and some crafted goods have a hard time being sold even during high peak activity. This brings another factor into the equation, seeing what is worth selling and what is better off selling to the vendor. Usability, level and uniqueness are just some factors of consideration when deciding to sell an item. As mentioned, a Silver Ingot has many branching possibilities of usage therefore a greater chance of being sold. A crafted necklace can only fit a certain class of a certain level with a certain profile, hence reducing your chances.

Bid vs. Buyout

To make explanations a lot easier, I will refer to an invented term called the auction factor. That can be obtained by dividing the buyout by the initial bidding amount. So, for example, you put out a crossbow for 200 silvers buyout and a 40 silvers initial bid, that would be an auction factor of 200/40 = 5. As shown in the image below, you are given a perfect model of how NOT to put an item on the auction house. The concept behind the buyout is to convince the player to buy the item at the higher price so he does not have to wait for the ending bid. This is crucial! You must have your auction factor calibrated in such a way to convince your buyer to always go for the buyout! As a selle,r you always want to push players for a buyout, not for bidding. Through this method you can obtain a significantly higher profit. The image shows the player selling the Sturdy Hide having already 1 bid which suggests early activity even though the item has been recently placed. Now, as a bidder you want to get this item as cheaply as possible since you are provided with the possibility of doing just so. Most of the bidders will wait for the last hour(s) to throw in a bid and hopefully be the last one to get it. My estimate is that by bidding so the item will never go over 50-60 silvers. This is a complete waste as some of the winnings of a 50 stack of hides can surpass 300 silvers, depending on scarcity.

For a generalized selling strategy, I would suggest going for an auction factor of about 2 to 3. That means your buyout should always be a maximum of twice to three times the amount of your initial bidding. You always have to guarantee a safe enough margin for your buyout in order to never have bidding come close to it but at the same time convince your potential customers that the wait is not worth the time. Risk taking might pay off on numerous occasions and all of us come across those wonderfully schemed auctions that have no buyout. This can be truly advantageous when dealing with a lot of competition on your item. To make your auction seen, lower the price enough to create some stir amongst the bidders. However, make sure it is high enough for you to reach market level and make a profit by the end. For example, you want to sell some Ruby Shards and you see there are quite a few people already on with multiple amounts set for the remaining of the next two days. Let us say the average for one Ruby Shard is about 400 silvers and you decide to start it at 300 silvers, without a buyout. Now, you are set below market average and will surely get attention, yet there is no guarantee you will reach 400 silvers or more by the end of your auction. If you need to sell an item badly this might be the way to do it and minimize your losses, or with some luck get an unexpected surprise. Again, it is all about timing and when you decide to go forth with the placement.

Since all of us are crafters, it is important to use your skills in order to sustain your costly habits. Only craft what sells!! Study the market and see what can be sold for the greatest amount and requires the most basic of ingredients which you can obtain. On numerous occasions I have bought recipes over and over just because a necklace would sell highly and never seem to run out of demand. If you have no recipe that uses a certain ingredient, such as Rich Iron, then sell the ingredient itself. If you are selling ore, sell it as ore and not ingots because you are broadening your prospective buyers to crafting levelers. After getting further and further into this realm of auction house dealing you will encounter many perverse situations which can do nothing but infuriate you. Yes, I am talking about those special cases such as the under-sellers. Everyone is selling for four times the amount but he decides getting rid of the item is much better than making any money off it. A clear example is shown in the following image where a player has placed an item for 2 silvers, and no buyout. Given the scarcity at the time all three sellers might get their item sold, depending on its usability and uniqueness. The first bidder has 8 bids and not even 3 silvers made. My presumption is that he will get no higher than 40 silvers by the end of his auction since players will realize the best chance to get the item will be at the last moment. The last auction on the list might actually be the winner profit wise. We are clued in on this by the time remaining which indicates he placed the auction after the player above him. He purposefully chose the amounts since he knew both would sell.

If your item refuses to sell do not rush! Items of high value can be stored away and auctioned off again in a week or so when the demand changes and more people get a chance to level to the item’s range. There is no need to lower prices unnecessarily or try desperately to sell it. You may try the Trade channel a few times however there is no guarantee anyone will answer since most of the people prefer to do their business on the auction house. Putting your item cheaper could guarantee a sell but at the same time it might not. Make sure you leave a margin for profit and never undersell. Most importantly players need to treat game economics a lot more seriously and organize themselves in order for maximizing profit. There is never a surplus of gold in our pockets and all of us know that. So why not repay our efforts for collecting or crafting these items?

LotRO: A Look at Book 7

Mar 20, 2009 Lord of the Rings Online|410views

I always love the chance for the developers to show off what they obviously love. I must say the love is obviously shining through all the way through my little tour too.

When you enter into Lothlorien, the first thing that strikes you are the trees. That makes sense of course since it’s a forest, but how often does a forest look this lovely? As odd as it may sound to hear, the forest really looks like a forest. Best yet it looks like Tolkien’s forest. The white trunks and golden leaves shining in the bright sunlight of the afternoon. It’s like they plucked the images from my head.

After the forest, we had a look at the capital city and I was awe struck. Where Rivendell was built like the cities of Man and Hobbits and is horizontal, the capital is vertical. The city climbs the trees with platforms and ladders and is connected by bridges. It is exactly as you might imagine wood elves to live, up in the trees. I was very struck by the construction of the city; it really is unique. The whole city is magical. Access to this area will also be restricted. As it was in the books, the occupants aren’t very trusting, so you must gain their trust. Doing the Epic quests will garner your access to the city though, so you needn’t worry about having to do reputation missions just so you can enter. There are reputation missions in the city though so you can gain further trust as you have been able to get with other peoples.

With this book also comes a new instance. This is another 12 man raid, but with a bit of a twist. Besides your team you will have some NPC characters to command to help you with your mission. What these NPCs can do is random, so some strategy will be needed in deciding just how to use them. As a further twist, the instance is timed. So fast thinking and good teamwork will be needed to be victorious. I’m really excited for this new type of instance as it will take some of the formula out of the raid. I’m certainly looking forward to having a go at it.

Speaking of instances there’s something special for the crafters now. These are daily repeatable solo crafting quest instances. To start, they will only be available for Prospecting, Scholar and Forestry, but when asked, the Devs said that the other crafts should get their own quest instances too. It wasn’t said when, but here’s hoping it’s soon. This could make crafting and finding materials just a little bit more fun and involved.

There’s a new reason to create a new character too. Despite the name, the New Player Experience isn’t something bad. For that fact it’s something very good. If you’re like me, when you’ve made a new character you’ve probably just ploughed through what you needed to do so you could get into the real world and get to some serious playing. Turbine has given us a new reason to linger a little longer and see the world as a new player again with some new missions to discover and enjoy. These new additions will entice old players back to the beginning and enhance the beginning for new players.

Something else that will be more noticeable to new players is the revamp of the XP curve. What this means is that the amount of XP needed for a level has been adjusted. New characters will level just a little bit faster and higher level characters may gain a level or just notice that that they’re a bit closer now to their next level. It’s not a big change, but more of a balancing feature.

With all of this we get another new thing too; a creature. It’s a signature character called Grawulun the Caerog. It looks like lava running through rock, only alive. Currently it’s just a single signature NPC, but the Devs say that he just might gain some family in the future, so keep your eyes out.

I must say that I am most impressed with the visuals of Book 7. Lothlorien looks like I’ve always imagined it. I can’t explain just how impressive it is to see. With every new book and Moria Turbine have continued to advance and improve. Just makes me excited to see what else they’ve got up their sleeves.

Turbine Unveils Volume II, Book 7 for LotRO

Mar 19, 2009 Lord of the Rings Online|500views

 Today Turbine has unveiled Volume II: Book 7: Leaves of Lorien, the latest major content update for subscribers of The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria and a new batch of Book 7 screenshots, which illustrate Strange Happenings, a new quest arc that begins deep within the Waterworks of Moria.

Book 7, which is now available to North American subscribers (available in Europe on 3/24), delivers the next installment to the epic story of LOTRO, a new 12-player raid, the Spring Festival, access to the full region of Lothlorien, and more.

The official press release follows:

TURBINE UNVEILS VOLUME II, BOOK 7: LEAVES OF LORIEN FOR THE LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINEâ„¢
Best Overall game of 2008* Introduces New Content Update for Subscribers

WESTWOOD, MA – March 17, 2009 - Turbine, Inc. announced the details of the latest major update for subscribers of The Lord of the Rings Onlineâ„¢: Mines of Moriaâ„¢ (LOTRO). Book 7: Leaves of Lórien is the latest of Turbine’s frequent and substantial updates to the Best MMORPG of 2008**. Book 7 delivers the next installment to the epic story for Volume II of LOTRO, a new 12-player raid, major gameplay enhancements, the Spring Festival and access to the full region of Lothlórien. Book 7: Leaves of Lórien will be available to subscribers of The Lord of the Rings Online on March 17, 2009 in North America and March 24, 2009 in Europe.

“The launch of our first expansion, Mines of Moria, has been a huge success and has firmly established the game as one of the premier MMOs in the world,” said Jeffrey Steefel, Executive Producer of The Lord of the Rings Online. “For nearly two years LOTRO has been one of the fastest growing games in the industry and with Book 7 we continue to expand the world with the expansion of Lothlórien, the legendary home of Galadriel and the elves and the introduction of new tools and improvements based on player feedback including a new Quest Guide and an enhanced new player experience.”

NEW FEATURES IN BOOK 7: LEAVES OF LORIEN:

• The Epic Journey Continues - The first update to Volume II, Book 7 will take LOTRO’s unique storytelling to a new level as it introduces a new reputation faction, the reclusive elves of Lothlórien. Players will need to gain their trust in order to continue their adventure. After earning their favor, players are reunited with the Fellowship and begin a series of quests to root out the Orc influence within Moria ending with a climactic battle against the forces of Mazog and an audience with Celeborn and the Lady Galadriel back in their kingdom of Lothlórien.
• New 12-player Raid - Book 7 introduces Strange Happenings, a new quest arc that begins deep within the Waterworks of Moria. Players will need to team up to unravel a mystery surrounding a newly revealed source of corruption in Moria, engaging in a fierce battle with another monstrous threat to Middle-earth.
• New Gameplay Enhancements - LOTRO continues to augment its award-winning experience for players with major improvements such as new daily solo quests for crafters that are very useful and fun and a significantly revamped new player experience for the Dwarves, Elves and Man races. Book 7 also introduces the new Quest Guide, a new set of features designed to make navigating through Middle-earth easier and more fun including a display of quest locations on both the mini-map and main map. The Quest Guide will launch in Beta with the introduction of Book 7.
• Celebrate the Spring Festival! - The Spring Festival returns to Middle-earth from March 24th to April 7th. The world will explode in celebration as the free people of Middle-earth ring in the season with special decorations, festive costumes and special quests including a challenging new hedge maze.

The Lord of the Rings Online is the ultimate interactive adventure. This award-winning massively multiplayer online role-playing game delivers an interactive experience brimming with life and filled with the familiar people, places and monsters from the most beloved fantasy of all time. From the picturesque surroundings of the Shire to Moria, the most fearsome underground realm ever imagined, players will experience the world of Middle-earth as never before. The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria Complete Edition, which includes the original game, The Lord of the Rings Onlineâ„¢: Shadows of Angmarâ„¢ (Volume I), all content updates released since launch, and Mines of Moria (Volume II) is now available for purchase at major retailers across North America. For more information or to download a free trial, visit www.lotro.com.

  About Turbine Turbine, Inc. is a premier creator, operator and publisher of massive, persistent online worlds that foster powerful social gaming communities. Turbine is the largest privately-held online gaming studio in North America and was recently chosen by AlwaysOn as one of the OnHollywood 100 Top Private Companies, a power list of the top private emerging technology companies in digital entertainment and media. The company has created some of the world’s most popular and award-winning online games, including The Lord of the Rings Onlineâ„¢, Dungeons & Dragons Onlineâ„¢ and Asheron’s Call®. For more information on Turbine, its products and services please visit www.turbine.com. About Codemasters Codemasters is a leading developer and publisher of best-selling interactive entertainment products for a global audience on current and future gaming platforms and channels. Established in 1986, the company’s dominant brands include Colin McRae Rally, TOCA Race Driver, LMA Manager, Brian Lara Cricket and Operation Flashpoint. The company is headquartered in Southam, Warwickshire UK and maintains operations in the US, Germany, France, Spain, and Benelux. More information about the company and its products is available online at www.codemasters.com. About Tolkien Enterprises The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Tolkien Enterprises is the holder of worldwide motion picture, legitimate stage, merchandising, and other rights in J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary works The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Tolkien Enterprises has been producing and licensing films, stage productions and merchandise based on Tolkien’s works for more than 30 years. Its headquarters are in Berkeley, California, and its website may be found at www.tolkien-ent.com. Â

Player Review: Lord of the Rings Online.

Dec 23, 2008 Lord of the Rings Online|543views

**Author Note**
The following game review was done on a Dell Inspiron-1720, wide-screen, system with the following basic system information:

Dual Intel 1.60 gHz
4GB RAM
Windows Vista 32-Bit
GeForce 8600M GT at 256 Dedicated
DirectX 10.

Screenshots are actual gameplay captures.  Screen shots are property of the author.  Contents within are property of Turbine.Inc.
This review was done over 30 days of gameplay with a Level 25 Hunter and a Level 29 Captain.

The review reflects only the authors experience and may not reflect the opinions of others.

 

 

 

 

The Lord of the Rings Online:
Shadows of Angmar & The Mines of Moria

J. R. R. Tolkien and his realm of Middle-Earth has been the staple of our concept for the Fantasy Genre for decades now.  From varient books, to todays online gaming, The Lord of the Rings has its firm grip in what we imagine as a make belief word of adventure, magic, mystery, danger, and living the life of a hero.  It was only recently that Tolkien’s world became an online reality though, well after the success of such games as World of Warcraft, Lineage, Ultima, and Guild Wars.

Much like the amount of time it took from Tolkiens original books to Peter Jackson’s films, The Lord of the Rings (The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King), creating Tolkien’s world is not an easy thing to do.  With such an epic scale of landscape, characters, story lines, and attention to detail, it takes more than just castles, villages, a rider dressed in black, and a hobbit named Frodo to bring life to the vision.  In 2001, that changed for film when, “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”, arrived on the big screen and gave the world its first taste into a living Middle-Earth.  In 2007, our online gaming world changed as, “Lord of The Rings: Shadows of Angmar”, came to stores shelves, allowing players across the world to experience Middle-Earth first hand.  Turbine.Inc, the holder of the license, did not disappoint Tolkien’s fans.

LotRO (Lord of the Rings Online) has remained under the radar, for the most part, in the online gaming world.  In a dominant market controlled by World of Warcraft and longer known competition, LotRO has gained a loyal base of fans, new and old, confident in their creation, the license, and the lore.  A belief so strong that Turbine, Inc released its first expansion to the series, “Mines of Moria”, against Blizzard’s Litch King.  Often scoffed as a poor choice in release dates on behalf of Turbine, Inc, the reality seems to be that the timing couldn’t have been better.  You don’t have to look far in searching for new game releases to see Mines of Moria being reviewed beside World of Warcraft.  The timing has worked.  At least for this player.

Like a majority of gamers I find myself requiring a change of scenes after a prolonged adventure in a previous title.  So when my adventures came to a close in Guild Wars due to reaching all achievements I desired (and a ton of issues from nVidia drivers which made the game nearly unplayable on this system) the search began for a new game to fill in my spare time after work.  Admittedly my first attempt was World of Warcraft.  However, after purchasing the product at my local Best-Buy store, Blizzard rejected not one, not two, but three of my Credit Cards when signing up for my account.  Yes, it was Blizzard who did the rejections due to my inquiries to my Credit Card companies support and being informed that neither American Express, Visa, or MC, reject my attempted purchase of the subscription plans.  Back to the store I went to exchange the game.  LotRO became that exchange.  And so, for the past 33 days, I’ve been sucked back into the world of Middle-Earth. 

This review shall give a general overview of my experiences only; Up to my current levelled characters of 25 and 29 (60 cap).  It is designed to give potential new players an idea of what to expect if they’re in the market for a new game, much like I was a little over one month ago.  I will do my best to give all the Pro’s I’m aware of and all the Con’s as well.  So sit back, relax, and I hope the reader enjoys this article.

 

 Purchase, installing, and patching

The Lord of the Rings Online has numerous purchase choices to consider.  What one you decide upon is up to you.  It’s not my duty to lean anyone towards one side, or the other.  It’s only my duty to break it down (or so it feels).  The game client itself is part of the original release, “The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar”, while the latest release, “Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria” is an expansion to the original game.  Mines of Moria is not a stand-alone product, and while for most this may be obvious when we’ve had years of experience in MMO gaming, a casual buyer can be confused.  Each segment can be purchased seperately and because Mines of Moria is designed for high level content, the new player can hold off on the expansion until a later date, unless you’re keen on having immediate access to the two new classes; The Warden and The Rune-Keeper.

If you’re someone who has difficulties finding a store with available copies, or a person who can’t access a store in person due to such factors as location, or transportation, Turbine, Inc has the deluxe package available for digital purchase/upgrade, which includes The Shadows of Angmar and the expansion, Mines of Moria.

Aside from the actual purchase of the game, a subscription fee is required to play Lord of the Rings Online.  Turbine, Inc has made it clear that they wish to make the game equally affordable and equally worth the money as its competition.  Therefore, there are 5 levels of subscription an account holder can choose from.

• Monthly at a cost of $14.99
• 3 Months at a cost of $41.85 (Equates to $13.95 per month)
• 6 Months at a cost of $77.70 (Equates to $12.95 per month)
• 12 months at a cost of $143.40 (Equates to $11.95 per month)
• Lifetime (Not YOUR lifetime, but the games lifetime), one time payment of $299.00

Whatever your choice in plans, all plans includes your first 30 days of play absolutely free.  I, for one, chose the Monthly plan in the event I’d ever need to cancel my subscrption to fit my household budgets.  Game Cards are also available at select store outlets.  Check your local electronic and game stores to find out if they have them available.  Game cards are a great way to enjoy the game without having to provide a Credit Card, or submitting yourself to a subscription contract tied to the Credit Card.

If you decide to purchase your copy of the game digitally, there are some notes that need to be made.  First, your access game keys will be automatically added to your account.  No punching in numbers everywhere, which saves some time.  Also, there’s no need to worry about not having those game keys.  You will be sent copies of your game keys to your registered email.  On a personal recommendation and should be common sense: KEEP YOUR KEYS.  Save the emails, save copies of the email, write them down in a record book.  They are your accounts identification in the event something happens and they are the only piece of information that verifies you are the rightful owner of the account. 

The second thing to consider when purchasing the game digitally is obtaining the client itself.  Turbine provided no links in the emails that lead to the client download.  It’s also not apparent on the games homepage as to where the client can be found.  However, after searching Turbine’s FAQ page, I found the tiny link to the client.  It’s my hope Turbine corrects the obscure position of downloading the client in the future.  For now, if you do purchase the game online, check their support pages for the client download page.  Once you have located it, take note: Even on high speed connections, the client is near five and a half GB and will take some time to download if Turbine servers are under high traffic hours.  Purchasing a hard copy will save you the download time and move you right into installation.

The third issue is the initial patch.  You will have a rather large significant patch process after installation.  While this is the norm for MMO’s, LotRO initial patch seemed much larger, and took much longer, than what seemed normal.  While this can be annoying for those who have patience issues, it does provide a good time to pick up that game book and begin reading.  It should also be noted that my patching process took place the day after the initial release of Mines of Moria.  without much doubt a high number of users were also patching clients which added to the sluggish process at that time.

While time was an issue for me then, it wasn’t exactly unexpected either and therefore I can’t say it’s an issue that hurts the game, or Turbine.  It is however something you should be aware of when it comes to installing your copy of the game.  Once you’ve installed your copy, patched it, and you’ve done all your registering, it’s time to get started on your journey through Middle-Earth.

 

Your Introduction to Lord of the Rings Online and Creating your Hero

As you begin your game you’re treated with an opening cut scene introducing you to the story of Shadows of Angmar.  It’s a visual treat to say the least and if you’re lucky enough to have a 5.1 sound system, the intensity makes the scene even more enjoyable.  For those players expecting an experience directly related to the movies, you may be let down, but don’t let that be a deal maker.  LotRO has a more overall feel and style of Tolkien’s books, rather than Jackson’s trilogy of films.  However, Turbine has found a way, in many aspects, to combine the best of both.

Walking through the Shire and the lands of Bree posesses the original feel Tolkien presented in his books, but also brings to life the visual ideas we all gained from the films as well.  This is only one example of how Turbine has stayed true to Tolkien, but also added the loveable movie elements we were graced with when Peter Jackson made the films.  But before you can even walk the grasslands, or traverse the snow top mountains, you’ll need a character to play.

Creating a LotRO character is not any different in basics than other MMO’s.  You have a selection of races and classes to choose from.  Each with baselines, strengths, weaknesses, and abilities.  What Turbine does offer is a recommendation to each class, rating them from Beginner, to Expert.  This can help make the choice easier for new players getting started in LotRO.

Customizing your character provides a lot of choice.  Hairstyles, eyes, nose, mouth, head shape, hair color, body sizes, and various other details.  Even selecting your characters “Home Land” (ex: Gondor, or Rohan for human) will provide unqiue choices in eye and hair colors.  It’s a nice addition to customizing your own character within the realm.  However, there is a downside.

Even with the wide range of choices, the noticable difference in the characteristics is minimal to say the least.  This is to say that no matter what combinations you choose for your characters look, you will run into many Twins of yourself, or near-twins around the world.  The character models themselves are also sub-par in comparisons to other online games.  While it’s not a significant drawback to the game, or does it effect the gameplay itself, it’s not a secret that game players prefer to have a unique style to their creations.   The models also have a “Doll-like” feel about them.  A mix between cartoon and realism.  While it’s a nice style and, it should be noted, does fit into the world very well, it does have a sense that “it could have been better”.  Disappointed?  Sure.  It’s a character I’ll be spending a lot of time with and, being an MMO, customization and being unique is a big portion of the genre.  However, it doesn’t detract from the adventure you’ll be entering.

The races are as follows:

• Man (Female)
• Man (Male)
• Hobbit (Female)
• Hobbit(Male)
• Dwarf
• Elf (Female)
• Elf (Male)

Each race has its selection of classes so you’ll have to do some experimenting to find certain specifics.  However, all classes available in the game are as follows (Please visit the class page at http://www.lotro.com/gameinfo/classes for detailed information on each):

• Lore-Master
• Minstrel
• Hunter
• Burglar
• Captain
• Guardian
• Champion
• Rune-Keeper
• Warden

Each class has its own style of play and, as mentioned, its own difficulty.  Depending on the role of the class, some have more advanced styles to tend too, while others are more moderate and beginner.  On your class selection list, each has a movie in addition to the description, that can provide the player a more general idea of what role the class plays.

Now that you’ve customized yourself, chosen your race, your class, and of course a name!  You’re ready to enter the battle ahead.

The Gameplay and game features

LotRO doesn’t throw players a curve ball in basic gameplay.  Movements are controlled by WSAD keys and camera operations by your mouse.  Skills are tired to your number keys and corrisponding ALT/Shift/Ctrl.  For those who get into habits from previous games with similar setups, you won’t find yourself struggling to relearn keys, but even if you do, the game includes a massive keymapping option for you to alter. 

If, within your 20 seconds, you haven’t noticed the game is beautiful, an eye appointment is needed.  Direct X 10 users will be even more impressed with DX10’s dynamic lighting and shadow effects.

LotRO also houses a crafting system, music playing ability, kinships (guilds), a party system, in game voice chat, and more.  So where to start?  Well, let’s go witht he basics first.

 

GRAPHICS

There are two things to consider when buying any game for your PC.  The first, obviously, is it any good?  That’s not something I can answer for anyone.  My opinion is only that; My opinion.  The second question asked is, Will my system run it?  LotRO isn’t World of Warcraft, so if you’re sitting on an aging system you will run into performance issues.  However, there is an upside.  LotRO and Turbine have apparently taken into consideration the range of PC’s on the market with such varied specs.  Therefore, the options panel of Adv. Graphics gives the user a long list of customizations for your graphics that can improve performance of the game and still keep your surroundings stunning and immersive.

My system, which I stated at the top of this article, runs the game without much issue of High and Very High graphic settings.  Graphically intense areas do pose some lag issues and frame rate issues, but they can be easily adjusted in the Adv. Graphics panel. 

 

 

The environments in the game are stunning.  In fact, stunning is an understatement when you include the use of DX10.  Gone are the bulky generic shadows and dynamic lighting and you welcome in detailed shadows in which every tree leaf, every pillar, rock, and piece of grass wraps around objects in amazing realism.  It adds a whole new atmosphere in the world and provides a feel that the place you stand is alive and breathing.

The one worry, as a fan of both Tolkien’s books and the films, I had when starting this game was would this really feel like Middle-Earth?  Or would it simply feel like a generic based fantasy world we’ve all played through.  The answer came quick enough when you walk through Celondim, the Shire, and the town of Bree.  Every detail says Tolkien on it, and like I expressed earlier, you’re provided with small touches of the film.  Even if you’re not lucky enough to have a high end gaming system, lower graphic settings still provide a great amount of detail for the player to enjoy.

To add to the atmosphere, Middle-Earth also has small details that add to your surroundings.  The game world shifts through day and night cycles and will put you in the middle of intense rain storms with lightning flashing through the clouds.  Don’t be surprised to walk into a marsh ridden with fog, or a Northern Forest with snow fall to add to the chill in the air.

Those who enjoy exploring will not be disappointed as the worlds are open and a sense of freedom is always present.  There is a great sense of distance in open fields and an insecure sensation when walking through valley’s, or backed into the corner of brush in the Old Forest.  No matter where you find yourself, or what position you’ve been put into, you’ll find yourself in a happy land of visual candy to enjoy at every moment.

 

Combat

If you’ve found yourself tired of A.I. that has a brick for a brain, you’re in for a treat in LotRO.  There is a mix here that can be overlooked.  Your enemies do adapt to the battle.  Ranged attackers will suddenly rush you into melee.  Enemies will, when threatened under attack, take a route behind a tree, or other objects, before engaging you.  It’s a change of pace from other games that apparently prefer the abuse.

As a player, your combat role is also ever changing.  There are a wide range of combat and passive skills available to your class.  As a Hunter, while you rely on your bow for the majority of your damage output, you’re also equipped with a set of melee weapons for close range fighting and skills for such circumstances.  Battles can be intense, especially in Epic Instances (main story quests), where you’ll find yourself in situations that arise in the blink of an eye.  You will find yourself mowing down your enemies at times, while other times, running for your life.

Solo players may find themselves out of their element in some areas of Middle-Earth.  As you begin progressing in levels, particular areas have added difficulty for completion of quests and chains.  There are numerous Fellowship (party) quests that wll require a team of players to complete.  However, don’t shy away from this.  Fellowship quests and related areas are an experience you will want to partake in.  Such places as the Great-Barrows, a dungeonous place of ancient evil, provides a battle experience that is just the beginning of the epic travels you will encounter.  Such large scale instances will provide you with roled combat, Fellowship Skills, and strategy for success.   This isn’t to say portions of the game can’t be done by yourself, or even yourself paired with a close friend.  But if you’re looking for the full experience LotRO can provide you, don’t pass up on these large scale Fellowship quests.  Even for a primarily solo player, the experience of Fellowship questing is an amazing experience.

 

Combat and PvP

If you’re looking for a twist in Player Vs. Player, you don’t have to look too far.  LotRO has provided something of a new experience and role in the PvP environment;  Monster Play.  The Ettenmoors is the seperate land where both players (level 40+) and Monsters can battle for land and prestige.  Good vs. Evil.  Players who reach level 10 on their main characters can begin to access Monster play where you can create a Level 60 minion of Mordor.  Don’t think you can take on just anything right away though.  The Ettenmoor’s also mix in some PvE play to advance your evilside with quests that score “Destiny Points”, used to barter in new skills and traits in order to go on your murderous rampage against Hobbits, Men, and Elves.

Much like the standard side of the game, Monster Players can create guilds and parties to raid upon the Free Peoples of Middle Earth to gain points of control.  It does take some time to progress your Monster to a reasonable combative threshhold, but the experience in doing so is one that is made enjoyable. 

 

Deed System and Build

 

An important part of any MMO is a players ability to build their characters strengths and focus on certain attributes to create a character with special traits.  LotRO offers players a brand new way to take on this role and the deed system is your guide.   As part of your User Interface, the deeds icon will open up a book listing all maps and worlds you will journey to along the way.  Each world, for example: The Shire, The Lone-Lands, has specific “deeds”, or goals to achieve that you will unlock.

Deeds in each land can vary from completion of quests, killing a certain number of gobins, or orcs, and even discovering ancient ruins.  Once a deed is completed, initial ones will reward players with titles to add to their name, while completing advanced deeds will reward you with “Traits”.

Traits are an equipable icon that can be added to your character by visiting a Bard NPC throughout Middle-Earth.  Depending on what deed you completed will depend on what trait you can add.  Traits vary in stat boosts from Armor increases, wound resist, poison resist, Higher Agility, greater might, and so on.  The higher level you achieve, the more traits you can have at once (with a max of 5).  The more deeds you complete, the higher the level of each trait. 

Traits can be swapped at any time, for a price of course at the bard.  This makes it very easy to build your character for upcoming adventures.  For instance, if you know you’re about to face enemies that will cause wounds and poison frequently; You can swap out your old traits and load up on Wound resistant ones (assuming you have them).

The deed and trait system is an enjoyable experience in LotRO, which offers flexability and customization, without the mindless grind.  I say mindless grind because most deeds can be easily completed simply by working all the quests you can find.

 

Crafting

 

It can’t be a MMO without crafting, can it?  LotRO, like most standard-depth MMO, has embraced the crafting tradition and this tradition isn’t lacking.  Players don’t just randomly choose three craft traits, but instead, are given a selection of Paths to choose when it comes to their crafting life.  As an example, and shown in the image, I chose the path of the “Explorer” which granted my character the ability to Prospect (mining and smelting), Forestry (collection of woods and leather), and Tailoring.  Out of the 3 given traits, only one is your primary; In this case of the explorer - Tailor.

There are two great things about the crafting in LotRO.  First, you’ll always find an abundance of material while exploring around, heading to destinations, and killing your enemies.  Also, because LotRO has an easy to navigate Auction House, you can buy any posted materials from players who have them posted.  While this can sometimes be expensive, the option is available.  The second positive; There is no shortage of recipes to obtain and learn.  LotRO also didn’t stop your adventure, or side track it, with your crafting.  Instead, Turbine has incorporated your crafting traits into your adventure by adding quests to obtain higher tiers in your ability. 

There are some downsides to crafting.  At least one I find rather troublesome.  In order to work your materials from recipes you must find the proper workspace.  A workbench, a forge, an over, a farm field; Whatever work area is required for the trait.  This can pose some issues if you find yourself carrying a lot of material, but you’re in an area far from a town, or village, that has those required work areas. 

 

Housing

At level 15, players can do something a little bit unique compared to other MMO’s.  Players can invest in their own home.  The purpose of housing is more than just a place to hang out, decorate, and show off to your buddies.  Housing also offers players the ability to purchase additional storage slots to place those dead weight items you’d rather not carry with you all the time.

Each race in their corresponding area has a Homestead where players can purchase their home and, just in case you’re a dwarf, but you hate the cold stone mountain walls, LotRO doesn’t restrict one race from buying a home in the homestead of another.  So Dwarfs, embrace in comfort, you’re free to have that lush country feel in the Shire.

House sizes and prices range from small, single and two room homes of 1 gold (1000 silver eqaute), to Kinship (guild) sized houses, which obviously are far more expensive.  You will also be expected to pay an upkeep fee each week, but don’t let this bother you.  The upkeep against the purchase cost is very affordable, with a 1G home having a weekly upkeep of just 55 silver.

There are plenty of Neighborhoods in each homestead and plenty of locations for you to choose from.  Find the right location to fit your style is part of the enjoyment and I recommend taking some time to walk all the homesteads and exploring the vacant homes to get a good feel for what you are looking for.

Another benefit of owning a home is a discount of purchases from various vendors within the homestead.  For those penny pinchers out there, your coupons never expire. 

Also, don’t fear that your stuck with one home for lifetime.  If you feel like moving up in the world, you can remove your furniture, pack up, abandon your home, and buy a new one.   The system is easy to use, fun to use, and adds a bit of entertainment when you feel like some downtime is in order.

 

Wealth

 

Personal wealth is always a big deal to most players in an MMO.  More specifically, players need to know, or are interested to know, if it’s easy, or difficult, to obtain money and not feel broke all the time.  I can say with great joy that earning your copper, silver, and gold in LotRO is quick and easy.

The best and most effecient way of earning your currency is by simple looting of all corpses and selling back to vendors in towns.  While you may feel you’re not earning much through your first 10 levels, onwards you’ll see a spike in the value of just common trophy drops that can add up quickly to thicken your wallet.

Taking your crafting into play is also an alternative.  The Auction House will accept what you don’t want, or need, and if the price is right, someone will happily buy your posting. 

Of course, with an economy comes inlfation worries.  LotRO counters this by ensuring skills, repairs, various equipments, and upkeep balance out.  You’ll notice your skills become quite pricey to purchase as you advance, as well as your equipment repairs and as expensive as they can become, they won’t tax you to any notice unless you’re a wild spender.  Quick stable master travel also adds as a balance.  Feeling lazy and don’t want to run the short distance?  15 Silver it will cost you for your lack of energy, while long distance travel, more reasonable and obvious, just 1 silver.

Players who enjoy power trading, buying and selling, and playing the market will enjoy the opportunity LotRO presents.  Players who aren’t interested, but would like, at least, to afford items they require will be able to do so without being on the constant brink of saying, “I’m broke!”

 

Player Music

Depending on your class, players have the ability to pick up an in game instrument, such as a lute, harp, and drums, to quietly strum your own tunes under a shady tree, or jam out with your friends in the center of Bree.  If you’re not a musician, no worries.  Playing is a simple as equipping your instrument and pressing your skill keys.  Each key, 1-9, ALT 1-9, Shift 1-9, provides your pitches and notes.  Find a  beat and play away!

 

Fellowships

Fellowships are the title given to LotRO party system and like most, of not all, MMO’s they are a crucial part of your adventures.  As stated before, you will end up taking on side quests and Epic quests that will require the aid of others for success.  It’s evident LotRO wants players to play the game as they see fit, but also engage in social activites together with a common goal.

The fellowship panel (Pressing O) will introduce you to a list of all players in your area, which can be filtered to find players on the same quest as you, or players simply looking for some partners to adventure with.  You also have a series of options to set yourself as a player seeking a Fellowship, adding what quest(s), and additional notes you’d like others to see about what you have planned.

Fellowships add another benefit; In Game Voice Chat powered by Gamespy.  Enabling the system is as easy as checking a box in your Audio options and have no fear; You don’t need a microphone/headset to be involved.  Just having it turned on will allow you to hear your fellow companions speak and give instructions so you’re not left out.

Adjusting the overall settings for the voice chat can be touchy though - at least in my experience.  Adjusting the game sounds just to hear companions over voice was the first issue.  It’s hard to tell if there’s a disconnect with the voice output max, or the sound quality of the game just drowing people out.  However, after a few short minutes of adjusting, I was hearing others and speaking to others without having the need to find my Ventrillo, or TeamSpeak software.  However, my output system is rather out of date, so my issues with having my voice work well is not an issue of the game, but my unwillingness to invest in a proper headset.

 

Kinships

Kinships act as the Guild System in LotRO and, from what I’ve seen so far, it’s clear Turbine wanted such a system to be more than just a random game feature where everyone could make a Kinship just for an additional title over their name.

Kinships in LotRO go through a series of “Life Spans”, and after each comes, a new one is introduced with a longer time span to achieve.  Each Life Span grants additional features to the Kinship, such as various titles, ranks, member limits, and chat features.  Such a system is clearly designed as an incentive to provide activity for Kinships and reward for the players involved.

Kinships, like any guild system, offer players the opportunity to find quick aid, good company, and a sense on involvement in the community.  I was lucky enough to find a Kinship of such players who are fun to talk too, easy to get along with, and very helpful.  Shout out to Lords of the West.

 

Instances

Your first in-game moment in LotRO is a solo instance that introduces you to the basics of the game, but it’s not the only one you’ll encounter.  Along your journey through the Epic Quests, and even side quests, you’ll be thrown into instanced world and dungeons that are free from the general public.  This means you can’t expect someone else to clear the path for you.  You and your fellowship have work to do.

One area, the Great-Barrows (My first off Epic instance area) gives you your first taste at things to come in LotRO.  A vast maze of passage ways, tight corners, large rooms, and a dark dungeon experience that feels as good as it plays.  As you decend the multiple winding staircases, you get the sensation you’re travelling deep into the ground, instead of having a linear path unfold before you.  Enemies are also finely tuned with greater numbers, range of skills, and strength that will test your fellowships ability to conquer what’s before you.

So far in my experience, these instances and areas are an unavoidable experience to take part in.  Not only do they challenge you in combat and strategy, but they’re extremely fun to be a part of.  They offer a great blend to the freedom of the open world above your head.

 

 

 Community

Leave your bad attitudes at home!  The community atmosphere in LotRO is not only friendly, but protective of each other.  It’s been evident in my month of playing that the e-peen attitude isn’t very welcome in Middle-Earth.  What is welcome is a care free experience that looks for good company and great fun.

To expand on Turbine’s desire to create a positive social experience, my.lotro.com has recently been launched in beta for subscribers to the game.  In simple terms, my.lotro.com is a Myspace networking of player pages, character pages and kinship pages complete with blogs, albums, friends lists and the tools needed to find your buddies, promote your Kinships, and become more involved.

If you’re a roleplayer, you will feel even more at home.  The RP toggle allows you to identify and be indentified as a role player so you can engage in your own storylines created with others.  LotRO also includes a family tree and adoption system, combined with your bio, to allow RP’ers to create a unique Kinship in a style they desire.

In the End

 

The conclusion is this.  If you’re a player who is seeking something new to try without having to abandon some of the comfort zones of traditional MMORPG’s, LotRO is waiting for you.  Simply put there is a lot to see, a lot to do, and the freedom players seek in adventures.

The visuals are breath taking and bring you into the world of Middle-Earth.  The scale, the atmosphere, the music all provide the player with a true to life Middle-Earth home.

While your character is not working the main story we’ve come to know and love, you’re still left with a feeling that you’re fighting against the evils of Mordor and stopping the darkness that is attempting to cover the lands.

A great blend of solo play and fellowship play will immerse the player into a wide range of adventure and experience.  Combat feels intense, with a great mix of abilities for classes, and offers a strategy approach for your surroundings.

The Monster Play twist to PvP is a fantasic alternative to get involved in.

There are your typical downtimes for fixes and patches, but nothing out of the ordinary that we’re not all used to already.

Users without DX10 may be missing out, and older systems will need to lower settings, but the world still looks fantastic.

If you seek that alternative in gaming, LotRO has become that hidden gem. 

 

 

 

Scores

Graphics - 9/10:  Some minor clipping issues, hiccups and glitches, but overall it’s a beautiful game.
Music - 7/10:  Over time, some areas can become redundant in the score, but overall the rich variations are wonderfully done.
Features: 9.5/10 :  There’s just lots to do here and plenty to take part in.  From crafting, to music, to the social aspects.  Turbine is trying to bring back the cooperative play to MMO’s that seems to have lacked in recent times.  They’re succeeding. 
Quests: 8/10 : Killing X and bringing back Y is a formula that is redundant and sometimes common here, but it’s blended in with exploration and more in depth chains and processes.
Worth:  10/10:  LotRO won’t set you back any more than other competion.  It’s affordable and provides a good set of subscription levels to choose from.  With the additional features such as my.lotro.com and available support, you’re getting your money’s worth.

Overall:  8.7/10 :  Players wanted to be a part of the legend and Turbine has granted it.  While it may not be what some expect, it is as close as we’re going to get to be a part of the Lord of the Rings legacy.