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[Haeleos]

Is this max settings or something? Pardon the ignorance. I've only played a few days of this game back before it launched.

It's 1440x900 with DirectX10 + max settings. There are DirectX11 graphics settings, but I only have a Radeon 4770.

 

[GDJustin]

Really enjoying LOTRO. I made it up to level 12 this weekend, but then this week I learned that my unplayed copy of Moria I've had in the closet for years I'd actually registered on a different account. I have no memory of doing it... but that's what Turbine support told me.

So, I've spent the last few nights redoing those quests, getting back up to level 12. This time on my premium account. Replaying those ~4 hours was a bummer, but it was the smart thing to do over the long haul.

I think F2P is a great decision for the game. I think the model is *more* friendly to players - not less. With a F2P model once you buy content you own access to it forever. In subscription MMOs you can give them hundreds of dollars, but stop paying, and everything is taken away. In LOTRO, if you pay $100s of dollars you get to keep access to everything you bought.

That being said, the business model certainly can't be praised for its simplicity. WoW is simple. $15 a month, that's it. You practically need a college degree to fully understand LOTRO, in comparison.

Since I own MoM, my rough plan right now is to subscribe until I hit MoM content, so I don't have to worry about quest packs. Then downgrade from VIP to premium to work my way through the MoM stuff. Further out than that I haven't decided.

Quest packs for the low-level (pre-MoM) stuff kinda sucks. I imagine that some day I'll want to go back and wrap up those deeds, but I won't be able to without subbing or buying the quest pack. And after going through the zone once (when leveling), neither of those options will seem appealing. I suppose I can do all the deeds in the free and MoM zones first when I feel like grinding, and that will prob last me a good while...

 

[Schrade]

My kinship just took down Durchest is Barad Guldur for the first time last night We had the unfortunate experience of learning the fight with the horrible 30 second lag spikes the last few weeks. As soon as Turbine finally fixed the stupid lag spikes we were successful.

Feels sooo good to finally get that stupid suit of armor killed!

Now, the onward march to The Lieutenant

 

[GDJustin]

FYI, points just went on sale for PAX. There is a $100 points package that is the cheapest they've ever been, for the super-fans I suppose. The other, smaller point packages are merely "OK." But hey a sale is a sale right? With these sale rates, you can get one point for one cent at the $25 level. Normally you have to spend $50 to get that deal.

http://www.lotro.com/lotrostorepointpromo

For reference, the non-sale point costs:

420 $6.50
1550 $19.50
2500 $29.50
5000 $49.99

Storage (vault/shared/gold/bags) are also 30% off. Some of this (The Vault & Wardrobe upgrades) are the cheapest they have been as well.

I haven't been following LOTRO sales closely. Can someone tell me how likely we are to see a better deal on points specifically, or how frequently they go on sale? I'm considering loading up but would hate to see an even friendlier 2-for-1 sale next month or something.

 

[BattleMonkey]

They have lot of sales, but probably not going to be much better than that for points.

 

[Affeinvasion]

Quest packs for the low-level (pre-MoM) stuff kinda sucks. I imagine that some day I'll want to go back and wrap up those deeds, but I won't be able to without subbing or buying the quest pack. And after going through the zone once (when leveling), neither of those options will seem appealing. I suppose I can do all the deeds in the free and MoM zones first when I feel like grinding, and that will prob last me a good while...

You are allowed to finish quests or deeds that you have started without having to purchase the quest pack. For deeds make sure you're on the advanced level for slayer deeds because the complete a deed thing only goes for one level of it.

 

[GDJustin]

They have lot of sales, but probably not going to be much better than that for points.

Right, I'm curious about points specifically. I'm leaning towards picking up the $25 package. 1 point for 1 cent seems nice, and it's nice to not have to spend $50 to pick up points at that level.

Plus, I don't see myself EVER buying consumables or "convenience" items. So $25 should nab me a lot of quest packs and other content packs if I wait until they are on sale to buy them.

I might go as high as $40... we'll see how much LOTRO grips me over the next couple days I suppose.

 

[Affeinvasion]

I'm thinking about justifying the $40 dollar one so I can load up on quest packs. Also Rise of Isengard comes out in the fall so you can always save them till then.

Edit: My wife will be mad at me because 1) she's out of town and 2) I just got DAII. (and pokemon...oops).

 

[GDJustin]

I'm thinking about justifying the $40 dollar one so I can load up on quest packs. Also Rise of Isengard comes out in the fall so you can always save them till then.

Edit: My wife will be made at me because 1) she's out of town and 2) I just got DAII. (and pokemon...oops).

Yeah .8 cents per point seems nice. I'm looking at the spreadsheet of everything that is for sale in the store:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0As1T2ZXLPqhTdE05T21qYklYRFF3emVuM18zTnU0aGc&hl=en#gid=0

It looks like I should be able to nab every quest pack and skirmish (all the actual content basically) for those 5000 points... esp. if I wait for some of the stuff to go on sale.

So really, this might be all the money I *ever* need to spend on LOTRO, besides going VIP for one month to get those perks. For the Isengard expansion I should be able to pick it up with leftover/earned TP.

The nice thing about the F2P model is that if you're patient you can get double-sales. Buy the points on sale, and then spend the points only when items go on sale. Really stretches out one's dollar.

 

[Affeinvasion]

I'm definitely only planning on grabbing one or two quest packs right now to wait for the other ones to go on sale. (probably Angmar and Misty Mountains...I'm only level 40 but I already have MoM and Mirkwood...lol)

 

[saelz8]

I'm on Brandywine, if anyone wants to join up. I'm a LVL 10 Dwarf Guardian.

Doin stuff in lowlands right now.

I love that this game is free.

 

[Affeinvasion]

I joined my server (Crickhollow) before I even thought about looking to see where the rest of GAF was. Oh well.

 

[GDJustin]

Broke down and bought the $40 pack tonight. Hopefully I can stay strong and not spend it all on non-sale items.

I want to go ahead and sub for a month to get my bags, etc. But I'm worried when I do that's when quest backs will go on sale (it is very very silly that VIPs can't buy them).

 

[GDJustin]

Man... trying to get The Undying on my first-ever LOTRO character, when I don't know the zones (or the game mechanics) that well is a harrowing, stressful experience. I'm level 15 at the moment, with no deaths still. Fingers crossed.

I know you might be thinking "WTF LOTRO levels 1-20 are easy mode" especially since I am a Hunter. And LOTRO seems easier than WoW in general.

That's certainly true but remember, it just takes ONE mistake. You can honestly say you NEVER died in 1-20? I feel like there's always a couple early deaths in MMOs that weren't "your fault" so to speak.

First scare came in Chetwood when there was some named elite Wolf walking around and aggro'd on me. He got a couple hits off and all I could do was pray and run. He finally de-aggro'd after a long-ass time.

Which brings me to an interesting observation - the mobs in LOTRO seem to be VERY fucking persistent. At least compared to WoW. If you aggro a mob but keep running, they follow you for an annoyingly long time, it seems. I swear I've had spiders follow me halfway across the map. But the flipside is that their aggro radius seems to be much smaller. I've practically danced on a brigand's face and not had them pull. So you trade the one for the other I suppose.

Second major scare was last night. Level 15, fighting the spider queen in Midgewater Marsh. She isn't an elite mob or anything, so although I was wary (named mob!) I pulled her basically as normal. But the pull brought her AND three more spiders. I escaped with 50HP and was literally saying "OMG OMG OMG" as I ran.

Rather than wait I tried again. This time I laid a trap (my first one... I'm a noob hunter), and tried to Fear the queen away (she was immune). I also focused down her posse first. Took a lot of damage and chugged a morale draught + pot but was never in any real danger. Burning down her spider buds seems the smart way to do it.

I just know I'm gonna hit level 19 this weekend and then die 2 EXP bars from 20.

 

[Relax.MX]

I want to try this game but Pando Media cause me problems with the download ¿any help?

 

[LiquidMetal14]

Downloading this now. Worth a shot at least.

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

I recently started this game for the first time and I have to say 2 things, one good and one bad.

The good first, the game is pretty amazing. I like it a lot, in fact I couldn't believe it was free. Put loads of hours into it. I think my hunter is level 30 now and I just completed most of what there is to do in the lone-lands.

The bad news? And this may be my fault for not researching but this game may be free to play, and may be possible to get a lot done without paying, but man does it suck that it has to be this way. I basically have almost nothing left to do in the game unless I buy some quest packs, but I don't want to. The whole reason I played was because I thought everything was free and the only thing that would cost money would be totally bonus stuff. I should have checked, it is a tad disappointing. In my head I tried justifying getting a certain amount of points but I just don't want to as that would have defeated the whole purpose for me. I really wish I had access to more content so I could continue but I guess it was not to be

Meh...just disappointed is all because I was having fun. Just not enough to warrant buying shit considering how much money I've spent recently on a 3DS and whatnot.

 

[GDJustin]

I recently started this game for the first time and I have to say 2 things, one good and one bad.

The good first, the game is pretty amazing. I like it a lot, in fact I couldn't believe it was free. Put loads of hours into it. I think my hunter is level 30 now and I just completed most of what there is to do in the lone-lands.

The bad news? And this may be my fault for not researching but this game may be free to play, and may be possible to get a lot done without paying, but man does it suck that it has to be this way. I basically have almost nothing left to do in the game unless I buy some quest packs, but I don't want to. The whole reason I played was because I thought everything was free and the only thing that would cost money would be totally bonus stuff. I should have checked, it is a tad disappointing. In my head I tried justifying getting a certain amount of points but I just don't want to as that would have defeated the whole purpose for me. I really wish I had access to more content so I could continue but I guess it was not to be

Meh...just disappointed is all because I was having fun. Just not enough to warrant buying shit considering how much money I've spent recently on a 3DS and whatnot.

If you like the game, and it sounds like you do (you describe it as amazing!) then spend some money on it! That's how this industry works. LOTRO is veeerrrry generous when it comes to the amount of free content you get, and how generous it is to its f2P players. Compared to others that have gone F2P, including Turbine's own DDO.

But... the game is still a business. They need people that like it to give them money, in some capacity.

If you're ADAMANT about not spending money, the entire Epic Quest line is free, all the way to max level. You can grind out deeds in the "free" zones to earn enough TP to probably by the first Quest Pack you would need to progress, too But honestly, it's time to give Turbine some money.

The best thing for you to do right now would probably be to buy a boxed copy of the Mines of Moria expansion. It is $25 on Amazon... might be cheaper elsewhere: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001FS7FE0/?tag=neogaf0e-20

It includes one month of "subscription" (ie VIP) service. VIP players are the ones still paying the monthly fee, and they get access to everything in the game. All quests, etc.

The other key point I would make is that F2P allows players to play at their own pace. With a subscription, you need to feel like you're getting your money's worth. But if you buy some Turbine Points (they're on sale now) you can go at whatever pace you like. Buy a quest pack and play once a month (or less) if you want. The content will still be waiting for you, unlocked, at any point in the future.

That's the big beef I have with the subscription model. I talked about it in a previous post. Give Blizz $100 for WoW and the moment you unsub you lose access to everything. Buy $100 worth of LOTRO content, and you have access to it forever.

 

[BattleMonkey]

I recently started this game for the first time and I have to say 2 things, one good and one bad.

The good first, the game is pretty amazing. I like it a lot, in fact I couldn't believe it was free. Put loads of hours into it. I think my hunter is level 30 now and I just completed most of what there is to do in the lone-lands.

The bad news? And this may be my fault for not researching but this game may be free to play, and may be possible to get a lot done without paying, but man does it suck that it has to be this way. I basically have almost nothing left to do in the game unless I buy some quest packs, but I don't want to. The whole reason I played was because I thought everything was free and the only thing that would cost money would be totally bonus stuff. I should have checked, it is a tad disappointing. In my head I tried justifying getting a certain amount of points but I just don't want to as that would have defeated the whole purpose for me. I really wish I had access to more content so I could continue but I guess it was not to be

Meh...just disappointed is all because I was having fun. Just not enough to warrant buying shit considering how much money I've spent recently on a 3DS and whatnot.

Just buy one quest pack at a time, as they really are not that expensive. You will usually spend most of your time in a single zone for a range of levels so buy a quest pack for a particular zone and if you get through it and want more, buy another. It's still cheaper than subscribing and you buy when you want to or need it.

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

Thanks for the replies, and yeah I described it as amazing but probably because it was free, lol.

But I'll definitely consider it, I'm just weighing the options in my head, seeing what the best thing to do is. I've put major hours into it, shit has been CRACK since I started so I don't want it to be wasted time. I really only started playing to make time go faster in anticipation of march 27th, lulz, have nothing else to play. So maybe I will just get one quest pack, see how it goes. And I definitely understand they have a business to run but I kind of wish they made their money in ways other than holding back quests, but I guess that's just the idealist in me. Though this model where you can choose what you want is a lot better than a subscription based one.

I read that if you buy any amount TP from the store it automatically bumps you up for a month, and you keep the bonuses afterward?

 

[GDJustin]

I read that if you buy any amount TP from the store it automatically bumps you up for a month, and you keep the bonuses afterward?

There are three member levels - Free players, Premium players (Any player that has ever paid money into the system), and VIP players (Those paying the monthly subscription fee).

http://www.lotro.com/betasignup/vipchart.html

So yo can become "premium" by buying any points pack, subbing for a month, etc. Premium status does bring some perks (higher Gold cap) but it mostly removes restrictions on auctions, Mail, chat etc. Turbine couldn't have 1 million free players gaming the system, griefing, etc. So they make people pay in $ to unlock most communication/interaction options.

The VIP situation is a little different.

Everyone suggest subscribing to LOTRO for a month to get VIP status (unlocking everything), and then letting that subscription drop. The reason is that once you drop back down to premium, you do lose access to some stuff, but you keep access to a lot of stuff, too. You permanently get two more bags, the gold cap is removed, your character trait cap is removed, etc. These are all things you normally would have to buy individually from the store.

It sounds confusing. It kinda is. But it's not as complex as it seems.

Bottom line is subbing for one month permanently unlocks stuff that non-subbers have to pay $ for. Edit: On the chart above, Inventory, Gold Limit, and Traits stay at the VIP level, even when you unsub and go back to premium.

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

edit: ah nvm figured it out, thanks for the help. Guess I'll see.

 

[GDJustin]

Sigh... died at level 16 If I used my hourly revival thing, it still counts as a defeat for the Undefeated title, right?

It was through ridiculousness, too. I was just cruising long, questing, and did a group quest alone without noticing. Got ganked.

 

[ag-my001]

Sorry to hear you lost the Undying title, but you can always try again in the future. That warg in Chetwood probably followed so long because he was a rare mob that will drop a shard when defeated. They have a larger "home" area, so it can take a bit to get them out of it and reset.

Spoiler

My hunter died at 19.5 when the group MIN fell off a bridge...

As for the money/points stuff, you're right, buying the larger points on sale with the bonus points being added in can really stretch the dollars spent. I've got kin mates with lifetime accounts that spent the money, all so they can buy Empowerment scrolls easily and not have to deal with the grind coming in the update on the 21st. The sales can be very tempting, which is exactly what Turbine needs to do to keep subscribers like me spending TP. One key change in the update seems to be doing just that: relics will no longer deslot when you deconstruct a legendary item. They're revamping the relic system, and some really good current relics are being taken out of the game, so the only way to hold onto them is to use a scroll ONLY available through the store. Being able to customize your LIs will reduce the need for this, but then 1st Age LIs will come in, then a level cap increase, and so on. Anything to make subs and lifetimers use up their TP so they have to spend money on the next expansion.

 

[GDJustin]

Can I get an invite to the gaf guild? I'm baranbor.

 

[Affeinvasion]

I bought the 40 bucks worth of points (I'll get yelled at by my wife), but I figure with the original purchase price of the Mines of Moria expansion (which includes a month of VIP) + that I can open up the entire game via quest pack purchases. Not bad for a mmo in which I payed the same price as an Xbox game.

 

[Grayman]

I want to try this game but Pando Media cause me problems with the download ¿any help?

I got it from fileplanet a few weeks or a month ago. My link in chrome is dead though. I think this is the same file, http://www.fileplanet.com/213014/210000/fileinfo/The-Lord-of-the-Rings-Online-(Free-Game) and it may be on other sites. I had problems getting registered though. I had to send in a support ticket and wait a day or two to use my original turbine account (AC1 subs, free DDO and points)

That's the big beef I have with the subscription model. I talked about it in a previous post. Give Blizz $100 for WoW and the moment you unsub you lose access to everything. Buy $100 worth of LOTRO content, and you have access to it forever.

As a customer I love the free time but paid content model. I think it also works out good for the providers depending on what their variable expenses are. With a pay to play game the player has to firmly quit for awhile. The games that offer unlimited time are open to playing for just an hour and that might create a spark that leads to a purchase. I know I have bought Guild Wars and DDO content just because the old game was still there to play one day.

 

[GDJustin]

Yeah... the label "free to play" probably needs to go, because it ends up being very misleading. I think "Pay as you go" would probably be better.

LOTRO has a messaging problem in general. It's another thing I mentioned earlier. It's a goddamn mess figuring out what is and isn't included in various tiers, what is bought on a per account basis and what is bought on a per character basis, etc.

IT's very confusing and I get the feeling that it is turning away some potential fans.

 

[Izayoi]

Sigh... died at level 16 If I used my hourly revival thing, it still counts as a defeat for the Undefeated title, right?

No, the title is gone if you die - doesn't matter how you rez yourself.

 

[Evenball]

Yeah... the label "free to play" probably needs to go, because it ends up being very misleading. I think "Pay as you go" would probably be better.

LOTRO has a messaging problem in general. It's another thing I mentioned earlier. It's a goddamn mess figuring out what is and isn't included in various tiers, what is bought on a per account basis and what is bought on a per character basis, etc.

IT's very confusing and I get the feeling that it is turning away some potential fans.

Funny, I have a second free account I have not paid any money into and so far I've bought Eregion, Angmar, North Downs, Evendim, Moria and Enedwaith quest packs, plus i just got the gold cap limit lifted with 500 tp to spare. now to get another 500 and buy mirkwood and I'll almost have the whole game free.

 

[Sportbilly]

I quite fancy getting into this; I don't have a lot of time to spare so the free to play model is a lot more attractive than a monthly sub would be. Is it possible to do a lot of the content solo though, as I'm not too keen on having to join guilds, be part of raiding parties etc?

 

[GDJustin]

I quite fancy getting into this; I don't have a lot of time to spare so the free to play model is a lot more attractive than a monthly sub would be. Is it possible to do a lot of the content solo though, as I'm not too keen on having to join guilds, be part of raiding parties etc?

The game was redesigned recently to be much more solo friendly. You should be totally fine.

And yeah, if you're a slow player f2p is perfect.

 

[GDJustin]

Apologies for the double-post, but is the Brandywine GAF guild still alive? I added the three officers listed in the OP to my friends list, and none of them have been signed on in the last three weeks...

 

[Spire]

Apologies for the double-post, but is the Brandywine GAF guild still alive? I added the three officers listed in the OP to my friends list, and none of them have been signed on in the last three weeks...

No, not at the moment. We'll be back on when the patch hits, but right now the guild is pretty dead. I could log on and add you just so you'd have a kinship house to hearth too, but there is usually nobody on.

 

[DiscoJer]

Funny, I have a second free account I have not paid any money into and so far I've bought Eregion, Angmar, North Downs, Evendim, Moria and Enedwaith quest packs, plus i just got the gold cap limit lifted with 500 tp to spare. now to get another 500 and buy mirkwood and I'll almost have the whole game free.

While it's true you can earn enough TP in the game to buy everything, in terms of time spent, it's less cost effective than say, recycling cans. It's like 50 cents an hour at most.

And most TP comes from doing the slayer deeds, which is mind numbingly boring (at least I find it to be). But some people don't mind grinding, and in all honesty, those sort of people are who LOTRO is for. The game has more grinding in it than anything else I've played - deeds, reputation, skirmish soldier stats, and then when you get Legendary Items, grinding reaches an all new level, because at endgame, LIs are basically how your character advances in power.

But hey, don't worry, you don't have to grind anymore if you pull out your credit card and spend spend spend to buy the LI you want, rather than it being full of random crap. At least that's what the next update will bring.

I quite fancy getting into this; I don't have a lot of time to spare so the free to play model is a lot more attractive than a monthly sub would be. Is it possible to do a lot of the content solo though, as I'm not too keen on having to join guilds, be part of raiding parties etc?

Yes. I've soloed to 65 on my Champ (since when I started playing 2 years ago, the game was pretty much a ghost town). You miss out on a lot of content though. Some of it is being revised, the epic quests, but still, you can't get very good gear if you don't group a lot (since even to craft good stuff, you need drops that only happen when grouping...)

As a result, my 65 champ with the best gear I can afford, is weaker than most 50 level characters in their top raid gear. And since unfortunately, the designers seem to assume players have raid gear, PvE can be really tough. I couldn't even get into Mirkwood until I was 64...

 

[Sportbilly]

Yes. I've soloed to 65 on my Champ (since when I started playing 2 years ago, the game was pretty much a ghost town). You miss out on a lot of content though. Some of it is being revised, the epic quests, but still, you can't get very good gear if you don't group a lot (since even to craft good stuff, you need drops that only happen when grouping...)

As a result, my 65 champ with the best gear I can afford, is weaker than most 50 level characters in their top raid gear. And since unfortunately, the designers seem to assume players have raid gear, PvE can be really tough. I couldn't even get into Mirkwood until I was 64...

The game was redesigned recently to be much more solo friendly. You should be totally fine.

And yeah, if you're a slow player f2p is perfect.

Great, thanks for the replies. I'll start off soloing, and if I really get into it maybe see about hooking up with some others.

 

[Izayoi]

No, not at the moment. We'll be back on when the patch hits, but right now the guild is pretty dead. I could log on and add you just so you'd have a kinship house to hearth too, but there is usually nobody on.

Patch? Are they finally adding content?

 

[GDJustin]

Hit level 22 last night. 23 hours /played. WAY too much for how long I've had the game installed, but I think it'll be slowing down soon as I don't want to buy quest packs until they go on sale. Although I guess since I'm VIP for a month maybe I should try to burn through North Downs or something.

I joined a friendly Kinship at random - they were just recruiting in a chat channel. They're fine but are kind-of creepily over friendly. No joke, the first evening I joined every 10 minutes it was "Hey brok how's it going? Need any help with anything?" When I told them I was logging it was "see you tomorrow bro!"

I mentioned I was buying my horse and the next day the guild leader mailed me 500s horse money, ha. If I quit within the next couple weeks for the GAF kinship I'll prob mail it back.

Since I'm 22 now I can do the first two GB instances... hope to get to run them tonight. I'm very familiar with WoW but haven't run a LOTRO group dungeon yet. Anything I need to know, or will I be fine as a WoW vet?

 

[Haeleos]

Hit level 22 last night. 23 hours /played. WAY too much for how long I've had the game installed, but I think it'll be slowing down soon as I don't want to buy quest packs until they go on sale. Although I guess since I'm VIP for a month maybe I should try to burn through North Downs or something.

I joined a friendly Kinship at random - they were just recruiting in a chat channel. They're fine but are kind-of creepily over friendly. No joke, the first evening I joined every 10 minutes it was "Hey brok how's it going? Need any help with anything?" When I told them I was logging it was "see you tomorrow bro!"

I mentioned I was buying my horse and the next day the guild leader mailed me 500s horse money, ha. If I quit within the next couple weeks for the GAF kinship I'll prob mail it back.

Since I'm 22 now I can do the first two GB instances... hope to get to run them tonight. I'm very familiar with WoW but haven't run a LOTRO group dungeon yet. Anything I need to know, or will I be fine as a WoW vet?

Maybe it just seems like they are "over friendly" because you're coming from WoW.

Only difference about raiding in LotRO is that you can use CTRL-J to set the difficulty/level of the Great Barrows, and you can do fellowship maneuvers in groups.

 

[GDJustin]

I did end up running GB Maze and GB Thad today, like I wanted. Ended up being a pretty disappointing and frustrating experience overall. No one is more surprised about this than me... I've been gushing about LOTRO and single-handedly resurrecting this thread for pages, now.

First off, it took FOREVER to get a group. And this is on Brandywine, supposedly the busiest server. We had DPS, someone that could heal or DPS, and someone that could tank or DPS. This means we literally needed any player, of any class, and we could not find *anyone*.

I was literally spamming LFF, OOC, Regional, asking for a single player of any class for a GB run, and got no response. Sat there forever like that before we finally got a 6th.

Second, half the group were my guildmates and they were level ~32, but the instance was tuned to 22, my level. So it ended up being kind of a mess to run through. We just sprinted through both dungeons.

Lastly, the instances just weren't that impressive. Maze especially is not really the sort of dungeon an MMO wants to lead off with. I mean... it's a maze. Just not a good design choice from Turbine.

The design of the overworld zones, quests, interiors, classes... it's all been extremely impressive and I've loved ALL of it. So to go into my first LOTRO 6man and have it feel like a lower-tier WoW dungeon was disappointing.

The fact that this dungeon is the first in the game, is in a F2P zone, and I'm on Brandywine, and in a Kinship, and *still* had trouble getting a group doesn't bode well. I'm thinking I'll probably never get to see the Angmar, Evindim, or North Downs 6mans. What are the odds that I'll find enough level-appropriate people with those quest packs?

Anyway, this is just one blemish on a game I'm otherwise enjoying a good deal.

 

[Haeleos]

Turbine is running a nice deal this weekend: 20% off everything in your cart this weekend in the LotRO store. The code is "20PERCENTCART0311". One use only. The coupon is also displayed at the top of the LotRO store in game.

 

[Dorrin]

I did end up running GB Maze and GB Thad today, like I wanted. Ended up being a pretty disappointing and frustrating experience overall. No one is more surprised about this than me... I've been gushing about LOTRO and single-handedly resurrecting this thread for pages, now.

First off, it took FOREVER to get a group. And this is on Brandywine, supposedly the busiest server. We had DPS, someone that could heal or DPS, and someone that could tank or DPS. This means we literally needed any player, of any class, and we could not find *anyone*.

I was literally spamming LFF, OOC, Regional, asking for a single player of any class for a GB run, and got no response. Sat there forever like that before we finally got a 6th.

Second, half the group were my guildmates and they were level ~32, but the instance was tuned to 22, my level. So it ended up being kind of a mess to run through. We just sprinted through both dungeons.

Lastly, the instances just weren't that impressive. Maze especially is not really the sort of dungeon an MMO wants to lead off with. I mean... it's a maze. Just not a good design choice from Turbine.

The design of the overworld zones, quests, interiors, classes... it's all been extremely impressive and I've loved ALL of it. So to go into my first LOTRO 6man and have it feel like a lower-tier WoW dungeon was disappointing.

The fact that this dungeon is the first in the game, is in a F2P zone, and I'm on Brandywine, and in a Kinship, and *still* had trouble getting a group doesn't bode well. I'm thinking I'll probably never get to see the Angmar, Evindim, or North Downs 6mans. What are the odds that I'll find enough level-appropriate people with those quest packs?

Anyway, this is just one blemish on a game I'm otherwise enjoying a good deal.

My experiences seem to be in line with yours, also on Brandywine. I usually notice around 400 people in the glff channel. I started playing back in the first part of January and started with a hunter who is currently lvl 25. I actually found pretty decent PUG groups for him but that was about a month ago, only died maybe once and did multiple runs, I think some of the player base might be playing Rift right now.

During my one VIP month I leveled up a Loremaster to lvl 21. I actually just got done doing my first PUG with him an hour ago... took awhile to get going and when it did.. wow much harder then my hunter and just got stomped. I don't know maybe just bad luck. Having come from a EQ/DAoC background I was experienced with mezz but apparently the group was not. I think the name of the game is really just DPS as it is usually tank,healer,captian,dps x 3, sort of leaves Loremasters a bit out in the cold. I know Loremasters have a role in the endgame and I like soloing him but...

I've also played a bit of the Captain but he is only lvl 8.

 

[Affeinvasion]

Loremasters can lay down some serious damage in conjunction with others but mezzing is kind of meh.

I'm on Crickhollow and I very rarely have trouble finding groups to run instances. Great Barrow sucks though. Once I got the barrow marks to get the armor I never went back.

Skirmishes are more fun and once you get to the Angmar/Helegrod instances its much better. Honestly early leveling is all about soloing.

 

[GDJustin]

Is the Far Chetwood area North of Bree actually used for anything? I finished every single Bree quest tonight, and none of them led me into it. Out of curiosity I poked around anyway, and came across a unique mob (Wolverine), Crebon, a lake... a whole bunch of stuff. But near as I can tell the game never drivs players there.

Bree ended a bit anti-climactically, but I think that's because Turbine intentionally has the zones melt into one another. I had the Lone Lands and North Downs breadcrumb quests when I still had loads of Bree quests to complete, for example. I completed the Bree portion of the Epic Quest completed well before the rest of Bree was done too.

But still, it was a bit jarring to turn in my final Bree quest, have a ranger basically just say "thanks!" and have that be it, with me left standing there with nothing to do but head on to the next zone.



Anyway, besides the Great Barrow hiccup I related a few days ago in this thread, I'm still enjoying LOTRO immensely. Everyone always says that LOTRO unlike other MMOs truly is about the journey, not the destination. I've found this to be the case with me, as well. For one, I've been reading *all* quest text. I mean, why not? I tried to in WoW but I found it to be too insipid and, well... pointless. It largely felt the same and I felt like I was wasting my time.

I find LOTRO's to be much more worthwhile. Even the "Go kill 10 boars" quest text is more interesting than WoW. The both boil down to the same thing (boar killin'!), but in LOTRO the writing is... good. When I got to Lone Lands this evening, I actually wanted to learn why these people wanted me to kill boars, and I cared about how their reasons were different than the reasons Bree quest-givers had, if that makes ense.

Additionally, I've been completing literally every single quest. Earlier this week I reached an inflection point, where I simply had too many Bree quests. I had out-leveled some, just through normal play. They were completely gray. Several more were green. I had a choice to make - drop these quests (which is what I would have done in any other MMO), or complete them. I wouldn't get anything worthwhile for completing them, but I figured... why NOT do it? The game has been out years... who am I racing against to ding lvl 30 this week, or next week?

So, my leveling pace slowed significantly by doing grey and green quests for a couple nights, but I'm much happier for it. I completed all the quest chains that I started, and got my quest log down from 15-20 to ~5 before moving on to the next zone.

One thing I don't see brought up much is that LOTRO seems designed to encourage this slow play pace, and WoW seems designed to encourage the exact opposite - a sprint to max level. It's a lot of subtle things -

- The quest text itself. Yes the threats in LOTRO are dire, but quest givers in LOTRO have a more laid-back approach. Investigate this region, get vengeance on these orcs. WoW, in comparison, makes you feel like shit is going to implode if you don't get on it RIGHT NOW.

- Zone design. LOTRO zones are expansive, and intentionally built with lots and lots of room to breath. The Shire has many hobbit farms that serve no specific purpose. Players do move in a general direction across a zone, but they criss-cross a lot. This gives the zones an almost languid feel. WoW zones, in comparison, are incredibly lean, with absolutely no wasted space. Quests will take you on a tour of every square inch of a zone, from start to finish.

- Fluid dungeon requirements. There is no need to do GB at level 22-24. You can do it whenever you want. Whenever you get around to it. Because it scales.

- More non-gameplay rewards. Player housing in LOTRO serves no purpose. No gameplay purpose, I should say. But... owning a home and decorating it is still compelling as hell. I spent a good while tweaking and decorating my new home last night, and those were all minutes not spent leveling. It has NO bearing on a character's progress. WoW, in comparison, has no systems like this. By design, every single thing a player can do in-game ultimately leads back to advancement. Even fishing.

In fact, fishing is a great example. A perfect little window into the subtle difference of in philosophy between two otherwise very similar games. In WoW, players fish to get mats for Raid Food. In LOTRO, players fish to have something impressive to take to a taxidermist, to hang on their wall.


...this ended up being very long winded. Anyway, my ultimate point is that LOTRO is often written off as a less-polished WoW clone with a great license. In some ways this can be true (the lack of polish in things like the auction & mail UI is painful, coming from WoW). But overall, I think this judgement is very unfair to LOTRO. It's clear that Turbine has been very thoughtful with the tone Lord of the Rings Online projects. Virtually everything, from top to bottom, gives players subtle cues to slow the heck down and actually enjoy the MMO ride, for once.

It worked on me, which is incredible. I used to be a Quest Helper, "follow the arrow and ding max level as fast as possible" guy. But now, in LOTRO, I was most excited to move on to Lone Lands not because it would bring with it better loot and tougher enemies. But because I get to experience a little more of the world Turbine has built, and interact with more of the people that are populating it.

 

[Izayoi]

Is the Far Chetwood area North of Bree actually used for anything? I finished every single Bree quest tonight, and none of them led me into it. Out of curiosity I poked around anyway, and came across a unique mob (Wolverine), Crebon, a lake... a whole bunch of stuff. But near as I can tell the game never drivs players there.

There were a few quests there before the Bree revamp, like killing turtles and stuff. I think there are still a handful of quests post-revamp in North Bree that will send you over there, can't remember for the life of me where you get them though (the ones pre-revamp could be acquired at Hengstacer’s Farm).

Anyway, I think it's kind of nice. Just a little area to explore with no real rhyme or reason for it. I like that in MMOs. Keeps some places low-traffic and lets me just wander around.

 

[DiscoJer]

...this ended up being very long winded. Anyway, my ultimate point is that LOTRO is often written off as a less-polished WoW clone with a great license.

When I first started playing (2 1/2 years ago) I thought it was amazing, so I blew the money on a Lifetime sub after only a month.

Then I played more. It stopped being fun in the late 20s. I kept playing, determined to get my $300 worth. But it took me 6 months to get to the mid 30s (I just couldn't bear to play it more than a little), then I just quit (until the F2P announcement when I decided to finally get my money's worth).

You don't mind killing boars now. But can you take continuing to do that? 'Cause you will. 30-45 in this game is terrible. It's better than it was (and they finally, after 3 1/2 years, realized that the 30s sucked because they just revamped Evendim in the upcoming patch), but there's a reason the game is a massive failure considering the magnitude of its license.

You're also not taking into account the slow pace of new content. Fishing you seem to love so much? Notice how it's under the "Hobbies" tab? How many other hobbies are there? Zero. 3 years since they added it and haven't added any more. (And mind you, as fishing never changes or gets any challenging or more rewarding, it's not much of a hobby).

 

[Spire]

Patch? Are they finally adding content?

Yup.

 

[Izayoi]

Yup.

Hm... is Ost Dunhoth going to be a level 65 raid?

Will it need Dol Guldur gear? Pretty sure my LM has most of it.

When I first started playing (2 1/2 years ago) I thought it was amazing, so I blew the money on a Lifetime sub after only a month.

Then I played more. It stopped being fun in the late 20s. I kept playing, determined to get my $300 worth. But it took me 6 months to get to the mid 30s (I just couldn't bear to play it more than a little), then I just quit (until the F2P announcement when I decided to finally get my money's worth).

You don't mind killing boars now. But can you take continuing to do that? 'Cause you will. 30-45 in this game is terrible. It's better than it was (and they finally, after 3 1/2 years, realized that the 30s sucked because they just revamped Evendim in the upcoming patch), but there's a reason the game is a massive failure considering the magnitude of its license.

You're also not taking into account the slow pace of new content. Fishing you seem to love so much? Notice how it's under the "Hobbies" tab? How many other hobbies are there? Zero. 3 years since they added it and haven't added any more. (And mind you, as fishing never changes or gets any challenging or more rewarding, it's not much of a hobby).

Aw man, sucks that you didn't enjoy it. I loved every second of leveling. Part of that is just exploring. The world is so huge and gorgeous that even now I could go back and run an alt through and still have fun - and that's after six level 65's.

I love the game just because of the atmosphere. Every area seems different and fresh. If WoW could capture this kind of feeling I would be all over it, but I get the exact same reaction to that game as you do to LoTRO.

 

[GDJustin]

There were a few quests there before the Bree revamp, like killing turtles and stuff. I think there are still a handful of quests post-revamp in North Bree that will send you over there, can't remember for the life of me where you get them though (the ones pre-revamp could be acquired at Hengstacer’s Farm).

Anyway, I think it's kind of nice. Just a little area to explore with no real rhyme or reason for it. I like that in MMOs. Keeps some places low-traffic and lets me just wander around.

You still kill turtles up there. But not in the actual spot on the map labeled Far Chetwood. You kill the turtles a bit further north than that. Along with a Tree Golem thing, and a couple others.

I just did the quests tonight, in fact.

 

[Schrade]

Hm... is Ost Dunhoth going to be a level 65 raid?

Will it need Dol Guldur gear? Pretty sure my LM has most of it.
.

They're removing radiance, so no.

It will take some pretty good/experienced people probably. At least you won't have to worry about radiance.

Lots of changes coming for Hunters, Legendary Items and Minstrels. I'm excited about the new 3 man and 6 man instances they're adding.