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[LOTRO] - From The Shire to Mordor and Back Again (and again, and again...)
JaysonFour
Classy Monster KittehRegistered User regular
Classy Monster KittehRegistered User regular
An MMO based off the works of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic fantasy saga "The Lord of the Rings". You create a character, find your fate entwined with that of Middle-Earth, and set off on an epic journey through the world of Middle Earth during the books... and then beyond. While not as technically up-to-speed as games like World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy XIV, the story-driven gameplay, combined with excellent writing and a wonderful player community. One of the absolute best MMOs out there for players looking for a slow, casual and solo-player friendly fantasy MMO.
The Story So Far: The war against Sauron is over, with his defeat at Mordor (as seen at the end of "The Return of the King", but the struggle against the darkness that still pervades Mordor is ongoing as dark forces scramble to hold what they can and take what they want. But currently, our eyes are drawn to the dwarves- with the struggle against Sauron over, they've been free to focus on reclaiming more of their homelands and legacies from the orc hordes that have held them for ages. The current expansion- Fate of Gundabad- is the epic conclusion to this tale.
RACE AND CLASS INFO:
There are seven different races to choose from, with several different cosmetic sets to choose from based on where you decide they hail from (a human hailing from Bree will have different eye colors, hair colors, etc. than one hailing from Rohan, for example). Four are free-to-play, while three must be bought. Each race has a selection of classes it can take, though they're better at some than others. Each race has some strengths and drawbacks, but unless you're specifically planning a build that is optimized for super-high-end raiding, play what appeals to you.
Races:
Beorning - are locked into one class, also called "Beorning".
Beornings descend from ancient Men, and can "skin-change" into bears when angered. They are gruff, distrustful, impolite, respect all creatures of nature, and hate Orcs more than anything.
The Beornings have a famous affinity with animals, which they foster and keep in their homes more as friends than as pets or livestock. Beorn, the former chief of the Beornings, was known to speak with animals and understand their own speech - many of his descendants have fostered this talent.
This uncommon ability is supplanted by a greater gift; Beorn could change into the shape of a bear. This skill has been passed down through the generations, such that most if not all of the Beornings can muster the change. Most do so only in great need or at festivals that come with the changing of the seasons and phases of the moon. No stranger has ever witnessed the transformation. Beorning women also have this ability, and they share the robust physicality of the Beornings.
The Beorning race must be bought from the online cash shop.
Dwarves can find themselves as brawlers, champions, guardians, hunters, minstrels, or rune-keepers.
Dwellers of stone and miners of metal, the Dwarves are a doughty folk, resistant to the corruption of the Enemy -- but not to greed.
Dwarves can be excellent warriors, displaying unique toughness in battle and ability to craft great things.
The stout Dwarves of Middle-earth are known for their steadfast determination, hearty strength, and commitment to all things found in the world’s deep places. Living a secretive life in their homes beneath the great mountains, Dwarves are expert miners and workers of stone and metal. They stand on average four-and-a-half to five feet high, and live long lives, occasionally reaching an age of 250 years.
Elves can be brawlers, champions, guardians, hunters, lore-masters, minstrels, rune-keepers or wardens.
Long ago, the Elves, also known as the Fair Folk, welcomed the younger Races of Middle-earth and allied with them when the need was great, but centuries of war, betrayal, and hardship have made them fiercely protective of their seclusion.
Tall and strong, fair and graceful, Elves have keen senses and a deep affinity for the beauty of the natural world. Throughout the ages, the deeds and struggles of the noble races of Elves have been entwined with the history of Middle-earth. Elves do not grow old as other races do — there are Elves abroad in Middle-earth today who still remember their youth in the First Age. They remember all too well the devastation caused by the tides of evil that once darkened the land — a shadow that threatens to do so once again. In ages past, the Elves divided into many different groups, and settled throughout Middle-earth, primarily in the ancient forested realms where they still live.
High Elves can be brawlers, captains, champions, guardians, hunters, lore-masters, minstrels, rune-keepers or wardens.
High Elves, who have beheld the beauty of Valinor, possess grace and strength beyond even their woodland kin. Those few who remain yearn to see that Middle-earth is safe to bequeath to Men before they depart for the Undying Lands.
The High Elf race must be bought from the cash shop.
Hobbits can be brawlers, burglars, guardians, hunters, minstrels or wardens.
Happiest when enjoying a simple life with six square meals a day, Hobbits are a solid and dependable Race when called to action.
There are few recorded deeds of Hobbits until late in the Third Age of Middle-earth, which is just the way Hobbits prefer it. They are a simple, quiet folk, preferring to dwell in hillside holes in and around the land known as The Shire. These small folk enjoy the peaceful endeavors of farming, eating and gift giving, rather than concerning themselves with the dangerous affairs of the rest of Middle-earth.
In these dark days, however, it is the unassuming Hobbits, with their often surprising cleverness in both word and action, that will have the greatest impact in the war between the Free Peoples of Middle-earth and the lengthening shadows of evil... from Angmar, to the north.
Men (a.k.a. humans) - capable of becoming brawlers, burglars, captains, champions, guardians, hunters, lore-masters, minstrels or wardens.
The Race of Man is the shortest-lived of the Races of Middle-earth, yet it is also the race destined to rule in the years beyond the Third Age. Their mortality was considered a unique gift, but in time it became known as “The Doom of Men” and the source of lamentation. Men and Women are capable of great courage and honour, yet they can also easily fall prey to ambition, deceit and betrayal.
Stout-Axe Dwarves - capable of becoming brawlers, burglars, champions, guardians, hunters, minstrels and rune-keepers.
The Stout-axes were once a part of one of the Seven Houses of the Dwarves, known as Drása's Folk. Brought to ruin by their desire for the Ring granted to them by Sauron, Drása's Folk doomed their descendants to an era of thralldom in the Black Land.
Classes:
Each class in LOTRO is derived from a specific character from the Lord of the Rings book series. There are eleven different classes to choose from.
Beornings are inspired by Beorn, the skinchanger that Bilbo Baggins and the dwarves encounter in "The Hobbit", and who stood besides the Free Peoples (the PC races) during the Battle of Five Armies. Able to switch between bear and human forms, they pack a lot of physical power and decent healing into one package. If I had to compare them to a D&D class, they'd be a barbarian with some heals tacked on, only instead of raging, you turn into a bear.
Role: Tank or Healer
Brawlers are inspired by Helm Hammerhand, the legendary king of Rohan (and namesake of Helm's Deep) who would ride into battle with little more than his armor and a pair of heavy gauntlets to knock around his enemies with his fists. Brawlers are very good at physical DPS and are shaping up to be decent tanks, too. These guys are pretty much just monks with heavy armor, but next to no ranged attacks. If you pick this one, be prepped to get up close and personal.
Role: Physical DPS or Tank
Burglars are inspired by Bilbo Baggins himself, the hobbit in question of the book of the same name. Preferring to always strike from behind and assist the heavier fighters, and then slink away once he'd drawn their attention. Burglars are really good support characters who are obviously the rogue-types of the game, relying on special attacks called Tricks to debuff opponents and pile on damage. They work very well as support, but are kind of squishy if caught up-front.
Role: Physical DPS, Support
Captains are inspired by Earnur, the last King of Gondor, renowned for his skills with lore-master magic and with a blade- and that pretty much tells you all you need to know about the class- normally run a paladin? This is your class. Capable of dishing out both healing magic and awfully good with a blade, and the Herald pet they get that can fight alongside them and be the recipient of those buffs...
Role: Physical DPS, Support
Champions are inspired by Gimli, son of Gloin. This would be your basic kill-everything-that-moves offensive warrior- capable of dual-wielding and different stances that can either enhance defense or offense at the cost of the other, and tend to go for AoE physical moves. Some people think a champion can tank, I haven't seen much to that effect- but if you want to thrash things with lots of sharp edges, this is the class for you.
Role: Physical DPS
Guardians are inspired by Samwise Gamgee, who went out of his way to constantly protect his best friend Frodo Baggins during the events of the Lord of the Rings books. This is a class pretty much made for tanking- heavy armor, big shield, and really high defense with lots of taunts to pull aggro.
Role: Tank
Hunters are inspired by Legolas, Prince of Mirkwood, the crackshot with a bow and bash buddy of Gimli. Think of this class as a ranger- over time, it gets abilities to let you fast-travel all over the known world, track enemies down (even hidden ones), and generally hit from afar. You can also lay traps for enemies. I recommend that everyone at least roll one hunter to accomplish deeds with in order to grind up free stuff for your account/other characters,
Role: Physical DPS
Lore-masters are scholars who have spent long days and nights studying the secrets of Middle-Earth, seeking to gain knowledge to protect the realm and protect against the dark power of the Enemy. Inspired by Elrond Halfelven, Master of Rivendell, this is your magical pet class, capable of summoning one of a number of pets as needed to either fight alone or alongside others, along with throwing crowd-control and some damage.
Role: Magical DPS/Support
Minstrels are inspired by Luthien Tinuviel (they had to reach with this one, safe to say her story mirrored that of Arwen and Aragorn's, though while the former's ended poorly, the latter's is still going strong). Using the epic power of song and music, minstrels are this game's version of a priest or white mage- purely healing and support.
Role: Healing
Rune-keepers are inspired by the elven smith Celebrimbor (the ancient elven smith who crafted the Rings of Power), whose skills with true-names and runes could enact amazing power. The closest I could get with this one is a red mage- a caster who could either go heavily into attack magic, into healing magic, or a mix of both.
Role: Magical DPS/Healing
Wardens are a bit of an odd lot- inspired by Haldir, the marchwarden of Lothlorien, they seem to be one of those physical classes that people are torn about. They claim to be tanks, but they're not tanks how you'd normally think them- instead of going for high defense and armor, they stick to javelins and tend to spike their evasion rates while taunting and trying to tank through evasion.
(Page is still work in progress)
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JaysonFour on
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I can has cheezburger, yes?
In the Cash Shop (LOTRO Market on official site):
85% off the Minas Morgul expansion!
60% off War of Three Peaks!
Why is this good? Two points:
1) The discounted expansions on sale are the first six. Minas Morgul is #7, and War of Three Peaks is #8.
2) The Ultimate Edition of Minas Morgul, containing:
...can be yours for $20. This bundle normally sells for $130. This is one hell of a steal and you shouldn't hesitate to drop for it. I mean, the level boost alone is $50+ on its own. The Ultimate edition of War of Three Peaks is $40, but it's mostly a bunch of cosmetic stuff, so if that floats your boat, it's normally $90 but can be had for $40- but Minas Morgul Ultimate Edition is the real prize here.... and you could just grab the basic edition of Three Peaks for $8... but spring for $24 to get a large carry-all (take a crafting one and watch more of your inventory woes evaporate!).
In the Points Shop (in-game LOTRO Store:
Temporary Release: Bombur's Bounty! (3995 LOTRO points)
The 400 Mithril Coins are the main value here- these things are worth it, and you can always store or use the other stuff.
Available through Monday, November 29th!
Also: get double the bonus LOTRO points when you top up before Monday!
I can has cheezburger, yes?
edit: Ah nevermind. They are not in in game store. I can't read.
Thanks for the info @JaysonFour . I think I will spring for the ultimate edition of Minas Morgul and stop there. I'm sure combined with the code, the other 6 expansions, and now this one I will be set for lotro content for a long time. Maybe next year's black friday sale I'll see where I am content wise and see what kind of sale war of three peaks gets at that time.
I'd still like to remain free to play and avoid a sub fee. I'm assuming that's still totally possible especially with all the content I've gotten in the past couple weeks?
And since you've spent actual $ on your account, that bumps you up a sub level- instead of just being a Free To Play, you're now a Premium user. That unlocks some extra stuff that you wouldn't normally have- you get five characters a server instead of just two, your wallet cap is 5 gold instead of 2 gold, etc. (you can find the details about halfway down this page if you want the ins and outs).
I don't mind paying the sub- the big thing is the convenience of just being able to access bank/shop/etc. anywhere in the world, the rushed crafting services, no gear wear, an additional 30 slots of backpack space, etc.- the backpack space and stuff is actually permanent, so if you just feel like buying one month, making a whole mess of characters, and letting it lapse back to premium, that works too.
I can has cheezburger, yes?
I've heard that works for fast travel too? Is that correct? I can sub for a month, cancel, and still have access to the stable masters for fast travel?
There's a one-month sub (runs you $14.99), even.
I can has cheezburger, yes?
So, I just started this a few days ago, after some discussion in the steam thread. For reasons of aesthetics, I got myself a small pack of lotro points and got the Warden class, because spears are neat. But I admit I'm a little overwhelmed with all the stuff and million expansions and the two separate shops and so on - it's been, what, over a decade since I last played an MMO and boy howdy there is a lot of stuff going on here.
So I'm reading that Morgul pack and I have no idea how much of this is, like, actually stuff I want. I know I certainly don't want the "instant level up to 120" kind of stuff, but I don't know what Virtue XP is or what virtues do or such!
I gather with my remaining lotro points I should get the Quest Packs that are in the ingame shop for 99?
First off, let me tackle your questions:
1) It's natural to feel overwhelmed- no worries. There's a lot to take in, but you'll learn it all eventually. Just relax and breathe.
Virtues are things you unlock once you get into the game a few levels. They're ways you can grind your stats even higher- you figure out what stats you need to push your abilities even higher, then you focus on raising those virtues and equipping them to gain their power. It sounds like it would come as a usable item, anyways, so you could always just stash it for the time being and use it when it would get the full effect.
If you don't want the ultimate pack, that's fine too- you could grab the basic versions of both Minas Morgul and Three Peaks and spend fourteen bucks total.
2) Yeah, grab them all if you haven't bought them already and haven't bought them in any other form. This will keep you in quests for a while.
I can has cheezburger, yes?
And yeah, mostly, worrying about "grinding stats past cap" when I'm like, level 9, seems perhaps a touch premature, here? :P The idea of a bunch of extra space does sound appealing, though. These three bags I have don't look to be anywhere near enough, especially with all these consumables for extra speed or XP that I'm never going to use because they have specific durations and I play in short bursts and my brain gremlins will never let me spend a 2h boost when I'm playing 45 minutes. I still don't even have a crafting career yet and I already feel like some juggling of space might be necessary.
Seems like the expansion pack for the first 6 is still $40?
The expansion bundle for the first six is $40, or you can pick up some points and buy the expansions you need out of the first six until Nov. 30 for 99 points each. Minas Morgul (7th expansion) is on sale in the cash shop for 85% off until Monday, and War of Three Peaks (8th expansion) is 60% off until the same day.
I can has cheezburger, yes?
Now to decide if I want to spring for the bigger packs for Morgul and Peaks or not.
Also, I need to decide what's a good crafting vocation for a Warden. I assume to make medium armor stuff it's Tailor?
I had the same thinking. Bought all the 99p expansion packs, but left the 2 instance ones because I play mostly solo, also didn't help that the lotro points have some odd price structuring. I figure if I get to end game and do want to do some late game raiding or multi stuff I'll figure it out then, but I know that will be take me awhile to get there.
I did also splurge for the ultimate edition of morgul.
Isn't FFXIV pretty solo friendly too though?
When I tried it a bit, at least (back when the trial was just to like level 25), by level 20 tops you were already having to do multiplayer dungeons to progress the plot, and I don't expect there was going to be less of that going forward, so I kinda noped out.
I'd even go out on a limb and say LOTRO has better writers- or at the least, more coherent ones- than WoW has at the moment.
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I mean, "better writers than WoW" is damning with extremely faint praise. Your average penny packet telenovela has better writers than WoW, far as I can tell :P
Also agree with the writing. Music is really good as well. So far very relaxing leveling experience. It's a really easy game to start up, sit down with your beverage of choice, and just do some quests and explore.
After a bit of digging, it looks like the Morgul Ultimate Fan Whatever pack was updated to include the carryall, so that's good!
Goodreads
SF&F Reviews blog
Huh. So in a investor call, they mention that LOTRO is supposed to be getting a console launch as well as some massive overhauls in regards to the graphics and systems.
COME FORTH, AMATERASU! - Switch Friend Code SW-5465-2458-5696 - Twitch
I’d be really surprised if the console part happens. I can’t imagine they have the staff for that. They couldn’t even get all the legendary item revamp done in time for the new expansion.
Look, guys, there are sheep that need rescuing here!
It's actually better to hang around the starter areas and drain out all the deeds and loot you can. You can get easy extra LOTRO points and crafting stuff that way (Ered Luin, the Shire, and the area of Archet/Coombe/the Chetwood east of Bree all count as "starter areas"). You can make a hundred or so LOTRO points with a little work, which is enough for some cool stuff (or you can repeatedly grind it and make new characters to stack up those easy points).
I can has cheezburger, yes?
I can has cheezburger, yes?
Ok, so I currently have 6 slots. Before I sub, I should go ahead and fill those slots with future characters that I will want to play at some point and then just login with them during my sub month at least once and the VIP stuff will be unlocked for them after it expires? Do I need to do anything with them after logging in or simply login?
As for what happens to your characters when you leave VIP status... taken right from the wiki:
Features maintained
Some features are maintained on a per-character basis when downgrading from VIP to Premium.
However, these features, listed below, are maintained only for characters who have entered Middle-earth (logged in) while the VIP status was active; characters created after downgrading from VIP to Premium and characters that were created before or during VIP but were not logged into the game during VIP do not have access to these features.
These per-character unlocks also function for content the character hasn't reached yet due to level or other restrictions.
The following features are maintained on a per-character basis:
I can has cheezburger, yes?
The next upcoming festival is actually in a week- December 9th starts the Yule Festival, that will last until Jan. 4th. Generally, the goal of these is just to have lots and lots of fun while saving up Festival Tokens to get rewards like cosmetic outfits, cosmetic pets, mounts, emotes, housing cosmetics, dyes- pretty much the more you play and save up your tokens the more you'll be able to get. There's stuff like horse races and eating contests and dancing and all sorts of stuff.
Usually these kinds of events will also draw out the bands of the servers- I mean, I could go on for hours about the music system...
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You might have to plug in a ticket to get it resolved, because it displays right on the site you’re supposed to get it…
I can has cheezburger, yes?
Unless there was an item in game that I somehow missed that I had to activate or learn to unlock it?
Also, I don't remember plugging in a key? I was logged into the site when I bought it and I'm pretty sure it just activated automatically from that.
If that doesn't work, open a ticket with the GMs and see about getting it fixed on their end.
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..how do I get back? Because I'm kind of on the ass-end of the map, here!
EDIT: Right, I forgot, I did have a milestone set back in Buckland. Still, one feels that it's kind of weird to give you a quest at level 20 where to get to the quest marker you have to go through a level 40 area (the Bruinen source and the High Pass) you will probably get bodied in, and then sort of strand you there!
I can has cheezburger, yes?