Rightbug
2681
I froze my character’s XP at 75 and, I have to say, the Isengard expansion content has been some of the most enjoyable in the game so far. Everything flows really well , the landscape is interesting, the epic quest is pretty great.
I’m a little worried about Rohan given the lag reports I’ve heard. Bree is so laggy since they updated it that I can barely stand to visit it anymore. The one time I briefly tucked into Rohan so far (epic quest led me there) I found the zone laggy before I even got to mounted combat. I suppose I’ll try cranking my graphic down a bit but they are already down a little due to lag in the forbidden forest when I first started playing the game.
Razgon
2682
This is a strange expansion. Its like they forgot half of the changes they made have repercussions in the early game as well. For instance, apparently you no longer need to purchase skills at level up? But if you start a new character you are still told to go purchase a skill every other level? The tutorial area also directs you to your trainer, who has absolutely nothing for you anymore.
I guess I’m not surprised by those oversights. I really feel like we need LOTRO 2.0 where they stop sticking solutions together with band aids and overhaul the game start to finish to get it to the current vision as it stands.
The Amazon expansion sale is now live.
I expect this deal to also appear on their website and Steam/etc, but Amazon is apparently also running a promotion with any digital game purchase getting a $5 credit in January on selected games. Those games have been some amazing deals in past years.
From now through December 31, 2013, purchase anything from the Digital Games Store and get a $5 promotional credit to spend in the month of January on our Editor’s Choice Best Games of 2013 (Editor’s Choice titles will be selected in the coming weeks). Customers will receive a $5 promotional credit for each qualifying purchase, but the promotional credits cannot be stacked on top of each other when they are used. Customers who qualify for this promotional credit will receive the notification e-mail on or within 48 hours after January 3, 2014. Please remember: Holiday promotional credits given out for Digital Games purchases cannot be redeemed until January, 2014.
Not 100% sure if the “lotro quad pack” qualifies, I don’t see it mentioned on the product page.
The Quad pack could come in handy for an alt.
But I wonder if I need to prepare my dualboxing setup a bit more before I go for it, as I am only 20 on my alts it seems “far off” to get the packs.
Do you know if you get 4 keys (1 per exp) or … just one?
Helm’s Deep editions on sale for the holidays, 50% off.
Helm’s Deep Premium is now $30.
Helm’s Deep Base Edition is now $20.
Sadly, no discounts on Rohan or any other previous expansions.
Been returning to wow for xmas. So nice to play in an engine without the insane fps drops that I experience in LOTRO. Really should level up in LOTRO now that the event is ongoing, I recall it gave nice xp last xmas, its just… so laggy :)
Guess the 4pack is no longer on sale. Helms Deep for 20 is quite nice. If you buy the most expensive one you get 10 extra quest log slots though. (which should put you at 60.)
I just made a four month mistake that would be absurdly frustrating if the journey hadn’t been so fun.
Having frozen my Hunter’s level, I was reaching the end of the level 75 content and thought it would be fun to get him a wyrmscale cloak before he moved on to Rohan. Not that he needs it, the landscape mobs being so easy and me being a solo player. It was just a fun goal to shoot for, as arbitrary as any other in this game.
So, I spent the last four months leveling my Champion, who is a tailor. Like a dummy, I did not bother to check the recipe components on the wiki before starting so I’ve been diligently checking the auction house and buying up every wyrmfire gem that has come up. (5 in four months.) Last night I hit ally with Theodred’s Riders, excitedly bought the recipe and realized that I need Draigoch’s scales. Doh!
I’m going to guess that Draigoch scales pretty much never come up on the auction house?
What about wyrmfires? My jeweler has the wyrmfire necklace recipe. Is that the best use for them or should I save them to barter? Or should I dump them on the auction house and use the gold to buy components for my legendary weapons?
I’m sure there is much better loot at the higher levels these days but I like taking my time so I’m not planning on hitting 85 or 95 anytime soon.
The bright side of this is that the Helm’s Deep class changes have made the Champion absurdly fun to play. He’d been my favorite character early on but I got bored with him around level 35. Since the update, I’ve had a blast playing him and it’s a toss up between him and my hunter for which is my favorite character.
Got my first toon to 95 last night. . .and I feel like there’s nothing to do. I’m not a fan of recycling those skirmishes/skraids for marks/medallions, there’s no new raid, just the jewelry set per class that I can’t afford to buy even one of despite the fact that those items are account and not toon bound. So having poured thousands of hours into LOTRO via 9 toons, I don’t have enough marks/medallions/seals to buy even 1 piece of jewelry for my 95 minstrel. No thanks.
Yeah, this is exactly why I’m in no rush to reach the cap and why I set entirely arbitrary tasks like the cloak.
Honestly, I’m not even sure if my computer will be able to handle Rohan. Bree lags so bad for me since they updated it that I avoid it like the plague. I’ve heard Rohan is the same?
“Everything” seems to lags while riding on the warsteeds cause the engine can not handle it. unfortunately.
Granath
2692
Does any one have any thoughts for someone who is returning to this game after a many year absence? I have not played Lord of the Rings for quite a while now but after sampling both the ESO and Wildstar betas I decided to give LOTRO a try again. I have subscribed so I do not have to deal with the free to play aspects. Since I have not played for so long, I decided to let my main characters remain idle and start another. I am playing a hobbit minstrel since I believe the Shire is one of the great zones of any game in history. I am finding it terribly easy and enemies are dying with just a shout or a couple of minor ballads. Old areas that I remember being treacherous are now incredibly easy. Is the entire game like this or does it get harder? Does anyone have a good minstrel leveling guide? I have enough Turbine points to purchase every expansion except the last one. Is there something specific I should use my 6,000 Turbine points on?
I can’t speak to leveling a minstrel but tonight’s patch is supposed to ratchet MOB difficulty up a bit. Unbelievably, this is actually the second such tweak since Helm’s Deep dropped. The first made them hit more frequently and I think this tweak will make them use their higher DPS skills more often.
As for Turbine points, I’ve mostly hoarded mine for expansions and quest packs. You can’t buy quest packs while you’re subscribed but, if you decide to go to f2p you’ll want those points. Also, if you haven’t unlocked the 5th and 6th inventory bags, that’s a big one. The advanced barter wallet is also a real space saver.
Granath
2694
What is the advanced barter wallet?
As a subscriber I already have 5 bags. I could buy the expansions but I am nowhere near the level needed for them. The only thing I know I am missing is some sort of single player instance in Helm’s Deep and I do not know if that is worth buying the entire expansion.
The premium wallet holds all the myriad of tokens that used to take up inventory space. I’ve found the wallet, the 6th bag and as much shared storage as I could afford to be the best quality of life enhancements in the store.
And yeah, Helm’s Deep made everything way too easy. My 80 Minstrel was basically sneezing on stuff and it would keel over. They’ve been working to buff up the monsters slowly.
Just wanted to mention that they’re having a 25% off everything in your cart sale right now if you’re thinking about buying stuff. Coupon code is 25NOW. I just got some milestones and more shared storage using that code.
DTG
2697
If you don’t want to quickly out-level the content but rather experience it, you will need the experience disabler (Tortoise Stone) from the store. That’s a personal choice, but you WILL become far too overpowered if you want to run through the game on-level and do most of the quests. And if you stay a couple of levels below the quest content, it can become a challenge again (which is good thing in IMO). You can swap it in-and-out as you progress to keep your advancement down. If your goal is to reach lvl 95, then nevermind.
kedaha
2698
I haven’t played this since beta, but it’s always been in the background of my mind that I wanted to one day, some day, return to this game and play it slowly and properly.
I have no issue with subscribing or buying it (although I think I still have an account lying around),
How is the game now? Is it enjoyable solo, or am I better off roping a friend or family member into occasional sessions?
It is very nice solo, but obviously if you get 1-2 friends to join you you can ‘achieve’ more/faster. (like in all games).
For example you could queue for Duo/3-person dungeon/encounter skirmishes, as a solo player you can do them solo or ‘queue’ for a group.
Since it is F2P you could in theory make 2-3 accounts and multibox (like I do).
I believe most people recomend you pay for a VIP for one month, as you’ll keep a lot of the unlocks after.
When you complete achievements in the game you’ll get Turbine points, these points can be used to buy stuff with on the marketplace, so you do not actually need to spend any USD (course, it will be quicker).
Sometimes they have a sale on Adventure Packs, also check out Steam where you might get a quick bundle for 5-15$ with some nice upgrades and 500 or so Turbine Points.
Also check: http://cstm.mymiddleearth.com/category/lotro/ for some info on updates/sales.
And the lottery page: https://www.lotro.com/en/lotteries
Only bad things I can think of with lotro:
- Bad performance on warsteeds (still!)
- Not enough inventory space… :)
- Too much trash loot
I agree with this, btw. I generally try to run the quests between 3-5 levels below the recommended level. E.g., I try to run level 65 quests at level 60, etc.
