Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Monster Play Guide
Liddokun
Member UncommonPosts: 1,665
Monster Play is Turbine's answer to PvPing in Lord of the Rings Online. This is a new form of pvp called PvPM (Player versus Player Monster). To access this feature you need to go to Bree near Beggar's Alley to the Fell Scrying Pool, click on the pool and you will get the option to play 5 generic template player monsters (as of now). You also need to be at least level 10. The monsters you can play as is the Uruk-Hai Orc Reaver (kinda like Champion class), Uruk-Hai Warleader (kinda like captain class but no banner pet), Dark Stalker Warg (kinda like Burglar), Spider Weaver (kinda like Lore-master but no pet) and Uruk-hai Black arrow (kinda like Hunter).
Once you enter monster play you start off as a level 50 generic template monster. Monster characters have a somewhat different system of character development than players. They have an inventory (so you can hold stuff like potions and food) however monsters DO NOT wear armor. They have their own static set of equipment (for the humanoids) and set natural armor for the other creatures. You cannot change your equipment nor can you wear any. All monsters start out with pretty much a static template stat based on the type of monster you created. The only way you can improve your monster is via destiny points (which is shared between ALL your characters on the same server btw). Monsters have their own skill/trait/stat trainers. You use destiny points to purchase and improve your skill and stats. Monsters start out with 2-3 very basic attack/buffs/debuffs/utility skills and you have to earn the rest. All monsters start out as level 50 creatures.
ADVICE: As a newly born level 50 monster you are very very weak. Do not attempt to take on hero players alone as even a decently geared level 40 player hero can probably kick your butt. When you have just started, try to travel in packs as there is safety in numbers.
All the PvPing takes place in Ettenmoor, a large enclosed zone. This way PvP won't ever spill out in to the rest of the world. PvPing is very consensual in LOTRO. If you are in Ettenmoor expect to be attacked on sight by the other faction however.
There are a lot of quests npcs in Ettenmoor that rewards you with Destiny points upon completion of their quests/task. Most of the tasks are repeatable some are not. Some quests have a cooldown timer before you can do them again, this is to prevent exploits.
Monsters need 2 things to advance in power, destiny points and pvp ranks. You earn destiny point by completion of tasks set forth to you by your taskmasters and for killing enemy units (this includes npcs and other players). How much points you earn depends on the toughness of the creature (more points for killing players than NPC).
Some monster npc creatures found in ettinmoor are allied to one side or the other. Spiders and wolves and trolls/goblins are allied toward minions of Angmar (monster players) while bears, eagles are allied toward hero players. There are some creatures which are allied to noone and they will attack anyone.
Death and defeat. As a monster, being defeated has no real consequences. You merely respawn at the nearest respawn point. Monsters do NOT gain dread upon defeat. As a hero, you will need to be a bit more careful as being defeated by an NPC monster will damage your armor while this does not happen if you are defeated by a monster player. Also as a player hero you will gain dread if you are defeated.
Town and Outpost conquest. As the game is young, Ettinmoor has 5 keeps/outpost that can be captured as well as 2 home keep (one for hero one for monster) that cannot be captured. Assaulting a keep is NO easy task as the various keeps are very well defended by NPCs guards and a level 51-52 Nemesis rated boss (with over 100K HP) that must be defeated before a keep can be captured. The keep boss is surrounded by 2-3 level 50 master elite rated protectors. All guards found inside a keep are rated elites and named guards are master elites. The conquest/capture of a keep will switch the Keep's protectors to your side and your side will gain the ability to use the keep's facilities (repair npcs, vendors, trainers, quest npc).
ADVICE: You will be given a lot of quest that ask you to slay a keep's guardians. These quests give a lot of destiny points upon completiion (about 2000 points) and requires a raid to complete.
ADVICE: Playing as a warg, I find that it is best to purchase anti-caster skills first before upgrading your stat as it gives you a slight edge in PvP. Skill such as "Throat rip" allows you to silence casters (esp annoying minstrels) allowing your raid to focus fire and kill them fast. Minstrels have the ability to heal a whole fellowships esp at high levels when their songs can heal a LOT in a single cast. As a dark stalker warg you can go stealth and sneak behind into the ranks of the healers/lore-masters and bite them where it hurts. You must make sure to kill the lore-masters too as they have AOE mez attack that are nasty (totally incapacitating you). I generally sneak to the back ranks where the healers and casters are and throat rip them, followed by pounce as this knocks them down (keeps them from trying to run away). This usually throw them into a frenzied panic as they saw all their spells being locked out. Your job as a dark stalker warg is to sow panic, confusion and chaos on the back ranks of your enemies. Don't try to tank a guardian or champion as you lack the armor to withstand their attacks. Guardians have way too much armor esp. very well geared ones at level 50 and your attacks won't do much. It's better to go for the soft targets like the minstrels and lore-masters.
Once you have max out all your skills for a certain rank. You will require to increase your pvp ranks in order to further increase your power. The only way to do this is to pvp and kill hero players. Getting killed by another player will make you lose rating. Monster play has a rating system much like a chess ELO rating. The more powerful foe you have defeated the more destiny points you earn and the more rank points you earn and the higher your rating becomes.
Once you enter monster play you start off as a level 50 generic template monster. Monster characters have a somewhat different system of character development than players. They have an inventory (so you can hold stuff like potions and food) however monsters DO NOT wear armor. They have their own static set of equipment (for the humanoids) and set natural armor for the other creatures. You cannot change your equipment nor can you wear any. All monsters start out with pretty much a static template stat based on the type of monster you created. The only way you can improve your monster is via destiny points (which is shared between ALL your characters on the same server btw). Monsters have their own skill/trait/stat trainers. You use destiny points to purchase and improve your skill and stats. Monsters start out with 2-3 very basic attack/buffs/debuffs/utility skills and you have to earn the rest. All monsters start out as level 50 creatures.
ADVICE: As a newly born level 50 monster you are very very weak. Do not attempt to take on hero players alone as even a decently geared level 40 player hero can probably kick your butt. When you have just started, try to travel in packs as there is safety in numbers.
All the PvPing takes place in Ettenmoor, a large enclosed zone. This way PvP won't ever spill out in to the rest of the world. PvPing is very consensual in LOTRO. If you are in Ettenmoor expect to be attacked on sight by the other faction however.
There are a lot of quests npcs in Ettenmoor that rewards you with Destiny points upon completion of their quests/task. Most of the tasks are repeatable some are not. Some quests have a cooldown timer before you can do them again, this is to prevent exploits.
Monsters need 2 things to advance in power, destiny points and pvp ranks. You earn destiny point by completion of tasks set forth to you by your taskmasters and for killing enemy units (this includes npcs and other players). How much points you earn depends on the toughness of the creature (more points for killing players than NPC).
Some monster npc creatures found in ettinmoor are allied to one side or the other. Spiders and wolves and trolls/goblins are allied toward minions of Angmar (monster players) while bears, eagles are allied toward hero players. There are some creatures which are allied to noone and they will attack anyone.
Death and defeat. As a monster, being defeated has no real consequences. You merely respawn at the nearest respawn point. Monsters do NOT gain dread upon defeat. As a hero, you will need to be a bit more careful as being defeated by an NPC monster will damage your armor while this does not happen if you are defeated by a monster player. Also as a player hero you will gain dread if you are defeated.
Town and Outpost conquest. As the game is young, Ettinmoor has 5 keeps/outpost that can be captured as well as 2 home keep (one for hero one for monster) that cannot be captured. Assaulting a keep is NO easy task as the various keeps are very well defended by NPCs guards and a level 51-52 Nemesis rated boss (with over 100K HP) that must be defeated before a keep can be captured. The keep boss is surrounded by 2-3 level 50 master elite rated protectors. All guards found inside a keep are rated elites and named guards are master elites. The conquest/capture of a keep will switch the Keep's protectors to your side and your side will gain the ability to use the keep's facilities (repair npcs, vendors, trainers, quest npc).
ADVICE: You will be given a lot of quest that ask you to slay a keep's guardians. These quests give a lot of destiny points upon completiion (about 2000 points) and requires a raid to complete.
ADVICE: Playing as a warg, I find that it is best to purchase anti-caster skills first before upgrading your stat as it gives you a slight edge in PvP. Skill such as "Throat rip" allows you to silence casters (esp annoying minstrels) allowing your raid to focus fire and kill them fast. Minstrels have the ability to heal a whole fellowships esp at high levels when their songs can heal a LOT in a single cast. As a dark stalker warg you can go stealth and sneak behind into the ranks of the healers/lore-masters and bite them where it hurts. You must make sure to kill the lore-masters too as they have AOE mez attack that are nasty (totally incapacitating you). I generally sneak to the back ranks where the healers and casters are and throat rip them, followed by pounce as this knocks them down (keeps them from trying to run away). This usually throw them into a frenzied panic as they saw all their spells being locked out. Your job as a dark stalker warg is to sow panic, confusion and chaos on the back ranks of your enemies. Don't try to tank a guardian or champion as you lack the armor to withstand their attacks. Guardians have way too much armor esp. very well geared ones at level 50 and your attacks won't do much. It's better to go for the soft targets like the minstrels and lore-masters.
Once you have max out all your skills for a certain rank. You will require to increase your pvp ranks in order to further increase your power. The only way to do this is to pvp and kill hero players. Getting killed by another player will make you lose rating. Monster play has a rating system much like a chess ELO rating. The more powerful foe you have defeated the more destiny points you earn and the more rank points you earn and the higher your rating becomes.
Comments
I miss DAoC
http://www.straightdope.com/