3-Man Instance Information

Cypt1

I left LotRO a while back due to being unable to part with my friends on WoW, and I've at last managed to convince a couple of them to come over with me; however, their only stipulation is that we have "some" content available to us as a static group until/unless we can convince some of our other friends to make the move as well (yes, we exclusively play with each other -- pick-up groups are out of the question).

The reason we've chosen LotRO -- among other things -- is the recent inception of "3-man" instances. So... when comparing these to the typical 6-person instances, what seems to be the overall reaction? Do these predominantly offer xp rewards, or is there any form of loot rewarded via this method of progression as well? As we're forfeiting our raid spots in our WoW guild, this is a decision that we aren't taking lightly. Not to mention that I don't feel like getting chewed out if this doesn't turn out for my two friends... (Yeah, it's their problem if they suddenly change their mind, but I'd like to give them the facts up front.)

 

Khrymson

Well, to start there are only 5; 3-mans atm. 2 are really short instances that can be done in under 30min, and the other 3 are basically item XP runs which have 8hr cooldowns I believe before they can be repeated, plus they require a certain gem that drops randomly from certain enemies in MoM.

They are a lot of fun though, I as well as many others I know really enjoy them and Turbine has said they are a big hit and they too enjoy them. Turbine does have plans to implement more into LOTRO in the future but to what degree remains open.

I personally hope they make them a bit longer and more challenging, like the solo instances that can take awhile depending on the class you play!

As far as progressing; instance wise in MoM if you choose to only play with friends and no-one else, you won't be able to unless you are 6.

musicman2000

One thing to consider too is that the 3 man instances are only in game for level 50 plus -- and even at that Library and School in Mirobel can be a bit challenging without the right class combo pre say 53 or so.   Now with that said you could progress all the way to 60 with just your friends -- so as far as leveling goes 3 is more than ample.   The 5 3 man instances are kinda set up not really for gear but for item xp and settings (for item relics) within the legendary items system.   The decent dropped gear drops in 6 man or 12 man instances.   However, unlike WoW -- gear was not required for progression until very very recently in LOTRO.   There is only one encounter in game that requires you to have farmed specific gear sets and that's the 12 man raid in Moria where you kill the watcher.   

The auction house is very very active and there is a ton of  strong tradeable gear in game.   Extremely strong crafted jewelry sets for all levels, etc.    Gear in LOTRO still really isn't super raid dependent yet so again I stress -- with just the 3 of you you'd find plenty to do and plenty of gear all the way through to 60.

Where not having more than 3 will effect your progression will be in 2 areas only -- 1) the epic book quest series you won't be able to finish as each book has a 6 man instance in it at least once. 2) you won't be able to get the non-tradeable gear such as the rare teal drops from 6 and 12 man instances, or the epic sets that come from 6 and 12 man instances.   This would only effect your ability to raid and nothing more.

Hopefully this helps

My advice is this -- do not cancel your WoW accounts, but open up LOTRO accounts and try the game out during non raid times.   This way you don't have to give up your raid slots in WoW and can see first hand whether or not LOTRO is for you.   

Cypt1

Thank you both for the very informative responses! I showed my friends your replies, and they are going to check out the trial before making any purchases (I've chosen to reactivate my own account).

I'm hoping they'll make the conversion in the end -- we'll see what happens.

Lobotomist

Few more thoughts on that

- 3 man instances suck a bit imho. Why? They force you to have exact class combination. While 6 mans are way more flexible. Some more support oriented classes are forcefully left behind.

- They are in no way there to replace raids. But to give you a fast and repetable way to farm experience and gold

- If your fear is to lose raid spot in WOW. Forget it. LOTRO is not game for people that enjoy Raid oriented gameplay.