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Thinking of returning? This might help you
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Member RarePosts: 1,851
I am returning player I made this decision about 15-16days ago. The Moria expansion had me excited a bit too much where I started to miss the actual game and the $20 price tag for a new account was like a siren in the sea. My first thought was pretty much, "bah going to have go through all the same content again" and it pretty much was until you hit around 40-42 it feels like a whole new game with added quests and a greatly improved Angmar.
To get a general idea of where I am coming from I first quit after the release of Book11, I did all it's content and said bye bye to Lotro and gave up my account. Well now with it set at Book13 there was quite a bit of new content I was surprised.
The housing system is done very well set into instances of different neighbor hoods, you can decorate your house and yard using preset tiles which was kinda disappointing after spending so many years with the SWG freehand housing system but none the less it is done well enough to get some cool looking houses.
The new area of Forochel is very inviting you can start the quests reasonably solo at 42 and the quest lines climbs many quests, interesting as well. Lots of good gear and some cool new locations and frost system that makes you realize you are freezing your ass off in this bitter winter cold and after a while you will feel the crunch when an ice aura mob starts whooping you faster than you seen before.
The new area in Misty Mountains is very cool as well adding many quests that follow the book and you finally get to dwell in Goblin Town where Bilbo's adventures of the ring started. A nice new amount of quests are here as well and Goblin Town is insanely huge with over 7 instances inside it's own instance. Lots to do.
Now the main thing that got caught my breath is the amazingly new life they added to Angmar. It's like a whole new zone from the beginning levels so far most the northern parts are pretty much the same the areas of 47-50 lvl quests. But the beginning quests with the giants and aughaire are well redesigned. I remember Angmar being dark and plain very little art direction, now it's completely remastered. The forests and walk ways have a nice texture of grass/dirt that make you feel you are walking down a mountain valley. The vampire chicks have a new redesigned home, everything is touched up, caves are moved around and objects to new easily access locations and much of the frustration that was with the Angmar quests has been cleared up and redesigned. Many once set as fellowship quests are solo play instances with a whole new story around it. Very cool stuff I'm glad they did it Angmar needed it.
There's fishing now of coarse which if you're sick of everything else for a while it's a breath of fresh air. I've been hearing about "The Rift" for time now on regional chat and found out it is a new raid instance that has the best gear in game for your class beating helegard. I barely hear helegard even advertised anymore so I can't comment on if those go on still or what. I'm nearly reaching raid lvl, 45 minstrel now just a couple levels to go and I'll be able to enjoy the new raid.
If you are thinking of waiting for the expansion and miss the smell of the Lotro gameplay and life. You may want to just pick up again and roll a new character it felt like a whole new experience to me in the later levels.
Comments
I was new to LOTRO, been playing less than a month. I had previously played just about every major US MMO released.
While LOTRO isn't perfect, its the closest we have in the MMO genre.
The thought of following the fellowship through Moria and into Mordor with all the experiences along the way is way too exciting to pass up.
Anyone looking the the best game in the MMO gaming world, LOTRO is the answer. Additionally the community is the most mature and helpful I've ever experienced in an MMO.
I agree with ya 100%
Very good post! Glad you are back.
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Brandywine Global LFF chan "/joinchannel glff"
I agree with you on everything except the housing. The housing sucks, if only for the hooks system. If they made it freeform, it would be awesome, and much better than EQ2s.
Im currently saving up the 200$ for the lifetime... and hoping that Moria's two new classes with get rid of the stale and boring feeling of all the classes. I like minstrel, and to a lesser extent, ranger, but all the others just scream boring.
i recently took up the offer of the 8.99 (uk pounds) lotr . i d been wanting to try it for a while but had been playing warcraft which had really started to bore me . id say lord of the rings is a lot of fun and well worth checking out . the only thing i would say is that i d prefer more pvp options and the oppertunity to play one of the evil side beyond monster play . its really the only thing it lacks to be honest . perhaps the mines of moria will offer a lot more options for pvp play . personally i dont mind getting ganked it adds a bit of an edge to the gameplay .
outside of warcraft this is the only other mmo i ve found thats really worth playing long term ( aocs ok but the instancing does nt make for an emerisive game world ) .
Once i was a LOTRO fan but only up to level 30some. I find the game boring, none of the features you mention appeal to me. I will not return for a long time - I dont miss it at all.
Glad you enjoy it though, have fun.
Sam.
this forum seens so civilised unlime the other ones . It seems you can disagree and thats that unlike other forums where you start multipart flame wars
needless to say i have just come back to lotr and enjoying it
If you like, I'll be happy to tell you how the story ends.
Glad to hear you're having fun, still the player doesn't have enough direct impact on the game world to suit me.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
I'll jump on the 'housing kinda sucks' bandwagon. I played SWG and after that DAoC. DAoC had some hook points, but only for specific features, like crafting tables and vendors. Players were free to decorate at will.
My primary frustration is that it's a trend with Turbine to put something in, even if it isn't really great, just so they can check it off of a list of features to slap on the marketing. They were warned, loudly and almost unanimously, by the participants on the testing server that housing was going to land with a dull thud and it did.
As far as I am concerned, housing in LOTRO is just a slightly larger but much more difficult to access bank vault. Housing has a lot more functionality and appeal in other MMOs.
Previous played: SWG (pre-NGE), DAoC, CoH, Anarchy Online, DDO, Champions Online Beta, LOTRO, GW2, SWTOR
but housing will be improved in time. I wouldn't be surprised if they will give us freedom when placing furniture in the future.
Gah! I have to stop reading these threads! My computer is down and I won't be able to get a new one (and thusly play LotRO) for at least another week! The torment!!
I don't want to write this, and you don't want to read it. But now it's too late for both of us.
Yes! I wonder why didn't they open a few houses directly in cities (bree, thorin's hall..) there are abandoned home entrances that could be used as instanced housing for players. Living directly in city would be much better.
REALITY CHECK
I disagree whit the housing thing , we have a kinship meeting in the kin house almost every sunday and have fun and discus and play games and music and also decorate some new trophys, and afther we all rideout on our horses to bree.
Housing is what you make of it, and in this game housing in the open world would just not realy work, and if you think its just another harder to acses bank , well then you got no real idea what the game is about.
Playing: World of Warcraft.
Played: Lord of the Rings Online, Starwars Galaxies.
Tried: Starwars the Old Republic, Everquest 2, Guild Wars, Vanguard, Age of Conan, Aion.
I don't see the point of having a garden. Okay if it's an option, but I would much more prefer to live in a flat room directly in the city and not in some farmland. Just like in real life.
REALITY CHECK
That's also a valid concern that the devs have as well. They're continuing to develop housing and the neighborhood concept, but in the meantime we have mostly empty neighborhoods. Turbine doesn't want crafting stations in neighborhoods because that would take players out of the social quest hubs. So they're trying to come up with more stuff to do in the neighborhoods. Took awhile to get housing, it'll take awhile to get new activities, just like it takes awhile to get new adventuring content. Just give it all some time.
I think uniquely neighborhood things to do - more social options probably - would be good. What those might be, I really don't know.
Check out my LOTRO Blog: www.middleearthadventurer.blogspot.com
Yes the housing does lack in form of freedom but even with its preset tiles you can still make uniquely designed rooms. The problem I have is unlike SWG you can't just place anything, it would be nice to chuck up some old weapons on that wall, hang up some equipment, or build a pile of resources in the back room like a bank vault
. I'm sure they will improve apon it to make it more unique but maybe not to the point we'd have complete freedom.
I did manage to catch another improvement.
Almost all quests have a link to a reputation of some sort. It makes a casual player who wishes not to grind reputation be able to use the most basic of tools and sources. A good example would be the Forochel area, Once I completed all the quest in the area I was able to get "Friend" status and swift travel from many different locations to the main capital. I used to remember grinding reputation because nothing but items would give and rarely quests but now it seems like they are focusing on giving everyone a far chance on basic services. A much needed change.
I am also waiting for the 2 new classes for some much needed changes and hoping they make a new starter area so it is not the same grind once again. Wasn't it after Book14 they are going to get ready for the Moria expansion? If I remember right, can someone comfirm that for me? Either way Fall is coming up quick and we can all enjoy Moria
.
Yes Book 14 with give us Eregion (sp?) where the Elven rings were forged and the are up to the Holin Gate. Then it will be time for Moria!
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Brandywine Global LFF chan "/joinchannel glff"
Great thanks for confirming that, can't wait.
I just came back to the game myself last week after a year. I played beta and bought the game, but ended up leaving for whatever reason. But I've been having a great time. Actually, when they sent the free invitation to players to come back for a weekend, that did it. I could see all the new content and see where it was a game for me. I'm having a blast.
Great Welcome back!
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Brandywine Global LFF chan "/joinchannel glff"
Hey thanks!