Actually you're a bit late with wondering, minis are a champ-rival dps-machine since Isengard, with a slightly less dps which is compensated with they're being ranged and mobile (dishing out cries on the move). Even before HD, if played right, they were better dps than rk's, and could heal on the side without giving up dps capabilities.
Or, at least this is what I saw on my fellows' minis, since I put mine on the shelf after the RoI revamp. And yep, I started one yesterday, it's shocking. Archet intro, Calder Cobb (the first sig. boss), a year ago it was an entry-like moderate fight on that level, now it was 1 cry... and his two adds died as well with that one shot. Pathetic... and that's supposed to be the main healer of the game.
There once was a title called the Undying upon reaching lvl 20 without dying. People used to cheer anytime some1 said in ooc that they achieved it.
Even before HD it had become a mere pulse check, if one could breathe unassisted one could get the title.
Haven't played HD on live as LOTRO is un-installed and HD remains un-purchased, but unless there was a massive change since the last beta round; yea if you have 1 eye and four fingers your probably good.
Lotro was wowified in last patch. Autolearn skills, instance finder,.. uninstall.
WoW is more complex than LOTRO even now. And always had better combat anyway.
I one shot every mob in wow while pve questing, it takes at least 3 shots in lotro to kill a mob.
Unless you only kill mobs 3+ levels below you in WoW and 3+ levels higher in LOTRO, that's definitely not true.
And even if it was... the amount of times you have to hit a mob to kill it is irrelevant to the discussion at hand.
I think you're confusing mob difficulty with game complexity.
Not to mention, I think you'd be surprised at how easy killing enemies in WoW currently is. Games like LotRO aren't the only ones getting the WoW bat, even WoW has been systematically dumbing itself down over the years, to the point where we now have 3 year olds mastering the game. (tiny exaggeration, but I think u get my point)
If you put Undying as the measure, then the easy-fication started right at the f2p switch, since then it got easier and easier to get that title with every update.
I lost only one Undying during the last 3 years, when my router froze mid-combat and the client lost connection yep, accidents can happen...
If you put Undying as the measure, then the easy-fication started right at the f2p switch, since then it got easier and easier to get that title with every update.
I lost only one Undying during the last 3 years, when my router froze mid-combat and the client lost connection yep, accidents can happen...
agreed it was an extended trend, my only point was that, from my observations during the beta rounds, HD merely stuck the fork in it.
Originally posted by Jean-Luc_Picard I dunno for other classes, but my champion got completely ruined by the move to "trait trees", it's all about bashing 3 keys now. I heard other classes went through the carnage better than champion though.
Don't know about Champ, just know my Warden has been ruined. Granted, the Warden has had a colourful path since it came out with Moria, but whether it was up or down, broken or OP, there was always and elegance, complexity and joy to its play. Now it's basically just taunting and dpsing.
If you put Undying as the measure, then the easy-fication started right at the f2p switch, since then it got easier and easier to get that title with every update.
I lost only one Undying during the last 3 years, when my router froze mid-combat and the client lost connection yep, accidents can happen...
'Undying' breathed its last when Turbine started granting xp for crafting. Half a year ago I got my cooking alt to undying in one day, unintentionally, by leveling up her farming and cooking.
Wait... are some of your guys really trying to convince me that LOTRO ever was a "hard" game in any way?
I think people are just saying it is easier than it was before.
I haven't had the time to log back in, but I'm thinking of doing it just to see if it changed that much.
And it is.
I left before Moria and just came back. Many elites have become signature and my red-line LM can easily solo red signatures and even red elites with a bit more effort...and by that I mean I might have to throw my pet a heal. That, is very different from beta or release.
It does start to even out a bit as you level and you don't feel quite as OP'd when you get to the 40s in Angmar and Trollshaws, but it's definitely easier than it once was.
"Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”
― Umberto Eco
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” ― CD PROJEKT RED
Wait... are some of your guys really trying to convince me that LOTRO ever was a "hard" game in any way?
I think people are just saying it is easier than it was before.
I haven't had the time to log back in, but I'm thinking of doing it just to see if it changed that much.
And it is.
I left before Moria and just came back. Many elites have become signature and my red-line LM can easily solo red signatures and even red elites with a bit more effort...and by that I mean I might have to throw my pet a heal. That, is very different from beta or release.
It does start to even out a bit as you level and you don't feel quite as OP'd when you get to the 40s in Angmar and Trollshaws, but it's definitely easier than it once was.
I remember reading a few years ago that they eased up the earlier parts of the game because those areas weren't as populated, basically so people could still experience the harder content.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
Wait... are some of your guys really trying to convince me that LOTRO ever was a "hard" game in any way?
I think people are just saying it is easier than it was before.
I haven't had the time to log back in, but I'm thinking of doing it just to see if it changed that much.
And it is.
I left before Moria and just came back. Many elites have become signature and my red-line LM can easily solo red signatures and even red elites with a bit more effort...and by that I mean I might have to throw my pet a heal. That, is very different from beta or release.
It does start to even out a bit as you level and you don't feel quite as OP'd when you get to the 40s in Angmar and Trollshaws, but it's definitely easier than it once was.
I remember reading a few years ago that they eased up the earlier parts of the game because those areas weren't as populated, basically so people could still experience the harder content.
I think that's right...it shows. Trollshaws, Angmar, Forachel, etc. up the difficulty a bit - not much, but noticeable.
"Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”
― Umberto Eco
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” ― CD PROJEKT RED
I remember reading a few years ago that they eased up the earlier parts of the game because those areas weren't as populated, basically so people could still experience the harder content.
I think that's right...it shows. Trollshaws, Angmar, Forachel, etc. up the difficulty a bit - not much, but noticeable.
The more I think about it the more specifics I remember. Most of the (dumbing down) was in the book related segments, as those were needed to progress the story. I never got into the game so take that in mind, but I remember hearing most of those quests used to require groups and they removed that need.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
I remember reading a few years ago that they eased up the earlier parts of the game because those areas weren't as populated, basically so people could still experience the harder content.
I think that's right...it shows. Trollshaws, Angmar, Forachel, etc. up the difficulty a bit - not much, but noticeable.
The more I think about it the more specifics I remember. Most of the (dumbing down) was in the book related segments, as those were needed to progress the story. I never got into the game so take that in mind, but I remember hearing most of those quests used to require groups and they removed that need.
All the books have one or more group content chapters. The big change is that they've given former group content a solo option. They do this with bolsters to your character - even for the open world elite content you get an item that can only be used in a specific place that bolsters you for 15 minutes. Once you leave the area you go back to normal stats.
Otherwise, the books and their chapters remain identical to what I remember.
"Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”
― Umberto Eco
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” ― CD PROJEKT RED
Can't say for certain as I haven't logged into live since last Jan. and haven't been on Bullroaroer since the phases ended. But one thing that stopped me playing back when the class changes were mere "rumors" was the fact that it was a package deal. There is a reason most sane developers handle class/character revamps 1-3 at a time. Even Blizzard who has more than enough resources to throw at the balance pass black hole they become; doesn't do them wholesale.
We all have a pretty fair idea that incoming at some point soon is a pretty serious round of balance passes, since by all factors I've heard about or tested in Beta :Landscape, instance, group, PC's are not in balance with each other nor the content around them. Like any balance passes you will have tweaks, minor buffs, and nerf bats. Across everyone who at the same time are adjusting to the existing changes.
Also consider the patience of the demographics BB's and the revamps were supposed to "entice" imho should go over about as well as a house on fire.
I haven't played in years, and just started a new LM. Yes, the pet is ridiculously over-powered. At lvl 20-30, he can easily take out +5's with no help.
So what I did was just focus on the books, the main storyline. I'm not doing any side quests. This kept me from over-leveling the area, until around lvl 20-25. At that point, the books became hard enough to allow me to farm a little, do some crafting, and maybe an odd quest or two. It feels almost a little sandboxy: I'm not doing quests, but just fiddling around between main story books; a little farming, some scholar crafting, some farm farming, a skirmish or two. I've been able to do all the books' 1,2,3 chapters solo.
If someone really wanted to get into the side quests, they would have to stop getting XP, or else outlevel the area quickly. It is too easy by far.
edit: Since I went Scholar, I need to find lots of mats around ruins; this makes the game a lot more exploration based, and not quest based. I look around and explore ruins, and run the main book quests, with a little farming in between. It is actually a lot of fun.
I played LotRO since the launch until become FTP. fter that, I played just to finish what I had (Mirkwood) and never back. WB killed the most amazing themepark that I ever played.
I'm a huge fan of Tolkien. I have books and more books about him, his histories and etc. First time I played LotRO I was so pleased, so stunned. I used to play without any help in my screen, just reading and trying find things, what friends called me crazy, but was incredibly fun. The landscape... Ah, good times.
Now, reading what you guys said, I'm so sad. I was already sad when I left, and now I'm just hopeless.
First time I played LotRO I was so pleased, so stunned. I used to play without any help in my screen, just reading and trying find things, what friends called me crazy, but was incredibly fun. The landscape... Ah, good times.
The landscape, the scenery, the overall mood and the folks are the same, "only" the gameplay has changed. But it's still LotRO...
Yesterday there was a 2 hours long Shades concert beneath Thorin's Hall, at the Silver Deep Mine, event like this are making you forget the lightweighted, paper-mache mobs and the simplified character building
And Yuletide festival is launching this week, if you stopped playing at the f2p switch then you haven't seen yet the cozy town of Frostbluff... a great place indeed (after you help them get rid of that corrupt mayor I mean).
I remember reading a few years ago that they eased up the earlier parts of the game because those areas weren't as populated, basically so people could still experience the harder content.
I think that's right...it shows. Trollshaws, Angmar, Forachel, etc. up the difficulty a bit - not much, but noticeable.
The more I think about it the more specifics I remember. Most of the (dumbing down) was in the book related segments, as those were needed to progress the story. I never got into the game so take that in mind, but I remember hearing most of those quests used to require groups and they removed that need.
All the books have one or more group content chapters. The big change is that they've given former group content a solo option. They do this with bolsters to your character - even for the open world elite content you get an item that can only be used in a specific place that bolsters you for 15 minutes. Once you leave the area you go back to normal stats.
Otherwise, the books and their chapters remain identical to what I remember.
As crowds spread out and thinned out, they really had to do this. It was near impossible for new and fresh players to finish anything epic story related, and story is the core of this world..
Best MMO experiences : EQ(PvE), DAoC(PvP), WoW(total package) LOTRO (worldfeel) GW2 (Artstyle and animations and worlddesign) SWTOR (Story immersion) TSW (story) ESO (character advancement)
Yes, it's easier. Most of the elites have been bumped down to signatures, and the 'book' quests have been made soloable. I personally agree with this change, as when any MMO has been out for a while it becomes top heavy. This in turn makes lower level group content very difficult to find parties for it.
To be fair though, guardian always was an easy class to solo with. Plus it's been years, so I'm most likely misremembering a few things.
Anyone remember the old forest in Bree-land at release? Elite huorns everywhere, dense fog, and the minimap was fogged over. That zone still gives me nightmares.
AN' DERE AIN'T NO SUCH FING AS ENUFF DAKKA, YA GROT! Enuff'z more than ya got an' less than too much an' there ain't no such fing as too much dakka. Say dere is, and me Squiggoff'z eatin' tonight!
We are born of the blood. Made men by the blood. Undone by the blood. Our eyes are yet to open. FEAR THE OLD BLOOD.
Yes, it's easier. Most of the elites have been bumped down to signatures, and the 'book' quests have been made soloable. I personally agree with this change, as when any MMO has been out for a while it becomes top heavy. This in turn makes lower level group content very difficult to find parties for it.
To be fair though, guardian always was an easy class to solo with. Plus it's been years, so I'm most likely misremembering a few things.
Anyone remember the old forest in Bree-land at release? Elite huorns everywhere, dense fog, and the minimap was fogged over. That zone still gives me nightmares.
no. this is not true at all.
HEre we go with old forest... was shit at launch. It was a few path ways here and there, nothing like it is now where you can actually roam the forest. I REMEBER the old forest, apparently some folk are living is a alternate fantasy .
Umm, yes, it IS true. Very easy to get lost in there, then killed. Don't presume to tell me what I do and do not remember, and I sure as hell am not living in an 'alternate fantasy'. The layout was more or less the same it is now, just foggier w/elite enemies and no minimap.
Plus I agree that it was overall, crap. The novelty wore off quickly because it soon became apparent that trying to quest in it was completely futile, and only the most masochistic of souls tried more than a few times. But if you want to continue to make erroneous assumptions, be my guest...
AN' DERE AIN'T NO SUCH FING AS ENUFF DAKKA, YA GROT! Enuff'z more than ya got an' less than too much an' there ain't no such fing as too much dakka. Say dere is, and me Squiggoff'z eatin' tonight!
We are born of the blood. Made men by the blood. Undone by the blood. Our eyes are yet to open. FEAR THE OLD BLOOD.
I played LotRO since the launch until become FTP. fter that, I played just to finish what I had (Mirkwood) and never back. WB killed the most amazing themepark that I ever played.
I'm a huge fan of Tolkien. I have books and more books about him, his histories and etc. First time I played LotRO I was so pleased, so stunned. I used to play without any help in my screen, just reading and trying find things, what friends called me crazy, but was incredibly fun. The landscape... Ah, good times.
Now, reading what you guys said, I'm so sad. I was already sad when I left, and now I'm just hopeless.
I never read the books but this was my first AAA MMORPG and I loved it until Moria. Then I liked it. Then when FTP happened I just log in to get my free points. I've bought every expansion that way but have yet to level past 65 or 70 I believe.
I actually wouldn't mind the one shot killing, would allow me to level up quickly.
Comments
Actually you're a bit late with wondering, minis are a champ-rival dps-machine since Isengard, with a slightly less dps which is compensated with they're being ranged and mobile (dishing out cries on the move). Even before HD, if played right, they were better dps than rk's, and could heal on the side without giving up dps capabilities.
Or, at least this is what I saw on my fellows' minis, since I put mine on the shelf after the RoI revamp. And yep, I started one yesterday, it's shocking. Archet intro, Calder Cobb (the first sig. boss), a year ago it was an entry-like moderate fight on that level, now it was 1 cry... and his two adds died as well with that one shot. Pathetic... and that's supposed to be the main healer of the game.
To the OP is it easier?
There once was a title called the Undying upon reaching lvl 20 without dying. People used to cheer anytime some1 said in ooc that they achieved it.
Even before HD it had become a mere pulse check, if one could breathe unassisted one could get the title.
Haven't played HD on live as LOTRO is un-installed and HD remains un-purchased, but unless there was a massive change since the last beta round; yea if you have 1 eye and four fingers your probably good.
I think you're confusing mob difficulty with game complexity.
Not to mention, I think you'd be surprised at how easy killing enemies in WoW currently is. Games like LotRO aren't the only ones getting the WoW bat, even WoW has been systematically dumbing itself down over the years, to the point where we now have 3 year olds mastering the game. (tiny exaggeration, but I think u get my point)
If you put Undying as the measure, then the easy-fication started right at the f2p switch, since then it got easier and easier to get that title with every update.
I lost only one Undying during the last 3 years, when my router froze mid-combat and the client lost connection
yep, accidents can happen...
agreed it was an extended trend, my only point was that, from my observations during the beta rounds, HD merely stuck the fork in it.
Don't know about Champ, just know my Warden has been ruined. Granted, the Warden has had a colourful path since it came out with Moria, but whether it was up or down, broken or OP, there was always and elegance, complexity and joy to its play. Now it's basically just taunting and dpsing.
'Undying' breathed its last when Turbine started granting xp for crafting. Half a year ago I got my cooking alt to undying in one day, unintentionally, by leveling up her farming and cooking.
I think people are just saying it is easier than it was before.
I haven't had the time to log back in, but I'm thinking of doing it just to see if it changed that much.
And it is.
I left before Moria and just came back. Many elites have become signature and my red-line LM can easily solo red signatures and even red elites with a bit more effort...and by that I mean I might have to throw my pet a heal. That, is very different from beta or release.
It does start to even out a bit as you level and you don't feel quite as OP'd when you get to the 40s in Angmar and Trollshaws, but it's definitely easier than it once was.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
I remember reading a few years ago that they eased up the earlier parts of the game because those areas weren't as populated, basically so people could still experience the harder content.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
I think that's right...it shows. Trollshaws, Angmar, Forachel, etc. up the difficulty a bit - not much, but noticeable.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
The more I think about it the more specifics I remember. Most of the (dumbing down) was in the book related segments, as those were needed to progress the story. I never got into the game so take that in mind, but I remember hearing most of those quests used to require groups and they removed that need.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
All the books have one or more group content chapters. The big change is that they've given former group content a solo option. They do this with bolsters to your character - even for the open world elite content you get an item that can only be used in a specific place that bolsters you for 15 minutes. Once you leave the area you go back to normal stats.
Otherwise, the books and their chapters remain identical to what I remember.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
Can't say for certain as I haven't logged into live since last Jan. and haven't been on Bullroaroer since the phases ended. But one thing that stopped me playing back when the class changes were mere "rumors" was the fact that it was a package deal. There is a reason most sane developers handle class/character revamps 1-3 at a time. Even Blizzard who has more than enough resources to throw at the balance pass black hole they become; doesn't do them wholesale.
We all have a pretty fair idea that incoming at some point soon is a pretty serious round of balance passes, since by all factors I've heard about or tested in Beta :Landscape, instance, group, PC's are not in balance with each other nor the content around them. Like any balance passes you will have tweaks, minor buffs, and nerf bats. Across everyone who at the same time are adjusting to the existing changes.
Also consider the patience of the demographics BB's and the revamps were supposed to "entice" imho should go over about as well as a house on fire.
I haven't played in years, and just started a new LM. Yes, the pet is ridiculously over-powered. At lvl 20-30, he can easily take out +5's with no help.
So what I did was just focus on the books, the main storyline. I'm not doing any side quests. This kept me from over-leveling the area, until around lvl 20-25. At that point, the books became hard enough to allow me to farm a little, do some crafting, and maybe an odd quest or two. It feels almost a little sandboxy: I'm not doing quests, but just fiddling around between main story books; a little farming, some scholar crafting, some farm farming, a skirmish or two. I've been able to do all the books' 1,2,3 chapters solo.
If someone really wanted to get into the side quests, they would have to stop getting XP, or else outlevel the area quickly. It is too easy by far.
edit: Since I went Scholar, I need to find lots of mats around ruins; this makes the game a lot more exploration based, and not quest based. I look around and explore ruins, and run the main book quests, with a little farming in between. It is actually a lot of fun.
------------
2024: 47 years on the Net.
I played LotRO since the launch until become FTP. fter that, I played just to finish what I had (Mirkwood) and never back. WB killed the most amazing themepark that I ever played.
I'm a huge fan of Tolkien. I have books and more books about him, his histories and etc. First time I played LotRO I was so pleased, so stunned. I used to play without any help in my screen, just reading and trying find things, what friends called me crazy, but was incredibly fun. The landscape... Ah, good times.
Now, reading what you guys said, I'm so sad. I was already sad when I left, and now I'm just hopeless.
The landscape, the scenery, the overall mood and the folks are the same, "only" the gameplay has changed. But it's still LotRO...
Yesterday there was a 2 hours long Shades concert beneath Thorin's Hall, at the Silver Deep Mine, event like this are making you forget the lightweighted, paper-mache mobs and the simplified character building
http://postimg.org/image/5slkvbiq1/ , http://postimg.org/image/t9dfu34ax/
http://postimg.org/image/oyyryhz7t/ (special effects, with occasional too-closely-danced roasted hobbits on the side
)
http://postimg.org/image/n4lxgrc7d/
And Yuletide festival is launching this week, if you stopped playing at the f2p switch then you haven't seen yet the cozy town of Frostbluff... a great place indeed (after you help them get rid of that corrupt mayor I mean).
As crowds spread out and thinned out, they really had to do this. It was near impossible for new and fresh players to finish anything epic story related, and story is the core of this world..
Best MMO experiences : EQ(PvE), DAoC(PvP), WoW(total package) LOTRO (worldfeel) GW2 (Artstyle and animations and worlddesign) SWTOR (Story immersion) TSW (story) ESO (character advancement)
Yes, it's easier. Most of the elites have been bumped down to signatures, and the 'book' quests have been made soloable. I personally agree with this change, as when any MMO has been out for a while it becomes top heavy. This in turn makes lower level group content very difficult to find parties for it.
To be fair though, guardian always was an easy class to solo with. Plus it's been years, so I'm most likely misremembering a few things.
Anyone remember the old forest in Bree-land at release? Elite huorns everywhere, dense fog, and the minimap was fogged over. That zone still gives me nightmares.
AN' DERE AIN'T NO SUCH FING AS ENUFF DAKKA, YA GROT! Enuff'z more than ya got an' less than too much an' there ain't no such fing as too much dakka. Say dere is, and me Squiggoff'z eatin' tonight!
We are born of the blood. Made men by the blood. Undone by the blood. Our eyes are yet to open. FEAR THE OLD BLOOD.
#IStandWithVic
Umm, yes, it IS true. Very easy to get lost in there, then killed. Don't presume to tell me what I do and do not remember, and I sure as hell am not living in an 'alternate fantasy'. The layout was more or less the same it is now, just foggier w/elite enemies and no minimap.
Plus I agree that it was overall, crap. The novelty wore off quickly because it soon became apparent that trying to quest in it was completely futile, and only the most masochistic of souls tried more than a few times. But if you want to continue to make erroneous assumptions, be my guest...
AN' DERE AIN'T NO SUCH FING AS ENUFF DAKKA, YA GROT! Enuff'z more than ya got an' less than too much an' there ain't no such fing as too much dakka. Say dere is, and me Squiggoff'z eatin' tonight!
We are born of the blood. Made men by the blood. Undone by the blood. Our eyes are yet to open. FEAR THE OLD BLOOD.
#IStandWithVic
I never read the books but this was my first AAA MMORPG and I loved it until Moria. Then I liked it. Then when FTP happened I just log in to get my free points. I've bought every expansion that way but have yet to level past 65 or 70 I believe.
I actually wouldn't mind the one shot killing, would allow me to level up quickly.