Monday, August 13, 2007

LotRO Book 10: Coming August 20th

In one week's time, we'll see if Book 10 is enough to keep me going on LotRO. I haven't played in 2 weeks now, in an effort to make sure I don't grow to hate the game. Level 35+ for a solo-preferred quester is a nightmare in LotRO. No 2 ways about it. But Book 10 is supposed to introduce some more quests for levels 38+, and a whole new reputation quest system to help solo-ers get some gear and have a reason to grind those deeds aside from the teensy tiny bits of upgrades that are the traits.

I guess I'll log into LotRO for the 1st time in a while tonight, and see if I still get frustrated trying to quest in Evendim. I hope not. I want to get to 50 for the eventual Moria expansion. :(

Maybe it's possible I just am starting to dislike the Champion and need to try an alt, but I really don't want to stop LotRO so far in... lots of time invested in the game from late Alpha tests all the way up until now. Our Kinship, the Vault staff one, is small and so sporadic in our playtimes that we're hardly ever on together. Is it just that I need a more standard playgroup to quest with, in order to get all these group quests done? Because I know there's more to this game than leveling, but I can't seem to have fun unless I'm making progression towards a goal, and my only goal is to keep seeing new quests and new places. I'm not into crafting, and I'm too low for Monster Play yet.

Save me Frodo!

6 comments:

Aspendawn said...

It's been two weeks for me as well since I played. Summer is going too fast! Can't believe next expansion is coming up next week already. Think I'll wait until then to give it another go. Honestly, I'm not very hopeful. Really don't look forward to grinding deeds. I tried to do as many as I could a few weeks back in anticipation of the expansion but just couldn't hack it anymore. I have visions of level 50's next week running through the Bree marshes killing every neekerbreeker in sight lol.

Bildo said...

I'm more worried about the reputation system. Can it be possibly as bad as WoW's system? I hope not. If it gives me something to do at the mid-late 30s solo, I'll be pleased. Quests always help put a reason behind all that killing. Grinding alone is not my style. Hence why I haven't worked on any deeds in months.

It's only fun when with a buddy to chat with and test your limits with.

Anonymous said...

I'm out of lotro, otherwise would hop on over to your server and play message tag.

However interesting book 10 is, it just isnt enough to keep me playing. In fact after quitting playing lotro I dont even miss it one bit ....

Anonymous said...

One thing I do have to give LotRO---they're putting out those content updates a lot more frequently than I was used to with WoW, which is nice.

Anonymous said...

I duo with my wife always, and we enjoy group play, so I can say unequivocally, that LotRO is impossible to run out of quests and content if you have a solid group to travel with.

We hit 35 without ever stepping into Evendim and we'll be well into our 40s before we are done, not including all of the Southern Evendim that will be fleshed out in Book 10.

I agree with you in that the solo player will always be at a major disadvantage quest and gear wise in Middle-Earth, because so much depends on completeing the fellowship quests in order to open up new quest hubs and chains, and the rewards are so much better, but I do have to point out one thing...

When was the last time we read a Tolkien story where the hero wandered off and solo'd for a while? It was called the Fellowship of the Rings, so you can't be surprized that the MMO version expects people to group here and there to be successful.

Bildo said...

This is very true. But it's also one of those things that Turbine CANNOT stick to the lore with in this day and age. Too many people (myself included surely) are now spoiled by how possible it was to solo quest and never run out in WoW. Even EQ2 these days.

I like to group. But in LotRO, on Silverlode, I can't freakin' find one these days. My guild has some good people in it (sorry, Kinship), but they're 10-12 levels below having just started recently.

So the wait is unbearable. I can't progress outside of crafting or grinding mobs right now, hence my break.