Last LotRO dev chat of 2007
German Lord of the Rings Online site, Lotro-welten, held their last monthly LotRO dev chat on Friday. Unlike some previous dev chats, this one had some juicy bits. Most of it focused on class improvements in Book 12 which is expected to land on the test server Roheryn very soon in the new year.
Hunter tweaks are going to be focused on solo survivability and increasing dps in a way that makes sense for the class. Examples of what they have planned include boosting Focus by 3 when the Hunter uses their Blindside melee strike+bow shot ability. This will allow the Hunter the Focus they need to fire off their high damage Penetrating Shot ranged attack. Also, Fear will not be broken by any DoTs that were already on the target when the Fear is applies. And the high damage Merciful Shot will revert back to being usable when the target is at 50% health instead of 25%.
The devs also elaborated on the Guardian changes coming. They will be receiving a new dps stance that will open up a new set of skills to use. This is designed to be used with 2-handed weapons, but can be also used with sword and shield in hand. Guardians will also be getting a new talent which will allow them to divert all incoming damage on a single target to themselves. This will not be stackable, but will be usable in Player vs Monster Player combat.
Book 12 is also the Month of the Burglar. Improvements coming their way include a new skill called Mischief that will reduce the recovery time of their single target daze Riddle ability by 50% . They are also introducing Fellowship Maneuver response skills and the previously announced ability for a Burglar to take a friend into stealth with them.
Upcoming dev diaries will go into detail about the changes for each of these classes. The official EU LotRO forums have a complete transcript of the chat. More details about Book 12 features can be found in our previous dev chat coverage.
Now it's just a matter of waiting until the content patch hits the Test server and we see how these many class changes work in-game. Big changes like these to so many classes at once can cause unforeseen balance issues, especially in groups. Personally, we're waiting for the Angmar solo-friendly revamp so we can grind out those last levels without wanting to run away from the game in despair.
