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The Daily Grind: Do you like LotRO's mounted combat?
I realize that I'm like a year late to Riders of Rohan and Lord of the Rings Online's mounted combat, but I'm nonetheless enjoying it a fair bit. It's different, for one thing. And it's got customizable horses and plenty of room to ride them, for another. It lags a bit more than I'd like, even when there are no other players around, and that brings me to my point. I rarely see anyone participating in mounted combat, at least on the Landroval server around the Norcrofts, Wold, and Entwash Vale areas. It could be that everyone's at endgame and Helm's Deep, or it could be that I'm just playing at the wrong times. Or it could be any number of other factors, including the possibility that mounted combat isn't that popular with LotRO's playerbase. What say you, Massively readers? Do you like LotRO's mounted combat? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Road to Mordor: First impressions of Helm's Deep
The past five or six months for me and Lord of the Rings Online have been full of apathy and disconnection. While technically fine, Wildermore didn't grip me in the least and left me feeling as if I was slogging through content for no great rewards. I hardly saw or heard other players there and eventually stopped feeling the urge to log in to the game. So while I was somewhat positive about a new expansion, I secretly worried that it would be a lot more of the same. My play time over the past week or so speaks to how I've taken a shine to Helm's Deep because I've been enjoying it to the exclusion of almost all of the rest of my games. I don't want to overreact because I know there's always that "new car smell" that comes with major game updates like this, but I've started to fall in love with LotRO all over again. I don't think there's any secret why this is happening. Helm's Deep has (thus far) some of the best questing content in the game to date, and the class revisions have gone a long way to making my characters feel fresh and fun once more. So here are a few vital first impressions of the expansion, both good and bad, that have come to mind as I've traveled Rohan since the launch.
Jukebox Heroes: Helm's Deep's soundtrack
Well this was a particularly pleasant surprise! As the resident Lord of the Rings Online writer around these here parts, I've been pretty excited about this week's Helm's Deep release. I totally did not expect Turbine to give away the entire soundtrack for free on SoundCloud a week ago, especially after selling Riders of Rohan's score as a digital album. But that's what happened, and I am very much not complaining. While the esteemed Chance Thomas did not compose the second part of the Rohan saga, the studio did make the effort to create an original score in-house instead of just rehashing previous tracks. The result is an album of 25 new tunes for us to evaluate in anticipation of the next chapter of LotRO. So I threw out my original plans for this week's column, microwaved up some coffee, and gave the new score a listen. It was difficult narrowing the field down to six standout tracks, but the coffee was strong and so was my will. Let's take a listen through Helm's Deep, shall we?
Turbine delays Helm's Deep launch until Wednesday [Updated]
Following a power outage at its data centers yesterday, Turbine has restored game and website functionality to its titles but announced that the launch of Lord of the Rings Online: Helm's Deep is temporarily delayed. From LotRO's Facebook page: We are temporarily delaying the launch of Helm's Deep while we work to address remaining issues, and will provide more information later this morning. We thank you for your continued patience, and will keep you updated. [Update: According to this afternoon's update, the Helm's Deep's launch will be delayed until Wednesday. Turbine is extending its pre-purchase offers as well as the 100% XP boost and Bounder's Bounty events through today and tomorrow.]
Video previews Helm's Deep trait changes in LotRO
Seeing isn't always believing; it's also understanding! Just because you know about the big class revamp that's coming with Lord of the Rings Online's Helm's Deep expansion next week doesn't mean you've wrapped your head around it completely. After all, a whole new game experience is just that: new. Luckily for us, Layanor at MMO Reporter offers a visual walkthrough of the new traits. Although the video focuses on the Hunter class, players can get an idea of the various functions available with the system. Prepare yourself for Helm's Deep with the trait preview video below and The Road to Mordor's guide to what you need to know.
The Road to Mordor: On the cusp of Helm's Deep
This is it, my friends. There's no going back. In just a couple of short days, Lord of the Rings Online: Helm's Deep will launch, and we'll be forging ahead in unexplored territory. Some of that territory is the game world itself, with the second half of Rohan being rolled out to much anticipation among the antsy level-capped community. Some of that territory is a radical change to the very foundation of LotRO itself. It's safe to say that while the former is welcomed, the latter is causing no end of controversy, anxiety, anticipation, delight, and horror. I'm right there with you. I'm in the trenches, polishing my Captain's armor and getting ready for her next journey across Middle-earth. So before we saddle up and ride into Helm's Deep, let's go through what you need to know, to prepare, and to accomplish on launch day and beyond.
Lord of the Rings Online: Helm's Deep breaks beta records
Will Lord of the Rings Online: Helm's Deep break records when it launches next week? Only time will tell, but Community Manager Rick Heaton said that the expansion has already done so in beta. On the forums Heaton posted, "It's the first expansion that we've had since Shadows of Angmar that required us to add servers to the beta world to match the number of players trying to log in and participate. It was the first beta since Shadows of Angmar that actually tripped our login queues on the beta world and forced us to raise the max player population." Helm's Deep launches on Monday, November 18th.
Lord of the Rings Online offers up the Helm's Deep soundtrack
All right, Lord of the Rings Online fans, another expansion is coming out really soon. It's only a week away. But maybe you still can't stand the wait. You're logging in and playing the game every night but you need something to make the next few days bearable. That's a bit of an overreaction, but Turbine has you covered with the addition of the Helm's Deep soundtrack to SoundCloud. Yes, you can now listen to the entire soundtrack from wherever, although you won't be able to download the tracks for obvious reasons. The music is the same orchestral score that players have come to expect from the game, with an atmosphere of desperate conflict and impending violence. It's the sort of thing that's very well-suited to a protracted siege and a last stand against Mordor, in other words. Even if you're not a fan of Lord of the Rings Online you can enjoy the soundtrack.
Lord of the Rings Online videos tour the landscape of Helm's Deep
News about Lord of the Rings Online's upcoming Helm's Deep expansion has been making its way to fans since the NDA dropped earlier this week. And now, video walkthroughs are added to that list. Two beta players, Andang and Ethelros, filmed a tour of each of the new upcoming zones. These videos take you on a leisurely stroll through Kingstead, Eastfold, Broadacres, Stonedeans, Westfold, and Helm's Deep itself. Grab a drink and settle back: Each walkthrough is between seven and 18 minutes long. Enjoy Helm's Deep and Westfold in the videos below, and head on over to LOTRO Players to behold the other four zones. [Thanks to all who sent this in!]
LotRO drops Helm's Deep NDA
The gloves, er, NDA is off for the Lord of the Rings Online: Helm's Deep beta, and Turbine has invited players to speak their mind about the upcoming expansion. Since Helm's Deep will also include the single biggest overhaul to LotRO's classes since launch, the players have been hard at work compiling guides as to what's changed. Turbine posted links to these guides in the announcement thread. Helm's Deep will be released on November 18th and it includes the aforementioned class overhaul, the new epic battle system, and the last half of the Rohan region and storyline. If you've been playing the beta, let us know what you think in the comments!
Thirty thousand Orcs and you: A LotRO epic battle story
The rain beats hard down on steel helms as a flash of lightning illuminates the horrible truth: a carpet of monsters stretching to the horizon, advancing on the last refuge of an entire country. A catapult rolls up and fires a flaming shot over the battlements and into the troops behind you. People die. More people take their place. As you watch, a formation of 600 Orcs breaks away from the host for the first charge against the wall. Your wall. The wall you've sworn to protect at all costs. The wall that may well be your grave in the next 30 minutes. This isn't just flowery language but actual in-game events we witnessed when Turbine took us in for our first look at the epic battles coming to Lord of the Rings Online: Helm's Deep. There's been plenty of talk on the studio's part as to the scale and scope of the system, but it's something else entirely to see it in action. Turbine's been working on the epic battle system for well over a year now, drawing inspiration from World War II documentaries as well as the 10-page description of the battle in Tolkien's novel. The team reworked the game's technology from the ground-up to allow for thousands of characters to fill the screen and up to 50 NPCs to be in combat at any one time. And even though the outcome of the battle is locked into place by lore, the conceit is that you will be judged based on your performance. Join us and 30,000 Orcs as we go over the many, many details of epic battles. But be quick about it -- we've only a few moments before the fight is rejoined.
LotRO holds leveling contest for lifetime membership
Not all who level are lost; on the contrary, a lifetime membership and free copies of the Helm's Deep expansion are being offered as rewards for leveling Lord of the Rings Online characters. LotRO's new leveling contest could get you one of 16 rewards if you put in the effort during this next month. Players who have a character that reaches level 60 or higher by November 10th will be entered into a drawing to possibly win a lifetime membership, a premium edition of Helm's Deep, or 500 Turbine Points. Unless your character's at level 85 (which is an automatic contest entry right there), you'll have to advance at least one level between now and November 10th in the level 60-85 range to be entered into the drawing. The cool thing is that you will get a chance to win for every character on your account that achieves this.
LotRO gives 100% XP boost to everyone for a month
Lord of the Rings Online is granting everyone in the game a 100% boost to XP gain in the month leading up to Helm's Deep. From now through November 17th, the boost will give players a helping hand in getting their characters up to the starting line for the expansion. The boost was announced on the LotRO website's front page. Turbine also said that seven members of the player council will be visiting the studio on October 31st to discuss community, localization, development plans, and customer service issues. The studio said that photos and "comments" from the visit will be shared that day.
Turbine defends LotRO class changes
Arguably the biggest feature coming with next month's Helm's Deep expansion for Lord of the Rings Online isn't the new landscape, epic story, or big battle system, but the overhaul of the classes and the institution of the new trait trees. Turbine took to the pulpit today to preach about why the devs felt it was necessary to overhaul the system. There were several reasons given for the class changes. The devs felt that skills were losing potency the more they were added, there were many skills not being used, class builds were too much alike, the combat tempo needed more pep, animation times were sometimes too long, and it was just taking a lot of time for the devs to try to keep everything in balance. "These are big changes," the devs state. "They take some getting used to. We know this. We also know that for the good of the game and its longevity, we sometimes need to make big changes."
LotRO devs answer 'super-sized' Q&A about Helm's Deep
Turbine's developers couldn't pick just 20 questions about the upcoming Lord of the Rings Online: Helm's Deep to answer, so they decided to "super-size" the Q&A up to a nice round 40. The questions are grouped into sections including epic battles, class changes, mounted combat, legendary items, pricing, and more. Since we haven't heard much yet about how the epic battles reward players, the answer here is illuminating. As players complete objectives, they'll be awarded points for how difficult those objectives were (from bronze to platinum). After reward bars fill up, players can choose a piece of gear or to convert some of the points into the next tier (although gold cannot convert to platinum). The epic battle instances include Helm's Dike, The Deeping Wall, The Deeping-Coomb, The Glittering Caves, and the Hornburg. The promised housing revamp was also mentioned: "We have some of the early bits in (changes to house inventory). We are prototyping more features and will continue to develop and add to live. Housing work is going to come in phases." Of course, there's a lot more that's included in the Q&A, so check it out!
A wounded land: The sights of LotRO's West Rohan
In past developer walkthroughs of Lord of the Rings Online: Helm's Deep, Turbine gave us a broad overview of the expansion as well as a look at the next portion of the epic story. For our third tour, we got to check out the vistas and landscapes of West Rohan. One of our concerns was that after the expansiveness of East Rohan, the wast would be, well, more of the same. Lots of fields, horses galore, and so on. While the horses are still ever-present (this is Rohan, after all), West Rohan establishes a unique identity as a land that's more developed, more diverse, and more wounded. The theme of the region is simple: War is coming -- and is in fact already here. In our tour through the five ridings of West Rohan, the developers stopped to point out how they crafted the region to do the country and its many fans justice. If you think you know it all from the movies or from base assumptions, you might want to open your mind to a richer experience that's coming soon to LotRO.
The Road to Mordor: The Helm's Deep info avalanche continues
Holy moly do we ever have a lot to talk about! For whatever reason, Turbine's been holding onto all of this information about Helm's Deep and then decided to push it all out at once a couple of months prior to the expansion's release. As such, I'm seeing Lord of the Rings Online fans scurry all over the place trying to soak up the news and make sense of it all. It's been... interesting, to say the least. LotRO's in for a packed fall, no matter whether you're feeling psyched, depressed, confused, or anything else in the emotional rainbow. I'm right there with the rest of you, sorting and analyzing. All I can say right now is that (a) I'm welcoming of new content for the game and (b) I've given up trying to predict Turbine. I mean, after it broke with its "[something] of [place]" naming convention, all bets were off, folks. Madness must ensue.
Charging into the epic story of Lord of the Rings Online: Helm's Deep
It might not be anything as shocking (and, erm, incredibly slow) as hypothetical Ent play, but the epic story of Lord of the Rings Online: Helm's Deep promises to be a grand experience to match or exceed what we've experienced before. Three new books with about 12 chapters apiece await those who dive into the expansion and charge into western Rohan. While the epic story has always been a mixture of Turbine's storytelling creations and Tolkien's canonical events, Helm's Deep will hew a lot more closely to the books than ever before. This is the penultimate part of The Two Towers, and the dev team wants to do it right. That's not to say you won't get to see your favorite secondary characters, so fret not if you're looking for more inspiration for that Nona/Horn romance novel you've been writing. It's just that they'll be taking a backseat to the major players -- and a few surprises -- as events lead us to the titular fortress and the most important battle in the game to date.
LotRO's Guardians to get off-tank build
What's on deck for Lord of the Rings Online's Guardians once the expansion hits in November? A new class dev diary reveals how the heavy metal fighters are being reworked from the ground up, including a brand-new trait line for an off-tank build. The new trait line is Fighter of Shadow, and it uses a marking mechanic to tag mobs for future proc buffs and heals. Guardians who pursue the Fighter of Shadow will become effective off-tanks, able to block with two-handed weapons and throw out more AoE attacks than the other two builds. That's not to say that the other two trait lines, focusing on tanking and DPS respectively, aren't seeing some work done. The tanking Guardian will get a stacking buff that can provide mitigation to himself or his fellowship, and the DPS Guardian will become a master of bleeds.
