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The Road to Mordor: A day in LotRO's Forochel
The snow crunches angrily beneath my boots. It's a hard snow, beaten down by the winds and the constant sub-arctic temperatures. On top of it is a light powder that stings when it is whipped into my eyes. Fortunately all is calm and quiet at the moment, and I move on. I'm a pioneer in Forochel, or so my title tells me, but I still feel as if I don't know this untamed land. It's the roof of the world, or so they say, with odd peoples, strange languages, and frozen ruins. I see sights there that I never would anywhere else in Middle-earth, and it almost feels like an alien world removed from all I've known because of that. I walk toward a distant fire while the snow falls behind me and covers my footprints. Too often I think of how far away I am from the safety and warmth of home, and it frightens me. Am I a fool to forge into this land? To go in the opposite direction of the One Ring? Or is this my destined path?
The Daily Grind: What's your favorite winter zone?
OK, how weird is the whole "Christmas in July" thing, anyway? Are people jonesing for sleigh bells and mistletoe so badly they can't wait for a few months? Who thought it would be a smashing idea to make us think of the cold, dark days of winter in the middle of 90-degree weather? So if we're already at the weird point of thinking about snow while our thermometers are melting, we might as well go the whole hog and talk about winter zones in MMOs. I've always been partial to a good snow-and-ice-themed area, whether it be Winterspring in World of Warcraft, Forochel in Lord of the Rings Online or, y'know, Hoth. What's your favorite winter zone in MMOs? Which areas make you want to wrap a warm fur cloak about you as you venture forth into the fluffy powder and pristine icefields? And what makes that zone special for you? 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!
PAX East 2011: Delving LotRO dungeons deeply
Right now, Lord of the Rings Online is in a brief respite between the insanity of PAX East and the upcoming March 21st release date for its next big update, Echoes of the Dead. To say that there's a lot coming with this update is a vast understatement, so it was great to get a sneak peek at the five new instances before they went live. Earlier this year, players started to get rumblings about a major upcoming event as five mysterious relics popped up all over Middle-earth in Evendim, Forochel, Enedwaith, North Downs and the Trollshaws. By finding all five, players completed a special deed and got the title "Calm Before the Storm," foreshadowing dire events to follow. All anyone could do after that was prepare for an uncertain future. It turns out that LotRO's players had good reason to prepare, because as of next week, five new dungeons will open their doors for business -- the business of eating adventurers alive and spitting out their bones, that is. Spurned Gaunt-lords have returned to make life for the Free Peoples of Middle-earth harder by transforming the very landscape into their hellish domain, and it's up to you to thwart their schemes. Hit the jump as we traveled to these new instances at PAX East with LotRO Executive Producer Kate Paiz!
The Road to Mordor: Rating Eriador
Lately I've been playing world traveler with my level 43 Lore-master as he's bouncing all over Middle-earth in what used to be the high-level zones of the game: Trollshaws, Angmar, Forochel, Misty Mountains, and Eregion. Once again, I'm struck by just how cohesive this place feels -- it's not a collection of Sonic the Hedgehog-themed areas (Green Zone 1, Lava Zone 4, etc.) but a world that connects together in a tangible, real way. Even though it's fiction. Until November 2008, Eriador was the only place in Middle-earth that we could explore, and although some criticized Lord of the Rings Online for not shipping with, well, every locale in J.R.R. Tolkien's imaginarium open for business, it was a smart decision. The devs could take this section of the world and focus on building depth and detail instead of spreading it thin, like butter scraped over too much bread. As a result, Eriador remains a wonderful starting point -- not to mention the bulk of any current player's journey -- and many of us have grown attached to these familiar sights and sounds as a result. Today I'd like to take a brief overview of all of Eriador's zones (we'll leave Rhovanion for another day) and rate them from best to worst in terms of zone design, questing, and that slippery cool-factor that's hard to define. Where would I suggest a summer vacation home and where would be an ideal spot for a penal colony? Hit the jump and let's run it down.
The Road to Mordor: Fishing frenzy
Way back in the olden times of yore, henceforth referred to as "2008," Lord of the Rings Online released its first -- and to date, only -- hobby in the game: fishing. While we wait for a second hobby to make its way into the game (the popular rumor is golf), I thought it'd be interesting to take a look at this interesting side activity in LotRO. I'll admit that fishing bores me, both in real life and in virtual games. In both, it's a lot of waiting, a ton of non-interaction, and the occasional flashes of activity. The end result is edible and odd but nevertheless compelling to some folks. MMOs have a long history of incorporating fishing as a minigame or side activity, usually given to players as something to do when they're waiting on something else. I've noticed that roleplayers are big fans of the rod-and-reel, probably because it's defiantly against the grain. In a world of power-levelers, danger-seekers, and quest-undergoers, taking large chunks of time to stand in one spot and watch for a couple of pixels to bob shows that you walk a path less traveled. I get the impression that there are many people in the game who don't even know that fishing exists or perhaps who dabbled once and never gave it another thought. Even if fishing isn't typically your bag, Turbine's dangled a few tempting rewards from the hooks of fishermen's labors -- enough that it prompted me to take a closer look this week.
The Road to Mordor: The final ding
It happened far sooner than I'd hoped. I tried to put it off, to ignore the creeping bar, to spend my days in frivolous activities instead of fighting evil -- but to no avail. It was a simple quest turn-in somewhere deep in Mirkwood, and with only two elves to witness the event, a stream of white light erupted from my head. I was level 65. For me, it's always been extremely disconcerting to hit endgame in any MMO, which is probably why Lord of the Rings Online marks only the fourth game of my MMO career in which this has happened. I like the feeling of leveling up, gaining experience, going on a mostly solo journey through the lands. But once I ding that final level, the XP gains go away and the questions arise. What do I do now? Should I become concerned with raiding? I wasn't before! Is there a purpose to keep on questing at this point without XP? Am I going to avoid fighting mobs unless I absolutely have to do so? What is there to do? Will I get bored? Who replaced my wallet with a ketchup packet before I sat down? Join me after the jump as I take you through these questions and more on my journey to discover a life after the final ding.
One Shots: Life in a northern town
Sure, it's getting cold up here in the northern hemisphere. 'Tis the season and all that. But one great thing about being in the north? The beautiful northern lights! For the rest of us who aren't near a location where the northern lights occur naturally, you can always take a tour in Lord of the Rings Online. The light show there is definitely something that has been the subject of many One Shots over the years, but we still think its lovely to look at. (Admittedly, much better in action.) Today we have one such nighttime shot from Myrdanimyr, who kept it short and sweet: "I thought this shot was quite pretty. I was taken back by the wonderful sky in Forochel in Lord of the Rings Online." One Shots is in need of your screenshots, so while you're out getting your game time in during the weekend, why not send some images our way? It's easy to do. Just email them to oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a quick description. We'll post them out here and give you the credit. %Gallery-85937%
The Daily Grind: What's your most memorable MMO rite of passage?
They're not always easy to define, but every MMO has universal moments that every player seems to go through, find incredibly annoying/tedious/laughable, and then complain about to others. These rites of passage are what bond us together, strangers in name, united through a notorious experience. In WoW, it was accumulating enough Goretusk livers from liverless boars and searching in vain for Mankrik's wife. In Star Trek Online, it used to be playing hide-and-seek with Sulu. In my main game, Lord of the Rings Online, it's doing the pie delivery run, or attempting to swim the frozen waters of Forochel, or falling to your doom in Moria. What rite of passage do you remember (not so) fondly from your past and present MMOs? What experiences aggravated you when you went through them, and made you smile as you saw others go through the same thing and complain about it as you had? Where are those invisible lines separating the neophytes from the veterans?
The Road to Mordor: Frugal free-to-play
Two weeks! Two weeks, people! Why are you just sitting there, all calm-before-the-storm-like, instead of following my lead and running around like a chicken with its head... well, you know. Two weeks until Volume III Book 2 launches (and a little earlier for current subscribers), and I am psyched. There certainly is something for everyone here: a F2P version, store options, a new zone, instance scaling, more dungeons, DX11, the wardrobe, a revamped beginner experience, three new servers, the next chapter in the epic story, class tweaks, a haunted cellar, and, of course, demonic goats. Did I miss something? I probably did, but it's kind of crazy around here. One of the highlights I'm anticipating is all of the new (and returning) players giving LotRO their time due to the multiple payment options, including F2P bliss. I'm always a huge fan of options in my games, and I truly feel that the implementation of this free-to-play model will benefit a wider range of players than the current subscription core. Mmm, that Kool-Aid tastes great! If you're thinking about heading into LotRO in two weeks but are unsure how much "free" will come with your F2P, when you'll be hit with the big catch, or whether you'll be forced to subscribe at some point, I have some great news for you. There are a variety of routes you can take to experience a good chunk of Lord of the Rings Online without denting your bank account. Read on for five valuable strategies to save a buck while saving Middle-earth!
The Road to Mordor: Frolicking in Forochel
Call me weird, but I am an absolute sucker for winter zones in MMORPGs. For me, the season of winter always evokes a lot of powerful feelings as the landscape is transformed, homes are a sanctuaries for warmth, and hardiness becomes a desirable trait. A zone filled with ice and snow screams to me desolation and death -- more so than a fire or volcano one -- but in a beautiful way. It's no wonder, then, that I've become entranced with Forochel in Lord of the Rings Online. Added to the game in April of 2008, Forochel became a bit of an anomaly in the LotRO experience. It was a (then) max-level area that was off the beaten path, created to cater to solo players seeking adventure. In fact, if the epic story hadn't taken us to Forochel in Volume 1 Book 13, I doubt many players would have sought it out on their own. It's a shame if that's the case, because Forochel offers both breathtaking vistas and a unique questing experience that should be encountered at least once in your LotRO career.
The Road to Mordor: Enedwaith Exploration Expo
E3 is always an exciting time full of announcements, reveals and hundreds of journalists attempting to leech every last drop of information from crafty studios. It's pretty much insane, and if your head isn't exploding from all of the news, trailers, screenshots and surprises, then I'm going to have to ask you to hand in your gamer card. For Turbine, this year's E3 has been a crucial moment in the company's history. Not only are we seeing them under the Warner Bros. banner in public, but they had to step up and both defend and build off of the revelation of Lord of the Ring Online's new business model. They were smart not to save the announcement itself for E3, because the gaming public and the press needed a bit of time to both digest the news and get past the initial emotional reaction so they could bring the studio thoughtful questions. Turbine's undoubtedly enjoying its fair share of press coverage at E3 because of this, and that's saying something considering all of the other heavy-hitters like Star Wars: The Old Republic, Final Fantasy XIV and Warhammer 40K that are making appearances. No matter what your feelings are on the F2P model, Turbine's got a lot more for LotRO gamers than just that -- in fact, they've been bombarding us with so much good new stuff that it's hard to know where to start. So let's take a quick tour through 10 exciting additions and updates to the game that they've revealed.
LOTRO: Hero's Guide to Forochel
Codemasters have posted a Hero's guide to Forochel over on the European Lord of the Rings Online forum. Forochel was added to the game last year as part of book 13 of volume one and has content for players in their mid to late 40s. Although this zone has been around for a while now the changed leveling curve speeds up the rate at which players will encounter this content.The guide details the major locations of the zone, the beasts and quests available to the player and includes the book itself, Doom of the Last King, which brings Angmars's attention to Forochel.
A LotRO chicken's adventure in Forochel
What's so great about a chicken running around the snowy lands of Forochel? Well, if you're even a moderate Lord of the Rings Online player, you're aware of what Chicken Play is, and how advanced the Forochel area is. Put the two together and you'll realize that running a chicken with 64 Morale all the way from The Shire to the icy Suri Kyla while keeping all your nuggets intact is quite an amazing feat.Not only that, but the player who did this realized that the instant icy death that happens to players when they enter the water around Forochel doesn't affect you while in Chicken Play, so they were able to explore some areas that perhaps have never been seen before. Check out the entire recap in the LotRO forums, complete with loads of screenshots to document this accomplishment.
New LotRO Book 13 developer diary video is released
If you feel you've missed out on some of the features from the recently-released Book 13: Doom of the Last-king for Lord of the Rings Online, where the heck have you been? Well, not to fret because we have a new developer diary in video form starring LotRO's Executive Producer Jeffrey Steefel. In it, he talks about their fifth major update since launch, and some of the new features that have been introduced.The details of their newest region is discussed a bit, including the new environmental effects and creatures you'll encounter there. Plus, now you'll know the proper way to pronounce Forochel without embarrassing yourself on voice chat! Fishing is also discussed, as is the new fellowship enhancements to the quest log and the mustering horn which is used to summon group members quickly. Be sure to check out this new video below for all the exciting information.
New images of Lord of the Rings' Forochel, Age of Conan
It's been a big week in massively multiplayer games, and to keep things interesting we have a few brand new screenshots of two of the biggest games on the market. The folks at Turbine sent over a fresh batch of Lord of the Rings Online images, further showing off the fantastic new Forochel area that was added in Book 13. Check out the gallery below to see ice skaters, more Mammoths, and a bigger image of that fantastic clan halls shown above.Then head down to our Age of Conan gallery, and take a look at two of our new and exclusive screenshots sent over by Funcom. They highlight the game's fantastic architecture, and the sense of place that the designers have evoked in the world. Creepy crypts and aging ruins are the norm in Hyborea, and our screenshot gallery will take you everywhere in between. For details looks at the two new shots, click on down below the cut.%Gallery-18168%%Gallery-9836%
The Lord of the Rings Online's one-year anniversary: A look back
In releasing Book 13 on its one-year anniversary, the Lord of the Rings Online finishes off its first year with five large content updates, known as Books. In addition to new epic storylines, the lore progressed significantly this past year as new Books were added. Let's take a look at all the changes made since April 24, 2007.The game began with eight questing zones and one player-versus-monster-player zone as well as seven classes and 10 crafting professions. It also launched many promises from the developers for much-demanded features such as player-owned houses and Fishing. At this point it was very difficult to reach the level cap of 50 due to a lack of significant content in the level 30-50 range, which Turbine promised to address. And that promise materialized with the first free content patch. Find out what Book 9 brought to the game ===>>
Lord of the Rings Book 13 wrap-up
Today's the day! The gates to Middle-earth are temporarily shut as the icy realm of Forochel coalesces in the North. Lord of the Rings Online's Book 13 patch will soon be live, and hopefully you've already started in on the download (it's a big one). While you're waiting for the servers to come back up, we have a bevy of content for you to page through. Where should you start? Our recommendation would be with our walkthrough gallery, or the walkthrough video we took. They'll give you a high level overview of the patch's contents in neatly digestible bits. If you want to drill down a bit you're going to have a hard time knowing where to start. We've got the addition of the fishing hobby, and the awesome new fishing trophies for housing. The LFF and group questing mechanisms have been improved, and monster players have the all-new Orc Defiler to look forward to. For some of this news straight from the source, make sure to check out our interview with Jeffrey Steefel from back at the end of March. And If none of that is enough, you can also read through the official patch notes. They'll keep you busy for a good, long time. If you're still not satisfied, take a breath. Don't worry ... Book 14 is already on the way. %Gallery-21063%
Official patch notes for LOTRO Book 13: Doom of the Last King
It seems like just yesterday Lord of the Rings Online Book 12 was being pushed out to the live servers. In reality it was more like two months, and here we are again on patch day. That means it's time for one of my favorite parts of being an MMO player: patch notes! The official patch notes are now available, and they're Massive. Here are just a few of the highlights: The epic quest continues with an 11 quest arc. An entirely new region to explore, the icy realm of Forochel. It's got 100 quests and a brand new faction to ally yourself with. Monster play fans gain an entirely new class, the Orc Defiler. The first PC hobby has been added, the Fishing hobby. Massive changes to the Annúminas area, tweaking CTF play and adding repeatable side quests. A number of changes to monster trophies, including the phase-out of many of the currently available ones. Much more, including enemies that now disarm, longer lasting diseases, tweaks to a number of player classes, and numerous improvements to PvMP. Be sure to check out the full notes to get all the data you need, and don't let the frostbite get you!%Gallery-18168%
Book 13 downloadable patch comes alive
For those Lord of the Rings Online players whose client is currently up to date, Turbine is offering yet another downloadable patch for your convenience. The download is currently offered in torrent-form, which should make it pretty easy to obtain; even at a hefty 635mb file size.Did we mention that Book 13 is huge? Yeah, it's big.The obvious benefit here is that players who download this update can apply it ahead of time and be ready to jump right into LotRO the moment servers go back up on patch day. It's always nice when a developer minimizes player downtime as much as possible, so we can all get into Forochel as soon as possible.
Forochel a Point of Interest just ahead of Book 13
The Lord of the Rings Online website has a new "Point of Interest", and we're treated to a look at the unreleased area of Forochel, due in Book 13. As this region was not heavily fleshed out by Tolkien, the designers at Turbine had a lot of freedom in creating it. Although it's undoubtedly very cold in Forochel, we learn that it is still home to many animals, and the Lossoth faction of Men who live off of some of this wildlife. We're also told a bit about Arvedui (seen in a few of the Book 13 screenshots) and his mysterious past -- he'll definitely be worth keeping an eye out for. Perhaps he will play a part in the continuation of the epic quest line?
