Reshaping a zone: LotRO dev diary covers Evendim revamp
Ask any Lord of the Rings Online player about Evendim and you'll get back one of two responses: "Evendim? More like EVERswim!" and "Nice place but too spread out for my tastes." LotRO's lakefront-themed zone was identified as one of the sticking spots in the leveling track, which is why the dev team went back to overhaul Evendim and bring it up to code.
In a new dev diary, Joe Barry explains the purpose and execution of this revamp. Previously, Evendim attempted to cover too much territory as a level 29-50 zone, and as a result it was more of a hindrance than a help to players looking to get over the 30s hump. With next week's Echoes of the Dead update, Evendim will be transformed to a lean, mean leveling machine, tightened up to serve levels 30-40 exclusively.
The team added over 100 quests and two new quest hubs in its attempt to streamline the experience. Additionally, Turbine's experimenting with different ways to deliver quests to you, such as having a journal unfold new quests as you complete previous ones. Finally, quest rewards are designed in a way to deliver class-specific gear, which can be augmented by a bartering system put in for this patch.
You can read the full dev diary over at Lord of the Rings Online!
