eregion
Latest
The Road to Mordor: Re-evaluating Moria
When I first left Lord of the Rings Online, it was early in 2008 and we were constrained to Eriador and Eriador alone. Angmar was the most dangerous spot on the map, level 50 was the cap, and getting your legendary traits was an almost inhuman feat. When I returned in 2010, I discovered I had missed out on the release of not one but two expansions and a huge amount of new content in the world. As a previous player, I felt as though everything I had known was completely different, and there was nothing as unknown or intriguing as the Mines of Moria. Expansions have a funny way of making or breaking MMOs, you see. They can exemplify some of the best qualities of the genre: they represent the persistent growing world; they give our characters new challenges to overcome; and they can introduce new features that significantly change how the game is played. Of course, they can damage the game's reputation by creating a worse endgame than before, by screwing up the good aspects of the game, or simply by being unpopular. So how does Mines of Moria fare two-plus years after its release? Today, I want to take a look back at what will probably be the single largest expansion that LotRO will ever see and examine how its purpose has changed from 2008 to 2011. Also, we'll probably make fun of Dwarves.
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: Touring the fall's new content with Turbine (part one)
It just may be the dream of every MMO geek to command the attention of his or her favorite dev team, bombard them with questions, and be shown secrets previously kept behind closed doors. Well, my friends, today that dream came true for this geek, as Turbine graciously sat down with Massively for over two hours to conduct an all-access tour to the fall's hot new LotRO content -- including the details behind the controversial and anticipated F2P switch. Aaron Campbell (Producer), Allan Maki (Senior Designer), Elliot Gilman (Senior Designer), Brian Aloisio (Designer), Joseph Barry (Designer) and Jonathan Rudder (Lore Guru) were on hand to fly me through the new content -- and reveal a few big surprises. To say that I had questions is an understatement; I fear that I sounded a bit like a six-year-old who peppers parents with unending "Why?" queries. Expecting to hear "no comment" a lot (after all, this content is in beta), I was surprised when the Turbine team enthusiastically answered all of my questions and then some. This is a team who know this F2P move is bringing some apprehension and concern, and they're trying to assuage that with as much information as possible. So join me as we go through the first part of this tour, looking at an enhanced new-player experience, instance scaling and the addition of Enedwaith to Turbine's Middle-earth.
One Shots: Wandering the wilds
While Eregion is mainly a place of ruins and stories, there's also a lovely overgrown quality to this land that some players in Lord of the Rings Online enjoy. Today's screenshot from Aetrius of the Elder Knights Kin on the Firefoot Server may not be on cranked-to-max graphic settings, but it still looks quite lovely to us with the lush, rolling hills and the sun peeking over the top of the mountains. Here's what he had to say: "I've recently resubscribed to Lord of the Rings Online, regretting having never brought a character through all the content. I've been really enjoying myself getting Aetrius the Lore Master up into the higher levels, much more so than I expected. After a big day of questing and running instances, I was idly gathering crafting materials in Eregion when I found myself in the sunrise over the mountains and was just reminded what it is about this MMO that sets it apart from others -- a strong sense of awe and beauty. There are so many unique environments and they're all such a treat to quest through (even the dreary Angmar!), and I can't wait to move on to Moria and Mirkwood from here. Happy Third Anniversary, LotRO!" We love to see screenshots from all MMOs -- from large to small! But we need readers like you to send them in and tell us of your adventures. If you'd like to take part, just email your image to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a brief description. We'll post them out here and give you the credit. %Gallery-85937%
LotRO Book 14 hits the preview server
Lord of the Rings Online, Book 14: The Ring-forges of Eregion has just hit the preview server Roheryn, and the extensive patch notes are posted! To see the new content, you will need to download the Turbine Download Manager, which is currently in its second stage of beta itself, allowing new and current players much easier access into the preview content.So let's get a glimpse into some of the biggest features of this new patch: Monster Play emotes are being introduced, complete with racial-specific emotes that can be achieved through deeds. Monster Play races have several improvements and balance measures, especially with the Weaver. New class improvements including several for the Burglar and Captain, plus the inclusion of varying instrument sounds and animations to correlate with the actual instruments being played by your Minstrel (not just the lute!) The Diminishing Returns system is set into place with vast improvements. Plus changes to Crafting, new dye, new outfits, new quests, UI fixes, new items and much, much more! Check out the complete patch notes and take the rest of the day off to read through this monstrous list, you won't be sorry!
