Lord of the Rings
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Chicken hockey returns to Lord of the Rings Online
Even Hobbits need to pick on something smaller than they are, which is why the little folk (and the big 'uns too) are glad that they now can smack chickens across a field with a stick in Lord of the Rings Online. Hobnanigans, also known as "chicken ball" and "chicken hockey," is returning to LotRO for a limited time event. Teams can take to a special field in Bree-land to attempt to knock chickens through the opposing side's goal. The two teams at play are the Flying Feathers and the Steel Beaks. The current Hobnanigans event will take place from May 9th through 11th. The mini-game previously appeared in LotRO only once back in 2007.
Lord of the Rings Online patch offers more cosmetic pet options
Lord of the Rings Online's Update 13.1 is on its way, and with it comes several refinements to the new cosmetic pet system. The devs have made the huorn pets "stand out a bit more" with the patch and hinted that there are now other pets that can be obtained. The big change here is that pets will live on the client instead of the server, allowing players to turn off others' cosmetic pet visuals if so desired to improve graphical performance. Also, the lil' pets can now be renamed. Other changes with 13.1 include a fix for Quickbeam's quieting quests (say that five times fast!), an auto-fellowship feature for friends, an option to automatically add tasks to the quest tracker, and a new inventory sort button.
The Road to Mordor: Birthdays and Beornings in LotRO
This month Lord of the Rings Online will be hitting its seventh anniversary. That's right: Seven years ago, LotRO opened the doors to Middle-earth in a way that we never had before. Some took cheap shots by calling it a World of Warcraft clone, but the less inflammatory and more intelligent in the crowd realized that there was something more to this MMO than a Hobbit-infested Azeroth. We've had ups and downs in LotRO since 2007, but one continuing testimony that I see mentioned on a regular basis is how welcoming and wonderful it is to return to this game. There's something special -- almost magical -- about Turbine's version of Middle-earth that has entranced many players and continues to do so. Heck, in my very first Road to Mordor back in 2010 I tried to articulate why I felt that this game was set apart from the pack in significant ways. Today we have much to discuss about the future of the game, but I want to start with one overriding factor that so much of the game connects to: its sense of cohesiveness. This is not a scattered playground full of discordant toys but a unified world with intricate bonds that we are still exploring.
Day-long player carnival slated for May 17 in Lord of the Rings Online
Do you play Lord of the Rings Online? Do you play on Landroval? If so, you'll want to mark May 17th on your calendar and plan to stop by The Lonely Mountain Band's day-long Spring Racing Carnival. SRC is a player-run event which includes "nine horse races, a horse parade, a mounted fashion contest, barrel racing, rodeo clown comedy acts, a demonstration by the formation riding team, name-that-breed and name-that-song contests, eight musical performances, and a final concert and fireworks show." [Thanks Chris!]
The Daily Grind: What's the silliest thing you've done for an MMO achievement?
It's festival time in Lord of the Rings Online, which means that it's time to do all manner of inane activities in order to collect tokens and trade them for mounts, clothing, etc. I'm actually more amenable to this sort of thing than I used to be, probably because I'm maxed out and looking for any sort of excuse to visit Middle-earth. And what better excuse is there than a series of achievements that grants the title of Master Blaster, provided you have the patience (and the silver) to stand around and fire off 300 vendor-purchased fireworks? Yep, that's my what's-the-silliest-thing-you've-done-for-an-MMO-achievement story. What's yours? 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!
Lord of the Rings Online turns seven
Happy birthday Lord of the Rings Online! Today marks the seventh anniversary for LotRO, and as such, Turbine is handing out presents. All players who log in today will get fireworks, with premium and VIP players receiving extra gifts. The new seven-year gifts include a new portrait frame, a shield-cloak, a loot box key, and a dancing emote for your monster play character. LotRO's in-game anniversary festival begins tomorrow, April 16th, and will continue through April 29th.
LotRO launches The Breaking of Isengard, reveals new Beorning class
Turbine surprised us with its recent announcement of a new class coming to Lord of the Rings Online. This morning executive producer Aaron Campbell revealed that new class to be the Beorning. Campbell says that it is "a light armor casting class with a focus on control of the battlefield." "When a Beorning gathers sufficient rage, they may transform into a mighty bear," he continues. The post contains a few other nuggets, among them the fact that a housing revamp is officially off the table, at least for 2014. Meanwhile, the game has launched update 13, The Breaking of Isengard. [Thanks Darasimi!]
Hunt orcs in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor this October
Alongside the above story trailer, developer Monolith Productions has revealed that its upcoming Tolkien-inspired action roleplaying game, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, will reach retail shelves on October 7. As we mentioned in our lengthy preview from January, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor drops players into the chaotic warfare immortalized in Tolkien's Lord of Rings books (and their subsequent Peter Jackson-directed film adaptations). Players assume the role of a ranger driven by revenge who dispatches foes using agility and combat prowess reminiscent of that seen in the Assassin's Creed franchise. Those who pre-order Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor will receive the exclusive "Dark Ranger" DLC pack. Included in this bundle is a new character skin, new challenge mode and access to the game's online leaderboards. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is slated to debut on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC platforms. [Image: WB]
Leaderboard: What do you do when you're out of content?
I recently finished Lord of the Rings Online's epic story on my main character. Then I maxed all three of his crafting specializations. Then I polished off a bunch of outstanding deeds and a few interesting lower level quest lines that I had inadvertently missed. As a result, I feel like I've pretty much "beaten" the game, even though there are still rep grinds, dungeons, and PvMP stuff that I could technically do if I found them interesting. I don't, though, so aside from roleplaying and the occasional Middle-earth screenshot soiree, I'm done with LotRO until the next expansion or whatever. Are you in a similar predicament, Leaderboard readers? What do you do when you've exhausted all of a game's content that interests you? Vote after the cut! Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!
The Breaking of Isengard: A play session with Lord of the Rings Online's Update 13
It's strange to realize that Lord of the Rings Online players have been exploring Volume III of the epic story for four years now. With Update 13: The Breaking of Isengard, all of that is going to end. Volume III will wrap up, Saruman will get what's coming to him, and players will have a new endgame before heading out to Gondor. We had a play session with the LotRO devs today covering the final eight chapters of Volume III and chatting a bit about what players will fill their time with as they wait for Update 14. Update 13 is certainly replete with plenty to do and see, from an upgraded inventory, mail improvements, a scaling Ettenmoors, revamped zones, and new crafting challenges, but the main story is what pushes the game forward. In the final chapters of Volume III, players will not only investigate what happened to Isengard during the Battle of Helm's Deep but will have the option of jumping into the shoes (roots?) of an Ent for a unique perspective of an important character in the books. It'll be worth the journey, if only to have a shot at obtaining the first (non-Lore-master) cosmetic pets in the game. You read that right.
Gandalf takes a break on his MacBook Pro while filming "The Hobbit"
Let the software install wizard jokes fly! What you're looking at above is Gandalf, played by Ian McKellen, using his MacBook Pro while taking a break during filming of The Hobbit. Naturally, the photo has inspired a slew of photoshopping and other creative spoofs. This one in particular is pretty good, courtesy of nufound.tumblr.com. You can check out some more spoofs over here.
Lord of the Rings Online accepting applications for its second player council
Turbine has opened up the doors for fans to apply to be part of Lord of the Rings Online's second Player Council. The studio will take the best of the applications along with its own picks from the community to be part of this influential board that meets with the devs and discusses current issues and upcoming content. Applicants for the Player Council have to be 18 or older, have played LotRO for six or more months, and be able to converse in English, among other requirements. Members will actively serve for an entire year and be under an NDA during that time period. Turbine will announce the members of the second Player Council on April 24th.
The Road to Mordor: What could LotRO's new class be?
Wow. A new class was at the very top of my wish list for 2014, but to be honest I never thought it would happen. However, last Friday Aaron Campbell confirmed on a livestream that the team is working on a 10th class to put into the game sometime this year. Instantly, speculation exploded among the Lord of the Rings Online community as to what the class could be and how it will fit into the game. Campbell gave us a few clues to guide our speculation: The new class would be in accordance with the lore (Turbine talked to Tolkien Enterprises about it), it has been mentioned in the trilogy several times, and it will be a freep (PvE) class and not a creep class. He also thinks it's a "great fit" for the game. I'm absolutely overjoyed that the game will finally be expanding its hero roster and giving us vets a good reason to go back through the entire journey, but I'll admit that I don't see a clear winner among the possible candidates. Let's hunker down together and look at the possibilities for this LotRO's newest class and see if we can sort out a lead candidate.
One Shots: Granny Freedom
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a super-powered senior citizen with slight incontinence and a grappling hook! Well, there's something you don't see every day. Reader Dynatos brings this gripping image from Champions Online to our attention: "A superhero that has come back out of retirement, Granny Freedom grapples across Millennium City's skies on the lookout for both evil-doers and heroes who need a little help with their moral compass!" She's also never late for Denny's early bird specials. So what other visual treats do we have in store for you whippersnappers this week? Oh, wouldn't you like to know!
Lord of the Rings Online is getting a new class in 2014
The character selection screen in Lord of the Rings Online will see a major shake-up in 2014, as a new class is reportedly on the way for the game. LOTRO Players announced the news on Twitter: "LotRO is getting a new class later in the year. [Executive Producer] Aaron Campbell just said it on livestream. No other info is known at this time." Speculation is wide open, although Campbell did drop a few clues according to livestream listeners: "He did state that he had a conversation with Tolkien Enterprises and it's within the lore of the trilogy. He said that it was mentioned in the books several times."
New vids detail Entwood, Isengard, inventory changes from LotRO's Update 13
Fan site LotRO Players has sussed out a few details on Turbine's upcoming Update 13. Lord of the Rings Online will be heading to Entwood and a flooded version of Isengard, both of which are detailed in lengthy new videos captured on the Bullroarer test server. Update 13 will also introduce significant changes to LotRO's inventory system, including the ability to purchase additional slots. You can watch all three videos after the break, but be aware that the first two contain spoilers relating to LotRO's epic story quest. [Thanks everyone who tipped us!]
Hitting the Mark: Turbine's sublime Rohan recreation in Lord of the Rings Online
I've written before about my on-again-off-again love affair with Lord of the Rings Online, and after finally getting my launch-day character to Rohan a few weeks ago, I think it's most definitely on again. Yeah, I'm still a sandbox fan first and foremost, and yeah, LotRO is still a dyed-in-the-wool nod to the World of Warcraft school of linear MMO development. But it's got a pleasing topcoat of Tolkien paint that often masks the pedestrian mechanics, and nowhere is this more evident than in the Riders of Rohan and Helm's Deep expansions.
Massively Exclusive: Turbine on the future of Asheron's Call and the studio
When has putting an MMO into maintenance mode ever signaled a bright future for a game? Even so, that's what seems to have happened for Asheron's Call, which is preparing to not only transition into a maintenance mode phase but drop subscription fees and allow for player-run servers by the end of the year. The announcement was so unusual in the industry that we had to reach out to Turbine to get more perspective on this move. Asheron's Call Executive Producer Rob Ciccolini took the time to answer a few questions about the change for the game, Turbine's recent layoffs, and how the studio is adjusting going forward.
The Road to Mordor: LotRO's big battles are a big bust
Recently my journey through Helm's Deep came to a close as I finished all of the quests plus advanced the epic story as far as it could go. Overall, I loved the expansion: It had great pacing, beautiful scenery, memorable quests, and an obvious dedication to doing The Two Towers right. But there was one glaring fault that Lord of the Rings Online seemed to save for the last, which I discovered during my foray into the big battle system. Other than visiting them in a couple of press tours, I had been avoiding big battles (even though you can jump in one starting at level 10) because I wanted to experience them organically as part of the storyline. I wasn't necessarily anticipating them, but I wasn't dreading them either. "Mild curiosity" is perhaps the emotion that I identified within my breast, and as it turned out, that was wildly overpreparing for the experience that followed. Big battles are, I'm sorry to say, a big bust in LotRO. Sure, they have their positives and moments, but for a system that Turbine spent over a year to create and shoved aside instances and raids in favor of putting into the expansion, it should have been so much more. So what went wrong?
Lord of the Rings Online fully automates character transfers
It's been long in the process, but now it's finally here: Lord of the Rings Online has switched over to a fully automated character transfer process. "We are pleased to announce that as of today, Monday, March 3rd, automated character transfers are available to all players for both Free People and Monsters," Turbine posted on the forums. "This is something you have been requesting for some time, and we are very excited to have the service ready for you now!" Players can move characters between servers by purchasing transfer tokens through the LotRO Market website. One token is $24.95, three tokens is $69.95, and six tokens is $134.95. Unfortunately the new system will not take Turbine Points, nor will it allow players to transfer between NA and EU servers. Turbine said that players have a "limited time" to request a transfer with Turbine Points by contacting support.
