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LotRO's Habitat for Hobbanity is its new endgame [Updated]
Lord of the Rings Online has a brand-new endgame activity coming with next month's Riders of Rohan, and it's called "Hytbold." Senior Designer Joe Barry penned a dev diary to explain just how and why Hytbold won't be like anything players have seen before. Hytbold is the name of a burned-out village that adventurers will rebuild and restock. Through the use of instances, open tapping, remote looting, and phasing, LotRO will allow each player fix the town up and get it back into shape over time. Players have over 150 repairs to make to over 24 buildings in the town, which is accomplished through daily quests, participating in mounted combat, and even fishing. The rewards for coming to the aid of Hytbold are significant. Turbine's prepared to hand out class and trait-specific armor sets that are comparable to raid gear, a big ending to the region's story, and the honor of being named a Thane of Rohan. The best part of this is that players can rebuild the entire town solo if need be, although there are grouping options as well. [Update: The team also released a big batch of Riders of Rohan enemy screenshots today; we've included them within our LotRO gallery after the break.]
LotRO hands over war-steed reins in dev diary
The Lord of the Rings Online team is hard at work putting the final touches on next month's Riders of Rohan, and a new dev diary shines a spotlight on the expansion's star attraction: trainable war-steeds. The article gives a brief overview of the types of mounts -- light, medium, and heavy -- as well as the trait trees that accompany them. According to the devs, each war-steed will have 32 potential traits to unlock. The good news, they say, is that retraiting a mount is easily accomplished on the fly for the cost of a few coins. The devs round out the post by sharing a few of their favorite traits and skills that war-steeds boast. These include feigning injury to dump threat, trampling enemies, giving additional damage to attacking from behind, and boosting crit chance by a whopping 25%.
The Road to Mordor: Three things LotRO needs from Guild Wars 2 (and vice versa)
Whenever a new big MMO releases, it causes a shockwave of predictable conversations and comparisons. I'm not interested in the "winning/losing" or "killing/dying" debate so much as a contemporary meeting of minds to share ideas. MMOs used to develop in a vacuum, but now they're much more interconnected (for better and worse). The upside for consumers is that proven features often spread to the competition, hopefully improving the whole playing field. In our case, it's the impact of Guild Wars 2 on the industry and what it might have to teach Lord of the Rings Online. Yet I don't think it's quite fair (or true) to just look at it from the lens of "Everything GW2 has is better"; it's more productive to theorize how to swap the best of both games in order to improve them. So here are three things that LotRO could use to implement from Guild Wars 2 -- and three that Guild Wars 2 could use from LotRO.
Lord of the Rings Online spills the beans on Rohan's epic story
It's not just enough for Turbine to release a new war-pony expansion for Lord of the Rings Online and call it a day. No, the team has to maintain its high standards of storytelling, which is why Content Designer Jeff Libby wrote the latest set of quest notes for the upcoming addition to the epic tale of the game. According to Libby, Riders of Rohan will contain three new books of the epic story, titled A Fellowship Endangers, Into the Riddermark, and the Third Marshal. He paints a few broad strokes about the writing process, and then goes into spoiler-heavy territory for those who like behind-the-scenes explanations. The writer is excited to the point of needing sedation about finally entering this area of the books. "Rohan is a land that we knew we had to get right," Libby said. "For that reason alone, we've spent a great deal of time ensuring that we could do it justice. After all, the stretch of The Lord of the Rings that we have gotten up to is often cited as the favorite of readers and film-lovers alike. We need our version of the Riddermark to be equally as beloved."
Turbine talks Rohan landscapes in latest LotRO dev diary
The latest Turbine developer diary is here, and of course it's focused squarely on Lord of the Rings Online's Riders of Rohan expansion. There's the usual mix of developer talking head shots interspersed with landscape footage of Rohan's rolling plains, rivers, and the dwellings of the region's horse-lords. Famous locations from Tolkien's novels make an appearance too, including Amon Hen and Fangorn Forest. Turbine says that designing Rohan was more challenging than other areas of the game because Tolkien described the lands and their layout in a fair amount of detail. Check out the new screenshot gallery below, and don't forget to click past the cut for the dev diary video. [Source: Turbine press release]%Gallery-158706%
The Road to Mordor: Reactions to Rohan
Judging from the comments in last week's column, I gather that many players are not too rankled with Lord of the Rings Online: Riders of Rohan's delay. Many even support the move. It's not like Turbine moved Rohan a half-year down the road; October's in, like, a month. I think we have a good chance of surviving until then. But what I wanted to go into today were the impressions from beta testers now that the NDA has dropped. I think it's a really good sign that Turbine felt confident enough to kill the NDA on the day of the delay announcement because it nullifies suspicion that the studio is trying to hide a major clusterfudge from us. Mmm... major fudge. So let's go to the street, where emboldened testers are going door to door and letting everyone know everything about the expansion, warts and all. Is there more good than bad? Is mounted combat really all that and a bag of horse apples? Does this expansion represent Turbine's finest hour or just a speedbump on the way to Mordor?
Lord of the Rings Online explains crafting changes coming with Riders of Rohan
One of the major issues facing crafters in Lord of the Rings Online is that gathering professions don't line up with crafting professions. Leveling up a non-gathering skill takes more resources than you gather while leveling up the appropriate gathering skill. The newest developer diary explains how Riders of Rohan addresses this problem with new "processing" recipes that allow you to turn a resource into shavings, which can subsequently be turned back into the original item. That's not the only change coming to crafting with the new expansion. Players can expect two full sets of armor for the crafting, one at level 80 and one at level 85. There are also new crafting instances, new crafted relics, and a new rank added on to craft guild reputations. If you like to get your hands dirty with crafting in Lord of the Rings Online, swing on over to the developer diary for the full details.
The Road to Mordor: Delay, delay, delay
Earlier this week, I was working on this column with the title "Preparing for Riders of Rohan." What a change a day or two makes because the body of that article quickly got changed to "Sit on your thumbs." Yes, the LotRO community got thrown for a loop this week, as Turbine announced that Riders of Rohan has been shoved back a month and a half for additional work. So we've gone from a mere two-week countdown to nearly two months, and that takes a bit of mental adjustment. On top of all that, the studio demolished the NDA wall, which sort of seems like a risky move when you've just disappointed players with news of a delay. I think we should talk about it, don't you? I'll say this up front: It's actually a very good thing.
LotRO's Wardens to get much-needed streamlining
Just in case any of you Wardens in Lord of the Rings Online have actually got a handle on the class after the previous 1,437 iterations, Turbine's throwing a few more monkeys in the gambits for you. The studio posted the changes that Wardens will be seeing with this October's Riders of Rohan and admits that the class needed more streamlining. With the expansion, Wardens will get a pair of new gambits and an improved root at high levels as well as a couple of travel skills. There are plenty of other changes and quality of life improvements that are probably gobbledygook to anyone other than practiced Wardens. Long story short, the team's hoping to clarify several skills, condense others, and create more synergy between the buffs.
Turbine lifts LotRO's Rohan NDA, unveils Mac client
On the flip side of the news earlier that Turbine is delaying Riders of Rohan until October 15th is the word that the studio has dropped the NDA for LotRO's fourth expansion. Community Manager Rick Heaton announced the lift on the forums: "Today we have officially released Riders of Rohan beta testers from their NDA. Beta testing will continue as we move towards our new release date of October 15th. In the meantime, those beta testers who wish to share their thoughts and experiences thus far with the general community are encouraged to do so here." With the NDA lift comes news that Turbine has been secretly working on a native OSX client for Mac players. It remains to be seen whether or not this client will be available with Riders of Rohan's launch.
Lord of the Rings: Riders of Rohan delayed until October 15th
For those on their mounts, eagerly awaiting the charge into the lands of Rohan, Turbine has one word for you: Whoa. The studio announced that it is delaying the launch of Lord of the Rings: Riders of Rohan from September 5th until October 15th. Executive Producer Kate Paiz sent out the following letter to fans explaining the delay: We've had a very successful Beta program with some of the largest and most active beta player populations we've seen since Moria. The amount and quality of feedback on our largest expansion ever has been fantastic. Thanks to some great efforts from beta players, we've identified issues that we think need to be addressed before we can launch. In order to address those issues and meet our expectations for quality we're going to need more time. As a result, we've elected to delay our launch to October 15th. Paiz thanked players for their patience and promised a gift for all those who have pre-purchased the expansion. This gift will arrive around September 5th in the form of 500 Turbine Points and a bag of consumables.
Lord of the Rings Online dev diary details Rune-keeper changes in Riders of Rohan
Lord of the Rings Online's upcoming expansion, Riders of Rohan, is less than a month away, and players can certainly expect a plethora of changes and updates when it hits. In today's LotRO developer diary, Turbine shines the spotlight on the game's Rune-keeper class and highlights some of the skill and trait improvements and changes that Rune-keeper players can expect in the expansion. For starters, Rune-keepers will be receiving five improved skills: Improved Scribe's Mark, Improved Rune of Restoration, and Improved Armour of Flame/Winter/Storm. Meanwhile, the abilities Flurry of Words and Mystifying Flame are receiving some minor adjustments, and the traits Linnod of Peace and Rune of Endurance are getting nicely upgraded. Some players may be befuddled by the extremely minor changes, but the dev diary notes that the devs "don't feel that Rune-keepers are in need of major changes at this time," so it seems as if Turbine feels that the class is in a pretty good place right now. For the full details on the changes and upgrades, go check out the full dev diary on the LotRO official site.
Gamescom 2012: Hands on with LotRO's Riders of Rohan
In a small room at the center of WB Games' business headquarters at Gamescom, Lord of the Rings Online Live Producer Aaron Campbell is sitting with a broad smile behind his 27-inch screen. "I love those orange skies," he says, excited. "It's something new we've put in this expansion. It looks beautiful!" He takes visible pride in his work. It's a contagious cheerfulness that would dominate our entire Gamescom sit-down with Turbine this year as we took a look at LotRO's upcoming fourth expansion, Riders of Rohan.
The Road to Mordor: The horse-whisperer
A ragged messenger galloped up to me while I stood hip-deep in the dead, Uruk-hai blood dripping down my greatsword. "For you, ma'am," he said, saluting and riding away. I unrolled the scroll and quickly scanned its contents. The world around me grew very still for a moment and then resumed its course in the next heartbeat. I sucked my teeth and read it completely, looking for nuance and meaning between each word in the missive. Finally, I tucked it away and whistled for my steed. "Sorry, Pippin, Merry," I apologized. The Hobbits looked up at me with frantic, bulging eyes, their hands and mouths still bound by their now-deceased captors. "I know your quest is important, but this takes precedence. Fare thee well." With that I kicked my mount's side and began the thousand-mile trek back to my roots. Back to Combe. Back to a little stable where a lost horsie needed my help. Oh, yeah. I'm a hero, all right.
New developer diary explores Minstrel improvements for Lord of the Rings Online
You might think that bringing a lute to a swordfight sounds ridiculous, but any Lord of the Rings Online player knows better than to downplay the importance of a Minstrel. Unlike some of the other classes whose changes have been previewed for the upcoming Riders of Rohan expansion, Minstrels aren't receiving any sweeping changes, but they still are getting an update pass. The latest development diary on the official site covers these improvements, all of which should help Minstrels be more effective and fun to play. Small changes rule the day here, with improvements to buffs and a new area attack mimicking a single-target debuff. A few mechanical shifts, such as ensuring that Minstrel attacks which apply buffs to allies will always apply those buffs even if the attack itself is unsuccessful, should also help the class. Players looking for all the details on how their instrument-playing life is going to get just a little bit easier should look at the full diary for the fine details.
Gamescom 2012: New LotRO dev diary about warsteeds
Last week we brought you news about Lord of the Rings Online's warsteed mechanic, accompanied by a video with people talking about that mechanic. The time for talk has gone; now is the time for deep chanting, epic music, and glorious in-game footage of warsteeds in action. Straight from the show floor of Gamescom comes a new video featuring LotRO's mounts for the Riders of Rohan expansion. These mounts come in three armor tiers, have slots for individual armor pieces, and have customizable skills. They also look pretty snazzy as they carry you into battle. Check out last week's video to learn more about mounts, or skip below the cut to check out this week's video if all you need is the pounding of drums and the thrill of battle.
LotRO's Lore-masters get buff (and buff others) in Riders of Rohan
Lore-masters far and wide in Lord of the Rings Online will be growing in power and ability this fall. In LotRO's newest expansion, Riders of Rohan, Lore-masters stand to be even more attractive fellowship members than ever before as they gain universal access to sharp, pointy things. In a new class dev diary, Turbine stated that all Lore-masters will be able to train the ability to use an off-hand sword at level 40. Previously, this was a legendary trait-only skill. Due to the change, the team has increased the other stats on the trait. The three new skills that the class will learn as it levels to 85 will greatly benefit both soloing and groups. Lore-masters will get an improved power-extraction ability, a group-wide power return skill, and a stacking heal-over-time that should beef up the class' medical acumen.
Leaderboard: Battle of the fall expansions
Thought expansions were a thing of the past for MMOs? Don't tell 2012, which has three major releases lined up this fall! First up is Lord of the Rings Online: Riders of Rohan, which sends players into the titular Rohan region for the first time. Not only will there be epic confrontations with Saruman and Sauron's forces on the plains, but characters will be able to fight from horseback for the first time with the new mounted combat system. Next is World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria, Blizzard's fourth expansion for its hit MMO. There's a grab bag of goodies in this release, including a new race, additional continent, pet battle system, talent revamp, and more. Finally, RIFT: Storm Legion is coming out at an unknown point this fall. Trion's first expansion promises four new souls, two huge continents, player housing, and expanded game systems. So as you look at the big board (just pretend you have a big board -- it makes your life more exciting), which of these three looks the most promising? Which wins in potential and promise, at least, compared to the other two? Vote after the jump!
Latest Lord of the Rings Online dev diary explores creating the characters of Rohan
Adding to the stampede of developer diaries focusing on Lord of the Ring Online's upcoming expansion Riders of Rohan, Turbine has released the fourth episode of Bringing Rohan to Life titled Creating the Character. In this video, Executive producer Kate Paiz talks about how working with the live action teaser gave a deeper insight into feelings and the moment-to-moment lives of the characters in Rohan. Utilizing these insights, Director Mitch Cohen states, "We're creating a three-dimensional world through their performances." But Tolkien purists need not worry that the expansion is based heavily on that short clip made just for the game. Todd Demelle, Online Art Director, notes that the team relied heavily on Tolkien's text to get the feel of Rohan. He highlighted the importance of authenticity, stating that the team was "focusing a lot on authenticity, making sure that the materials and the construction and the various things that make up the Rohan culture are as true as authentic as [it] can make them." The video also treats viewers to some of the vistas in-game. Check it out after the break. [Source: Turbine press release]
The Road to Mordor: LotRO's next four expansions
With under a month to go until Riders of Rohan hits the digital starting gate and gallops past the horse metaphor, expansions are weighing heavily upon my mind. I'm excited about horse combat and a break from traditional questing (to a point), but I'm also hoping that Lord of the Rings Online's fourth expansion will prove far more compelling than its previous one turned out to be. LotRO may be coasting into its middle-age years (in MMOs, every year in real life is like nine for the game), but it still has quite a bit of life -- and journey -- ahead of it. Unlike every other MMO out there, this title has a specific story it's following from beginning to end. Maybe we get off the beaten path of Tolkien's works now and then, but our fate as players is intertwined with the fates of Frodo and the One Ring. It gives us the advantage of knowing more about our future in the game than we would have otherwise. So today I'm putting on my prognostication cap and giving you all the skinny on Lord of the Rings Online's next four expansions past Riders of Rohan. I have no insider knowledge, just a gut feeling and a time-traveling buddy named Soren from the year 2020.
