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The Road to Mordor: A guide for returning players
Coming back to an MMO that you used to play is a whole different ball of wax than getting into it for the first time. While you have less to do and absorb than beginners, it can be just as overwhelming in its own way. What are all these skills again? Why do I owe some Hobbit mortgage company a zillion gold to unlock my house? Why is the screen throwing a fit with a non-stop parade of deed announcements? Recently, I returned to another MMO after a half-year or so absence (it's RIFT, if you must know), and I was almost frozen with apprehension over all the changes. Because the world I used to know had changed in so many ways, I didn't know how much to rely on my memories and where to go to figure out what these changes were. Fortunately, an enterprising member of the dev team created a wonderfully handy post that quickly outlined all of the changes over the past year so that returners could get caught up quickly. I like this idea so much that I decided to do the same for Lord of the Rings Online. Ever since free-to-play hit, it's become so much easier to drift in and out of this game, and as Turbine's been ramping up the changes, it's possible to feel the same apprehension upon reentry that I did with RIFT. Freak not, fair friend, for I am here to guide the way.
Lord of the Rings Online releases Update 7: Shades of the Past
Lord of the Rings Online's Update 7 is upon us, and it's established itself as taking a step forward... and a step back into the past. Featuring a new skirmish, a revamp of both Moria and the old Fornost instance, and an interesting addition to the legendary item system, Update 7 has a smattering of both endgame and mid-game content for most players to enjoy. As always, it's worth combing through the notes for the smaller changes. Some of these include new and updated maps, friendlier Elves in Lothlorien who won't shoot you on sight, and Audacity lowering power costs in PvMP. The official patch notes are up and the game will have the servers patched up by mid-morning. In the meantime, make sure to read up on what we think of the update's big selling points in our recent Road to Mordor column.
The Road to Mordor: What Update 7 means for you
Without fail, the second I'm done writing this column for Massively, Turbine releases the big news of a major patch, and I have to wait a whole week to talk about it. In the case of Lord of the Rings Online's Update 7, I'm not that upset. I definitely was underwhelmed by it all initially, but now that I have had a whole week to digest it, read through the test server notes, and scope out the Moria dev diary that was posted, I feel like I'm in a much better position to talk about it. So what does this game update mean for you? That's a good question, and it really depends on where you are in your leveling journey. New players won't be fazed by it whatsoever, but both mid-game and endgame adventurers are going to have some new (and reworked) content to devour. I am heartened that Turbine doesn't have tunnel-vision for the endgame and is still willing to go back and examine what does and doesn't work about its earlier content. So let's walk through the major highlights of Update 7: Shades of the Past and give it the ol' Road to Mordor analysis, shall we?
LotRO's Fornost 'joining the modern MMO world'
"Fornost was designed and built in a different era of MMO," Turbine's devs said about the newly revised dungeon. "It is time for Fornost to join the modern MMO world." With Fornost slated for a massive overhaul with Update 7, the team posted a developer diary to explain the history of the instance and its hopeful future. The third instance ever created for Lord of the Rings Online will be chopped up from its current super-long state to four manageable dungeons. The devs said that it was designed from an EverQuest mindset of long dungeon crawls, but so much has changed over time and most players no longer have the time or effort to conquer it. With Update 7, Fornost will turn into four element-themed six-person dungeons. Each of these dungeons should take well less than an hour to complete and scale from level 30 to 75 with two tiers of difficulty. The team's reworked positioning, bosses, and quests to reflect the upgraded experience. For those who might miss the old Fornost, the team says that playing all four instances back-to-back will replicate the grand tour that it used to be.
Looking at the brighter Moria in Lord of the Rings Online
Does Lord of the Rings Online's Moria benefit from a brighter night-light? The folks over at A Casual Stroll to Mordor went on the test server to investigate just how different the underground zones look now that Turbine's gone back to give the area additional lighting effects. The fansite examines four different locales on both the live and test server and took screenshots to document the changes. The Great Delving, Silvertine Lodes, The Waterworks, and Durin's Way are the stops on the tour, and out of all of them, Silvertine is the most noticeably brighter. "While playing, I can say that I do feel like it's easier to see," Goldenstar writes. "I don't know if I would fall into 'it's too bright' category. It still feels like Moria to me." A revamp to half of Moria is planned with Update 7. Head on over and check out the differences for yourself!
Lord of the Rings Online explains Moria revamp
Since the word came down recently that Turbine is revamping much of Lord of the Rings Online's Moria, players have been buzzing about the merits and scope of such a project. Content Developer Lauren Salk posted an article on the official site explaining the reasoning behind the decision as well as the specific changes involved. Salk said that Turbine wanted to respond to player complaints about the difficulty and pace of Moria's leveling experience. She admits that the quests did not always lead to the best places and resulted in a frustrating stint underground instead of an amazing journey. Salk confessed that the zone even frustrated her mother, who never made it all the way through. With Update 7, LotRO will update half of Moria, while the latter half will come later on down the road. In addition to a smoother quest flow, additional quests, and an easier difficulty level, Turbine's adding tasks for all to enjoy. Travel through Moria will become more pleasant, as the lighting will be adjusted, additional stable routes added, monsters moved out of the major pathways, and a no-reputation goat made available from the start.
LotRO Update 7 to add new skirmish, revamp old content
Even a good anniversary celebration can't delay Turbine from delivering the content through snow, rain, and volcanic ash from Mount Doom. The team has posted an outline of Lord of the Rings Online's next content patch, Update 7, with word that it will go to the test server soon. Update 7: Shades of the Past promises to add a new endgame skirmish called Storm on Methedras. The skirmish will be free for VIP players and tasks groups of one to 12 players with taking on Saruman's ally, Gwyllion, in the Misty Mountains. The update will also contain two huge renovations to existing content. Turbine will be divvying up the massive Fornost dungeon into four scalable instances accessible from levels 30 on up. More importantly, the team is renovating great parts of Moria with better graphics and a smoother quest flow.
World of Tanks dishes up Tanksgiving and the Update 7.0 trailer
Trust us on this: Never before has the word "fjords" been issued with such goosebump-raising intensity. But such is the World of Tanks and its passionate love for geography and the many, many ways that it can be blown to smithereens. Wargaming.net is pumping up the hype for Update 7.0 with a new trailer showing off the famous Fjords map, the new camouflage feature, and (of course) massive tank battles. Update 7.0 is currently in public testing for release in the near future. This week also will see "Tanksgiving" coming to the game on November 24th. During Tanksgiving -- November 24th through the 28th -- select tanks will receive double credits during matches. Wargaming.net promises even more to come with the event, but the studio is keeping its cards tight against its chest until the event arrives. You can watch the Update 7.0 trailer after the jump!
World of Tanks introduces stealth with Update 7.0
The newly announced Update 7.0 for World of Tanks contains a laundry list of new content for the wildly popular free-to-play MMO. First up, we have two new maps -- Fjords and Swamp -- where the clan warfare can take on an extra challenge with the highly anticipated camouflage system, applied to all maps. This version of stealth allows certain skins to be applied to the tanks that will "provide enhanced invisibility and add more to the strategic element of tank combat." Keep in mind that this isn't some kind of magic invisibility spell; it's an authentic camouflage pattern applied to the tanks, according to which map you're in. In addition, Update 7.0 also introduces fog of war for Clan Wars, hiding the other team's roster, and clan emblems to let other players know how you roll. For more on this update, check out the World of Tanks site, as well as our recent interview with Wargaming.net from GDC Online 2011. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]%Gallery-96260%
Dungeons and Dragons Online previews new Update 7 screenshots
Update 7 is coming for Dungeons and Dragons Online, and while the title of the update is Half-bloods, the patch promises to be anything but half-baked. Introducing two new races, a new raid, free quests, UI improvements, and more besides, the update promises to be one of the largest for the game since its switch to free-to-play last year. Turbine has shared a few new screenshots from the Droaam adventure pack, highlighting both the adventure and some of the coming UI improvements. The UI improvements previewed offer several streamlined and clarified interfaces, while the Droaam screenshots show off a wide-ranging adventure that spans a number of different adversaries and settings. If the gallery sparks your interest, you can take a look at our recent tour through some of the content coming in Update 7 and get a bit more context. Dungeons and Dragons Online players can look forward to the patch later this month, which seems like a fine reason to assume that the cup is half-full. %Gallery-105016%
