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Turbine is continuing the player journey into Middle-earth with the Lord of the Rings Online expansion "Helm's Deep". We recently had the opportunity to find out more about the expansion and offer this exclusive preview. Read on and then let us know what you think in the comments.
For lore aficionados, this expansion more than any of the others meshes most closely with the storyline from the books, as well as fleshing out things only mentioned in passing by Tolkien. (e.g. an area in the west of Rohan where the peoples of that land and of Dunlendings mix more freely, and allegiances are less clear cut.) It also adds in some things that were left out of the Peter Jackson movies, for example, Helm’s Dike.
Read more of Lisa Jonte's Lord of the Rings Online: Helm's Deep Preview.
Comments
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
How many NPCs in a battle?
If it isn't in the high hundreds at least, not interested.
Not sure how many on the Rohan side, but I know players will be facing hundreds of orcs.
-Lisa Jont
There Is Always Hope!
I sincerely hope they remade the npc combat.
If one looks at skirmishes and how npc's fight it always looks ridiculous.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
Honestly the playerbase is on the low-side for it being a LOTRO MMO, but there are people that play and if you find a good guild all the better. I have trouble getting myself to play because it's all too much themepark for me, but it is a good game, and LOTRO is the perfect IP for a themepark MMO. I guess it's a fun time-sink now and then. I just wish a new LOTRO MMO would come out with improved graphics.
Warner Brothers doesn't seem to like to hand out the IP very much for games to be made out of the LOTRO universe which is a shame... (Either that or they just charge so much that few developers are actually interested).
Smile
I agree, unfortunately I doubt that is going to happen :-(, but when can hope...as they say in Lord of the Rings "There is always Hope" lol.
There Is Always Hope!
A sure sign that you are in an old, dying paradigm/mindset, is when you are scared of new ideas and new technology. Don't feel bad. The world is moving on without you, and you are welcome to yell "Get Off My Lawn!" all you want while it happens. You cannot, however, stop an idea whose time has come.
"Both classes and combat are getting revamped."
And that's what I like to hear. I always felt that combat in LotRO was a bit clunky and slow paced. Perhaps I will have to come back once the expansion goes live.
Three letters sum up this expansion.
N
G
E
...and that is all I have to say on the subject.
Warner Brothers doesn't own the IP. Saul Zaentz Company owns the rights. MMO rights were licensed toTurbine. Single player game is licensed to EA.
Just fyi.
I don't see that at all. They aren't changing the game into something else. Well, I'm not getting that from this article.
If anything those changes are very welcome.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
There's the Bounder event now (alongside with Farmer's Faire), and while it's not an exact measurement, the "race" towards the Boon is pretty much showing an overall population / activity rate on the servers. 4 of the german ones are already got the Boon and among the english ones so far only Brandywine finished it.
As for the preview, "lore fans keep an eye out" - I definitely will
"There will plenty of interaction with Eowyn, (following her path in the books)" - cool, she's a great character with nice storyline
"before battle choosing Vanguard, Officer, Engineer" - it kinda reminds me of STO
"classes .... are getting revamped" - yep... that's my biggest concern since they first announced it... LotRO was never big on builds and theory crafting, but what was leaked so far is a huge stepback even from that average state. I think there's always a Hope token that it won't be too bad...
This is what is concerning myself, my Wife who plays, my Daughter, our Friends....
I have been involved with LotRO before it WAS LotRO, back when it was going to be MEO. I joined a Guild named Safe Havens of Arda with other Players... Fern, Groan, Adrianna, Adoreth, Barstoll, many other good People I miss dearly.... all have moved on in several ways.
When F2P happened to LotRO I was the one ranting and raving about it. My wife thought to be honest did not agree with me and thought the Turbine Staff Member was correct that said I was "tilting at Windmills" about the changes with F2P.
Now my Wife and Friends agree with me.... they miss how LotRO was before F2P and they wish it had never happened. They feel that LotRO has been "cheapened" by F2P and lessened. Their comments and words, not mine. Ever since I had that argument with a certain Staff member I have kept my opinions to myself about what happens to LotRO and whether I thought the changes were good or bad. I honestly don't think anyone of important position at Turbine cares one rat's petunia what some of us Players think or want anymore.... they did in the beginning, or at least they convinced us they did...
Now LotRO gets another MakeOver.... and this time I know it's a waste of time to say anything at all on the LotRO Forums about this.... or here either.... and since I have no desire to ever interact with some Members of Turbine's Staff again.... this time I will let the hammer fall as it will. Good or Bad, Small Change only or NGE style debacle, I won't try to tell anyone at Turbine or the Players what could be done or why. Whether I pay for my Wife and Daughter's Subs (or whether I continue to play) after HD depends on just how things turn out.
The class "revamp" system is a massive change to the core of the game. No one asked for it, yet they are going through with it (much like SWG NGE). In short, they are taking away a large number of abilities, then putting in skill trees....so instead of your character having lots of things to do you will end up with a small number of skills to use in combat.
They are doing this, well, because that is what GW2 has. They see it as a positive thing for new players. If GW2 has 7 abilities and a large number of people playing it, wouldn't it make sense that LOTRO will have a large number of people playing if they reduced the skills by 3/4. No new players play LOTRO. The game is too old. All this will do is drive away most of the veterans.
Beta has just started and the threads that deal with the changes are the ones that are 9 or 10 pages long and they are 90% negative....just like the NGE.
This marks the end of the LOTRO as you knew it. They are not changing the engine, so combat will always feel clunky. Instead of having 30 or so abilities to use in combat, you will now have 10.
The only class where some people actually like the changes are the Burglar. It's pretty much half and half with that class. The rest are 90% negative. And certain classes, like the Warden, are so changed that you will not even recognize them.
It's a dark day for LOTRO.....but a banner day for NGE nostalgics!
I return to LotRO for every expansion, and I probably will for this one as well.
What I never understood about the combat system was the huge amount of skills. My hunter used only a few skills, and combat tended to get stale with the press 1, press 2, press 3, press 1 if recycled if not press 4 sequences.
I want skills that require positioning and reactions like blocks, parry, evade. I know the guardian has some, but not nearly enough.
Yet, I will continue the path towards Mordor when the time comes. The storyline is just too good to let it be.
To bad this game is grindy and boring as sin.