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So everytime I hear something about this game, it's always about how amazing the PvE in this game is. I haven't really played it yet, but I'm downloading the trial. I've always been a PvE guy when it came to these games, back in EQ2 and in old school WoW. I really don't care about PvP... at all. I just want to know what makes this game have such amazing PvE. Is it constantly being updated? Are there lots of raids and instances? Is it actually difficult? Does every class have a somewhat equal use in every raid? Also, while I'm on the topic of this game... how well can one customize their class? Is there a talent tree system or something similar or not similar that allows my... lets say Burglar... different from every other one in the game?
Comments
I think people say the pve is the best because, for the most part, all the quests are written with a very solid foundation and one that stems from a very fleshed out world. Add to that the main quest line which is very fleshed out with very definitive events and it's a bit more than just clicking "ok" on a text box.
There are a decent amount of instances, not a huge amount of raids but they can be very enjoyable if raiding is your thing.
You can customize your class with traits and deeds you get certain slots in which to do this and you can upgrade each trait/deed by a number of means depending on what type of trait/deed it is. This can be anything from discovering a set number of landmarks in an area to doing all the quests in an area to killing 250 of one type of monster, etc.
Some would argue the customization doesn't go far enough and some are happy with it.
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
"Freedom is just another name for nothing left to lose" - Janis Joplin
Aye but they really really need to hire better movie guys. The tiny meaningless movies that play from time to time are well lacking.
Maybe get the people who did the SoM promos to work on it?
This is a myth presented by the "lifetimers" of the subscription system.
Lotro is one of the few games with gated end-game content. Which means, you can't enter certain raids until you grind certain amount of radiance from items (each class has pretty much one set for that), so everybody wears the same gear basically before the raid 1, and tier 2 set after raid 1.
End-game there's 1 raid instance. I don't count watcher in the water which is a single-boss raid, or Giant Turtle which is again single-raid boss.
Apart from that, there's around 8 end-game instances (where you grind the radiance gear).
That's pretty much it for the end-game PvE.
Concerning leveling PvE: There's 8 zones in total. There's 5 instances between levels 1-49 + half a dozen instances for level 50 (which was a previous pre-MoM era end-game). Crafting is basic and simple - made of casting bar. There's no such thing as a diplomacy or group harvesting, or ships, (the only bits of sea you can see in Forochel bay), and that's pretty much it.
The mechanics behind bosses are usually : buff up with hope, tank and spank. Anything more complicated was usually bugged and still not fixed.
After a year since MoM, Turbine wasn't able to fix raid lock exploit and several bosses exploits. That's why you still find videos on youtube where a single class is killing certain 6-man bosses.
Turbine announced to shut down Asheron's Call 2 (August, 2005) two months after they released paid boxed expansions : AC2: Legions. (May, 2005) with claims everything is all right, and the game is doing good. If this is what you call a good developer, then I don't know what is a bad one.
REALITY CHECK
PvE in my opinion is nothing short of amazing. There is a good mix of group and solo quests, their text make sense and in fact it will give you good motivations to continue. Besides, they update even old zones. With the new expansion, Lone Lands will get a rebuff.
If PvE is your preference and PvP has no appeal to you, this is definitely the game you are looking for.
Questlines/stories are very good in LoTRO, but PvE outside of quests is mediocre at best. You are always boxed in to a certain area depending on your level, few levels down and you gain no exp and few levels up and you will be obliterated no matter what you try. I stopped playing when I was raped by a fucking deer, just because it was 4 (or something like that) levels higher. Pretty much kills exploring...
Well it says alot about how bad the competition is when LotrO is the best PvE MMO
Maybe its time for you to move on with your consipracy theories now Thillian?
If WoW = The Beatles
and WAR = Led Zeppelin
Then LotrO = Pink Floyd
As far as a game goes I'd say it's biggest plus is the storyline / quest write up's as they made sense and were very well written. If you're the type that doesn't like to read mission blurbs than you won't get but a fraction of the game. Many of those that have said they disliked the game were one's that didn't read the blurbs and so didn't get into it.
The fighting style takes a little to get used to as certain base attacks open up certain combo attacks which can open up more combo attacks etc....
Downside has already been pointed out in that each level block only really has 2 zones with level appropriate missions in there. Another that I found personally a pain was how they and the epic missions would jump you back and forth alot between the zones so you end up with alot of travel time.
And the biggest reason I stopped playing was it is way to easy to get burned out on the never ending missions, which since most of us, me included always complain there's never enough missions is a heck of a thing to say.
All in all I rate it a great game. Play it for 3 to 6 months. Take a break and then go back to it, rinse, repeat. Just don't try to play it for 8 hours a day, 7 days a week.
SWG (pre-cu) - AoC (pre-f2p) - PotBS (pre-boarder) - DDO - LotRO (pre-f2p) - STO (pre-f2p) - GnH (beta tester) - SWTOR - Neverwinter
I wouldn't go as far as to call Lotro's PvE the best, but the game is definately good at this area. Quests are great, each world area has its own feeling (not just another area with mobs and quests), instances are average (as Thillian said, most bosses are tank an' spank, some instances are quite dull and boring) and the loot system is meh, with one set to rule them all.
The coming expansion may change things, however. Either for the better or worse ;p
1 + 1 = 2... Unless it CRITS!
No. Most quests are soloable, no special tactics. Most of the quests that "require" 2 or 3 people can be soloed, no real tactics required. There are a few that need 5 and 6 people to complete, and very few actually need full group and tactics to complete.
Instances are not hard too, excluding some bosses that can be challenging to impossible if you go in unprepared (aka without hope tokens and hope gear).
1 + 1 = 2... Unless it CRITS!
I think the main reason I love the PvE is that it isn't a bunch of button mashing like in other games. Some might say that combat is slow, but I like it the way it is. Unlike in WoW (on my rogue mainly), where you mashed like 100 buttons a minute lol, in Lotro you actually have time to watch the fight progress.
No. Most quests are soloable, no special tactics. Most of the quests that "require" 2 or 3 people can be soloed, no real tactics required. There are a few that need 5 and 6 people to complete, and very few actually need full group and tactics to complete.
Instances are not hard too, excluding some bosses that can be challenging to impossible if you go in unprepared (aka without hope tokens and hope gear).
The one I was thinking of when I answered this was in the Lonelands, the Kill the Goblin King or some such name. It's up in the ruins and really starts when you go across a rope bridge.
I tried it solo as a Warden like 2 levels above the quest level. Granted the NPC's where that level but they were all Elites and would gang up on you either 2 or 3 at a time. Now I'll be the first to say I didn't know how to fight my warden in the 100% perfect mode but I wasn't able to handle more than 1 Elite at a time and wasn't even able to make it across that bridge.
I even tried the quest with my son who had a level approprite minstrel and we weren't able to do it either.
Yes a bunch are solo-able now, the Tom Bro.... mission into the barrow was easy downed quite alot and they have been working on the various zones to easy them up too so maybe they've hit them all by now. I just know when I played (stopped in August) there was a challenge to the game.
If it's all solo-able now with no special tactics or thoughts, then they will have ruined a really good aspect of the game.
SWG (pre-cu) - AoC (pre-f2p) - PotBS (pre-boarder) - DDO - LotRO (pre-f2p) - STO (pre-f2p) - GnH (beta tester) - SWTOR - Neverwinter
It seems I'll have to try it for myself. I do like the customization that you all described... simple but it works. Mainly when it comes to pve I'm more interested in the end game and raids. I don't have time to play MMO's every day... actually, more of, I dont want to, but when I do I like to devote time to get my character some gear that makes me feel special. Usually around 2-5 hours on a Friday. I guess I'm the only one who can give the final verdict for me. Maybe I'll see all of you LotRO players in-game soon.
Ahhhhh ....... you should have been clearer on this point as it would have changed some of the posts you received.
The biggest complaint I always saw on the O-boards was lack of end-game. Now being that the games only about 1/3rd or so along in it's life that's to be expected. Alot of players at the start finished the base game, got tired of the then end game raids and took a break, then came back for the Mine's, blew through it, took a break and are now back for Mirkwood.
I mean honestly you can only run the same raids so often before they get old right?
If you're looking for an end game type of game, then I'd be safe in saying LotRO isn't the best for you at this time. This is the type of game where the journey is better than the arrival.
Without a doubt do the free trial and see what you think. Once out of the starter area I'm sure you'll be able to find someone to help you breeze through the content so you can try some of the end game raids. Have fun.
SWG (pre-cu) - AoC (pre-f2p) - PotBS (pre-boarder) - DDO - LotRO (pre-f2p) - STO (pre-f2p) - GnH (beta tester) - SWTOR - Neverwinter
LotRO is primarily a PvE MMO so it had better do it well.
I would not call it the Best PvE MMO but it certainly is in the top 3.
Of the biggest problems in LotRO I think class balance and end game to be the most lacking.
LotRO doesnt have many classes and the balance between them is horrible. Limited effort has been expended to balance the DPS classes and there has been almost no effort for tanking and healing(especially healing).
Im pretty sure the entire Turbine staff plays Champions.
End game is lacking because of Radiance. Im pretty sure it was a good idea on paper but get rid of it already.
If you are just getting into LotRO read the quests, do the Books and dont worry about end game. Its very much worth the trip to max level.
In my opinion the short answer is: There is a TON of it. Really an insane amount of non-stop, always-keep-you-busy, never-stuck-for-something-to-do, PVE.
Factor in the help-system, guiding arrows, its really easy to do. Rarely will you be stuck for long. Reading the quests aren't necessary. You can just roll into an area, pick up all the quests you see til your log is full then go knock em out.
Wierd, I have the complete opposite opinion, class balance for PvE is one of the strongest parts of LotrO imo where all classes are powerfull and needed in different situations. Champions was very strong at MoM release but have been nerfed every patch since then. Still in groups Champions are often the least needed imo.
And I would say that Radiance is the reason why end game is NOT lacking. Before MoM I would say that end game was lacking but since then the focus have been on end-game content and Mirkwoods adds and improves the higher levels in alot of ways.
If WoW = The Beatles
and WAR = Led Zeppelin
Then LotrO = Pink Floyd
Wierd, I have the complete opposite opinion, class balance for PvE is one of the strongest parts of LotrO imo where all classes are powerfull and needed in different situations. Champions was very strong at MoM release but have been nerfed every patch since then. Still in groups Champions are often the least needed imo.
And I would say that Radiance is the reason why end game is NOT lacking. Before MoM I would say that end game was lacking but since then the focus have been on end-game content and Mirkwoods adds and improves the higher levels in alot of ways.
I have to agree. Classes in LotRO feel very well-balanced.
Nothing is more exciting than advertising for a PUG on lff, and watching the offers roll in from different classes. Once you get a Guard, Mini, RK, Captain and so on, you know you are going to rock (especially if they know how to play their classes).
Then you should know, that in SoM, Lotro is revamping the combat system into a buttom mash. They remove the animation auto-attack cooldowns, and you'll have instant abiilties and 1s global cooldown abilities. Basically removing another unique aspect of the game, making it more generic as with anything that was changed since Moria.
REALITY CHECK
Then you should know, that in SoM, Lotro is revamping the combat system into a buttom mash. They remove the animation auto-attack cooldowns, and you'll have instant abiilties and 1s global cooldown abilities. Basically removing another unique aspect of the game, making it more generic as with anything that was changed since Moria.
Stop being so binary.
I have played it, tactics are still there, the feel is still there, however some aspects have become a more snappy. Its a fine change all around.
Stop spreading exaggerations, and binary thought
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"Anyone posting on this forum is not an average user, and there for any opinions about the game are going to be overly critical compared to an average users opinions." - Me
"No, your wrong.." - Random user #123
"Hello person posting on a site specifically for MMO's in a thread on a sub forum specifically for a particular game talking about meta features and making comparisons to other titles in the genre, and their meta features.
How are you?" -Me
Sounds more or less like WoW to me, from the above statement.
I browsed through this thread and am yet to see what makes the PvE in LOTROL so amazing.
I have heard the quests are well written but that is about it, i have heard the classes are not balanced, the instances are few and boring and that the it more or less Tank and spank when it comes to the bosses, there are a few raids with peeps running around with the same tier1 gear. I struggle to see what is speical about it, not to mention amazing!
So Again what makes the Pve in this game so amazing, citing things that are currently in other games does not make it any different and hence not amazing, is there is nothing unique about it then it can hardly be called amazing.
In short, absolutely nothing. It's a myth. THe PvE is nothing extraordinary and there's far less content to do than in other games actually.
Exploration is minimal. The gameplay area is still pretty small even after the expansion in compare to Vanguard, WoW, EQ2, but it is a bit larger than AoC.
Questing is typical average. You click NPC, it gives you a wall of text (no real dialogues). You enter a camp you get 15-20 new quests - after a while you probably stop reading it. Most of the quests are chained up to extreme - in a group you will struggle to "synchronize" the quests, and the killing group EXP is not worth it to hang around just to help somebody else.
Raiding - there's one raid endgame with I think 8 bosses. The raid is locked behind a gating system called radiance. If you join the game now, and wish to raid, you will need to PUG (don't recommened) or to have someone who will help you run six different instances to get the radiance from items.
Apart from that, there are two single-raid bosses (Huge turtle - fit horribly into Middle Earth indeed).
And watcher in the water (which is again, locked behing a gated content)
Crafting is typical casting bar. You can't immerse too much into it. You can't customize what kind of abilities you want to put into it. Everything is fixed and generic.
Then there are book quests - PvE. Which is basically a long quest chain starting at level 1, that goes on and on and on and for the group-dependant parts, it is basically impossible to find people on the same stage (for v1 books 10 and up) - that's why they basically plan to make it all soloable in the future patches.
I hate to bring it up. But how many raids and instances did WoW got since Wotlk? Was it like 5 new raids? and 4 new instances? Lotro got 1 raid, and 2 instances since Moria. So much about the PvE content in Lotro. Damn I hate to use WoW as an argument against Lotro's PvE but I really fail to see the brilliance of it. I did play Lotro for almost 3 years (because of the lore) and I always considered the game to have sub-par PvE in compare to (Vanguard, EQ2, AC, ...) Now they even took away the lore (mages, free goats as mounts for everyone, captain ghosts allies, LM with panther pet and bog-lurker, raid full of aliens, giant turtle - stronger boss than balrog in rift...)
REALITY CHECK
This latest interview with Steefel - executive producer of Lotro pretty much explains the ignorance towards the lore and the ridiculous additions that destroyed the whole point of having Middle Earth license.
VideoGamer.com: Isn't Legolas from Mirkwood?
J.Steefel: It was the home of the Sindarin Elves. I think that was before his time, but don't quote me! I know people who know the exact answer to this question.
[PR interjection]: Quick rerun: Legolas was the Prince of Mirkwood.
JS: There you go. You can now say you know more about Tolkien.
http://www.videogamer.com/pc/lotro_siege_of_mirkwood/preview-2116-2.html
REALITY CHECK
Its sad to see you turn into a simple troll Thillian, if you dont like the game then maybe you should move on with your lifef instead of spreading lies and personal opinions as if they were facts. You dont like the PvE in LotrO, fine! no ones is holding a gun to your head...
WoW got update 3.1 and 3.2 since Wotlk and about to release (or just did) 3.3. Compare to LotrO which got book 7 and 8 + now Siege of Mirkwood next week.
Since I dont play wow I got info from here and assume its correct: http://www.wowwiki.com/Patches
3.1 Added 1 new raid
3.2 Added 1 new raid
3.3 Adds 1 new raid and 3 group dungeons
Compared to
Book 7 Added a new region, 6 solo instances, 1 group instance and the turtle raid
Book 8 Added 1 new raid and 3 group dungeons
SoM adds 1 new region, 1 new raid, 4 new group dungeons and 13 skirmish instances.
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For me one of the biggest pros of the PvE (since MoM) is that at end game there is now meanigfull content and progression for solo, 3 people, 6 people and 12-man raiding. I think that its pretty unique in MMOs and will be improved even more in SoM with the new skirmishes.
If WoW = The Beatles
and WAR = Led Zeppelin
Then LotrO = Pink Floyd