Going at it alone ?

Comments

• Lithuanian Member UncommonPosts: 542

  December 2016

  Wel, you can always invite your friend, friend of a friend etc to Lotro.
  
  Players online: yes, there would always be someone around. Little ones, big ones, offering help, asking for it, inviting to groups.
  
  Cash shop: except few items that have ultra-rare drop (Crystal of remembrance) you can grind everything else. Cash shop is based on Lotro points (LP). You can earn them by doing deeds (killing -like "kill 30 rats"; exploring; meta-deeds - like "complete all deeds in NN region"). Early deeds reward 5 LP, advanced - 10 LP. Later advanced rewards with 5 LPs only. You also gain LPs for reputation (up to Kindred) with varipus factions. 1 Kindred -->50 LPs.
  For example: I bought great many things without paying. Just grinded, created alts, played with reputation...and have everything up to first Gondor.
  
  You can know someone once paid for something basiclaly by character portrait frame, some specific mounts, ability of player to read mail wherever he/she is. Except these, you cannot tell if player paid for stuff. Frame indicates player paid at least once.
  
  In short, Lotro can offer you many things to your taste, solo or group, forced fellowship or no fellowship, dps or healss.
  

  http://www.mmoblogg.wordpress.com
• syriinx Member UncommonPosts: 1,383

  December 2016

  delete5230 said:

  Say one were to buy quest packs from the store, or subscribe to open them up using the VIP approach.  Can you really count on others players to be around ?......... I hope the cash shop don't defeat the purpose of the game being an mmo. 
  
  If no one pays, your all alone !..........How do you know who paid for what ?........How about friends, I'm talking my friend into playing, can he come too ? 
  
  Obviously I'm talking about the journey not end game.
  

  Its an old MMORPG with no reason to visit the older zones.  You will find slightly more than some games, but most of LOTRO is designed to be soloed now.  They scale down the big story instances to be soloable.
  
  Dungeons still need a group and you can probably get one the old fashioned way if you have a large guild where people have alts.  But it wont always happen when you want it.
• Po_gg Member EpicPosts: 5,749

  December 2016

  Quest packs are only the regular quests in a zone   The zones themselves are open to everyone, and free players are going there too for their story quests, or for gathering crafting mats, etc. "If no one pays, your all alone !" That aspect won't hinder you to find other players around. (and actually there are tons of players who don't pay, and still have everything unlocked...)
  
  "How do you know who paid for what ?"  You can't, really, players are the same - unless of course they flash some rare stuff. But that means nothing either... Lithuanian mentioned the VIP character portrait, but that also only tells that the player was VIP for at least 1 month since the game is live (you keep it after the VIP expires). Another example the horse players, if you see one you can know they've bought the largest pack of the Rohan expansion, but that also means nothing to your current gameplay experience. Or the Moria preorder cloak (cosmetic). Generally, in 99% of the time you can't say your fellow players are payed or not, and if did, how much  
  
  Lower regions are usually crowded (new players, or veteran players trying out new alts). The middle region has a bit lower population, and the endgame region is very active. The overall population is pretty healthy on all the servers left standing after the transfers.