Road to pay to win

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Lord of the rings online

Lord of the rings online

Bullroarer forum has some news about incoming update. Seals are totally removed from game. No more gain, no more barter. People are outraged, since Anfalas scrolls would be  extremely rare. Cordovan was arrogant, as all developers are: there are other ways to get them in game. Yes, “other ways” that will take 1 year if played daily. New crafting recipes caused outraged as they require too much rare materials.

Lotro is slowly descending towards (kind of) pay-to-win. NO, there is no pay to win in PvE games, but it means: if you don’t pay, you spend years in getting adequate equipment; and untill you get it, every second monster may one-shot you.

Talks with kinnies did not bring relief. They quote developers: 30% of population pays for 70% free players. Which mean – satisfy whales and let 70% population go. Even if some whales leave, let us say, you have 25% population: still profit. Looks like there is absolutely nothing to do, nowhere to go. And no chance developers would start playing their own game or start understanding players.

Stormsong did nothing. Xantipe was finally teleported to 21st Hall in Moria. Some discussion with kinnies about Moria and Xantipe. I am cautious and wishing to leave Moria as soon as possible. No longer do I think about Tortoise stone: on the contrary, I need higher levels. Will choose Moria-Lothlorien-Rohan-Gondor path. Then I plan to farm grumpy Dor Amroth dailies to get Amroth silver coins and Anfalas scrolls.

Life is grey and grumpy in Lotro now: we have the best online game with best atmosphere, best lore, maybe even one of the best roleplay, superb community…and good-for-nothing developers that are rollng the game down.

Once again I am alone with nothing to do. A pity.

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Ryzom, Yule

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Lord of the rings online, Ryzom

Lord of the rings online

Xantipe crafted Guild reputation items, gathered some Illex, killing some enemies enroute and that was all.

Stormsong farmed Sarnur for those Jewelled sword sheats and Broken Mace clubs. World chat was empty, one person aked for Forges of Khazad Dum. Little wish to run them, it’s not-effective instance. Still, asked, it was Loremaster who needed aid with class quest.

We ran, killed…and at the end everything was bugged. Main monster was killed, we tried to locate optional monster…but he was  nowhere to be found. Then got important phone call, had to leave.

Managed to donate some Thorins hall reputation items. At least some use from me in World.

Good news: Yule festival is from 18 December to 14th January. Very good, my toons would earn valuable Anfalas crystals (bound to account…), Xantipe would level up. Question about Anfalas scrolls remains, they are extremely hard to get. Few are from quests, remaining are from very slow farming.

Ryzom

One player mentioned it as a good, yet half-forgotten game. Looked at it. Sound insteresting. Free to play with pa-to-play option. Open world, no traditional level system, almost no ganking. Deep crafting.

Read more. Well…some negatives appeared. Free skill system, i.e. no classes which leads to best setups. Heavy grind, as some people write – not good written quests. And restrictions: free players get 125 out of 250 levels, cannot use some storage and alike. Imagine Lotro where you stop gaining xp after lvl.60, cannot use shared vault, kinship chest and wardrobe. Would be hardcore and not nice.

Solution: probably not installing. A pity.

And so the day has ended – a bit promising in Lotro.

Helps, flies, crafting

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Lord of the rings online

Lord of the rings online

Xantipe had nothing to do, just craft  Guild reputation items and some Farmer levelling. Farmer is nice, easy to level (just boring…) and critical success provides with dye ingredients.

Stormsong had nothing to do. Offered aid, managed to help one lvl.14 Hunter with Bree marshes deeds: Neeker-breakers, flies, spiders. Things were easy, I was effective and my Hunter was satisfied. Received request with quests from lvl.4 Champion. Explained these were really soloable and guess Champion got angry/upset.

In World chat received loads of Moria reputation items, so now am Kindred with local Miners. Only Guards remain. I am instantly farming Sixteenth hall for reputation items.

Kinnies keep asking if I am in Moria. No, I am not. I may need two things: a) lvl.57 and b) someone to summon me to 21st Hall and get Guide to 21 hall.  It’s bit problematic to explain all this to kinnies, would require tons of text. To make things short: if minimum quest level is 53, I need lvl.55 or 56 to survive, need top level maxed equipment. Do not have any of these, so entering may mean suicide.

And so weekend has ended: bit busy, yet mostly boring in Lotro.

 

Level 53

Tags

Lord of the rings online

Lord of the rings online

Stormsong ran Sixteenth Hall. Loot included much needed LI xp runes: when the time comes I will use them on legendary weapons to be better with LIs.

Xantipe: finally reached level 53. It’s minimal level to start Moria, one where you may be killed every third step. I need at least lvl.55-56 to barely survive. Yet no chance to do it. Moria Reputation items’ outcome was little, I am still far from needed 25,000 xp…and then Kindred (30.000 xp awaits). Council of the North grind is slow too.

In short, days are so slow and non-effective in Lotro. Tried to ask for Ost Elendil – no results + bad timing. No other lower lvl runs. Even no will to grind older regions’ deeds.

Need something fresh,. some activity…and can’t find one.

Encouragements

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Lord of the rings online

Lord of the rings online

Stormsong farmed Sarnur keep. Just marvelous to run in circles, killing everything, looting some things and selling/destyroying all others. At least some activity.

Xantipe made reputation items, turned in taskboard items, then farmed. Farmer – Supreme tier reached.

I still did not gain a level, leveeling by crafting is really slow. Nowhere to quest. Epic is forced fellowship. Eregion troll cave is too angerous even for lvl.60. I told kinnies that cave is lvl.95 or 100, if one is to survive. Feeling really stuck: do need to become lvl.55-57 to enter Moria and no way to get it.

Kinnies do encourage me with Moria, offering their help, questing together. One day I would need all the help. It’s forced fellowship area…but tat the other hand it is home to my beloved Dwarves, their stronghold where they make their stand against evil. 21st Hall is a reall home. I really wish I could skip Moria, but I know I couldn’t. It’s justy question of preparation: equipment, legendary weapons etc.

And so the day has ended – kind of optimistic in Lotro.

Farming (again)

Tags

Lord of the rings online

Lord of the rings online

Eating in restaurants may have negative impact on Lotro. I ate some…not too fresh food, had some problems, was unable to play for a longer time. Just crafting reputation items and some farming of Sarnur keep.

That keep is real hoard. Keep killing monsters, loot jewelled sword sheats and broken clubs, just run in circles and loot stuff.

Today we would have new update. Very minor changes that won’t impact gameplay. Beornings are promised heavy armour, but that’s for future updates.

My Xantipe is a bit stuck. What I need is lvl.55-56 to safely enter Moria. Then, few Ost Elendil runs to finish “Spirits, aiding Angmar” slayer deeds.

And then – Moria, grumpy 3d maze. At lvl.55 with nice Legendary items, I would be ready for it.

And so the short day in Lotro ended.

Sarnur, clubs, roots

Tags

Lord of the rings online

Lord of the rings online

Xantipe farmed once again, crafted some emblems, tyring to advance in Guild reputation. Chatted a bit with kinnies, otherwise had nothing to do. Levelling farmer gives me valuable roots/petals – things for Scholar to make dyes.

Stormsong logged to farm Broken clubs. Angmar, tried to farm local Angmarims, but these were too greedy, my efforts were inefficient. Had no idea what to do, asked if anyone needed help. One player did. With famous Sarnur.

There it began: lvl.50 Loremaster and lvl.115 Minstrel. I killed everything quickly, later discovered local monsters dropped some broken clubs and other taskboard items. Killing was quick and efficient, my Loremaster finished some quests. Unfortunately, we could not locate named monsters. They share some points, we did not find any named. As it was almost midnight, had to log off.

Now, my Xantipe is supplied with those items, should be enough for 2 or 3 days. And yes, Stormsong knows where to go and what to do next: Sarnur and once more Sarnur, run in circles, kill every humanoid. Reputation items does not interest me, only Angmar reputation ones.

The day has ended – with some fun in Lotro. Things may become interesting once again.

Farming again

Tags

Lord of the rings online

Lord of the rings online

Rumours on impeding update. We would receive Raid, talks about crafting essences (Malleable stuff worth something again), then some class changes. Once more, increase in legendary items levels, so we would need more and more crystals/scrolls. That’s driving me crazy. After they took last efficient way to get these – it would be a pain. Well, that’s what happens when developers do not play theyir own game.

Xantipe was almost the only active. In short: finished Ironfold crafting tier, sent all hides to my Tailor (Ahelissa).  Proceeded farming Black ash and Ilex stuff, then reached another crafting reputation, travelled to Esteldin to get new reputation items recipes.

Out of Angmar taskboard items. Guild reputatin items are produced slowly: once again, lack of Ilex wood.

Needed some Angmar landscape runs, kinnies understood I needed instances, organized run…only for me to receive important call and log asome 50 minutes later. I thought I was totally late, so told wasn’t coming. Turned out they waited for me

Talked to one person about my former kinship, Edhel-Anon. Looks like they almost disbanded and remaining few moved to another server. A pity. It was a good kin after all.

And then I started my Xantipe’s Farmer profession. Growing fields, then producing crops, finally – selling crops. When planting flower fields, got some 3 iris roots for Scholar. Each produced item brings some 15-25 xp. Not so much, but 1 killed on-level monster gives some 100 xp. Easier to farm…

Kinnies are still over-optimistic about me and Moria. I am more cautious. Starter quest is lvl.53, so I need some lvl.55-56 to be able to survive. Where do I get these? Really wish I could someone to power-level me. Few lvl.60 Sambrog runs with, say, lvl.120 Minstrel and it’s done.

In short – little activity, little perspectives in Lotro.

Orcs and guilds

Tags

Lord of the rings online

Lord of the rings online

Xantipe crafted almost everything, got enough hides to finish 2 crafting tiers. And then – hurray, a present from kinnie: 600 Dwarf region hides, enough to master that tier to the max.

Stormsong ran several Warg pens, grinded Riddermark hides.

And then it was World chat. Some talks about events, I replied “do they serve fried Hobbitses here?”. Soon World was full of alternative facts about Orcs. One player went into dephts about Barad Dur, a bright tower full of poets, philosophers, a manifest of one who did not want to be a slave for High ones. About Orcs being refugees from evil opressors and “Free people” being just xenophobic. Orc extremists are just a little part of society, we should accept at least one refugee-Orc to our houses, embrace them. Our towns would have Orc, Goblin, Uruk district and it is pure lie that crimes would increase by 100%, oh no… We joked, it was almost :rofl: emote.

Overall, there is very little I could do in Lotro. Farm hides. Craft. No adventuring. Nobody in World needs help.

Have to find way to reach lvl.55-56 and then forwards to Moria.

tier 2 swamps

Tags

Lord of the rings online

Lord of the rings online

Day was short. Xantipe logged in, turned in task board items, crafted Guild reputation items, then did some solo quests in Angmar. It was late when I reached lvl.52, got two skills upgraded.

Nothing else was left to do. Kinship organized some tier 2-3raids in new region, I could not take part in them, loot was reported to be lame.

Level 53 means entire 220.000 xp. One quest in Angmar is some 1500 xp, one green mob – some 100 xp. I am forever stuck and could not ask Kinship to power-level me to some lvl.56.

Needs: 1) Multiply runs of Ost Elendil to kill enough spirits for “Spirits aiding Angmar”; 2) kill all Leaders of Invasion in Annuminas; 3) run all forced fellowship quests in Angmar.

Angmar: redirection to swamps, killing almost all mobs

Power-levelling, unfortunately, is not an option. A pity. I wouldn’t mind grinding up to some lvl.56-57 to be able to enter grumpy Moria.

End of day – little impressions, little optimism.