LotRO reverses policy, plans to sell PvE stat gear through the store [Updated]

In July 2010, Massively was told by Turbine that the then-coming LotRO store "would not sell any gear with stats attached." And while the studio has so far kept to the letter of the law, it has fudged the spirit of it with the sales of stat tomes (which boost stats independently of gear) and the addition of statted gear to PvMP (monster play).

Consider the law cast aside today, then, as Turbine's announced the coming sale of statted gear in the LotRO store to normal PvE play as well. Light, medium, and heavy armor pieces will soon be available for purchase in the cash shop, and will come with beneficial stats attached. In addition to the typical stats, the store boots will come with a 8% run out-of-combat run speed boost attached.

While the gear in question has reasonable stats, it certainly raises the specter of the game's heading toward pay-to-win territory by having it for sale at all.

Massively has reached out to Turbine for an official comment.

[Update: On the official forums Sapience commented about the sale saying, "It's lower level gear. Many players have given us feedback that there is a sparsity of gear on the AH at these levels and they wanted an alternative. We're trying to accomodate that."]

Reader Comments (132)

@Deadalon

Actually, they could have just updated quests to give out this mid level gear.

Or increase the drop rate of gear. Lots of ways to handle this without a cash shop.

This is what they wanted...they just had to find a way to spin it.

Well, all the people who said company X needs to be like Turbine....hope your wish never comes true.

Sapience's statement is 100% BS.

People like me, who LOVED crafting on LOTRO, would have been thrilled to flood the AH with low-level crit crafted gear. We were dying to. But TURBINE limits the drop rate on the crit components so low that it was impossible to do so. If there "isn't a lot" of great low-level gear, it's Turbine's fault, and they are already perfectly aware of it.

If they really just wanted to make good gear available to low-level players, there are a hundred ways to do it IN GAME. Like every other game already does. Quest rewards. Boss drops. Raising the drop rate for crit components so they are easier for crafters to obtain.

But to first lower crit component drop rates, then create STORE ONLY items with run speed bonuses and competitive stats to what crafters can offer? Disgusting.

@(Unverified)

I don't have a max player. I play LOTRO as a casual, world exploring sandbox style game. I love crafting, and I've made a *ton* of money making the low tier (e.g. below 50) sets. Its one of the few MMOs i've played where I can buy raw materials, use them to make gear, and sell the gear at a profit -- this is impossible in Rift or WoW.

So I realize there's alot of complaints of "Pay to win!" and how Turbine has channeled the power of Morgoth to irreversibly corrupt the MMO marketplace... but I see the complaints as coming from intellectual purists who probably don't even play LOTRO now. Shadows of Angmar is a 1997 game; selling non-capped gear in the store to help speed the leveling of alts (or just as convenience) does nothing to undermine the game.

If this was a discussion of buying premade level capped characters, or raid tier gear, or cash-only advantages, then the venom being expressed in the majority of these posts would have merit.

@(Unverified) I've been thinking the same thing. If the community realized this was that much of a problem you know what we'd do? We'd make a ton of it and put it up there.

As I mention later on, there was no real reason to do that. I've never seen anyone lamenting this stuff wasn't on the AH. In fact, most of it was traded for free in the chat channel either just because someone was leveling their Armorer skill or because someone asked for it.

I'm not going to be blamed for Turbine putting $5 Level 20 armor on the store.

I do believe I told you so.

@Keen and Graev
lol, and you got so much hate for calling it 100% right! There is no f2p...it will always be p2w.

Such a sad end for a truly great game.

Bad move Turbine. There is plenty of gear on the AH or it can be crafted or gained from quests easily. Here's a crazy conept Turbine... how about updating quest rewards and crafting with better gear if there is a lack of gear. Lame.

I never thought I'd be doing this as a lifetime subscriber (who gets 500 TP "free" per month) but Lotro is getting deleted from my hard drive. All of the promises Turbine made to the players have now been broken. Nothing since Mirkwood has been worth playing. I'll remember the game fondly from daily logins for a few years with good kinship friends, but just seeing that icon on my games list makes me depressed.

unless your a crafter or in a Kinship getting crafted low armor is pretty hard from the AH

A) it's overpriced for a low level
B) there none on the AH
C) you do skirmishes to get average armor
D) you wear quest rewards
E) you get it from the turbine store

-- I really dont see a problem with this or a reason to go all nuts on turbine because of this . just ignore and play your game.

@mael

Exactly, well said. Nice to see a reasonable and objective post.

"Many players have given us feedback that there is a sparsity of gear on the AH at these levels and they wanted an alternative. We're trying to accomodate that."

BS.

I went through LoTRO in the rough early years - before the level 1-20 content was completely redesigned by Allan "Orion" Maki - and I never wanted for good equipment. It's even better now, with rewards in each n00b zone carefully balanced. And for goodness' sake, new characters even get a "Russian doll" loot package that provides a slew of powerful bonus equipment every 5-10 levels!

HA!

Gee I didn't call this years ago.

See, you give them an inch and they take miles after miles.

Sad. This game used to be respectful towards the spirit of the Middle-Earth IP.

Now they've made Middle-Earth pay-to-win. They might as well allow you to spend $1000 and get your character Shadowfax, Anduril, and the One Ring.

@Rialle

Face plam...

Sigh...

Rialle fails.

"[Update: On the official forums Sapience commented about the sale saying, "It's lower level gear. Many players have given us feedback that there is a sparsity of gear on the AH at these levels and they wanted an alternative. We're trying to accomodate that."]"

*cough* Update crafting *cough*

Basically totaly lost my interest after codemasters gave up on the game, and turbine floods my email with cash shop sales every hour or so.

glad i left when i did. They completely screwed up the expansion and now they've completely screwed up a perfectly good F2P model. And no despite popular bandwagoning on this comment thread ALL F2P don't eventually lead here, the devs of some games get pushed into the corner by stupid execs who don't have any clue much like the too early release of SWTOR they needed a good six more months.

I recently stopped playing LotRO around September/October, and maybe things have changed since then, but I never had a problem finding equipment or progressing through the game because of a lack of equipment. Sapience's argument, "It's lower level gear. Many players have given us feedback that there is a sparsity of gear on the AH at these levels and they wanted an alternative. We're trying to accomodate that," doesn't really float. I don't doubt they've received such feedback, but in the face of saving one's reputation and holding to one's word, this ridiculous feedback should be disregarded.

Yawn. I play PvE so it really doesn't bother me at all. if it means a game i enjoy can exist much longer than it could otherwise, rock on.

lOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOl

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LotRO reverses policy, plans to sell PvE stat gear through the store [Updated]

Reader Comments (132)

Posted: Jan 13th 2012 7:10PM Yellowdancer said

Posted: Jan 13th 2012 7:13PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jan 17th 2012 10:00AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jan 17th 2012 10:37AM Softserve said

Posted: Jan 13th 2012 7:55PM Keen and Graev said

Posted: Jan 13th 2012 9:12PM jimr9999us said

Posted: Jan 13th 2012 8:19PM foomchee said

Posted: Jan 13th 2012 9:05PM chernabog said

Posted: Jan 13th 2012 10:21PM mael said

Posted: Jan 14th 2012 7:26PM Zeddakis said

Posted: Jan 13th 2012 11:09PM Stormwaltz said

Posted: Jan 13th 2012 11:23PM Alph said

Posted: Jan 14th 2012 12:38AM Rialle said

Posted: Jan 14th 2012 7:27PM Zeddakis said

Posted: Jan 14th 2012 1:33AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jan 14th 2012 4:05AM BGExorcist said

Posted: Jan 14th 2012 10:55AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Jan 14th 2012 11:31AM Sean D said

Posted: Jan 14th 2012 11:57AM Jypsy said

Posted: Jan 14th 2012 12:11PM xyna031 said

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