Massively Speaking http://massively.joystiq.com This is the Massively podcast http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Massively SpeakingJoystiqMassively Speaking<![CDATA[The Road to Mordor: Six reasons LotRO's Lore-masters rock]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/18/the-road-to-mordor-six-reasons-lotros-lore-masters-rock/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/18/the-road-to-mordor-six-reasons-lotros-lore-masters-rock/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/18/the-road-to-mordor-six-reasons-lotros-lore-masters-rock/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

The Road to Mordor Six reasons why Loremasters rock
In my Lord of the Rings Online career, I've played two classes far more than any others: the Captain and the Lore-master. Both scratch that "pet class" itch that I have in MMOs, both are quite group-friendly, and both seem to be somewhat unorthodox picks (at least compared to the plague of Hunters and Champions infecting the game).

I'll leave a discussion about Captains for another time, but today I felt like talking about the strangeness that is the Lore-master. It's such a unique class in feel and execution, and it's captivated me such that I'm actually leveling up my second Lore-master because I was dissatisfied with the way I handled my first one.

Maybe you've never tried one. Maybe you picked one up and just couldn't get a feel for what it was supposed to do. I'll admit that the LM is an acquired taste, partially because its skillset is all over the map and it doesn't settle into an expected template. However, it may just be the coolest class in the game. Here are six reasons why.

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Six reasons LotRO's Lore-masters rock

MassivelyThe Road to Mordor: Six reasons LotRO's Lore-masters rock originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 18 May 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>classclass-reviewclassesf2pfantasyfeaturedfree-to-playlmlord-of-the-ringslord-of-the-rings-onlinelore-masterlore-masterslotroopinionpetpet-classroad-to-mordorthe-road-to-mordorturbineturbine-entertainmentSat, 18 May 2013 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Road to Mordor: A Wildermore dev chat]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/11/the-road-to-mordor-a-wildermore-dev-chat/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/11/the-road-to-mordor-a-wildermore-dev-chat/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/11/the-road-to-mordor-a-wildermore-dev-chat/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

The Road to Mordor A Wildermore dev chat
Snow-covered zones aren't exactly new to Lord of the Rings Online, but the upcoming region of Wildermore is a little bit different than the normal Misty Mountain ski resorts. How so? Well, for one thing, it's not supposed to be snowy at all. So what's up with the premature winter in this area of Rohan -- and what are you, the player, going to do about it?

That's the basic setup for Update 11: Treachery of the White Hand. The update, which should be going live next week, is what I call the intermission zone: It's the region that Turbine adds between expansions to keep veteran players from bouncing off the walls due to boredom. Lothlorien, Enedwaith, and the Great River are past intermission zones, but Wildermore might be the most fascinating one yet.

Thanks to technical issues, I wasn't able to get a first-hand tour of the new region. Instead, I nabbed a heart-to-heart chat with the devs about the intricacies of Wildermore, the next step of the epic story, and plenty of assorted goodies coming with the update!

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: A Wildermore dev chat

MassivelyThe Road to Mordor: A Wildermore dev chat originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 11 May 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Road to Mordor Could Lord of the Rings Online end in 2014
Almost two years ago, Star Wars Galaxies players were rocked to their core by the news that their virtual world was to be sunsetted at the end of the year. Despite obvious SOE love for the title and player petitions, the call was already made: LucasArts didn't want to renew the contract with SOE, and that was that. Because of an IP, an entire galaxy was lost.

It's one of the "cons" of IP-based MMOs. Because there is licensing and contracts and other legal mumbo-jumbo involved, an online game that is completely wedded to an intellectual property has the added danger of being shut down completely if the IP is denied to the studio. SWG is a sobering lesson as to how this can happen to an otherwise healthy game.

If you haven't noticed already, Lord of the Rings Online is somewhat inspired by a certain IP. This IP can survive without the game, but the opposite is not true. So the scary question that we'd rather not ask is this: What if Turbine loses the rights have its game set in the Lord of the Rings universe?

It's not an unreasonable question. And what makes it even scarier is that it could conceivably happen as early as next year.

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Could Lord of the Rings Online end in 2014?

MassivelyThe Road to Mordor: Could Lord of the Rings Online end in 2014? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 04 May 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>f2pfantasyfeaturedfree-to-playlegallicenselicensinglord-of-the-ringslord-of-the-rings-onlinelotrolucasartsmiddle-earth-enterprisesopinionroad-to-mordorstar-wars-galaxiesswgthe-road-to-mordortolkien-enterprisesturbineturbine-entertainmentwarner-broswbSat, 04 May 2013 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Road to Mordor: Helm's Deep calls!]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/04/27/the-road-to-mordor-helms-deep-calls/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/04/27/the-road-to-mordor-helms-deep-calls/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/04/27/the-road-to-mordor-helms-deep-calls/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

The Road to Mordor Helm's Deep
While I'm quite excited to hear the news of this year's Lord of the Rings Online expansion, Helm's Deep, there are two small nits that I must pick, two little peeves that I must pet before moving onward. The first is that Turbine could not have worse timing; I've been prepping for a vacation and pre-written a couple of weeks of this column, and now this announcement's forced me to scramble last-minute to write a new one.

The other issue is that Turbine's abandoned the "[something] of [place]" title structure it's had ever since Shadows of Angmar. A vain, egocentric part of me thinks that this might've happened because a developer read my expansion prediction column and decided to spite me.

With that out of the way, let's digest the official announcement and see what we'll be doing this fall when LotRO's fifth expansion hits!

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Helm's Deep calls!

MassivelyThe Road to Mordor: Helm's Deep calls! originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 27 Apr 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Road to Mordor Happy 6th birthday, LotRO!
Uh, seriously guys, it was just yesterday that I was celebrating the third anniversary of Lord of the Rings Online with you in this column. At least it felt like yesterday. Really, has it been six years already? I guess it must be. It just seems like time moves so rapidly in MMOs, especially ones you've been in for years.

Even if you don't count my first six months in the game prior to and after the game's launch, my current stint in LotRO is the longest period of time that I've ever played an MMO. It's been a little over three years now that I've been playing and covering this game for Massively, and my interest in it has yet to wane. That amazes me; just when I think I might burn out on it, I find something about LotRO to rekindle my interest and passion.

There's something special about this game world that I haven't found elsewhere, I've concluded. Perhaps it's the IP restrictions and continuity that makes Middle-earth more "real" to me than other virtual worlds. Maybe it's the sheer breadth of content or the goofy hats. I can't decide. But I'm happy to raise a glass to LotRO as it turns six and look back at some of my favorite moments over the years.

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Happy sixth birthday, LotRO!

MassivelyThe Road to Mordor: Happy sixth birthday, LotRO! originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 20 Apr 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Road to Mordor A day in Forochel
The snow crunches angrily beneath my boots. It's a hard snow, beaten down by the winds and the constant sub-arctic temperatures. On top of it is a light powder that stings when it is whipped into my eyes. Fortunately all is calm and quiet at the moment, and I move on.

I'm a pioneer in Forochel, or so my title tells me, but I still feel as if I don't know this untamed land. It's the roof of the world, or so they say, with odd peoples, strange languages, and frozen ruins. I see sights there that I never would anywhere else in Middle-earth, and it almost feels like an alien world removed from all I've known because of that.

I walk toward a distant fire while the snow falls behind me and covers my footprints. Too often I think of how far away I am from the safety and warmth of home, and it frightens me. Am I a fool to forge into this land? To go in the opposite direction of the One Ring? Or is this my destined path?

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: A day in LotRO's Forochel

MassivelyThe Road to Mordor: A day in LotRO's Forochel originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 13 Apr 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Road to Mordor Stepping into Fangorn Forest
Without a doubt, Riders of Rohan is one of the best expansions Lord of the Rings Online has delivered to date. True, it's not without its rough spots, but overall I'm impressed. The storytelling is excellent, the landscape is engaging, the mounted combat is pretty fun, the music is incredible, and the amount of stuff to do is mind-boggling.

But it wasn't until a week ago when my slow-but-steady Captain finally encountered my favorite aspect of this expansion: the Eves of Fangorn. I wasn't expecting to be so enchanted and engaged, but LotRO threw me for a loop and there I was -- grinning at the zone design and happy that the game can still produce a sense of wonder and adventure in my soul.

Why is it so good? What won me over? If you're thinking, "He's got a tree fetish, he does," then you might not be too far off base.

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Stepping into Fangorn Forest

MassivelyThe Road to Mordor: Stepping into Fangorn Forest originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 06 Apr 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Road to Mordor The coming class apocalypse and how you can survive it
Out of the four primary goals that the Lord of the Rings Online team has stated for 2013, the promise of class revamps has proven to be the most nerve-wracking -- and intriguing -- among the populace. After all, when you say that "significant changes" are coming to classes and don't follow up with any sort of significant details, speculation and worry is going to run amok.

Last September I argued that classes did need a shakeup. While the whole structure isn't without its redeeming (ahem) virtues, I believed that it wasn't intuitive for new players, that there wasn't really any growth in the abilities or builds of characters post-Moria, and that much of the deed system was simply too grindy.

That's why I'm cautiously optimistic about the "coming class apocalypse" in 2013 -- I'm tired of the status quo. LotRO has an opportunity to cut the dead weight and make leveling interesting all over again. Let's take a look at a few statements by the dev team to deduce what we'll be looking at when it happens.

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: The coming LotRO class apocalypse and how you can survive it

MassivelyThe Road to Mordor: The coming LotRO class apocalypse and how you can survive it originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 30 Mar 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>classclass-revampclass-treesexpansionf2pfantasyfeaturedfree-to-playkate-paizlord-of-the-ringslord-of-the-rings-onlinelotroMatt-Zimmittiopinionriders-of-rohanroad-to-mordorrorskill-treestalent-treesthe-road-to-mordorturbineturbine-entertainmentSat, 30 Mar 2013 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Road to Mordor: Ten virtues strategies for LotRO players]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/16/the-road-to-mordor-ten-virtues-strategies-for-lotro-players/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/16/the-road-to-mordor-ten-virtues-strategies-for-lotro-players/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/16/the-road-to-mordor-ten-virtues-strategies-for-lotro-players/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

The Road to Mordor Ten virtues strategies
Virtues are never far from my mind in Lord of the Rings Online, although recently they've been more a concern as I've been dithering around with several alts in a reality TV show-type vetting of a backup character. While not very sexy in comparison to class, race, and legendary traits, virtues are essential to bolstering your character's stats. As I've said in the past, not pursuing and equipping virtues is akin to ditching a very useful set of armor; you can do it, but it's not recommended.

As LotRO really does not go out of its way to explain virtues and particularly which deeds you'll need to pursue to rank each one up, you'll have to go out of the game and do some basic homework or else be left behind.

While I'm not an expert on all things virtue-related, I've certainly been around the block a few times and would like to share 10 strategies that help me to choose and acquire a good set of virtues over the long haul. And getting 16 ranks in five virtues is a long haul, make no mistake.

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Ten virtues strategies for LotRO players

MassivelyThe Road to Mordor: Ten virtues strategies for LotRO players originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 16 Mar 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Road to Mordor A fresh perspective from two newbies
In addition to my tried-and-true kinship home on Landroval with The Council of the Secret Fire, I'm part of several other guilds in various MMOs. One of them, Mercy Gaming, went from a Star Wars: The Old Republic guild to a multi-game guild as our interests expanded and shifted. A few weeks back, I discovered that several roaming members of the guild had decided to set up camp in Lord of the Rings Online and found it a great spot to make a game home.

As someone who's been playing LotRO on and off since launch, I think it's downright refreshing to get to experience the game through a whole set of newcomers' eyes. You remember how it was when you were just a low-level Hobbit skipping through the Shire and ignorant of the larger world. It does wonderful things to cleaning off the crusty familiarization that builds up on veterans, I tell you.

I thought it'd be a good learning experience to talk to two of my guildies -- David and Mark -- to show you their perspective as LotRO newbies in 2013. Yes, it's true: New players do come into this game all the time.

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: A fresh perspective from two newbies

MassivelyThe Road to Mordor: A fresh perspective from two newbies originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 02 Mar 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Road to Mordor Six reasons why Minstrels rule
In the gaming world, you're either a bard person or you're not; there's no middle ground. For some, the concept of a character attacking with music and "inspiring" fellow adventurers with top 40 tunes is incredibly weird, even though armies used to employ musicians all the time for tempo and morale. For others, using music to help and hurt is a refreshing change of pace from fireballs and 70-pound impractical swords.

Over the five-plus year adventure that I've had in Lord of the Rings Online, I've rolled many-a Minstrel, although I've yet to make one my main. I've always loved the concept of the class, especially within Tolkien's IP, where music fills an important niche in the books. Music has power in Middle-earth, and the Minstrel is the one with the skills to defeat Sauron with mad lute skills.

As a tribute to this awesome class, here are six reasons why Minstrels rule -- and why you should try one out if you haven't already.

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MassivelyThe Road to Mordor: Six reasons why Minstrels rule originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 16 Feb 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Road to Mordor Digesting the dev chats
Apart from the nightmare of Twitter spam that the recent two Lord of the Rings Online dev chats have produced, I'm pretty happy that Turbine's being more interactive with the community and taking on some of these topics head-on. Of course, everyone has his own areas of interest that were probably not covered to satisfaction, but looking through these two chats (December 20th and January 24th), we can deduce a lot of useful information about where LotRO is headed in the future.

Personally, I am pretty excited about 2013 for the game. It feels as if the team isn't slacking at all, and while there are always my wish list items that go unfulfilled, often the devs add cool changes (like the Bree update) that are equally welcome.

So let's sift the wheat from the chaff and see what we come up with from these dev chats as well as the recent producer's letter!

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Digesting the LotRO dev chats

MassivelyThe Road to Mordor: Digesting the LotRO dev chats originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 02 Feb 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Road to Mordor The mounted combat verdict
It's been months since Riders of Rohan greatly expanded Lord of the Rings Online in several ways, and I have yet to touch on its most central feature. I've been putting off having "the talk" about mounted combat due to wanting to spend enough time with it. Every week I thought about putting down my opinion, and then I'd be like, "No, I should give it some more time. More time."

Mounted combat is a tricky system to judge, I'm finding. It's so incredibly central to the newest expansion, and it's clear that Turbine has big plans to expand upon this system for the future. It certainly was a gutsy risk to introduce a new mode of fighting into the game at this juncture (because we all know how much people like change), and I've seen people all over the spectrum on it. Some love it, some loathe it, some resent it, and some gamely accept it.

I think I've clocked enough time on horseback at this point to deliver my own verdict on mounted combat. Well, a partial verdict at least. It's never a good thing to settle on a final opinion on something that's constantly growing and changing, right?

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: The mounted combat verdict

MassivelyThe Road to Mordor: The mounted combat verdict originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 19 Jan 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Road to Mordor Looking back and looking forward
As long-time readers of this column know, this is about the time when I reflect on my personal wish list that I made for the previous year while making a new list for the upcoming one. After all, you can't go on an adventure without a long list or two organizing everything!

On the whole, 2012 was a pretty great year for Lord of the Rings Online. The expansion into Rohan, mounted combat, and the addition of a great new soundtrack added so much to the game, giving us a spectacular high-level zone that's full of lore and amazing setpieces. The devs have been smoothing out the middle of the game with a Moria revamp, open tapping, and remote looting, which should make leveling that much better. Players had four sizable updates to consume. Even Mac users had something to cheer as Turbine created a client for the platform.

Of course, it wasn't all peaches and cream. The expansion faced a delay, the pricing and features of Riders of Rohan stoked controversy, and we're still waiting for the second half of the promised instance cluster to arrive. The store kept stepping on people's toes, from the barter wallet to the infamous hobby horse. And the new festival, the Farmer's Faire, was kind of a dud.

So let's see whether LotRO fulfilled any of my wishes from last year, and then I'll share my desires for 2013!

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Looking back and looking forward

MassivelyThe Road to Mordor: Looking back and looking forward originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 05 Jan 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Road to Mordor Taking The Hobbit back to LotRO
Like many of you and what seems to be the entire population of South America, my wife and I got to see The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey this past weekend. It was slightly difficult in that we also had to bring a baby along, but an early morning matinee and strong sleeping pills (just kidding!) helped in that regard. After all, I couldn't miss a brand-new Tolkien movie, now could I?

What did we think? We both really enjoyed it and wouldn't mind seeing it again. It was a great return to Peter Jackson's vision of Middle-earth and several of the beloved characters from the previous Lord of the Rings films. As the resident Lord of the Rings Online writer here at Massively, I couldn't help walking away from the theater with an increased desire to log back into the game and perhaps roll a new character.

Maybe a Dwarf.

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Taking The Hobbit back to LotRO

MassivelyThe Road to Mordor: Taking The Hobbit back to LotRO originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 22 Dec 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Road to Mordor Hobbits, hobby horses, and holidays
Whether you've finished Lord of the Rings Online: Riders of Rohan, are still trotting your way through it, or haven't yet touched the new high-level content, Turbine's got more goods coming your way. Update 9 should be here relatively soon(tm), as it is currently finishing up frenzied testing on Bullroarer.

I'm definitely excited about the changes coming with the update. Unlike the expansion, this update has something for everyone, whether it be worldwide open tapping, a much-improved stable interface, a new player theater in Bree, lootable players in PvMP, the second half of Moria's revamp, the updated Yule festival, or three new scalable dungeons. On the whole, this update looks as if it will go a good way to shoring up some of the weaker spots of the game.

However, three things have really caught my attention this week, and not all of them are as positive. I want to talk about the tie-in to the Hobbit, the new festival grind, and a certain $50 cash shop item that's been the buzz of the community. Let's get started!

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Hobbits, hobby horses, and holidays

MassivelyThe Road to Mordor: Hobbits, hobby horses, and holidays originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 08 Dec 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>50-hobby-horseexpansionf2pfantasyfeaturedfree-to-playhobby-horselord-of-the-ringslord-of-the-rings-onlinelotroopinionriders-of-rohanroad-to-mordorrorthe-hobbitthe-road-to-mordorturbineturbine-entertainmentupdate-9winter-homeyule-festivalSat, 08 Dec 2012 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Road to Mordor: Sandbox features that would serve LotRO well]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/11/24/the-road-to-mordor-sandbox-features-that-would-serve-lotro-well/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/11/24/the-road-to-mordor-sandbox-features-that-would-serve-lotro-well/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/11/24/the-road-to-mordor-sandbox-features-that-would-serve-lotro-well/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

The Road to Mordor Sandbox features that would serve LotRO well
The tug-o-war in the MMO community between the virtues of sandbox vs. themepark designs looks like it's starting to result in a muddy heap in the middle: the sandpark. Personally, I think there are wonderful aspects of both designs (and drawbacks too), and a marriage between the two could offer more player freedom and creativity while keeping it structured and balanced.

So I've been thinking about Lord of the Rings Online in regard to this and how it might benefit from a greater number of sandbox features in the future. I mean, on one hand we have one of the most "on rails" PvE games out there, but on the other hand there are seeds of great player freedom. Elements like the music system, the Winter-home theater, Hytbold, and the quite robust crafting system all serve to take us a step beyond the themepark.

But what if LotRO took a few more steps toward sandboxy goodness? Seeing as how the original vision for the game was to make it a pure sandbox, I think that's not too farfetched a question. Here are several sandbox features that I think if married to the game would add to its appeal and variety.

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Sandbox features that would serve LotRO well

MassivelyThe Road to Mordor: Sandbox features that would serve LotRO well originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 24 Nov 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>albion-theaterdimensionsf2pfantasyfeaturedfree-to-playfrostbluff-theaterfrostbluff-theatreissue-4lord-of-the-ringslord-of-the-rings-onlinelotroopinionplayer-housingplayer-studioplayer-townspvmppvprealm-warriftroad-to-mordorsandboxsoethe-road-to-mordorthe-secret-worldtheaterturbineturbine-entertainmentwarwarhammer-onlineSat, 24 Nov 2012 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Road to Mordor: Five frills I love in Riders of Rohan]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/11/10/the-road-to-mordor-five-frills-i-love-in-riders-of-rohan/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/11/10/the-road-to-mordor-five-frills-i-love-in-riders-of-rohan/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/11/10/the-road-to-mordor-five-frills-i-love-in-riders-of-rohan/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

The Road to Mordor Five frills I love in Riders of Rohan
One of the reasons that I continue to support the expansion model is that it truly does seem to motivate developers to improve the game noticeably. Nobody likes "more of the same," especially in MMOs, and expansions are a great way to freshen up the title and make it feel new again.

Riders of Rohan does that for me. For years now, we've seen Turbine make its biggest leaps forward with expansions. Sometimes this is in sheer size or new technologies or graphical improvements or storytelling or a combination of any of these. Lord of the Rings Online has come a long, long way from old Archet and the meandering paths of Volume 1, and this expansion actually makes it painful to return to the days and lands of yore.

I've found five frills that have charmed me in Riders of Rohan so far. Would you like to hear them? Good. While not all of the following features are brand-new to the game, they are certainly more noticeable than ever before and are used to greater effect.

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Five frills I love in Riders of Rohan

MassivelyThe Road to Mordor: Five frills I love in Riders of Rohan originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 10 Nov 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>expansionf2pfantasyfeaturedfree-to-playlord-of-the-ringslord-of-the-rings-onlinelotroopinionriders-of-rohanroad-to-mordorrorthe-road-to-mordorturbineturbine-entertainmentSat, 10 Nov 2012 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Road to Mordor: Scratching the surface of Rohan]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/10/27/the-road-to-mordor-scratching-the-surface-of-rohan/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/10/27/the-road-to-mordor-scratching-the-surface-of-rohan/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/10/27/the-road-to-mordor-scratching-the-surface-of-rohan/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

The Road to Mordor Scratching the surface of Rohan
I don't know about you, but Riders of Rohan has genuinely made me excited to log into Lord of the Rings Online once more. Don't get me wrong; I always like the game, but some days are more of the "same old, same old" than others. This expansion, however, is like a fresh spring wind sweeping away the stale memories of yesterday. This is good stuff.

I'm sure many of you are already level 85 and masters of the horse, whereas I am but a lowly level 77 and am cursing at my war-steed because it handles like a drunken garbage scow. I don't fly through expansions uber-quickly, but in this case I don't feel the need to. I want to savor all of this.

I want to save a more intricate discussion of mounted combat until next time, so for today I would like to look at the initial stages of the Rohan story and how Turbine is handling the franchise as it moves deeper into The Two Towers territory.

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Scratching the surface of Rohan

MassivelyThe Road to Mordor: Scratching the surface of Rohan originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 27 Oct 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>expansionf2pfantasyfeaturedfree-to-playlord-of-the-ringslord-of-the-rings-onlinelotroopinionriders-of-rohanroad-to-mordorrorthe-road-to-mordorturbineturbine-entertainmentSat, 27 Oct 2012 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Road to Mordor: Riders of Rohan pre-launch guide]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/10/13/the-road-to-mordor-riders-of-rohan-pre-launch-guide/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/10/13/the-road-to-mordor-riders-of-rohan-pre-launch-guide/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/10/13/the-road-to-mordor-riders-of-rohan-pre-launch-guide/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

The Road to Mordor Riders of Rohan prelaunch guide
The other night in kin chat, I said how I'm just not mentally ready for Lord of the Rings Online: Riders of Rohan. My Captain may be prepared to saddle up and venture forth, but the notion that we're on the verge of one of the most significant expansions this game has ever seen is taking me a little while to absorb. Fortunately, many of my friends assured me that I wasn't alone in this.

With just two days to go until players can head into Rohan, we're running out of time to prepare, and I'm not just talking about pre-purchasing the game (although that too). Riders of Rohan contains a host of content and changes, not the least of which is the new mounted combat system. I don't know about you, but I hate heading into expansions completely blind, so I decided to spend this week putting together a big roundup of everything you need to know about LotRO's fourth expansion.

Read well, my friends, but get your rest as well. You may not get it this coming week.

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Riders of Rohan pre-launch guide

MassivelyThe Road to Mordor: Riders of Rohan pre-launch guide originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 13 Oct 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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