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The Road to Mordor: Purveyor of Odd Things

Justin Olivetti — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Classes, Events, in-game, Free-to-play, The Road to Mordor

Out of all of the factions in Lord of the Rings Online, I'm most partial to the Hobbit's Mathom Society (the Ale Association is my next most favorite). I love the concept behind finding quirky little objects that nobody really wants to keep, so the community set up a museum to hold them all. Plus, the benefits from gaining reputation are terrific, from a jar full of fireflies (great in Moria!) to a pretty decent rep pony.

But it's perhaps the title gained on reaching Kindred that tickles me the most, as I can thus be called Purveyor of Odd Things. LotRO has a lot of weird titles, but this one takes the cake. It says that I'm just as likely to go jaunting off if a sparkly stone catches my eye as I am to fight that big dragon you guys are struggling with over there. It says that I am to be shunned at parties and talked about to children in a low, urgent tone.

In the spirit of collecting odd things, this week's column will be a hodge-podge of topics instead of one overarching theme. Minstrel melodies, buried treasure, and Mithril Editions lurk just around the corner. Are you prepared in mind, body, and soul to hear what I have to say about them?

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The Road to Mordor: Purveyor of Odd Things originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 25 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Road to Mordor: A fresh start

Justin Olivetti — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Classes, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Road to Mordor

I don't know about you, but sometimes I fall into the trap of forcing myself to do something in a game because I feel internally obliged to do it. Somewhere along the line, "setting a goal" became a Bataan Death March that absolutely had to be accomplished before I'd allow myself to do what I truly wanted. In my case, it was the stubborn determination to get through the remainder of Rise of Isengard's content even though I had slowed to slogging through it, feeling burned out on my Lore-master after well over a year of constant play on the character.

So I sat back and re-evaluated. My reasoning for finishing Isengard was to make sure I was at the top of the game and could evaluate any new high-level content that came along for you guys, which was a noble reason. But the truth was that in so doing, I was playing something that was leeched of enjoyment for the time being and really needed to be put aside. Once I realized that, the solution was obvious.

A fresh start. That's what I wanted: a completely fresh start to the game. Hey, it's still (sort of) a new year, so why not? And once I gave myself permission to do that, my adventures in Lord of the Rings Online brightened up considerably.

I might be weird in this, but I absolutely love starting over from scratch in long-term games from time to time, even though it means scrapping (or putting aside) a whole heap of achievements and the effort spent acquiring them. This week I'm going to look at my fresh start with LotRO and why it has me buzzed to log in for the first time this year.

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The Road to Mordor: A fresh start originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Leaderboard: Battle of the Bards

Justin Olivetti — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Classes, Opinion, Leaderboard

I have to say, I'm just always fascinated by Bards (and Bard-type classes) in MMOs. They seem so odd juxtaposed with steely warriors and mystic wizards that half the time I think they're a running joke that somewhere along the line people started taking seriously. I mean, pulling out a guitar in the middle of a gang gunfight in Chicago is a good way to ruin a perfectly good musical instrument, but in fantasy worlds this sort of thing happens and nobody even blinks. In some places, a fully decked-out hair metal band can wreck havoc on any raid boss.

Bards appeal to the contrarian in us, with the attitude of "it's OK to be a jack of all trades, as long as you're rocking a sweet axe." In some MMOs their music is used to conjure up buffs, while in others their notes cause aural damage on the level of Ke$ha to monsters. Have family members who keep telling you to turn that racket down? Bards in games are constantly told to crank it up -- and play multiple songs simultaneously, if at all possible. Plus, Bards are not unknown to the ways of the sword, which always amuses group leaders who now have a squishy character charging into combat shouting, "Stab! Stabby stab!"

Today is a first, as we're giving you more than one choice for Leaderboard voting. Please don't pass out. It's a Battle of the Bards, with most of the major MMOs reporting in for duty! Which Bard tops them all? Cast your vote after the jump!

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Leaderboard: Battle of the Bards originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LotRO Update 5.1 shoots Saruman in the knee

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Patches, Free-to-play

Lord of the Rings Online is bringing its servers down today to apply Update 5.1 across the board. While it's certainly not a content patch like its predecessor, it does have a sizable number of fixes and tweaks that should improve quality of (game) life for all.

Some of the changes include eliminating dyes from lootboxes, a nerf to Minstrel codas, many tweaks to the Tower of Orthanc raid, the option to timestamp chat messages, and small improvements to the treasure hunt. The devs have also posted an updated list of known issues for the game.

As always, it's worth going through the patch notes to try to find the funny asides. In this update? "Addressed a number of typos. Probably added some new ones."

LotRO Update 5.1 shoots Saruman in the knee originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New LotRO dev diaries outline Minstrel changes, PvMP

Matt Daniel — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Classes, Expansions, Game mechanics, Previews, PvP, News items, PvE, Free-to-play

Denizens of Middle-earth, sit yourselves down, light up some pipeweed, and brace yourselves for information overload. The fine folks at Turbine have released a pair of new dev diaries outlining the changes coming to Minstrels and PvMP with Lord of the Rings Online: Rise of Isengard.

One of the first things that Minstrels will notice when they log in to Rise of Isengard for the first time is that they are no longer clad in the medium armor to which they are accustomed. Instead, the Minstrel's medium armor trait is being replaced with something "equally valuable."

The next sweeping change comes in regard to the Minstrel's ballads. Gone are the days when Minstrels had to play ballads in tiers; instead, all ballads have been divided into minor, major, and perfect categories. These categories roughly tie into the three stances that the Minstrel employs, providing either healing, damage, or power reduction. The Major Ballad is of particular note, as its effects will change depending on the stance the Minstrel is in. With no stance selected, the ability will heal allies. In Harmony or War-speech stance, the ability becomes a damage-dealing skill.

Minstrels will also be receiving an upgrade to their available stance choices, allowing players greater flexibility in their playstyle. This is by no means an exhaustive list of the changes coming to Minstrels with Rise of Isengard; they will also be receiving changes to their Anthems and will be given a new type of ability called a Coda. Trait lines are being given a few tweaks as well, so any would-be bards should certainly give the full list of changes a look.

Meanwhile, in the Ettenmoors, changes are sweeping the Freeps. All Freep quests have been made into dailies, and all quests now reward players with a combination of Destiny, Glory, and cold hard coin. Rangers have received a variety of tweaks as well. Freep PvMP rewards have been upgraded to be uniform with the new stat system, and players who previously purchased the old versions of the armor rewards will be able to swap the old version for the new. New jewelry and offhands are also being made available to help the Free Peoples of Middle-earth take the battle to the Ettenmoors.

Once again, the full details, as well as previews of some of the updated items being made available to the heroes of the Ettenmoors.

New LotRO dev diaries outline Minstrel changes, PvMP originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Sep 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Road to Mordor: Class graduation

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Classes, Previews, Free-to-play, The Road to Mordor

Amid all of the hubbabaloo of E3, Rise of Isengard reveals, and pre-order madness, something equally as significant has been taking place on the Lord of the Rings Online scene: proposed class changes.

Turbine's been fairly good giving each of the classes a pass over this last year, but it looks as though something even more significant is in the offering when the expansion hits this fall. As we all know, the level cap is going up to 75, virtues will increase to a new cap of 12, and stats will be expanded in several ways. But there's even more on top of that: Orion and Zombie Columbus have been posting a steady stream of proposed class changes on the forums.

These aren't all tiny tuning measures, either. In many cases, weak elements of classes and class builds will be radically revamped, and how you play these classes will change forever. As with any prospect of change, these proposed notes are both exciting and scary to behold. I felt it was high past time we at least chew on the reveals thus far and see how our classes will be graduating to the next level when Isengard arrives.

Of course, these are all proposed and highly subject to change between now and whenever they're implemented. As Orion said, "Blogs are coming out before the major changes so that we can get your feedback early, often and when we are still agile enough to respond to the valid reasoning behind concerns or true issues that are found." Read with a grain of salt (if you like, perch the salt on your shoulder so it can view the screen better).

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The Road to Mordor: Class graduation originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 24 Jun 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Perfect Ten: Unusual MMO weapons

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Aion, City of Heroes, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Fallen Earth, Guild Wars, Lord of the Rings Online, Warhammer Online, Humor, Perfect Ten, Miscellaneous

Swords. Staffs. Maces. Spears. Wands. Bows. Crossbows. Double-crossbows. Hammers. Wolverine claws. Daggers. Axes.

Deadly? Yes. Fashionable? Not so much. I mean, really. A two-handed sword is so 1299. Now, a deep dish Chicago-style pizza with the works flung into an enemy's gullet -- that's progressive thinking!

Because I'm deeply bored with the usual suspects in most MMO armories, I wanted to spend a day praising devs who said, "Screw it. We're going weird, and we're not going to regret it, even when our bosses call us into their offices demanding why such lunacy ended up in a professional game."

So forget everything you think you know about weapons because your pitiful armament has yet to scratch the surface of the wild, wild universe of things that can be used to kill you in game. This Perfect Ten column is sponsored by Grizzly Bear Rocket Launchers, Ltd. after the jump.

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The Perfect Ten: Unusual MMO weapons originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 02 Jun 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lord of the Rings Online posts Echoes of the Dead patch notes

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Patches, Free-to-play

It's almost here: On Monday, March 21st, Lord of the Rings Online will release its next big content update, Echoes of the Dead. Containing a warehouse worth of fixes, features and new content, Echoes of the Dead is looking quite fine indeed.

Although we have to wait for the weekend to pass to get our hands on this update, Turbine did go ahead and release the full patch notes for our consumption. Of course, if you've been following along with the many, many developer diaries that Turbine's released over the past few months, you're probably up to speed on all of the major points already.

As usual, Turbine's snuck in a few funny notes amid all of the technical details, so it may be worth your while to hunt for comedic Easter eggs in this batch. Our favorite: "The Minstrel's 'Armour of the Silver Voice' set that is obtained in Mirkwood was renamed to 'Armour of the Hopeful Melody.' This sudden change was enacted when the creators of the Helegrod 'Silver Voice Armour' set sought to sue for copyright infringement. As far as we know all charges have been dropped, though Skirmish vendors everywhere intend to keep a very close eye on the Mirkwood barter vendors in the future."

Lord of the Rings Online posts Echoes of the Dead patch notes originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Mar 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Road to Mordor: Echo... echo... echo...

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Patches, Free-to-play, The Road to Mordor

Last night before I drifted off to sleep, I was idly wondering what it would be like to actually live in Middle-earth. Apart from the extremely high mortality rate due to wandering wolves, bold bandits, and orchestrating orcs, it might be a pretty excellent place to dwell, as long as one didn't mind a lack of Wi-Fi and Starbucks. I think Hobbit pies and Dwarf ale would be an acceptable substitute.

Next week our virtual world will grow a bit in girth and depth with the Echoes of the Dead update. When all is patched and done, it'll be a truly big update containing meaty piles of content to devour. I think many of us are still scrutinizing Turbine as we go through this first year after the free-to-play switch, watching to see whether all of this additional revenue will be pumped back into the game or not. Echoes of the Dead marks the second post-F2P update for Lord of the Rings Online, following last November's Journey to Winter-home, and I have to say that I'm pretty impressed with just how much is being served up this time around.

So in anticipation of the patch, let's walk through the major features of LotRO's latest update and see whether it was worth the wait!

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Echo... echo... echo...

The Road to Mordor: Echo... echo... echo... originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Road to Mordor: Just around the bend

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Previews, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Road to Mordor

It's been a few months since the November Update in Lord of the Rings Online, and the natives are restless -- as usual. Some folks are despairing the long wait until Rise of Isengard while others are itching for more challenges to their currently level-capped characters. Then there are the players who are hopelessly lost in Moria and would give their eye teeth for a flashlight.

Happily, a new update is just around the bend, code-named Echoes of the Dead. The actual name is Echoes of the Dead too, so I guess that's not such a great code. Over the past couple of weeks, we've started to get a feel for just how large this update is, and after reading through the Bullroarer test notes on Wednesday, I think we're in for a tsunami of a patch.

Of course, these patch notes come in the middle of Turbine's carefully spaced dev diaries dealing with each major change or addition, which means that we're a little in the dark as to the specifics of half of this update. That's not going to stop me -- or any of you -- from analyzing, speculating and gesturing excitedly to no one in particular.

So let's dig in to this hearty meal of mushrooms and patch notes to see just how deep LotRO's rabbit hole goes!

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Just around the bend

The Road to Mordor: Just around the bend originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Road to Mordor: Creating your roadmap

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Free-to-play, The Road to Mordor, Guides

I wish to preface this week's column by saying that I'm not advocating just one way to play a game. I think it's equally valid to explore at your own pace, team up as a duo, maximize TP revenue, or set whatever goals you like and pursue them. But after leveling one character to the cap and playing several others, I've begun to develop a roadmap, if you will, that helps guide my progress somewhat efficiently. It's this roadmap that I want to share with you today.

The thing is, for all I love about Lord of the Rings Online, the game is definitely littered with timesinks of epic proportions. It already takes a long, long time to get your character up to 65 and through the two expansions, and that's only going to increase as the game grows. There are a lot of distractions and unnecessary grinds (such as virtues you will never use) that can bog you down too long and perhaps dishearten you.

So when I created a Minstrel in LotRO a little while back, I decided to map out his progress from level 1 through 65 by creating a broad framework -- an outline, really -- that serves to keep me on track so I don't have to backtrack as much later on to get these goals done. I have a very "two birds with one stone" mentality, so if I'm doing one task in a zone, I'd rather be accomplishing two or three at the same time. So for example, if I'm grinding out a deed, I'd rather do it at level at which I'm getting XP than 20 levels later when I'm not (although the latter has its merits for rapid deed completion).

Hit the jump and I'll give you the rundown of how to eliminate some of the confusion and speed bumps of leveling.

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The Road to Mordor: Creating your roadmap originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 04 Feb 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LotRO ramps up to Echoes of the Dead with new dev diaries

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Events, in-game, Previews, Free-to-play, Dev Diaries

Speculation is on a head-on collision with fact, as Turbine has started to roll out information about the next Lord of the Rings Online update, titled "Echoes of the Dead." As players wonder whether the mysterious runes of a couple weeks ago indicate a new raid hub, or whether Echoes of the Dead is the name of the next book in the epic storyline, Turbine has at least shed light on class changes scheduled for this next update.

Ken Burd caters to the thieves, er, treasure-hunters in the LotRO crowd with his Burglar dev diary. Several improvements and buffs for the class are in order, including additional stealth stances, bleed effects matching weapon damage types, beefier Fellowship Maneuvers, the ability to go faster in stealth, and a "Safe Fall" skill to safeguard against falling injuries (although Burglars can still be killed by falling too far).

For the musically minded, Tim Lang has you covered with his Minstrel dev diary. Lang lists a huge amount of tweaks and fixes for the class, including shorter cooldowns for select skills, several new legacies, and an additional skill called "Anthem of the Third Age," which buffs either damage or healing, depending on whether you're in War Speech stance or not.

Finally, in response to this past weekend's game and forum outages, Sapience announced that NA players will enjoy increased +5% XP gains from monster kills as well as token drops that can be exchanged for gift boxes from now through Sunday the 6th.

LotRO ramps up to Echoes of the Dead with new dev diaries originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 03 Feb 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Road to Mordor: Entitled

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, New titles, Free-to-play, The Road to Mordor

A few days ago I asked the Massively community members what in-game titles they loved the most. Titles have been on my brain for the past week, as I've started to realize just how many -- how bogglingly, terrifyingly many -- exist in Lord of the Rings Online. I hadn't really given them a lot of thought before, because who really stops to read every small paragraph that magically floats above people's heads? "Frodo, Ring-bearer of the One Ring of Power, Fellowship of the Ring, Formerly of Bag End, The Shire." Yeah, we get it. You're Mr. Fancy Pants.

But really, titles are kind of neat, if only for the player who puts one on like a fine three-piece suit before an evening on the town. A title tells the world not only of your great (or not-so-great) accomplishments, but also a little about your personality -- after all, you chose that particular title to wear above all the others. A title can tell me if a player is really proud of his crafting achievements, or if he's a raider, or if he has a decent sense of humor.

While I'd say that -- like LotRO's hats -- a good bulk of the titles in the game are cosmetically useless, there exists quite a few that are worth procuring if you're into titular collection. Today we're going to look at some of my favorite titles in the game, as well as how to nab them. Please don't pee your pants in excitement.

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The Road to Mordor: Entitled originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Road to Mordor: Putting the "lass" back in "class"

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Classes, Free-to-play, The Road to Mordor

With the not-so-recent NDA lift on the beta, LotRO players are fast at work discussing, analyzing, dissecting and pouring over all of the information coming from testers. Like a double Shire rainbow, the main question on everyone's lips is, "What does it mean?" We want to know how this is going to impact us, our future, and our gameplay, and the massive scope of this change is both unsettling and heady.

Last week we sifted through the LotRO forums for testimonies about several aspects of the beta, which was treated with a stony silence from the lot of you. Oh, I kid! Nothing gets the tongues wagging around here like a good mouthful of free-to-play, although I've been informed by the leaders of the Global Conspiracy Against Gamers Having Fun that this topic has three days left on the clock until it's locked away in a vault forever.

So even though I tried to touch on the relevant points of the beta last week, there's simply so much of it out there that I had to leave some behind. It's easy to forget that this fall's update contains more than the LotRO store, like a whole barrel of additions and fixes to the game -- including class tweaks. Grab my hobbity hand, and we will venture into the land of the unknown... the land of class changes.

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Putting the "lass" back in "class"

The Road to Mordor: Putting the "lass" back in "class" originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Road to Mordor: Rune-keepers under siege

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 28 May 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Classes, The Road to Mordor

Let's start today's column with a couple presuppositions, shall we? Number one: There is no set standard for being a "true" Tolkien fan. There's always someone out there who knows more than you, thinks that he is more faithful to the source material, and considers himself better than you in this regard. Like any fans, Tolkien-ites (Tolkkies?) are diverse. They may share the same passion, but they come to it from different backgrounds and with different standards.

Number two: Turbine is not out to molest the corpse of good ol' J.R.R. by turning Lord of the Rings into a farce. Yes, it's all well and good to say as such when you want to be melodramatic on the forums, but the truth of the matter is that Turbine's done an excellent job sticking to both the lore and the spirit of Middle-earth as much as possible while still fashioning a game within those boundaries. It's not in their best interests to make a mockery of this franchise.

These presuppositions converge on one of the most fiercely debated additions to LotRO, the Rune-keeper. Following the launch of the Mines of Moria expansion, fans responded with everything ranging from "Hey, it's a pretty cool class to play" to "IT'S THE END OF THE MIDDLE-EARTH!" hysteria. Seeing how passionate people are on this subject, I thought it would be worth looking into today, to answer the following questions: does the Rune-keeper have a place in LotRO, and does it break the lore and rules that Tolkien established?

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Rune-keepers under siege

The Road to Mordor: Rune-keepers under siege originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 28 May 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Road to Mordor: Shopping for your skirmish soldier

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 21 May 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, The Road to Mordor

Every Friday, The Road to Mordor brings you the latest in Lord of the Rings Online news, guides and analysis.

Breaking up, as the song goes, is hard to do -- but sometimes very, very necessary. I'll admit that I have recently settled into a bit of a skirmish funk, firing up a session here and there merely for the XP and the privilege of filling my bags with 576 different types of marks (seriously, Turbine, couldn't we switch from this confusing British-like currency to something more streamlined, like the Euro?). When I couldn't find a partner for a skirmish, the sessions seemed like a drag, and even though I dutifully stabbed my way through them, I grew to resent their length and my death-prone Herbalist soldier.

It wasn't until the other day that a friend challenged my choice of soldier, and in so doing, freed me up for a more enjoyable skirmish experience. "Why are you sticking with the Herbalist?" he asked. I shrugged -- I thought that's what you picked when you were DPS-y and lacked a lot of self-heals. After doing a bit of research on the forums, I made the switch from the decaf healbot to 100% caffeinated Archer goodness, and I couldn't be happier. Pew pew, stab stab, win win.

The choice of a soldier companion for skirmishes may be the tipping point between a painful slog and a joyful battle, as it was in my case. If you're still trying to figure out which soldier might work best with your class, then hit the jump and see what other players recommend you try.

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The Road to Mordor: Shopping for your skirmish soldier originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 21 May 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Road to Mordor: A class made just for you

Justin Olivetti — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Classes, The Road to Mordor

Every Friday, The Road to Mordor brings you the latest in Lord of the Rings Online news, guides and analysis.

In some MMORPGs, picking a class to suit your taste and playstyle is as uncomplicated as buying your favorite beverage. Do you want something fizzy? Then get a soft drink. Something to make you think you're way more witty than you actually are? Beer will do. Something to fill your bladder in under 0.2 minutes? Ice tea, baby. So it is in many MMOs, where players find that game's version of their favorite class and hit the "play" button without thinking. It's a sad commentary on the tired and bland class design that's come from the Holy Trinity of game design, but that's a discussion for another day (or column).

Instead, I want to devote today's Road to Mordor to sorting out the nine playable classes of LotRO, because they are very often not what you'd expect from MMORPG class stereotypes. I've met a lot of players who end up playing -- and falling in love with -- a class that they would never touch in another game, due to that unique Turbine Twist[TM] that's put into each class. So whether you're rolling your very first character in LotRO or thinking about taking a walk in another class' shoes, hit the jump for a handy guide to these nine classes.

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: A class made just for you

The Road to Mordor: A class made just for you originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Apr 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Atlantica Online opens Van Gogh's Gallery, adds the Minstrel Paganini to their mercenaries

Seraphina Brennan — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: At a glance, Fantasy, Historical, Culture, Events, in-game, Expansions, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Atlantica Online

When Atlantica Online adds a new update, you know it's going to be a unique tie in to the history of the world. This update is no different, as Atlantica adds a brand new, reality bending dungeon to their mix -- Vincent Van Gogh's Gallery.

Van Gogh's paintings have been collected by his friends, and have been put on display together in a local church. But, when the paintings start to react with one another and open doors into other dimensions based on Van Gogh's work, it's up to the players to find out what's going on and what drove Van Gogh to madness before his death.

Other aspects of this expansion include the addition of the Minstrel Paganini (the woman shown above), a brand new music wielding class based on the 17th century violinist Niccolo Paganini. The level cap is also being increased from 120 to 130, which also means that a few of your mercenaries will bet getting upgrades as well!

All in all, this looks to be a trippy addition to an otherwise solid free-to-play title. We applaud the use of Van Gogh's paintings as the new dungeon because, quite frankly, it's a pretty unique concept. Enjoy your decent into madness, Atlantica players! Don't cut off your own ear!

Atlantica Online opens Van Gogh's Gallery, adds the Minstrel Paganini to their mercenaries originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How the new combat changes will affect you in Mines of Moria

Shawn Schuster — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Classes, Expansions, Forums, Game mechanics, New titles, Tips and tricks, Academic

With Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria just around the corner, Turbine is piling up an unprecedented amount of dev diaries in preparation for this new expansion's launch. In the latest one, we get a thorough explanation of the changes to the combat system, and how the new combat mechanics will work. In a nutshell, the mechanics have changed from a percentage-based system (with an infinite end of 100%) to one with more open-ended bonus possibilities using whole numbers that will apply to your avoidance chances, resistances, and mitigations. This was done to allow the game to expand throughout its lifetime, as the team plans to stick around for quite awhile.

On the heels of these game mechanic changes comes some angry posts in the forums concerning what we can expect from the Minstrel in Moria. Inevitably, many players aren't too happy with these changes, and since the beta NDA has been lifted earlier this week, they're expressing their disdain in droves.

How the new combat changes will affect you in Mines of Moria originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Life after 50: Progressing your Minstrel, Champion and Rune-keeper in Moria

Shawn Schuster — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Classes, Expansions, Game mechanics, Tips and tricks, Academic, Education

As with last week's dev diary concerning class changes to the Burglar, Hunter and Lore-master, this week's guide to life after level 50 pertains to the Champion, Minstrel and Rune-keeper. When Mines of Moria hits the shelves (and our hard drives) on November 18th, most of us will share our time between experimenting with the new classes and advancing out existing ones. That's where this dev diary comes in handy.

As with the previous article, this one discusses the changes to skills and play style introduced with the new expansion. However, this one is the first to mention one of the new classes: the Rune-keeper. Following an article from a few weeks ago regarding the Rune-keeper's 1-50 level progression, this one picks up where the original left off. Check this one out, and make sure to look for the final installment, presumably involving the Guardian, Warden and Captain, hopefully coming soon!

Life after 50: Progressing your Minstrel, Champion and Rune-keeper in Moria originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 14 Oct 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Book 14 screens show off Minstrel animations and Armethial

William Dobson — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Lord of the Rings Online, Classes, Patches

Turbine has sent along some brand new screenshots relating to the Lord of the Rings Online Book 14 update, primarily to display some of the Minstrel animations that are going to be introduced. We've added these high quality shots to our Book 14 gallery, and in them you can see various Minstrels playing their instruments like never before.

As well as the Minstrel shots, we are treated to a close-up of Armethial (who we caught a quick glimpse of in our Book 14 video tour and gallery) looking undeniably bad-ass on her home turf. The new screenshots can be found at the end of our gallery, along with the other pictures we've collected from Book 14 so far.

Gallery: Lord of the Rings Online Book 14 Gallery

New Book 14 screens show off Minstrel animations and Armethial originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LotRO's new Minstrel animations

Brenda Holloway — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Classes, Patches

Is your Minstrel looking down-in-the-dumps? Is he plunking despondently at the strings of his tired old lute? Does every song she sing sound like "Happy Birthday To You" and it doesn't sound like she means it? Has your Minstrel just "accidentally" stepped on his third harp this week? Well, help is on the way. All-new animations for the minstrels of Lord of the Rings Online are up on the Roheryn test server, and Sabacao has mastered them all. Check them out below the cut.

LotRO's new Minstrel animations originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LotRO, A Look Back: Books 10 & 11

Lindsey Phillips — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Lord of the Rings Online, Patches, Player Housing

On August 21, 2007, Book 10: The City of Kings was released and opened up the city of Ann ú minas was for players to experience. Unfortunately, the city had been invaded by the forces of Angmar, and players had to fight to keep certain points of the city friendly to them. If they failed, the entire area will fall under the Witch-king's control.

Hunters and Captains both received class reviews, and a new mechanic was introduced called Critter Play. Different than PvMP, Critter Play allowed players to take on new forms in a PvE setting. The first form introduced was that of a chicken. Not to be outdone, Trolls, and Rangers were introduced into PvMP as well as a very large polish pass on PvMP as a whole.

Other new features brought to the game were factions with the major races (with rewards for increasing said faction) and the bartering system which allowed players to turn in certain monster drops for armor rewards. And of course, no Book is complete without a raft of new quests introduced for high level players to grind through.

Continue reading LotRO, A Look Back: Books 10 & 11

LotRO, A Look Back: Books 10 & 11 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TurpsterVision: Lord of the Dings

Mark Turpin — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 15:15:00 EST

Filed under: Video, Lord of the Rings Online, Humor, TurpsterVision

Every Tuesday think "T" for Turpster and take the "a" in "day", capitalise it, remove the little bit in the middle, turn it upside down and you get a "V". Put the two together and you'll have TV for TurpsterVision -- the best Internet video podcast on Massively! (Never mind that business about it being the only video podcast on Massively...)

Hello and thanks for joining me again for another fun filled feature here on Massively! I love my job, it totally rocks, I get to have all sorts of fun and hopefully you guys enjoy it a little bit too. I normally am happy with you guys turning up and leaving the odd comment or two below though this week I have to ask you for a favor. On Saturday, just after the WoW Insider Show, I was chatting to everyone's favorite Shaman ~~Crybaby~~ Crusader who was just heading off to a D&D game. I then posed the question to him, "which was the most awesome and manly of DnD characters." Obviously I chose the correct answer and Mike chose the wrong one. Let me know which way you swing in your comments: Bard or Wizard? Who wins? You decide!

(Oh and there is a video or something like that after the break!)

Continue reading TurpsterVision: Lord of the Dings

TurpsterVision: Lord of the Dings originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 26 Feb 2008 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Rift loot guide part three lists Minstrel, Lore-master goodies

Samuel Axon — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Classes, Expansions, Raiding, Endgame, PvE

Ten Ton Hammer has been giving us the lowdown on all the shiny new gear LotRO players can acquire in The Rift of Nûrz Ghâshu, the new raid instance Turbine added to the game in the Book 11 update. First they listed the coin rewards. Second, it was the gem rewards for Guardians and Champions. They've just launched part three and this time they're covering all the sweetness Minstrels and Lore-masters can acquire with the elusive gems that drop in the instance.

Lore-masters can get a new armor set awesomely and appropriately called "The Elder Days," which gives mad stat boosts as well as some shadow damage mitigation. Minstrels can gather up the pieces of a suit of armor called the "Armour of the Wandering Bard," which provides similarly sweet stat bonuses and tactical critical modifiers. There are new weapons for both classes as well.

It's excellent gear, and all this on top of all the other lovin' Minstrels and Lore-masters got in Book 11. We'll let you know when part four of the guide hits the streets.

The Rift loot guide part three lists Minstrel, Lore-master goodies originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Nov 2007 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jeffrey Steefel on all things Book 11

Louis McLaughlin — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 22:35:00 EST

Filed under: Lord of the Rings Online, Interviews, Patches

Tentonhammer have got a great interview up on their site with the executive producer of Lord of the Rings Online, Jeffrey Steefel, discussing all things Book 11. (LotRO Books are roughly equivalent to major content patches in other MMOs)

A lot of the new content in the update is discussed, ranging from the three-piece, 12-man Balrog raids, to... usable cowbell & bagpipe musical instruments. Blue Öyster Cult would be proud. It also features player characters first encounter with the wonderfully crazy Gollum, with promises that he'll play a major role in the LotRO storyline -- although what kind of role is still being kept under wraps, it's probably not a wild guess to assume he'll be causing a lot of trouble. Nassty hobbitses!

Player housing (covered just a few days ago by us) is discussed too. It's a strange -- risky? -- move incorporating player housing into a patch, rather than an expansion pack or, as in certain popular other MMOs, not at all -- yet Jeff comes across as enthusiastic about the subject, and Turbine appear to have thought it through carefully. He also does everything except say "there will be an expansion!" without ... actually saying it. But we all know it's coming, amiright?

Book 11 also included some love for the Loremaster & Minstrel classes, the latter of which sorely needed some outside of healing.

The interview is three pages long, and definitely worth a read if you're a LotRO fan.

Jeffrey Steefel on all things Book 11 originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 01 Nov 2007 22:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LotRO down for update to book 11

Tateru Nino — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 06:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Patches, Server downtime, Player Housing

Lord of the Rings Online is offline as of now (6AM ET) for an update to the new Book 11, Defenders of Eriador. There are updates to Minstrels and Lore-masters, player housing, a Balrog and more in this new update.

All things being equal, LotRO is set to return around Noon ET. If you're looking for something to while away the hours, check out some of our other great content, read the patch notes and save yourself valuable time downloading the patch (900MB, so get in early)! The battle against the Witch King's minions returns at Noon!

LotRO down for update to book 11 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 24 Oct 2007 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LotRO introduces Player and Guild Housing

Dan O'Halloran — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 15:27:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Guilds, Patches, Previews, Player Housing

The Book 11 content update for Lord of the Rings Online introduces more than Gollum's first appearance, a Balrog to slay and class revamps for Minstrels and Lore-masters. It also introduces player and guild housing in a unique way.

There are four different racially-styled homesteads. The architecture, neighborhood and decorations are unique to each. But players are not restricted to only buying property sold by their own race. Elves can move into the Dwarven cave-like housing and Men can squeeze into Hobbit holes.

There are many kinds of housing available, including 16 different styles of personal housing, 10 more styles for the deluxe housing and 4 different styles for guild housing. Each neighborhood has a mix of two dozen or so housing types. Every time all the houses are purchased, a new instance is created with all nebw housing for sale.

Continue reading LotRO introduces Player and Guild Housing

LotRO introduces Player and Guild Housing originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 23 Oct 2007 15:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LotRO Book 11 notes and early download available

Dan O'Halloran — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 20:10:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Patches

Book 11: Defenders of Eriador , the third free content update for Lord of the Rings Online, is arriving Wednesday morning. In advance of the patch going live, Turbine has released the patch notes two days early on the LotRO Lorebook, their official Wiki site.

There are no surprises since we saw these patch notes on the Preview server earlier this month. Still on track are all the major changes:

The introduction of player and guild housing in the Man, Elf, Hobbit and Dwarf cities
Four new level 40+ outdoor zones in and around The Misty Mountains to smooth out high level questing
The Rift, the game's second raid zone, a 12-man level 50 instance that pits your group against a Balrog and introduces new class armor sets
Class revamps for Lore-masters (new Lynx pet, new high level skills) and Minstrels (Warspeech, a new dps stance for faster soloing, new high level skills.)

Also, the introduction of Gollum to the game through a flashback instance. And the epic quest series that allows the players to help the Fellowship in its journey to Mordor has a new 13-quest arc. We're not sure yet how the new Epic Quest series plays out yet, but the title of patch could mean all the playable lands are in jeopardy.

The patch is currently available by Torrent and direct download. It will also be available through the patcher on Wednesday, October 22, 2007.

LotRO Book 11 notes and early download available originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 22 Oct 2007 20:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LotRO Book 11: Defenders of Eriador notes and release date

Matt Warner — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Expansions, Patches, Previews

It's official! Book 11 has a name and an upcoming October 24, 2007 due date in North America and October 25, 2007 in Europe. Best of all, it's free to download -- zilch -- zero -- nada -- did I mention it won't cost a thing? Shiny, new, precious Book 11. We wants it. There's so much stuff crammed into Book 11 if you have been waiting for new content the wait was worthwhile, keep reading for the skinny.

Home, sweet home the Middle Earth way. Player-housing is probably the biggest undertaking for a free content update and the developers didn't skimp on the overall implementation. The biggest thing to get right with player-housing is that the elves and dwarves don't live in the same straw huts on a beach somewhere. The developers whole-heartedly agree since there are four different racially-styled homesteads that feature a distinctive Middle Earth architectural style and environment. When it comes to room there's plenty of plots around with 250 neighborhoods to each homestead, so all the hobbits can all live happily ever after and frolic on one giant bed after adventure hour just like in the movie -- I'm sorry, don't hurt me. Don't like your homeland? No problem, you don't have to be a hobbit to live in The Shire. If an elf decides to move in with my dwarven renegade and brings any of that elf culture with em', I'm setting up a neighborhood watch. Kinships won't be left out of the house either and various decorations ranging from paint to taxidermy and even music to help you clutter your new digs and set the mood for that special occasion. Lots and lots of good stuff for the crafters to keep them busy clicking and housing won't be about just the looks, being a home-owner also comes with a few other lucrative benefits.

If playing house isn't your thing and you are more into wielding something other than a paint brush Book 11 has you covered with The Rift Nûrz Ghâshu. A new large underground dungeon filled with adventure for up to 12 players. That's not the only high-level content planned either. Also on the endless chapters in Book 11 is a ton of monster play enhancements and a little trip down yonder to the new Goblin-town! For the classes, this time around the Minstrel and Lore-Master see some love with numerous skill updates including a new pet for Lore-masters and Minstrels will be able to train others in their musical ways, which sounds really neat.

LotRO Book 11: Defenders of Eriador notes and release date originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Oct 2007 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Guardian changes hinted at for Book 12

Dan O'Halloran — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 08:02:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Classes, Patches

Book 11 is currently on the Preview Server, but the LotRO devs are already hinting at what's to come in Book 12. Continuing their class by class revamp, the devs have marked Guardians, the tank class of the game, as the next to get a look over.

Players excitedly compiled lists of improvements they would like to see for this class. Dev Hakai chimed in on the thread to let the Guardians know about two upcoming changes planned for Book 12.

First, Guardians will be gaining a dps stance. The new stance will be centered around the 2 handed axe skill that will increase their damage output. New skills will be introduced to support the stance as well. I'm guessing the stance will also decrease their armor while it's active. I'd also hazard a guess that, like the Minstrel's new dps stance, Warspeech, it will be a toggle so the Guardian can jump in to tank an add when needed.

Many other games have tried the "dps stance for tanks" trick with varying results. The biggest problem is groups not wanting to fill a dps slot in the party with a second-tier dps'er. The only way it makes a dps'ing Guardian attractive is if you know you're going to need a second tank at some point in your evening's adventures. World of Warcraft feral druids are a good example of that working (although they also bring emergency healing as well.)

The biggest benefit to the Guardian is, of course, soloing. Playing through the solo quests is all about dps and tank classes (and healer classes) are painfully slow at this. I'm sure Turbine will be looking very carefully at the new Minstrel Warspeech stance in Book 11 when implementing the similar Guardian stance.

The other news from Hakai was not good. Shield Taunt is getting a nerf. The Guardian skill was designed to help the class gain a good chunk of threat, but the way it is currently implemented, it sends Guardians straight to the top of the hate list. This skill is being modified to the original intention of the creators and the Guardians are losing a powerful panic button.

I'm sure Guardians are going to scream loud and long about this one complete with petitions, sit-ins and the usual melodrama that accompanies major skill nerfs. But sometimes you just have to bite the bullet for class balance. Plus, without an emergency taunt, Guardians are now forced to be more aware of their threat. And that makes for better players.

More details should be trickling out soon about other Guardian changes as Book 12 inches closer to going up on the Preview Server.

Guardian changes hinted at for Book 12 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 16 Oct 2007 08:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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