LOTRO: Solving a Gear “Problem” with Money
Before I crack on, I would like to point out that I’ve put the word “problem” in quotes, to reference the fact that this is an opinion and not a universal fact that confronts all players of the MMORPG, The Lord of the Rings Online. Now that’s out of the way, let me start by saying that the way in which game developers think you should play their products can at times be at odds with how the players like to do things themselves. LOTRO is a classic MMORPG in so far as the player is expected to level their characters playing a variety of PVE content, then play repeatables to obtain intermediate gear, then pursue endgame content such as raiding. Simply put, it means you get the best gear once you’ve arrived at level cap and not while you’re levelling. Usually PVE content is not too problematic if you maintain a relevant build and gear according to level. However, LOTRO does have several zones and expansions that are “wild cards. For example Mounted Combat in Rohan is a nuisance for melee classes. And then there’s the gear check and increase in mob difficulty that occurs in both Mordor and Minas Morgul expansions.
Now my approach to MMOs has been consistent since I first started playing the genre in 2008. I am not especially enamoured with end game content and tend to enjoy PVE based levelling the most. I don’t harbour any notions about “challenges” or “testing one’s mettle”. Nope, I run on the sound military principle of ensuring that you are as well equipped as possible at all times. For example, when I was levelling an alt in 2019 I used account bound barter currencies to ensure they had the best gear every 10 levels. I was not content with lacklustre drops and found that investing in good skirmish sets increased my overall performance. The bottom line is when playing an MMO I like to be overpowered. Which brings me nicely to my current situation. I am halfway through the latest LOTRO expansion and I have hit level cap. Questing in the Morgul Vale now lies ahead of me and I suspect that it is going to be a slog. Hence I want to be OP so I can negate the purposely contrived slow pace set by the developers.
After completing the first half of the latest expansion, Mordor Besieged, I acquired a new set of Green quality gear. It was superior to that I had earned through the Vales of Anduin but it still felt underwhelming. It offered survivability but no discernible “edge”. So I decided to conduct an experiment to see if I could get better equipment now, rather than waiting to finish the expansion. Having searched my Barter Wallet I had no currency that I could use that would yield superior gear. So I decided to see what I could get via Adventurer's Steel-bound Lootboxes. So I bought £30 worth of LOTRO points (LP) with some Christmas gift money and then proceeded to buy 22 Black Steel Key. These are purchased from the LOTRO Store for 195 LP each, or 5x for 900 LP. I then opened 22 lootboxes which gave mainly Embers of Enchantment along with buffs, boosts, cosmetic items, essences and the occasional item of gear. I then bought further jewellery and gear with the Embers. I also disenchanted old gear and some of the items I obtained that were duplicates or unwanted cosmetics.
This post is not the time or place for a debate on the subject of “pay to win”. I shall leave that for another day. However, I have included in this article two pictures which show my Lore-masters stats before and after I re-equipped using lootboxes. Broadly, I am happy with the results. I have had my stats boosted across the board with only Critical Rating taking a hit. I can adjust this by replacing an essence or two. After I replaced my gear I ran a skirmish (Thievery and Mischief) and certainly didn’t struggle as I have previously. Defeating the encounter bosses was far quicker than before and I never felt I was in any jeopardy. Light armour classes often feel squishy and now I believe that quality has been mitigated. Mobs don’t take so many hits to die and the pace of combat seems to have returned to a more equitable rhythm. Fights no longer seem like a reactive process but a proactive one. I prefer this.
Now, this simple test is far from scientific and I’m sure a more invested player would have produced far more data on the statistical difference between builds. Then there’s the argument that the current gear progression offered by the new expansion is not a problem per se and my outlook is just down to my personal foibles. Something I wouldn’t argue against. I am simply advocating using whatever resources you have available to ensure you are as optimally geared as possible. I’d rather that process didn’t require the spending of additional money and I’m also not asking for raid gear to be available outside of raids themselves. However, regardless of where you stand on such issues, LOTRO is a game that was developed when prevailing MMO trends were a lot different. The genre has changed a lot in ten plus years. I remember when Turbine (now SSG) introduced the long term project of rebuilding the town of Hytbold in Rohan, as a means of earning top tier gear, outside of raiding. It would be nice to have something comparable now. However, I think the developers have discovered that this gap in the gear market that I have highlighted, can be monetised and that is how it will be treated from now on.
