LOTRO: The Scarcity and Cost of Essential Items
I wrote recently about how I completely re-equipped my Lore-master using lootbox gear and purchasing new items using Ember of Enchantment. This did significantly boost my overall statistics and make an improvement in my combat performance. But something has still felt “off” and it was only a few days ago that I finally figured out exactly what it was. My Legendary Weapons are still wanting. I found myself standing next to another level 130 Lore-master while handing in a quest, so I decided to inspected their build. Luckily they hadn’t opted to remain “private” so I could examine exactly what gear they had and the statistics on their LI (Legendary Items). Although their armour and jewellery was broadly comparable to mine, their LIs were far superior. And it all came down to “Legacies” and what tier they were. Mine are currently level 69 and 70 on my First Age Staff. And on my First Age Lore-master Book, they are level 65 and 66. At present, until I unlock further legacy tiers, my LIs are not earning any XP and that is irksome.
As you can see from the picture below, the main legacy and the secondary legacies on this Lore-master’s LIs are all substantially higher than mine. This player has therefore applied a lot of Anfalas Star-lit Crystals and Anfalas Scrolls of Empowerment to them both. These are essential resources that are not casually acquired. If you wish to stockpile such items you need to farm the Minas Tirith repeatable dailies and regularly undertake the featured instance. The various festivals that occur during the year can also provide another useful source. But if you are serious about acquiring a substantial supply of these, then you need to maintain a daily schedule and repeat a lot of content. Once again this is a prime example of how older MMOs reward the continuous participation of the “loyal” players and disincentivise the casual player. The only other alternatives are to try and purchase these items via Auction House (which is impossible due to the hyper inflation that is rampant in the game), or to use the LOTRO Store.
If you want your character to be adequately equipped at level cap then you need to spend as much time and attention on your LIs as you do your gear. Simply put Anfalas Star-lit Crystals and Anfalas Scrolls of Empowerment are essential items. It would be nice if LOTRO had mechanics that allowed you to trade in or deconstruct old barter currency or gear into a universal currency, so players who do not have the time (or inclination) to grind for essential items, had an alternative means of obtaining them. But the bottom line is that such a major overhaul is not coming to LOTRO. Standing Stone Games more than likely lack the in-house expertise to retrofit such a system and even if the skills are there, why should they do such a thing when the store provides a lucrative alternative? In the meantime, I’ve trawled through my barter wallet and used what I have to purchase a few more Anfalas Scrolls of Empowerment. I managed to do all three of the Minas Tirith instances over the weekend and earned a few more but I cannot see myself farming these on a daily basis. Repeating these instances at level 130 it is a dull undertaking. Thinking about this matter has also made me consider how do casual players with multiple alts, address this issue. I suspect they don’t. Which means that there must be many other LOTRO players with lacklustre LIs.
