LOTRO: Brawler Class Preview
Standing Stone Games are currently previewing the new Brawler class and major revisions to the Legendary Items system on the Bullroarer test server. So I decided to take a look today. As ever, they have made it very clear that both of these are very early builds and therefore subject to change. In fact some elements of this “first look” have not even been fully integrated into the game. For example, the quest arc prior to entry to Moria is still linked to the existing Legendary Item system and as of yet has no suitable rewards for the Brawler class. Players using the test server need to visit the Eyes and Guard tavern in Archet to obtain a suitable LI. It is also the same for Brawler related gear. Most quest lines do not at present provide suitable gear for this new class. Also many icons and tooltips associated with both Brawlers and LIs are temporary placeholders or recycle existing content.
The Brawler is a melee class. It is supposed to be “inspired” by Helm Hammerhand. Brawlers do not rely upon standard weapons but instead use Battle Gauntlets and heavy armour. The main focus for Brawlers is damage per second, off-tanking and providing support. Any race in Middle-earth can be a Brawler with the exception of Beornings, which are their own hybrid race and class combination. They have two primary lines of specialisation. The blue line (The Fulcrum) is for tanking and support. The red line (The Maelstrom) is a damage specific line. The yellow skill tree (The Fundament) is to augment and bolster the other two. As with the Champion class, which generates and uses Fervour, the Brawler gains and expends Mettle. There is a meter on the skillsbar. Brawler skills include light and heavy attacks, buffs and debuffs, self heals and special AoE attacks.
Rather than create a Brawler and auto level straight to 130, I decided to play through the tutorial and progress through Bree-land for a while. That way I could assess and come to grips with the basic skills as they were earned. Despite this being a very early build the Brawler plays quite well at present. The basic skills of heavy and light attacks are done as different kinds of punches. The animations are okay and it all feels quite tangible. Your blows do damage and the mobs react to them in a timely fashion. However, beyond the actual mechanics, it is very much a matter of taste as to whether you find this sort of fisticuffs “appropriate” in a MMORPG such as The Lord of the Rings Online. I personally find it somewhat incongruous that the Brawler class has been extended to Elves and Hobbits. Punching your way through early content seems plausible but is it credible to “beat” one’s way into Mordor?
As for Legendary Items 2.0, I only took a cursory look at this new system. The streamlining of weapons with four types of socketed items (“traceries”) that accommodate growth without having to replace the weapon is a step in the right direction. But because I’ve never fully come to grips with the existing LI system I cannot assess whether the new systems offer commensurate results to what I have already. Ultimately I need to be able to compare the stats that I have on my primary character on Laurelin, to those on Bullroarer. I am assuming that at some point when the LI changes are approved, players on the live server will get a replacement weapon or a refund of points. If we have to start from scratch without any recompense there will be “community problems”. Essentially, I expect my stats to remain the same when the new LI system is released. If I lose anything or feel that something is not a like for like replacement, I will consider SSG to have failed.
The other two things of note associated with this preview is that SSG have announced the name of the next expansion for LOTRO. It will be Fate of Gundabad. I hope it is more substantive than War of Three Peaks. It is also interesting to see that Bullroarer opened a day early exclusively for “content creators”. It’s something that lots of other game developers do, so it’s not in any way anomalous but I personally wasn’t aware of any major, heavy hitting LOTRO streamers. I always got the impression it is a somewhat niche market and no one had audiences in the 100K range. As for the wider issue of this preview itself, I think it’s too early to really make a definitive assessment as to the success or failure of either the Brawler Class and the revised LI system. I will certainly check again when the second preview goes live and there is more information available and better in-game integration.
