LOTRO: Catching Up With Content
I regularly fall behind the latest content release for The Lord of the Rings Online. So it is not uncommon for me to “binge play” in an attempt to catch up with others in my kinship. The November release of the Minas Morgul expansion (which I have now grudgingly purchased) raised the level cap to 130. I managed to gain nearly 5 levels recently by repeating the Yule Festival daily quests and supplementing them with skirmishes. I used a lot of rested XP and bought a lot of progression perks with Destiny Points. However, as I mentioned in a previous blog post, I was struggling in the skirmishes as I was geared for level 120, so I decided to return to playing PVE content in the Vales of Anduin. As this content is designed for players at level 120, it has proven a more equitable player experience; especially as I was level 125 when I returned to the Wolf-denes. I was able to progress through the zone, focusing on the various quests stories and not having to continuously worry about being underpowered and at risk of defeat. Last night I completed Update 24 and have managed to reach level 128 with my Lore-master. I now feel that I am adequately prepared for the new expansion.
There are certain advantages to “binge playing” an MMO. First you get a far clearer picture of how your progress through the game impacts upon your character’s abilities. Virtues, reputation and LI progression have all notably increased as I have comprehensively played through the Epic Story and all regional quest hubs. I have maxed out the virtue of Wisdom and have now set Honesty to benefit from the ongoing XP gain. These longer, lengthier play sessions allow you to make specific decisions about your character’s stats and then tangibly see them grow. It does feel different to intermittent game play and gives you a sense that you’re in more control. Plus having spent more time becoming re-acquainted with the subtleties of my main alt, I have subsequently been able to trawl through my vault and make informed decisions about what to keep and what to dispense with. I have numerous essences that are no longer relevant so they have gone to other alts. The ongoing questing has also provided some useful new intermediate gear. I’ll take any statistical boost no matter how big or small. Anything that makes proceeding through Minas Morgul as frictionless as possible is a boon.
The second bonus that I find comes from “binge playing” is that I get to focus far more on the quest narratives. The regional quests often link and underpin the main story line, providing subtle lore references and interesting vignettes. The Vales of Anduin has been exceptionally beneficial in this way. It was a pleasure to return to Goblin Town and I like the concept of the various post fall-of-Mordor power struggles that occur all over Middle-earth. The incursion of Gundabad Orcs into the Misty Mountains was very plausible as well as fun. I also liked the story of Old Mad Ubb and his legend among the Woodmen of the region. His true identity was not too difficult to discern but was a nice canonical reference. The expansion of Radagast’s role in the game was also welcome and I was even prepared to go along with the expansion of the lore to explain the Ungoledain. However, developer’s Standing Stone Games also include a lot of “filler” quests in the zone. For every good story mission, there will be several or more “fetch” or “kill” quests. The Gladden Fields is a prime example of this. Sometimes there’s a fine line between enjoying an area and then feeling that you just want to leave because its has outstayed its welcome, due to the ponderous list of chores you are offered.
So the next step for my Lore-master will be to head off to the Morgul Vale and continue with the Black Book of Mordor story. I have spoken to fellow LOTRO players and my kin mates and have received mixed views and opinions about the latest expansion. The story is supposed to be good but the reality of questing in this zone is a bit of a grind. There are a lot of repetitive journeys to specific areas to carry out the most arbitrary of tasks. Mob density is also quite high, making travel from A to B a chore. Plus it is a dark and dour zone as the lore dictates but that doesn’t always make for a good experience. The memory of Mordor and its “testing” nature still lingers in the back of my mind. I hope that Minas Morgul is not cut from exactly the same cloth. However, if that is the case, I can always focus my attention on other endeavours. I can return to previous zones and finish various deeds to increase my virtues. I can also focus on featured instances and roving threats and see if I can earn sufficient barter currencies for new gear. Or I could even focus on levelling my High Elf Guardian who remains on the slag hills outside the Black Gate. Who knows, we may even get a Producer’s Letter at some point with a road map for LOTRO in 2020. That would be most welcome.
