Installed, did Weatherstock, and even played a bit!

Yup, I actually downloaded and installed Lord of the Rings Online again! I'm in trouble now! Far far too many MMOs loaded on my machine for my own good. ;) I guess I have to blame Liquid LOTRO for this. I've been catching up on Steve and Christie's podcasts, and I couldn't help myself.

The first thing I did, of course, was log on my old friends on Windfola: Stingite and Bachelbu. I haven't logged on since before LOTRO went free to play, so it was an experience just to find out what it was like now and what I had "earned' through all of Bach and Sting's accomplishments. The end result was around 3,200 Turbine Points. There seemed to be a number of new badges I had earned and that the exp curve had been adjusted.

The second thing I did, of course, was send inappropriate mail to my good friends Jelalron and Burrwin. ;-) That's a tradition for me.

The third thing I did was level up a new character to sixth, made the run to Weathertop Mountain, and attended Weatherstock! yup, here I am with my new character named "Weatherstockman" at Weatherstock.


Can't tell where I am in that sea of names, no? Ok, how about now?


Still no? Ok, let me help ya.


There we go! Weatherstockman at Weatherstock 2011! After songs would play, he would say, "Weatherstockman loves you!" and then use the /smoke emote. At one point everyone used the /smoke emote trying for LOTRO's largest /smoke out. This was followed with a response of /cough from the rest of the crowd.

How was the event? Well, let's just say it was interesting . . . a little dry compared to something like a Wizard101 or a Freerealms party, but HEY, this is LOTRO after all . . . land of the relax and be calm. Right? Right. It was pretty amazing that people can sync their own music, make a virtual band, and perform in front of a large crowd . . . all online. crazy. And being a part of that crowd was pretty cool.

~~~~~~~~~~

After watching me at Weatherstock, my son was absolutely freaking out and wanting to play Lord of the Rings Online, so I let my middle child on the computer and let him do his magic. He worked his way through the tutorial zone and beyond with minimal assisted help from me and took a lot of screenshots because he wanted to post about it--just like dad. He dictated to me what I should type, and I put that on his blog. (He's a young, high functioning autistic kid that LOVES videogames. The kid could play me under the table any day. And incredibly cute--I'm not biased.)

It was definitely a LOTRO type of a day for us.

Happy Dueling!

Big News! Rise of Isengard!

So, it's been a year and a half since I've posted anything on this blog. WOW! Makes sense though as I've been playing around with other things.

Lord of the Rings had an amazing announcement today, though, so I figure, what the heck! I've got the time. I'm home sick and all. Might as well blog the awesomeness that is the Turbine press release for their new expansion.

Here's a cut-n-paste of the press release for you (with a little creative line spacing to make it work in Blogspot). Check it out:

~~~~~~~~~~~
NEEDHAM, MA – June 7, 2011 -- Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Turbine announced today The Lord of the Rings Online™: Rise of Isengard™, the next expansion to the award-winning free-to-play massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG) will launch on September 27, 2011. Players across North America and Europe can pre-purchase Rise of Isengard to receive special benefits starting today at http://www.lotro.com/isengard.

“Our journey through Middle-earth is now taking us to one of its most iconic locations,” said Aaron Campbell, Producer of The Lord of the Rings Online, Turbine. “The new regions are going to be truly epic in scale, story, and challenge. In addition to the wealth of features and content coming in September, players who pre-purchase the expansion will be able to use their bonus items immediately as they prepare for the launch of Rise of Isengard.”

THE LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE: RISE OF ISENGARD FEATURES:

Explore Three New Regions! -- The time has come for you to turn eastward, toward the vale of Isengard. Where ancient forests once flourished, a corrupted waste of metal and wheels suffers under the thrall of the traitorous wizard Saruman. Here, in the shadows of the tower of Orthanc, gathers an army of Orcs and Uruk-hai, toiling to make ready for war. Forge ahead into these devastated lands and uncover new quests, skills, and traits as you strive to thwart Saruman’s ambition.

Dunland – Adventure amidst the bright forests in the foothills of the southern Misty Mountains. Beware the Dunland Clans, rugged warriors tempted by the dark promise of power.

Gap of Rohan – Battle over the legendary pass between Eriador and the plane of Rohan. This key strategic point must be defended against the ambitions of Sauron.

Isengard – Explore Orthanc, one of the iconic Two Towers as it rises over the once beautiful Isengard valley. The once beautiful vale now desecrated beyond imagination by the Wizard Saruman the betrayer.

Advance to Level 75!

Face new challenges and continue to forge your own legend in Middle-earth with all-new epic quests, skills, and deeds as you fight new enemies on your journey to level 75!

Master the Legendary New 24-Player Raid!

Face the ancient evil of Draigoch, one of the most powerful creatures in Middle-earth! Prepare for the ultimate challenge where nothing less than the strength of an entire force of 24 heroes stands the chance of victory.

Starting today, players can take can take advantage of three special pre-purchase offers to celebrate the release of the third major expansion to LOTRO:

Rise of Isengard Base Edition – Includes the full Rise of Isengard expansion plus:

Steed of the Gap, a new in-game mount with matching red cosmetic cloak for every character on your account

In-game title – Guard of the Isen

25% XP boost for all characters on an account up to level 65

Rise of Isengard Heroic Edition – Includes the full Rise of Isengard expansion plus:

1,000 Turbine Points for use in the LOTRO Store

Steed of the Gap, a new in-game mount with choice of matching cosmetic cloak and armor in your choice of red, white or green for every character on your account

In-game title – Guard of the Isen

25% XP boost for all characters on an account up to level 65

Rise of Isengard Legendary Edition – Includes the full Rise of Isengard expansion plus:

1,000 Turbine Points for use in the LOTRO Store

All three Steeds of the Gap, new in-game mounts with matching cosmetic cloak and armor in all three colors for every character on your account

In-game title – Guard of the Isen

25% XP boost for all characters on an account up to level 65

Access to the Path of the Fellowship Quest Packs including Trollshaws, Eregion, Moria, Lothlorien and Mirkwood

Players will have access to all of the bonus items including the new mount, cosmetic cloak and armor, in-game title and XP boost immediately after purchase. The Rise of Isengard expansion itself will be available to play on September 27, 2011. These special offers will only be available for a limited time. For more information, please visit www.lotro.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And here's a couple pictures direct from Turbine to help you visualize both hacking and slashing with your crew and galloping on your new super cool mount in your new super cool clothes (click to make those screensaver worthy)!



I've said it before, and I'll say it again, it's really hard to not take an amazing screenshot in LOTRO, but whoever took these did a great job.

I can't believe you can level up to 75 now. Egads. I think my characters are still stuck back at 52/53 maybe? That 25% exp boost would be helpful. :)

Uber wife thinks those horse crowns are enough incentive to get into the game . . . I dunno, they kind of look a little silly to me . . . especially on the mustache man in red. O.o

I wish I was down at E3 so I could preview this content! Ahhh well, I'd rather be sick at home with a headache than sick at E3 and not be able to enjoy it fully.

Happy Dueling!

Nice Interview by Eurogamer

.


I just got my LOTRO newsletter in e-mail a couple of days ago and FINALLY had some time to read it. It was the basic polished product that Turbine distributes. At the end though, they had a link to a really nice redux of the skirmish system written by Daniel Etherington of Eurogamer:

CLICK ME!

I found this paragraph particularly interesting:

On first entering a Skirmish, you summon an ally - your Soldier. The idea is that he's a volunteer from among the Free People, and, as explained by Turbine's Brian Alosio in his Developer Diaries, "they are not as well trained as the Captain's Herald or Lore-master's companions. In battle, they will act without your orders, engaging the enemy as they see fit... they are not well-disciplined enough to be managed as much as seasoned soldiers." So don't expect squad controls. Instead, you define your Soldier's behaviour through the options in the new Skirmish panel. There are four tabs: Attribute, Skill, Training and Personal. The latter is how the Soldier has a direct influence on you: a buff, in other words. The Attribute is what Role you want your Soldier to take - effectively its class. With each Role you also get a special bonus. So the high-damage, ranged-attack Archer gives you an increased critical rating, the heavily-armoured Bannerguard support role gives an Armour Aura, and so on.

Interesting that the soldiers are not as well-discipined as the herald or even the Lore-master's animals. Methinks I smell a way to make Captains and Loremasters still feel special, which of course they are.

*hands special cookie to Captain and Loremaster friends*

Merry Minstrelling y'all!

Echad Eregion - We Got The Lynx!

Please sing with me in tune to the gogo's:



Bachs Got the Lynx

See the echads walking down the street
Fall in line just watching all their feet
They can't guess where they wanna quest
But they're looking for some pests

They got the lynx
They got the lynx
Yeah
They got the lynx

See the rangers just getting out of school
They can't wait to hang out and be cool
Hang around 'til the server goes down
That's when we're not online

Bachs got the lynx
They got the lynx
They got the lynx
Yeah
Bachs got the lynx

Bach'ys music sounds like it's from France
The Prancing Pony gettin' in a trance
Sing the Minstrel and make us all dance
That's when we fall in line

We got the lynx
We got the lynx
We got the lynx
Yeah
We got the lynx
Listen to my LOTRO hijinx
We know you can dance to the lynx
Jumpin' - get down
Round and round and round

. . .

Oh, you probably don't know what the heck I'm talking about, do you?



Well, one of the first things the NPCs in Echad Eregion want you to do is to hunt down two handfuls of lynx pelts.


easy.

But seriously, I have the hardest time taking a bad screenshot in this game. Check em out:

Even an eye full of lynx tail is hawt.


DRUM THE CAT TO DEATH I SHALL!


HIGH FIVES!

I'm happy to report that by the time I got knee deep into Echad, I realized that I needed to head back to Gwingris and finish up a couple things. Yup, oversight happens.


Turdur here was causing a few troubles. AND THAT DINGED ME 51ST LEVEL WOOT! I'm on my way and still haven't used up all my rested exp yet.

Merry Minstreling to you all!

Gwingris Questing Ends!

yeah.



Um . . . You get here, you do your thing, you help out with some holly and seeds and worms and satchels and whatnot . . . maybe a few half orcs for kicks, and you're done.



*wipes hands clean*

You know . . . really not much to it.

Seriously though, I can't get enough of these wood trolls.


OH yeah, and another thing. Those half orcs I was talking about? They drop components to start your skirmish quest here.


Overjoyed I be at me first skirmishy. arrr!

That first skirmish quest wasn't too tough at all. The coolest part? You get to see Bree in the winter time. :-)

You know, you wonder what thought actually went into making the snowflakes look like this . . .



Maybe it's just me.

Echad Eregion here I come!

Gwingris Questing Begins!

Well, I logged in Bach and decided to actually get going on some of these eregion quests that I had picked up. Among the quests for harvesting holly and planting seeds, the main fighting quest to begin here began with a kill quest to hunt these attractive beasts:


No, that's not just my backside, that there is a Fell Holly Creeper, which wasn't much to worry about, but the quest also asked me to hunt down a number of these signature'ish trees:


Check out those hitpoints!


Needless to say, I was a little intimated by those numbers and that glowing ring around their picture just coming fresh back into the game and not really remembering how to mash those buttons (I'm used to dueling cards out in Wizard101 remember?), but the button mashing came back quickly and before you know it, I had soloed the quest and remembered why minstrels are so freaking awesome. Heals. Period.

So Lithuilas at Gwingris was a little saddened that we had to chop down the trees and defeat his nature buddies, but it had to be done by somebody . . . might as well be Bach.


And as per usual, there was more to be done.


Yup, Lithuilas needed me to thin out these WICKED LOOKING trolls while I was at it.


I couldn't stop taking screenshots of these guys. So awesome looking.


Thankfully their hitpoints were not as nearly as scary as the tree hitpoint before them . . . I just had to kill twice as many.


By the end of my play time I had killed an hour and finished up a couple good quests . . . and remembered how to mash buttons.

I may have to call in the big guns from the kinship for this next quest . . . looks scary.


I should have scrolled down to get a screenshot of the rewards from that quest . . . they looked purple quality. cool!

Merry Minstreling to you all!

The Ultimate Mirkwood Recap, Part 2

Ok, I finally made it through all those links in Part 1, and I'm starting to feel caught up on Mirkwood information. Very cool that you can do animations from your mount now. I can't wait to try it out. The skirmish system sounds great. I like the sounds of Dol Guldur. I most likely will not be raiding, but I can definitely see myself doing the 3 man or full group instances of Dol Guldur. My life just can't hack raiding.

I know nothing about legendary items other than my friend Jelalron said, get started on your Mines or Moria book quests ASAP to start leveling your legendary weapon. /shrug . . . ok. At this point I'd just like a solid hour of play time to be honest.

Ok, so on to Part 2 of this Ultimate Mirkwood Recap. What do I have for you? More links (or more homework for Bach):

Siege of Mirkwood Image Gallery--If a picture is worth a thousand words than our Siege of Mirkwood Screen Shot gallery is worth millions!

Turbine YouTube Channel and Siege of Mirkwood Trailers--Don't forget our incredible new trailers! You can find them all on the Turbine YouTube channel
Siege of Mirkwood Trailer #1 Galadriel's lament
Siege of Mirkwood Trailer #2 Lieutenant of Dol Guldur
Siege of Mirkwood Launch Day Trailer

What the Press is saying about Siege of Mirkwood
Obviously we think Siege of Mirkwood is pretty wonderful, but don't just take our word for it! See what the press has to say!

Massively.com
Developer Tour
Full Coverage

MMORPG.com
Siege of Mirkwood Interview with Jeffrey Steefel and Aaron Campbell
Siege of Mirkwood preview
Full Coverage (screens and assorted news items)

Ten Ton Hammer
The Heart of Mirkwood - A Siege of Mirkwood Q&A with Jeffrey Steefel
Preview
Full Coverage

Warcry.com
Siege of Mirkwood Recon (Preview)
All Siege of Mirkwood coverage
Warcry US Dev Chat Transcript

Whew, ok, I think that gives me enough homework here for now. I asked the LOTRO Community Manager if he has a Mines of Moria Ultimate Recap like this one since I'm really really behind here. I'll let you know!

Merry Minstreling!