Oh my goodness, I was on a Lord of the Rings Online podcast! Woot!
You can download that episode from iTunes here.
Liquid LOTRO is a podcast done by Icywiz and Stephen Spiritcaller of Ravenwood Radio fame, only they're just Steve and Christie on that podcast. :) Steve was out because he was sick, so Christie asked me to sit in and help out. We talk all about LOTRO, and we even briefly touch on a bunch of other MMOs.
If you have a spare hour (perfect for some drive times), download that and check it out. :)
Happy Dueling!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Skirmishes = The Hotness (And ding level 31)
Shoestrings is now Level 31, in fact he just finished up his level 30 quest involving burglarizing a sword for Palma Brownlock. Here's a pic of us chillin' in the basement of the Forsaken Inn.
It was maybe 1 out of 2 quest completions I've done outside of skirmishes in ten levels. The exp is just so rich in skirmishes that they are perfect for me. I've already done all the quests outside in the big vast world of LOTRO with my other characters, and I don't have a ton of time each day to devote to LOTRO. Running skirmishes for experience and those little skirmish marks I can trade in for loot is making me an extremely happy little hobbit.
I even had a chance to group up with Steve and Christie from LiquidLOTRO last night. I'm finally approaching their level range, and we were able to group up. Here we are at the end chest of the Attack at Dawn skirmish.
It was a little messy and could have gone better, but I think that will come in time as we continue to group up. I died a couple of times just learning the ropes of the significantly harder group skirmishes vs. solo skirmishes. There were a few bosses that I hadn't seen yet (and one in particular with a pretty nasty AOE).
I was happy I was able to try a few of my group specific skills that burglars get to start fellowship maneuvers. I mean the "exploit opening" and "trip" skills are great for an easy stun when soloing, but those two skills were meant for starting fellowship maneuvers. That's a huge benefit of grouping with a burglar, you know?
I asked Steve and Christie if they'd like to try any funky group maneuvers out, and they've just been pounding all red when those pop up.
The three person fellowship maneuvers are all about flushes and straights (these work both forwards and backwards):
Resounding Strikes - Flush - Red - Red - Red
Deception - Flush - Yellow - Yellow - Yellow
Three Pronged Assault - Flush - Blue - Blue - Blue
Mustering of the Troops - Flush - Green - Green - Green
Wrath of the Righteous - Straight - Red - Green - Yellow
Strength of the Pure - Straight - Blue - Red - Green
Sinister Plan - Straight - Yellow - Blue - Red
Will of the Strong - Straight - Green - Yellow - Blue
In a three-person group, these pretty much just do as advertised. Red is damage, blue is healing mana, green is healing health, and yellow is a damage over time. From what I remember in the past, the combos just give you a little extra oomph than if you didn't complete your maneuver in a combo.
I used to really appreciate the extra mana and healing group maneuvers back when I was playing a minstrel full time. It definitely took the heat off of me and made my job easier.
I can't wait to group up more and definitely run through more skirmishes! They're perfect for me and my busy lifestyle. Great to be able to jump on and complete a skirmish in 20 minutes and jump off, and since I've been through all this before, I really don't feel like I'm missing out on the world. I'll come back through the world when I finally decide to level my crafting after I'm a higher level. ;)
Happy Dueling!
It was maybe 1 out of 2 quest completions I've done outside of skirmishes in ten levels. The exp is just so rich in skirmishes that they are perfect for me. I've already done all the quests outside in the big vast world of LOTRO with my other characters, and I don't have a ton of time each day to devote to LOTRO. Running skirmishes for experience and those little skirmish marks I can trade in for loot is making me an extremely happy little hobbit.
I even had a chance to group up with Steve and Christie from LiquidLOTRO last night. I'm finally approaching their level range, and we were able to group up. Here we are at the end chest of the Attack at Dawn skirmish.
It was a little messy and could have gone better, but I think that will come in time as we continue to group up. I died a couple of times just learning the ropes of the significantly harder group skirmishes vs. solo skirmishes. There were a few bosses that I hadn't seen yet (and one in particular with a pretty nasty AOE).
I was happy I was able to try a few of my group specific skills that burglars get to start fellowship maneuvers. I mean the "exploit opening" and "trip" skills are great for an easy stun when soloing, but those two skills were meant for starting fellowship maneuvers. That's a huge benefit of grouping with a burglar, you know?
I asked Steve and Christie if they'd like to try any funky group maneuvers out, and they've just been pounding all red when those pop up.
The three person fellowship maneuvers are all about flushes and straights (these work both forwards and backwards):
Resounding Strikes - Flush - Red - Red - Red
Deception - Flush - Yellow - Yellow - Yellow
Three Pronged Assault - Flush - Blue - Blue - Blue
Mustering of the Troops - Flush - Green - Green - Green
Wrath of the Righteous - Straight - Red - Green - Yellow
Strength of the Pure - Straight - Blue - Red - Green
Sinister Plan - Straight - Yellow - Blue - Red
Will of the Strong - Straight - Green - Yellow - Blue
In a three-person group, these pretty much just do as advertised. Red is damage, blue is healing mana, green is healing health, and yellow is a damage over time. From what I remember in the past, the combos just give you a little extra oomph than if you didn't complete your maneuver in a combo.
I used to really appreciate the extra mana and healing group maneuvers back when I was playing a minstrel full time. It definitely took the heat off of me and made my job easier.
I can't wait to group up more and definitely run through more skirmishes! They're perfect for me and my busy lifestyle. Great to be able to jump on and complete a skirmish in 20 minutes and jump off, and since I've been through all this before, I really don't feel like I'm missing out on the world. I'll come back through the world when I finally decide to level my crafting after I'm a higher level. ;)
Happy Dueling!
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Dragons at level 20?
You know, I haven't played this game "seriously" for a long long time, but recently the universe has been pushing me in the direction of LOTRO, so I've been playing it again. You know, coming into things like free LOTRO point codes from an anon friend and the kinship invite from a couple old Wizard101 friends have really helped with my interest level. (Special shoutout to Steve and Christie from LiquidLOTRO.) Good times.
I've been making ok progress on my Burglar. I'm now level 23 and rising. I even got a goat!
Nice goaty. :)
What really shocked me though was this dragon I encountered while playing through the solo version of the Siege of Gondamon skirmish.
WOW! That was totally an unexpected surprise. It wasn't too difficult, but I think I just found my new favorite thing about this game.
I never had done much with Skirmishes, even when I came back to play a level or two with my minstrel. I wish I had. It might have kept me going with the game. I imagine that once you've gone through a skirmish a few hundred times, it's not as awe inspiring as the first few times, but man . . . what a total blast and completely refreshing. (Not bad exp either.)
Control+J is my new best buddy in LOTRO.
Happy Dueling!
I've been making ok progress on my Burglar. I'm now level 23 and rising. I even got a goat!
Nice goaty. :)
What really shocked me though was this dragon I encountered while playing through the solo version of the Siege of Gondamon skirmish.
WOW! That was totally an unexpected surprise. It wasn't too difficult, but I think I just found my new favorite thing about this game.
I never had done much with Skirmishes, even when I came back to play a level or two with my minstrel. I wish I had. It might have kept me going with the game. I imagine that once you've gone through a skirmish a few hundred times, it's not as awe inspiring as the first few times, but man . . . what a total blast and completely refreshing. (Not bad exp either.)
Control+J is my new best buddy in LOTRO.
Happy Dueling!
Friday, July 1, 2011
Shoestrings--of diaper-clad Burglars
Shoestrings has now moved on from the tutorial!
With much cowering I avoided confrontation with the Cargul, and with much stab-itude Calder Cob was dismissed to his dirt nap. No biggie. The tutorial is short and sweet.
Shoestrings also earned his first deed!
Hooray for that. ;-) But mostly what I did was deliver the mail. You know, I never was very fond of the mail delivery quests, but it didn't seem too bad this time around. Nosey hobbits didn't catch me delivering the mail at all! Easy stuff.
Unfortunately, I left the game up while uber wife asked me to come into the garage and lift a couple things . . . an entertainment center, a couple TVs, a couch . . . that kind of thing. This isn't unfortunate because I'm a complainer or anything like that, it was unfortunate because the diaper-clad burglar undid my perfect roll through Hobbiton by running my character around without my guidance.
LOL. Well, there's goes the title for leveling to 20 without a defeat. hahaha! I tried to take a picture of him sitting at the computer with a big grin on his face, but I was slow to the draw with the Iphone. Dang cute kid.
That leaves Shoestrings at level 10 and climbing. Almost time to make the trek over to Bree.
Happy Dueling!
With much cowering I avoided confrontation with the Cargul, and with much stab-itude Calder Cob was dismissed to his dirt nap. No biggie. The tutorial is short and sweet.
Shoestrings also earned his first deed!
Hooray for that. ;-) But mostly what I did was deliver the mail. You know, I never was very fond of the mail delivery quests, but it didn't seem too bad this time around. Nosey hobbits didn't catch me delivering the mail at all! Easy stuff.
Unfortunately, I left the game up while uber wife asked me to come into the garage and lift a couple things . . . an entertainment center, a couple TVs, a couch . . . that kind of thing. This isn't unfortunate because I'm a complainer or anything like that, it was unfortunate because the diaper-clad burglar undid my perfect roll through Hobbiton by running my character around without my guidance.
LOL. Well, there's goes the title for leveling to 20 without a defeat. hahaha! I tried to take a picture of him sitting at the computer with a big grin on his face, but I was slow to the draw with the Iphone. Dang cute kid.
That leaves Shoestrings at level 10 and climbing. Almost time to make the trek over to Bree.
Happy Dueling!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Shoestrings!
Just a quick note for my LOTRO/Wizard101 Crossover buddies -- Shoestrings the hobbit burglar has been born on the Crickhollow server! ;-)
I'm digging the Justin Beiber look. hahaha!
. . . is it just me, or is the tutorial a lot easier than it was all those years ago? Shoestrings seemed pretty invincible out there.
Happy dueling!
I'm digging the Justin Beiber look. hahaha!
. . . is it just me, or is the tutorial a lot easier than it was all those years ago? Shoestrings seemed pretty invincible out there.
Happy dueling!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
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!
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!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
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:
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!
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!
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: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.
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!
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