Lord of the Rings Online

I was thinking about picking up the LOTRO title and was reading articles from the LOTRO websites about the new expansion coming. I read a lot of controversal decisions made in the expansion. One of the major concerns of most fans is the introduction of the Rune Keeper class. Do you feel they have broke away from the original game design with the expansion?

 I for one feel bad for players who have chosen the hunter and the minstreal. There is a class coming that can do both just with some sort of a cool down. That is poor design in my opinion unless all your classes in a game can multi role. I also find it odd to have a ram/yak for travel in the mines. Why do developers always ruin games when expansions come along? It seems they all veer away from original game design.

I didn' t think LOTRO would do it on the first expansion. They should refund the players' money that chose to life time subscribe because they made false promises of sticking to the lore. This is all my opinions and are not facts. I am just so confused to why MMORPGs do this when it has potential of making old players leave and possibly will not attract new players.  

The only people who play LOTRO are hardcore fanboys anyways. That game doesnt have any endgame at all, just a huge grindfest and OK PvE. But all the PvE is designed to be played solo so why not just go play a GOOD RPG. It doesnt matter what they do their player base will eat it up.

Trust me though, if you have a special place in your heart for Tolkiens lord of the rings, dont let this game ruin that image for you.

Originally posted by qombi

I have decided not to choose this title because of the changes I seen coming. I for one feel bad for players who have chosen the hunter and the minstreal. There is a class coming that can do both just with some sort of a cool down. That is poor design in my opinion unless all your classes in a game can multi role. I also find it odd to have a ram/yak for travel in the mines. Why do developers always ruin games when expansions come along? It seems they all veer away from original game design.

I didn' t think LOTRO would do it on the first expansion. They should refund the players' money that chose to life time subscribe because they made false promises of sticking to the lore. This is all my opinions and are not facts. I am just so confused to why MMORPGs do this when it has potential of making old players leave and possibly will not attract new players.  

Saying that Rune Keeper is the same as a Hunter and a Ministrel is like saying that Hunters should get a refund in WOW because Mages do damage and Priests shuold get a refund because Druids can also heal.

As far as lore goes, this isn't any worse than any other lore break they've done. I don't think you should base your decision on people screaming in the forums because they don't like the RK.

Originally posted by Cutedge

Originally posted by qombi

I have decided not to choose this title because of the changes I seen coming. I for one feel bad for players who have chosen the hunter and the minstreal. There is a class coming that can do both just with some sort of a cool down. That is poor design in my opinion unless all your classes in a game can multi role. I also find it odd to have a ram/yak for travel in the mines. Why do developers always ruin games when expansions come along? It seems they all veer away from original game design.

I didn' t think LOTRO would do it on the first expansion. They should refund the players' money that chose to life time subscribe because they made false promises of sticking to the lore. This is all my opinions and are not facts. I am just so confused to why MMORPGs do this when it has potential of making old players leave and possibly will not attract new players.  

 

Saying that Rune Keeper is the same as a Hunter and a Ministrel is like saying that Hunters should get a refund in WOW because Mages do damage and Priests shuold get a refund because Druids can also heal.

As far as lore goes, this isn't any worse than any other lore break they've done. I don't think you should base your decision on people screaming in the forums because they don't like the RK.

I actually quit WoW because they butchered the class roles in the game, in my opinion WoW jumped the shark with the release of their first expansion. I don't play LOTRO but I can imagine this will be even worse. This class requires no cost to switch build, it is done on a cool down.

Also I don't know how you can make a comparison of what I wrote and WoW Hunters and Mages. Do mages fill two rolls? As far as I know, they both are dps classes.

"We're slowly trying new things; the addition of the Rune-Keeper in Moria, a straightforward magic using class, is a pretty big step in that respect. It's not something that a pure Tolkien lore person would accept, it just couldn't exist in Middle-Earth. On the other hand, this is an RPG, it must exist."

 -Jeffrey Steefel, Executive Producer

 If that is what was written then they have definitely "Jumped the Shark". Very sad for LOTRO players.

Originally posted by qombi

 If that is what was written then they have definitely "Jumped the Shark". Very sad for LOTRO players.

was a quote from this interview:

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=228691

That interview had me worried too.  However the design of the Runekeeper has since been clarified by the developers.  It  isn't going to be any more lorebreaking than the Loremaster or Minstrel:

www.lotro.com/article/585

A strict lore grognard would not be accept Loremasters summoning giant glowing red Ents  to stomp on their foes, or smiting their enemies with beams of light from the heavens either.  Runemaster won't be any worse than that. 

 I would imagine that most Hardcore Tolkien Fans would already have left the game, or  not started in the first place, most people still seem to compare the game to the Films, but saying that, if they read the books its not a hundred miles off. 

But the Books have created arguably the best fantasy world there is, and imo that is duplicated very well in LOTRO. But players today don't settle for a few classes, they want more.....Just woke up so can't think of how to write to get my point accross yet....

But for the poster that said its a grindfest.....WTH

I constantly have a full quest book full of group quests, solo quests, crafting quests and then deeds, Trait bonuses, reputation and the class specific book/page collection quests to give extra skills. Its the only game that I have played that I have not had to grind XP to lvl!

Its personal pref but for me best MMO for PVE there is atm.