LOTRO: Free-to-Play

What ticks me off more than anything is people's complete inability to understand the difference in the channels. OOC was filtered off for me right at the beginning (for obvious reasons). Advice is usually off accept for when I have a question. Regional I finally turned off for good. I really didn't want to but I couldn't stand it anymore. People seem to think every channel is the advice channel or their personal chatroom. Trade gets just as bad too.

There are some main quests you need to solo. Not sure about the rest of it because I'm not 100% sure what you mean by "raiding." I mean, I have a general sense of what raiding is but it sounds like you're using it more specifically than I tend to.

Is it possible to play through all of the main quests with 1-3 other people? Or are there areas/quests that require 5-10 (or more) people to participate?

On the comm front, what is your experience with going all comm off (except of course Fellowship and /tell comms)?

Also, I think when I was a founder/VIP I signed up under a diff. server (so no GWJs). Maybe I should move?

LobsterMobster wrote:

There are some main quests you need to solo. Not sure about the rest of it because I'm not 100% sure what you mean by "raiding." I mean, I have a general sense of what raiding is but it sounds like you're using it more specifically than I tend to.

I cleaned up my post to hopefully make more sense. I really need to get back into this game. My wife and I played a bit in the beta and early months. Now we're talking about getting a few friends to join us to complete the main quests now that it's free to play. trying to get a sense of the GWJ community, and how reasonable the mid-to-late game is for parties of 2-4.

HedgeWizard wrote:

Is it possible to play through all of the main quests with 1-3 other people? Or are there areas/quests that require 5-10 (or more) people to participate?

On the comm front, what is your experience with going all comm off (except of course Fellowship and /tell comms)?

Also, I think when I was a founder/VIP I signed up under a diff. server (so no GWJs). Maybe I should move?

Early level quests in lotro were revamped, you should be able to do all the book quests solo. There are still areas that require a group, but nothing that you have to do.

FedoraMcQuaid wrote:

What ticks me off more than anything is people's complete inability to understand the difference in the channels. OOC was filtered off for me right at the beginning (for obvious reasons). Advice is usually off accept for when I have a question. Regional I finally turned off for good. I really didn't want to but I couldn't stand it anymore. People seem to think every channel is the advice channel or their personal chatroom. Trade gets just as bad too.

Yeah, I noticed that quite a bit. Fellowship requests in trade, trade requests in LFF. Sheesh.

HedgeWizard wrote:

Is it possible to play through all of the main quests with 1-3 other people? Or are there areas/quests that require 5-10 (or more) people to participate?

On the comm front, what is your experience with going all comm off (except of course Fellowship and /tell comms)?

Also, I think when I was a founder/VIP I signed up under a diff. server (so no GWJs). Maybe I should move?

Your group will need to split for a couple of solo quests, but for the most part your group will be able to stay together and play the content.

I've never liked in-game voice chat. Usually seems too quiet to me. Our kin uses to vent for the most part.

Landroval is the place to be to play with goodjers. I don't know how much you invested in this other server though.

Unfortunately, transfers into Landroval are disallowed atm as Landy is one the top three population servers.

Thanks all for the feedback.

Badferret wrote:

Unfortunately, transfers into Landroval are disallowed atm as Landy is one the top three population servers.

Well poop. Although I have four characters, all right around 15-20th level, I am not particularly invested in the server per se.

*sigh* I don't have much time these days anyway, but now LOTRO (with the wife), RUSE, CIV V... need to start building a calendar of gaming.

So anyone know when they're doing the Autumn Festival? Seems like it came earlier in the other years, from what I've read. Maybe they're trying to fix everything else first.

I understand that Middle Earth is suffering from global warming caused by an influx in free people population and associated burning of consumables. So - the festival was pushed back to coincide with updated weather patterns.

Hey folks, I signed up for a little F2P and have been playing on and off. I have a level 13ish man champion on Landroval. I'm a filthy skimmer so what's the best way to be part of the cool kids?

Join the GWJ channel and talk to us.

Is the GWJ channel now FNF?

Wha? I thought it was GWJ?

It's /gwj. FNF is another channel that a bunch of people connected to Eldain use.

Heh, I'm in Eldain but unfamiliar with the FNF channel.

Yeah, I don't use it a whole lot myself. Most of the time it's inactive, I think. But then, /gwj is often quiet too.

I wish they would improve user created channels a little bit. If nothing else, a command to see who is in the channel would make a world of difference.

Oh yeah, and Koz, if you would like to join us in Eldain, look for Akunin (Badferret on GWJ) or Thinsul (Psych on GWJ) in game to ask for an invite. You can also register on www.eldain.com/forum and get an invite that way.

nihilo wrote:

Yeah, I don't use it a whole lot myself. Most of the time it's inactive, I think. But then, /gwj is often quiet too.

I wish they would improve user created channels a little bit. If nothing else, a command to see who is in the channel would make a world of difference.

Oh yeah, and Koz, if you would like to join us in Eldain, look for Akunin (Badferret on GWJ) or Thinsul (Psych on GWJ) in game to ask for an invite. You can also register on www.eldain.com/forum and get an invite that way.

If you are in game and don't see anyone, you could always just shoot me a message on Steam, Koz.

We actually have another channel for finding groups with Eldain as well, FnF and justiceleague. Both are decent ways of finding groups for the whatnots.

I've been playing the last couple days and have myself a level 13 Rune-keeper and 10 Guardian so far. I read somewhere that I'd have a hard time socializing on Landroval because it's a role-playing server and Rune-keepers break canon, any truth to that?

Also, I get a lot of enjoyment in MMOs from doing dungeon runs, partying in general. When do you start doing grouped instance runs and the like?

I wouldn't worry about the RP thing, they tend to self-segregate or are flexible enough to group with random pugs if they need to.

Really, once you get past Bree, you never really notice role players unless you seek them out, and they remain a minority on the server.

Also, send Psych (Thinsul) or myself a tell (Akunin/Ninuka) and we can invite you into Eldain, we have several folks who have joined up since the launch of F2P and are in their teens or twenties as far as level.

I'm hitting a real slump at 25+. I'm just so tired of the Lonelands and questing in general is becoming meaningless (even more than the usual MMO questing). Can a pair of 26's run any instances other than skirmishes?

Blind_Evil wrote:

I've been playing the last couple days and have myself a level 13 Rune-keeper and 10 Guardian so far. I read somewhere that I'd have a hard time socializing on Landroval because it's a role-playing server and Rune-keepers break canon, any truth to that?

Also, I get a lot of enjoyment in MMOs from doing dungeon runs, partying in general. When do you start doing grouped instance runs and the like?

From what very little I know about the lore, Rune-Keepers use real magic and that's supposedly a no-no. Loremasters aren't casting spells, they're using little tricks of physics and chemistry, which is why they tend to fiddle with something before they cast. How they can call lightning down from the sky and summon balls of wind using science, I have no idea but that's what the narrative says. Rune-Keepers don't do that. They're actually drawing upon "real" magic. It's not that magic doesn't exist in the setting, it's that it's supposedly very rare and difficult to control, right?

polypusher wrote:

I'm hitting a real slump at 25+. I'm just so tired of the Lonelands and questing in general is becoming meaningless (even more than the usual MMO questing). Can a pair of 26's run any instances other than skirmishes?

Kom and I need another to do retaking Weathertop. We keep getting our asses kicked at the last bit with that stupid troll. What's your class? (and are you on Landroval?)

LobsterMobster wrote:
Blind_Evil wrote:

I've been playing the last couple days and have myself a level 13 Rune-keeper and 10 Guardian so far. I read somewhere that I'd have a hard time socializing on Landroval because it's a role-playing server and Rune-keepers break canon, any truth to that?

Also, I get a lot of enjoyment in MMOs from doing dungeon runs, partying in general. When do you start doing grouped instance runs and the like?

From what very little I know about the lore, Rune-Keepers use real magic and that's supposedly a no-no. Loremasters aren't casting spells, they're using little tricks of physics and chemistry, which is why they tend to fiddle with something before they cast. How they can call lightning down from the sky and summon balls of wind using science, I have no idea but that's what the narrative says. Rune-Keepers don't do that. They're actually drawing upon "real" magic. It's not that magic doesn't exist in the setting, it's that it's supposedly very rare and difficult to control, right?

The lightning is only cast after you use your ancient craft on them. Which means you throw a bunch of metal shards on them, and then they are suseptable to the lightning. So it kinda works, lore-wise.

FedoraMcQuaid wrote:
polypusher wrote:

I'm hitting a real slump at 25+. I'm just so tired of the Lonelands and questing in general is becoming meaningless (even more than the usual MMO questing). Can a pair of 26's run any instances other than skirmishes?

Kom and I need another to do retaking Weathertop. We keep getting our asses kicked at the last bit with that stupid troll. What's your class? (and are you on Landroval?)

Hello. I am on Landroval, and may just have a character that can help you. Let me know next time you want to try it out.

polypusher wrote:

I'm hitting a real slump at 25+. I'm just so tired of the Lonelands and questing in general is becoming meaningless (even more than the usual MMO questing). Can a pair of 26's run any instances other than skirmishes?

You should be in the North Downs at that level - start at Trestlebridge and work your way towards Esteldin - plenty to keep you going for a good ten levels there.

davet010 wrote:
polypusher wrote:

I'm hitting a real slump at 25+. I'm just so tired of the Lonelands and questing in general is becoming meaningless (even more than the usual MMO questing). Can a pair of 26's run any instances other than skirmishes?

You should be in the North Downs at that level - start at Trestlebridge and work your way towards Esteldin - plenty to keep you going for a good ten levels there.

This. The game has never done a great job of directing you to level appropriate alternate areas, especially if you are not doing the epic book quest on level.

In the twenties you have two zones available to you, Lone Lands and North Downs as well as the first group instance hub in the game (which is back in Bree Land, the Great Barrows dungeons).

For your thirties you will finish up in North Downs, and can head to Evendim, and back to the far eastern part of the Lone Lands for the second group instance hub, Garth Argwen. By your mid to late thirties you can start poking your head in the Trollshaws and Angmar, and by 40 you will have the Misty Mountains, Trollshaws and Angmar, followed soon by Forschel and by 50, Eregion and Moria.

Basically, from level 20 on there are always at least two zones that you can be questing in, though they are often a fair distance from each other.

FedoraMcQuaid wrote:
polypusher wrote:

I'm hitting a real slump at 25+. I'm just so tired of the Lonelands and questing in general is becoming meaningless (even more than the usual MMO questing). Can a pair of 26's run any instances other than skirmishes?

Kom and I need another to do retaking Weathertop. We keep getting our asses kicked at the last bit with that stupid troll. What's your class? (and are you on Landroval?)

I have 2 toons in the 25-30 range on Landroval (say hi if you see Codwen/Codfrid).
Aside from my gaming group's regular night, I'm usually up for a skirmish or instance. I can probably rustle up another from that group if there's not another goodjer, which would get us to six & the Great Barrow instances...

Oh boy, the UpDowns, the NorthSouths... the 'unsmoothed' zone...

Edit: ninja

Are the group instances useless for a group of less than 6? I'm basically duoing all content with my gf

polypusher wrote:

Oh boy, the UpDowns, the NorthSouths... the 'unsmoothed' zone...

So what is after the 25 slump? Cool zones I hope?

I'm a little worried about your level 25 slump. The lonelands was completely revamped a while back, and should take you from 20-30 with a great grouping of quests which pulls you through the entire area.

I once dated an Updowns Girl. She'd been living in her Updowns world.

I think they inform you if they mean a "small" fellowship or a "large" fellowship.