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Monsters which "burrow" (Cave-claws, Shades, Dark-waters, Neekers) will no longer do so when they are near death, because that's annoying.

New area I'm not sure if I'm feeling. it looks like it's going to be a rep grind in a good looking area. I ran to Lothlorien for shits and giggles at 46. It was closed off except some orcs and part of the forest. I think they're just opening the settlement part of it.

I like how they are adding content faster than I can get to it. :)  I saw all WoTLK non-raid content in a month and maxxed out. 

It's fantastic to read the "you're making this game too easy!" bitching that comes with every, single, patch.

I'm hoping they'll implement a LUA-engine (like WoW) for the UI eventually.

Or Ruby-based. Oh yeah baby. :awesome_for_real:

I've actually heard someone complain that there was now too much content for them to experience without outlevelling it. Serious complaint.

Counter to the counter: fucking lower the requirements for the deeds.

Looks like good changes to me. Quicker leveling? YES, even though so far to 17, the leveling has happened almost without my notice. Something Mythic should have paid attention to. Crafting instances sounds cool. And new content for free? Yeah, that's good patch.

Why?  Deeds do make a difference, but through normal gameplay you will get them at a decent rate.  There are actually MORE ways to get them then to max them (15 ways to get justice, but it maxes at 9/10).  In addition you can go back when the content is grey and tear it up in only a small amount of time.

I believe all Deed requirements (kills) should be halved, but would rather have the manpower focused on other parts of the game!

Can you tell us exactly what the quest radar is and what it's going to look like in-game?


   The Quest Guide is set of features designed to make navigating through Middle-Earth more intuitive. For quests that you choose to track, the radar mini-map on the UI will display an arrow guiding you to the focused (or closest) quest objective that is available. On the main map, you will also have different indicators for objectives available over a wide area, individual quest targets such as NPCs, and quests that would lead you into an instance space. You can expect to see a developer diary with more detail (and screenshots!) soon.


There is a school of thought amongst some players that making quests too easy to track down via systems like the quest radar makes games too easy and removes a layer of challenge. Can you speak to this?


   A primary goal of any game is to have fun, and as you would expect different players have fun in different ways. For players who are new to MMOs or prefer to have a helpful hand finding quest objectives, the Quest Guide provides added features to enhance their gameplay. For players who prefer to explore the world without a guide, we recommend that they disable the Quest Guide through the Options menu (Options>UI>Enable Quest Guide).

If you have run through the winding passages of Moria I believe you'd agree that a marker on the map does not necessarily make the challenge easier; much of the challenge of Moria is simply figuring out how to travel from "A" to "B". We have also taken steps to remove the Quest Guide from situations that were not appropriate, such as quests based on riddles. Ultimately this is a feature that our players have asked for, and we believe will enhance the experience of many players.

Can you tell us about the new raid that's going into the game?


   "Strange Happenings" is a quest arc that begins deep within the Waterworks of Moria. As players unravel the mystery, you will move closer to unlocking the gate to the source of the corruption. Strange Happenings is intended to be slightly less challenging than The Vile Maw, but by no means a pushover. It will take teamwork and strategy with eleven of your comrades to overcome this challenge.


Book 7 is going to introduce new quests into the game. Are these quests targeted at the upper end in terms of character level or is new content being added for other areas of the game?

   Book 7 continues the epic story and reunites the player (as a Hero of Middle-Earth) with The Fellowship. As such it focuses a great deal on the reclusive Galadhrim, the Elves of Lothlórien, and their relationship to the Iron Garrison Dwarves who seek to reclaim Khazad-dûm. The majority of the quests we have introduced are for players who have proceeded through Moria and entered into Lothlórien.

With that said, there are also many new things to discover back in Ered Luin. With Book 7 we have revisited the new player experience for both Elf and Dwarf and implemented many of the lessons learned over the last two years. We do hope that players will take the time to revisit these spaces, invite friends to try, or enjoy them with new characters.

Can you tell us how Book 7 is going to expand the land of Lothlorien?

    Lothlórien is now expanded east of Nimrodel and west of the Anduin. Some highlights of this include the ancient hill of Cerin Amroth, the Banquet Lawn and Hythe along the Anduin River, and the home of Galadriel and Celeborn at Caras Galadhon. Access to Lothlórien is not free, however. As we know, the Galadhrim are cautious and reclusive - players must earn the trust of the Elves of Lothlórien before they are granted access to the Golden Wood, and must prove themselves as a true friend before they are allowed to enter Caras Galadhon. Those who not heed the warnings of the Galadhrim will be shot down by sentries before they set foot within the protected forest.

Book 7 plans to enhance the new player experience. Will this be done by way of a more detailed tutorial, or through some other means?

   Revisiting the early levels of the game was a great opportunity for our designers to put into practice the lessons they have learned from almost two years of experience and community feedback. The early levels do include some tutorial elements, but also focus on making the experience immediate, streamlined and focused. During that early time the game must be engaging, varied and fun while introducing players to gameplay concepts. There are now more quests within these early levels, more to do at each quest location and an updated early Epic story specific to Elf characters. The audience for these games has expanded since we started building LOTRO- we think the changes represent how MMO games have evolved even in recent years and help to make the game accessible to an even broader group of new players.

   
When can we expect to see Book 7 implemented into the game?

Players can expect to see Book 7 this month.

This month?  :drill: :drill: Hell yeah.

Developer Diary: Lothlórien Quest Notes
[Mar 02, 2009]

Quest Notes!

Welcome to Quest Notes, the place to go if you want to learn about some of the neat new things the Content Team has planned for your questing enjoyment in the next update: there’s a new Epic Book to continue the story of Volume II, the Fellowship of the Ring has (mostly) arrived in Lothlórien and will be pleased to see you again, and the land of the Galadhrim must be kept safe from the dangers of the outside world.  In fact, one of the challenges you as a player must face will be proving to the Galadhrim that you yourself are not a danger to the Golden Wood.

The Trust of the Galadhrim

The Elves of Lórien are right to be cautious: Orcs of Moria have come down from the mountains in the wake of the Fellowship’s passage, readying for an assault on the Golden Wood.  Elves hidden along the border are prepared to shoot any who trespass, with skill so great that the only warning an unwelcome visitor has to their presence will be a swift and final rain of arrows.  How then can you gain safe passage beneath the leaves of Lothlórien?  There are several ways you can prove yourself to the Elves and gain limited access to Lórien.

Completing Quests from Echad Andestel

Located west of Lothlórien, the camp of Echad Andestel in Nanduhirion is home to merchants and wanderers on this side of the mountains.  Elves of Lórien come to the camp to trade and to learn news from the outside world, but these days the news is seldom good.  Several Elves are visiting the camp for the moment: Celegúien, who wishes to reuse arrows that have been used against the Orcs in order to slay even more of their kind; and Dindirith, who rages against the filth-encrusted boots of the Orcs for polluting the swift-flowing Nimrodel.  Each of them can be persuaded to trust you if you aid them with their concerns. As the threat of the Orcs grows you will be able to continue aiding them with their efforts.

Completing Quests from Talan Haldir

South of Echad Andestel, the Elf Haldir maintains his vigil atop a flet, or platform, among the trees.  Among his allies there are Hadroneth, who wishes for you to discourage the Orcs from establishing more outposts in Nanduhirion, the Dimrill Dale, and Maethoron. Hadroneth knows that though the Orcs appear limitless, every weapon they are deprived of reduces their attack capabilities.  Aiding the Elves in these matters and others will encourage them to give you their trust.

Completion of Volume II Book 6

There is one more method of gaining enough trust to be allowed beyond the borders of Lothlórien, and you may have already done it.  If you have personally aided the Lady Galadriel over the course of Book 6: The Shadowy Abyss and have gazed into the Mirror of Galadriel at the end of Chapter 9, you will be trusted enough by the Elves of Lórien to enter the woods.
Once you have earned the trust of the Elves through a combination of these methods, and speak with a Galadhrim Lookout just outside the border, he will notify the hidden archers that you are friendly and you will be permitted inside the Golden Wood.

Epic Book 7: Leaves of Lórien

The story of Volume II continues in the next update with Book 7: Leaves of Lórien, but unlike many of our other Epic books, this one represents a new ‘on-ramp’ onto the Epic story.  Whereas each of the books we added for Shadows of Angmar required completion of the previous one, with Volume II Book 7 we are allowing you to begin the quest chain without completing the previous book.  This means that if you’re still working to defend the Iron Garrison from the Orcs of Mazog in Volume II Book 5 or have yet to take your stand against Gwathnor in Volume II Book 6, you’ll still be able to experience the adventure of the Volume II Book 7 Epic story by earning the trust of the Elves and speaking to Haldir on his flet south of Echad Andestel.

But a word of warning about this!  You’ll be able to experience Book 7 without completing the previous books, but it is strongly recommended that you try to do them in order! If you haven’t already seen the previous books in the Volume II epic, you may very well be surprised at the fate of characters that were left in safety when last you saw them!  When exactly did Bósi get his robotic dog and machine-gun arm? If you haven’t played the first six books of Volume II before beginning Book 7, you won’t know.

(I’m only kidding about the machine-gun arm, by the way.  He doesn’t get that until Book 8.)


The Fellowship in Lothlórien

The remaining members of the Fellowship have arrived safely in Lothlórien, and though they mourn the fall of Gandalf in Moria, they must take what comfort they can and steel themselves for the next leg of their journey.  Once you have gained access to the Golden Wood, you should pay a visit to the hill of Cerin Amroth, around which you will find Frodo, Sam, Legolas, and Gimli, and can learn something of the history of Lórien.  Merry can be found taking one of his walks in the vicinity of the hill, or resting in the nearby garden of Bain Gwaloth.  Boromir, the bold captain of Gondor, is impatient to leave the land of the Elves and broods atop a rise not far from Cerin Amroth.  His mood is not improved by the many Elves all about; he has not seen Aragorn for some time.  Aragorn is not in Cerin Amroth, and will not return there for a long, long time (as prophesied in The Fellowship of the Ring).

Pippin is asleep somewhere.  The dangerous road ahead can wait.

Quest Hubs Within the Wood

There are solo questing opportunities all throughout the Golden Wood, and each major quest hub has its own style of questing:

Cerin Amroth – Quests originating from Cerin Amroth are concerned mainly with the history and traditions of Lothlórien, as well as ceremonies that involve the singing of songs and the working of crafts.

Talan Fanuidhol – This flet on the outskirts of the Golden Wood is humming with activity relating to the Orcs mustering outside and above Lothlórien, on the slopes of the mountains.

Imlad Lalaith – There are many preparations to be made for the nightly feasting that takes place beneath the stars on this expansive lawn, and the nearby vineyards are used in production of the highest quality wine.

Caras Galadhon – Visitors to the city of Caras Galadhon will need to be especially trusted by the Elves before they are permitted inside, but gaining this level of trust will open up new opportunities for questing.  Banners inside the entrance will help players gauge their progress at helping the Elves of Lórien prepare for the oncoming attack of the Orcs.

The Battle of Lórien

The attack of the Orcs cannot now be forestalled; it can only be met, and it must be hoped that the preparations for the defence are sufficient.  When the Orcs begin their attack, the Elves will call upon a trusted few to assist them in the Battle of Lórien, a six-man instance that brings with it some interesting new features: the ability to command NPCs, a Deed that tracks the number of times you have successfully won the Battle, and a set of optional challenge quests that unlock as your skill in the Battle instance increases.

Commanding NPCs – At the outset of the Battle, you’ll have an opportunity to assess the strength of the defenders at three defensive points and make decisions about where to send your most skilled NPCs in three categories: healing arts, melee combat, and ranged combat.  Do you send them to the same point, and concentrate your Fellowship on the defence of the two other points, or do you spread them out among the points?

Completion Deed – The Deed that tracks the number of times you have completed The Battle of Lórien will award you titles at each plateau, and also unlock optional objectives to complete within the instance that provide you with greater reward.

Optional Battle Objectives – There are several different objectives that can be pursued within the Battle of Lórien that range from defeating optional bosses before they leave the battlefield to preventing certain Elves from taking too much damage, and more.  There is also a Legendary Challenge to be undertaken that combines all of the optional objectives into one extremely difficult quest; it will take a lot of skill and precision to pull this one off!

And There You Have It!

And that brings us to the end of this first edition of Quest Notes, a smorgasbord of tasty morsels that hopefully has you questers ready for the main course: the opening-up of Lothlórien in Volume II: Book 7!

The Battle of Lorien sounds pretty cool.  Always glad to see developers improving and offering alternatives to the same old kill/collect foozles quests.

Commanding NPCs

Completion Deed

Optional Battle Objectives

This is a pretty impressive addition.  Was Evendim/Forochel this big at the time?

The amount of content really takes away all the pain from leveling. I can pick and choose the interesting quest lines, or if I'm not up for reading quest text, go for the quests with the fancy shinies. Without feeling a grind, the grass looks greener, and heck, I even feel the urge to explore. This is the first MMO I've ever played where I've seriously crafted (grinding ribbed shirts in SWG doesn't count).

So, gushing aside... Does a game ever make it out of the graveyard? Too soon?

Anyways, this surprised me:

Better than GW I wonder?  (hope so).   Really nice design.  Maybe they are experimenting.  If this works, you could see it expanded x2 or more for battles at Helms Deep and elsewhere.  As the story continues, the size of battles will increase.  Could be ZOMG amazing if they allow you to manage whole squads of NPC's during some of these battles (even skirmishes).

Yes, they both ave things that are not found in any other zone. Like, in Forochel , you can freeze to death.

Well, at least it's not boars.

Ask Mr.Schild to tear down this wall.

I fucking called it. (http://forums.f13.net/index.php?topic=13955.msg487130#msg487130)

I see Golden Bears. (http://s295.photobucket.com/albums/mm124/Khrymson_WAR/?action=view&current=Big-Nose-Rock.jpg)

Wow.  Book 7 is packed tighter than a fat chick in a leotard.  Do you think they are experimenting with these squad commands before they scale up with the Battle of the Hornburg and Pelennor Fields?

I really, really hope they add a small portion of Mirkwood.  Dol Guldur would also be a great place to make as well since very little is known of it after Sauron left.

It doesn't give you the exact spot, but puts an arrow guiding you to the general area. Just like when you enter a town, once you get to the general area, the arrow disappears. It points off the edge of the map until you get in the area then, when in that area, the location title, below the mini-map for the area, will strobe. It works this way for locate item quests as well as kill x of y type quests. Your main map can also be highlighted to select the general area for quests on your tracker, and there are icons on the main map showing where to turn in each quest when it is complete. Region quests point to the nearest part of that region until you get there. (Killing 10 boars is an example of a region quest.)

Below is an image of the map in the starter instance. You can see on it a blue icon with an X, and a pair of pale white circular highlights. The blue icon is used for single stationary targets (people, items, etc.), while the highlighted fields are used for targets that roam. Hovering your cursor over the quest name highlights its icon further, by turning the blue icon green, or brightening the white fields. Hovering over map areas displays the coordinates on the map that your cursor is pointing to (which display in the lower left corner).

Also, please note the checkbox for turning the system OFF. By unchecking it, the highlights and icons vanish, the box with quest names (which is movable like a window) as well. The map reverts back to the standard, aside from the running Coordinates display in the lower left.

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y280/imarichan/ScreenShot00189.jpg)

On your radar, you can have a quest pointer active to point toward your goal. These usually activate automatically based on the most recent addition, though I think I've seen them switch automatically based on proximity to a goal. Regardless, if you're in or near an area for a quest, the location name with highlight in yellow, and hovering your cursor over it gives a readout of what quests you're near. You can also manually choose which quest pointer is active by the same method you remove listings from it: the ring on the side.

(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y280/imarichan/ScreenShot00192.jpg)

Overhead map won't show areas you haven't been to yet -- such as lonelands, where you haven't been to an area. The indicator on your min-map will point to the area but you won't get any markers or the like on the big map.

It will "automatically" flip to different quests. It works with only the quests you have up in your tracker (the 5 quests there) and will "psychically" flip to the closest quest to where you're at

Noticing the new quests, I realize I am going to have to go back to Ered Luin and do all those.

Apparently, they not only added more, but they regrouped them too. So, no more running to location, turning in, and being sent to the same location again just a little deeper. (This is just forum hearsay reading from the test server forums )

Pure :heart: if this is true. After completing a dozen or so quests in that area in three or four batches and then running once more to the area in order to complete one more quest is bad. I won't mind some of it, but with some areas and chains in LotRO *cough* lone lands *cough* it can be mite excessive.

/edit - some silliness in language

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Elf/Dwarf Pre-Skórgrim’s Tomb

We found many of the quests in this area told players to run back and forth or up and down over vast expanses of land. This took much of the fun out of the area and soaked it up like a sponge: a fun sponge. This made us sad and gave us a great starting point to make changes to the area.

On the Dwarf side we made the following changes:

    * Dwarf characters now start in Frerin’s Court, no longer in the Breghold.
          o The location of quest bestowers and trainers in the Breghold resulted in maddening travel times as players ran back and forth throughout their early careers. We decided that moving all NPCs to the centrally located Frerin’s Court provided a central location where players could more easily access all surrounding content.
    * Quests now spiral out from Frerin’s Court.
          o Early quests – those beyond the initial training bits – drive players outside of Frerin’s Court toward the Silver Deep.
    * Quest targets are clearly defined and located in central areas.
          o Too many of the targets new players searched for were sharing spawn locations. This could lead to frustration and difficulty in finishing quests.
    * We eliminated much of the zoning.
          o We removed much of the previously needed dungeon zoning as waiting through load screens is not fun. No fun sponges!
    * Added new quests to support the experience.

On the Elf side we made the following changes:

    * Starting location altered.
          o The ruins are now infested with evil and require cleansing. Players will find they arrive at Edhelion in nearly the same location they departed the tutorial instance.
    * Quests are focused on Edhelion.
          o Quests focus on cleansing the ruins of the evil that has crept into the location after the Elf exodus.
    * Elf players have a unique experience from Dwarf players.
          o Quests now give Elf players a feeling that they are separated from the Dwarf players, where before the experience was wholly shared. Elf and Dwarf players do eventually share the experience but the merge is more gradual.
    * Removed all zoning.
          o Quest structure allows Elf players the freedom to explore the area surrounding Thorin’s Hall without the need to go underground.
    * Many new quests added to support the elf experience.

It may not sound like a lot, but the result is a significantly changed new player experience.

For both Dwarf and Elf players we made the following changes:

    * Quest target locations centralized.
          o Quests that ran players up the hill toward Edhelion or up the hill beyond the mustering cave caused too much running through heavy monster camps. In an effort to lighten travel times we updated the locations of certain dungeons to create more centralized questing.
    * Enhanced rewards.
          o Rewards are now catered more toward race/class than before. We also added some dye to alleviate the monochromatic feel of new player armors.

Other page:

Gondamon has undergone a significant transformation in terms of quest layout and bestowal. In an effort to provide players a cleaner questing experience, more quests are available from the outset and fewer quests send players back and forth to the same location multiple times. We have also made an effort to create smaller ancillary hubs where they make sense. An example of this is Thrasi’s Lodge or the elf ruin near the Edain Mounds.

Thought this screen deserved being posted.

The amount of content really takes away all the pain from leveling. I can pick and choose the interesting quest lines, or if I'm not up for reading quest text, go for the quests with the fancy shinies. Without feeling a grind, the grass looks greener, and heck, I even feel the urge to explore. This is the first MMO I've ever played where I've seriously crafted (grinding ribbed shirts in SWG doesn't count).

So, gushing aside... Does a game ever make it out of the graveyard? Too soon?