So, Isengard is here and I got to play it for a while. When I say a while I mean about 3 days since I’ve been in the Lands of no Internet. Nevertheless my captain is already 68. He is the only class I’ve taken to Dunland so far (and only character I’ve played since RoI) so let’s have a look on what he saw. Although I could probably cover every change RoI brought in one post I decided not to. I will make shorter posts about every area I’ve visited.

Still, this would be a really short post so I add my general impressions about RoI.

Launch

Despite the launch being a day early and people having already been patching by the time I got home I was among the unfortunate ones and spent 6 hours trying to connect to the server. When I finally did the patching process went smoothly and I got in fairly easily. Then my computer froze I didn’t have the will to log in again.

Gameplay

Stats were changed an all that but I didn’t really feel much different, not yet anyway. Yes I’m close to having 1000 points of Might (something I could’ve never hope to achieve pre-RoI) but I don’t really do significantly more damage and I’m not traited for it. Class traits changed as well so I had to do some swapping, the biggest difference for me (in Leader of Man) is that Routing Cry is no longer tied to on-defeat response and now causes Forced attack. There is another trait that gives Routing Cry a stun so I’m kinda wondering how would those two things play together.

Gameplay in general isn’t bad and even though the areas were somewhat overcrowded the mobs kept respawning fast and I didn’t have to wait to kill the number required for the quests. I am running into another issue though – my bags are full. I usually have a bag or so empty and the other four are full of stuff I don’t wish to part with. Now my issue isn’t that I would need to keep all the drops, there are only two kinds of ore and one gem (my captain is a Jeweller) the issue is that all the quests reward these superb looking armour pieces that I’d really like to keep but I can’t, my Wardrobe (90 slots) is full as well. Fortunately my Warden seems to have a lot free space so by the time I’ll be taking her through Dunland I would be able to keep all the stuff. Right now I’m only picking pieces for a new outfit and discarding the rest (with much sadness).

The quests flow rather smoothly and in such a manner that you aren’t bound to one central hub that you keep visiting over and over again. Usually an NPC in a hub sends you to some tasks and then talk to another NPC somewhere near the area where your quests take place and the NPC will take it from there. Epic quests have also an interesting approach, usually you help a Ranger with some tasks and he then continued further south. You’re left to help the Dunlendings in the area as much as you can (or see fit) before meeting with that Ranger (or another one) further down the road. The quests also reward a hefty chunk of XP (about a 10k per quest) so I made a whole level on the first day which was around 30 quests. I heard rumours there aren’t enough quests to actually reach 75 by questing but we shall see.

Crafting

I haven’t crafted much yet as the quest rewards are quite good but I was surprised with how many recipes a Jeweller actually starts. In the previous tiers I would usually get a full basic set (earring, bracelet, necklace, ring) then I could get some advanced sets from drops. In the new Westfold tier I’m starting out with a recipe for Polished Green Garnet and a necklace, just a necklace. The other stuff should come from drops but – as Murphy’s law would have it – I’m only getting drops for other professions.

Apart from the inventory issue I haven’t encountered any bad thing and I’m looking forward to the rest of Dunland as well as Nan Curunír and of course the Gap of Rohan. I don’t think I will be disappointed.

So it begun. I was done patching early in the evening and fortunately no errors occurred, waiting for servers was another matter especially when the forums decided to stop working and Codies decided to turn the servers up one by one. Guess which was the last to come? Yes, our most beloved Laurelin

But after hours of waiting I finally got in, waited for the pop-up text of “New Deed: …” and “Deed Finished” to disappear and then went to look for changes. So how are they?

Day 1 (aka yesterday)

The Shop

3000 Points (just Points, though I think an unofficial poll decided to call them DNotes ) + 540 Points from Reputation. I think I should have more, and maybe I will; as I understand not all points have been handed out yet. I bought the Traveller’s hood as promised and now I look cool, but in order to look even cooler and keep with the theme of the last Epic Book I have to dye my stuff gray. I’ll include photos once I’m finished.

The Vault, the Shared Storage and the Wardrobe

Vault is changed and I don’t like it very much, fortunately it will be changed again with the next update into what looks much better. Shared Storage – no change but I wanted to include it in the heading. Wardrobe – this is a blessing for me but even the maximum of 50 slots won’t probably suffice. Still, it’s something. I haven’t bought any additional storage yet as I’m not sure I want to give almost 1000 Points for that. Either way, my Vault has finally some room in it.

The Captain

Got one new skill, Sure Strike, that I have to learn to use along with slightly rearranged quickslots. Retraited for 5y/2b: Tactical Prowess, Adherent of Elendil, Blood of Númenor, Intimidation, Defiance / Captain’s Hope, Now for Wrath. Might play with it a little but I wanted to try the new shield-brother. (The yellow capstone makes the shield-brother skills apply to the whole Felllowship by a lesser extent). I tried and looks fine, I think I’m going to stick with it for a while.

New instances

Kinnies decided to try the the Great Barrow and I went with them. After initial problems with the leader inviting us to an already cleared instance we got to Thadúr’s wing. Despite some people’s arguments that revamping an instance doesn’t make it new it actually did. The only thing that is the same is the layout, new mobs with new mechanics, new quests, everything. The fights weren’t really hard though and in the end Symbol of Celebrimbor dropped (I didn’t won the roll). On we went to the aptly named Maze and this time we decided to properly try the final fight’s Hard Mode (we tried it with Thadúr but misunderstood the objectives) – we got pummeled by the decayed wights who are apparently still attached to their severed arms and took the harm we brought to said arms badly. We got our revenge though and completed both prerequisites to enter Sambrog’s wing. I went to visit a vendor after the two short instances and though I probably didn’t loot every trash mob I sold what I got for 1.5g. Then we went to Sambrog but we did not achieve victory even without the Hard Mode, though we brought Sambrog to 10k health (from 95k) his fellow fell spirits healed him, we need to watch them closer next time. All in all good fun though Great Barrow doesn’t really offer anything useful for a level 65 character. One last thing worth of mentioning, the random quests – each member of the fellowship gets a random side-quest (kill x Ancient wights, light y braziers) – what I like about those is that if some of your fellows happen to share the same quest your progress is tied together, if you light one brazier it counts for others as well.

Day 2

The Forums

Complains upon complains, what should I tell you. I was genuinely surprised that people complained about things (Character Selection Screen, Instance Join) that were known since the NDA was lifted, months ago. But what can you do.

The Fall Festival

Well, I only visited the Haunted Burrow, perfected my quickest way through, got the Burrower title – which I would be using if it weren’t for the recently awarded “Purveyor of Odd Things” – and did not get the horse.

The Newbies

As I wrote earlier I wanted to welcome the new players but I guess I didn’t pick the right time, I advertised a hand-out of Copper bracelets in Celondim and Archet but no one actually came, will try again over the weekend I guess.

Volume 3 Book 2

Epic book is epic. I am only 3 chapters far but it looks very promising. SPOILERS FOLLOWING! (you have been warned). First of all I was sent to Arwen who dwells in Imdolen, overlooking Imladris from above and finishing a present for Aragorn. The lady gave me the present (the banner of a White Tree on a black field, an important thing it will be in the future) and sent me to the Stables to meet with Halbarad. As I was nearing the stables I noticed there are Rangers standing nearby, chatting with townsfolk or taking care of the horses (I really like the new tech they put into this). I spoke with Halbarad and the others and then I took part in the best session play so far learning about the lineage of Isildur.

The session play begins near Cirith Rhîw, a passage from Evendim into Forochel, and you play a part of Laegened who with his fellow Haerdor set out for north after Arvedui the last king of Arnor did not return on a ship as expected. You play as a ranger having basically the same skill as Laerdan did in the previous session plays but combat isn’t really important here. What is really really nice thing is that the session play is narrated as you go forward in the story. Haerdor sends you to clear the path off the worms that moved there, after you kill 3 of them Candaith’s voice exclaims: “Laegened worked quickly and soon half of the worms were defeated. Only three remained.” I cannot express how much I like this. Fade out.

Laegened and Haerdor arrived at the site of the shipwreck and met with Hasikkä, then chieftain of the Lossoth. He told us the tragic story of Arvedui and that he left something behind so it wasn’t lost to the sea. (It was actually the Ring of Barahir, a heirloom from the First Age). Fade out.

Ettenmoors, nine hundred years later, you (Corugúr) and Glangon set out to save Arador, Chieftain of the Rangers who has been captured by Trolls and taken to a place known as Troll-height. You are sent to search the area and you end up fighting goblins (while Candaith still narrates: “Corogúr carefully dealt with the Goblins he encountered”, “The Goblins would long whisper of the shadow that cut down their friends that day.” Just epic.) Unfortunately Arador was slain, and so his son Arathorn, (later to be) father of Aragorn was to become a Chieftain, in memory of the fallen warrior the area was renamed to Arador’s End (sound familiar?) and to this day still bears that name. Another fade out.

Nanduhirion, eaves of Lothlórien, you (Túgonn) are walking with Aragorn towards the Golden Wood and you meet an Old Man, clad in grey, leaning on a staff (yes, it’s him). He shares some wisdom with you and you part your ways with Aragorn as he wishes to go south and achieve feats worthy of his forefathers. You see him and Gandalf walk away. End of session play.

In the next chapter you are sent to Gwingris where you met with another familiar face – Searadan – whose horse Erebrandir damaged one of his shoe. You are sent to fetch a farrier (now that’s a word I never heard before) who was last seen travelling east of Gwingris, you find him, protect him from two Uruks and that’s where I ended. Time to publish this and continue on