If you were online yesterday, you probably heard about Siege or Mirkwood hitting LotRO’s NA servers. Actually, if you’re reading this blog, you probably knew about it a long time ago, but that’s beside the point. By most reports, the launch of this semi-expansion (semi because, well, it’s DLC) went fairly well.
I was knee deep in coursework, so I just got to try out the game this morning. I decided to play my 32 Guardian, since he’s the furthest in and has the most skills to work with. I spent about two hours in-game, trying out the different 
options and, most of all, testing out the new combat system.
One of the biggest reasons detractors pick at the game is the slow pace of pre-SoM combat. I’m happy to report that Siege has pretty much eliminated this problem. Combat feels much more reminiscent of World of Warcraft now, in the sense that you’re watching for the Global Cooldown more than ever before. It’s entirely possible to launch a string of instant attacks and deal out quick damage.
As a guardian, with good series of parries (they free up my primary high-damage attacks), I can wipe out mobs quickly without taking a lot of damage. Really, it’s to my benefit to take on groups of mobs at once instead of single-mob fighting. As you can imagine, this makes questing a lot quicker.
Which leads me to wonder, shouldn’t this combat change be seen as a nerf to the old world content? I’m surprised, because I haven’t seen this brought up anywhere. Not all classes will be able to group kill mobs like a guardian, but, what they can do is execute more skills in less time. That’s a global damage buff without changing the HPs of any of the lower level mobs. I was able to earn ¾ of a level this morning in just under two hours, pushing my character up to 33.
In one fell swoop, Turbine has addressed one of the biggest complaints from outsiders and sped up the leveling game. Bravo, I say. As most of you know, I hate the fact LotRO keeps you in one region for so damn long. Anything to get me into the newer content quicker, I’m in favor of at this point.
The one downside to the combat change is that it draws attention to the sometimes lackluster attack animations. As a player, I want to be watching my character fight to know when he’s executed a skill. As it stands now, I’m left glancing at the action bar every other ability because many of my attacks look drearily similar to the auto-attack animation. Maybe Aion spoiled me with its fiery swords and mid-swing flips.
Combat aside, I haven’t had the chance to try out Skirmishes yet but I’m hoping to tomorrow. They seem like a great, if a little quirky, addition to the game. I’ve also got a full-speed goat to ride now, too! Baaaaaaah, baby! Two more levels and I’m pwning that thing, with all the hardcore my dwarf can muster.
Anyways, so far, so good. If you’ve stayed away from the game because you couldn’t stand the slow pace of combat, try it out again. It’s worth the effort. The one thing I’ve learned is that LotRO takes a bit of time to show you its worth. It gives as much as it gets, so spend some time.
Until next time!
PS: For those of you that have tried the game and didn’t really feel it, let me suggest a new rule I came up with. I call it the Rule of Fives (5/5/5). Play it dedicatedly and exclusively for five days or five in-game hours (as close together as possible) and stay logged off for no more than five days until you feel the hook. That’s worked for me, hopefully it does the trick for you too.
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