So what exactly do you get when unlocking RoI quest pack from the LOTRO store?

[Andrew6]

I'm a lifetime member, thought I'd pick the game back up with the new expansion.

Anyway, what's the difference between buying the expansion for $30 and just buying the quest-pack in-game (3250 lotro points or something like that)? Or is it the same?

[Sapience]

the quest pack available in the LOTRO Store is exactly what the name implies, the quests and only the quests.

If you wish to unlock the full expansion, including the raid and upcoming instances, then I'd suggest you purchase the expansion via the web store.

[Ezekremiah]

Quest packs for 3250TP just gets you access to start/complete the quests within Dunland.

Access to the 12/24 person raid is 1250 or 1500TP, can't remember which.

I imagine access to the 3/6 man content, due for release later in the year, will be another 1500TP or thereabouts.

So, round about 6000TP (or a year's worth of free TP for lifers) for the full expansion

[Dyslex]

So, round about 6000TP (or a year's worth of free TP for lifers) for the full expansion

Or substantially less if you wait for one of those Determine Your Discount specials. But it likely won't happen for a long while for that exact reason.

[heatherjewel]

there is another option. If you havent played in awhile just catch up and wait until whenever they release the instances, supposedly in Dec, and then get the whole thing with TP then. It should be a reduced price. How reduced is anyone's guess. But it 'should' be around 4495 or so. Getting it a la carte doesnt make sense. because all you get right now is 2/3 anyway, and then you have to pay for the instances when they come out to boot. Sure it is 'free' TP but free TP better spent somewhere else maybe.

If they wanted to be so precise with the TP pricing of stuff they should have eliminated the whole free TP to ViPs anyway and just said you get everything going forward for free, be it quest packs, expansions, updates, whatever. But you have to spend money on TP tobuy stuff in the store. because really the way they dole it out and price things that is what they are doing, giving you the expansion for free. But they are also getting a ton of bad blood boiling in the way they are doing it.

If guys think theyre getting something for free (which they technically still are) they would receive it a lot better if free was the only option open to them, and they didnt have too many choices. But I suspect enough lifers and subscribers just went ahead and paid for the pre order with cash anyway so they handle the bad press from a few vocal locals and move on.

But really you can do everything someone with the quest pack can do without it except the quests. You get all the crafting, all the new map(s), the 10 level increase, and you can get rep(albeit very slowly) with the new factions. But with a friend with rep you can get all the vendor sold items traded to you. You just cant make them. So the only 'disadvantage' is maybe in gear you can get, but the guild crafted gear is probably as good as anything other than the dragon raid stuff (which is another 1250). But until the instances come out I doubt you need better. And in reality you probably dont even after the instances come out, because even though the game tries to be gear centric now the fact is gear is meaningless in terms of giving you the ability to do content.

So there are 3 options, buy stuff now piece meal which totals 4500 TP. Buy it for cash for 30 40 or 50 bux depending on version, or wait until they release the final portion and bundle it up (assuming they bundle it up, but they alluded to it so I take it at face value but still with a grain of salt).

I havent bought it yet. I am doing the books on 4 toons, only difficulty there is they get level gated, so you get to book 12 at level 65, can do 2 more at level 66, and then 3 or 4 more at level 67. But now with rested EXP full I can do some skirmishes to fill up my named list on the toons I dont have all done yet. Go get the 11th and 12th virtues on some of my high levels with less deed grinding. Or just wait.

[Hammerfast]

the quest pack available in the LOTRO Store is exactly what the name implies, the quests and only the quests.

If you wish to unlock the full expansion, including the raid and upcoming instances, then I'd suggest you purchase the expansion via the web store.

Sapience, serious question for players like me who just mostly solo: is "the rest of the expansion" just the instances? Or is there something else that might be applicable to me? I have no interest at all in the raids or instances, so paying the full price for the full expansion is probably just a waste of money. So aside from those instances, is the quest pack all that's left to buy?

[Andrew6]

Sapience, serious question for players like me who just mostly solo: is "the rest of the expansion" just the instances? Or is there something else that might be applicable to me? I have no interest at all in the raids or instances, so paying the full price for the full expansion is probably just a waste of money. So aside from those instances, is the quest pack all that's left to buy?

This is a good question.

[Malachi108]

Sapience, serious question for players like me who just mostly solo: is "the rest of the expansion" just the instances? Or is there something else that might be applicable to me? I have no interest at all in the raids or instances, so paying the full price for the full expansion is probably just a waste of money. So aside from those instances, is the quest pack all that's left to buy?

I believe it was said somewhere that there will be other stuff in Update 5 besides instances - and will be either Free-For-All or otherwise independent of Isengard purchase. Can't find the exact quote though.

[heatherjewel]

Sapience, serious question for players like me who just mostly solo: is "the rest of the expansion" just the instances? Or is there something else that might be applicable to me? I have no interest at all in the raids or instances, so paying the full price for the full expansion is probably just a waste of money. So aside from those instances, is the quest pack all that's left to buy?

There is supposedly free content along with it. Update 5 is supposed to be a 'normal' (if that can even be defined anymore) update. So it should introduce some new things, what those are is anyone's guess. But if the instances are truly delayed for real reasons then what resources they expend on those will most likely cut into the resources allotted to developing the update.

So I would expect at least a gratuitous amount of free stuff just so they can say they kept their word that free stuff was included and that it just didnt turn out to be "Update 5: We delivered your instances....finally".

So this is just another example of Turbine getting lost in the hype. While they do do great things for people who dont want to spend any money, they are failing miserably when it comes to delivering content people might actually want to pay for. If the instances come out and the update is massive and bug free and offers a nice amount of game play great another step(well the first in a while) in the right direction. but then of course people even more cynical than me will cite that the instances were ready all along and there was no way they could deliver two quality products in that amount of time (we assume 3 months) without one of them being completed already and just waiting to be released.

[EtherDragon]

Update 5 is supposed to be a 'normal' (if that can even be defined anymore) update. So it should introduce some new things, what those are is anyone's guess.

I'm hoping for a flashy new Minstrel Composition interface. =)

[notanewposter]

Sapience, serious question for players like me who just mostly solo: is "the rest of the expansion" just the instances? Or is there something else that might be applicable to me? I have no interest at all in the raids or instances, so paying the full price for the full expansion is probably just a waste of money. So aside from those instances, is the quest pack all that's left to buy?

I'm a lifer who purchased the quest pack for 3250 tp and the one thing that seems to be missing is using the stable masters in the zone

for 50 tp I can unlock stable masters for 60 minutes but that seems to be the only option but it is surprising how quickly those 50 points add up (my friends used vacation time for mon, tue abnormally long play sessions for us) so now my friends zip back and forth while I plod along on my evendim horse

[RedlineJunkie]

I'm a lifer who purchased the quest pack for 3250 tp and the one thing that seems to be missing is using the stable masters in the zone

for 50 tp I can unlock stable masters for 60 minutes but that seems to be the only option but it is surprising how quickly those 50 points add up (my friends used vacation time for mon, tue abnormally long play sessions for us) so now my friends zip back and forth while I plod along on my evendim horse

Hope that's just a bug, seems a little ridiculous to have to pay TP to use the stables as a VIP.

[heatherjewel]

I'm a lifer who purchased the quest pack for 3250 tp and the one thing that seems to be missing is using the stable masters in the zone

for 50 tp I can unlock stable masters for 60 minutes but that seems to be the only option but it is surprising how quickly those 50 points add up (my friends used vacation time for mon, tue abnormally long play sessions for us) so now my friends zip back and forth while I plod along on my evendim horse

i didnt buy anything and stables are free to me.

[auximenes]

I'm a lifer who purchased the quest pack for 3250 tp and the one thing that seems to be missing is using the stable masters in the zone for 50 tp

Admittedly I didn't use the stable at the first camp in the Bonevales to travel back to the north, but I did unlock/visit it and it showed a slow and a fast route to Harndirion. Nothing caught my eye which would indicate that I would have to pay TP's to use the routes.

At earlier areas, if you own the quest pack for the area, I think the stables are unrestricted. I'm a lifer though, so I've not had to spend any TP's for routes before. Can someone confirm or clarify?

[KitCaboodle]

I asked in the skirmishes and instances forum but couldn't get a reply from anyone who knew the answer - what is the situation with regards to increasing skirmish soldiers & skills above L25?

I haven't bought the expansion yet and it says I need to unlock skirmish levels above L25 via the store. Since I plan to buy the expansion at some point (when the TP price comes down, I don't mind waiting) - what I would like to know is whether skirmish soldier level increase comes under the RI quest pack, or whether it will be included in a future RI bundle? Or whether even those who pre-ordered have had to purchase it?

Only, it's not one of the a la carte options mentioned when discussing the difference in pricing between pre-order and TP and obviously, if pre-order folk get it and it's an additional separate spend for those buying in sections, then it means the total cost of buying everything is higher than suggested, especialy since there may be other hidden costs.

Since I do intend to buy the expansion in the future, I don't really want to pay twice for the same thing. So, I'd be grateful to hear how it works from either a blue name or from fellow players who know the answer!