Elderslade, what is the deal with the two maps?

[Edelhardt]

I'm sure I'm just dumb, but can somebody explain what is going on with the two versions of Elderslade, that we can flip to and from using the banners? What do these two versions represent? Same area at different times or what?
Count me lost...

[JERH]

Same as helms deep with 3 time variations (or was it 4?) and Minas tirith with 2 (pre invasion and post invasion) and now wedding version. There is a pre war and a during-war version of gundabad. At some point in the next expansion there may be post war version.

[Elmagor]

After you complete dwarf epic quests, you get access to war version of map with his own quests and deeds, and can shift between them by using banners in 2 fortress

[Edelhardt]

Thanks, but I'm really confused about the narrative. Which version is older? Why is Annak-Kurfu called Zarkul Sulun on the other map? Is there anybody on either of the maps who explains what is actually going on?

I did all of the quests on the 'ordinary' map but I must have missed where it is explained why and when we go over to the other one.

[OldMadeOfLions]

Thanks, but I'm really confused about the narrative. Which version is older? Why is Annak-Kurfu called Zarkul Sulun on the other map? Is there anybody on either of the maps who explains what is actually going on? I did all of the quests on the 'ordinary' map but I must have missed where it is explained why and when we go over to the other one.

Annâk-khurfu and Zarkul-sulûn are two different keeps. In Elderslade, Zarkul-sulûn is held by Orcs. Once the War begins, the dwarves capture that keep and make it a new command post.

Chapters 3 and 4 of Legacy of Durin help explain the situation, so you might want to look for those.

MoL

[Edelhardt]

Thank you MoL... the mystery deepens!

I did all of the landscape quests but haven't yet found Chapters 3 or 4.

Back into the fray then!

[Edelhardt]

Ah, the old adage.... if you're lost, retrace your steps until the last known point

[OldMadeOfLions]

Ah, the old adage.... if you're lost, retrace your steps until the last known point

That's the secret! In this case it's probably Glóin in Limlók.

As a side note, when you're looking for Imák and Venko during the middle of Chapter 3, you should ignore the versions of them standing in the middle of the town; those are leftovers from an earlier chapter that I set incorrectly. They'll be fixed in the next patch (and are already gone in my version of the game!), but it'll be a little confusing until that happens.

MoL

[Edelhardt]

Indeed, Limlok it was. Thank you for the pointer.

About the body doubles, you did that before with Halbarad in Lhanuch

[OldMadeOfLions]

About the body doubles, you did that before with Halbarad in Lhanuch

The difference is that time was on-purpose and unavoidable! This one was an oversight.

MoL

[HoboNanikin]

Any word as to why when we click on the "Wells of the Langflood" map in Rhovanion, it takes us to the "War of the Three Peaks" map instead? And there is no Elderslade map at all, and Langflood just became the new map instead?

[Occum]

They'll be fixed in the next patch (and are already gone in my version of the game!), but it'll be a little confusing until that happens.

MoL

This is an example of why I've always played at least a year behind the newest content

[Bohdb]

That's the secret! In this case it's probably Glóin in Limlók.

As a side note, when you're looking for Imák and Venko during the middle of Chapter 3, you should ignore the versions of them standing in the middle of the town; those are leftovers from an earlier chapter that I set incorrectly. They'll be fixed in the next patch (and are already gone in my version of the game!), but it'll be a little confusing until that happens.

MoL

Are you planning on moving Gloin out of the ground during the ravens part of the epic? I imagine it is hard to breathe under the rocks and dirt.

[OldMadeOfLions]

Are you planning on moving Gloin out of the ground during the ravens part of the epic? I imagine it is hard to breathe under the rocks and dirt.

I've never seen this. My guess is that a server hiccup caused him to load in before the terrain, but I'm pretty sure I have an invisible platform under him anyway. Is this the part where the ravens fly away?

MoL

[Xerxes2007]

The difference is that time was on-purpose and unavoidable! This one was an oversight.

MoL

What about the 45 Gandalfs running around? Could some of those be phased out of view if past the chapter that needs them at that particular spot? It's getting to be like a reverse where's waldo.

[Nosdracir]

What about the 45 Gandalfs running around? Could some of those be phased out of view if past the chapter that needs them at that particular spot? It's getting to be like a reverse where's waldo.

I think that's a Mirror Image spell glitch that leaked over from DDO development.

[gildhur]

Annâk-khurfu and Zarkul-sulûn are two different keeps. In Elderslade, Zarkul-sulûn is held by Orcs. Once the War begins, the dwarves capture that keep and make it a new command post.

Chapters 3 and 4 of Legacy of Durin help explain the situation, so you might want to look for those.

It would have been helpful then to direct us to the new book chapter first instead of the Missions and Elderslade vectors we got via mail. I went to Elderslade and started those before I was reminded by players in chat of Durin's questline back in Limlok, since there's no vector for that at all. So the game directed me to start helping prepare for the war before the dwarves even decided to go to war.

I get wanting to advertise the new system and new zone, but do so in a way that makes narrative sense.

[Bohdb]

I've never seen this. My guess is that a server hiccup caused him to load in before the terrain, but I'm pretty sure I have an invisible platform under him anyway. Is this the part where the ravens fly away?

MoL

Yes just as your get ready to release them. It was on Gladden and I know more than I had this happen because of comments in World. At first I was like "Hey maybe he is looking for more Mithril here" lol.

[OldMadeOfLions]

I get wanting to advertise the new system and new zone, but do so in a way that makes narrative sense.

Send a mail telling you to go to Limlók so Gloin can send a mail to Durin, got it. When Durin gets the mail, he'll send the mail on to the dwarves. It does seem like maybe Durin should have just been sent the initial vector that you wanted sent to you, and much of this could have been avoided.

I get it - I really do. But one of the reasons I generally resist doing the 'reminder' mail messages for every new chapter of first the Epic, then the Black Book, and now Legacy of Durin, is because these are being designed as one long story, and once that story is completed it'll form one long, unbroken chain. With mail messages (and the deed required to trigger them, or worse, entire vector quests - don't get me started on the sticking-around-nature of auto-bestowed vector quests), playing through that chain in sequence will trigger all those extra reminders. I'm just not a fan of the extra bloat.

Not everyone follows the Epic, or BBoM, or Legacy of Durin, and the various Region reminders and vectors are there to grab the attention of players who don't have an existing narrative framework. But these quests tend to pick up where the previous one ended, and to some extent I'm trusting that if you care about following the story you'll tend to internalize that.

Actually, this brings to mind an Idea: what if I put the place where each chapter ended in the completion text for the deed? So in this case I would have added 'This chapter concluded with Gloin in Limlok' to the blurb for Legacy of Durin Chapter 2 in the deed log. Maybe that way makes everybody happy? You get the reminder, and I don't have to spam mail messages and vectors every time I add to the story.

MoL

[Morellian]

Actually, this brings to mind an Idea: what if I put the place where each chapter ended in the completion text for the deed? So in this case I would have added 'This chapter concluded with Gloin in Limlok' to the blurb for Legacy of Durin Chapter 2 in the deed log. Maybe that way makes everybody happy? You get the reminder, and I don't have to spam mail messages and vectors every time I add to the story.

Pleeeease do this!

[Tancanspanc]

I'd be happy just find out what the 'Three Peaks' are.
I always thought it referred to Celebdil, Fanuidhol and Caradhras, but they are way further south than Elderslade's location.

[OghranNasty]

Actually, this brings to mind an Idea: what if I put the place where each chapter ended in the completion text for the deed? So in this case I would have added 'This chapter concluded with Gloin in Limlok' to the blurb for Legacy of Durin Chapter 2 in the deed log. Maybe that way makes everybody happy? You get the reminder, and I don't have to spam mail messages and vectors every time I add to the story.

MoL

Oooooh yes!

[Cordovan]

Any word as to why when we click on the "Wells of the Langflood" map in Rhovanion, it takes us to the "War of the Three Peaks" map instead? And there is no Elderslade map at all, and Langflood just became the new map instead?

This should be fixed in our next patch.

[Narthalion]

I'd be happy just find out what the 'Three Peaks' are.
I always thought it referred to Celebdil, Fanuidhol and Caradhras, but they are way further south than Elderslade's location.

Actually, I think it should be renamed, "War of the Three PEEKS", since we only had a few glimpses of the product before we were expected to buy it!

[HoboNanikin]

This should be fixed in our next patch.

Thank you!