The Gundabad experience: how has it been for everyone?

[wrath247]

Reactions seem to be mix, at least on the forums, other places not so much.

But just wondered what everyone thinks of Gundabad? So far been seeing it like this


PROS:
1. The new region definitely achieved the whole scale with the new design of the top to bottom idea they went with
2. As always the region feels unique compared to Moria, and the pristine walls sell that whole this was the peak of the dwarves vibe. I mean considering that half of the regions lately have little to no absolute lore or backdrop to base design off, kudos to the team.
3. Story telling is just...I mean god, still going strong and honestly keeps it interesting, music also goes well.

CONS:
1. There is a noticeable lack of armor variety. Ngl, ik the whole work at home probably limits the ability to design new sets, but could definitely use varied ones like MM did.
2. Some bugs, and, well yeah sadly there are
3. Not all the quest chains are complete

Conclusion: Good expansion tbh and a good sendoff to the legacy of durin epic, but there is areas to improve on suxh as more armor variety


hbu u guys? How u all finding the expansion?

Shoutout tho to the new dev diaries! neat to see those back.

[Laubgaenger]

hbu u guys? How u all finding the expansion?

ATM?

Think is one of the worst we ever get.
We get for the "old" stuff green ash but have to pay red ash for the stuff. (Estolad Lan any Armor; Annak AD T3 Jewels)
Many had the chance to get some raids finished but now have no option to buy the stuff with the ash they get from the raids.

Many Quests are not finished
Many Quests do not work good and you get that only if you play in groups. One found stuff one does not.

Instances not ready.
Preview mechanic looks like AD Batrider with a 2 headed Troll - a bit often the 2 headed Troll is used.
&
The Hypnotoad - so many years we have (non solved) problems using loading screens in instances / Raids
So i cant understand why again something like this is again implemented again.

The Server Perfomance do not get a special point, as that was bad before the update and OC was ever in the new region a problem for many, many years. So that was and is to be expected.

Banana software matures at the customers


But not everything is bad, some Areas a good Looking.

[Fernur]

Overall I think it's a B-

I've only soloed through it on my guardian. Visually it's pretty. The story of the book quests are fun and intriguing. I enjoy the new mobs even though they are mainly just reskinned old ones. I enjoyed seeing the angmarim taking a part in the area. I've noticed atleast two of the missions take place at the rift. I would love a 6 or 12 man instance around or in the Rift. All the areas in Gundabad have their own feel. I enjoyed the Pit of Stonejaws, Gloomingtarn, and Velkin-lofts the most.

My biggest gripe is not one 3 or 6 man instance for endgame at this moment. Yes I know they are coming but I feel like there should have been at least 1 for us to grind. I honestly loved how Moria did their instances to get the gear to run the Watcher and get the final set pieces of gear.

Other gripes are bugs which every expansion has, I didn't find game breaking bugs though. I could find work arounds. Hopefully they fix them soon. I found zero quests that were small fellow. The game has been going landscape only solo for awhile though. There should be some solid endgame gear but even the recipes I could barter for the critted versions weren't much better than the stuff I got questing. I don't need them to be teal I just want the bartered recipes to have the crit version be better than what is found solo questing.

Minor gripes that don't really matter. I wish we could have gotten some new looking orcs. My brain always pictured them larger and stronger than regular orcs, paler as well. Gundabad has been without Dwarves much longer than Moria yet Gundabad appears to be in better shape. Figured we'd see more crumbling of the dwarves work in Gundabad. Would have been a nice time to open Captains to the dwarf/longbeard race :P

[danquanngaytho]

Generally, like previous expansions, I expect plenty of bugs from Gundabad. Here are some pet peeves I hope developers spend time to address in Gundabad:

1. Landscape has many invisible falling pits (Deepscrave), men-swallowed walls or stairs (Mattugard and Clovergap), bugged instances in Stonejaw such as The Apprentices' Attack

2. My bag is filled quickly with unusable Heritage Runes right now. The tracery boxes has rough RNG, which gave me only traceries I could not use.

3. Not many cool dwarvish cosmetic armors or weapons. I expect armor with bulky appearance from the Gundabad.

4. Heavy and frequent lag, like usual.

5. Quest gear cannot be disenchanted into Ember.

[Thurinuor]

For me it's one of the best expansions they ever made.

Pro:
- Landscape is magnificent
- Gundabad has a lot of different cool zones
- Regions are huge compared to the small expansion packs WotP and Minas Morgul
- Story is great!
- A lot of new assets, sound files, really good music and new ideas
- It's the little things that count: finally a lot of new icos from the start

Cons:
- Itemization is not finished, but that's always the case with new full expansions, because they need room for better ones for future updates
- Some quest issues and bugs, but they will be gone within the next weeks
- German translation is not finished, a lot of text is missind or TBD or in english
- Lag and performance could be better
- New reward track is missing

So, my new expansion ranking is:
- Mines of Moria
- Riders of Rohan
- Fate of Gundabad
- Rise of Isengard
- Siege of Mirkwood
- Mordor
- Minas Morgul
- War of Three Peaks
- Helms Deep

[Seregthol]

Some of the visuals are really impressive. But otherwise, much of it feels very cut-and-paste. Like we've seen so much of it before.

The amount of bugs and unfinished content don't help. A lot of players seem very meh about it all.

[Kordoo]

3. Story telling is just...I mean god, still going strong and honestly keeps it interesting, music also goes well.

The temporal interconnectivity and entanglement between the various key moments in history are incredibly well written. The same process found in the literature of Isaac Asimov.

[wrath247]

So far it really does seem to be a mixed feeling sort of thing, but I think someone on reddit summed up why maybe the reactions are mixed.

"I think we need to consider that alot of the playerbase is old. Even the ppl commenting on it tend to be really old."

Original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/lotro/comme...f_durin_story/


It's not meant to be agist, and actually I think touches on the fact that because alot of the playerbase has quite literally been here for the long-run, they've seen it all. Yes Gundabad has reused assets, but tbf, not much I think they could do in terms of variety for Dwarf structures considering Tolkien wrote the Longbeards as seemingly being the more dominant race of dwarves. So sticking to a general motif makes more sense than just suddenly changing styles.

For some newer players I've met in-game, and on social media, the responses to Gundabad have been mostly excited because admittedly they're new so haven't actually experienced much of the game yet. Exploring stuff never explained or expounded in the movies (less so the books because most ppl got into LOTR via the movies now) and experiencing them. Hence why the Shadow of series was so popular, different take on an established IP.

In terms of instances tho, I mean, kinda was expected to only launch later on. Other MMOs aren't exactly excluded from doing that. The armor sets tho...ok ngl I was expecting more and I hope more are actually added.



SHORT VERSION: Balance expectations with practicality. This game is unbelievably old but still manages to make the newer regions/story feel fresh (depending on ur mindset) I think we might also need to temper those expectations with the reality of the situation.


Hbu guys? Do u think that maybe because LOTRO has been the main game most players in the community play, it might have changed ppl's pov for content post-Mordor? And more importantly, what would u like to see the dev's prioritize or improve for the next expansion? (PLS BE RHUN!)

[LagunaD2]

The temporal interconnectivity and entanglement between the various key moments in history are incredibly well written. The same process found in the literature of Isaac Asimov.

You mean like in the Gundabad epic where a dead dorf invented by SSG shows up out of nowhere and single-handedly resolves the entire plot in a ridiculously implausible hour-long cutscene?

[wrath247]

You mean like in the Gundabad epic where a dead dorf invented by SSG shows up out of nowhere and single-handedly resolves the entire plot in a ridiculously implausible hour-long cutscene?

you mean like how tolkien introduced a suddenly random element the grey company out of nowhere that is effectively just a delivery system?

not sure how suddenly introducing a new element is different from how everyone has done so many times

[Pavlin]

Outside lag spikes and lack of self heal for brawler, great.

[Gilean-EU]

For me Gundabad seems to be the prime example of why LOTRO radar map system is horrible, as it's 2D only. I find myself constantly lost, seeing a quest tracker ring very near me but no idea if the NPC/item I need is on the same level, or below, or above me and by how much. Even Everquest 2 had better in-game maps regarding this. In addition to that, Deepscrave map itself is way off which makes it even harder to navigate where you want.

[Winzhi]

The network lag has been awful but I made it through by playing very late hours.

The world is decent looking and the questing was okay but its obvious to me the map and radar UI needs a massive rewamp if they intend on making more landscapes like this. Its awful to navigate with.

Having zero group content is a major issue and the people I leveled with is already out of content to do and already on break. I just dont understand releasing a MMORPG with no group content. I understand delaying raid content, most MMOs do that now, but having zero group content is awful in a MMORPG. There is zero player inaction happening. This is my number one major issue. I hope we dont return to the Turbine days where they suddenly released 2-3 expansions with no group content which killed hundred of kinships and thousands of players left to never return.

[Terebinth]

For me Gundabad seems to be the prime example of why LOTRO radar map system is horrible, as it's 2D only. I find myself constantly lost, seeing a quest tracker ring very near me but no idea if the NPC/item I need is on the same level, or below, or above me and by how much. Even Everquest 2 had better in-game maps regarding this. In addition to that, Deepscrave map itself is way off which makes it even harder to navigate where you want.

Agreed. I like a bit of a challenge in things, but navigating the terrain in the first two zones is terrible. I can easily spend over an hour just getting back to the place I was last time I was on. Sometimes I wander for two hours, get a landscape quest done on the fly, but never arrive at my target location, even if I have previously been there. This is not how I want to spend my game time. It makes for an infuriating experience, and and after an hour I find myself angry while playing. A game should not have this effect on a player. Not ALL the time. So, this is not a good product.

[Seregthol]

You mean like in the Gundabad epic where a dead dorf invented by SSG shows up out of nowhere and single-handedly resolves the entire plot in a ridiculously implausible hour-long cutscene?

lol Exactly.

[wrath247]

So added CONS:

4. Server lag: ok ngl we really need new servers. As is we're a small playerbase and its still lagging delaying at some points of the day.

5. Landscape trodding: this i feel is also because its different from the norm, personally i found it easy. Reminded me of dark souls haha, no but I do see how it could be problematic. I think they might need to add a quest to help with this for older players (not in age btw i mean vet players). Since unless u've played some games with this kind of element, I can see how it is confusing.

[miriadel]

it's been up and down. Landscape is ok, the Welkin Lofts and Glimmerdeep are very nice. Hate Deepscrave to navigate. The story was... boring for me. It only piked up at Motsog, which is the end basically so to get to the good part one needs to suffer a lot of slog and back and forth. And lag. Some of the quests ending with "the story continues in a future update" make me think they shall conclude with the raid and dungeons. I sure hope so anyway, because I'm tired of dwarves. Whatever new region we get next, I hope it is centered on anything but dwarves.

[LagunaD2]

I sure hope so anyway, because I'm tired of dwarves. Whatever new region we get next, I hope it is centered on anything but dwarves.

Welcome to the party, pal!

[Arabani]

I complitly agree that an mmorpg without group content is not a game at all.

I love lotro for its story and world building, for its slow pace, realism and immersion, but it is a game, not a book or movie. You need to have group and raid content in a game. You found time and money for a dedicated pvp developer. Find it for a group content designer. It's far more important. Ask your mates from Daybreak and DPG, if you do not know how and why: every EQ2 expansion has over 10 instances and 4 raids. At launch. Each time.

[Snowlock]

Too many reused assets.
Landscape difficulty is way too low
Feels way too segmented and disconnected. Where Moria's various zones had many open and seemless juncture points, each of these zones has one narrow passage to the next.
Doesn't really feel we're in very big spaces. Gundabad you would think would rival Moria in space, but we are being tricked by elevations and each zone has large masses of unplayable areas.
Storyline is not great. Instead of a war, seem to be in a sparsely populated post war landscape with very little in the way of resistance.
Picking rocks sucks.

Pros would be the connec to Angmar is cool and I guess that we got to see Gundabad at all. Overall though, giant Meh.

[Kordoo]

You mean like in the Gundabad epic where a dead dorf invented by SSG shows up out of nowhere and single-handedly resolves the entire plot in a ridiculously implausible hour-long cutscene?

Your thoughts are not mine. In short, I will not feed you more.

[Xanatos665]

For me Gundabad seems to be the prime example of why LOTRO radar map system is horrible, as it's 2D only. I find myself constantly lost, seeing a quest tracker ring very near me but no idea if the NPC/item I need is on the same level, or below, or above me and by how much. Even Everquest 2 had better in-game maps regarding this. In addition to that, Deepscrave map itself is way off which makes it even harder to navigate where you want.

This is one of my biggest problems with the new areas. The minimap is mostly useless because it shows red dots all around you, but the mobs may be above or below you. It will show the stablemasters and hub NPC's as right next to you, even though they are actually somewhere above you (or below). And I am F-ING SICK of having bunches of quests set inside orc camps, with mobs everywhere, that respawn in seconds. It's just not my idea of fun. I play solo and it's such a bloody chore working my way through these camps. More than once, I've said "screw this" and ported out, with multiple quests partway done. I probably have 10-12 quests in my log that still need 2 more orc captains, or dwarf hostages, or whatever the hell. If I am not enjoying the gameplay, and if I instead find myself annoyed, I just stop playing.

I'm trying to run the dailies so I can overlevel the content, which helps somewhat but I am also just skipping quests and thinking I'll come back to them later, which I probably won't. I decided to check out Gloomingtarn as a change of pace...got there and I immediately get 4-5 quests in a freakin' orc camp. I logged out.

[Snowlock]

This is one of my biggest problems with the new areas. The minimap is mostly useless because it shows red dots all around you, but the mobs may be above or below you. It will show the stablemasters and hub NPC's as right next to you, even though they are actually somewhere above you (or below). And I am F-ING SICK of having bunches of quests set inside orc camps, with mobs everywhere, that respawn in seconds. It's just not my idea of fun. I play solo and it's such a bloody chore working my way through these camps. More than once, I've said "screw this" and ported out, with multiple quests partway done. I probably have 10-12 quests in my log that still need 2 more orc captains, or dwarf hostages, or whatever the hell. If I am not enjoying the gameplay, and if I instead find myself annoyed, I just stop playing.

I'm trying to run the dailies so I can overlevel the content, which helps somewhat but I am also just skipping quests and thinking I'll come back to them later, which I probably won't. I decided to check out Gloomingtarn as a change of pace...got there and I immediately get 4-5 quests in a freakin' orc camp. I logged out.

Agreed on the map 2D map in spaces with ups and downs. Deepscrave sucked. You can turn off the red dots if you want.

Regarding bunches of quests inside camps... To each their own. It's one of the few challenges in landcape questing, I enjoy it and would rather see more of these type of things than less. Back during the Helm's Deep Expansion, most of the quests were consecutive and it was incredibly monotonous.

[wrath247]

Updated

PROS:
1. The new region definitely achieved the whole scale with the new design of the top to bottom idea they went with
2. As always the region feels unique compared to Moria, and the pristine walls sell that whole this was the peak of the dwarves vibe. I mean considering that half of the regions lately have little to no absolute lore or backdrop to base design off, kudos to the team.
3. Story telling is just...I mean god, still going strong and honestly keeps it interesting, music also goes well.
4. Music: Damn. Just. My ears can't stop.
5. Expanded Lore: For all of Tolkien's worldbuilding, the guy wasn't that detailed on certain areas, so kudos to the team for having come up with stuff.


CONS:
1. There is a noticeable lack of armor variety. Ngl, ik the whole work at home probably limits the ability to design new sets, but could definitely use varied ones like MM did.
2. Some bugs, and, well yeah sadly there are
3. Not all the quest chains are complete
4. Server lag: ok ngl we really need new servers. As is we're a small playerbase and its still lagging delaying at some points of the day.
5. Landscape trodding: this i feel is also because its different from the norm, personally i found it easy. Reminded me of dark souls haha, no but I do see how it could be problematic. I think they might need to add a quest to help with this for older players (not in age btw i mean vet players). Since unless u've played some games with this kind of element, I can see how it is confusing.
6. IXP runes: Yeah they are taking up alot of space...ngl, while it isn't a big issue for me, I kinda would like to get rid of them already.
7. Lack of group content: Hopefully this comes out in 31.1 since 31.2 is Erebor housing.
8. Not everyones cup of tea (?): I mean, yeah? Personally i feel like some older folks have a rager ____ on dwarves. Better than Skaven hobbits i suppose.
9. The mini-map: No comment because yeah -_- should be adjusted tbh.
10. Feels too small: So uhm what are the chances Gundabad is expanded further? Ala what bree just had with Wildwood.


P.S. the lack of war I can kinda get behind. Since the WOTP was the major battle, and seemingly LOTRO decided to go with the realistic "after suffering a major defeat you are bound to loose control over ur remaining armies". Tolkien really seemed to not incorporate realism in his writings, which i guess makes sense for fantasy, but us being able to waltz in after delivering a phyrric defeat to Gorgar makes sense practically.

[Alex53]

The expansion content: Great.
The server performance: Bad enough to detract from the great job done by the content creators.