Feature Article Feedback: The Lord of the Rings Online™ Solo Play, 40th – 60th Level

[Clover]

You might think that with the increased strength of Orcs, Goblins, Drakes, and other savage beasts that soloing is no longer an option—quite the contrary!

Read more about soloing for adventurers levels 40 to 60 and post your comments here!

[gildhur]

Tal Bruinen? Eregion? Helloooooooo.

[Grampsaz]

Are there going to be these types of articles on say...instances?

Like we've covered LOTRO is a casual players dream, but I still think that some of the greatest work the instance team guy have done is on your way to 60.

So If its not planned, I would propose:

Feature Article Feedback: The Lord of the Rings Online™ Group play lv 1-20

You could talk about some very early group content like Icroid (SP?) the spider in Archet, some early epic line stuff 1.11, hell even throw in Jagger Jack

Then 20-40
Great Barrows, Fornost, and Garth Agarwen.

40-60

Carn dum, Urugarth, Barad Gularan (omg i cant spell), Palace, Gardens, Tombs, Helegrod, Rift, School, Library, Forges, Stairs, Skumfil, Fil Gashen, Dark Delving, Grand Stairs, Forgotten Treasury. Epic stuff in 5.5 4.7, 6.7.


I think that the ppl who look at the lotro home page are those intrested in the game, so hopefully we can show these ppl that yes, you can solo from 1-60, but there is some great instances in the game too.

I would offer to write it, but I cant for the life of me run a complete sent....

[Thurindras]

Coming next week:

Feature Article Feedback: The Lord of the Rings Online™ Why Gramps Cant Spel Gud



/FLEE


(oh, and soloing from 40-60 is pretty well polished....)

[NotYetMeasured]

You could talk about some very early group content like Icroid (SP?) the spider in Archet, some early epic line stuff 1.11, hell even throw in Jagger Jack

Don't forget "A Gift for the North!"

If there is a companion series, I hope it will researched and edited for accuracy, though.

Why mention "Thistlewool's Sullied Name" (Level 15) in a guide to soloing 40-60?

Should have been mentioned: Tal Bruinen and Eregion (as already noted), also getting your Legendary Books and Pages, and there is plenty of soloable content in Angmar.



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[aethelberht]

Tal Bruinen? Eregion? Helloooooooo.

Glad someone else was thinking this! Ignoring Eregion's a real head-scratcher. Not to mention the great quest arcs involving the Trev Gallorg in Aughaire.

The amount of choice for solo'ing from 40 to 50 is probably second only to that for soloing up to 15.

[dividemysky]

No mention of the newly revamped Angmar? Eek!

Edit: Maybe it's not even new anymore?

[IroncladMerc]

The beginning of the article is confusing. First it says you can't start Vol II and enter Moria until you finish vol I. Then it says finishing vol I is not required.

This is what I find confusing:

While you can’t trace the path of the Fellowship of the Ring and begin your exploration of Moria until you've completed quests in the western lands of Eriador, you’re not required to follow that same path. You don’t have to complete Volume I quests before you start on Volume II.

[CoranisDoJ]

What's confusing about it?

You can't trace the path of the fellowship into Moria until you do quests in Eregion. That is true, you have to do Volume 2 book 1 to be able to get into Moria.

Next sentence is stating that you don't have to do any of volume I before you start on volume II, also true.

[Sobkiewwicz]

Ok, why are we congratulating ourselves on creating a MMO you can solo to 60? Wouldn't it be better served trying to get people to enjoy the fact that it's a MMO and you can group with people? To experience , you need a group, and it's awesome in ways: ....

Secondly, I don't see why you even allow people to not group until 60. They'll face a rude shock when first trying to group for one of the instances if they've solo'd all the way there.

I'm not saying that the entire game should be group, but at least emphasize the group aspects. That's the main reason you exist after all.

All of these solo threads are terrible. Fail.

[patbrogan]

Ok. I've held back from comments on these as I haven't really had much to say that hasnt been said by the time I read the comments. The discussions have been great bringing more information than the articles esp around the 30 to 40 range that I'm in. How the article missed some of that is beyond me. (Possibly the same team that missed a major bug in a new class, Turbine your great in most things but some areas of quality control need some work)

Anyway this article, which they should just title soloing 44 to 60 as we seem to miss any content for those first 4 lvls, is the most confused of the bunch. It really has no structure other than rolling of a list of quests and I'd hope that by lvl 40 you've kind of worked out how quests work anyway. Now this may be because I'm new to all these areas but isn't that the point of the article to introduce me to these areas in a structured manner to help me achieve solo lvling.

Oh and just to be a bit more of a moan they really should have come with a quest log management warning up front. Last night was the first time I really got sick of seeing that "gather some friends" line in the quest description and thinking all that work not to complete the line. Don't get me wrong it's not that I don't want to group it's just that most of the time it just dosent work for me. I'd rather not join or form a PUG that I may not be able to complete the quest with due to time issues.

[Raven_SB]

Ok, why are we congratulating ourselves on creating a MMO you can solo to 60? Wouldn't it be better served trying to get people to enjoy the fact that it's a MMO and you can group with people? To experience , you need a group, and it's awesome in ways: ....

Secondly, I don't see why you even allow people to not group until 60. They'll face a rude shock when first trying to group for one of the instances if they've solo'd all the way there.

I'm not saying that the entire game should be group, but at least emphasize the group aspects. That's the main reason you exist after all.

All of these solo threads are terrible. Fail.

Why? Because on some servers the population isn't high enough for people to get groups. I've just spent a frustrating two hours trying to put a group together. I managed to get one person after the first hour, but the quest requires more players.

Given that situation, being able to solo is a godsend.

[bluegreen]

Are Haudh Iarch (sp?) and Goblintown really solo instances? Especially at the levels given? From the tone of the article you'd think it's just a walk in the park.

The article seems to be aimed at a casual audience unfamiliar with the quest lines. But post-Moria, as we've seen, it takes a high degree of sophistication to play some of the classes. I don't understand the easy-peasey attitude when we know it's more challenging than that.

(And yes of course, there are the super-heroes who did the Rift solo with their eyes closed and don't see what difficulties people are talking about.)

Blue is still adjusting.

[patbrogan]

Ok, why are we congratulating ourselves on creating a MMO you can solo to 60? Wouldn't it be better served trying to get people to enjoy the fact that it's a MMO and you can group with people? To experience , you need a group, and it's awesome in ways: ....

Secondly, I don't see why you even allow people to not group until 60. They'll face a rude shock when first trying to group for one of the instances if they've solo'd all the way there.

I'm not saying that the entire game should be group, but at least emphasize the group aspects. That's the main reason you exist after all.

All of these solo threads are terrible. Fail.

Ok, I'll give you an answer. Long term game talking months here possibly years if you look at some WOW players. Lots of things happen in a year that will influence and impact game time therefore there are times when I want to group and times when I don't or simply cannot. Having a 12 week old son for instance (or during one, har har) seriously cramps your style.

Having the ability to solo is superb. I get the social community of my Kin. The knowledge that that elf running past is a real live body that will make odd decisions on the spur of the moment that may effect the outcome of my game is so much better than a solo RPG.

[Thrandiul110]

Sure, you can solo to 60... but you definitely won't get the rewards of group quests, which are far superior.

There is no problem if someone chooses to solo, but don't make the assumption that Turbine "prides" themselves off of it, there's no way you'll pass all the books alone anyway, and you'll miss out on a lot of great group rewards.

These guides have been helpful to me especially, even though some places were left out, now I have a good guide if I want to solo for 4 to 5 levels until I decide to do group quests again.

[Banaticus]

Earn rings as rewards in the solo quest arc A Midwinter's Thaw, where you help a happy couple get married in these dark times.

No, that's not really what happens. You help a guy try to kidnap and **** the woman that he's fallen in love with. He specifically tells you that he doesn't think she'd say yes if he asked and her brothers don't like him anyway, so he's going to try this "ancient ritual" -- grab her, tie her to his sled, drive off to some cave and have his way with her, because then her brothers would "have" to let him marry her. Obviously, her brothers aren't going to like this plan, so while he's inside subduing her, he wants you to stand guard outside and fight the brothers off.

After you fight the brothers off, the guy and his intended betrothed come out. Apparently she fought him off and after smacking him upside the head tells him that if he'd just asked, then she would have said yes. He then asks and she says yes and apparently everyone is happy, but...

What if she hadn't been strong enough to fight him off in the first case?

Let's not pussyfoot around the sitution. This isn't about helping some happy couple get married. This is about you being perfectly willing to aid and abet a kidnapping/**** session. Luckily she turns out to be stronger than her attacker, but what if she hadn't been? His intentions were clear and you were willing to stand by and "hold his coat". That makes you at least an accomplice if not an actual participant while you fought off those who would have tried to protect her.

Are Haudh Iarch (sp?) and Goblintown really solo instances? Especially at the levels given? From the tone of the article you'd think it's just a walk in the park.

I have no idea what the author was thinking, Goblintown is not a solo instance. Maybe you can run past everything then fight a few mobs in the jail, but just try to take on two drummer trolls and a lasher all at the same time (and potentially more if you ever fear anyone away, as they'll come back with friends), which is necessary for pretty much everything after the first few small quests in the jail. Goblintown is not a solo instance.

Why? Because on some servers the population isn't high enough for people to get groups.

Then move to my server, Landrovel. Send me a /tell in game, I'll come help you out. Or look for my kin, the Blackheart Pirates. During the evening, we're in pretty much every area in the game so a /ooc callout in just about any area should find one of us and we're a pretty awesome kinship. I'm sorry that Turbine didn't want to do some dynamic load balancing like Anarchy Online and wanted to follow in WoW's footsteps (and maybe WAR's footsteps if they have to merge servers to get good populations), but at least there are some good servers out there (like Landroval).

[Belegwe]

OK, who do you guys think you are kidding? Much of what you listed is not soloable, especially not for all classes. Forochel, for example, pre-Moria was absolutely awesome on my hunter 4 levels beneath my enemies, but on my level 50 minstrel it was a real pain in the rear with all the tactical resists on many of the mobs among other things. While hunters still have an edge there, the decrease to all Freep resistances means tactical classes will still be hard-pressed to solo there.

Goblin Town and the Men Rep dungeon? Are you joking? I mean seriously... these areas were not good solo areas before things were made harder with the combat system changes. With the number of mobs you will have on you in many places it is soloer suicide. How can you not know this? You cannot simply list off several of the existing high-level areas and magically have them become soloable just because you said they were. Telling us that a few of them are challenging is a complete understatement for many of these areas. A better term would be frustrating.

Ultimately, can you solo 40-60? Yes, for parts of it, but for most stuff you will need to do the quests when they are a few levels beneath your current level. Otherwise you will spend a lot of time regenerating... assuming you are in areas where you can do so. What used to be soloable is better done in a small fellowship at this point, if not necessarily so.

Basically, your article is unconvincing and is awfully feeble if it is meant as an answer to people's fears that soloing is falling apart/has become too difficult from 40-60. You guys can really do better than this... can't you?

[NotYetMeasured]

The beginning of the article is confusing. First it says you can't start Vol II and enter Moria until you finish vol I. Then it says finishing vol I is not required.

This is what I find confusing:

Quote:
While you can’t trace the path of the Fellowship of the Ring and begin your exploration of Moria until you've completed quests in the western lands of Eriador, you’re not required to follow that same path. You don’t have to complete Volume I quests before you start on Volume II.

I think what they might mean is that you have to level up to 50ish before starting Moria.

You can certainly go in and kill things in Haudh Iarcaith and Goblin-Town by 50, but I agree that the deeper parts would be really tough. Are there any "real" quests in Haudh Iarcaith anyway? So far all I have seen is "Gather X Rep Items" which does give XP, but there's not much of a story to it.


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[aethelberht]

Yeah, in reading responses and relooking at the article, I've gotta stick with my thumbs-down. Calling Goblin-town soloable at level is a stretch. Bouncing all around zones out of order; the odd, sporadic laundry-list of quest chains here and there; and again, missing huge swaths of the world, especially Eregion and western Angmar. Big miss, this one.

If, out of the blue, somebody asked me where/how to solo up, my answer would be far different. Something like:

39-41/42 -- Rivendell/Western Misty Mountains. I wasn't moved by the stories, but easy questing.
41/42-44/45 -- Tal Bruinen and/or Western Angmar. GREAT storylines in both places. And some cool challenges.
44/45-47/48 -- Forochel. Can also do E. Misty Mountains, but IMHO way better stories in Forochel.
47/48-50 -- Eregion. Hands-down. Gorgeous, great tie-ins with Tolkien's LOTR, almost fully solo-friendly, good challenges & twists.

Only a third of the above even shows up on the official so-called guide.

[fateHibari]

[COLOR=#333300][FONT=Verdana][COLOR=white]47/48-50 -- Eregion. Hands-down. Gorgeous, great tie-ins with Tolkien's LOTR, almost fully solo-friendly, good challenges & twists.

This is great news to me, the fact that Eregion is nearly fully solo-friendly.

[Ebyl]

I have to agree, a few of the places mentioned are not all that soloable on level, esp. depending on your class and how "tricked out" that character is. And let's face it, the people that are going to be using these types of guides are probably not going to have maxed out characters for their level. It does become far easier with one other person, though, so if you have a friend that plays, it works out really well.

But as a side note, I think it's great that there is a lot of solo content along with the group stuff. Sometimes I don't feel like grouping and would rather just amble along with some solo quests. Other times I want to group up and do those quests, so having options is great.

But I do feel it's best if people try to get experience in groups as they go. There is a certain dynamic (or lots of them, really) that you have to learn and the only way to do that is through experience. And you don't want to be learning those dynamics in a really tough instance where everyone is depending on you to hold up your end.

[gildhur]

This is great news to me, the fact that Eregion is nearly fully solo-friendly.

The only things that aren't soloable in Eregion are the two 3-man Tham Mirdain instances (quests out of Mirobel), the three 3-man LI instances in Dunann, and the Leader of the Foul Wood quest. Eveything else from Gwingris to Moria is solo.

[aethelberht]

The only things that aren't soloable in Eregion are the two 3-man Tham Mirdain instances (quests out of Mirobel), the three 3-man LI instances in Dunann, and the Leader of the Foul Wood quest. Eveything else from Gwingris to Moria is solo.

Yeah, there are 70+ solo quests scattered through the region. And they have a fairly smooth progression from the NW to the SE of the region. I found it one of the most organic, natural-feeling zones in the whole game. And one of the most rewarding. (Though you will likely be very tired of half-orcs by the time you're done with it.)

[Kaius]

As a player who's main is just now entering the level range mentioned by the article, I can't say I have much faith in soloing Goblin Town or Haudh Iarcrith. I have been to the latter area, and soloing piles of elites isn't what I have in mind .

I do believe it's possible to solo my way up, as I have done for much of the leveling already. I plan to use Tal Bruinen, Misty Mountains, and Angmar. I've heard Forochel is kinda rough but I'll go there to try it...I did learn from this thread though that apparently I'll be missing out if I don't try Eregion. All that ought to get me to 50, and from there on it's Moria.

[NotYetMeasured]

Haudh Iarcrith. I have been to the latter area, and soloing piles of elites isn't what I have in mind .

If you turn right or left at the first intersection (right before the elite barghest and elite wights) there are areas where you can kill normal mobs. There's T5 scholar nodes and you'll get lots of Barrow-Treasure drops.

I'm not sure what else is in the harder areas or why you would need to go in there, but I haven't even completed all of the SoA endgame content.


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