Release Nov 18th

[Thodorin]

....We know there are 29 Worlds. Making up numbers based on Lux Aeterna's graphs, it looks like the lowest number of logins is about 100,000 per server with "average peaks" around 300,000 per server. So lets say that translates into 100,000 unique users logging into 29 servers every week... 2,900,000 accounts. Remember, I'm making these numbers up out of thin air, the real numbers could be much more or much less. Turbine won't tell us.....

If the numbers of logins not per week?

Die untenstehenden Diagramme beziehen sich jeweils auf den Zeitraum Montag bis Sonntag.

As many players log in every day you must divide by 7.

[Fralin]

Isengard bids 5...

You beat me to it... and that has to be the most epic line in the game for sure. Every time someone asks how much X is worth in global there's always someone answering "Isengard bids 5", and it's always as fun as the first time

[Blackheart-Fury]

Second, actually. The first was "LotRO will have NO form of PvP."

And how does that make you feel?

[Thorwyn99]

Hmm didn't see the part about the epic gated behind the expansion, does not affect me personally but i don't think it's a good idea for 2 Reasons.

1. I never liked people going back on their word, i put games on blacklist for that before.
2. The epic quest line would have been the perfect way to "demo off" the big battles for people being on the fence about purchasing the expansion, like let everyone run the big battles which are part of the epic once with the epic line and if they want to run more/again they need to buy the exp.

Edit:I retract the question about Big Battles, read the Q+A again, i guess it states each of them has a solo option, my bad for not reading right:P

[Edrogar]

Players will ultimately be the judge, but I personally think it's epic. You're going to be there when Gandalf casts out Grima. If you're a lore buff, I think it hits all the right marks.

and tha's how you finally kill a game, "the players will judge" yup with their wallets, the epic has been free all the way through, you yourself even stated in the past that turbine promises the epic will always be free, you're now going back on that promise, watch the players walk my friend watch the players walk.

This is getitng close to the last straw for me. I'd rather play AoC they may have a system where you have to buy an expansion and sub to access it but at least their expansions have a lot of content, not a glorified quest pack that takes away content from the free players.

[Mennhabar]

Hmm didn't see the part about the epic gated behind the expansion, does not affect me personally but i don't think it's a good idea for 2 Reasons.

1. I never liked people going back on their word, i put games on blacklist for that before.
2. The epic quest line would have been the perfect way to "demo off" the big battles for people being on the fence about purchasing the expansion, like let everyone run the big battles which are part of the epic once with the epic line and if they want to run more/again they need to buy the exp.

Well said.

Other Epic volumes were great show-off of the zones you could buy and I found the way to obtain the warhorse in Rohan very well done under that aspect.
Why not to do something similar here?

[kedarid]

J would like to know the real reasons of the leaving of Aaron Campbell, was he agree with all of that ?

What!! When did he leave?

I have no problem with epic story accessible only to the expansion buyers but this is another broken promise that will have negative consequences for the development of the game. I am now very curious whether the statement about expanding the license is still valid.

[Whiperandwake]

I think his point is that if he doesn't like the changes he's not going to play the game, which means buying the expansion is a waste of money.

a sentiment MOST of my friends share, its sad but these changes to our classes are just BAD. and add in that we get ZERO new instances just this "big battles" gimmick pshh
40 bucks for a glorified quest pack and another failed gimmick used for marketing (mounted combat) and with freeps nerfed to hell paired with the fact that the moors is the only real reason to sub to lotro i see turbine bleeding lotro subs in the very near future

[Jillymala]

I believe when the the statement was made for the Epic to be free always, Turbine was independent at that time yes?

They are owned by Warner Brothers now... I don't believe Turbine should be the whipping post for everything that goes wrong ..

[Peresbert]

When I started to have minor account issues (affected "quality of life" stuff, and all but 1 char to be corrupted after 45) I took a stand to not spend anything on the game till my account is fixed. 10 months now. Now I learn that the game is now Pay to Play for content that I truly believe is way overpriced for something that is still just a promise. I don't even get to see the region to see if it is worth something. This is how many of my kinnies decided to buy new content. I see a major loss in potential earnings down the road if they don't retract their reneged promise.

And many of us have supported the game, and do a lot for the community. We also buy based on experience. Without at least a "demo", many won't buy Helm's Deep.

The content sounds good, but I am a free marketeer. If you don't want to fix my issues, you better amaze me to get me to buy an overpriced expansion.

[Hundolf]

I believe when the the statement was made for the Epic to be free always, Turbine was independent at that time yes?

They are owned by Warner Brothers now... I don't believe Turbine should be the whipping post for everything that goes wrong ..

False, they were definately owned by warner brothers when RoI came out.

[Jillymala]

False, they were definately owned by warner brothers when RoI came out.

My apologies then
Then this just strengthens the feeling that Turbine itself is a company owned by Warner Brothers and they are ultimately responsible for it.

[Kongas]

My apologies then
Then this just strengthens the feeling that Turbine itself is a company owned by Warner Brothers and they are ultimately responsible for it.

The people at the top of Turbine will effectively be WB Execs. I'm comfortable in holding 'Turbine' responsible for the good and the bad.

[Crell_1]

+Sapience

Given that the epic is NOT free,

Is landscape access to West Rohan free? Will players be able to go there and grind mobs to level to 95 or will they be limited to scaling instanced spaces and earlier land-masses for that?

[bastiat1]

I don't know if anyone has been privy to the license agreement, but I wouldn't assume that LoTRO shuts down whenever the license expires. This is purely speculation, but I would guess that the license is perpetual for already developed content and the license ending bars the development of any new content.

When someone makes a LoTRO movie they have to license the rights. Those rights have a term and the film has to be made within that term. When that term ends the filmmaker isn't barred from selling that film any longer, he is just barred from using the intellectual property for any other development.

My guess is that even if the license is not renewed Turbine can credibly state without lying that they will support LoTRO for years to come by keeping the existing content and servers running. If Helms Deep is profitable I'm sure Turbine will want to renew. If it isn't they may be better off ceasing new development but continuing to provide the existing content.

[Oldin]

So it's finally here, I remember back in Mirkwood thinking how awesome the game would be when we finally got to Helm's Deep, and how Turbine would approach it. So all in all what we are paying for in this "Expansion" is:
1.Quest Line- A given

2.New Land Mass-A given

3.Epic Battles- Glorfied skirmishes but surely can't be a bigger gimmick than mounted combat...so that's fair enough.

4.Class Updates/Balance(?)- This seems like a game update more than a defining feature of an expansion.

5. Epic Quest- Well looks like that's going to cost money. In my opinion the landscape tells a better story than the epic line does now, so it won't be missed. Are we honestly still on Volume 3? That story has been rambling on with no purpose for a while, can't imagine why I'd pay for it...

6. Level cap increase to 95-Levels stopped meaning anything at level 75. 95 is just an illusion of progression.

7. Goodbye to Raids- Many will remember you fondly. You were a bunch of fun pre-Erebor (I even preferred Draigoch to you). RIP

8. 1 More year of grind!- Let's have a moment of silence for the hours of life many lost grinding this year. Horse-Lord recipe farming...you took too many. Gold gear farming...you took more.

I used to love this game, but it's not the same game anymore. I have been fairly outspoken in the past about the direction the game is headed, but it's not out of anger or having the need to have people quit the game with me out of spite. I'm just disappointed in what was once a fun game that I'd like back.

[Ephixofcrickhollow]

1. Make GLFF VIP only
2. Flying mounts
3. Be able to mail more than one item at a time
4. Fix /follow command

[Nimelriana]

2. Flying mounts

No. NO. NO!

[Lynchpin13]

So who else thinks it'll be the worst selling expansion in LOTRO history? Most people I know are done once RoR is over and the game is undeniably going downhill.

This isn't an expansion it's more like a $15-$20 DLC or big questpack to put it in lotro terms either way $40 is just not good value for money especially with aggravation of the store added in.

[Thorwyn99]

So who else thinks it'll be the worst selling expansion in LOTRO history? Most people I know are done once RoR is over and the game is undeniably going downhill.

This isn't an expansion it's more like a $15-$20 DLC or big questpack to put it in lotro terms either way $40 is just not good value for money especially with aggravation of the store added in.

Opinions Opinions! Everywhere!

[Lohi]

Interesting to fantasize about we, the players, buying out LotRO.

Beware though. First shareholders meeting would have the majority of players vote to kick out PvP, second meeting would get rid of full raids, and the third would add non-combat mini-ent pets for everyone.

[Lohi]

Second, actually. The first was "LotRO will have NO form of PvP."

That's also something from before the game was even released. Was it a "promise" given that it was common knowledge to everyone that plans during development are always subject to change?

To me anything in the game is always subject to change, and it's really no big deal unless you fork out some money due to a specific plan for a feature and then that gets changed. Ie, if you sign up for a lifetime account because a game says it will have PvP and then it never appears, it would be very disappointing to feel like the money is wasted. On the other hand, the 5 years spent playing this game should never be considered an "investment" in that way, because those 5 years presumably were spent getting value from the subscription (anyone paying but not playing is doing it wrong). So in that sense any "promise" made a few years ago should be allowed to change without anyone complaining that their investments are now worthless. Plans change, the economy changes, the industry changes, nothing really works out as expected, that's all normal. The best anyone can do is promise to do something within their power as one tiny cog in a giant machine.

In that sense, the only straight-up promise I've seen in this game was the epics-will-remain-free.

[Lohi]

and tha's how you finally kill a game, "the players will judge" yup with their wallets, the epic has been free all the way through, you yourself even stated in the past that turbine promises the epic will always be free, you're now going back on that promise, watch the players walk my friend watch the players walk.

Doesn't this really only affect players who aren't paying anyway?

[Lohi]

Let's have a moment of silence for the hours of life many lost grinding this year.

This was entirely optional, and you did it solely because you wanted to. You can only blame yourself. I never once saw a horse lords recipe because I wasn't going to get dragged into grinding.

[trancejeremy]

So who else thinks it'll be the worst selling expansion in LOTRO history? Most people I know are done once RoR is over and the game is undeniably going downhill.

This isn't an expansion it's more like a $15-$20 DLC or big questpack to put it in lotro terms either way $40 is just not good value for money especially with aggravation of the store added in.

Well, you would think every new expansion would be the worst selling, because not everyone who bought the previous expansion will.

I guess you can maybe skip Mirkwood pretty easily, since it's out of the way and only a 5 level cap (which you can easily do in Enedwaith), but Isengard and Rohan are kinda needed.