Update 17.

[Astelor]

Update 17 has been announced and we are getting more epic battles. That's cool. But will we ever have raid again with specific mecanics and so?

[peachykins]

IMO no... If they ever do a raid again, it won't be the quality that many want.

[Beaniemooch]

IMO this is why the game keeps dwindling and they end up closing servers so worlds don't feel "empty".

[maartena]

In a recent Twitch cast Vyvyanne revealed they are looking at the possibility of new raids, and that the storyline that is coming up (they said that they still have a lot of the Gondor story line to tell in 2016) certainly would lend itself appropriate for a raid type setting. So that is something..... Of course nothing is etched in stone.

[bucko39]

In a recent Twitch cast Vyvyanne revealed they are looking at the possibility of new raids, and that the storyline that is coming up (they said that they still have a lot of the Gondor story line to tell in 2016) certainly would lend itself appropriate for a raid type setting. So that is something..... Of course nothing is etched in stone.

I really wish they would stop using the "it doesn't fit the current story line" excuse. Because that is all it is--an excuse.
If she actually said they are "looking at the possibility" of raids...that means there are none currently in active development, which means more than likely we won't see one in 2016.
Go team!

[Lagadelphia]

I really wish they would stop using the "it doesn't fit the current story line" excuse. Because that is all it is--an excuse.
If she actually said they are "looking at the possibility" of raids...that means there are none currently in active development, which means more than likely we won't see one in 2016.
Go team!

Quoted for truth. Erebor cluster anyone? Had zero to do with story line. Also unless the current end game grind, ie essences and Imbuded Li's, gets reworked, How could they possibly balance it? If it is balanced for folks who have been grinding away at essence armor and Imbuded Li's from the start, it'll be inaccessable to those who haven't. Balance it for folks who haven't ground for essences and Imbuded Li's, no challenge for thoe who have.

[Pavlosh]

Having just watched the Twitch video, we won't be seeing a Raid any time soon.

The Devs all went quiet, Vyviane had to think a lot about how to phrase the answer and the response was a lame excuse about 'current storyline'. Alongside a lot of floor gazing which could indicate a nervous answer...

One of the other Devs said that from a fan's perspective, there were now going to be places where a raid could be relevant. Meaningless twaddle.


I really hope the new BBs are something special, because if they are anything like the HD ones, I can feel another VIP-less lotro break coming.

[siipperi]

Having just watched the Twitch video, we won't be seeing a Raid any time soon.

The Devs all went quiet, Vyviane had to think a lot about how to phrase the answer and the response was a lame excuse about 'current storyline'. Alongside a lot of floor gazing which could indicate a nervous answer...

One of the other Devs said that from a fan's perspective, there were now going to be places where a raid could be relevant. Meaningless twaddle.


I really hope the new BBs are something special, because if they are anything like the HD ones, I can feel another VIP-less lotro break coming.

Well that was directed to Vyvyanne anyway and devs don't really have power to answer to that kind of questions anyway "officially", but their own opinion, which sadly matters a little.

Also new BBs are about on bar with deeping wall in terms of interesting content.

I really wish they would stop using the "it doesn't fit the current story line" excuse. Because that is all it is--an excuse.
If she actually said they are "looking at the possibility" of raids...that means there are none currently in active development, which means more than likely we won't see one in 2016.
Go team!

Agreed, that said Minas Morgul and Shelob would make wonderful bunch of instances and raids and they would make sense lore and story wise where we heading to.

[TharbadThief]

For those who don't want to skim through the whole video, the answer in question (heh!) can be heard at 44:50 - 46:00.

[Pavlosh]

Also new BBs are about on bar with deeping wall in terms of interesting content.

Deeping Wall :|

At least Pelagir managed to put some semblance of 'fun' into the Epic Battle, a bit more like a skirm in style with players actually killing the majority of mobs. Even the side bosses have a little personality.

[Coeprandua]

I know I've probably never said anything good about Turbine before, but what we're getting this year is decent.

For starters, the EP letter didn't have lies in it. We got a beautiful U16 landscape, Osgiliath surpassing all my expectations. Before U16, I pretty much believed we would never get an instance cluster again. I really believed there would never be server merges. Right now, I feel like we will never get a raid again, but I also started believing in miracles in LOTRO.

Although, not all is well, I think the achievements of 2015 have dwarfed the inconveniences such as the grindy LI system.

[OldMadeOfLions]

...there were now going to be places where a raid could be relevant. Meaningless twaddle.

Not at all. As designers, we pride ourselves on our ability to create content anywhere, and indeed, we've done it in the past: that's where Helegrod and the Rift and Ost Dunhoth came from, after all. If I was told I needed to make group content in a field in Rohan, you'd get group content in a field in Rohan (and, hopefully, it would be awesome. I'd need to think about it some.)

But my point on the stream was that there are places still to come that would need very *little* justification to make this sort of content there. As a fan of LotR, if I were looking at it from the outside, it would feel obvious. That's all.

MoL

[kickman77]

I said this in another thread

When you have to resrot to gimmicks like increa=sed currency gains from the NEW content just to push people to run it (oh and raising the prices at the barter to ensure people will run them to get their loot quicker) it says to me that the devs even know these are opoor content

How does the statement go... you can cover excrament in gold but its still a piece of excrament

So, with u17 we get 2 new BB
In those battles.. essence drops are increased
Stars of merit drops are increased

Than to top it off ( on beta) they had 2 new items on the barter and within 1 build almost trupled the price because of the star of merit increase in the new battles.

Aa far as a raid coming... I believe that was an excuse to, but... on the other hand... why would they give that answer and not do what they have neen doing for 2 years now and say nope not yet

[bucko39]

Not at all. As designers, we pride ourselves on our ability to create content anywhere, and indeed, we've done it in the past: that's where Helegrod and the Rift and Ost Dunhoth came from, after all. If I was told I needed to make group content in a field in Rohan, you'd get group content in a field in Rohan (and, hopefully, it would be awesome. I'd need to think about it some.)

But my point on the stream was that there are places still to come that would need very *little* justification to make this sort of content there. As a fan of LotR, if I were looking at it from the outside, it would feel obvious. That's all.

MoL

MoL, no disrespect to you...but if a raid is being planned or coming, just say it (not necessarily you, mind you). There have been "obvious" points along the way (from the outside looking in) that we could argue a raid would be cool, but we haven't got one. It's been years. So, I would appreciate it if we could hear less..."yes, that place WOULD be perfect for a raid"...and more, "yes, you ARE getting a raid for Update X"

It's long overdue. Sadly, with comments like yours above, all you are doing is giving folks false hope (and that is based on what has transpired the past two years).
Just my two cents.

[Scirocco]

Quoted for truth. Erebor cluster anyone? Had zero to do with story line. Also unless the current end game grind, ie essences and Imbuded Li's, gets reworked, How could they possibly balance it? If it is balanced for folks who have been grinding away at essence armor and Imbuded Li's from the start, it'll be inaccessable to those who haven't. Balance it for folks who haven't ground for essences and Imbuded Li's, no challenge for thoe who have.

One would hope that difficulty tiers would address this.

Tier 1 would be aimed for those at level 100 without ILIs or essence armor.

T2 would be for those with a mix. T3 would be for the fully decked-out player.

In addition, there's no reason not to have a Challenge element at each tier.

[Beaniemooch]

One would hope that difficulty tiers would address this.

Tier 1 would be aimed for those at level 100 without ILIs or essence armor.

T2 would be for those with a mix. T3 would be for the fully decked-out player.

In addition, there's no reason not to have a Challenge element at each tier.

This is what T1, T2, and T2C was supposed to be. Making a challenge level for each indicates the ability to create 6 tiers instead of 3 and we can't even get 3 good tiers of difficulty.

The number one problem in the past has been T1 has no relevance to T2 in teaching you to progress. The number one problem these days is there is nothing but BBs to look forward to and for many of us they are such a pale comparison to actual raiding it's not even the same game.

No Kick, MoL isn't spreading false hope. You'd have to be a fool anymore to have any hope of a coming raid this year or in the future.

[djheydt]

Agreed, that said Minas Morgul and Shelob would make wonderful bunch of instances and raids and they would make sense lore and story wise where we heading to.

So they might. But remember, our characters cannot
get to Minas Morgul and environs until after the Ring
falls. Everything Aragorn and Legolas and Gimli and
Théoden and Eomer and Imrahil do, everything our
characters do, for the next ten days or so of the Third
Age (March 15-25) is partly or wholly to divert the
attention of the Eye away from his own territory,
So that Frodo and Sam can make their way to Mount
Doom without getting caught.

After that, other than the coronation (May 1) and the
wedding (June 20-22, depending on when the solstice
falls; Midsummer's Day anyway), the calendar is pretty
open. Plenty of time for Turbine to design a great deal
of mopping-up activity, including a raid if there's budget
for it.

[OldMadeOfLions]

There have been "obvious" points along the way (from the outside looking in) that we could argue a raid would be cool, but we haven't got one.

Such as? I can think of a few places where I'd like to have content like that, but I don't think they necessarily require a first visit to those locations. I think 'In Their Absence' proved that we can put group content in older areas pretty successfully.

MoL

[Hurin]

Such as? I can think of a few places where I'd like to have content like that, but I don't think they necessarily require a first visit to those locations. I think 'In Their Absence' proved that we can put group content in older areas pretty successfully.

MoL

I remember the last four times I was on an urgent errand and was pulled aside to wash dishes and fill someone's water skin, I thought to myself: "I really could use eleven helpers for this."



--H

[Aedfrith]

Such as?

MoL

As I see it, the question "behind the question" for MoL is really "what is the story-line justification for seeing something happening in a raid that wouldn't happen in a Big Battle?" Finding out what has happened to Faramir explains the Osgiliath instances. Pelennor Fields is clearly going to be a Big Battle, or series of same.

The best ideas I can come up with off the top of my head are (1) Shelob's Lair - finding and finishing her off, (2) liberating Cair Andros, or (3) helping Thranduil and the Elves of Mirkwood drive the host of Dol Guldur back (a "prequel" to the BG instances or raids, if you like).

We've already had Dale/Erebor and Dol Guldur "ahead of schedule" from the point of view of the timeline.

The fact that raids are 9084432% more interesting than Big Battles seems to be beside the point...

[matalan]

I think 'In Their Absence' proved that we can put group content in older areas pretty successfully.

MoL

Well, exactly! If the story doesn't lend itself to a raid or whatever in the 'new' landscape areas, you could shove one elsewhere. Like you said, if you were told to make group content in a field in Rohan, you'd give it a shot.... sadly I don't think you were *told* to do anything like that, and perhaps chances have been missed in recent updates where raids and such could have happened, if you were told to do it

IOW - It's not your fault, you have a directive to follow and do the best with it that you can.


Please let me know where to send cookies to get raids lol

[bucko39]

Such as? I can think of a few places where I'd like to have content like that, but I don't think they necessarily require a first visit to those locations. I think 'In Their Absence' proved that we can put group content in older areas pretty successfully.

MoL

Where to begin?
I can think of several places throughout Eastern and Western Rohan that would fit perfectly for a 6-man or possible 12-man raid. Enemy encampments or dungeons that people will see once on the landscape as they level and probably never go to again--but could easily be expanded into an instance. Same thing applies with Western, Central and Eastern Gondor. As I travel past some of the landscape, it's almost impossible not to think, "that would have been a cool 6-man instance" Even some of the areas that were mapped out for Big Battles would have been better suited (imo) as a classic instance or raid--Glittering Caves comes to mind.

Side note: 'In Their Absence' is one of the best instance clusters in the game.

[Macroscian]

As I see it, the question "behind the question" for MoL is really "what is the story-line justification for seeing something happening in a raid that wouldn't happen in a Big Battle?"

Yop! And the answer must always be I want to throw my class at the content, not those additional 'roles'. With everyone r6 and repeatedly farming some 2 side quests for max gain...that's not really instanced content for my class. It's made to be ran by a different role and it's not a start-to-finish experience in other than extreme learning cases. My class was supposedly designed to be matched with other character classes and not with 'everyone places traps and healers mend flag poles'. It is not LOTRO to me in any shape or form. It is an additional minigame detached from LOTRO which I must play to max my points.
And now I have to run it to experience the story. NO thanks.

[Jillymala]

Pelennor Fields is clearly going to be a Big Battle, or series of same.

Please just.. no.
No more Big Battles, give us proper instances. Myself and others I know don't want to see these created as 15 minute partially afk/mindless dps fests.
These are the biggest and most epic confrontations in Middle Earth that are coming up.. please don't make them big battles.
I'm begging here...

[cdq1958]

Please just.. no.
No more Big Battles, give us proper instances. Myself and others I know don't want to see these created as 15 minute partially afk/mindless dps fests.
These are the biggest and most epic confrontations in Middle Earth that are coming up.. please don't make them big battles.
I'm begging here...

Well, there will be EBs set in the Pelennor. Whether they'll do classic ones, too, remains to be seen. I *love* EBs, especially when and where those *other roles* shine, unlike the classic ones, which I've done to death and am tired of (for they're not much fun, to me), unless my kinnies are having fun.