rank farming common nowadays :( - a hit in the face for all that worked so hard over years

[darksaiyan]

today I finally found the rank farmer "*****" on [DE]Gwaihir that is doing the same #### since weeks

- turning all the delving bosses
- having 20 freeps and one minstrel


Please make sure, that this will end.... and not only with a ban for a few days...... those playes should get their rank set back to zero

On our tiny little server we have seen and reported a many freeps and creeps over the last weeks, and we will not stop to find and report them all

regards

[Thorandril]

today I finally found the rank farmer "*****" on [DE]Gwaihir that is doing the same #### since weeks

- turning all the delving bosses
- having 20 freeps and one minstrel


Please make sure, that this will end.... and not only with a ban for a few days...... those playes should get their rank set back to zero

On our tiny little server we have seen and reported a many freeps and creeps over the last weeks, and we will not stop to find and report them all

regards

They really will reset the ranks, I didn't believe jt until I saw it. Then the exact same player re-farmed to 15 lol.

Likely the 2-3 game masters just can't keep up with the tickets judging by average wait time and the extended and frustrating process that is making tickets nowadays.

[Schattenhand]

They really will reset the ranks, I didn't believe jt until I saw it. Then the exact same player re-farmed to 15 lol.

jeez, rofl
______

If only one knew more about their ability to investigate such cases. What can they really see or find out to verify such misconduct. And how fast.

I think they really need to see if tickets are eligible.
There was also a feature in 'New World' to report players for misconduct. Only automatically and without any timer to really check it by the support. The temporary ban took effect immediately.
Many players of a raid or various companies then used this to get rid of the head of the opposing faction or other players shortly before battles,
who then screwed up everything without commands in the fight.

It is clearly not automatic in LOTRO. But seeing the GM/customer support investigating the case, realizes this one git is bringing in 20 freep accounts for 300 bucks or so... money talks.
So s/he doesn't ban the accounts, but resets the rank of the farmer, and the exact same dude farms again, maybe even pays another 300 ... priceless comedy <3

[LabadalofDorlomin]

This is why Orion should be looking at fundamental changes to the Ettenmoors and drawing a line under past achievements (and I say achievement for those who earned them and not those who are cheats)

This is the only time and possibly will be the only time where Lotro has the opportunity to wipe the slate clean - start again. Within the story it could fit also being that there would now be new factions to follow on both sides. Do we really think that Gramsfoot would be still in a timewarp not knowing about Angmar and beyond?

I have a quite a few reasonably high ranked Creeps but stopped actively playing because none of this cheating was ever addressed properly. In fact it took us 7 years to get them to admit it and state it was wrong!! But, that being said, I would park all my legitimate personal achievements for something new and easier for it to be realised if cheating did occur and acted upon.

I mean one of the nails in the coffin for a lot of my friends who played and certainly was the catalyst was when they purposefully prevented the leader board from being viewed because even though this hadn't stopped some (they were just more careful about how much they farmed) it certainly would have stopped the huge freaver trains and folks dropping off the map behind OR and Grothum to be undisturbed in their exploits and speeding through Ranks which now makes everyone's legitimate rank absolutely useless. Leader board was such a simple tool to control and I refuse to believe that SSG don't have data on this privately. They either choose to ignore it or they see no reason to assign resource to monitor it.

Yes, Rank has absolutely no meaning. Unless you know the player intimately you can never be sure that they have obtained their ranks through intended gameplay. Therefore, I state again that this is absolutely the best time to do something about it. I have a sneaky feeling that Orion may be building up to something in this regards but probably has to wait until the management know whether they can monetize the zone enough. It really does hang in the balance currently but making the zone F2P may draw in more folks but also that could equal more cheats if not handled correctly.

[TearMaker]

Within the story it could fit also being that there would now be new factions to follow on both sides. Do we really think that Gramsfoot would be still in a timewarp not knowing about Angmar and beyond?

I like the idea that it is time to change the factions and now earn rank once again from the standpoint of a new faction for both sides.

Freeps could join an initial faction that wanted to rid creeps from middle earth following the fall of the ring but iirc it was written somewhere that after some years Aragorn allowed the remaining Orcs live in peace in and around Rhun (or I could have dreampt that )

Creeps could realise that Angmar is long gone and now Sauron has fallen and therefore a new leader would arise to try and consolidate the Ettenmoor for themselves as again we know that in and around the Misty Mountains there were pockets of orcs and goblins who survived and hid in communes within the mountain holds.


So, this would seem like a good time to address the issue of Rank. Whether you feel that it should be increased or nullified due to all the mass cheating over the years.. we could really do with a new start. IMHO

[subadar]

as someone who has played since launch and has a couple r12's and a r13, i would be extremely upset if they just threw all that time served out the window.

what makes you think moving forward they would be any better at policing rank farming than they have in the past?

No, theres bigger problems with keeping pvmp viable going forward than rank farmers, i mean they wont stop boxing in pvp so rank farming has got to be far down that list.

its also way to subjective, are arranged 1v1 fights rank farming? what about arranged fights in the arena? what about the boxer who loves pvmp but is really bad and dies alot?

its also completely irrelevant since LOTRO has no pvp seasons, no meaningful rewards and last but not least there are no leaderboards.

so basically who cares if someone rank farms? you know who did it in your community so its not like they are instantly top tier players loved by all now does it?

[Strider5548]

as someone who has played since launch and has a couple r12's and a r13, i would be extremely upset if they just threw all that time served out the window.

I got my hunter to R7 and warleader to r8 while level cap was still 50...It is kind of annoying that basically a year's worth of non-stop real PvMP (almost entirely in fellowships not raids) worth of work can basically be done in a day now.

Alas this is the nature of MMO's, I would be OK if they made some sort of modification to lower the impact of the current rank system and converted to something new.

I would be even happier if they just added PvMP to Treebeard (after a few patches of Orion's changes go through) so that players can have somewhere to get a clean start where everyone starts at the same rank.

[Schattenhand]

I would be even happier if they just added PvMP to Treebeard (after a few patches of Orion's changes go through) so that players can have somewhere to get a clean start where everyone starts at the same rank.

That's why i'm so pi**ed they'll closing Anor. It feels like absolutely wasted time and money. Years of false hope (and a super long break i have to admit where i only played creep, cause what else to do?).
It's sad, but don't waste your time hoping for PvMP on Treebeard.

[TronGilrain]

Guys, there are already people who ranked to r15 on QUESTS ONLY so all this time and effort you done mean nothing. They should do something to maybe bring unactive r15s especially in today's change in pvp to be free for all.

[savetheroadtodoriath]

Idk why they don't just add a timer for getting renown from the same person. It's such an easy fix.

[LabadalofDorlomin]

Idk why they don't just add a timer for getting renown from the same person. It's such an easy fix.

That only works for one type of clubbing. The type where you arrange a meet up with a friend and score point off one another until you get bored.

Won't work on the industrial scale that many have used where they create literally dozens of accounts and rinse them up until they are useless for renown anyway and delete and start again.

There was a famous picture that I cannot find that showed a fellowship of freeps with a huge line of Freavers (around 50) and a healer just openly cheating not far from the old plains OP

[Osglinthor]

Pretty sure most people who rank farm dont give a fk about rank. Its all about how garbage pvp is for new players esp creepside and rank buffs.
Simply remove huge comm grind/skill restriction and rank % buffs and you solve rank farming. And move focus to PvP instead whatever #### we have now or have had for years.
Rank should be Rank rating not % buffs/access to skills(w/o store) or having to grind comms in order to even pvp properly. And I cant belive this isnt implemented already or that people opose this. Why the fk you need % bonus on ranks or skill restrictions. I mean its no big deal ofc outside of skills but rolling new creep and seeing tooltip of 20k dmg is beyond fking ########. Ofc people will try to avoid paying/wasting huge amount of time and simply club to certain point and then pvp. If people really cared about rank they should come up with proper ledder perhaps even arenas and what we have since start of game.

[Kate00]

creeps should have the ON buff right now. I logged in to 15 unranked warleaders online in aradors end on arkenstone for what i'm told is the third day in a row. With osg closed they are just openly doing it on the map in the ettemoors.

[Kate00]

Freeps have the ON buff this morning cause theres a burg we have been reporting for 4 hours blatantly farming 15 reavers at grams lol.

[Kate00]

SSG going to do anything about the rank farming openly across the map causing freeps to unjustly have the OutNumbered buff or No? Killed 4 this morning and another 2 this evening and doesn’t look like I’m done yet for the day.

[LabadalofDorlomin]

Guys, there are already people who ranked to r15 on QUESTS ONLY so all this time and effort you done mean nothing. They should do something to maybe bring unactive r15s especially in today's change in pvp to be free for all.

This is the funniest thing I have read in an absolute age. Thanks for the laugh

[Kate00]

Does SSG intend on doing anything about the rank farming? They arent being banned and they aren't being deranked. So, is there a plan, or no?

[Constrictions]

Does SSG intend on doing anything about the rank farming? They arent being banned and they aren't being deranked. So, is there a plan, or no?

Kate, you should try and think outside what you personally witness a little bit more.

They are being banned and having their rank reset. Not all of them of course, but there are countable examples of the rule being enforced.

Depending what gaming communities you surf on the net, you can even find complaints from people who have made formal transactions with farmers just for them to have ended up being one of those who got smacked with the hammer. Happening upon, in the wild of the internet, a screenshot of a rank 0 wartab with tens of thousands of kills and kbs... It makes for a pretty good laugh.

That is reasonably the only approach they can actively take. Otherwise, they need to gear the reward systems in a way that naturally de-incentivises farming, or makes it more laboursome than just playing the game (questing / pvping for real). Orion's recent posts suggest that is basically what they are planning to do.

Just chill out.