Dev Diary Feedback: Class Consumables

[Sapience]

With The Lord of the Rings Online™ November Update we will be introducing a new suite of class consumables. Many of these consumables were designed based on user feedback to amplify existing abilities or to compensate for a class weakness.

Read more in the Class Consumables Developer Diary.

[Old1]

I like the Overpower Tactics and Potion of Fervour. I only play a guard and champ but those look good to me.

[Paestri]

Good stuff. A shame a large amount of these new consumables further add to the scholars on going desirability. A shame some of the largely un-needed crafts weren't utilized more. ie Tailoring & Metalsmithing

[Elderban]

This consumable is exclusive to the LOTRO Store.

So, I guess we've moved beyond the "it will drop in the game" at this point?

[geoboy]

So, I guess we've moved beyond the "it will drop in the game" at this point?

Note that the crafted ones are better. I don't understand your problem.

[cicdle]

Note that the crafted ones are better. I don't understand your problem.

You can craft bandages?

[geoboy]

You can craft bandages?

How was I supposed to know he was referring to that. /shrug I don't see how the item is useful anyway.

[Ayrolen]

I'd buy the bandage if it made me immune to wound slows, like the warg hamstrings. But for falling damage? Meh.

[Malachi108]

Right, injuries from falling never last more that 60 seconds anyway. If anyone wants to pay real money to prevent them - be my guest, I'm totally cool with that!

[Cerridwen]

What is Frozen Floor? The item description for the bandages says Cannot Use with Effect: Protection from Frozen Floor

[Elderban]

Note that the crafted ones are better. I don't understand your problem.

First off, you might want to check the tiers. They're comparing, in some cases, Tier 2 store items to Tier 6 crafted items.

Secondly, Overpower and Focus clearly show that the store bought version at the same tier are better.

And finally, Turbine had stated in the past that items would drop in game to compensate for the same items being in the store, thus the comment that we've moved beyond them being available in game and any future items, even if they are considered an advantage, which all of these items clearly are, will eventually be store only I am guessing.

Why would I buy a Tier 2 item from a crafter in the AH that only gives me +360 critical rating when I can get the same tier item in the store which has a 560 critical rating??

[Barruktp]

I don't see how the hunter focus potions are useful in group combat. Devastate magnitude? That's just asking for aggro spiking. Much more useful would be an effect that actually deals with focus, like (reduce focus cost of all skills by 1), as well as decreasing power costs.

[robnkarla]

First off, you might want to check the tiers. They're comparing, in some cases, Tier 2 store items to Tier 6 crafted items.

Secondly, Overpower and Focus clearly show that the store bought version at the same tier are better.

And finally, Turbine had stated in the past that items would drop in game to compensate for the same items being in the store, thus the comment that we've moved beyond them being available in game and any future items, even if they are considered an advantage, which all of these items clearly are, will eventually be store only I am guessing.

Why would I buy a Tier 2 item from a crafter in the AH that only gives me +360 critical rating when I can get the same tier item in the store which has a 560 critical rating??

They may be listed as the same tier, but they have different minimum level requirements so that would suggest that they are not exactly the same. If they had the same min. level requirements and had different values then I would cry foul, but I have not seen that yet.

I definitely will be looking foward to a number of the consumables, both as a crafter and as a consumer of the item

[geoboy]

I admit that it would have made more sense to put items side by side that were of the same required level. If you look at the ones nearer to the end, they do match up and the crafted ones are better.

[tanis0]

First, the bandages are useless and the fact that the Reconnaissance Report might be useful just implies to me that the cooldown on directing your soldier is too long to begin with.

Secondly, I'm very disappointed by the direction in which this game is going. What happened to buying convenience only? Stat tomes and store-only potions are far beyond the pale on that one already, but now it's starting to look like Pay-to-Win is becoming the business model.

A new feature of the consumables created for this update is the ability for players to use craft- and LOTRO Store-bought consumables back-to-back, effectively doubling the duration of the buff!

You say that as if it's a good thing. Not only is it a minimum of two more stacks of items (the class ones) which I'm going to be expected to carry around in my already massively over-burdened inventory, but one of those stacks I literally cannot get in-game under any circumstances. If you're going to tell me I don't need them because new content won't be balanced around stat tomes, store potions and class consumables, well.. I simply don't believe you.

I can't wait for the new MMOs coming next year, and it saddens me greatly to say that. I used to consider Turbine the best, most responsible MMO company out there. I recommended you to my friends, defended you when people talked smack about your games and brought several people to both DDO and LOTRO. Now, I doubt I'll ever buy another game you make.

[BIZL]

Looking at all the other classes consumables... I feel like the burg got the shaft... again.

[Grape]

If you need a potion to make your skirmish solider actually work...
I think offering consumables instead of fixing underlying game mechanics is a turbine point grab. IMHO.

[Digero]

I like the idea of class-specific buffs. However, I have two main concerns:

1. According to the dev diary, the store-bought versions are different from the crafted ones, and the effects of the two stack. That clearly violates the "convenience not advantage" tenet of the store, since there's no way to get the double buff without buying the items from the store.
2. Inventory overload. Especially since the store-bought and crafted versions of the items are different and presumably don't stack with each other.
   Burglars already have too many items to carry, and now we'll have to use 1-2 more slots to carry ammunition for a corruption removal skill?

[Darej]

Why would I buy a Tier 2 item from a crafter in the AH that only gives me +360 critical rating when I can get the same tier item in the store which has a 560 critical rating??

why not just use both?

A new feature of the consumables created for this update is the ability for players to use craft- and LOTRO Store-bought consumables back-to-back, effectively doubling the duration of the buff!

also...is there only one result from the crafted ones?
is there a version for a critical success or does that just give you 2 instead of one?

[robnkarla]

I like the idea of class-specific buffs. However, I have two main concerns:

1. According to the dev diary, the store-bought versions are different from the crafted ones, and the effects of the two stack. That clearly violates the "convenience not advantage" tenet of the store, since there's no way to get the double buff without buying the items from the store.
2. Inventory overload. Especially since the store-bought and crafted versions of the items are different and presumably don't stack with each other.
   Burglars already have too many items to carry, and now we'll have to use 1-2 more slots to carry ammunition for a corruption removal skill?

As for your first item, I believe that you are allowed to use them back-to-back, but you should not be able to use them at the same time. My guess would be that they share different cooldowns, but that they cannot be used while the effect is already in place. For example the OP Tactics states "Cannot use with Effect: Overpower Tactics". So you can use the store bought version and while you wait for the 3m cool-down, you can crafted version.

[sirwillow]

My thoughts? The vast majority of the items are, imo, really not worth much. 7 focus for a hunter at a devastate mag increase for 10 seconds? That's 2, maybe 3, skills. And the focus is certainly easy enough to add on in other ways. That's not long enough to make any sort of real difference in a fight.

Mini skills costing less power for 10 seconds? Oh, good, again that's 2 maybe 3 skills. That amount of power saved will make no difference in a fight either. The RK items allow you to use a heal skill while attack focused or an attack while heal focused- and again, if you've traited right you can already do that in a limited sense, and use enamels and other items far more effectively than this does for a few seconds.

Honestly I wouldn't waste my time or money- in game or real life- on them. If people are buying them I'll be happy to make them and sell them, but people that are willing to spend real $$ on this are just wasting their money. But please, spend on this, waste your time, and put more money in Turbine's wallet so they can develop other things. In the mean time none of these will have any impact in my game at all whatsoever.

[hucklebarry]

So, I guess we've moved beyond the "it will drop in the game" at this point?

Honestly we moved past that already. I've ran far more GB instances than I looted for the skele horse and I know A LOT more people with horses than I do with stat Tomes.

I'll keep voting with my wallet. I will not support store advantages.

The store items keeping a separate cooldown is also not something I am happy with.

To be fair, at least the bandages are a gimmick I can live with. The soldier cooldown is much more over the line, but still something I can do without. From a principle stand point, store exclusives and advantages are here and make me sad. From a reality stand point, the two exclusives (this time around only) don't bother me that much.

Functionally The 10 second mini tools are a bit short. They almost act like reactives where you have a real small window for them to be useful since they are only good for 10 seconds with a 3 minute cooldown. Still, if you can remember them when you need them, I can see their usefulness.

I'm very happy to have pet food for more than just the bear. My eagle was getting jealous and they were just fighting all the time... now they both feel loved. That was a great addition.

[Cladariel]

I admit that it would have made more sense to put items side by side that were of the same required level. If you look at the ones nearer to the end, they do match up and the crafted ones are better.

They don't completely compare apples to apples everything is at least off by 5 levels, so it really will remain to be seen which are better.

As far as the couple items that are in-store only, I am not sure why anyone would think that they are giving anyone an advantage. In fact, I don't ever remember hearing that they would never have in-store only items, there are all sorts of in-store only cosmetics. I really don't see either of the in-store only consumables as an advantage to anyone, and have absolutely no problem with them being in-store only (I would never use either whether they are in-store or in-game)

[Fredelas]

I'm honestly not sure I will craft or use any of these consumables, even though I have a full array of crafters and classes.

Buffs that last for 10 seconds are extremely difficult to take advantage of, due to the ridiculous amount of combat and skill lag we've been experiencing on all servers when we go 3 or 4 weeks without a restart. Even the 30 second buffs are of questionable use in my opinion.

I might use some of the new loremaster and captain pet buff consumables while soloing, but that's about it.

All in all, I see these new consumables as just another curiosity item for the LOTRO Store. Uninformed players will buy a few of them just to see what they do, and all those pennies add up eventually.

[LagunaD]

That clearly violates the "convenience not advantage" tenet of the store

Welcome to the party, pal!

Most of this stuff is just fluff. The minstrel induction setback and burglar corruption removal items add real utility. The rest seem like a waste of bag space.