In this episode Chris hits level 75!  I assume we talked about more, but I don’t remember because I spent the whole show picking my jaw up off the floor.

What we did this week

Bill
Completed Limlight daily pre-quests (except instance) – liked the group-friendliness of that area
Random skirmishes – getting tired of tiny rewards, and doing Battle in the Tower… (3x in a row!)
Random Isengard instances – when it works well, it’s great!  Only ~5 min wait

Chris
Ding 75! Woot!
Completed the Rise of Isengard storyline. Somewhat lackluster ending, in my opinion. Into The Great River Region now.
Skirmish of Skimishes and the new skirmish. New skirmish is awesome.

News

Tightening LOTRO’s gameplay-belt
http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/19/the-road-to-mordor-five-ways-lotro-should-be-streamlined/

Spring Festival – May 24th (tentative, as per Sapience)
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?450890-Spring-Fest&p=6184874#post6184874

Star Lit Crystals bonuses – creating a new middle class in LOTRO?
http://www.containsmoderateperil.com/star-lit-crystals-boon-or-bane/

Did you know

Turbine name policy – changing illegal names, having to purchase name-change if you don’t like what they picked and more!
From http://www.lotro.com/support/1033-coc

LOTRO Character Naming Policy
Character names in The Lord of the Rings Online should try to reflect the adventurous and heroic spirit of The Lord of the Rings. When selecting a character name, please be aware of the type of character you are creating, be it a Human, Elf, Dwarf, or Hobbit. Each race has its own naming conventions and it is encouraged that you select a name befitting the race and spirit of your character. Although this is not required, it does helps to shape a fun, engaging, and immersive world for everyone.
The following are examples of character names and guild names that are NOT appropriate for The Lord of the Rings Online and is also applied to kinship and organization names. Some names that do not fall within one of the examples below may still be inappropriate. The Lord of the Rings Online Support has final say over what constitutes a violation of the character naming policy.
Proper names and places or close facsimiles thereof, from the story characters or non-player characters (NPCs) introduced in the fiction of Lord of the Rings Online.

• Fantasy or non-fantasy names from popular culture or media.
• Sexually explicit, defamatory, obscene, racially or ethnically offensive names or slang.
• Names of historical or religious significance.
• Trademarked names of products, goods, materials or services.
• Common names, slang or references to drug related substances, culture or paraphernalia.
• Names containing ranks, titles or denotation of power.
• Names causing harm, mockery or imitation of Lord of the Rings Online players or NPCs, in addition to Turbine, Inc. employees, past or present.
• Misspelled variations or homonyms of any of the above rules.

Policy Enforcement
There is a Zero Tolerance rule in effect for the following name violations:

• Sexually explicit, defamatory, obscene, racially or ethnically offensive names or slang.
• Common names, slang or references to drug related substances, culture or paraphernalia.
• Names causing harm, mockery or imitation of Lord of the Rings Online players or NPCs, in addition to Turbine, Inc. employees, past or present.

This means that if your character or kinship name is in violation, the name will be changed without question. For characters that violate this rule, your character name will be changed and your account will be automatically placed on a three day suspension for a first offense. For kinships that are in violation, the kinship name will be changed and the account of the kinship leader will be placed on a three day suspension for a first offense. Additional offenses will consist of further account actions, including possible closure.
For other naming violations, a Lord of the Rings Online Game Master will contact you in-game to discuss your character’s name.

In the event of a name change due to CoC policy enforcement, Turbine picks a name for you.  If you don’t like that name, you will have to purchase a name-change from the store (995 TP)

Community

Galloping Gala screenshot winners
http://www.lotro.com/news/latestnews/2017-galloping-gala-screenshot-contest-2012-the-winners

Skirmish of Skirmishes

Assault on the Ringwraith’s Lair vs. Survival – Barrow Downs
Shout out to GM Oveik who saved the day inside Storm on Methedras!  Thanks! (GM that fixed our stuck issue in Storm on Methedras)
Bill – Assault
Chris – Assault
Isanna – Assault “Want to like it, but….”
Chat room – Assault
Email – none
Digisanduke (stream chat room) – Assault

Contact Info

email: lotro.reporter@gmail.com
twitter: @lotroreporter
facebook: LOTRO Reporter
Voicemail: 616-666-6778
Reddit:  reddit.com/r/mmoreporter
www.lotroreporter.com

Our sponsors:
   

In this episode Chris and I discuss Update 7 and the bugs therein, gilded cosmetics, crafting in Galtrev and more!

What we did this week

Bill
Skirmish runs
Great river wandering

Chris
Skirmishing
Continuing to level through RoI
Travelling – I wish I could tell you!

News

Update 7 gone live Monday…. wait, what?
- Official patch notes http://lorebook.lotro.com/wiki/Update_7,_Shades_of_the_Past,_Official
http://www.lotro.com/gameinfo/1966

Official “What’s broken in Update 7”
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?&postid=6167967#post6167967

Fornost Dev Diary
http://www.lotro.com/gameinfo/devdiaries/1990-update-7-developer-diary-fornost

Reveller’s gilded mount and other cosmetics
http://www.lotro.com/lotrostorelimitedrelease

Did you know?

Hidden crafting hall in Galtrev
Guild crafters and merchants in the back room

Community

Weatherstock is full!  Make sure to attend!
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?457068-Weatherstock-IV-Official-Band-Signup&p=6160142#post6160142

Skirmish of Skirmishes

Battle of Deep Way vs. Thievery & Mischief
Bill – Thievery
Chris – Thievery
Isanna – Thievery
Chat room – Thievery
Email – Deep way

Email

From Kazren

Hi,

I actually attempted to log in through disqus and put a comment on the website.  That was fruitless, so I’m emailing to tell you it was a really excellent episdoe and thank you very much.  I would have voted for the Ford of Bruinen, if I was in the chat room.

For next week’s battle, I’ll vote for the Deep Way, just because it’s busy, but not crazy, and I can keep up without drowning.  I dislike Thievery mainly because the first time I ran solo, my level 20-something hunter was attacked by a character with way over 1,000 HP, and he didn’t have a chance.  I didn’t know enough to not use the warrior sidekick(I’ve since figured all that out) but it left a bad taste in my mouth.  I’ve run it since through the Instance Finder, and it’s fine, but I’m still not loving it.

Thank you

Contact Info

email: lotro.reporter@gmail.com
twitter: @lotroreporter
facebook: LOTRO Reporter
Voicemail: 616-666-6778
Reddit:  reddit.com/r/mmoreporter
www.lotroreporter.com

Our sponsors:
   

What we did this week

 
 
Bill
Anniversary questing – got my fireworks horse
Practicing my skirmish-skills for return of SoS
Tried to get a group for limlight daily pre-quests.  Even my wife wouldn’t join me…
 
Justin
Tried f2p – not thrilled
Captain craziness
Eyeing my warden
 
 

News

 
Update 7 notes arrive on Bullroarer
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?457482-Update-7-Bullroarer-Release-Notes-%28B0%29-SUBJECT-TO-CHANGE
 
Moria re-design dev diary – part 1
http://www.lotro.com/gameinfo/devdiaries/1979-developer-diary-revisiting-the-mines-of-moria-first-half
 
Updated Eyes and Guard Tavern features for Update 7
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?457483-NEW-Guide-to-the-Eyes-and-Guard-Tavern
Eyes and Guard how to:  
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?457485-The-Eyes-and-Guard-Tavern-Available
 
 

Community

 
Galloping Gala deal – 30% off Pale Blond Summer Steed with code LOTRO Reporter
http://lotroreporter.com/2012/05/04/the-galloping-gala/#more-5829
 
Galloping Gala Screenshot contest
http://www.lotro.com/news/latestnews/1956-galloping-gala-screenshot-contest-2012
http://www.lotro.com/news/latestnews/1957-galloping-gala-screenshot-contest-rules-terms-and-conditions
 
Weatherstock signup still going on – 2 slots left for bands to enter!  June 16th is the show
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?457068-Weatherstock-IV-Official-Band-Signup
 
Galloping gala and Weatherstock not enough for you?  Syp gives you more options!
http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/05/05/the-road-to-mordor-seven-player-events-you-must-attend/
http://lorebook.lotro.com/wiki/Recurring_Events
 
Confirmation!
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?457691-Loh-tro-and-Law-tro&p=6153710#post6153710
 
 

Contact Info

 
You can find Syp at the following places:
Twitter: @sypster
Blog: biobreak.wordpress.com
Massively: massively.joystiq.com/editor/justin-olivetti
 
You can find us at the usual places:
email: lotro.reporter@gmail.com
twitter: @lotroreporter
facebook: LOTRO Reporter
Voicemail: 616-666-6778
Reddit:  reddit.com/r/mmoreporter
www.lotroreporter.com
 

Our sponsors:
   

What we did this week

 
 
Bill
Skirmish runs for the week
Anniversary stuff.  Beer fight, questing, horse racing
 
Chris
Ding 74! Fun with Skirmishes and questing. Working on the instanced quests now in the Gap of Rohan. Don’t want to say too much to ruin the story for people.
Gotta get into the festival this weekend…..
 
 

News

 
 
Anniversary festival extended to May 9
http://casualstrolltomordor.com/2012/04/anniversary-festival-extended-to-may-9th/
 
Update 7 tidbits
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?&postid=6138261#post6138261
which led to
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?&postid=6138563#post6138563
- There will be NO update 6.2
- Fornost getting attention in update 7
- Update 7 appearing on Bullroarer late next week
 
Quest system in LOTRO becoming antiquated?
http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/28/the-road-to-mordor-is-lotros-questing-system-over-the-hill/
 
 

Did you know

 
Fellowship manoeuvers – a la Layanor
 

You know when you play in a group and wonder what that four colors thingy is that pops up during combat?

That is a Fellowship Maneuver. Some call it a CJ or *conjunction* because it was called that during beta.

Here is the break down.

Green:  Gives everyone some morale back
Blue:   Gives you power back
Red:    Direct damage
Yellow: Damage over time bleed

More of these in a row will make the effect bigger. Such as four green will heal a lot more morale than normal.

The creep’s fellowship maneuver is called “Warband Manouvre”

I have met no creep that knows what they all do! So here is the break down.

Purple: Morale transfer from the target to the group
Green:  Poison
Yellow: Damage with power transfer to the group
Pink:   Direct damage

For tons of information on these maneuvers and color combos, check out the links below:

http://lotro-wiki.com/index.php/Fellowship_Manoeuvre
http://lotro-wiki.com/index.php/Warband_Maneuver

Happy fellowshipping my minions!

Community

 
Mounted combat preview
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150830527376329&set=a.106783411328.118306.25590536328&type=1&permPage=1
 
Weatherstock band-signup has begun
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?457068-Weatherstock-IV-Official-Band-Signup
 
 

Skirmish of Skirmishes

Icy Crevasse vs. Ford of Bruinen
Bill – Icy Crevasse
Chris – Ford of Bruinen
Chatroom – Icy Crevasse
Email – Ford of Bruinen
tie-breaker – Ford of Bruinen (Elinnea)

 
 

Email

 
From Kiralynn of Landroval

Greetings!

I’m not sure if this is the sort of thing you are interested in, but just in case, I thought I would pass the news along.

Windy Acres Ranch and the Lonely Mountain Band are hosting a series of events called the Spring Racing Carnival.
These events take place on Friday, May 4th and Saturday, May 5th.
There will be several horse races, a mounted fashion contest, a horse parade, an open concert, a fireworks show, and other fun events.
More information is available at WindyAcres.MyMiddle-Earth.net

Here is a direct link to the event schedule:
http://windyacres.mymiddle-earth.net/?p=926

This event is getting significant support from Turbine.  It should be a lot of fun for all players, even low-level visitors from other servers.

I hope to see you there.  By the way, I love your web site!

Happy adventuring!

From Feralir of Windfola

For Ford of Bruinen vs Icy Crevasse, I heartily vote Ford of Bruinen. I really like that skirmish, though I know I’m in the minority. Maybe because I’ve only done it solo?

It’s fun because you really need to kill the two shamans at the beginning of each phase, at the same time as the first wave of attackers (lieutenant-free), to avoid one of the Elrond sons aggroing them at the worst time possible. Adds a bit of challenge. The boss fight is fun, too. Nothing beats seeing the river smash the shield off the final boss’ helper.

I also like the feeling of defending Rivendell side by side with Elrond’s sons. I’m not really a role player, but that skirmish always pulls me in.

Contact Info

email: lotro.reporter@gmail.com
twitter: @lotroreporter
facebook: LOTRO Reporter
Voicemail: 616-666-6778
Reddit:  reddit.com/r/mmoreporter
www.lotroreporter.com
 
 

Our sponsors:
   

We’re proud to announce that LOTRO Reporter is partnering with Turbine to promote their new event: The Galloping Gala. This spring extravaganza of all things equine will feature horse races, a fashion show, and more! Not only that, but we’ve also been given a code for the LOTRO store to rewards all of our faithful listeners! Check out after the break for a schedule of events and more details!

Turbine has offered us a code for 30% off the Pale Golden Summer Steed. Seeing as I’m an amazingingly prolific collector of mounts, I thought that this was a perfect fit! To get the discount, just use the following code:

LOTRO Reporter

I know it’s difficult, but I’m sure you can remember it.

There are many events taking place during the Gala. Do you have an outfit that complements a specific mount? Check out the mounted fashion show! Know your LOTRO lore like no other? Then the Trivia Race is for you! Check them out, and attend as many as you can manage. With such great people involved, they’re sure to be a hit!

Bill and I will be attempting to attend as many events as possible. Keep an eye on our twitter feed (@lotroreporter) as we’ll make sure to post there any time that we attend an event.

Thanks to Turbine for including us, but most importantly, thanks to all of the hosts and organizers of the events! This is why LOTRO is so special. It’s the community that adds to the great game that Turbine create to make it more than the sum of its parts.

See you in-game!

What we did this week

 
Bill
SoS – that’s pretty much it.
 
Chris
Ding 73 – Working through the Epic Story still, and have just begun the attack on Isengard with the Rohirim.
A couple of skirmishes as well, using the LFF tool. Set to almost full random, I can still get the marks and morale bonuses without including Icy Crevase. My life is complete.
 
 

News

 
 
Happy Birthday LOTRO!
 
Anniversary video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5H4VW-Ehr4Y&list=PLA166DC56D1AD9CC7&index=1&feature=plpp_video
 
Birthday wishes vid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH6avPfB_8U&feature=youtu.be
 
Anniversary gift – double experience until April 30th
http://casualstrolltomordor.com/2012/04/5th-anniversary-double-experience-starts-today/
 
 

Did you know

 
From Layanor
 

North Cotton Farms is AWESOME!
Did you know North Cotton Farms is AWESOME!!!!

North Cotton Farms is a level 65 3 man from the instance hub called *In their absence.*

At tier 1 you get 10 sealed relics if everyone passes all of them to you. Each sealed relic has 1 – 3 tier 4 relics in them.

At the least you will get one tier 6 total after combining them all.

The tier 2 version of this instance is slightly harder, but the relic output is better. The full run will give you 19 tier 4 sealed relics. When deconstructed, the minimum number of tier 4 relics you can get is 19. The maximum is 76! I average around 30 a run.

This instance is very easy for two level 75 characters with minimal gear. And some classes can solo this.

Also as a side note. On tier 2 this instance also gives 7 weapon exp items. These can raise a level zero legendary weapon all the way to level 33 in one run.  A very fast way to get a legacy for your new legendary weapon!

Get to work minions!
Layanor the Mighty!!!

Community

 
 
Tower of Orthanc – Saruman guide (PB, from Doc Holiday’s blog)
http://docholidaymmo.com/2012/04/19/lore-mastery-tower-of-orthanc-raid-guide-saruman-t1/
 
CTSM’s 5th Anniversary Guide
http://casualstrolltomordor.com/2012/04/lotro-5th-anniversary-festival-2/
 
Dawning Eclipse 5th year Kin Anniversary, Windfola Server

• An invitation to come and celebrate with us.  There will be music, fireworks, fun and prizes!
• Closer to the time a list of events will be listed on http://bit.ly/HzR0Fq, one of our events the Lord of the Rings Joke contest is already underway.
• Starting at Friday 4th May 8pm EST.  Location is Home of Dawning Eclipse, 2 Chalk Road, Bullridge, Shire Homesteads, Windfola.

Skirmish of Skirmishes

 
Battle in the Tower vs. Battle in the Way of Smiths
Bill – Battle in the Tower
Chris – Battle in the Tower
Isanna – Battle in the Tower
Chat room – Battle in the Tower
 

Next week – The Icy Crevasse vs. Ford of Bruinen! Email us your votes, and join us in the chat room next week to vote for your preferred skirmish!
 

Contact Info

email: lotro.reporter@gmail.com
twitter: @lotroreporter
facebook: LOTRO Reporter
Voicemail: 616-666-6778
Reddit:  reddit.com/r/mmoreporter
www.lotroreporter.com
 
 

Our sponsors:
   

What we did this week

 
Bill
Skirmish runs
Little bit of Warden play
 
Chris
SoS
I am now a prisoner of Isengard. What slave drivers those orcs are. Don’t worry though, I’ve got a plan to get out.
 
 

News

 
Anniversary celebration details
http://www.lotro.com/gameinfo/1894
 
Anniversary Dev Diary
http://www.lotro.com/gameinfo/devdiaries/1899-anniversary-2012-developer-diary
 
 

Did you know

 
Anniversary rewards
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?&postid=6113416#post6113416
- The reward gifts are given based on how long your account has been around relative to the anniversary celebration.  You won’t get a 5 year reward if your account gets to 5 years later this year.
 
 

Community

 
Biggest fan contest – trip to Boston!
http://biggestfan.lotro.com/
 
Chris’ PAX interview with Rowan
http://lotroreporter.com/2012/04/15/pax-east-2012-interview-with-rowan
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?&postid=6112356#post6112356 – forum discussion
 
 
Skirmish of Skirmishes
 
Siege of Gondamon vs Rift at Nurz Gashu
Bill – Rift
Chris – Rift
Isanna – Rift
Chat room – Rift
Email – NA
Comment: Rift
 

 
Next week – Battle of Battles! Battle in the Tower vs. Battle of the Way of Smiths!
 
 

Contact Info

email: lotro.reporter@gmail.com
twitter: @lotroreporter
facebook: LOTRO Reporter
Voicemail: 616-666-6778
Reddit:  reddit.com/r/mmoreporter
www.lotroreporter.com
 
 

Our sponsors:
   

In this final episode of PAX East coverage, Bill and Chris talk about the highlight, moments, and memories from PAX East 2012.

Thanks to our sponsor: Squarespace. Without their support, this trip could never have happened. Thanks you Squarespace! Show your thanks by going to http://squarespace.com/mmoreporter and using the coupon code MMOREPORTER4 for 10% off your purchase!

My last day PAX East Coverage. Today’s schedule included: Some time over at the Hi-Rez Studios booth talking about Smite, looking at the hot hardware coming out of Stealth Gaming Machines, some interesting approaches to development for Nova Aeternos, and a little Neverwinter and RaiderZ with Perfect World.

Thanks to our sponsor: Squarespace. Without their support, this trip could never have happened. Thanks you Squarespace! Show your thanks by going to http://squarespace.com/mmoreporter and using the coupon code MMOREPORTER4 for 10% off your purchase!

Another great day of PAX East Coverage. Today’s schedule included: An interview with James Ohlen of TOR, hardware talk with Assus and Mad Catz, Firefall, Nova Aeternos and a party hosted by Turbine.

Thanks to our sponsor: Squarespace. Without their support, this trip could never have happened. Thanks you Squarespace! Show your thanks by going to http://squarespace.com/mmoreporter and using the coupon code MMOREPORTER4 for 10% off your purchase!