The next LOTRO update went up on the test server a couple of weeks back, which means that there’s now a countdown of sorts until the next high-level region(s) releases. I’m guessing late June, with SSG’s typical testing schedule. But that means I need to get my Captain fully up to speed, and she’s still got several core virtues sitting at 80/85.
For my peace of mind more than anything else, I pushed everything off the table until I got this done. I even popped a slayer booster and rushed around several low-level zones, clearing out deeds in record time. The ticking clock of the booster adds some pressure and challenge to it.
One of the items of the next update that caught my attention was the addition of the difficulty slider for landscape — as they have on Treebeard. It does seem like they’ve updated it a bit, perhaps a couple more ranks and some new rewards. I only did that lightly on Treebeard, but any excuse to roll up a new toon is hard to resist if there’s a fun challenge AND reward in the making. Theoretically, I would want to roll up a hardy class, probably a Beorning or Champ, to handle the tougher difficulty. But we’ll see, as I have my hands more than full at the moment.
Is it just me, or does anyone else completely forget that we have a legendary item reward track until it’s the end of the season and there’s a reminder on social media? Clearly, I haven’t claimed anything until now. Not that I’m complaining.
All in all, it was a nice haul. New auroch pet, a nifty reading emote, a few good traceries, and lots of other LI stuff. It was a good opportunity to take 10 minutes and update my LI, a chore that I usually put off more than I should. Then it was back to the dreary initial zone of Mordor. Nothing super tough to do, thankfully, but the quest objectives are really spread out, taking a long time to finish.
I got back into the habit of alternating nights with my Lore-master in Gundabad. Either way, I was in for a dark environment, but at least it was a little bit of a change of pace. And the second time going through this realm is easier than the first now that I generally know what to be doing.
Being somewhat overleveled for both places has lowered my stress level and increased my enjoyment. I can play a tourist, even. Hey, is that a pile of slightly comical bones? Don’t mind if I snap a quick pic for the hobbits at home!
Bio Break 