WoW Finally Starts

I get myself to level 10 and there are finally some decent things to keep me entertained. The second tier of my Rogue skills were available to me for a few silvers. Wielded with daggers I trot around the lands looking for quests to earn some quick exp while slaying random creatures.

There was about 2 levels before I stumbled upon a first-aid trainer that I was a little bored. They could do better in World of Warcraft in the beginning. To me, Lord of the Rings Online was more immersive and started out much better than WoW did. Also the graphics seem a little cartoonish to me and took getting used to. I was able to create some bandages from my first-aid skill with materials that I already had from killing creatures. To my disappointment, the bandages healing didn't work in combat.

We'll see if this game can hold my attention for more than a month. Guild Wars is getting a little monotonous and is losing its appeal. I'm certainly glad there are no monthly fees because I don't think they would make the subscription cut if I had to choose.

The New Game Hunt

Lord of the Rings Online is on the back burner for now. Guild Wars is fun but I'm not bound to it with the no monthly fees it has. Tibia is only fun for an hour at most out of the day. I utilize my resources and find people with similar game tastes as me. I thought about going back to Dark Age of Camelot even. I might actually have the boxes with serial keys stashed away in some boxes.

It's inevitable that I have to try WoW to consider myself an expert in MMORPGs. So yes, WoW haters, I did download the trial version and probably have to buy it unless some other game jumps in front of me. I'm about 4 or 5 levels into it and like everyone says, it's taken pieces from other MMOs and made it really user friendly. I was only on it for about 2 hours but it was a quick start like LOTRO was.

Also into the trial list is Age of Conan, after seeing a trailer review of AoC I decided to download its hefty 8 GB trial game. I haven't started it yet but it looks like a good ol' bloody, gory, hack-n-slash adult game. We'll see if they get me. I'll get some other opinions on it as well.

LOTRO Billed Me 2 Months Too Early

This is exactly why I keep my recurring game subscriptions on prepaid debit cards. I don't get hit with a $35 bank overdraft fee, it's just a buck. Today I tried to log into Lord of the Rings Online and my account was suspended due to non payment. There wasn't enough money on my prepaid card for their mistake to effect me. I sent a support ticket in and hope to hear this mistake is fixed. I ordered 3 months in advance for a discount rate at 30 dollars and they billed me 1 month after that. Get it together Turbine, Inc. You aren't getting a renewal as good as the game is. I'm getting my 2 months worth though, in between my other gaming journeys. There are a couple unfinished goals to accomplish.

Guild Wars - Review After 4 Days

Guild Wars is a tough game to get into for the average gamer. Their combat system is a little weird, I definitely like LOTRO's combat system better. These 4 on 4 PvP matches are addicting. As soon as I bought the game I created a "PvP Only" character. I still had no clue what I was doing, my roleplaying character I started the free trial with was only level 6. The max level in GW is 20... a little low. I'm just here to master the game like usual and fuel my competitive side at the same time.

Sometimes you just need a good mentor. Having a lack of one resulted in losing a ton of my first few matches.

There were 2 initial arenas that I was able to hit from the start of creating my PvP only character. I tried half of the classes they had to offer but was just simply way underpowered from my lack of knowledge of the PvE system tying into the PvP system. Going down fast and hitting weak wasn't going to stop me from enjoying this though. However, I'm on the fast track now trying to get some of these PvE campaigns done so I can keep up on the PvP side.

Overall, It has a lot of downfalls and weaknesses but an awesomely competitive PvP system that reminds me of my xbox 360 gears of war days, 4 vs. 4. Keep in mind Guild Wars 2 is announced to come out in 2011. I hope they step up their game big time and compete with the big boys. First on my watch list is GW 2.

Back at Guild Wars at 6 AM

I reached level 3 in Guild Wars before I ended my night at 2 AM. They already game me a self-healing spell at level 2, heals for about 80 hitpoints (of a 120 max). LOTRO has a better navigation system, better quest guidance system, better graphics, but something in me wants to keep continuing. I know the end game isn't going to consist of just 6 and 12 person raids resulting in a graphical clusterf$%k. It might actually end up in some old DAoC style PvP. The more I hear about WoW, the more I avoid it like the Ebola virus.

I can't find the freaking Ranger trainer. It's 8 o'clock, I'm level 5, I'm ready to pick my class, and I can't find the npc. There was one other npc that told me he was on the east side of "this very forest" but I can't find him anywhere. I might start liking this game more when I figure out how to get the damn class I want. That's a major game flaw if I, a veteran gamer, can't figure out how to pick the class I like.

I'm Downloading Guild Wars

It's midnight, I'm bored of all the questing in LOTRO and it's time for something new. I crave some PvP action, it's been a while since I've had my heart beating from "the hunt". That is what I seek, excitement! A good story is nice but I can only be interesting in just graphics and a storlyline for so long. I have a good friend from Tibia, Iain, that I owe credit for recommending Guild Wars. It was a tough decision in picking a new game but the no monthly fees was intriguing. I knew there would be a nice mass of players without the fee. We'll see if my gut is right and I end up liking GW.

What Game Will I Play Next?

Having reached Level 53 in Lord of the Rings Online, Level 65 being the maximum, the question of my next game is inevitable. I still have some good game play left in LOTRO but I don't see myself making a 2nd character. It was fun, nice storyline, good crafting system, easy to level, but I see a lack of a good PvP system. Most people I have asked in the game aren't interested busting some heads in, they want to quest. The other players in their PvP system aren't even on their real characters, it's some monster you get that already starts at level 65. I want some solid rewards for killing someone but don't get me wrong I'm not a fanatic and agree it should only be in certain areas not all hunting grounds.

Right now it's between WoW and Guild Wars. The Guild Wars 2 trailer looks nice and we might see if the first one hooks me. I've heard good and bad things about World of Warcraft's PvP system is. I don't like the idea of a bunch of kids coming and rolling me while I'm just trying to get some levels or doing a quest. I like to be able to solo for a while and usually choose a class that lets me do that. I'm going to look at Guild Wars a little closer and keep at LOTRO for another 13 levels and see if it has any "end-game" entertainment for me.

Legendary Weapons, Level 48, and Moria

I must say after about a month of playing Lord of the Rings Online that I’m quite impressed. Now, about a month into the game and have 48 levels to show for it. I was introduced to a book of the epic storyline quests a couple nights ago. Apparently, this was to get my first legendary weapon (I had no clue what it was but sure sounded cool). These quests took place just outside of the infamous Moria and boy were some of the graphic detail awesome! There was the eerie Black Pool, a scene with Balrog, and the creepy Watcher in the water with nasty tentacles.

These legendary weapons are pieces of equipment that gain experience from killing creatures. You get your standard experience from the slaughtering but your item also gains experience. My first legendary bow has a maximum level of 30. Along with the stats and stat boosts that get better with leveling the weapon, it also gains points to apply, increasing stats even further.

It was like I was leveling my character all over again (in a good way). I found my will to get back out there quest a little and grinding due to my new level gaining, evil shredding bow.

Personally, I didn’t read the LOTR books, I saw the movies. I regret not reading the books. Every Tolkien fan or just people who read the books love this game even more. Seeing the descriptive words in the books recreated into an awesome MMORPG is something you must do if you’ve read the books but haven’t played this game yet. I’ve asked around and some of the parts of the game are really accurate. If you like a great storyline, play LOTRO, I think it’s better than the movies.

LOTRO, Crafting, and New Friends

It was an all day event yesterday, grinding for that level and showing some determination to advance my tailor profession. My microphone wasn't working last night so I could only type to my new friends. I got it working now though, so we should have some good times in the near future.

6-man Quest, Levels 40-65

Luckily I recorded some voice notes from last night. I went back and listened to them and you can tell it was 4 AM, I sounded beat. Then I go on rambling about some crafting. Here is the somewhat refined video version.

Update on LOTRO Adventures

My First Guild in LOTRO

Upon meeting a couple random questers yesterday, I noticed a semi-common guild name (or kinship as they call it in Lord of the Rings Online) below one of the two guys’ names. After we got the job done and were back in town, I asked if they were recruiting and stated I was looking for a Kinship. I figured I knew enough about the game by now and it’s time to spread my roots. He told me no officers were online at the moment but he would pass my name along. This is what I see in my mailbox when I logged on the next day.

Subject: Western lights kinship

Hello!

I've been passed your name from a kinmate of mine (savingrace) who said you might be interested in joining our kinship. (If you're getting this by mistake I apologize) He said you were a good person and would be a fine addition to the kin.
If you are interested feel free to contact me on any of my characters (meowstien, noamchomsky, kikiayon). Similarly, you can send me a reply mail with times (and your time zone) in which you are most likely to be logged on so we can meet up to add you in or answer any questions you might have.

Take care!

~Meow / Noam / Kikiayon

What a nice fellow, I think this guild is for me.

"Misadventure"

“You have been incapacitated by misadventure”. This is the message I see after jumping from a cliff. Is that what they call my legs folding under me, fragmented bones, and bruised organs? This really made my day. I’ve fallen off edges many times, pretty high up too. It’s usually faster to jump from a ledge than to follow the path down. The most that has happened to me up until shortly after getting level 36 was being slowed down for 60 seconds. My character was an organ donor but I don’t think they can salvage much now.

New Level And A New Horse

I reached the magical level of 35 which is a good time to grab your first "real" horse. It cost a pretty penny at about 75% of my current bankroll. Before I could jump on my new stead I had to complete 4 short quests that only totaled around an hour of my time. The first 3 were just delivering horses to other towns and the final one was a weak little "race". Excited like a little kid getting a new bike I was off to explore blank places on my map. Nearing the edge of one map area I found some out-of-place orcs that would have kicked my ass, they were level 55ish.

Unfortunately my little four-legged friend was not as excited nor happy as I was. Something should have hinted me to the seriousness of what was about to happen.

Negotiators were called in to keep the horse from jumping. Now we got him on a daily regimen of happy pills.

Running into Random Questers

Now just short of level 34 in my Lord of the Rings Online adventures I ran into some people that were able to help me. Three of the four were from the same guild (or Kinship I think they call it in LOTRO). It seems to be happening more frequently as quests are beginning to require a small group people instead of the normal solo quests. The timing could not have been better, there was no way I could have slaughtered these tough little bandits on my own. Would have been nice for a hint that I couldn't do it on my own. A little surprise won't kill you... half of the time.

We ripped through the outlaws quickly and were only hindered by respawn time. Killing random things nearby while we waited was fun. Had 1 little challenge I almost didn't live through. After killing 3 for the quest it was time to run back to town and collect my 20 silver and 2,000 reward experience points (maybe 40,000 exp points per level now). The journey will continue soon.

The start of LOTRO - Review After Level 32

Having made it through 32 levels of my first character on Lord of the Rings Online, I have experienced what this game truly has to offer. I went with one of my favorite classes in most games, the Hunter (ranged fighting style). Equipped with my bow and arrow I was off to start my first quests. Plugged immediately into the center of action (after 12 hours of downloading and updating).

One difference than other games I've played and LOTRO is the amount of experience gained by completing quests. Quests are very rewarding usually in LOTRO, experience as well as useful items. The crafting system was also very well developed. As a tailor I collect hides from certain types of animals that I can then make into armor. There's 6 tiers of recipes, some basic ones learned for each tier and special recipes learned along the way with slaying and questing. Those special recipes might have tougher ingredients to obtain but worth it in the stat boosts.

What I've seen in these first couple weeks is wonderful. Awesome UI, good graphics, not much "grinding" for levels, and best of all, entertainment value. I thought it was similar to Dark Age of Camelot in 2003. I look forward to seeing what LOTRO has to offer for PvP and higher levels.