In the first of a 7 part series of quest pack review episodes, Branick, Rolfkrage, Pineleaf, and Mysteri talk at length about what makes the North Downs unique among zones, including discussion of the Fornost instance and our brand new Armchair Designer segment. Thanks for listening.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (49.9MB)
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LOTRO-Wiki: North Downs Quests
Lorebook: Hero’s Guide to the North Downs
Update 7: Developer Diary: Fornost
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Raze the entirety of the zone, and make just about the whole region rows and rows of resource nodes and crafting tables. Add a little corner with all of the epic-specific enemies and friendly NPCs. Make it so one of the NPCs rewards 18-40 experience.
And the best way to make Esteldin a secret? Don’t include it – making its existence as mysterious as Erebrandir’s Horseshoe.
I mean, of course I wouldn’t do that! I do think a kind of special perk or enticing factor like Rolf and Branick were kind of talking about would be a nice way to bring people into the zone for more than just a low-level Superior crafting hub (you’d think they could get the nearby dwarves to help construct a Superior Forge!).
If they modified the whole regular/Superior crafting stations system a bit, so that learning the passive Superior crafting table skill would personally turn all of the regular crafting stations into Superior for that character, everywhere in the world, I think that might assist in the Esteldin traffic. I mean, what makes a Superior wooden table better then a regular wooden table? As a woodworker, I bet I could construct a better crafting table in my sleep! They could also move the jeweler’s guild hall to Othrikar, and then Trestlebridge and Meluinen can fight over who gets the tailor and woodworker’s guild halls (I’d say Trestle would get the wood, but they don’t exactly have the best track record on keeping their own bridge in good shape…).
Oh, and I’m sure they could do something with the rest of the zone, but to be honest, I’ve only done the regular soloable region quests on one of my characters.
1st time poster here–I’ve enjoyed listening to your podcasts! It’s been very helpful to listen to your informative topics and be prepared for newer mechanics as I increase in level.
I enjoyed the North Downs, as much for the variety of visuals, groups, etc. Going from the bleak Lonelands to Esteldin was quite a treat! About the southern North Downs / northeast Breelands lakes–I’m pretty sure they are the same one, having been there and based on this map: http://www.arda-online.com/map/
Thanks again for your work on the podcasts! I enjoy listening.
As far as keeping Esteldin a secret i agree it should have a specific route to get there either within Rep or even a specific quest line to gain access.
As far as the crafting it could still be held in Esteldin but make it more secluded so that the ambient sounds of the anvil strikes will not catch the attention of wanderers. Due to the fact that superior tables is involved it is a more likely spot within the zone to keep the most gifted working.
Also I would change it from superior table to tools. Using this to fill in the quest gaps and allow a reason to visit the other outlining areas.
Being mentioned so much in one episode, especially specifically by Myst, I would be remiss not to comment…
– Turbine knows how to do secret. Look at Gath Forthnir in Angmar – I could see it on the map and still couldn’t find it my first time around. If they wanted to take it to the next level, they could do something like in the Enedwaith/Huntsman quest line, where you wouldn’t even know it was there even if you walked by it. Esteldin could easily be made the same way.
– Ranger reputation directly from the North Downs just plain sucks. The new Fornost helps a bit, but the best place to farm rep items isn’t even in the ND (its in an orc camp in Angmar). I’d like to see that updated.
– I think rather than have a ‘super’ quest hub, it may make more sense to have it more like Mirkwood, where there are smaller camps around, one ‘larger’ area for the vault and stuff (ie. Othrikar), and Esteldin becomes the hub for just fellowship/instance quests, similar to Helethir in Mirkwood.
Good episode – makes me want to run an alt through there again instead of Lone Lands…
Tomeoric, Myst’s Neighbor on the Riddermark
Hey there guys,
Firstly welcome new posters 🙂 (OH and I don’t mean the prints that you hang on the wall. :))
Zyngor! I thought “Finally, a fellow in arms to help me raze ND to the ground.” Then I read on 🙁 Geesh, honestly, doesn’t anyone want to light a campfire and just let it burn and burn and spread and burn 😀
I do my crafting in Esteldin for the superior bench, but honestly, I would ask the same question as Zyngor, “What makes a superior bench superior.” As far as I can tell, the only difference is the addition of an “expert” standing close by.
Androlas, thanx for listening and honestly, glad my voice hasn’t scared you away yet. Give it time though, you never know your luck in a not so secret ranger base 🙂 I hope you continue to listen and enjoy the show 🙂
Hey there Willis as well. You have posted some interesting thoughts. But one I was wondering about was making Superior Tables, Tools. Not quite sure what you had in mind with that. Would love to hear more 🙂
Oh and now to my dear friend and Neighbour Tomeoric 🙂
I was at home last night trying to get some sleep after running around all day killing wolves and things and all I kept hearing was the thump, thump, thump of some sort of noise. I think you might refer to it as music… I use the term loosely. Could you please keep it down! A girl has to get her beauty sleep 😀
Seriously though. Thanx for the Post Tomeoric and yeah I was thinking about Gath Fornir when I was talking a cave. I know Turbine could do it if they wanted. I too had trouble finding GF in the beginning so why can’t Esteldin be the same?
One thing though, I do like Zyngor’s idea of separating the crafting guilds. And if people would stop jumping off the bridge at trestlebridge Zyngor in some sort of Extreme sport type way, the bridge might actually stay in good repair 😀
Hmmmmm… seem to have been waffling for a bit so I better say good bye before Branick starts charging publishing fees for novels.
Have fun
Myst
I don’t really quest in ND so much as do deeds. There are some good virtues to be earned in ND and they are fairly easy to get. The slayer deeds are a step above the ones in the starter zones in terms of time involved, but aren’t ridiculous like in later zones.
ND I find to be a better crafting zone than Lone Lands, but in LL I get more benefit out of my questing. I get rep for a lot of the quests in the zone and once I hit kindred, I receive a port skill. Not to mention, lore-masters can earn their cosmetic pets passive skill. In ND, rep gets you little, quests out of much of the zone do not give you rep, and it’s the same level range as LL. Turbine has not made a compelling case for ND for leveling.
Late with my comment, but my suggestion:
The major quest hub should be Stoneheight. Like North Cotton Farm, there could be a public version and an instanced version. The public version shows us what the community looks like with the Rangers, and the instanced version is the result of the Rangers going away.
The Stoneheight quest hub could encorporate most of the quests from Amon Riath and Esteldin, which send us throughout the Annundir, Fields of Fornost, & Kingsfell.
I would make the pass at Esteldin into a true pass. However, there would be a twist in just the right place that leads into the Ranger stronghold. There would be a few Rangers there, but it would mostly be for show.
This location would also incorporate the guild halls and crafting facilities (maybe with farmland thrown in). I’d upgrade all crafting facilities to their superior version, and add an Auction Hall. I’d also design some quests that involve the MoBs that you’ll see again in the private instance (I’d also do similar things to the other zones with instances in the In Their Absence cluster – North Cotton Farm, Trollshaws, Forochel; this would give more continuity to the story lines).
There would be another encampment/ruin in Nan Amlug East, which acts as the primary quest hub for the eastern side of the zone, including Dol Dinen.
One thing I would like to see is more quests involving the lore of the area, especially around Fornost & the western ruins. There could also be new instances/skirmishes based on this lore.
Anyway, that’s my thoughts…
Wanted to step in here and thank everyone for the help they’ve offered during the past couple months. Being my first venture into any MMO, I found it confusing, and honestly not much fun. With your guidance, (and the occasional gift ) I find my self on the verge of level 19, still confused , but having a real blast. I’ve yet to do any of the “epic” quests and really want to get them started. If I start them, will I no longer get back to finish my current quest lines ?
N
I did ND with my original main, who launched at game start, and when I came back after a nearly 4-year absence, one of the things I remembered was the horrific hillmen grind there for Man racial deeds at 35.
As I started leveling alts through the level range more recently, I took on the opinion that ND is really quite happily skippable. My first couple of alts through the 20s I sent out to Lone-Lands, eventually hopping into Evendim, then discovered an even better path: Skirmish 20-30 then Evendim 30-40. Skirmishes are very good XP in the first levels and allow you to work your class deeds efficiently while getting your soldier set up quickly, then nothing can touch Evendim in its current condition, at least through 40. Resally, through 8 alts, I’ve only used ND for two things:
* Zipping through Rpic book 3 (I usually wait until 40 and then just plow through Books 3-5 all at once); and
* Grindinng Hillmen and Wargs for the Man Enmity deeds at level 35.
Nandalan, the Epic is just another quest line, albeit one that gives some extra bonuses for completing. It won’t interfere with your other quests (save a very specific exception later on where continuing past a point renders a couple of lines unfinishable, but you’re given ample warning). Good news is that it starts rather slowly, so at 18-19, you’re really only expected to have finished the Prologue and Book 1 of Volume I, and about to start book 2 out in the lone-lands, so there’s very little to catch up on at the moment.