[CC] End game loot, lootbox in U23 and beyond redux

When mordor launched we got lootboxes for everyone.  On monday we got an update to the plans for lootboxes and end game gear by Severlin (executive producer of lotro). The short version is that

In general, instance gear will be better than questing gear, raid gear will be better than instance gear, and content with higher tiers of difficulty will reward better gear than easier content. This is pretty much how things work now.

Our new currency for our end game barter gear in update 23 and beyond is Embers of Enchantment. Embers can be earned for doing weekly quests, and by deconstructing gear (current 120)  you don’t want.

Or for the original/full version check the Post by Severlin

SSG guidelines/rules  for future endgame loot and lootboxes
This will result in two rules they will set themselves for making gear available at either a barterer or from a lootbox

1.  The Ember vendors (level 120 barters) won’t have gear from the most recent end game group content until around two or so weeks after that content is released
2. Lootboxes have cosmetics, gear – with identical gear available from the Ember vendors, and some Embers. The gear and cosmetics will be available on the Embers vendor at the same time it debuts in a lootbox

What this means for yourself depends on how you play of course. But if you want to be at the forefront and get the best gear more now then later. You have to play the game (as most would agree is a good thing).

Over time, barter options or lootboxes will contain gear that allow you to catch up. But will never put you at the front. It is possible to get better gear then someone else that is not gearing up as fast as the curve SSG thinks the quickest x % is.

A rough overview for what gear is available to get from sources and their difficulty in U23 (and beyond)

Ash changes
There will be two type of ashes available going forward (Max level and the rest)

1. Embers of enchantment (max level) to barter max level (now 120) gear
2. Motes of enchantment (the rest) to barter < 120 gear and older update materials
   1. Every new update all Embers will be converted to Motes
   2. For example 115 gear, mordor pets or cosmetics will be bartered with motes/ash

This is comparable to how seals, medallions and marks worked before. Seals you got from raids or challenges. These seals + marks could be used to barter the best gear. When a new expansion launched all seals were turned into medallions.

Loot boxes and keys are store-only

The role loot boxes and black steel keys will play in the will change drastically. You won’t be able to get (new) black steel keys from daily quests. Instead it will reward Embers (for max level repeatables) or motes (for lower level repeatables). But keys you will already have will unlock both current and new loot boxes. So use them wisely ( at level 120 for Embers or later when new barters are in-game).

1. Lootboxes can (eventually) only be opened by store bought keys. These will follow the above rules.
2. All current and future quests that reward black steel keys will instead give you motes or embers instead

Comparison for black steel keys and bartering

This is their objective, but keep communicating (politely) if they don’t

Loot boxes are not required to gear up, but can be used to help you catch up on gearing, and acquire cool new cosmetics. If you don’t want to buy a key for a loot box, you can instead run content to earn Embers for the items. We absolutely want to reward players who are awesome enough to support the long-term success of the game by opening loot boxes, and get joy in doing it, but we don’t want players to feel like they are forced to open loot boxes in order to play or excel in the game.

I hope this overview will help you understand what changes there will be in Update 23 regarding the best gear and what (reduced) role loot boxes will play in there. Personally less lootbox and more lotro is a good thing. The new system looks to be an improvement over the current system.