Storytime without traceries

What if your legendary adventure was less complicated? For whatever reason you just don’t want to deal with any of the traceries or runes of the new LI system. How far would you get? Here’s the adventure of the naked LI.

The adventurer – Irondwarf

Originally started as “ironman” dwarf (red guardian) that would not accept any outside help and only use his quest rewards. Occassionally team up to vanquish evil in an instance if they we’re on equal footing. He made his way into Moria where he got his old LI that still sits at level 62. Pondering how far he could get with this precious weapon and belt last year. He got around 75 when update 30.3 was released since he’s stocked up on appraisal belts that are 75. At that point he started to gather dust since getting to 75 with a 62 weapon kinda made it’s point about how easy landscape was. And there were Gundalags to be taken back.

Naked LI adventure time

Gundalag was retaken Hrimli supersaiyan tier 2 could have the Hiddenhoard all for himself. Irondwarf had to retake Rohan. But where would he find some new weapons? He ventured to Rivendell, but since he didn’t like to use other peoples resources he had no ancient script. He scraped some quest rewards together and got himself some LI’s. He couldn’t bring himself to spent any on traceries though. Surely he wouldn’t need them he thought. It was just 10 levels to 86.

His adventure brought him into the Wold, Eastfold, Eastwall and Suthcrofts. Since he hadn’t gotten his wargoat yet or a new bridle he just wanted so skip Broadacres. He was on an Epic adventure from this point onward and slid across Volume 3 into Wildermore.

First real test

You were expecting it to be Wildermore he? You’d be wrong. The latter parts of a region were a bit sluggish when he was still rocking an LI that wasn’t reforged yet. Undergeared because you skipped some areas, having to fight a mounted enemy without a mount or venturing into Entwade without the stat jump there is there at 85-86 was the largest hurdle. Once you’d reach the any reforge the kills became quick enough that any gear-handicap was remedied. Once i was 86 around Forlaw the orcs, wolfs and ice-trolls fell quick enough that you’d take on multiple again.

The expected chokepoint in Wildermore of Byre-Tor was quickly dispatched by the reforged LI. Nurzum was dealt with and Irondwarf made it’s way to Helms Deep. However his friend had recently freed Deadly-Helms Deep so he just wandered around and made it’s way to Gondor. Since you can’t easily jump questcamps in Helms Deep and he was’nt that Stoked for Broadacres.

Skipping tests and Gondor onto Mordor

The destroyed village of Marton might have been a nice challenge, but with too few levels and too many mounted orcs between him and there he storied his way through Helms Deep and went looking for a challenge in Gondor.

Thats where Irondwarf currently resides. Pondering in Tadrent which path to take. Too many quests between him and Mordor. Reluctant to put on a tortoise stone with this being mostly a landscape/LI test character. Irondwarf will probably Epic along and reach Mordor a few levels below 105.

Appendix – Naked LI and landscape

There isn’t much to write about lotro’s landscape difficulty at this time. Geting into the 75’s with quest gear and a 62 weapon. The largest hurdle in Rohan being the lack of a warsteed and autoattacking 3 goblins riders in Wildermore to dead. Occasionally getting a lucky Hammer Down off if they got too close. The refusal to bring the landscape difficulty to servers that arn’t Treebeard of barren makes questing mostly mute.

How far can you get with a Naked LI with not a single tracery in it? Far enough. Some other classes might struggle a bit more since a guardian can simply outlast some mobs. A runekeeper or loremaster might die a few more times.

It’s not the damage that i’m missing. It’s the cooldown or extra umph some skills get. The healing from Catch a breath or Warriors heart would make it much more convenient to push through some large groups.