Continuing his trend of releasing EP Letters with each update, Aaron “Rowan” Campbell just posted his most recent Letter to coincide with the release of Update 14. As was hinted in the Vilya SHIELD run, there were three new pieces of information announced in this letter:
- We no longer plan to raise the level cap a second time this year. You clearly said that you want the time to invest in your characters and your gear, and we’re listening.
- We’re adding a new system of advancement to your legendary item. At level 100, you’ll be able to take a legendary item and specify it as “imbued”, locking in its current legacies and abilities. From this moment forward the item will earn experience (even through future level caps) but not require you to deconstruct it to attain a new item. Our goal is to take the early promise of an item that “grows with you” and fulfill that.
- (rather than Level 50). The class will be able to level fully through the early areas of Eriador, and will include its own starting experience.
Also discussed briefly in the letter are plans for the rest of the year, including Central Gondor and Pelargir and Beornings coming later in the year.
Take a listen to Andang, Braxwolf, Cithryth and Ethelros’ reactions to the Producer’s Letter:
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Oh wauw, so only 5-6 years after releasing Legendary Items you add the kind of functionality people were expecting from day one. Good job.
Well i don’t think that will make everyone happy, but I am liking the no more level cap increase and the leveling Legendaries.
Hurray I am liking this news! Early zones for the new class no more level increase just yet. And the amendments to the LI system.
I’m concerned about potential the loss of flexibility in LIs by locking in their legacies.
If the developers make changes to class skills, traits, or the legacies themselves (which is happening a lot in this very update), we’ll be stuck with the legacies we have. If another legacy becomes more desirable, it sounds like we’ll have to start all over again just like we always have.
I see that while I was typing up my thoughts, you’ve posted pretty much the same concern I had on the LIs. Will they, in your opinion, view “dis-imbue upon skill modification” to be a reasonable request from the players? Would it be enough to make this a viable system?
I’m also curious that it says “starting at level 100” when we’ve just been told there won’t be another level cap increase this year.
Does that mean when our character is level 100, or when we get an LI whose equip-level is 100? There are some lower equip-level LIs with fantastic appearances that I might prefer over one of the equip-level 100 models.
I was in the camp of people thinking this was hype. I’m glad to have been wrong; there is some interesting developments here.
First : Woohoo!
No level 105 in 2014 : 90% approval from me. Part of the reason we wanted to delay 105 was to avoid replacing LIs every 4 months… That may no longer be an issue. It will still be nice not to replace the rest of the gear so often.
Second : Woohoo!
They’ll grow with you : 50-75% approval from me. I hope J. Steefel is being notified 🙂 I love the idea, but the prices we saw on beta for LI scrolls… if that wasn’t changed, then we may just be swapping one grind for another. Also, when our skills are changed, our desired legacies change; to counter than, they’ll have to “dis-imbue” the LI whenever they make changes to class skills, similar to the way they reset the spent points, so we can replace the legacies that have been rendered undesireable.
Third : Woohoo!
Beorning start at 1 : 95%. To get to 100%, just implement Fred’s (it was Fred, wasn’t it?) suggestion of giving beornings a Gift of the Valar the can elect to use upon creation and those who wanted to start at 50 can be happy too.
>Beorning start at 1 : 95%. To get to 100%, just implement Fred’s (it was Fred, wasn’t it?) suggestion
Are you referring to the reactions video? I suggested this during that recording, though I’m happy to be confused with Fredelas. 🙂
Very possible! I’m quite certain it was either Fredawolf or Braxalas. Or was it Pineuletta or Ethelkate or Mystdang? It seems I’ve muddled my wits again.
^^ Love that reply 😀
In regards to imbued LIs and class/trait changes, is it possible that the trait trees are being left as they are at level 100, and that no new skills or traits will be forthcoming in the future?
We could be looking at a game where the only character progression is earning skill points to unlock more of the existing trait tree, with essences being the new thing to strive for in the future.
I wish they were raising the level cap. I think with the change to LI’s there really shouldnt be a problem with leveling up again in a few months since a lot of people were not looking forward to grinding new LI’s. Ah well. I’m excited to see how this plays out.
Based on the Producer comments, could we not expect a lvl cap raise sometime in 2015?
Seems to suggest the possibility 😉
Over all very happy with the new…will need to see how it actually plays/works for a while to be sure though.
I think it’s great that they’re trying new things and attempting to listen to the player base, all be it the vocal minority most likely lol
While every change or experiment isn’t (and hasn’t) always as positive a change as we (and they I’m sure) hope…at least they are try to keep the game alive and progressing over time.
A good thing imo 🙂
Thank you for the review and opinions & observations!
Best Regards
Well, without level cap rise, there is IMO no point to release Central Gondor (Pelargir) this year… What for region full of “empty” XP and gear that is not better then in previous region…
Beornings in Bree?? Lol it makes that class even more stupid idea then it was.
Only LI decision is good but it should be done from lvl 50, so it is still half baked solution introduced many years too late.
Huge dissapointment. Stupid decisions.
Don’t count on my money Turbine for a long time…
About the Beorning and, “Its own starting experience,” keep in mind the LOTRO Beorning is a class not a race, restricted to Human, the tutorials and introductions are race based, the starting zones are race based not class based, and any race can level up through any starter zone.
Beornings may get their own tutorial(Misty Mountains would be cool), but will most likely be in the Archet introduction with the Hobbits and Humans, and then upon leaving the introduction be free to level up wherever one chooses.