This week we review Update 20: The Battle of the Black Gate.
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LOTRO Hox Fix to reduce most instance mobs to 105 max
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Update 20 Review
–Spoiler Warning–
Epic Story Line
–End Spoiler Warning–
Side Quests
Landscape
Resource Instances
Reputation Factions
Random
Scores:
Aerindys – I
Maven – C
Pineleaf – C+
Sanswinda – B-
Camuril – B
New Player Question
Does crafting become vital at any point in the game? If so, when? Can you play LOTRO all the way through without doing any crafting at all?
Week In LOTRO
Sanswinda
- Ran a new level 5 hunter to Rivendell twice on stream, got past Gloin’s camp the 2nd time.
- Ran Carn Dum and Urugarth with the Grrlz. No trips to the day spa, but I did take a dip in lava.
- Sat on the throne in Meduseld again to the dismay of my human and elf companions.
Aerindys
- Ran Carn Dum and Urugarth with the Grrlz; I had no idea how BIG that instance was!
- Ran a few skirmish duos on my lowbie hunter with a friend (including Gondoman for the first time!)
- Worked on leveling through Moria on my champ
Maven
- Ran an emergency Barad Guldur raid with Gryfflet because he couldn’t pick up quests in Dunland
- Rolled a new hobbit warden with the Academy gang and started doing Ered Luin quests
- Played the trumpet off the prow with Sans and Teri during our completion of the Gandalf Scavenger Hunt list (mention horseshoe)
Camuril
- Working on leveling Menelach (champion) in anticipation of the High Elf release.
- Grinding out Host of the West rep with CRAFTING.
- Noted that as much as I’m crafting for rep that I’ll have to do the Raid to get started with the high end gear. Le Sigh.
- Re-exploring the lower content and noting the changes. Very much enjoying and may just not buy the Blessing of the Valar on the High Elf when I create it.
Pineleaf
- My regular skirmish group finally broke 30 minutes in Survival: Barrow Downs
- Cleared out the last deed in my Eriador deed log. Who puts a chest in the middle of an Ice Bay?
- On Laurelin, Challenge in finding Bergil for salute during Anniversary Scavenger Hunt
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Great episode! I always love the review episodes, and it was great to hear another male voice. Yes, I love Pineleaf’s Angels, but more of a mix of guys and gals on the show is my preference. My rating is as follows:
Epic Story: A (Great Job -as always- MoL! This set of epics was great, especially the session play)
Side Quests: B+
Landscape: B+ (not linking the Dead Marshes took it down from an A)
Resource Instances: B
Reputation Grind: B (I had kinmates help me out, so much less grind for me. I do like that you get gold gear items and some cosmetic pets this way)
Random: Don’t remember what the random stuff was 😛
Overall Score: B+
Seems to me you missed the most obvious choice of all for Week-10 Anniversary Quests theme. The little dude that started it all. Master Baggins! I expect we will be collecting remembrances on a particularly remote island in Goblin-town, Stopping by some statues in the Troll-Shaws, Killing some spiders in Mirkwood, Visiting some Eagles in the Great River, etc!
Cheers,
Braag of Vilya
The wastes are a classic filler zone between updates. Primarily busy work (aka massive grind)
Thanks for the episode, I would mark this update down, for the utter confusion that I have had, even with the forums and lotro-wiki, on how to open up the instances, and what to do with the crafting materials at this level. Your episode helped me a lot with figuring them out, and I now have everything unlocked.