In this episode, Brodkil and I save Lalia from the perils of the Barrow Downs, learn the importance of clicking the “apply” button, and both reach level 20 without dying!...

Well, folks, we’ve had some time to absorb the class changes that update 12.0 (otherwise known as the Helm’s Deep expansion) brought to us. To recap, skill traits were replaced with skill trees, and several skills were consolidated, removed or changed as a result. For the hunter, the names remained the same – Bowmaster (red), Huntsman (blue)...

Warning: If you are concerned about Epic Battle immersion, do not read this post. The following contains potential spoilers that you will not be able to scrub from your memory. Not even with a men-in-black flashy thingy. Not even with a timelord pocket watch. Not even if Superman spins the Earth backwards to a time prior to you reading the article. Well,...

In this episode, Locowolf and I go collect lilies for Tom Bombadil. As a reward, he sends us into the Great Barrow by ourselves. Thanks a lot, Tom....

Turbine has settled a lawsuit brought by little-known company Treehouse Avatar Technologies for infringing on US Patent 8,180,858. Specifically, they were accused of using a  “method and system For presenting data over a network based on network user choices and collecting real-time data related to said choices”. As a part of the agreement, pending...

Hello, all! As some of you know, I’ve been experimenting with “the YouTubes” lately, and have recently started to do some LOTRO playthrough videos with my two oldest boys. They’ve never played through the content before, and I thought it would be interesting to hear their perspectives as they wade through the dangers of Middle-Earth for...

With the release of Helm’s Deep and the next chapter of LOTRO, I decided to go back to the beginning and take a look at the first post I ever made about the game. I’ve lifted this from my personal blog, and it’s really fun to go back and see “where it all began”. It’s interesting that almost three years later I’m still...

This week I started playing around with arguably (with the exception of perhaps the Lore Master pet tree) the trait line that has endured the most changes for the Helm’s Deep expansion: the hunter’s Trapper of Foes line. I’ve never given Trapper of Foes much of a chance, mostly because it was widely seen as boring and ineffective. Boy, was I...

The other day I was running the games I play through my mind, trying to figure out what made me enjoy one type of game over the other. Games today are so complex that it’s sometimes tough to put a finger on why one stands out. Is it combat style? Graphics? Depth of gameplay? Social features? Of course the enjoy-ability of a game is determined by a combination...

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then is a video worth a million? Regardless of the exchange rate, sometimes there’s just no substitute to seeing something for yourself. I made this video to show the new skill trees in action, and to specifically show how they will influence the hunter class in battle. Enjoy, and let me know your thoughts!  ...

Today, Lord of the Rings Online developer Turbine announced the lifting of the Non-Disclosure agreement (NDA) associated with the beta testing for their Helm’s Deep expansion. Players who have been participating in the closed beta can now freely discuss their experiences.     Be prepared for a flood of opinions and information (including on...

With the next LOTRO expansion a mere weeks away, it’s time to start getting excited about the new additions to the game we hold so near and dear. I’ve jotted down a list of things that I’m looking forward to in the Helm’s Deep expansion: Getting closer to the Lord of the Rings story in the epic story-line once again. One of the game’s major strengths over the...

Earlier today, Turbine released their latest developer diary focused on the upcoming class changes for the Helm’s Deep expansion. This diary was written by HoarseDev and attempts to answer only one question: Why are the classes changing? HoarseDev gives several reasons for the upcoming changes. Here is a bullet list of the reasons, each followed by my...

Dearest Bria – I find the world an uneasy place as I write to you this evening. It has been many weeks since Borowolf and I have returned from the frigid land of Wildermore. As we plan to cross the Entwash (at great peril to our lives) to once again engage the darkness that threatens all the land, whispers and rumors alight upon our ears. It is extremely...

Today on Twitter, Turbine revealed the Turbine Point pricing of the upcoming Helm’s Deep expansion pack.   As the tweet reads, the expansion will be available in the in-game LOTRO store at the cost of 4295 TP. This is the entire expansion, so the epic story will be included along with all epic battles. This is the same Turbine Point pricing used for...

Want one of those oft-sought Helm’s Deep beta keys? Turbine has a Facebook promotion going on now that makes the process easier than ever. Clicking on the not-so-secret public link on their Facebook page sends you to an app that will grant you a beta code. @Lotro tweeted about the promotion today:     This is an interesting move, but not...

Today Turbine released the developer diary that details Helms Deep changes to the Hunter class. Although we’ve had previous hints about the three trait trees and what they entail, the diary provided some new information about skills within each of these of which we were not previously aware. Below are some of the highlights that I picked out: The...

This year’s 2nd annual Guildlaunch Dragonslayer awards featured a few nominees from Lord of the Rings online, but one very large winner stood out among the crowd. Congratulations to LOTRO kinship The Lonely Mountain Band for being voted Best Gaming Guild/Team or Clan! The Lonely Mountain Band is a Landroval kinship most noted for their organization of the...

If you’ll think back to when the Bounders Bounty event was released, you’ll remember that there was a promise of fame and fortune for those who contributed the most tokens to the cause. Yesterday, developer EdgeCase released some additional details about what exactly that prominence and popularity entails: First, there will be a brand new statue in...

Today on the official LOTRO forums, community manager Sapience posted a clarification to the Helms Deep pre-purchase information that set off quite a flurry of discussion around the community. The original question was asking for clarification on what is included in the Helms Deep expansion order (for pay) and what will be granted to all players (for free)....