In order to ensure a la
rge player base, the difficulty of MMOs is often turned down to facilitate the play style of so-called ‘casual gamers’. In doing this however, long standing members of the community can find themselves losing interest in the game, complaining that gameplay is ‘on rails’ and unengaging.
Increasingly, LOTRO players are rolling up ‘challenge characters’, with their own self imposed rules, to bring new joy to what they consider to be an otherwise stale gaming experience.
Examples of rules players self impose on their challenge characters include
- all quests must be done on level;
- levelling via Epic Quests only;
- no running, walking only;
- characters must make camp or find a settlement during the in-game night cycle;
- only gaining experience through crafting; and
- not killing NPCs, only doing peaceful quests.
For me, the real challenge of LOTRO is finding enough time to log in more than a few times a week!
Do you play a ‘challenge character’ in LOTRO? And if so, what rules do you set for yourself?