50 replies to this topic

[cossieuk]

Here is the dev diary on the new solo end game

http://www.lotro.com...come-to-hytbold

[LordVorontur]

Oh well, I see things are back to normal

[Thrabath]

To be honest, I like the idea and the way it's presented (although it's probably more grinding then the diary implies) Only it's not enough, it would be a great addition to an instance cluster and 2 or 3 new skirmishes as end-game; As the only end-game part it's too little I think

[Moderate Peril]

There are 4 rep factions in RoR. You gain rep xp by doing the regional quests associated with them. When you start Hytbold and pursue that activity line, you reach kindred.

Some Hytbold quests are gated behind ally level.

Tasks do not supplement rep, so if you want to reach kindred with all 4 factions, Hytbold is mandatory

Allegedly the time it takes to get Hytbold gear is a comparable to the amount of time it takes to get raid gear, or so JW Barry reckons.

[Ingaras]

LOL, it's like they really, really want to make sure I don't buy RoR. As I generally loath dailies, Hytbold sounds like a place I should travel around in one very wide circle.

*also expects 'Hytbold Daily Quest Reset Tokens' to be in the Store by November*

[Lothirieth]

As someone who has been having fun in GW2 with all the different ways you can complete a heart, I appreciate the varied activities Turbine is presenting here.  I have no problem with them.  But I do have a problem with this being endgame and this being the way to earn endgame gear.  It's lame in that context.  If this had been the way to earn rep with factions or incorporated into questing, I would have been ALL for it.  

I really don't like much of anything I'm hearing about RoR. This is a first for me regarding Lotro.  The only thing that keeps me interested is the fact that it's Middle Earth.  If it weren't for that and a lifetime subscription, I think I would have been done with this game a while ago.

[VoodooJack]

As one of two main focal points of the expansion, mounted combat which doesnt entice me at all another throw away gimmick by Turbine and the Hytbold mechanic which is incredibly intriguing and has lots of potential like most things Turbine do. Past precedents show that this will be a disaster though, overly grindy, not enough fluff titles/housing items etc.

Its an incredibly weak expansion all round with the majority of the expansion being free, I see absolutely no incentive to purchase the expansion and I'll wait till the first 25% sale around Christmas/New Years I presume.

[Doro]

Looks good to me. I despise raiding since I left my last proper kin (Orth T2 and SWTOR killed it), so finding a way I can gear up my characters without relying on others is brilliant. It's a shame it relies on a grind more than on difficult content but it's better than nothing, I suppose.

[Hajile]

Sounds like an alternative to endgame for people who don't like raiding to get similarly geared. If it was just that I dare say nobody would be complaining. It would fill that void perfectly. If it's the only endgame there is and there's nothing else on offer, it seems breathtakingly flimsy.

[Doro]

Hajile, on 21 September 2012 - 19:03, said:

Sounds like an alternative to endgame for people who don't like raiding to get similarly geared. If it was just that I dare say nobody would be complaining. It would fill that void perfectly. If it's the only endgame there is and there's nothing else on offer, it seems breathtakingly flimsy.

Well it won't be the only end-game. When we had RoI, the only end-game was Draigoch, scaled instances/raids and skirmishes. Now, we have scaled instances/raids, skirmishes and daily grind. Since the loot from the scaled instances/raids are exactly the same as current gear but increased stats, you can bet people will start skirming again.

[Moderate Peril]

It will be the only endgame when RoR launches. Raids and instances come out later remember.

[Doro]

Xusia of Delos, on 21 September 2012 - 19:45, said:

It will be the only endgame when RoR launches. Raids and instances come out later remember.

I wasn't talking about new raids or instances. I'm talking about the old scalable ones, like we had with RoI (e.g. Lib, Sch, GB, Annu, Hele, etc)

[Lothirieth]

Doro, on 21 September 2012 - 20:44, said:

I wasn't talking about new raids or instances. I'm talking about the old scalable ones, like we had with RoI (e.g. Lib, Sch, GB, Annu, Hele, etc)

As if people didn't run that stuff to death to get the superior marks for the Draigoch set last year....  Those instances are not an acceptable endgame either.

[Moderate Peril]

I wrote about the potential consequences of the Hytbold mechanic in a blog post.

Rebuilding Hytbold - An Alternative to Raiding?

I think Ingaras may not be far off the amrk with his reset token gag.

[Doro]

Lothirieth, on 21 September 2012 - 23:17, said:

As if people didn't run that stuff to death to get the superior marks for the Draigoch set last year....  Those instances are not an acceptable endgame either.

I'm not saying they are. What I'm saying is Hytbold won't be the only end-game. You will definitely see people grinding the old scalable content/skirmishes for loot again, just as we saw in the first few months of RoI.

[Lothirieth]

See... I'm say that's not an endgame really.   It's not really going to exist in RoR in my opinion, not until instances and raids come out.

[LordVorontur]

Well, it comes down to personal preference
It's something to do at level cap, so it is technically endgame

[The MMO Troll]

Lothirieth, on 22 September 2012 - 13:27, said:

See... I'm say that's not an endgame really.   It's not really going to exist in RoR in my opinion, not until instances and raids come out.

Indeed. All Hytbold does is give mostly-solo players (like me) an endgame outside of skirmishes. Players who are used to dungeons and raiding will consider it a poor substitution for a "real" endgame, although I suspect they will grind it out, having no other choice. Or they will become quickly bored of Rohan and leave for "greener" pastures.

If this had come out along side of an instance cluster with at least one endgame raid, then there would be no problem here. Alas, that won't be the case this year. But once that IC comes out, what will be the first thing people demand? That the rewards from the IC be better than that which you can get in Hytbold, because "dungeons and raids should always have superior rewards to soloable content". I tend to disagree with that assessment, but you know that is what raiders will demand.

In the end, Hytbold will make solo players happy for a while, but will disappoint and annoy many others.

[Thrabath]

well, the cluster will probably be 1 lvl better or something like that; And that makes sense since it's newer, so progression is needed

[The MMO Troll]

Thrabath, on 24 September 2012 - 16:11, said:

well, the cluster will probably be 1 lvl better or something like that; And that makes sense since it's newer, so progression is needed

So will there be another town to rebuild with the instance cluster, so solo players can progress as well?