End-of-Year Titles

A new title has been bestowed upon you. You may now be known as Elahedor Taterlord (Since October 14, 2011):

Up-And-Comer
Complete 100 Tasks.
+1 Task
+Reset Task Token

Manoeuvre Master
Complete Draigoch's Lair - Challenge (complete all special Fellowship Manoeuvres in Draigoch's Raid).

Bathed in Fire
Complete Draigoch's Lair - Tier 1.

Born from Ashes
Complete Draigoch's Lair - Tier 2

The Red
Complete Draigoch Raid on Tier 1 and Tier 2, as well as complete the Challenge.
+Worn Symbol of Celebrimbor

Foe-Bane of Dunland
Complete the Slayer of Dunland deed (requires 9 Tier 1 slayer deeds in Dunland)
+1 Compassion

Challenger of Thorog
Complete the Road To Thorog (claim the Drake, Giant, and Spider wings in Helegrod).

Slayer of the Servants Three
Complete the Servants of Angmar Raid (defeat Breosal, Adhargal, and Grisgart in Helegrod).

Doom-Breaker
Defeat The Void-Eater, The Doom-Speaker, and The Gurvand in Dark Delving.
+1 Tolerance

Diviner
Find 4 Rune-Stones in Dark Delving.

A Light in the Dark
Complete all deeds in Dark Delving.

Master Over Fear
Complete all deeds in Skûmfil and Dark Delving

Bane of Industry
Complete all of the deeds in the Forges of Khazad-Dûm.

Marshal of the Burning Depths
Complete all deeds in the Forges of Khazad-Dûm and Fil Gashan.

Saviour of Khazad-Dûm
Complete all deeds in The Grand Stair, Skûmfil, Dark Delving, Forges of Khazad-Dûm, Fil Gashan, Sixteenth Hall, and Vile Maw.

Pilgrim of Dunland
Complete the required number of quests in each zone in Dunland, the Gap of Rohan, and Nan Curunir.
+1 Tolerance

Master of the Untamed Lands
Complete the Explorer deeds, the Quest deeds, and the first-tier Slayer deeds in Dunland.
+1 Idealism

De-Animator of Thorog
Complete the deed Thorog Defeated.

Doom of Thorog Reborn
Defeat Thorog.

Reclaimer of Mírdanant
Complete the quest Raid: Reclaiming Eregion's Gift and return Mírdanant to Gonedaid at The Spire of Meeting in Rivendell.

Saviour of Eriador
Complete all the deeds in Carn Dûm, Urugarth, and Barad Gûlaran, as well as defeat Thaurlach (The Rift of Nûrz Ghâshu) and Thorog (Helegrod).
+Dûnedain War-Steed

Gondamon Siege-Breaker
Complete all the encounters in the Seige of Gondamon skirmish

Go-Getter
Complete 200 Tasks
+1 Task Limit
+Reset Task Token.

Feast-Beast
Complete the Biggest Stomach of them All quest 15 times during Yule Festival.

Gatherer of Cool Company
Build all the snowmen in Frostbluff

The Openhanded
Complete the Frostbluff Festival quest A Charitable Spirit 10 times.
NOTE: This deed is hidden until you complete it.

Other Deeds

Slayer of the Dead (Advanced)
Defeat 200 dead in Dunland
+1 Patience

Quests in Nan Curunir
Complete 25 quests in Nan Curunir
+1 Tolerance

Quests in Trum Dreng
Complete 32 quests in Trum Dreng
+1 Confidence

Consumables: Black Silk Gloves
+Festival Skill: Black Silk Glove

Consumables: Buckets of Fear
+Festival Skill: Bucket of Fear

Consumables: Candles and Mirrors
+Festival Skill: Candle and Mirrors

Consumables: Applications of Coveritol
+Festival Skill: Application of Coveritol

Consumables: Specimen Jars: Gross Bugs
+Festival Skill: Specimen Jar: Gross Bugs

Consumables: Potent Bird-Seed
+Festival Skill: Potent Bird-Seed

Consumables: Spider-Legs
+Festival Skill: Spider Legs

Uruk-Hai Slayer
Defeat 150 Uruk-Hai in Dunland
+Heritage Rune

Wretched Falconer Slayer
Defeat 5 Wretched Falconers in Skirmishes.
+50 Skirmish Marks

Half-Orc Slayer
Defeat 150 Half-Orcs in Dunland
+Heritage Rune

Raging Marauder Slayer
Defeat 5 Raging Marauder in Skirmishes
+50 Skirmish Marks

Emissary of War Slayer
Defeat 5 Emissaries of War in Skirmishes
+50 Skirmish Marks

Vile Defender Slayer (Advanced)
Defeat 50 Vile Defenders in Skirmishes
+500 Skirmish Marks

Death-Monger Slayer (Advanced)
Defeat 50 Death-Mongers in Skirmishes
+500 Skirmish Marks

Brother of Destruction Slayer
Defeat 5 Brothers of Destruction in Skirmishes
+50 Skirmish Marks

Frigid Squall Slayer
Defeat 5 Frigid Squall in Skirmishes
+50 Skirmish Marks

Rage of Morgoth Slayer
Defeat 5 Rages of Morgoth in Skirmishes
+50 Skirmish Marks

Priestess of Flames Slayer
Defeat 5 Priestesses of Flames in Skirmishes
+50 Skirmish Marks

Bearer Of Blight Slayer (Advanced)
Defeat 50 Bearers Of Blight in Skirmishes
+500 Skirmish Marks

Primordial Wraith Slayer
Defeat 5 Primordial Wraiths in Skirmishes
+50 Skirmish Marks

Daunting Spirit-Sapper Slayer
Defeat 5 Daunting Spirit-Sappers in Skirmishes
+50 Skirmish Marks

Crazed Hate-Monger Slayer
Defeat 5 Crazed Hate-Mongers in Skirmishes
+50 Skirmish Marks

Chaos-Fiend Slayer
Defeat 5 Chaos-Fiends in Skirmishes
+50 Skirmish Marks

Hulking-Pounder Slayer
Defeat 5 Hulking-Pounders in Skirmishes
+50 Skirmish Marks

Courage-Breaker Slayer
Defeat 5 Courage-Breakers in Skirmishes
+50 Skirmish Marks

Will-Breaker Slayer
Defeat 5 Will-Breakers in Skirmishes
+50 Skirmish Marks

Hawk-Eyed Harrier Slayer
Defeat 5 Hawk-Eyed Harriers in Skirmishes
+50 Skirmish Marks

Dreadwing-Maurader Slayer
Defeat 5 Dreadwing-Mauraders in Skirmishes
+50 Skirmish Marks

Fellbane Archer Slayer
Defeat 5 Fellbane Archer in Skirmishes
+50 Skirmish Marks

Spawn of Angband Slayer
Defeat 5 Spawns of Angband in Skirmishes
+50 Skirmish Marks

Silent Slayer Stalker
Defeat 5 Silent Slayers in Skirmishes
+50 Skirmish Marks

Leech-Warden Slayer
Defeat 5 Leech-Warden in Skirmishes
+50 Skirmish Marks

Venomous Blood-Arrow Slayer
Defeat 50 Venomous Blood-Arrows in Skirmishes
+500 Skirmish Marks

Leadfoot Brute Slayer
Defeat 5 Leadfoot Brute in Skirmishes
+50 Skirmish Marks

Troll Wound-Taker Slayer
Defeat 50 Troll Wound-Takers in Skirmishes.
+500 Skirmish Marks

Blinded by Fire (Advanced)
Defeat 40 trolls in the Forges of Kazad-Dûm.

+1 Fortitude

Quests in the Starkmoor
Complete 27 quests in the Starkmoor.
+1 Mercy

Uruk-Hai Slayer (Advanced)
Defeat 200 Uruk-Hai in Dunland
+1 Honesty

Craban-Slayer (Advanced)
Defeat 200 Craban in Dunland
+1 Wisdom

Warg-Slayer (Advanced)
Defeat 200 Wargs in Dunland
+1 Confidence

Consumables: Perfect Snowballs
+Festival Skill: Perfect Snowball

Update 5: Armies of Isengard

Update 5 was finally released on December 12. I just thought I'd give some of my thoughts about the features.

New Instances

There are 5 new instances with Update 5:

• Dargnakh Unleashed (3-person)
• Fangorn's Edge (3-person)
• Pits of Isengard (3-person)
• The Foundry (6-person)
• The Tower of Orthanc (12-person)

I have yet to do anything but Foundry, and have failed both times I've gone in. The main reason is, of course, that it's new, and the group is still trying to figure out the mechanics. The first time, we did make it all the way to the final room, but the group's makeup wasn't strong on DPS, and the healer wasn't really trying very hard (it's a person I've grouped with in the past, and she tends to bail when things don't go perfectly smoothly - and they definitely weren't going well that night).

I entered Fangorn's Edge once on the test server, but we didn't make it passed the first group of pathers. The group makeup was bad. I also attempted the Pits on the test server, and the group did well enough to get to the last boss before the healer had to drop group. The only instance I've attempted live is The Foundry, and I've done it twice. Once with a PuG, and we did pretty well - making it to the final room. The second time was with a group of kinmates, but we didn't make it beyond the first boss.

The instances are built around environmental factors rather than boss mechanics, and they all seem to be interesting, and I'd really like to attempt each at least once. Apparently, as you work your way through the instances, you earn items that can eventually be crafted into a fairly nice necklace.

Instance Finder

The Instance Finder is a new tool that is meant to facilitate grouping. In a nutshell, you specify the role you'd like to perform, select the type of instance you want to do, and and select the size of the group. You're then placed in a queue, and when enough people have been found, you're placed into an instance.

Currently, the Finder does not support Raids, but only instances for 1 - 6 players. Also, you don't get to select the specific instance you want to do - it's randomly selected for you. Unfortunately, not all instances are available through the Finder: it supports Skirmishes, Classic Instances, and Isengard Instances. The Classic Instances consist of only scalable instances, such as the School, the Library, and the various wings of the Great Barrows. None of the instances in the Moria cluster, the Khazad Dûm cluster, the Dol Guldor cluster, or the Ost Dunhoth cluster are supported. The Isengard Instances include only the new end-game, non-raid instances: Dargnakh Unleashed, Fangorn's Edge, Pits of Isengard, and The Foundry.

A group, however, can form up, and then use the Instance Finder to join an instance.

It has been stated very clearly the Instance Finder is a work in progress, and it will be made more robust in the next update.

In general, I've not seen where people are using the Finder that often. There are just as many calls for groups in the global chat. 

I've used the Finder twice on the test server (Bullroarer) and once on live to find a blind group:

Test 1: I was matched with 2 captains. We were making our way down into the instance proper when we were attacked by a pathing group - and then aggroed another group. There was really no hope, and one of the captains dropped out.

Test 2: I was matched with a Hunter and a Minstrel. We did pretty well, and made it to the end boss, but he was one-shotting us, and then the mini had to drop group. 

Live: I joined and staying in the queue for about 5 minutes before I decided to log out and do something else.

I also used it to jump into an instance with a pre-formed group: A group of kinmates wanted to attempt The Foundry (and failed, miserably) and then Thadur's wing in Great Barrows.

From what I've read on the forums and in-game, the Finder is not very popular, mostly because of the randomness. The devs stated that they were trying to encourage people to run little-used content, but the things people don't like (namely the Dungeons of Dol Guldor) are mostly excluded at the present time.

Currency Consolidation

One of the major changes is that a lot of the skirmish and instance currency has been consolidated. There are now only 3 types of currency: Marks, Medallions, and Seals. Marks have taken the place of Skirmish Marks, and are the lowest form of currency. Medallions are the next step up, replacing various Campaign Marks and other special Marks. Seals are the top-tier currency. they replace the Superior Fourth Marks. Of course, other currency, such as the Silver Branches and Medallions of the North Men, haven't been replaced at all.

The general consensus I've heard is that the new currency system isn't very popular. It seems like few tokens are rewarded in comparison to the cost of the items - even getting enough Marks to level a soldier has slowed down. The Instance Finder is supposed to boost the acquisition rate (the daily quests in many instances have been removed so that people can run the instances over and over).

I ran a skirmish raid, and the returns seemed decent enough: around 500 Marks, 28 Medallions, and 6 Seals. I haven't really checked the prices of the new gear, so I can't speak to the whether the returns were worth the investment.

Reputation Tokens

Reputation Items have been made into consumable items. You can right click on a token, and it immediately increases your standing with the corresponding faction. You no longer have to run back to the reputation barter vendor to turn in tidy stacks of the tokens.

On the negative side, there are no more intro quests, and even low-level toons can reputation with any faction. This is one aspect I wish they had kept - and not just because it seems odd to allow a toon to earn reputation with a faction in a zone they've never even stepped foot into, but also because those quests gave reputation. There's a loss of around 2400 - 3600 points.

In Moria, new items have been added for the Iron Garrison Guards. The existing ones increase your standing with the Miners. No items have been added for factions (Eglain, Galadhrim, Grey Company, etc) for which no reputation tokens existed pre-update.

Overall, though, I like the change.

Volume III, Book 5

The Epic story continues in The Prince of Rohan, a short but climatic chapter.

***WARNING: SPOILERS***

In this chapter, we part ways with the Grey Company. Chapter 1 is all about saying goodbye to the remaining Rangers. And we get a nice cosmetic: a choice of Ranger cosmetics. There are two sets to choose from: the original worn set and the newer fine set. I chose the fine set.

We are tasked with assisting Theodred, the Prince of Rohan, in protecting Rohan from the forces of Isengard. After doing a few tasks for Grimbold and Theodred, we are thrown into the Battle of the Fords of Isen. This battle is a day-long event, and we are witness to important moments, moving through the day via a series of cut-scenes that explain what is happen. In the morning, we help Grimbold defend the flanks of the army. Then, by midday we have made our way to the Gates of Isengard and joined the main fight. In the afternoon, we have retreated and are fighting so that Theodred can escape. This part of the fight is particularly challenging. Finally, we fight our way to Theodred, who has been staging a desperate, last fight on an isle in the Isen. We witness the end of the Prince as the sun goes down.

***END SPOILERS***

I enjoyed the epic, but after the lengthy preceding book, it felt too short and a bit hollow. It would have been nice to spend a bit more time with the Prince, to give us more of a reason to mourn his loss.

Other Items of Note

Changes I find interesting and noteworthy:

• The signs for the Auction House, Crafting Hall, and other facilities in Galtrev have been changed to banners.
• Coffee has been added.
• A plug-in manager has been added.
• A tracker for nearby quests has been added.
• A new minstrel instrument, the Pibgorn, has been added.
• The icons for the Westfold crafting materials have been changed.
• Each class has 3 new armour sets. Each set supports a specific trait line.
• There are new deeds for using 50 of each color of fireworks. The reward is an anniversary token; there seem to be no title or other reason to complete the deed.
• The cooldown on the festival consumables has been increased to 5 minutes and is now shared. This change is most unwelcome, but has come in response to complaints about people spamming the items on others.
• The menu that appears when you right-click on your portrait has been reworked, and additional commands, including a command to leave your kin, have been added.

Perhaps the best thing about the update is that the Isengard expansion finally feels complete. There are some things that I think could be better, and somethings I'm not particularly excited about, but I'm generally positive about the update.

Draigoch the Red

The Draigoch raid was added with the Rise of Isengard expansion, and it has become fairly popular. I've attempted this fight 4 times and completed it twice.

Originally, the instance was intended to be released with the May 2011 update (Update 3: Lost Legends of Eriador), but was pushed back because of technical issues.

The back story for the raid is that Draigoch is one of the remaining Great Dragons of Middle Earth, and he's worshiped by the Dunlending tribes.

Although the raid is related to the Rise of Isengard, Draigoch's lair is actually located in Enedwaith. It's in the far east, beyond the Serpent Halls in Thror's Combe (the landscape beyond the Mysterious Relic has changed: there was previously a wall, which has been removed. There is now a valley in the Misty Mountains, with an entrance into the lair. Be forewarned: the area is patrolled by level 75 Dunlendings, so players who are on-level with Enedwaith should exercise caution.

The raid becomes available at level 75, but requires a prerequisite quest that starts in Galtrev. Once you've discovered the lair, you can enter and attempt to defeat the dragon.

The raid can be completed on Tier 1 or Tier 2. Tier 2 is available if the raid has 13-24 players, and Tier 1 is available if the raid has 12 or fewer players. The game automatically sets the tier, and there is no difference in the fight. Completing T2 grants the title "Born From Ashes". Completing T1 grants the title, "Bathed in Fire"

There is also a challenge. There are a series of 12 special Fellowship Maneuvers that do special damage to the dragon. The challenge is to complete all 12 in the raid; for this reason, the group should include a Burglar, who can reliably trip the FMs. Completing the challenge grants the title "Manoeuvre Master".

The idea of the raid is to start with 24 people to learn the mechanics and gradually whittle the group to 12. However, most people just jump in with 12. It is possible to complete the three deeds (T1, T2, and Challenge) in one raid. Completing the three deeds grants the title "The Red".

Now, for a discussion of the fight.

When you first enter the lair, you run down a passage. Draigoch senses your intrusion, and flies up, looking through openings in the walls. If he spots you, he breathes fire through the opening - and you're instantly dead. At the end of the passage, there's an opening covered with a thin bit of rock. Once enough people stand on this capstone, it breaks (stopping Draigoch from firing on other folks in the opening passage) and the groups falls into Draigoch's Lair proper.

The group splits into two parts: a DPS group and a tank group. The tank group contains a tank and a healer. The DPS group contains everyone else. You don't fight Draigoch as a whole, but deal with his individual parts: head, paws, and body. Since the raid is split into 2 groups of six, there will be 4 members who are strictly DPS; the other six includes a burglar, and should handle the Fellowship Maneuvers.

The tank manages the dragon's head, and the DPS group deals with the four paws. There are 3 phases to the fight. Phase 1 and 2 are similar, with the group running around a series of corridors on the outskirts of the dragon's horde. He periodically switches position, and the group has to follow along. The tank usually calls out the direction the group must take.

Once the paws are defeated, Draigoch falls to the floor, and his body become vulnerable. This is when the burglar can trip the FMs. Once he recovers, the group must run back to the safety of the corridors and the fight repeats itself.

Phase 2 adds additional mechanics, but it mostly affects the tank group. The DPS group repeats their efforts from Phase 1. Obviously, I've never tanked the fight, so I'm not sure what the mechanics are.

In Phase 3, the group moves onto the treasure horde. Again, it's a repeat: the DPS group takes on each paw, until he falls to the floor. Because of certain bugs, it is generally not a good idea to trip FMs during this phase. This phase can be chaotic, and being out of position can mean death. The gold is on fire, and Draigoch periodically leaps up, and the group has to stand on a certain spot. There's also a lot of distributed damage, so the group must be standing on top of one another (this is true during the entire fight - it is a good idea to mark your DPS lead, and then everyone can move on top of the marked individual. The more tightly grouped the DPS folks are, the less likely anyone will die).

I found the fight to be fairly choreographed. With the right group leader, it's fairly easy to complete, but it is an endurance fight. You're only out of combat for around 30 seconds at a time - there are no breaks long enough to allow you to grab food or to go to the bathroom. The key is to listen, move when you're told to move, and stay as close together as possible.

The rewards, however, are worth it. There's an amazing cloak, not to mention a Worn Symbol or Celebrimbor (in addition to one for completing the deed).

Skirmish Raids

Again, apologies for having been away for so long. I wish I could say I have an excuse: I just keep writing posts, saving them off, and never bothering to actually publish them. I'll try to do better.

 

I've been concentrating on leveling Mizosi, my Dwarf Champion. He just reached level 49, has his legendary items, and is currently questing in Eregion. 

 

I've never been a big fan of the Skirmish System. My main issue is that I really don't like to repeat content - which also accounts for why most of my alts are still relatively low-level. I also feel the same way about running the instances in Moria, Dol Guldor, and Enedwaith. Once or twice is enough; more than that, and the instance becomes a chore.

 

First, a bit of background: the Skirmish system is billed as an alternate and optional means to level. It opens at level 20 with a few basic Skirmishes, and every 5 levels or so, additional Skirmishes open up. By end game, there are 18 Skirmishes available.

 

Unfortunately , it quickly becomes rather obvious that the system is not so optional. 

 

In fact, you're pretty much required to run skirmishes, because:

1. You can purchase your level 45 class quest items from the Curiosities Vendor in each Skirmish Camp. These items drop in Carn Dum and Urugarth, but getting groups to do those instances on-level is extremely difficult.
2. The Helegrod and Annuminas Raid Armour sets require a certain number of Skirmish Marks as well as the instance marks. While this situation is changing in the upcoming Update 5, the sets will still require some form of Skirmish currency.
3. Many Skirmishes are directly involved in the Epic story: Battle of the Deep-Way, Battle of the Twenty-First Hall, Battle of the Way of Smiths, Protectors of Thangulhad, Rescue at Narz-Ghashu, Strike Against Danneglor, Breaching the Necromancer's GAte, Assault on the Ringwraith's Lair, and Battle in the Tower.
4. With Rise of Isengard, jewelry, an armour set, and Superior Fourth Marks (S4Ms) were added as rewards for raiding in skirmishes. You can run the skirmish daily for basic Skirmish Marks, and weekly for the Teal gear and marks. 

To be clear, there are two separate Isengard Armour Sets: The Skirmish Set and the Whitehand Set. In general:

• The Skirmish set is earned by finishing the weekly raid quest; it is not class-specific; there are generic sets for tanks (Guardians and Champs), DPS classes (Hunters, Rune-Keepers, and Burglers), and caster classes (Lore-Masters and Minstrels), and it does not offer any bonuses for equipping multiple pieces in the set. 
• The Whitehand set is earned by bartering S4Ms to the Adventurer's Quartermaster in Galtrev. It is class-specific and offers bonuses for equipping multiple pieces in the set. In addition, the Helmet and Shoulder Guards can only be obtain from the Draigoch Raid. Draigoch also drops scales and a recipe that can be used to tailor one of the best cloaks available in-game.

Since Isengard launched, Skirmish Raids have become all the rage, and I've been participating in them in order to get the Spellweaver's Armour Set (the Lore-Master Whitehand Set). So far, I've obtained all the pieces except the shoulder guards.

 

S4Ms and jewelry also drop in scalable instances, including the four wings in Helegrod, the School and Library, the three wings in the Great Barrows, and Hall of Night (I'm not sure if the items drop in the Inn of the Forsaken instance; this instance was broken, with the T2/Challenge mode disabled, for quite some time. I haven't seen any calls for this run). I was quite surprised to learn that the instances in the In Their Absence cluster (North Cotton Farm, Stoneheight, Forgotten Temple, Sari-Suma, and the Ost Dunhoth wings) were not scalable.

 

Most of the Skirmish Raids have been Pick-Up Groups (PUGs); and, as with any PUG, the instance can be amazing, or it can be a nightmare.

 

For example, I have run Attack at Dawn twice (I've never tried this instance solo except in a failed attempt on Bullroarer during testing). The first time was excruciating: no one would listen to the raid leader, MoBs were not being targetted properly, and people were running all over the place. I died half a dozen times, mostly because the MoBs were too spread out for the tank to maintain aggro; every time I rezzed, anything that was aggroed on my came running back after me. We managed to complete it, but it was not a very satisfying ending (though this is where I got the gloves).

 

The second time, the group was completely focused. We didn't lose a single person, and the raid leader gave clear instructions. It was almost so easy so as to be unremarkable.

 

So, now you have to spend time in skirmishes, but I've actually been enjoying it.

This Month in Titles (September 2011)

A new title has been bestowed upon you. You may now be known as Elahedor Taterlord (Since August 18, 2011):

Marshal of Tham Mírdain
Complete the slayer deeds in The School, Library, and Ring-Forge of Tham Mírdain.

Hastener of FateComplete the Epilogue to Volume 2

Swift Executioner
Defeat Angaidh and Sidhág within 10 seconds of each other in the Lost Temple

Blind Leaper
Jump into the pits in 5 places in Moria

Slayer of the Shadows
Defeat Frost-Tail and Ergoth in The Hall of Mirrors

Seeker of the Fallen
Find 4 implements of fallen dwarves in Skûmfil

Scourge of the Gwiber
Defeat 255 Gwiber in Enedwaith

Troll-Breaker
Defeat 80 Trolls in Moria.

Exterminator
Complete all deeds in the Sixteenth Hall

Foe of the Highpeak
Defeat 60 Wargs in the Grand Stair

The Steady
Defeat 30 Trolls in the Grand Stair

Master of the Anvil
Complete all deeds in the Halls of Crafting

Custodian of the Forgotten Treasury
Defeat 60 enemies in the Forgotten Treasury

Curator of the Forgotten Treasury
Complete all deeds in the Forgotten Treasury

The Brilliant
Defeat 60 Glow Worms in Dark Delving

Protector of Annúminas
Defeat the five bosses in Glinghant, Haudh Valandil, and Ost Elendil
+1 Innocence.

Warden of Annúminas
Complete the advanced tier of the slayer deeds in Evendim/Annúminas

Web-Shredder
Defeat 60 spiders in Skûmfil

Purifier of Skûmfil
Complete all deed in Skûmfil

Skirmisher
Defeat 80 Orc-Skirmishers in Fil Gashan

Fighter
Defeat 80 Orc-Fighters in Fil Gashan

Inflitrator
Find 4 orchish item in Fil Gashan

Bane of Fil Gashan
Complete all the deeds in Fil Gashan

Braver of Heights
Complete all the deeds in Grand Stairs.

The Odiferous
Complete the quest Miraculous Growth - Repeatable 10 times.
Also receive the Fine Boar-Droppings Housing Item.

Cold-Blooded
Defeat 120 lizards in Nalâ-Dûm.

Banisher of Darkness
Defeat Spit-Tail and Caerlûg in Nalâ-Dûm

The Beloved
Receive 100 kisses from other players (5 per day)

The Helpful
Receive 100 thanks from other players (5 per day)

The Naughty
Receive 100 scoldings from other players (5 per day)

The Ridiculed
Receive 100 mockings from other players (5 per day)

Watery Delver
Complete all the deeds inside the Great Barrows - Water Wing

The Alluring
Receive 100 flirts from other players (5 per day)

The Befuddling
Receive 100 confused emotes from other players (5 per day)

The Dull
Receive 100 bored emotes from other players (5 per day)

The Harassed
Receive 100 beg emotes from other players (5 per day)

The Infuriating
Receive 100 angry emotes from other players (5 per day)

The Intimidating
Receive 40 cower emotes from other players (2 per day)

The Victorious
Receive 40 surrender emotes from other players (2 per day)

Known to the Dunlendings
Obtain acquaintance reputation with the Dunlendings in Dunland

Friend to the Dunlendings
Obtain friend repuation with the Dunlendings in Dunland

Ally of the Dunlendings
Obtain ally reputation with the Dunlendings in Dunland

Westfold Forester
Complete level 1 proficiency in the Westfold forester crafting tier

Kin of the Dunlendings
Obtain kindred reputation with the Dunlendings in Dunland

Westfold Master Forester
Complete level 2 proficiency in the Westfold forester crafting tier

Westfold Woodworker
Complete level 1 proficiency in the Westfold woodworker crafting tier

Westfold Farmer
Complete level 1 proficiency in the Westfold farmer crafting tier

Westfold Master Farmer
Complete level 2 proficiency in the Westfold farmer crafting tier

Known to Théodred's Riders
Obtain Acquaintance reputation with Théodred's Riders in Dunland

Friend to Théodred's Riders
Obtain Friend reputation with the Théodred's Riders faction

Ally of Théodred's Riders
Obtain Ally repuation with Théodred's Riders

Explorer of Dunland
Discover all locations in all zones in Dunland, Gap of Rohan, and Isengard
+1 Empathy

The Wanderer
Find Floid and Dewit in 7 places throughout Middle Earth.

Gatecrasher
Defeat the Trolls at the entrance to Isengard.

Kindred to Théodred's Riders
Obtain Kindred reputation with the Théodred's Riders faction

The Insulted
Receive 200 flirts from other players (6 per day)

I also completed the following deeds:

Mercenaries of the White Hand (Advanced)
Defeat 120 Dunlendings in Tham Mírdain
Reward: +1 Determination

Orcs of the Sixteenth Hall (Advanced)
Defeat 120 orcs in the Sixteenth Hall
+1 Wisdom

Halls of Crafting Ranged Orc-Slayer (Advanced)
Defeat 100 Ranged Orcs in the Halls of Crafting

Troll-Slayer (Advanced)
Defeat 160 Trolls in Moria.
+1 Confidence.

The Corpse-Beasts of Skûmfil (Advanced)
Defeat 80 Kergrim in Skûmfil
+1 Justice

Great Barrow - The Gate to Sambrog
Defeat Thadúr the Ravager in the Water-Wing, and Gaerdring and Gaerthel in the Maze of the Great Barrows

The Blighted Ones
Defeat 120 spiders in Skûmfil
+1 Mercy

Strength of the Enemy (Advanced)
Defeat 160 Orc-Fighters in Fil Gashan
+1 Justice

Eyes of the Enemy (Advanced)
Defeat 160 Orc-Skirmishers in Fil Gashan
+1 Empathy

Beasts of the Grand Stairs (Advanced)
Defeat 120 Wargs in the Grand Stairs.
+1 Empathy

Brutes of the Grand Stairs (Advanced)
Defeat 60 Trolls in The Grand Stairs
+1 Compassion

Sword Salute
Receive 100 /Salute Emotes.
Emote: /Swordsalute

Glow-Worm Slayer (Advanced)
Defeat 120 glow-worms in Dark Delving
+1 Wisdom

Namless-Slayer (Advanced)
Defeat 120 nameless in Dark Delving
+1 Patience

The Ten Guards
Defeat Durchest after defeating 10 of his guards
+1 Gold Star Emblem

Orcs of the Forge (Advanced)
Defeat 80 orcs in the Forges of Khazad-Dûm
+1 Zeal

Raising Spirits
Defeat Nightmare in the Halls of Night without defeating any tortured spirits.
+5 Hall of Night Marks

Champion of the Halls of Night
Complete the deeds in the Halls of Night.
Emote: Dream.

Exploring Trum Dreng
Discover 6 locations in Trum Dreng in Dunland
+1 Idealism

Exploring the Bonevales
Discover 5 locations in the Bonevales in Dunland
+1 Innocence

Quests in the Bonevales
Complete 34 quests in the Bonevales
+1 Zeal

Quests in Pren Gwydh
Complete 30 quests in Pren Gwydh in Dunland
+1 Determination

Exploring Pren Gwydh
Discover 6 locations in Pren Gwydh in Dunland
+1 Compassion

Dunlending-Slayer
Defeat 100 Dunlendings in Dunland

Beast-Slayer
Defeat 100 Beasts in Dunland

Exploring Starkmoor
Discover 6 locations in Starkmoors in Dunland
+1 Charity

Exploring the Dunbog
Discover 6 locations in The Dunbog in Dunland
+1 Honour

Goblin-Slayer
Defeat 100 Goblins in Dunland

Tracking an Old Goat
Complete Andreg's six quests in Gravenwood
+1 Honour

Exploring Carreglyn
Disover 7 locations in Carreglyn in Dunland
+1 Zeal

Craban-Slayer
Defeat 80 Craban in Dunland

Exploring the Gravenwood
Discover 7 locations in the Gravenwood
+1 Discipline

Quests in the Gravenwood
Complete 27 quests in the Gravenwood
+1 Honour

Dulending-Slayer (Advanced)
Defeat 275 Dunlendings in Dunland
+1 Fidelity

Exploring the Isendale
Discover 4 locations in the Isendale
+1 Mercy

Orc-Slayer
Defeat 150 Orcs in Dunland

Quests in the Isendale
Complete 34 quests in Isendale
+1 Disciple

Beast-Slayer (Advanced)
Defeat 250 wild beasts in Dunland
+1 Loyalty

Exploring the Heathfells
Discover 7 locations in the Heathfells in the Gap of Dunland
+1 Fortitude

Exploring Nan Curunir
Discover 6 locations in Nan Curunir
+1 Empathy

Quests in Carreglyn
Complete 26 quests in Carreglyn
+1 Innocence

Orc-Slayer (Advanced)
Defeat 200 Orcs in Dunland
+1 Idealism

Quests in the Heathfells
Complete 30 quests in Heathfells in Dunland
+1 Fortitude

Draigoch's Lair -- Discovery
Discover the entrance to Draigoch's Lair

Warg-Slayer
Defeat 100 Wargs in Dunland

Goblin-Slayer (Advanced)
Defeat 200 Goblins in Dunland
+1 Charity

Juggler
Receive 200 /laugh emotes (6 per day)
Emote: /juggle

I also gained Ally to the Eldgang. Still a long road to kindred.

The Fate of Taskli

I'm sad to report that Taskli is being retired for the time being. I rolled the toon, as his name suggests, to run Tasks, which were designed to help free-to-play players obtain faction reputation and experience in zones that they have not purchased. When I started the experiment, I thought it'd be interesting to see just how robust the system is.

In the original F2P design, only volume 1 of the epic story was "free", along with quests in The Shire, Ered Luin, and Bree-land. The epic story spans the first 50 levels of the game, and Tasks were designed to complement these levels. Early in 2011, all epic volumes were opened for F2P, and Lone-Lands was added as a free zone. However, the Tasks system was not redesigned, nor were additional Task boards added in post-50 levels. My main toon was already well beyond the top Task level before the system was even created, and thus was locked out. The deeds give some interest cosmetics and titles.

The first Tasks becomes available at level 8, and each Task is available for 8 levels, generally until the associated MoB becomes gray to your toon. By default, players are allowed to complete 5 Tasks per day. Up to 5 additional Task slots can be purchased, so that the player can complete 10 Tasks a day. At each of the century marks (100, 200, 300, etc), the player earns a title and opens up an additional Task slot. Ultimately, the player can complete 15 Tasks a day. Each Task returns 300 points of reputation for the local faction and a varying amount of XP (based on your level and the level of the Task). The last Task is available at level 50, but Tasks can be accept and turned in for a few levels more (again, until the associated MoB turns grey).

Now, however, high-level Tasks have been made available in most major settlements and encampments in Dunland. The system works the same: Accept a task, gather the items, and turn those items into the Taskmaster. Unlike in other zones, where an existing NPC was converted into a Taskmaster, there are two specific Taskmaster NPCs in Dunland. One is in Galtrev (Dunland), and the other is in Forthbrond (Gap of Rohan). Tasks can be accepted from any board, but they can only be turned into these two NPCs. Because a Task is considered an active quest, I generally don't accept a Task until I have enough items to complete it, and then I immediately turn the Task in.

 

Since I can now get the titles and deeds on my main, Taskli has become a bit redundant. I'll keep him around and might work on leveling him up one day. Thus far, my main toon is level 74.5 and has completed 70 tasks (I've unlocked all the extra Task slots).

In 5 days, I had leveled Taskli to level 16, completed his Rune-Keeper class quest, moved from Gondamon to Bree-Land, and completed a number of slayer and class deeds. It was fairly quick progress, and I enjoyed running the toon.

Apologies and Impressions

First off, I'd like to apologize for not keeping up with posts. I really don't have an excuse other than laziness; although I have rejoined an alliance and been running raids more often. I was also wrapping up deeds and quests in preparation for Rise of Isengard.

And speaking of Rise of Isengard, I ended up parking my main character, Elahedor, in Esteldín. I chose to do so because 1) there wouldn't be quite so many people crowding around the Vault, Bard, and Trainers, as there would be in Enedwaith and Twenty-First Hall; 2) The Woodworkers Guild is headquartered there, and I wouldn't have to wait to get to Galtrev in Dunland to turn in Reputation items; 3) I have enough Milestone and Return to skills to port to the locations I needed to get to. It worked out well for me.

Now, after running through the new zone for the last week, I can share my impressions and observations of the region.

The Negatives

First off, the patching process was rather painful. There were reports of people unable to connect to the patch server for 6 hours and more. It appears that Turbine didn't adequately plan for the number of players that would attempt to update as soon as possible on Monday. Maybe they forget about the European players, or thought that changing the time would spread out the population over a couple of days, but whatever the case, it was unacceptable. At the very least, there should have been an alternate process in place to offload the extra numbers.

I was one of the lucky ones: it took only about 45 minutes for my client to connect. I waiting until later in the day (during my lunch break from work), and then left the patch to run while I returned to work. By the time I was home from work, the client was updated.

I've also experience several crashes since the update. The client crashed something like a half-dozen times on Monday night, and 3-4 times Tuesday night. Mostly, it appears that I'm crashing at a specific point: just when I defeat an enemy. Since Wednesday, crashes seemed to occur randomly.

There is also a lot of lag, which is to be expected given the sheer number of people questing in zones. The population density is also causing an issue with completing quests, because there are enough MoBs to go around. Another problem has been moving between layers, which occurs randomly. There are reports that people will move towards a node of ore or wood, initiate a fight, or perform some other action only to jump into another layer and miss the node, MoBs, or action. Each time you jump layers, you get a loading screen, and the sheer number of loading screens appearing is quite annoying.

In fact, this last issue has happened to me quite often: I was fighting wights on the Enedwaith-Dunland border, and frequently would defeat a MoB (at range), but when I moved in to loot the corpse, I'd jump into another layer. I also had this issue last night at the lumber camp outside Galtrev. When I moved into the Pend Gwyndh zone, I moved into was in a sparsely populated layer. There were more than enough MoBs for everyone. When i moved into the Galtrev zone, I jumped layers into a much more densely populated layer with fewer MoBs. Galtrev itself seems to not be layered, so the game frequently lags and moves into reduced awareness mode.

Most of these issues will clear up with time, as the population spreads throughout the new regions and returns to running raids and instances.

One of my major complaints with the expansion is that it simply feels incomplete and unpolished in many ways. There aren't any major new systems, except for a new series of Legendary Items. Tasks have been added to the new zone, so that now people level 65 and up can complete those deeds. There are few new skills, and no new Traits or class deeds. All the class skills are mostly "improved" versions of older ones. Simply put, nothing much has changed.

Also, I simply cannot fathom introducing a location as iconic as Isengard and not including any instances there. I know that there will be instances released later this year, but there is no guarantee that they will be located in Isengard. There are already people at level 75 (yes, two days in - they basically took time off specifically for the release). What are they doing?

The only instance released at this point is the Draigoch raid, and, from what I understand, that raid not really even related to Isengard.

The much-vaunted changes to gear and jewelry isn't looking very promising to me. All the stuff I've been offered for quest rewards has been a downgrade (I'm wearing the Moria Gear, augmented with a few pieces of the Lothlorien set, as well as a mix of the crafted Greenwood jewelry and loot from Dol Guldor). Most of it gives a boost to raw morale and raw power; the stuff I'm being offered has amazing vitality and amazing will, but it is not near enough. I'm dropping 100-150 morale per item. It also seems mostly geared to minstrels, offering outgoing healing over DPS. 

Lore-Masters face a tough choice in Rise of Isengard: Durability or Damage, and there's no good choice. I finally choose damage, but find that I'm burning through more morale pots and regenerative food than ever before - and that I've had to add Wisdom of the Council into my rotation more often (thank goodness for the reduced cooldown on this skill).

Since the Ost Dunhoth cluster was released, the devs seem to be making Lore-Masters into a healing class, and this expansion is carrying this process even further. Outgoing healing is great, but if I'm soloing in the landscape, I have nothing to heal but myself. If I need healing with landscape MoBs, then I'm doing it wrong (or I've aggroed way too many things at once).

Finally, there are several minor bugs that just been frustrating.

The first is that many of the deeds are based on completing a specific number of quests in sub-zones, but the number of quests has been miscounted. This is true in both Trum Dreng, where the deed requires 37 quests, but, there are only 36 available, and the Starkmoors, where the deed requires 30, but only 26 quests are available (there are, however 4 additional quests in The Culling Pit, which is an arena for combat and requires a fellowship to complete.

The second is that certain quests are completing for everyone who is close by when someone else completes it. Mostly, this effect happens on the "big bad wolf" at the end of a quest chain. I'll summon the boss, but he'll either aggro on someone else or be tapped by someone else - someone I'm not in a fellowship with. When they kill him, I'll get credit for the quest (but, of course, not the XP for the kill).

Obviously, most of these issues are technical in nature and will be addressed as time goes on. There's always some things that have to be shaken out in the wash.

 The Positives

So far, I've quested in Dunland and the Gap of Rohan. My main toon is level 73.

I took the south-east path into Dunland from Lhanuch, through the Mournshawns and Northern Pass, and into Trum Dreng. I then worked my way through The Bonevales, and eventually got funneled into the standard quest line: Pryn Gwydh, the Starkmoors & Dungbog, Carreglyn, Gravenwood, and on into the Gap of Isengard. For the most part, the quests chains have been well thought out, and flow nicely from one area into another. 

However, there were a couple of times, mostly in Galtrev, where I felt that I hit a wall. A quest chain would end, with no indication of who to see next, and I'd have to circle around the city looking for quest rings. This is the only place that, when I left, I felt like I might have missed a quest. Similarly, in Dunbog, I felt like the quests didn't vector out very well. It works out in the end, but I would have liked to have had more direction than just running around blindly.

I never felt like I'm leveling too fast, at least in Dunland. There felt like there was plenty to do. Since I've hit the Gap, though, things are starting to slow down, and it appears there's not enough to get all the way to level 75 (many players have reported getting about half way to 75 before the quests run out). I've been doing tasks, so that helps - and I still have a lot of slayer deeds to complete.

The phasing technology that has been implemented in this release has really been amazing. NPCs move, cities and landscapes change, and things feel much more dynamic and responsive to your actions. Coming into the Northern Pass, I encountered Braigiar the Ranger. He directed me to help an inhabitant of the region. After the chain ended, The Ranger had moved into the local village along with the person I helped. At one point, you help a local clan in an uprising against their overseers, and actually drive them out. Once you complete that quest chain, the overseers no longer appear in the city at all

While Galtrev appears to be a vibrant city - stocked with tons and tons of NPCs, Tûr Morva (in Tâl Methedras) will absolutely blow you away with the sophistication of the structures and beauty of the vistas. This zone is instanced, so it's not accessible after a certain point.

The look of the outfits and cosmetics are another great point. As I quested through Trum Dreng, I picked up all the pieces to the Learned Stag set. While I didn't like the stats on the set, I loved the look. I ended up dying it in various shades and equipping the rust version of the hat, robe, & shoes, and the black version of the shoulders and bracers. Yes, bracers - there are no proper gloves; the lack of gloves appears to be the newest trend. I also like the look of forest green and Evendim blue versions of this set. Yes, I actually replaced the Flame-Touched Hauberk & Flames of the Deep cape, at least for awhile. Some of the other pieces I've picked up since then have also been impression.

In many ways, passing into Dunland is like starting a completely different game. Lower level players might not feel this way, but everything from crafting to understanding stats and building your character has been a huge departure from what has happened to date in the game.