Lord of the Rings Online explains skirmish rewards
by Eliot Lefebvre 
Nov 5th 2009 at 3:00PM
Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Expansions, Game mechanics
"Let's be honest, people play new content for the rewards." Perhaps not the most uplifting or metaphorical way to start off a developer diary, but if nothing else you need to give Lord of the Rings Online credit for being so direct about it. But with the most recent developer diary regarding the Skirmish system coming in the Siege of Mirkwood expansion, they really deserve still more credit than that. One of the larger new features of the upcoming expansion, the Skirmish system has had a number of diaries devoted to it, but this one is focused on exactly what the opening would suggest: the meaty rewards from taking part.
Some of the specifics might seem a bit arcane to people unfamiliar with Lord of the Rings Online, but the short version is that the various bosses and so forth will be devoid of any loot except for what's referred to as skirmish marks. Accumulating them as well as special tokens depending on group size and skirmish difficulty will allow purchases from a wide variety of powerful items. However, the system is balanced so that even consistently solo players can still work toward the highest tier of rewards, although the road will be quite a bit longer. There's only so much we can get across in a quick overview -- it's better to take a look at the actual diary and get ready for one of the more dynamic systems coming with Siege of Mirkwood.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Pingles said on 3:27PM 11-05-2009
"Let's be honest, people play new content for the rewards."
I guess I am in the minority, then. I enjoy new content for the experience of seeing new content. I like disappearing into their world and discovering new things to see and fight. I don't think I've ever purchased or downloaded an expansion because I was excited about the new sword or pants I could get.
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Oneiromancer said on 3:38PM 11-05-2009
Maybe it's more appropriate to say that "people *repeat" content for the rewards."
Archmage said on 6:08PM 11-05-2009
^ This. ^ Can't say it any better.
At least this confirms that Turbine is converting LotRO into a WoW clone instead of expanding on the formula they used for making it a wonderfully immersive and enjoyable world to get lost in.
K1LLSWITCH said on 3:51PM 11-05-2009
I'm new to MMO genre and from what I'm seeing and hearing from MMO gamers is the constant comparison to World of Warcraft. I understand WoW has set the bar for the future of the genre, but now with every other MMO game that comes out, people expect that particular game to be like WoW. Diversity is welcomed in my book. And with comments like "Let's be honest, people play new content for the rewards." coming from the dev diary shares this mentality. Not all games should be about "grinding" or finding the best loot. Enjoy the sights and sounds of the game. If the focus becomes just about grinding and loot whoring then what's the point? To me it's all about the story (if the game has any) and the overall experience.
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Skypp said on 4:39PM 11-05-2009
At one time Turbine had this "stop and smell the roses" mentality to LOTRO. Then came radiance farming.
Jason said on 7:14PM 11-05-2009
Well to be fair, radiance is only needed for raiding. If you don't raid (like me), you don't need to farm radiance gear. I am very much looking forward to skirmishes. The system sounds like alot of fun. I plan on spending my end game time playing skirmishes and ranking my creep.
jenaka said on 9:44PM 11-05-2009
I've been playing LOTRO since launch and still enjoy it's immersion, story, and excellent community. I haven't done any radiance farming at all. You're not forced to do it. It's really the player's choice. People who focus on these issues tend to forget all the other content that doesn't involve any gear grind. LOTRO has solo, small group, large group, and raid content so players can play what they like. Skirmishes add another option. The more options the better IMO.
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