A seemingly small change in the reward system of The Lord of the Rings Online has sparked great discussions in the community and raised concerns. The accusation from many players is that the game could drift towards Pay2Win. We at MeinMMO summarize.
What is changing? With the next update, the developers behind The Lord of the Rings Online want to make a change to the system through which players can earn the so-called Embers.
These are especially important in the endgame, as they allow you to specifically acquire the armor and weapons you want without having to rely on random loot. Although they are not the best equipment in the game, Ember gear is still a good choice for many endgame activities. However, obtaining these is now supposed to become more difficult.
Until now, Embers could be obtained through daily quests or by melting down unwanted equipment. The latter option is now being removed.
One can still obtain Embers through daily quests, but it seems that melting down excess equipment provided significantly more Embers.
Where does the Pay2Win accusation come from? In The Lord of the Rings Online, as in many other loot games and MMORPGs, loot boxes can be purchased for real money. You can also earn this currency with in-game gold, but that takes significantly longer than buying it with real money.
These loot boxes can still be melted down and directly converted into Embers.
Some players believe that this is a major step towards Pay2Win, as you could essentially just buy Ember gear if you melt down enough loot boxes and obtain Embers from them.
Other fans are convinced that this is much ado about nothing and that the changes are not as severe as they are being portrayed.
The conflict heats up emotions
What do the Pay2Win critics say? A reddit thread on the topic gained significant attention. Despite the low upvotes, it sparked intense discussion and commentary. The thread creator states that he sees the changes in the MMORPG as a step towards Pay2Win. He also describes finding it problematic that hard-working Hobbits receive less equipment than those who simply invest money into the game.
The creator receives a lot of support from the community, who also view the changes as a creeping movement towards Pay2Win and are not satisfied with what the developers at SSG are doing.
One user even writes that he is now forced to play different content than what he always played and enjoyed in order to obtain the same Ember he needs.
What does the opposing side say? A comment in the same thread received over 100 upvotes, thereby gaining considerable support. He explains that the daily quests now provide more Embers and elaborates in detail that as a free-to-play player, one could now even obtain more Embers than before.
He also emphasizes that Ember items are now account-bound and can no longer be used only on one character. This would mean that the average player requires significantly fewer Embers to equip their characters.
He goes so far as to claim that the update actually makes The Lord of the Rings Online less Pay2Win. Casual players and solo players now have a better opportunity to obtain Embers. Only the hardcore dungeon grinders no longer have as great an advantage as before.
The developer responds empathetically
What does the developer say? In response to the uproar within the community, the developer has shared more detailed patch notes, precisely explaining why certain changes are being made the way they are.
Regarding the Pay2Win topic, the developer comments vaguely and acknowledges that it is a point that could be discussed. Standing Stone Games does not perceive the changes as an endorsement of Pay2Win and will keep a close watch on the effects.
Late in the evening of January 13, a tweet from the developer studio followed. The team wants to further discuss and consider the massive feedback. Therefore, the update and changes to the Embers will be temporarily postponed and not appear with the next update.
What do you think of the conflict in the community of The Lord of the Rings Online? Do you play the game yourself and are directly affected by the changes? Or do you view the whole issue more from the outside? Which side do you stand on in this conflict? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments here at MeinMMO.
The Lord of the Rings Online is among the top 10 MMORPGs on Steam with the best ratings in 2022.
