The MMORPG Lord of the Rings Online by developer Standing Stone Games is launching two new servers, even though one has just been shut down. On one you level up faster, but on the other one much, much slower.
What is happening in Lord of the Rings Online? Developer Standing Stone Games announced new Legendary servers for the MMORPG Lord of the Rings Online. These are:
- the Speed server Shadowfax, named after Gandalf’s swift horse
- the Slow server Treebeard, named after the mythically slow Ent of Fangorn Forest
The Shadowfax server will offer increased speed to reach a higher level faster, as seen in the Season servers of Black Desert. The special thing is the very slow server Treebeard, which is supposed to make leveling extra slow.
Who can play this? The two new Legendary servers Shadowfax and Treebeard will go live on June 30, 2021. You will not be able to transfer characters from other servers to the new servers. Additionally, you will need a valid VIP access to be able to play on the servers.
None of the new servers will have the same content level as the live servers, but will start at an earlier point. Here, too, the speed of the servers has an effect – for example, Treebeard is supposed to receive content updates later.
The announcement of the release was made on Twitter:
New Servers from HDRO Meet Resistance
Why are players upset? Recently, developer Standing Stone Games took down a live server. The characters there had to be transferred or were completely deleted. The players of the now-dead server Ithil are correspondingly annoyed.
The decision to close one server to open two new ones is meeting some discontent:
- Thus, user Lord_Nero28 writes (via Twitter): “They won’t be around for long anyway. Soon [the developers] will be annoyed and shut the servers down again, and then everything starts over. Just because there are still people who don’t understand all this. […] Why do you need a new paid server that takes performance from all other live servers to play content that has been in the game for over ten years?”
- User NeverSound3 writes (via Twitter): “Paying for a server that is exactly like the live servers doesn’t sit well with me. Less experience for the same quests and monsters – I don’t like that. Making gameplay in the landscape harder? Not for me. Making the existing classes weaker again? No, thank you.”
- And CanadianYankEh writes on reddit: “I’m definitely interested in a slower server, but I’m not a VIP and I’m not sure if it’s worth it. Especially if the servers might die again. I played on Anor for a few months when it started, but I had to cancel my VIP status. After that, I lost access to my characters and had to start completely anew on another server. I’m worried the same will happen here.”
What does the community want? Going through the comments on reddit and Twitter quickly reveals that not all players are satisfied with the current state of the game. Many voices are raised calling for a vanilla version of the 14-year-old MMORPG, a kind of WoW Classic for HDRO.
The slow server Treebeard comes closest to that, which is why a large part of the player base is very pleased with the update. Despite the negative mood about the direction the MMORPG is currently taking, the specific update, and especially the slow server, are well received by the players.
- Player ThazemGW writes on reddit: “Of course people wonder why they (the developers) are shutting down a legendary server to start two new ones. But I’m very glad about it and will definitely play on the slower server. […] If the update brings new and friendly players into the game, I’m sure everyone will be satisfied.”
- User outbound_flight writes (via reddit): “It seems that the biggest problem with the previous legendary servers was the speed at which content was released. […] A fast and a slow server could please both factions. […] I am very optimistic about the patch.”
What do you think of the new servers in Lord of the Rings Online? Do you find the concept of a particularly slow server interesting?
If slow servers are still too fast for you, you can just bake to maximum level in Lord of the Rings Online.
