In the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online, a large patch last week caused a lot of discontent in the community. The long-awaited change to the legendary items finally went live. However, it did not go well at all. We at MeinMMO summarize.
What happened in LOTRO? For some time now, players have been demanding a revision of the legendary weapons and items in the game. The developer has now complied with this request and revamped the concept of how to obtain these items.
In addition, new legendary weapons have also made their way into the game. These are even much stronger than the previous ones. However, it is generally possible to disassemble your old legendary weapons to get the materials you need for the new ones. The game just doesn’t explain how this is supposed to work.
Moreover, a bug crept into the system, allowing players to upgrade the new weapons until they were too strong to carry themselves. Here, the developer Standing Stone Games promises that a limitation will be implemented soon.
How did the update come about? Just in June, we reported that the MMORPG is getting two new special servers. Even here, there was criticism in the community that other problems in the game deserved more attention. Among other things, the legendary weapons were mentioned.
This topic has been occupying players for a while now, and Standing Stone Games wants to change something about it. Essentially, this change is wanted by the community. However, the implementation still needs work, as disappointed players are gathering on the forum for The Lord of the Rings Online.
While the developers assure that the update is not final and they want to continue working on the topic, many players find this insufficient. There is widespread incomprehension as to why an update is released when they know it isn’t ready yet.
“An immediate rollback would be the best idea”
Why is the community disappointed? In a thread regarding the topic in the official game forum, three main points quickly crystallize about what players are concerned about:
- Little to no feedback from the community has been integrated into the update
- There are no instructions in the game on how the new system works
- Legendary weapons are overly monetized, making real money almost necessary
For the first point, the community has the most understanding. Surprisingly, many agree that not everything the community wants is good for the game. Nevertheless, the update could have turned out better had the developers listened to the players sooner.
The third point annoys many fans but also allows for some understanding. “A game has to make money, no matter how stupid it is,” writes a user in the forum. While players are not forced to use real money currency in the creation of the new legendary weapons, there are many points in the process where they have the opportunity to do so. Many are bothered by this.
Players demand compensation: The second point is probably the one that irritates the community the most and for which there is no understanding whatsoever. The new system is not explained anywhere in the game. There isn’t even a hint that it is now available.
The MMORPG simply does not inform players who want a legendary weapon about how it works at all. There are external websites and guides that have taken it upon themselves, but they have also come too late.
Many players have already wasted currencies because they did something wrong. They are now demanding that at least some form of compensation must be given.
The user DroboTheDwarf writes: “There is little to no explanation about what one is supposed to do. An external website describes it roughly, but not in enough depth to prevent players from wasting their currencies. The absolute minimum that they [the developers] must do now is to provide some form of compensation for this terrible update. It caused too much frustration for many fans.”
What are players saying? Most people join DroboTheDwarf on the forum (via lotro.com) and underline his statements.
- User Mithithil writes: “I am not impressed at all. […] The best idea would be to simply roll back the servers immediately.”
- Player CloudCastle is also disappointed: “I was surprised that there was no notification or explanation in the game about how the new system was supposed to work. The whole chat is filled with confused people wondering how they are supposed to start. Where they need to go, why they can’t disassemble their old weapons, and why they can’t equip the new ones. They are even wondering how to open the legendary interface. Why was none of this explained in the game?”
- Regarding monetization, user Strider5548 complains: “The user interface has way too many ‘Buy Mithril-Coin’ buttons everywhere [the real money currency]. It’s ridiculous, but what’s worse is that it takes up way too much space in an already overcrowded view. Come on guys, you can do better.”
So it can be said that the mood in the community is currently very negative. It remains to be seen when and if the developer will react. However, you can expect the official announcement is that they want to continue working on the features.
What do you think of the changes? Are you actively playing LOTRO and possibly have legendary items? Are you directly affected by the patch? Please feel free to write to us in the comments here at MeinMMO.
How to do updates for older games really well is shown by the community of Warhammer Online. The MMORPG classic was closed 8 years ago but is now getting new content.
