The Lord of the Rings Online is currently working on PvP, but the developers also want to bring a new class into the game. Now they have expressed what it should be capable of.
Which class is planned? The Lord of the Rings Online lead designer Allan “Orion” Maki was recently in conversation with content creator Bludborn. In a two-hour interview on YouTube, the two discussed much about the future of the MMORPG. In addition to many details about improvements in PvP, Maki also revealed that the team is currently working on a new class.
The new class “Sorceress of Angmar” is supposed to be an elemental sorceress capable of fighting enemies and supporting allies with the power of the elements.
Here you can watch the trailer for the expansion Morgoth’s Legacy of The Lord of the Rings Online:
It’s raining poison, fire, and ice
What can the new class do? The elemental sorceress was only briefly touched upon in the interview, though lead designer Allan “Orion” Maki went into more detail about her abilities in the forums of the MMORPG (via lotro.com).
The new class is said to have various stances it can switch between. Changing stances will also be possible during combat and is intended to be used to adapt to situations as best as possible.
What stances are there? The standard stance uses poison and acid attacks to deal acid damage to enemies. The attacks also reduce the opponent’s armor, creating a debuff that benefits the entire group.
The fire stance (Balefire) relies on high fire damage over time as a DoT as well as direct attacks. It increases critical hit chances and ensures, with one ability, that the next 3 spells will guarantee critical hits.
The cold stance (Gelid Wind) is particularly suitable for crowd control. Its ice attacks slow enemies, root them, or stun them. The damage is expected to be lower than that of the fire stance, but this stance is supposed to offer more survivability.
The support stance (Umbral Pall) focuses on buffs and debuffs. Here, enemy ranges, attacks, and healing can be reduced. The targets of your attacks not only receive damage but also curses that weaken them. Allies benefit here from buffs from the stance that increase their defensive values.
How is the class supposed to work? The lead designer already gives an answer to this as well. Players are supposed to switch between stances during combat to combine the elemental powers of the class and trigger strong synergies. Thus, multiple abilities and debuffs from different stances should affect enemies simultaneously.
That The Lord of the Rings Online is still receiving a new class 18 years after its release is certainly a pleasant surprise for players. Despite its age, new players continue to express interest in the MMORPG, but one thing keeps them away: Many players are excited about The Lord of the Rings Online, but one thing keeps them away from Middle-earth
