Casual Stroll to Mordor

Ferrel of Epic Slant has a good article summarizing his thoughts on the use of raising the level cap of their games and how it is unnecessary tactic to add value to a game that is past its prime. Ferrel makes some very good points, and operates off of the opinion that level caps are used for two reasons.

Our main topic this week is the leveling zones. Based on our email from Steve last week asking for advice on where to level up. We used guides from LotroLife and Keen and Graev’s blog as well as user feedback from Aillas in our comments from episode 24.

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In this episode of CStM, we talk about how we leveled close to 65 without dinging so we could do it together in a Skirmish with some kinnies. Merric now has all his alts up to level 20 and is planning on moving them all to Lone Lands to run through the revamped zone and try the changes to Volume I Book 2.

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We have made it to level 65 doing skirmishes with our friends!

Merric and I are both level 64 at this point and closing in on that final level of 65. I was thinking about this memorable occasion and I want to make my final ding special. Not just “look I killed another boar and now I’m 65”. Something neat or different to make my max level a story worth telling.

I came across this post on the official forums asking if it’s too late to start playing LOTRO. The poster was concerned that everyone was at end game and that the lower levels were basically a barren wasteland. I can understand the concern. I wouldn’t want to pay to play an MMO completely alone, either. However, I believe that this poster was pretty misinformed about the starting areas and about LOTRO in general.

So here I am, a newly returned player (although I may not be able to use the “newly” title for much longer) and a newly addicted craft/alt-aholic.  And I find myself leveling at what seems to me to be an astonishing rate.  Now this isn’t because I have a lot of time on my hands, [...]