Game questions?

[Palantir]

what would be the point of buying pretty clothes? It's not that there's lot of babes running 'round.

The vast majority of players including myself wear a second or even third "visual" outfit to just look different than everyone else running around. The problem with most games it that there's always "THE best" armor set or gear to wear for your class & XX level which means a majority of "30th" level Hunters are all wearing the same stuff. By being able to wear a second outfit (that has no bearing on your first or primary combat outfit) you can individualize how you want to look


Since jewelery can't been seen in the game minus head-"circlets" there's no need to have any for just visual effects.

So, I started as a Dawrf and I got started in that mountain in the west of Eriador. If I had picked an Elf or a Hobbit, where would I start?

Hey- you have to START each race at least once just to watch the opening cinematic's!!! It takes about 30 seconds to crank out a base race then watch the movie and be plopped into the game just to check them all out. Thats a must in my book.

Dwarves & Elves start in the same area, Ered Luin around the Dwarven City of Thorins Hall, in the far NW of Middle Earth, They are separated by a bit but basically do the same core starting quests in that area. Hobbits and Men start in Breeland NE of the main Human city of Bree around Archet and again do the same base core quests of that area.

How soon are they "merged", how long are they separate?

Both the starting areas are "starting instances" which means only new player characters are in them who have not completed the first core quests. After players compete those quests (forget how many) = 10th lvl I believe, you can pass thru the instance gate opening up the rest of the world for you. Once you pass through those gates you cannot go back into the starting instance.

In the case of Ered Luin (Dwarves/Elves)- the instance gate is "Thorins Gate." When you go through it (only after you complete the required quests) you leave the starting instance area & enter the "real world." If you turn around the instance is gone and walking back under the gate you walk into the real Thorins Hall area- none of the starting quests/NPC's/starting players are there. All of the physical locations are still there but none of the starting stuff. (Since you left the starting instance it's now gone.)

You are now able to join up with any character that has also left the starting instances be they 11th or 60th lvls.

{I'll edit with some picts in a bit}

[Redwolf]

Thanks, that's great.

One more visuals question: I can play with the colors of my outfit in the "try it on" thingie, but that doesn't actually change how I look. Will I have the option of changing colors (for money) later?

How do I sell stuff to other players? How do I talk to them, anyway?

I think my Dwarf Champion developed pretty well and I came out level 7 out of the introduction and have a load of cash. But I think a human hunter or something else with ranged weapons might be something for my next session, aka go through the introduction again first before going for real.

About combat: is it purely chance based once you engage? Is there a point trying to move to dodge a spear, or to close in right after the enemy strikes to exploit their "reload time"? Or do you just stand there and fiddle with the different strike patterns you have in your skills?

Why would I use a deposit instead of selling things when my bags are full?

[Palantir]

I'll just post those Pict's here.

Note that if you choose not to wear a Combat Equipment item you lose any bonuses for that slot. There are 19 combat slots & 1 craft tool slot.

Jewelry slots: Ears/Neck/Pocket/Wrists/Fingers plus Head/Shoulders/Chest/Legs/Hands/Feet/Back. 2 melee weapons / a ranged weapon if used / Craft Tool / Class item.

Slot pict:
First- all the combat slots for bonuses & how he'd look.
Second- Outfit 1, I use this only to show the Foresters Backpack instead of a cape.
Third - Outfit 2, for the look I normally run in.
Fourth- up close of backpack.

You can use any of the 3 "looks" at any time and still get the full benefits of the combat Equipment look.


Outfit picts:

Top:
First pair- the Combat Equipment (outfit) of my Burglar- these are items that affect all your stats and bonuses for of course combat.

Second pair- (Outfit 1) How I choose to look in game as a burglar- No helm to scrape on anything, no cloak to flap about or get tangled in. And although the chest piece is "bright" I struggled long & hard to get it (Drakeskin Cuirass) and by gosh I'm going to wear it! Didn't bother to change the pants.

Bottom:
First Pair- the Combat Equipment of my Minstrel, fully decked out for battle.
But it's not what I think this healer should be doing (not a warrior-cleric) or look like.

Second Pair- (Outfit 1) More of the look of magic, no helm, shoulder guards etc. and a backpack for carrying healing items / potions etc. Too bad they don't allow Minstrels to visually carry their instruments.

Next shot-
First Pair- Combat Equipment of a Hunter. Fully equipped with the level appropriate items.
Second Pair- to look different I dyed some of the gear red, swapped the hooded cape look for a quiver and with losing the cape also allowed for the hair to be seen and dropped the helm for the circlet.

There's a wide variety of looks available in the game.

[Palantir]

One more visuals question: I can play with the colors of my outfit in the "try it on" thingie, but that doesn't actually change how I look. Will I have the option of changing colors (for money) later?

You can check to see how any item would look in any color by Ctrl-left click then going through the color options - you can only actually change the color of an item by dying it. Dyes can be bought in the Auction Hall or made by Scholars who sell them. Depending on the color of the dye the cost can be from 20 silver per for say Olive to 500 silver for Red, Black & white (in demand colors) 1 dye can dye 1 item so the cost could get expensive.

How do I sell stuff to other players? How do I talk to them, anyway?

There is a Trade channel to sell stuff on but most players just put items on the Auction Hall. To talk to others you can simply start typing in the "Say" section below the "General/Combat/IM" tabs. Anyone in the area will see what you typed as well as any emotes you do.
You can also left-click on another player then right-click to bring up an options panel- then click on the "chat" option- this will allow you to send a private message to them or even ignore that person. It's also how you can "Follow" that person or invite them into a Fellowship (group) under "Fellow."

Also if you click on the "General Tab" it brings up a ton of various options & chat filters.

I think my Dwarf Champion developed pretty well... But I think a human hunter or something else with ranged weapons might be something for my next session,

I gave most a quick trial in the intro area to get a feel for them, doesn't take long really to do a test- run of each & select one that you're comfortable with.
The Hunter is considered an easy class to play then Melee classes, then the Spell casters with the Warden/Rune-Keeper being the most challenging to play. I believe the Warden is the most powerful & versatile class especially as a solo character. But it all comes down to what you enjoy playing, I enjoyed the hunter class enough to create 2.

About combat: is it purely chance based once you engage? Is there a point trying to move to dodge a spear, or to close in right after the enemy strikes to exploit their "reload time"? Or do you just stand there and fiddle with the different strike patterns you have in your skills?

yes it is all % based. Against the Mobs there's no point in YOU trying to "dodge" or avoid attacks because it doesn't help, only your stat numbers determine if you dodge or not! However you can move behind a tree, wall or attack from behind to avoid combat or being hit (although area-effect-spells etc. may still get you,).

Exploiting Mobs "Load/ reload" times is critical because most mobs will do something (will say something or give a visual animation) to let you know they are going to throw a spell, heal themselves, call in help etc. If you see this you can attack & interrupt them & stop whatever action they are going to take.

Why would I use a deposit instead of selling things when my bags are full?

Not sure on the "deposit" issue here.
If you're talking at the Auction Hall (AH) some items you can sell on the AH for 10-100 times their shown value then you'd get from selling them to a vendor (NPC).
EX. Say a piece of Ancient Iron ore is shown having 1 silver in value if sold outright, but on the AH it's going for 10 silver. Jump up to selling 100 pieces of ore - you'd get 100 silver sold to a vendor or 1000 silver (1 Gold) for selling it on the AH. The AH takes a deposit to put items on it maybe 20 silver for those 100 ore, thats still a 980 silver profit.

My thought is to pick up EVERYTHING dropped and sell everything, not counting items that might sell on the AH. On some runs (depending on your lvl/area) you can pick up 100-600 silver worth of items (vendor trash) per outing if you keep empty bags.

Some keys to remember-
1. ALWAYS leave a town with nearly empty bags so you can pick up more stuff.
2. Don't carry around 1 wolf ear worth 1 silver when you could be carrying 10 wolf teeth for 20 silver in the same slot (you can carry more stack-able items per slot.) Or a stack of 100 pieces of wood.
3. When you're bags are full head back to the nearest vendor , if it isn't to far a distance & sell everything not worthy of the Auction Hall.
4. If you're running with a good friend (you trust!) you can trade items back & forth in the field so you're both stacking items to the max. Ex- He has 3 wolf teeth & you have 7 teeth, trade so one of you has a stack of 10 - that opens up a new slot so you can carry 10 more of X item. You'll be amazed at how much stuff you can carry doing this & how much money you can make.
5. Remember where & what drops a lot of "vendor" items if you need cash. I've made a 1000 silver (1 gold) before in just a few hours by running back & forth from a great drop area with "trash" items. It helps if you can pick up crafting items along the way- hides/ore/wood...

6. One small advantage... If you're at a location that doesn't have an AH (but has a mailbox) or you are max'ed out on the AH or your bags are full one thing to do is you can mail some select items to your other alts. Any item sent will then sit in the mail for 2 weeks, if not opened after the 2 weeks it will then be sent back to you. or you just have your alt mail it back to you where it will sit in your mailbox for another 2 weeks until you want to deal with the item(s). You can bounce items forever this way for little cost if your bags & vault are full. Not like I have ever done it... too much.

[Palantir]

I'll answer Redwolf questions here.

BTW, any recommendations where I should take my human hunter (level 16) after Bree?

YEA! 16th already, we'll have to link up in a few levels, I have some 24th lvl alts I run as well.

Where you are now (16th) is where some fun & individual choices of where to "level" strategy comes in. Ultimately you HAVE to go eastward to Rivendell then down south to Eregion & Moria following the books.

However there are 2 separate regions for levels 20-30 to quest & explore.
One is the "Lone Lands" going EAST from Breeland, the other is NORTH from Breeland to the "North Downs."

Since they cover the same level quests (and enemy types) no matter what you do a lot of them will become "gray" (get no experience from doing them & little excitement). So picking which to do is important if you like following the story & quest lines. Each has a large evil area to battle/quest in.

Lone Lands- name says it all, desolate area with some big evil swamps. You help the humans in the area and Radagast the brown Wizard (Epic Quest line). The quests here will steer you further east & south to new regions. {you MUST go to the top or Weather Top!!!!! What a view}
Main Town- Ost Guruth (some crafting, no access to vaults here)

North Downs- has it all. You help the Rangers defend the area (also Epic Quest line) and meet new allies. These quests will take you further north and west to new regions (including the Arctic!). Based on the story & terrain this was my choice of main questing between the two regions. I also liked the 2 regions surrounding it.
Main Town- Esteldin (vault/trainers/crafting)

HOWEVER- you can (and will) jump back & forth between the two as some quest are linked to get you into these areas. The key is where to focus most of your time. It's just a pain to have been following some good quest-lines in one area then jumping around between areas then go back & find most of what the quest lines you were doing are now gray.

The horse dude has tickets to a couple places, any recommendations where to go?

Remember that you can only take a stable horse to indicated places that you have ALREADY been to. I understand the idea behind it but it's kind of strange you have to wander / walk to a new stable before you can ride to a new stable. Head out both ways and check out the areas a bit, get the stable points, then ride to the area that appeals to your adventurous side the most. It is as they say ALL GOOD!

edit- one plan of action is to figure that you WILL have another character (alt) at some point in the game so for now you concentrate in one region then concentrate in the other region with your alt to see all the lands and quests at the proper level.

You can also have a "Solo" and "Fellowship" character. My main Hunter was a Fellowship type trying to do most quests with friends etc. My second Hunter I ran as solo trying to do as much as I could alone (some quests are design as Fellowship only). I've had fun doing both styles but playing with someone really adds to the excitement & enjoyment I believe.

[Redwolf]

YEA! 16th already, we'll have to link up in a few levels, I have some 24th lvl alts I run as well.

Might be 15, I fiddled with something else the last days

Where you are now (16th) is where some fun & individual choices of where to "level" strategy comes in. Ultimately you HAVE to go eastward to Rivendell then down south to Eregion & Moria following the books.

However there are 2 separate regions for levels 20-30 to quest & explore.
One is the "Lone Lands" going EAST from Breeland, the other is NORTH from Breeland to the "North Downs."

Does that mean I better wait until I'm 20?

Can I even go? How do I do it, I just start walking north?

Maybe it's blocked until I'm level 20?

Remember that you can only take a stable horse to indicated places that you have ALREADY been to. I understand the idea behind it but it's kind of strange you have to wander / walk to a new stable before you can ride to a new stable. Head out both ways and check out the areas a bit, get the stable points, then ride to the area that appeals to your adventurous side the most. It is as they say ALL GOOD!

That explains the odd choices of destinations. They include where my other character has been.

So I guess this isn't getting me anywhere new.

edit- one plan of action is to figure that you WILL have another character (alt) at some point in the game so for now you concentrate in one region then concentrate in the other region with your alt to see all the lands and quests at the proper level.

I kind of did that but I found the human game entry to be more interesting than the Dwarf one.

[Palantir]

Does that mean I better wait until I'm 20?

At 15 I'd say yes, Anything within 3 levels of your level you might be able to handle 1:1, problems come when you have to fight 2-3:1 above your current level.

Can I even go? How do I do it, I just start walking north?
Maybe it's blocked until I'm level 20?

You can "go" anywhere you want, the question is if you will survive once you get there! And yes, just start walking anywhere you want to go, just watch for the "name color" = level of the creatures to tell you when you have gone too far. The higher above you a creature is the farther away it will react & quicker it will come after you.

Colors: lowest(weakest) to highest (most dangerous) creature colors.
Gray/light blue/dark blue/white/yellow/orange/red/purple

Gray = no experience + probably won't attack you (unless in an instance)
blues = pretty easy fight.
White = your level & a fair fight
Yellow = 1 above your level, a good fight.
Orange = 2 above your level, a very hard fight.
Red = 3 above, and you have to plan carefully to battle this level, if not will almost surely kill you.
Purple = WILL kill you / you can't hurt it. (that's a bad thing!)

Also the higher level above you a mob is the more experience you get per kill.

1:1 you can usually take on "Orange" creatures but when they double or triple up on you it gets much harder but great for getting EXP, "Yellow" is a hard fight but doable vs multiple mobs.

On EXP- LotRO is designed for Questing & not mob grinding so don't bother to grind mobs for to level it's not the way to go. Find & complete any & all quests, they give you tons more EXP.

[Redwolf]

Yeah, I found out about tough guys when I ran into my first Warg when I was at level 13 or so.

[Redwolf]

That worked out pretty well. I went to Thorin's hall, but nothing was going on. For some reason the next ride to some other place wasn't "warp"-style, I stayed on the horse the whole time and jumped off when I saw something interesting.

Got to see a Dwarf city, a Dwarf harbor, my first Elven village, got to beat up Goblins and bad dwarfs and ended up walking all the way to the Shire.

Spent all my money on skills (medium armor and dual wielding FTW). I just wish somebody had a better bow for sale. Maybe I have to figure out weapon making and do it myself.

[Palantir]

That worked out pretty well. I went to Thorin's hall, but nothing was going on. For some reason the next ride to some other place wasn't "warp"-style,

To get "swift rides" between stable points requires either 1. Being a certain level (usually 40) or 2. Completing a series of quests in that area, It will say which when you try clicking on them.

I stayed on the horse the whole time and jumped off when I saw something interesting.

The fun of the game- exploring!

Spent all my money on skills (medium armor and dual wielding FTW). I just wish somebody had a better bow for sale. Maybe I have to figure out weapon making and do it myself.

This is where being in a Fellowship or having friends who are crafter's & can make gear for you really helps. Although, there is the sense of accomplishment in finding/getting your own gear. Soloing it "yourself" gear-wise is fun and can be worked for about the first 20 levels but after that the gear you find just doesn't stack up to what can be made for you. Also the gear rewards you receive for quests seem to be below your level a lot after the 20-30'ish levels.
I mentioned (some place here) that getting gear in LotRO is almost an afterthought because of all the other fun things to do in the game: many players discover they haven't picked up new gear for 10+ levels including me. {Heck I just noted last weekend my 52nd Hunter still had some lvl 38 gear - it just isn't something I check often on my own characters.}

But at some point you need level appropriate gear to survive!

I just happen to know of a player who has some characters that are Supreme Crafters in almost all the fields...

How crafting for others usually works: crafter's make the items for FREE for you and only ask that the components required to make them are sent to the crafter. Although, when players craft certain items they normally will make a dozen items anyway and send "extras" to other players who need them.

Send "Palantier" a mail in game (you are on Landroval right?) and I'll see what my group has laying around. No problems at all in making stuff for you, I've had others do it for me & I've done it for other players now that I'm high enough to make most items. Having two Hunters myself I can pretty much guess what you need already for combat gear!
Now how you want to look in middle Earth is up to you.