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About three months ago, Lord Of The Rings Online design team member Orion made the first entry in his Dev Diary. In this entry, he assured those gamers eagerly awaiting the release of Turbine's MMORPG that it will be a friendly environment for solo players, but there would be group instances as well. As far as "raiding" went, Orion said, "At this time, the answer is no."
Note the operative phrase, "At this time." A game in development is subject to constant change, like any other project. The bottom line: There will be raiding in LOTRO. So...that means the game is for "hardcore raiders" now?
"No way! " Orion assures, "The only change is that there will be raids. We’re not changing the
focus of the game, nor are we making this the only avenue of an
end-game or unique treasure. Treasure will still drop outside of raids
that are comparable."
Gamers will still have to raid, though - right?
"Again, no way! Raids will be tangential to the main storylines, offer alternative
game-play and be available to players who enjoy them. We are well aware
that not everyone enjoys raiding and we are still dedicated to keeping
the main storylines out of raids. We will not force players to raid."
But players will need 40 companions to raid, won't they?
Again, Orion says, "Nope. Currently, raids are slated for twenty-four people maximums. While this
number is mutable downward, there are no plans to increase that number
at the top end."
So, is the your answer to Endgame?
On this point, Orion seems a little vague. "Raids are part of the answer to endgame as they are an option," he says. "They are
not the only answer. More information will be available as it is ready
for dissemination."
And when will that information be disseminated?
"No guarantees, but likely
within the next few weeks."
Stay tuned...
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