Went to Laurelin...and left

After trying to grind out virtues on Kalithir AGAIN, I finally got a bit burnt out. Coupled with making another close friend which might have seems the solo lifestyle of play that I have end, suddenly disappear I decided to try my luck on another server and kinship.

So I rolled another cappy (Steehelm) on Laurelin joined a kin and got myself to 75 to start doing end-game content again.

So far...compared to Elendilmir this server really sucks with it's PUG's. Both in skill and in attitude. So goodbye Laurelin.

Then I discovered a chinese kinship on Brandywine, so...trying there now with a Warden (since I don't have a 75 one and I've seen a few good wardens pulling and holding aggro like legends in Foundry and the like, looks like a bit of fun!) and see if I can't join the chinese speaking community there (same playtimes and I think...my chinese will be good enough to get by (or actually learn, haha).

Goodluck Jianding the warden wainrider from Rhun who grew up with his Easterling father and Dalelander mother in Dale.

Mirkwood gloams

Oh to have a private army

Well, after escaping the toilet bowl that is Moria I was briefly greeted by the 'woe is me' suicidal elves of Lothlorien. Being a burg I sneaked past the whole place an still don't have enough rep to enter CG. (That might hurt me later being unable to use CG stables). Enter the cherry woodland area that is Mirkwood. Not much has changed since I was here last, it's still a good quick way to level up to 65, but the twit that I am...should have gone to Endewaith, as it's the same lvl area.

 Why the 'twit', does it matter. To be concise, yes. Why? Endwaith came out after Mirkwood. So what? I hear you say. Well, typically, the more recent the release, the better the quest rewards. Fin. So now that Mirkwood is done, I now skip Endwaith (apart from getting the stable locations...) and charge into Dunland.

Yeah, go gett'em boys

Yep, victorious again! High five.

Just hanging out...looking cool and poisoned...

Umm, just a screenshot...

Yeah...the hand off at DG didn't go quite to plan...

Yeah well, she's got it coming. Quest line to get the Rangers off their asses and down to Rohan. Cellphones would be so much easier.

Breaking down a quote.

He who knows not and knows not he knows not: he is a fool - shun him.
He who knows not and knows he knows not: he is simple - teach him.
He who knows and knows not he knows: he is asleep - wake him.
He who knows and knows he knows: he is wise - follow him.

What a load of shit.

He who knows not and knows not he knows not: he is a fool - shun him.
Nope, he's your everyday human being. Even more true when you're a teenager.

He who knows not and knows he knows not: he is simple - teach him.
Nope, he's very self aware. He's very awake and knows himself. I'd trust this person. Maybe you could learn much from him.

He who knows and knows not he knows: he is asleep - wake him.
Nope, he's humble and is always willing to learn new things. If only there were more people like this one.

He who knows and knows he knows: he is wise - follow him.
Nope, he's an arrogant shit who will lead us all to hell. Follow at your own peril.

Moria Is Over

Well he made it. In doing so he may have added to the notion that he may be a vampire due to the fact that he was able to hold his breath from one end of Moira to the next. I mean who really wants to breath in hundred's of years of orc shit being stockpiled. Perhaps in the introduction to Moria quests Bosi and co. should be preparing gas masks instead.


Anyhoo. The revamp was good, up to a point. Durin's Threshold, Dolven view, Chamber of crossroads, through to Jazergund and into Morovailville, Silvertine Lodes, all GREAT. STAY AWAY FROM WATERWORKS. Ok, let me jog your memory. Evendim was labeled Everswim. This got fixed with a revamp of the area and some jet boats. However Lotro without some tedious back and forth in the most time consuming map just wasn't good 'ole classic Lotro, ergo WATERWORKS. Skip it, trust meeee. Get to Redhorn Lodes which was never a bad area for quests anyway, get your Back and Forth quest from the 21st hall, do it and then fill up your quest log (literally) with the Grand Stairs stuff. Once done, head to the First Hall and GET THE HELL OUTTA THERE YOU FOOLS. Enter Dimril Dale and poof, hello 59-60.

Out of the Frying Pan and into the Fire?

Lothlorian. OMG. The biggest bunch of whinging windbags ever. Seriously. This places make me wanna help the orcs pillage and rape the entire area. Picking flowers etc is not my cup of tea. If I wanted to do that I'd be friggen well be playing Farmville. But wait, salvation is near. Loth rep is no longer needed to enter the golden wood. So...it's STRAIT TO MIRKWOOD! WEEEHOOOO. Kiss my ass Gladrial or w/e the hell your name is.


A compilation of screenies from GS (and 2 FT).

Moria Revamp is fantasticles!

With Kalithir on his way, I dreaded entering the orc feces cesspit that is Moria AGAIN (umm, 6th time I think).

With Update 7, the fine folks at Turbine HQ (aka Mordor), Moria got itself a revamp. The useless, unimportant, non-contributing nay-sayers who think their well informed rants (read tantrums of a 15 yr old virgin)   heralded this as a dumbing down of content and the end of Lotro as we know it. (hell the no rep needed for Lothlorien got 11 friggen pages ffs. I mean, it's really that important RIGHT). Fuck the lag, bugs. FIX THIS FIRST! But I digress.

You probably have noticed how different the quests chains/progression has changed since Galtav onwards. Rather than a quest hub (town or camp) and it's go out, return, rinse/repeat, it's been more this NPC gives 3 quests, you do em, return and NPC will give one more quest off to another NPC who then...

With Moria they've basically done that again, making progression/exploration through Moria much more logical, streamline and less frustrating, even adding new quests. Before, if you were leveling to get to 65, 75 w/e it was common (even my mate said this the other night) to get to 55 and GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE. The Loth, rep repeatables were better/quicker experience than running around like a deaf bat in Moria. Now...I'm not so sure.

In any case, it's more fun and I think that's what playing a game is about.

p.s. I love my burgs look in that pic /blowownhorn

Enter the Kalithir

After capping a Guard, Cappy and Champ (all the heavies, cause if you ain't wearing heavy metal, you suck...the only way I play my mini is to have it cosmetically outfitted to look like a D&D cleric), I got a LM to 69 but just not feelin it. Hunter to 43 but again...not feelin it, it gets too boring for me. I started the burg and dropped it after 26 levels as it was too much mucking around for me, but after capping I've had another crack at it, rearranged my skill bars and well, haven't looked back. Am loving it! I'm finding he mows through mobs quicker than my champ or hunter (at least normal mobs) as he doesn't have to 'focus up' or 'fervor up' to start with high damaging attacks. What was slow before (sneaking behind someone) has really been off-put with traited sneak trait, + distraction. BOOM. Basically running around at lvl 50 one shotting them crawlers.

Like any class I've played though, if there isn't an interesting enough backstory to the character, I hate playing him. (yes, I have stories in my mind, yes, I am crazy, any other questions?)

Now that Kalithir is 50, I'm confident in his rise to 75 and to become a recognizable name as Aoeworth and Fayadorn fade into "hey we need a cappy or guard, can you switch" (Vorss, my champ is an enigma as champs/hunters are so common I'm never asked to go on that class, even though I LOVE his backstory, but this is about Kalithir not the others)


So am gonna start a little diary on Kalithir's progression from 50 to 75 hope you enjoy it as much as I plan to.

Wardens SUCK

Yeah I said it. Are you a warden? Are you offended? GOOD. Prove me wrong.

I'm not saying the class sucks. It's an awesome class, however Turbine did forewarn you, it is an advanced class.

It's not really a class you can 'alt' on once in a blue moon and expect to be effective at playing it. The shear number of gambits with stances is for me, mind boggling. However, after playing the class for a bit, you do get into a rhythm of what gambits you like and for what situation and work with that. For the life of me it appears many Warden players completely throw the AOE taunt, threat building gambits right out the window or the thought of these gambits never occurred in their mind.

Because it's an advanced class, playing it doesn't make you an advanced player you nitwit.

Case in point (as to the reason of this post). Ran Foundry t2 with a warden. AWESOME run. He has balls the size of Jamaica. He ran in, aggroed everything, pulled them to the next group, aggroed them etc etc. Mini and I kept him up and our champs shing-shinged everything into oblivion.

The other side of the coin:
Lvl. 75 skirmish raid. 3 wardens in the raid (that's 3 for 12...) and the goddam skirmish protector solider is the one holding aggro...for extended periods of time (more than a force taunt would create) and I've got pics to prove it. Hilarious yes, embarrassing for the wardens, bloody well should be.

Rant off. Good luck wardening, because I suck at it therefore I DON'T PLAY IT IN FELLOWSHIPS.