Episode 31 - F2P Update and Getting to 65

Hey all

In this episode we cover:

News:
LOTRO goes F2P on September 10 (or 8th if your lucky)
(http://www.lotro.com/news/pressreleases/782-the-lord-of-the-rings-online-will-be-free-to-play-starting-september-10-2010)
Sapience Announces F2P Head Start
(http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?t=350862)
Dev Diary:  Instances 2.0 Part 4 - Helegrod
(http://www.lotro.com/gameinfo/devdiaries/772-developer-diary-instances-20-part-4-)  
Dev Diary:  Instances 2.0 Part 5 - The Great Barrow
(http://www.lotro.com/gameinfo/devdiaries/785-developer-diary-instances-20-part-5-)
Dev Diary:  Volume 3 Book2 Quest Notes
(http://www.lotro.com/gameinfo/devdiaries/786-developer-diary-volume-iii-book-2-quest-notes)
The Hobbit News
(http://the-hobbit-movie.com/)

What Have I Been Doing in Game

The Heart of the Show will address a listeners question on how best to solo to 65
Pre-leveling

• No why you want to get to end game before you try to get there (healer? tank? other?)
• Enable your Quest Tracker and Quest Guide

Levels 1-20

• Learn your class
• Pickup the explorer vocation
• Focus on the Epic Story line
• Get every solo quest you can in an area (focus on the green and blue quests)
• Don't forget your lvl 15 class quest

Levels 21-40

• Continue to follow the Epic Story line
• Continue to grab every solo quest you can
• Do the lvl 30 class quest
• Make sure you do the Skirmish quests and tutorial

Levels 41-50

• Get past the experience hump by focus on Skirmishes to get XP and skirmish marks (to buy class quest items that normally drop from elite mobs)
• Buy you legendary class trait quest books from your trainer and complete these deeds/quests
• Complete the lvl 45 Class Quests which will unlook another legendary trait

Level 50+

• Back to the epic story line, but this time the Mines of Moria Volume not Shadows of Angmar
• Be prepared to group....some Epic quests and some areas just require it

Hope you like the episode

Alberos

Episode 30 Better Late Than Never

Hey all-

Sorry for the delay in getting a show out.   As you'll hear in the show, my wife passed away after a 3 1/2 year battle with lung cancer.  She never smoked or was exposed to second hand smoke which makes this even more tragic.  While the kids and I are doing OK I felt it was important to share what happened and provide a way for people to help so that others might have a better chance of surviving this terrible disease.  For those interested in helping I am adding a link to the American Lung Association both here (http://www.lungusa.org/donate/) and in the list of links on the left. Please make a donation to help stop lung cancer.

You are also probably noticing that the show website has gone through some rennovation. I've changed the look and feel of the website to hopefully make it more attractive and easier to use. Key changes are:

1) A RSS link to my "my.lotro" blog (http://my.lotro.com/alberich/) where I am trying to put out a new post about my experience in the game every Monday. This list will automatically update every time I post which is cool.

2) I have split all the links and polls into two columns. The Left hand side of the website will contain links more specific to my experiences in LOTRO and what I'm doing (this includes the my.lotro blog mentioned above). The right hand side will be more show specific with the polls, podcast feeds, archived show notes, etc...

3) To make this more clearly about LOTRO I've changed the header to highlight that LOTROCast is about Middle-Earth and the LOTRO game.

Vote on this week's poll and let me know how you like the new setup.

In this week's show we cover the following:

Recent News and Notes
Lunna the Burg's New Series: The Path of the Fellowship (featuring music by Falthom and the Lonely Mountain Band)
Shire to Bree (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sa_DnRUKdhM)
The Road to Rivendell (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YmnH34MAOE&feature=related)
Into Khazad-Dum (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_iNvb1ixF0)

Turbine F2P Dev Diaries and Beta Journals
Enedwaith Dev Diary (http://www.lotro.com/gameinfo/devdiaries/747-developer-diary-enedwaith)
LOTRO Store Beta Journal (http://www.lotro.com/gameinfo/feature-articles/757-beta-journals-the-lotro-store)
New Player Experience Beta Journal (http://www.lotro.com/gameinfo/feature-articles/760-beta-journals-new-player-experience)
Class Changes Beta Journal (http://www.lotro.com/gameinfo/feature-articles/769-beta-journals-class-changes)

What I've Been Doing in Game
* My most recent experience with the Watcher
Check out this link where they show you how to take this monster down (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-EGpQkqrvk&feature=player_embedded)

The Heart of The Show focuses on:
* The Inn League
List of Inn League Member Locations and the Beers/Wines they need:
Edhelion (by Thorin's Gate) needs Dorwinion White from Rivendell
Zigigund (in Forochel) needs Moar Beer from the Prancing Pony in Bree
Brockborings (NE of Hobbiton) needs Stars of Old Cider from the Prancing Pony
Thrasi's Lodge (SE of Gondomon) needs Forsaken Ale from the Forsaken Inn
Aughaire (in Angmar) needs Swill from the Forsaken Inn
Misty Mountains (SE of Goblin Town) needs Beakbreker Ale from Combe
Oatbarton (North of Brockborings) needs Blagrove's Brown from Michel Delving
Ost Haer (in the Lone Lands) needs Thistle Belly Brew from Hobbiton
Echad Candelleth (in the Trollshaws) needs Brandy Wine from Stock
Thornley's Worksite (NW of Bree) needs Limael's Vintage from Celendom
Othrikar (NW of Esteldin) needs Bombur's Beard from Thorin's Gate

Typically I would by 5-10 of each brew and just make a circuit to each of these every day. 
Route 1:  Edhelion, Thrasi's Lodge
Route 2:  Zigilgund, Oatbarton, Brockborings
Route 3:  Aughaire, Othrikar
* The Halls of Crafting Moria Dungeon
* Developer Diary: Instances 2.0 (Parts 1-3)
Part 1 http://www.lotro.com/gameinfo/devdiaries/754-developer-diary-instances-20-part-1-
Part 2 http://www.lotro.com/gameinfo/devdiaries/759-developer-diary-instances-20-part-2-
Part 3 http://www.lotro.com/gameinfo/devdiaries/764-developer-diary-instances-20-part-3-

Listener Feedback

Hope you like the show

Alberos