Lord of the Rings Online MMO News, Guides, and Features at Ten Ton Hammer

Skirmish Marks are earned by completing objectives in a skirmish such as taking control points, surviving NPCs, or slaying the main enemy Boss. You can also gain marks at a certain point through the skirmish so that you always gain a little something even if your skirmish is a dismal failure. Skirmish Marks are calculated on an individual basis, so you may get more than a group member during one skirmish and they may get more than you the next depending on a number of factors. According to the latest LotRO Developer’s Diary, some of these factors are:

• Level - The higher level the Skirmish, the more SM Level differential - If a player is HIGHER than the level of the Skirmish, he will receive LESS SM. A level 65 player going into a level 40 Skirmish to help a friend will receive minimal amounts of SM.
• Fellowship size - Larger fellowships receive more SM. This shift is not very large, and is mostly in place to keep SM/Hour rates competitive, as larger fellowship-scaled Skirmishes tend to take longer.
• Difficulty - The higher the difficulty, the more SM earned. This shift is larger than fellowship size, as we hope to reward ALL sizes more SM if they play more difficult Skirmishes.

Once you earn your Skirmish Marks you can use them at barter merchants to acquire new items. In some cases, there may be a veteran version of the same item and it will require a Special Mark to obtain. These can be found on Bosses and Lieutenants in skirmish battles. The level and group size set for the skirmish will also play a role in what type of mark drops.

All this might be sounding fun to you, but that’s not where it ends. The Skirmish system will track a huge amount of battle stats that Turbine is planning to implement on my.lotro.com and into leader boards and possibly tournaments, so if you enjoy fighting for the top rung of the ladder this will probably be something you’re going to enjoy.

SoM will bring a lot of new content to the game, but it will also bring that nostalgic feeling you get every time you learn a new iconic area will open up. Mirkwood has a rich history in Middle-earth from The Silmarillion, to Bilbo’s adventure and Gollum’s capture. It’s well regarded by Tolkien fans as an iconic place in Middle-earth’s history. While we won’t see all of Mirkwood with the expansions launch, we’ll be getting closer to experiencing other iconic areas such as the Lonely Mountain and maybe even the sight of the Battle of Five Armies. New mechanics and content will provide a fun and nostalgic experience as the game takes on a darker theme as evil stirs across the land. War has been declared. Will you answer the call?