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

In preparation for the upcoming "Echoes of the Dead" update (or Update 2 as it's called in the Dev Diaries), Dev Diary Number 3 has arrived, detailing upcoming changes to the Hunter class. Game developer Brian "Zombie Columbus" Aloisio indicated that, while the Hunter class was very straightforward, the dev team and many players felt that it needed a little bit more customization for more advanced players:

So, this brings us to the Hunter updates for Update 2. As with most updates, I like to start with the high level goals and then focus on how we are attempting to achieve them in various areas.

Our high level goals are as follows:

• Keep the Hunter a straightforward class, but add more places for advanced players to excel
• Ensure all three trait lines are attractive and reduce the number of “filler” traits
• Enhance underused skills instead of adding new skills
• General maintenance (bugfixes, tooltip enhancements, new class items etc.)

In general, new players will find the updated Hunter class even more accessible (some would say "easy-mode") than before. Major revisions to the Bowmaster trait line - the one designed for higher DPS - result in a slightly lowered maximum DPS potential, but without all that pesky Hunter-aggro and with reduced power costs. This is a plus-minus sort of thing; advanced players know how to use that extra threat to good advantage, and taking it away from the class may hamper their ability to pull aggro when needed. On the other hand, groups can wipe when Hunters pull too much aggro, so for the less-advanced player who routinely does this, the change will come as a blessing.

The Heart Seeker skill is seeing a big revision. Rather than simply boosting the damage of the skill to merit the long cooldown and agnonizing induction, which would have made it useful in more situations than its current iteration, the devs went a different direction. Heart Seeker damage actually takes a hit, but the cooldown is reduced to 2 minutes and the induction is reduced to 3 seconds. Additionally, it has been given an effect similar to Scourging Blow - when the recipient is under the bleed effect of a Barbed Arrow, the Heart Seeker will do additional damage.

Burn Hot has also been made new-player-friendly. The new version (which should probably be renamed to something else to better fit what it actually does) reduces the power cost of bow skills while the buff is active, rather than drastically increasing the cost. Furthermore, when the buff expires, the Hunter is no longer zeroed-out on power. The damage buff is significantly lower (+20% instead of  +100%). The legendary trait Cool Burn takes these buffs a step further - power cost is reduced by 80%, and the damage increases to +40%. Players will no longer be drawing on all their reserves to unleash a hellish barrage of arrowy death in a last-ditch kamikaze move (i.e. not "burning hot" as the name still implies).

On a much more positive note, several skills and traits have been very seriously reworked and made significantly better. The much-reviled Fleet Stance, for instance, has been stricken from the ranks of stances and repurposed as a buff and renamed Fleetness. All the benefits of the skill apply, but it no longer bumps the Hunter out of his preferred stance and adds a great deal of mobility. And to make this even more desirable, Penetrating Shot is now usable while moving.

And those level 40 Tomes of the Wind-rider that you've been carrying around for 25 levels? Toss 'em! Level-appropriate class item are on the way.

Community reactions to these changes are mixed. Some players are simply beside themselves in glee, others are rather more pessimistic. On the one hand, the class will be easier for new players to pick up and learn since some of the skills that have questionable uses are made more accessible. On the other hand the class will be easier for new players to pick up and not learn, since some of the aspects of the class that required careful planning and attention have been "dumbed down" to be made more accessible.