<!-- .style2 {font-family: Arial} --> <!-- function MM_swapImgRestore() { //v3.0 var i,x,a=document.MM_sr; for(i=0;a&&i<a.length&&(x=a[i])&&x.oSrc;i++) x.src=x.oSrc; } function MM_preloadImages() { //v3.0 var d=document; if(d.images){ if(!d.MM_p) d.MM_p=new Array(); var i,j=d.MM_p.length,a=MM_preloadImages.arguments; for(i=0; i<a.length; i++) if (a[i].indexOf("#")!=0){ d.MM_p[j]=new Image; d.MM_p[j++].src=a[i];}} } function MM_findObj(n, d) { //v4.01 var p,i,x; if(!d) d=document; if((p=n.indexOf("?"))>0&&parent.frames.length) { d=parent.frames[n.substring(p+1)].document; n=n.substring(0,p);} if(!(x=d[n])&&d.all) x=d.all[n]; for (i=0;!x&&i<d.forms.length;i++) x=d.forms[i][n]; for(i=0;!x&&d.layers&&i<d.layers.length;i++) x=MM_findObj(n,d.layers[i].document); if(!x && d.getElementById) x=d.getElementById(n); return x; } function MM_swapImage() { //v3.0 var i,j=0,x,a=MM_swapImage.arguments; document.MM_sr=new Array; for(i=0;i<(a.length-2);i+=3) if ((x=MM_findObj(a[i]))!=null){document.MM_sr[j++]=x; if(!x.oSrc) x.oSrc=x.src; x.src=a[i+2];} } //-->

A Book 12 Session with Turbine - Part 2

By: Martuk

In yesterday's article we began our adventure with Turbine staff members Adam Mersky, Aaron Campbell, and Jeffrey Steefel. With the first part of our adventure with Turbine behind us, we proceeded to preview the remaining aspects of Book 12: The Ashen Wastes, the latest free content update for Lord of the Rings Online. Having already previewed The Delving of Fror, the Outfit System, and the changes to the Guardian and Burglar class, we turned our attention to the remaining content slated for release with Book 12. If you missed Part 1 of our session play with Turbine, you can read it here.

<!-- if (!document.phpAds_used) document.phpAds_used = ','; phpAds_random = new String (Math.random()); phpAds_random = phpAds_random.substring(2,11); document.write ("<" + "script language='JavaScript' type='text/javascript' src='"); document.write ("http://ads.tentonhammer.com/adjs.php?n=" + phpAds_random); document.write ("&amp;what=zone:75"); document.write ("&amp;exclude=" + document.phpAds_used); if (document.referrer) document.write ("&amp;referer=" + escape(document.referrer)); document.write ("'><" + "/script>"); //-->

After Turbine finished briefing us with the Guardian and Burglar class we were given a glimpse at the Champion revisions. From there we were treated to a full preview of the Barber Shop, a full tour of Angmar, and a preview of the updates to the player housing changes along with several new housing items. While touring the home in Falathorn Homestead we had a really interesting encounter with a new beer keg that will be making its way to Middle-earth in a future festival, but we'll get to that soon enough, as for now, on to Part 2.

Champion

Though the Champion class has previously received its "Month of" update, they will be receiving a second pass with Book 12 that some call "Month of the Champion Revisited." One of the most notable skills the Champion will receive with this update is a new stance called Ardour. This stance will allow the Champion class to keep Parry and Evade and suffer a penalty rather than it is with Fervour Stance where it is deactivated. Along with a new assortment of skills and adjustments, the Champion class will be receiving a revamp of their Legendary Skills to put them more in line with being, well, legendary.

For more information on Champion skills you can read the Ten Ton Hammer's Champion Skill List Guide updated with information from Book 12.

Barber Shop

How would you like to give your character a shave and a haircut? When Book 12 goes live you will be able to do that and much more through the new Barber Shop feature. When players create a character they will often want to change the appearance of their character. Unfortunately many Mega Multi-player Online Games (MMOG's) lock in your appearance when you create your avatar. This can be frustrating as your character grows in both level and age as players tend to bond with their avatars. These reasons were emphasized by Mersky and Steefel as part of the reason we now have so many new customization options to choose from. The new Barber Shop will allow players to go back and change various features on their character with a new assortment looks.

The Barber Shop will offer players several new options for customization. The developer's stated in our play session that there will be over 50 new hairstyles, facial hair, and detail looks for your characters in the Barber Shop. They have even added a second detail option for players to include an additional facial detail on their characters. There will be several Barber Shops throughout Middle-earth and each of the main city areas will have a Barber Shop of its own.

Angmar

Our adventure came to an end as most things do in the land of Angmar. Here we were treated to some of the new images and a preview of the Hillman camps which now also embody a story driven element that Steefel compared to the decision process of Knights of the Old Republic (KotOR). Through this process, the player's decision will influence the direction of the story. Steefel stated that this feature will be utilized more with the future story of LotRO to allow a more interactive and diverse storyline.

The vast majority of the Angmar revamp consists of changes to several quests, several new ones, and adding creatures where they make more sense. A good example is the sudden decrease in boar. They have been replaced by creatures like wargs and orcs, but fear not. I was assured that the boar for the Guardian epic quest survived the slaughter. After a brief tour of the new Angmar landscape the developers took us into the instance dungeon at the end of the Seven Swords quest line. The dungeon is very well designed and invokes an eerie feel as you move through the ghostly zone thick with fog.

While Angmar itself did not receive a complete landscape redesign, the new changes now make it seem more in line with the Lord of the Rings storyline. The area now appears to be a land in turmoil as different races fight to gain control, and the new decision based story elements will be a popular feature for the LotRO fans, as they can now interact with the story in a more influential way.

Miscellaneous

While we could not get a solid date for the release, the developer's did tell us the target date is around the middle of February, but that is subject to change. Along with this new content we were treated to a preview of one new item that patrons of Middle-earth can look forward to in a coming festival. A large keg of ale for a player's home with a rather odd effect. When we sampled this fine brew, we experienced what can be deemed as realistic drunkenness. After a few moments the ale kicked in and the screen went dark as our characters, one by one, passed out on the floor. The following event was rather comical. After passing out from drinking this ale, players will awaken at random points in Middle-earth. In my case, I woke up on top of Weathertop. This comical little item can be found at a future festival near you and it comes with a complete set of access controls. So you can keep the drinking local for friends or let some unsuspecting poor house browser find out the hard way what happens when they drink your ale.

As the night came to a close we had a brief moment to reflect on all of the new content including several new items for the player housing cosmetics. We were allowed to play with the new hook rotation and we turned many of the items around the preset house to face different directions, but most notably were the new trophy items available from the Taxidermy Barter Merchant. Several new items were added that we were allowed to preview, including the Rift Balrog's Sword.

The developer's have worked hard on this update to provide players with a new and robust customization system not only for their characters, but for their homes as well. As we parted ways on this grand adventure we had seen pretty much everything that Book 12 has to offer and one thing is for certain. The Lord of the Rings Online community will not be disappointed.

Tell us what you think of the new Book 12 update on our forums.