For a limited time, Turbine is selling an item that boosts a character to level 50. This did not escape notice of the All Seeing Eyes of various bloggers…
… but nobody bought it (that I read about). So I decided to check it out.
You see, this item is tailored made for a player like me! Why is that? Well… I have 2 lifetime accounts.
One has 6 characters, including Naerys my guardian (currently level 89) and Dhrun my burglar (currently level 82). These are the two I continue to play. The others are a lore-master (level 65), hunter (level 61), minstrel (level 62), and warden (level 61). I’ve put all of them through everything up to Lothlórien and the latter four are semi-retired, hanging out in Caras Galadhon at Telain Galadhrim, which provides convenient access to a vault, auction hall, crafting, horse routes to major areas, and has nice scenery.
My other account has a champion (level 7), warden (level 7), captain (level 28), and rune-keeper (level 36). As you can see, not played nearly as much. But it still gets 500 Turbine points a month since it was a former lifetime account.
My first account, I actually use the points to get little things here and there. I also buy points once in a while, especially when they go on sale. My second account… has built them up for a long time. In fact, I have a little under 16,000 points on that second account.
I could bump a few chars up to 50, but I decided to use it on a champion.
- My rune-keeper is already in Evendim, meaning leveling to 50 would skip Forochel, Trollshaws, Misty Mountain, Angmar and Eregion. Besides, level 50 is just 14 levels away.
- My captain is somewhere between Lone-Lands and Evendim. Level 50 is 22 levels away… tempting.
- I started a new hobbit warden, because hobbits are awesome and I should have made my warden a hobbit instead of an elf. And on the second account instead of the first, to better balance out my accounts. Plus, I like the quests in the Shire, and learning all the gambits at the same time is tough.
- And so not the throw champions under the bus, but learning their skills “all of a sudden” would be a lot easier than rushing the captain, rune-keeper, or new warden to 50.
To use the Gift of the Valar, the character needs to have the Novice trait, meaning they’ve finished the intro instance. So I put my brand new elf champion through it real quick and made the store purchase.
Here is all the stuff you get:
In my next post I’ll actually use these items, and see how my newly minted champion winds up.
I’ve put 6 characters through all of Eriador and Moria. Honestly, I’m kinda excited to short circuit a new character past Eriador and be that much closer to the content of Mirkwood, Isengard, Rohan, Helm’s Deep, and beyond.
MMO Juggler 
But, as I was getting at, would you have been even happier if, ala EQ2 and WoW’s WoD plan, the Valar had gifted you something a little closer to Rohan or Helm’s Deep?
Actually, I would have been happier getting past Moria as well, given I’ve put 6 chars through that content too. Only 3 have gone into Mirkwood and 2 of those are still venturing beyond that.
So yeah, a bump to a bit before Rohan would have been really nice. I haven’t yet used my Gift of the Valar so I’ll do that and write it up soon.
According to this poll on LOTRO Players a surprising number of people have bought this.
http://lotroplayers.mymiddleearth.com/2013/12/12/lotro-store-sales-12-1312-19/
I wonder how many of them are lifetimers? If you have a ton of TP just sitting around and have already leveled many alts, this could well be appealing. But like Wilhelm says, a bump to a higher level would have been even more appealing.
It’s hard to imagine there are many people who are fed up of leveling 1-50 yet have not had their fill of doing Moria as well!
Thanks for the link – I missed seeing that – interesting!
Of the five people I’ve read/known to have purchased this, every single one has been a lifetime subscriber with TP to spare. Though I am interested to know the details of the package… I don’t think people who were lucky enough to have glommed onto a package years ago that doesn’t even exist anymore is the best target market to be aiming for. Especially since they generate practically no revenue for the game if they’re not purchasing TP outside of the monthly allotment. It’s not exactly a good thing that this is who this package seems to appeal to.
You can read my more recent post to see exactly what you get.
And I wouldn’t put it as “lucky enough to have glommed onto [a lifetime account]” quite that way – I played as a subscriber for 6-8 months before deciding I like the game enough to plop down $200 bucks, twice. That’s a chunk of change – prepaying about 3 years of subbing to the breakeven point – without being able to predict the future from 6 years ago.
Other games have offered lifetime accounts as well: Champions Online, Star Trek Online, and Secret World (only ones that I know of), and it would be the same gamble – boiling down to will you still enjoy the game even through unforseen content and mechanics changes?
Also, I definitely generate revenue for Turbine, beyond just getting expansions. I but TP about twice a year when it goes on sale (well, technically when the bonus points get bumped up), for my first account in order to get stuff like storage expansions, legendary item doodads, steeds of the [class], etc. In fact the latest sale looks pretty good, my first account is low on TP while my other one does have healthy buffer.
Thanks, I was slightly curious what the fuss was about. I suspect that if enough of these get bought, a level 50 to 75 item will hit the store to take characters from Moria to Rohan.
Personally, LOTRO is the solo leveling experience. I PvP and raid in other games. The old SOA and Moria content is just too good to skip even though it’s pretty impossible to find an on-level group to do Urugarth, Carn Dum, Helegrod, and the Rift these days.
I use the XP Disabler on all 17 of my characters (on my main account) so that I can satisfy my OCD without out-leveling any zones. If I ever level all those, I have four other accounts and would likely to the same there. It’s just a personal play-style/quirk on my part. I have no interest in the GotV, but don’t have a problem with other people buying/using it.
I enjoy leveling as well, and also like to completely finish off zone quests before moving on. This experiment came about due to me not really having the time I used to have, plus having the extra TP on my second account. I figure, why not try it. Meanwhile as a fun project I’ll advance my hobbit warden, replacing my elf warden, through the regular way. I like the Shire too much. 😉
I’ll probably go back on the champion to pick up the Vol 1 storyline and follow it. I like the Amarthiel/Narmeleth quite a bit and don’t want to skip it!
I had the chance to buy the life time account, so glad i didn’t!
Going from an end game awesome raiding MMO to a solo MMO was a change i would have never predicted in my whole life.
I am a Ex-player now and as much as i miss raiding and playing lotro ill never spend anymore time on this game.
LOTRO Pre Rohan was still the best MMO i have ever played and will always be!