So I’ve ended up cancelling my sub for lotro. It’s partly due to the fact that I’m finding it hard to settle in any MMO (I think the upcoming Elder Scrolls Online may be to blame for that!) However it is also partly due to the current state of the game. I did write a brief review of Helm’s Deep, which in places was quite cautious and/or pragmatic. I still agree that the questlines (particularly the epic questline) are very good and the environment is beautiful. I still ‘kinda like’ the LM class changes – as in there are some new skills and approaches that are fun and innovative but I do miss the pre-Helm’s Deep LM. The class has lost its depth and versatility. Big Battles, well yes they were fun for a while but as I said, they were no replacement for traditional end-game instances. I wasn’t prepared for the increase in dps and I totally wasn’t expecting to be level 95 halfway through the expansion questlines.
Although my playstyle varies between noodling activities (crafting, deeding) and running group instances, the main reason I play an MMO is to overcome challenges with my friends (Dimzad and Aeo). I’ve always particularly liked the way Lotro handles the difficulty factor – bit late? tired? run a T1 instance, in the zone? got enough time? T2 challenge 
However, with no new traditional instances planned for 2014 and the level of dps reducing the overall level of challenge, it leaves us feeling as though there is no point gearing up and therefore, no point in running instances we’ve already beaten a million times (maybe a slight exaggeration ;))
I still intensely dislike the RNG system that they seem to like. I would much prefer a barter system (and I’d be happy with a partial RNG system, e.g. X instance guaranteed to drop 1 of X items). The gold items were supposed to be some ‘ooh aren’t you lucky’ bonus item, but predictably instances were grinded (and grinded) to obtain them and the drop rate was so insanely low it ended up just being annoying. I am also disappointed by the fact that there is no new expansion for 2014 (although am not worried about a level cap increase) and I am cautious about what they will deliver in terms of the promised quarterly content updates. My friends feel the same, so my main reason for purchasing Helm’s Deep (as my friends were buying it) turned out to be irrelevant.
So, for the foreseeable future, when I play lotro it will be mainly as a single player game with some casual grouping thrown in here and there. I have been enjoying going through Berry’s Completionist Tracker and I would like to continue with that. I would also like to finish the quests in Helm’s Deep (just a matter of persuading Dimzad to log in :P). I think I do also just need a break, so I’m logging in only if I absolutely feel like it, rather than logging in out of habit.
