Lord of the Rings Online news keeps pouring in as we approach the Dec. 1 launch of the Siege of Mirkwood digital expansion in North America. Following dev diary entries on on the new main menu and the upcoming combat changes, the team has posted entries that focus on the revamped character panel and the level 62 skill upgrades. You can read both diary entries after the jump.

In addition, Codemasters is preparing for the release of the expansion on Dec. 3 in Europe by hosting a Welcome Back Week from Nov. 23-30. Former players can return the Middle-earth for free and enjoy +25% bonus experience during the event.

Developer Diary: SoM Skill Upgrades

With the decision to place the main focus of the systems work for Siege of Mirkwood™ on our basic combat and item advancement systems, we had to re-evaluate what that would mean for class skills and how changing or adding to them would alter the balance we were looking for with the other changes. Turning too many dials at once can lead to unintended and, very often, unexpected consequences! We knew this overhaul would be necessary to complete the process we began in Moria that ensures the long-term advancement of characters in LOTRO. As a result the decision was made to scale back plans for the classes themselves. We appreciate how this may be disappointing to some of you, though we do hope the overall improvement to combat results in a new and rewarding gameplay experience.

Despite this, each class is getting either a new skill or skill upgrade at level 62. For the most part these new skills are focused on utility rather than combat. With all that said let’s look at the skill upgrades coming in Siege of Mirkwood!

Burglar

Burglar’s Antidote replaces Cure Poison
This is a long awaited upgrade to the Burglar’s Cure Poison skill. It is upgraded in almost every way, including level of effect dispelled, range, and induction time.

Captain

Fighting Withdrawal replaces Withdrawal
This upgrade removes the damage penalty, increases the amount of threat reduction, and minimizes the threat gained through damage by the Captain while in effect.

Champion

Remorseless Strike replaces Relentless Strike
This skill is identical to Relentless Strike in all aspects except that it has much increased critical and devastating critical damage multipliers.

Guardian

Brutal Charge replaces Charge
This upgrades Charge to have the same effect as the Champion’s Sprint. Brutal Charge overwrites most snares while it is in effect. There is also a short term damage buff when Brutal Charge is first activated.

Hunter

Guide to Mirk-eaves – new skill
This skill is available from Estellien, a reputation reward vendor in Echad Sirion. It requires acquaintance faction with the Malledhrim, the Elven expedition launched across the Anduin against Dol Goldur. This skill functions like other Hunter guide skills to port the Hunter and his Fellowship to Echad Sirion.

Lore-master

Ancient Knowledge of Cures replaces Leech-craft
This skill uses all the restrictions and upgrades for Leech-craft but combines Wound cures and resistance with Disease cures and resistance.

Minstrel

Chorus of Restoration replaces Song of Restoration
This skill now removes Dread from all members of the Minstrel’s Fellowship (including the Minstrel!).

Rune-keeper

Shall Not Fall This Day replaces Do Not Fall This Day
This skill adds a small amount of Melee, Ranged, and Tactical Defence to the target in addition to the self-revive ability. In addition, if the target is defeated while this skill is in effect there will be no item wear due to the defeat.

Warden

Muster in Mirk-eaves – new skill
This skill is available from Estellien, a reputation reward vendor in Echad Sirion. It requires acquaintance faction with the Malledhrim, the elven expedition launched across the Anduin against Dol Guldur. This skill functions like other Warden muster skills to port the Warden to Echad Sirion.

For the full view of how combat has changed in Siege of Mirkwood, be sure to read the Combat Changes Developer Diary and the Stats and Character Panel Changes Developer Diary!

 

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Developer Diary: Character Panel Update

New Stats! Changed Stats!

Along with the recently discussed Combat System changes, we’ve made some changes and new additions to your character’s stats and how they are displayed. This dev diary will point out these changes and provide a first look at the newly revamped character panel!

Critical Defence (Melee, Ranged, Tactical)

Players will now have three new statistics to help offset the changes to some creatures (see the Combat Dev Diary): Melee Critical Defence, Ranged Critical Defence, and Tactical Critical Defence.

• Guardians and Wardens gain a passive trait at level 20 that increases their Critical Defence ratings sufficiently to reduce their chance to suffer a critical hit from even level monsters by 5%.
• Captains gain a passive trait at level 20 that increases their Critical Defence ratings sufficiently to reduce their chance to suffer a critical hit from even level monsters by 3%.
• The Champion’s Glory stance increases their Critical Defence ratings sufficiently to reduce their chance to suffer a critical hit from even level monsters by 3%.
• The Champion’s Ardor stance increases their Critical Defence ratings sufficiently to reduce their chance to suffer a critical hit from even level monsters by 1%.
• Heavy Shields will now increase their wielder’s Critical Defence ratings sufficiently to reduce their chance to suffer a critical hit by 5%.
• Warden Shields will now increase their wielder’s Critical Defence ratings sufficiently to reduce their chance to suffer a critical hit by 4%.
• Shields will now increase their wielder’s Critical Defence ratings sufficiently to reduce their chance to suffer a critical hit by 2%.

We want to have a clear delineation between Offensive stances and Defensive stances. Given the increased importance of shields for defensive purposes, a change to the Guardian’s Overpower skill is required. Guardians will no longer be able to use Shields while in Overpower stance. As part of this change, Overpower-based legacies will no longer appear on one handed weapons. Players will find new Legacy Exchange scrolls in the Guardian Trainer shop inventory that will exchange Overpower-based legacies on existing Legendary Items for new legacies.

Vulnerability (Melee, Ranged, Tactical) Changes

The Melee, Ranged, and Tactical Vulnerability statistics (which reduce incoming damage according to damage source) have undergone two major changes:

• We have changed the name, since gaining negative vulnerability was a bit awkward and confusing.
  • Melee Vulnerability => Melee Defence
  • Ranged Vulnerability => Ranged Defence
  • Tactical Vulnerability => Tactical Defence
• The statistics have been converted to ratings and the bonuses received from these ratings are capped at 15%. The Ranged Defence bonus on Large Shields and most skill bonuses will be left as a percentage bonus towards Defence, rather than a rating value. Virtue bonuses and item bonuses have been converted to rating values.
• These statistics will now also apply to damage-over-time (DOT) skills performed on you. The opposing statistics – Melee, Ranged, and Tactical Offense, will apply to DOT skills that you perform on targets.

Outgoing Healing

Players will now have a new rating statistic to help increase outgoing healing from skills. The bonus received from this statistic is capped at 30%.

Incoming Healing Changes

The Incoming Healing statistic has been converted to a rating. All incoming healing bonuses from items have been converted to rating values. Incoming healing bonuses and penalties from skills and traits have been left as percentages. The bonus received from this statistic is capped at 15%.

Healing Rank and Tactical Rank

Our new Healing Rank and Tactical Rank statistics will allow players with healing and tactical skills to increase their damage or healing output, by spending points into their legendary items!

Healing Rank

Minstrels, Captains, Lore-masters, and Rune-keepers will have a Healing Rank legacy added to their legendary class items. These classes will be able to spend points on this legacy to boost their Healing Rank, which will affect heals, heal over time, power heals, and power heal over time skills.

Tactical Rank

Minstrels, Lore-masters, and Rune-keepers will have a Tactical Rank legacy added to their legendary weapon items. These classes will be able to spend points on this legacy to boost their Tactical Rank, which will affect tactical damage and DOT skills. Guardians have a similar Shield Rank value that affects their shield attacks.

The Healing Rank and Tactical Rank legacies will be available on legendary items starting at level 50. Characters will also passively gain a small amount of Healing Rank and Tactical Rank as the character levels up from 1 to 50. Higher level legendary items will have a higher cap on their Healing Rank and Tactical Rank legacies, so make sure you upgrade your items as you level up!

The Defences tab will list your character’s basic stats (might, agility, etc), avoidances, resistances, and mitigations.

The Combat Effectiveness tab will show your character’s basic stats again, followed by sections for your Healing and Damage related stats. Under the Healing header, the new Healing Rank rating, the new Outgoing Healing rating, and Incoming Healing will be shown. Under the Damage header, the new Tactical Rank rating will be shown (or Shield Use Rank if you are a Guardian), along with your DPS values for the weapons you have equipped.

As with the current Character Panel, you will be able to tooltip over any of the new statistics shown in each of the three tabs, to receive more information about that statistic.

That sums up the changes and additions to your stats and character panel. Be sure to read the Combat Changes Developer Diary and keep an eye out for the Skill Upgrades Developer Diary for the full view of how combat has changed in Siege of Mirkwood!