Thread: Skirmish Solider tokens costs way too much

Turbine really messed up with this one far as I"m concerned.

For a month I was seeing this flashy new advertisement touting the exciting new feature of letting us use our Skirmish Solider on the landscape!

And at first I really was excited about this. I had been hopiong for this feature for a long time.

Then when it comes out I learn I either have to shell out 100 turbine points or spend a ton of marks and medalions simply to use it for a single hour. Because of this, I've only called my solider ONCE since the update, and I doubt if I ever will again.

I personally think using your Skirmish Solider on the map should be free of charge. But if you have to make us buy tokens to use them, at least make them more reasonable. 1500 marks is way too expensive just to be able to use my solider for a single hour. I would even use the term ridiculous to describe it, and it saps all of the fun out of what could have been a really cool feature.

So either make it free or dramatically scale down the costs. Maybe 100-200 marks would be about right. 1500 is way too much, especially when you consider it's only for an hour.

Guild
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Originally Posted by Jeremi

Then when it comes out I learn I either have to shell out 100 turbine points or spend a ton of marks and medalions simply to use it for a single hour.

You seriously don't think this is anything other than the latest money-making (aka. player gouging) addition to the Store, do you?

Yet another 'convenience' where the 'in-game' method of acquiring it is so painful that only a masochist would get it that way, Turbine's intention is that people give them more $$$ to get it.

Originally Posted by Kerin_Eldar

You seriously don't think this is anything other than the latest money-making (aka. player gouging) addition to the Store, do you?

Yet another 'convenience' where the 'in-game' method of acquiring it is so painful that only a masochist would get it that way, Turbine's intention is that people give them more $$$ to get it.

That, and it's to keep skirmish soldiers from being commonplace. If they made the price reasonable enough so that you could have it all the time, they'd have to balance content against that, which would then lead to HAVING to have your soldier out, which would lead to even more complaining.

If you want a pet that will help you with all your fights free of charge, roll a Lore-Master or Captain. In all other cases the skirmish-soldier-on-landscape feature is fine as it is, I think. Yes, the price looks a bit steep on first glance, but if you only use your soldier for the tough fights you really need him/her for, that one-hour token should last quite a while.

Truth to tell, I'm relieved that there is a cost attached to using the skirmish soldier on landscape and that we don't have loads of players running around with a companion (pet classes excluded for the moment) since that would have made the server seem pretty crowded IMO and it probably would also have added to the server load and thereby lags.

Seriously... at first I thought... wow, using my soldier landscape... such advantages I'll have...
Then... wow... steep price... let's only use my soldier when I really really need her...
Reality... I've never called on my soldier yet... I've been able to do all the Great River quest, starting at level 72, easily on my own (except the FS ones of course).

I think having to use your soldier on the normal landscape is a nice extra, but really not needed at all. Especially knowing that in the next update that you'll have a war horse too. It's nice to have, but absolutely no must.

Well, I'm glad its not free for the reasons given above, however, I bellive prices are too much (esp. in in-game grindable currencies).

BTW, can soldiers be summoned in private instances?

Originally Posted by Vellrad

BTW, can soldiers be summoned in private instances?

As far as I know, not in instances marked as solo (exactly the spot where at times I would love to summon my soldier)....

Originally Posted by TinDragon

That, and it's to keep skirmish soldiers from being commonplace. If they made the price reasonable enough so that you could have it all the time, they'd have to balance content against that, which would then lead to HAVING to have your soldier out, which would lead to even more complaining.

And what would be wrong with balancing content against it?

Allowing players to run around with a Skirmish Solider they can fully customize to their own particular play styles and rely upon would do nothing but enhance gameplay in my mind. So I woudn't complain about it at all. I think it would be cool.

Besides, the fighting on the landscapes has gotten too easy anyways. It could use some enhancement to make it more interesting and challenging.

Originally Posted by Jeremi

And what would be wrong with balancing content against it?

Allowing players to run around with a Skirmish Solider they can fully customize to their own particular play styles and rely upon would do nothing but enhance gameplay in my mind. So I woudn't complain about it at all. I think it would be cool.

Besides, the fighting on the landscapes has gotten too easy anyways. It could use some enhancement to make it more interesting and challenging.

Because, now if you don't want to run any skirms, you don't have to.
If content is ballanced against players with upgraded soldier, then there will be an uproar about having to gring skirms for marks and soldier upgrades.

Originally Posted by Vellrad

Because, now if you don't want to run any skirms, you don't have to.
If content is ballanced against players with upgraded soldier, then there will be an uproar about having to gring skirms for marks and soldier upgrades.

That is a good point and something I didn't think of. I was initially quite excited since I have been playing Star Wars: The Old Republic and love their companion system. That game is balanced around everyone have a companion and it is a feature I miss when going back to other MMOs. But this does make a lot of sense.

Originally Posted by Vellrad

Because, now if you don't want to run any skirms, you don't have to.
If content is ballanced against players with upgraded soldier, then there will be an uproar about having to gring skirms for marks and soldier upgrades.

I was one of the folks that was very negative about Landscape Skirmish Soldiers. I thought we get to use them all the time. I would have to run instance content to upgrade my soldiers to do regular solo quests. I would end up lagging in places like Galtrev due to many soldiers and Bears and Cats and Boggers Oh My. I was very relieved when I found out soldier use is a timed activity.

I enjoy Skirmishes and a lot of different kinds of content in Lotro. I don't like idea of having one content activity tied to another.

In games like Skyrim (isn't SWTOR the same way?) you do not have to take turns improving your companion and your main character. Or choose whether to level up your companion or improve your main character.

I like the concept, but it's unlikely I'll ever use it at that price.

I hated the concept and was very glad it was placed "out of reach" for most (sane) people so I didn't see twice the crowds everywhere I went.

Though a couple of free hours a month for VIPs might be a nice little perk to start make subscribing more attractive again.

Originally Posted by Yula_the_Mighty

I was one of the folks that was very negative about Landscape Skirmish Soldiers. I thought we get to use them all the time. I would have to run instance content to upgrade my soldiers to do regular solo quests. I would end up lagging in places like Galtrev due to many soldiers and Bears and Cats and Boggers Oh My. I was very relieved when I found out soldier use is a timed activity.

I enjoy Skirmishes and a lot of different kinds of content in Lotro. I don't like idea of having one content activity tied to another.

In games like Skyrim (isn't SWTOR the same way?) you do not have to take turns improving your companion and your main character. Or choose whether to level up your companion or improve your main character.

I guess...

But I think it would add a new and interesting dynamic to this game, and I personally would like to see it. SWTOR for example has a system like this, and I think it works rather well - and really is the best thing that rather lacking game has going for it.

So I believe gameplay that relies heavily on a customizable companion that you can build to compliment your playstle does nothing but improves games, and would outweigh concerns regarding negative players who don't want to be bothered with having to deal with it.

Originally Posted by Jeremi

I guess...

But I think it would add a new and interesting dynamic to this game, and I personally would like to see it. SWTOR for example has a system like this, and I think it works rather well - and really is the best thing that rather lacking game has going for it.

So I believe gameplay that relies heavily on a customizable companion that you can build to compliment your playstle does nothing but improves games, and would outweigh concerns regarding negative players who don't want to be bothered with having to deal with it.

No thanks. If every class in LOTRO needed to use a pet in order to be competitive I would rather play a different game.

I like using my skirmish soldier in skirmishes. I don't want to deal with one all the time.

Originally Posted by CrimsonGrog

I like using my skirmish soldier in skirmishes. I don't want to deal with one all the time.

Indeed - given the intelligence of the average skirmish soldier, I would rather stab myself in the face than try to lead one through Moria!