Ahoy hoy!

I started playing this game a while back, but got hooked on two things. First was the immersion into the different classes of the game and the environment in general. There were many times when I was just trodding along eyes on the ground when I actually stopped to look at the surroundings and was amazed.

The second thing (and almost as important) was the crafting systems of LOTRO. I spent way too much time in all the different crafting trades just making stuff for myself, and my other toons. I would get so excited about spending hours making an entirely new suit of armor, jewelry and weapons even though I would probably outgrow them in half as much time. That's not mentioning some of the new and creative artistic designs of the Armor. Still more time was spent looking for a great outfit for all of my toons.


But the second thing vanished with the Isengard expansion and tier 7 crafting. Bugs aside, Isengard felt like a great expansion full of quality work, with the specific exception of the crafting system. The entire tier 7 crafting system felt mailed in, like it was an after thought created at the 11th hour. The system was not comprehensive in any way, shape or form, was extremely sparse in offerings, with armor that was downright ugly and unattractive. And all of the gear available was worse than random green-quality offerings as quest rewards.

And I am not the only one that felt this. A lot of others that have joined me in other games have cited this exact same grievance. While Tier 6 crafting was spectacularly thought out and fun, Tier 7 Crafting is not rewarding at all.


To earn my subscription back immediately, you'll have to revamp Tier 7 crafting system. Basically trash it, and start over. I'll keep my eye on Riders of Rohan, but mostly I'll be watching any updates on the future Tier 8 Crafting. That might earn my subscription back, but without Tier 7 being fixed, I won't commit to it.