Thread: How will mounted combat work with the different classes?

I couldn't find a thread about this, and I was curious what the rest of you thought. My guess is that we're going to get a mix of generic horse skills, like "trample," and some that are tailored to our class. How do y'all think will mounted combat be connected to class roles and flavor? What sort of skills will the different classes have that distinguish them in mounted combat?

Champions are the most straight forward. They walk around and chop bad guys. They charge around on a horse and chop bad guys.

Guardians could paint (buff) their warhorses scary colors to look more threatening, and to draw enemy attention away from the squishier riders. They could also have a special charging warcry that cranks up threat while on the move. I'm not sure what you could do to increase defenses while riding a horse, maybe some sort of fancy maneuver, although agility feels more warden than guardian.

Captains could fly mini-banners from their saddles to replace the heralds and static banners.

Hunters could have horse archery skills, and maybe some trap dropping from horseback skill.

For Burglars I'd take inspiration from stealthier historical cavalry, like the Apache. It's kind of tricky figuring out how to make stealth work from horseback though.

Wardens are pretty simple. The javelin works well from horseback, and their design strongly suggests a light cavalry vibe.

Minstrels could buff their horses with wind chimes or bells that ring as they charge and encourage their fellowship.

Lore-masters could apply special buffs to their warhorse that crank up the animal to a serious killing machine. Instead of having their pet, the warhorse would be both mount and pet.

Rune-keepers could maybe draw runes on the horse, and those runes would do something or whatever. Rune-keepers are kind of hard to take seriously.

Anyways, I obviously don't have all the answers. I'm curious what the rest of you think.

Well...I can say one thing, you have some pretty dang good ideas there. Would be really cool if mounted combat was implemented in the ways you've described above.

I just don't know though. The closest I've ever come to mounted combat was the 'jousting' type combat you could do for some dailies in WoW. I certainly hope (and believe) that it will be much better than that in Lotro.

I think the biggest thing I'm hoping for with mounted combat -- I want there to be a REASON for it. By that I mean, there should be times when fighting from your mount is the smartest thing to do...but then other times when it is best to dismount & fight from foot. I just hope that mounted combat isn't developed into just 'combat where you don't need to leave your horse'.

I'm not sure if I'm explaining what I mean well enough. I hope I made some sense there.

Nah. The impression I am getting, especially considering how freely Turbine are giving away existing horses, is thet the new horses are going to look a lot like a legendary item currently does, instantly obsoleteing all current horses. You may well have to learn a 'mounted combat' skill from the Rohirrim, in order to use one of these beasties, the same way you need 'riding' for high class horses currently. Speed ( improveable beyond 68% ) and hits, (improvable beyond 250 ) will be two obvious traits these new horses will possess. The rest will be a grab-bag that you pick to complement your character, much as existing LI's already are.

I picture a much "simpler" way to implement this, however, I do find it hard to picture some classes on horseback.
Specially the burglar.

We already know all horses will have the trample skill (just run over the opposition).

Besides that, all I can see is horses bringing a little more mobility to all classes.

Maybe like a whole new stance for each class that changes the class skills accordingly.
I can't picture a stealthy horse no matter what I think and I specially hope they don't make it so. But I can see a burglar doing tricks from horseback (or the horse himself doing tricks).

Most classes could simply be: put a horse under me and the rest I do exactly the same.

However, somethings clearly need changes to accommodate the increased mobility during combat:
- Hunters need to be able to shoot inductions skills while the horse is moving (no traps from horseback, but maybe different skills to replace them while on a horse);
- Captains need to plant their banners on the horse so the buff is always with the team;
- Rune Keepers need to place their Heal Rock on the horse as well (or paint the runes on the horse itself so it works the same) and like the hunters produce their induction skills on the move;
- Wardens need to be able to build Gambits with no targets while on horseback because there will be no time in combat to do so (at least the way I see it);
- Burglar's stealth skills would need to get a horseback version to them (with no stealth involved);
- Lore-Masters pet's need to be able to keep up with the horses and their inductions skills like hunters and Rune Keepers need to work on the move;
- etc...

The way I see combat from horseback you are always moving in and out of the opponent group. You do not stand in their midst chopping this way and the next or you are overrun and dismounted in no time.

Note: While in close combat range, the horse should be kicking your opponents automatically besides any of your skills which do not involve controlling the horse yourself.

I ran the formulas about 6-7 times and found out exactly how this is gonna work... well basiclly without wasting ur time with geek talk.... people will be able to kill stuff on a horse....

Originally Posted by Wiedman

Rune-keepers could maybe draw runes on the horse, and those runes would do something or whatever. Rune-keepers are kind of hard to take seriously.

Anyways, I obviously don't have all the answers. I'm curious what the rest of you think.

Way to slip in an insult against a class that can out-heal and out-dps yours.

I think Turbine made an error with Orthanc -- players should never have been there, and the entire prisoner episode was some of the worst MMO writing I've ever seen. They caved in to the demands of their customers instead of staying true to their product and vision. I feel they are going to do that with a Helm's Deep instanced play, and I feel they are doing that with mounted combat as well. Instead of looking at what makes sense from a lore and game story perspective, they are chasing marketing tools.

Mounted combat makes no sense for our characters. Most of us come from places where horses are used as farm animals, or even where horses are not used. Mounted combat involves more than jumping on a horse and attacking. The level of riding skill required is beyond most of our characters, and to effectively implement combat from a horse is a whole different level. We lack the background and training, and for many classes it's a practical contradiction. I wonder how long a hobbit pony would last in a charge of full-sized, heavier warhorses.

That said...most RK lightning attacks work on the move, and since they are ranged do not require positioning of the opponent as swordfighting would, so RK should retain most of his offensive capabilities. If we're going to toss around class attacks, it could be pointed out that the volume level of a mounted battle is so great that voice-based attacks/heals will be limited to a range of 3-5 feet, and I'd question the ability to play an instrument at all. Yeah, it can be done on a parade horse, but in the midst of the movements necessary for fighting? Looks like those Minstrel's are getting kind of hard to take seriously.

Originally Posted by Wiedman

Hunters could have horse archery skills, and maybe some trap dropping from horseback skill.

The way the hunter is going, all of the horse skills will be melee, and have something silly attached to it like "mount speed increased +5%"

I think the devs said once that mounted combat will have it's own skills so everyone will be equal in mounted combat... Meaning everyone will do something in melee i guess. Hopefully they changed ideas.

I still can't believe that we're getting mounted combat (some squeaky wheels should be completely ignored, and this was one of them I think).

But to answer the question of how it will work with the different classes... I'll go with "poorly" and "very likely to be terribly buggy".

Originally Posted by Lucanthanas

I picture a much "simpler" way to implement this, however, I do find it hard to picture some classes on horseback.
Specially the burglar.

I imagine some creativity would be needed for the burg. His strong points would be agility and so acrobatic skills could work. For instance he could disappear by hiding on the other side of the horse from the mob much like a circus acrobat hangs on the side of the horse obscuring himself from the sight of the audience.
Anyone else would think a riderless horse was wandering about a combat field until the burg critted the mob. Given the chaotic nature of battlefields I dont see why the burg couldnt keep using the same trick after riding a little distance away and then repeating.

Agree, the OP has good ideas, like the lms buffing the warhorse and treating it like a lm pet. My gut though thinks the tech will mean mounted combat will have to be kept simple to work successfully.

someone said most character wouldn't know to ride warhorses. exactly why they are teahcing us. ROHIRRIM are teaching us the best riders in the world.

i assume
burg would be more dirty fightin, dismounting, slowing

lm would be dropping hotspots like ISG

champs just fighting chop-chop

guardians might be loud chargers who run blindly itno fray

wardens harrasing enemies darting in and out

rk shotting lightning and putting runes on ground for enemies to run into

mini just playign music on horse back

captain focus on shouts

hunter just shooting

The East Plains will be the only place in the game where mounted combat is allowed. Even if the system is rough at first, it isn't going to take away from gameplay elsewhere.

I will be curious to see what fellowship maneuvers look like while mounted.

Not only can the characters attack while mounted, the steeds themselves could have a kick attack. Horse hooves are devastating blunt weapons in close melee. Someone already mentioned a trample and that's a brilliant idea. Horses can also knock down small foes, rendering them more vulnerable to attack.

I would disagree that our characters wouldn't have the skills to fight from horseback. They learn to do so many other difficult and heroic things, riding seems a small matter by comparison. It makes perfect sense that the Men of Rohan would have sufficient equestrian skills.

A mounted combat system opens up a lot of possibilities. I would love to see all mounts have a Sprint ability that gives them a few seconds of extra speed. Perhaps Turbine will add a jousting mini-game. Maybe we'll be able to do tasks or quests to bond with our horses and improve their morale. I would love to see steeds with lighter armor run faster and be more maneuverable.

I hope that each class has a couple of pieces of special tack that only they can add to a mount, both cosmetically and functionally. Some classes could be able to add extra barding (armor) to their horses, while others have horses that dodge attacks better, and so forth. I would also like to see each race have a few signature tack items. I think it would be fantastic if each class and race's horse was visually distinctive in some way.

Many of us have asked for the ability to make cosmetic changes to our mounts and add dyes to their tack. Perhaps our war horses will be very customizable. I would also love to see more emotes enabled while riding, and more emotes for the horses themselves.

If you have your doubts, please try not to be pessimistic about the coming changes. Turbine has a lot of motivation to do a good job with this. Complaining about problems that haven't even happened yet just brings people down.

Originally Posted by XinaLotRO

The East Plains will be the only place in the game where mounted combat is allowed. Even if the system is rough at first, it isn't going to take away from gameplay elsewhere.

I will be curious to see what fellowship maneuvers look like while mounted.

Not only can the characters attack while mounted, the steeds themselves could have a kick attack. Horse hooves are devastating blunt weapons in close melee. Someone already mentioned a trample and that's a brilliant idea. Horses can also knock down small foes, rendering them more vulnerable to attack.

I would disagree that our characters wouldn't have the skills to fight from horseback. They learn to do so many other difficult and heroic things, riding seems a small matter by comparison. It makes perfect sense that the Men of Rohan would have sufficient equestrian skills.

A mounted combat system opens up a lot of possibilities. I would love to see all mounts have a Sprint ability that gives them a few seconds of extra speed. Perhaps Turbine will add a jousting mini-game. Maybe we'll be able to do tasks or quests to bond with our horses and improve their morale. I would love to see steeds with lighter armor run faster and be more maneuverable.

I hope that each class has a couple of pieces of special tack that only they can add to a mount, both cosmetically and functionally. Some classes could be able to add extra barding (armor) to their horses, while others have horses that dodge attacks better, and so forth. I would also like to see each race have a few signature tack items. I think it would be fantastic if each class and race's horse was visually distinctive in some way.

Many of us have asked for the ability to make cosmetic changes to our mounts and add dyes to their tack. Perhaps our war horses will be very customizable. I would also love to see more emotes enabled while riding, and more emotes for the horses themselves.

If you have your doubts, please try not to be pessimistic about the coming changes. Turbine has a lot of motivation to do a good job with this. Complaining about problems that haven't even happened yet just brings people down.

Thanks for a great post.I would also say that mounted combat will add a lot to the game.And it also makes perfect sense that it's bound to a special region.The Rohirrim wouldn't charge into a group of Orcs or Warg-riders on foot...and if you get there why wouldn't you be able to learn their way of fighting.

It would be great if each class would be recognizable from far because of Armour and Horse.Plus i think it would look awesome if maybe groups of a class charge into the enemy.Maybe i am hoping for too much but i imagine scenes like the rohirrim entering the battle for Minas Tirith.

For fighting in general i think there will be attacks from the horse and ranged and melee attacks for each class.

hmmm was just thinkin, since dwarves and hobbits use ponies... the term "warpony" isnt really funny ?

Hmm, I thought I read something about this somewhere, but I'm not sure. I see there being a couple of different kinds of mounts with different abilities, not tied to the class of the char. I can see us choosing the kind of War Steed that compliments our play style, similar to skirmish soldiers. We will be able to level our mounts and have different kinds of armour that helps to protect them and affect their abilities. Who knows, we will see.

For myself, mounted combat was one of the main reasons I leveled my Cappie up. I think it will be awesome seeing the Captain riding into battle with banners unfurled!
-Britt

Well the Question/Answer thing from turbine had a lovely hint towards mounted combat for all bowusers:

"Q28: Why can't I shoot my bow from mounted position? - William Wood
A: You can’t?? Weird, I can. I was just doing that this morning. Oh wait, I work on LOTRO. Oops. . The good news that you might be happy to hear is that the new mounted combat system coming with the Riders of Rohan Expansion pack will allow you to do just that (that’s assuming you play a class that can use a bow)! - Linda “LLena” Currie, Design Director"

Pull a dozen mobs, then ride in circles and spam rain of arrows on top of them them: Love it

hmm....perhaps a similar mechanic as age of conan's mounted combat?

Age of Conan's Mounted Combat:


Riders of Rohan Mounted Combat Inspiration:

I hope it will be possible to ride together with a friend, like Legolas and Gimli. I could have a Guardian friend take the blows while i heal him and watch the rear.

Originally Posted by dragerslayer

someone said most character wouldn't know to ride warhorses. exactly why they are teahcing us. ROHIRRIM are teaching us the best riders in the world.

i assume
burg would be more dirty fightin, dismounting, slowing

lm would be dropping hotspots like ISG

champs just fighting chop-chop

guardians might be loud chargers who run blindly itno fray

wardens harrasing enemies darting in and out

rk shotting lightning and putting runes on ground for enemies to run into

mini just playign music on horse back

captain focus on shouts

hunter just shooting

Have you ever ridden a horse? Better yet, have you spent years training a 'single' horse..to be at one with it? Have yo engaged in physical and strenuous activity with this horse?

If the answer is no (most likely, but you never know so will await correction), then the previous poster you refer to is spot on the money. To ride like that, takes years of dedication and ability. Not something someone could 'teach' you in a few days, even months.

It's just a game. You should not be able to run trough the Shire in one day too...
Plus, that's why the saddles used for this kind of activity is made. Soldiers just run trough the crowd and hit what they say, or stay father and shot what they say.

Originally Posted by Maviarab

Have you ever ridden a horse? Better yet, have you spent years training a 'single' horse..to be at one with it? Have yo engaged in physical and strenuous activity with this horse?

If the answer is no (most likely, but you never know so will await correction), then the previous poster you refer to is spot on the money. To ride like that, takes years of dedication and ability. Not something someone could 'teach' you in a few days, even months.

Have you ever fought a giant talking tree, shot lighting bolts from your hands, teleported across multiple regions in a fictional world, increased the amount of mortal wounds you could sustain by adding "points" to an imaginary "stat" within your body, etc.

lol I mean no offense, just saying, sometimes we need a little suspension of disbelief where warranted.

what I gather is player stats and gear will be useless till the expansion after rohan as everything will be about mounted combat. This is what concerns me. Will my armour and weapons factor in to this somehow or is it all my horse till after rohan.

Originally Posted by Kasich40

I think the biggest thing I'm hoping for with mounted combat -- I want there to be a REASON for it. By that I mean, there should be times when fighting from your mount is the smartest thing to do...but then other times when it is best to dismount & fight from foot. I just hope that mounted combat isn't developed into just 'combat where you don't need to leave your horse'.

maybe the can have zones that are just towns and the outskirts are regular, and when you travel between towns you mount up and kill warg riders and stuff like that. id like it that way, not sure about anyone else

Originally Posted by Wiedman

Minstrels could buff their horses with wind chimes or bells that ring as they charge and encourage their fellowship.

Maybe that could work for those Minstrels and RK's who actually prefer to heal but I'm a non healing dps Minstrel so it wouldn't work for me. I want to battle.. defeat the evil minions of Saruman.. fighting side by side along with the Rohans.. not have cute little wind chimes or bells that ring. I want my mount to be a warrior like my dps Minstrel not a healer or buffer.

Originally Posted by Wiedman

Rune-keepers are kind of hard to take seriously.
I'm curious what the rest of you think.

I thought this was a bit rude actually.

Originally Posted by Norwrei

Maybe that could work for those Minstrels and RK's who actually prefer to heal but I'm a non healing dps Minstrel so it wouldn't work for me. I want to battle.. defeat the evil minions of Saruman.. fighting side by side along with the Rohans.. not have cute little wind chimes or bells that ring. I want my mount to be a warrior like my dps Minstrel not a healer or buffer.

Well then your chimes and bells can scare enemies away.

I thought this was a bit rude actually.

Not half as rude as Sith Lords invading Middle Earth.

Originally Posted by Fortinobrand

Way to slip in an insult against a class that can out-heal and out-dps yours.

I think Turbine made an error with Orthanc -- players should never have been there, and the entire prisoner episode was some of the worst MMO writing I've ever seen. They caved in to the demands of their customers instead of staying true to their product and vision. I feel they are going to do that with a Helm's Deep instanced play, and I feel they are doing that with mounted combat as well. Instead of looking at what makes sense from a lore and game story perspective, they are chasing marketing tools.

Mounted combat makes no sense for our characters. Most of us come from places where horses are used as farm animals, or even where horses are not used. Mounted combat involves more than jumping on a horse and attacking. The level of riding skill required is beyond most of our characters, and to effectively implement combat from a horse is a whole different level. We lack the background and training, and for many classes it's a practical contradiction. I wonder how long a hobbit pony would last in a charge of full-sized, heavier warhorses.

That said...most RK lightning attacks work on the move, and since they are ranged do not require positioning of the opponent as swordfighting would, so RK should retain most of his offensive capabilities. If we're going to toss around class attacks, it could be pointed out that the volume level of a mounted battle is so great that voice-based attacks/heals will be limited to a range of 3-5 feet, and I'd question the ability to play an instrument at all. Yeah, it can be done on a parade horse, but in the midst of the movements necessary for fighting? Looks like those Minstrel's are getting kind of hard to take seriously.

Hmm, your post is kind of hard to take seriously too!

Reasoning? Well, you're right when you say that it would take extreme skill to fight on horseback, which it and still does, however you may also say it is hard to believe that ordinary people (us) can become heroes and defeat all the bosses we've defeated etc etc (especially hobbits)

However, I believe that after all this, becoming Heroes of Eriador, Moria and Mirkwood, that we aren't just.. regular people anymore, we were bred for glory and triumph in battle. Secondly there will be a line of quests to address our training to be proficient in War-horses, this is really the only way your criticism can be addressed.

In regards to your comment about ponies, I'm afraid you're rather wrong, there are breeds of Ponies that've been used much like Horses, in battles and such, both War-horses and War-ponies are based off of real horse breeds, all used in combat.

I'll be kind enough to ignore your little jab at Minstrels, considering at least Minstrels make sense in lore and RK's don't. However it is incredibly feasible to use an instrument whilst mounted, just as it is feasible to shoot a bow or swing a sword..

-Tails-