Bullroarer Update 31 - Beta #2 - CLOSED

[Kehleyr_SSG]

Bullroarer is CLOSED

Server Opening Time: Wednesday, 10/27 2:00 PM EDT
Server Closing Time: Friday, 10/29 ~3:00 PM EDT (Subject to Change)

• Report A Bug
• Guide to the Eyes and Guard Tavern
• Character Copy is AVAILABLE. This can be accessed through the 'Transfer' button on any LOTRO Launcher.

ITEMS OF NOTE:

• Itemization, including Crafting, is still a work in progress
• The Deed log does not track Gundabad Deeds properly. While the Deeds are bestowing and completing, the tab to see this in the Log is not implemented.
• Both Brawler and the Gundabad area should be accessible to all accounts that have pre-ordered the Fate of Gundabad expansion. If you have not pre-ordered, you can purchase PREVIEW ONLY access to the Gundabad area and the Brawler Class through the LOTRO store.
  
  • Open the LOTRO Store on Bullroarer and Search for either 'Gundabad' or 'Brawler' and the appropriate offering should be presented

Update 31: Fate of Gundabad

The Legacy of Durin

The first two new quests of The Legacy of Durin and the Trials of the Dwarves will allow you to enter Gundabad! Be sure you have completed Chapter 4.9, ‘The Lord of Gundabad,’ and then speak with Prince Durin inside Annak-khurfu (Elderslade) or Zarkul-sulun (in the War of Three Peaks) to begin Chapter 5.1, ‘Many Masters.’

Gundabad

The stronghold of Máttugard was once one of the Dwarves’ mightiest citadels, hewn out of the white stone of Gundabad and shining with light channeled from above. Long years of war between the Orcs and Dwarves have scarred it, but its stark majesty remains, yearning to be reclaimed.

Deepscrave was one of the wonders of the Dwarvish world, a yawning cavern through whose center runs a huge pillar, out of whose sides were carved level upon level of mansions and smithies, with cunning lifts running up and down, day and night. The Orcs plundered and despoiled it long ago, and swarms of bats swirl in the cave’s smoky shadows.

Despite its fearsome name, the Pit of Stonejaws was once a place of great beauty, a web of tunnels and chambers twining amongst graceful pillars and shards of shimmering crystal. The Dwarves revered these caves, laying their dead to rest in crypts that took years of care to delve. Sadly, the Orcs have long since corrupted these reaches and desecrated the tombs, dimming the splendour spoken of in songs of old.

Unseen for centuries, thought by many to be only a legend, the dark lake known as Gloomingtarn is among the most hallowed sites in all of Dwarfdom. Surrounded by soaring columns of stone, its waters stand clear and glass-smooth about a dark isle where, the wise whisper, Durin the Deathless first drew breath, and learned to work iron, silver, and gold for the first time.

Clovengap is a sight few would expect to behold in any Dwarf-hall: a thriving, lush region of forests and meadows,. Once a vast cave where swift rivers ran, it was laid bare to the sky long ago. After, the Dwarves shaped the riverbanks into terraces, making gardens and groves to feed the folk of Gundabad. Now wild woodlands grow among the ruins, a home for Wargs and other wicked beasts.

High above the halls of Gundabad, on the western slopes of the mountain, the wind-swept crags called the Welkin-lofts. Snow-mantled even in summer, these frozen reaches served as a sacred gathering-place for the lords of the Dwarves, who held great councils, known as Dwarrowmoots, in times of strife. Now the halls lie buried, and the wastes are the haunt of giants, hobgoblins, and other fell things.

Just north of Gundabad lies the bleak vale of Câr Bronach, the easternmost marches of the fallen witch-kingdom of Angmar. Steep-walled, chill, and barren, it is a haunted glen, dominated by shattered ruins of that evil land, which have stood dark for a thousand years; now, in the days after Sauron’s fall, some of those who once served him have come here once more in search of foul relics long thought lost.

Allegiances & Missions

In addition to the Longbeards, the Zhélruka Dwarves of the East have an ancestral claim to Gundabad and the surrounding lands. King Durin II offered succour to the Zhélruka Dwarves, who had lost their home to the same destruction that had caused the Berg-breaking, at Gundabad. Now, a number of Zhélruka have made common cause with Durin to aid in the reclaiming of Gundabad and to make Gundabad their new home.

In the new Zhélruka Allegiance, based out of the Hall of Vérnozal in Gundabad, brave heroes pledge their loyalty to Prince Ingór and the Zhélruka Clan, as they seek to reclaim the Three Peaks for all Dwarves. Once pledged to the Zhélruka Clan, Prince Ingór and those loyal to him will need assistance in completing Missions to aid in their goals in Gundabad.

Allegiances now have their own in-game panel. The new Zhélruka Allegiance is the first scaling Allegiance, available for all players, level 20 and up. The new Zhélruka Allegiance contains 30 levels, with 10 narrative quests, and over 35 Missions.

• Go to Character > Allegiances in the Start (^) menu
• Click the Zhélruka tab (the panel UI is a work in progress)
• Click 'Join'
• Travel to the Hall of Vérnozal in Máttugard, and speak to Prince Ingór

Missions
Once you have joined an Allegiance with The Zhélruka Clan you will have access to an all new set of Missions!

• Complete quest Chapter 1: The Rightful Claim from Prince Ingór
• Head to the Scout-masters near the Mission Recruiter Stable-masters in the Hall of Vérnozal

Den of Pughlak - 3 Man instance

• Please note this instance is a work in progress. The instance will feel very easy right now as the monster progression stats from 131-140 are not yet in.
  
• Itemization for this instance is incomplete
  
• The Discovery Deed has been bypassed for this Beta Run. You should be able to access the instance in Instance Finder.

Release Notes - Beta #2
General:

• Bumped the tactical damage bonus on new LI's 10% going into Gundabad to bring them more in line with the bump that physical damage weapons got.
• Brawlers can now use Mathom-hunter's Armour selection packges to select a level appropriate piece of heavy armour.
• Adventurer's lootbox gear for level 131-140 characters should now appropriately be item level 450 - 457.
• Adventurer's lootboxes should now occasionally and correctly drop from level 131-140 monsters.
• Adventurer's and Traveller's Steel-bound lootboxes contain new "Heartwood" cosmetic items including avatar cosmetics, cosmetic pets, housing items, and a steed and matching war-steed appearances. These items are also available on Myrtle Mint for Figments of Splendour.
• Crafted Captain Armaments should now have proper Herald +Armour stats for crafting tiers 11 - 14. Tiers 11-14 Herald Armaments now also grant a small amount of outgoing healing to the equipping Captain.

Classes:

• Hunter - Reduced Quick Shot skill damage back to where it was before the LI changes.
• Hunter - Precision Stance CritMag bonus reduced (+45%->20%).
• Guardian - 'To The Rescue' auto crit effect was not working properly.
• Lore-master - 'Critical Coordination' auto crit effect was not working properly.
• Captain - Master of War stacking crit chance buff now works properly for Ranged and Tactical skills.

Monster Play:

• Removed backdoors to Keeps in the Ettenmoors.
• Increased War Leader and Reaver melee skill range to 5.2.
• Added one shotters to Glan Vraig.

PREVIEW ONLY:

• DocOctoport in the Eyes & Guard tavern basement will now take you to the Zhélruka Allegiance Hall of Vérnozal in Gundabad on use.

Release Notes - Beta #1

• Cleaned up the Quest Guide situation for 'Ayorzen, Twice-Imprisoned' in the Black Book of Mordor
• Updated several Lore-master skills to allow movement while casting (some may cause skating until the animations can be fully updated).
• Updated several Lore-master pets with difficulty system properties that they were missing.
• You can now join up to 15 private encounters per hour (increased from 10)
• You can now add up to 75 entries to your housing permissions panel
• Adjusted the name of the Scholar's Abode in Erebor for accuracy
• The Halls of Night Deed, Raising Spirits, no longer requires minimum level 65, so can now be completed on legendary worlds as long as your character is at the current level cap.
• The Sentinel's Challenge quests in The Battle of Lórien should now always be available, no longer requiring server activity to unlock.
• 'Instance: Eyes of Edoras' and 'Instance: A Need for Words' will now have their correct categories in the quest journal.
• The Speckled Shell Fragment is now correctly tagged as an ingredient, and will go into crafting carry-alls.
• The "Class" in the Wildwood Title awarded by the Deed: Quests in the Wildwood is now correctly displays in French and German.
• Adventurer's Steel-Bound Lootboxes now require level 131 or higher to open.
• Level 121-130 Coffers of Adventurer's gear have been renamed as Faded Coffers of Adventurer's gear.
• You can now spend up to 98 class trait points. Reaching level 140 will award one class trait point.
• Some weapons, most notably the Bow of the Eglan-provider, now correctly decrease rather than increasing induction times.
• When the in-game store is set so that it uses your system browser, the "No" button has been updated to "Cancel" to reduce confusion.
• The Captain skill 'Cutting Attack' now has its own animation to distinguish it from other Captain skills that were using the same animation.
• Increased most Monster Player melee skills to have a 5.2m range, to be on equal footing with Free People.
• The Legendary Item Box now correctly offers these previously absent legendary weapons: Beorning Great Axe, Hunter Axe, Rune-keeper Fire Stone, and Rune-keeper Lightning Stone
• Many of the ratings and gear values in the game have been rounded up to the 3rd significant digit for readability.
• Starter Third Age Legendary Items granted by the quest "Chapter 9: A Weapon of the Elder Days" can now be destroyed to remove them from your inventory.
• The Brawler toggle skills, Aggressive Posture and Defensive Posture, should no longer be cancelled when the Brawler is stunned.
• Legendary Items can now be reforged to item level 465.

[Once_of_Bree]

• You can now spend up to 98 class trait points. Reaching level 140 will award one class trait point.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

What was the point of the "new" Trait trees if you are just going to keep upping the already far too high cap, not so much a choice anymore.
Keep the cap at 95 and give us more ways to get 95 points, great idea! but don't raise the cap and only give us 1 new trait point to get.

[Snowlock]

[*]You can now spend up to 98 class trait points. Reaching level 140 will award one class trait point.

Awesome news!

[-Aran-]

You can now spend up to 98 class trait points. Reaching level 140 will award one class trait point.

Nice, I thought it might be 100.

[ChromiteSwiftpaw]

Not that anyone has a use for these but the chests in Missions for the Mission Currency from War on Three Peaks will not appear until you are level 140. I would think this should be locked to level 130 rather than 140....

[wispsong]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

What was the point of the "new" Trait trees if you are just going to keep upping the already far too high cap, not so much a choice anymore.
Keep the cap at 95 and give us more ways to get 95 points, great idea! but don't raise the cap and only give us 1 new trait point to get.

I agree with you. My alts miss more and more trait points due o the required deeds. It really would be better if they can get them slowly through continued levelling. If you have to lock 100 additional trait points, fine with that. This is catering to the min/maxers and grinders but just like the virtue system forgets those who for the most part just do landscape questing.

[Snowlock]

@Scenario -

The connect between the new area and Angmar is well done! From both sides. I like the obvious portal design even though it's a little 4th wall breaking over the landscape version were we just ride up to it. Those feel kind of roughed in as an afterthought. Way better this way well done.

Please move that awful rohan housing away from open plains of Rohan.

[HolyDuckTape]

Awesome news!

Nice, I thought it might be 100.

Increasing the max trait points spent even more is not good news, we are already able to fill out freakin 2 full trees, whats the point of separate trees/tree roles anymore if we will eventually fill them all in? Road to 3 full trees baby.

In my opinion, the amount of trait points we currently have is already ok/too much. They should not have increased it.

[gripply]

I agree with you. My alts miss more and more trait points due o the required deeds. It really would be better if they can get them slowly through continued levelling. If you have to lock 100 additional trait points, fine with that. This is catering to the min/maxers and grinders but just like the virtue system forgets those who for the most part just do landscape questing.

Uhh, I mostly landscape quest, though I join /lff callouts when appropriate too. My 130s have (3) and (2) at the moment unused. I"m wondering which point I missed. The MT one is the one you're probably referencing when you say "required deeds." The problem there now, is that previously, you had a very good reason to go back to MT over and over again: you got SoE's in abundance as a reward, and as part of that, you worked on the troll deed passively. Even so, I could tell you where to find those trolls with my eyes closed.

I suggest they look at the requirement structure of the Class Traits list. And where the rewards have been lost due to the new LI system, I suggest they replace it with something else worthwhile, like a universal solvent each day. Keep in mind, we could sell or use the SoE's, so don't pull anything slick like making it bound to acct. That's really not inducement enough for those mind numbing repetitions.

[wispsong]

Uhh, I mostly landscape quest, though I join /lff callouts when appropriate too. My 130s have (3) and (2) at the moment unused. I"m wondering which point I missed. The MT one is the one you're probably referencing when you say "required deeds." The problem there now, is that previously, you had a very good reason to go back to MT over and over again: you got SoE's in abundance as a reward, and as part of that, you worked on the troll deed passively. Even so, I could tell you where to find those trolls with my eyes closed.

I suggest they look at the requirement structure of the Class Traits list. And where the rewards have been lost due to the new LI system, I suggest they replace it with something else worthwhile, like a universal solvent each day. Keep in mind, we could sell or use the SoE's, so don't pull anything slick like making it bound to acct. That's really not inducement enough for those mind numbing repetitions.

I'm talking about more then one point. My main has them all except the second one from BBs. But none of the others will even get the first. Deeding metas in MT include warbands, explorer metas now include treasure caches and dwarf markers, just plain busy work which I already resent on my main. Then all the skill deeds. It is a long list of points that get lost just playing through landscape. And why would I go back to MT for scrolls if I don't like repetitive content? That was the point were I gave up on scrolls.

[Snowlock]

Increasing the max trait points spent even more is not good news, we are already able to fill out freakin 2 full trees, whats the point of separate trees/tree roles anymore

Hopefully there won't be trait trees for much longer. They've sucked since they started with them.

[aljbookworm]

So the new quests are giving legendary item experience still as a reward, why is that since your new items no longer need that???

[WeirdJedi]

So the new quests are giving legendary item experience still as a reward, why is that since your new items no longer need that???

Allow me to direct you to the thread with the answer: https://www.lotro.com/forums/showthr...obbit-Presents

[Laurelinarien]

A couple first observations:

• Poison DoT from Ukrash: seems reasonable.
• Disease effects from Kergrim: very annoying, they wipe out your whole power supply with one tick.
• Wound (Jagged Shards) from Crystal grims: bugged, does 7 damage every 3 secs.
• The bat-riders need to gain some height. Hopefully not as high as the AD bats, but these guys are spending too much time buried in the ground.
• Any chance the geodes we pick up (since they are account bound) are modified to behave like the Phials from flower-picking? Meaning, to go into our Premium wallet instead of our Bags? Big QoL improv if it were done.

All the areas look great for the most part! Questing underground is really gonna take some getting used to a new Moria-like maze.

[Celebrawn]

Increasing the max trait points spent even more is not good news, we are already able to fill out freakin 2 full trees, whats the point of separate trees/tree roles anymore if we will eventually fill them all in? Road to 3 full trees baby.

In my opinion, the amount of trait points we currently have is already ok/too much. They should not have increased it.

Hmmm. I can only go a row or two deep into a second tree and I'm only missign a few points. Did they change something?

[Corlandor]

First pass of stuff I've noticed:

• Lighting issues with pillars/support beams/distant objects in Mattugard (lots of flickering)
• Clovengap skybox appears black in Gloomingtarn, and reflects as a big black splotch in the lake
• Goblin Bat-Riders are extremely cool but also in a love affair with being inside the floor
• Most Clovengap environment textures not loading in until fairly short distances, resulting in either floating objects or stretched ground textures (this might be an issue with my internet? on max draw distance)
• Ramps at 41.2S, 120.5W; 37.9S, 122.1W; 36.1S, 121.8W in Clovengap are not usable, you just clip through
• Some clipping/flickering on trees and rocks in Welkin-lofts, mainly towards the Clovengap entrance
• Clovengap roads don't line up well with Clovengap map
• Invisible wall/column at 45.9S, 112.3W in Asbaj-khirfin

Absolutely fantastic work, Gloomingtarn visually is one of my favorite zones in the game.

[Pontin_Finnberry]

Allow me to direct you to the thread with the answer: https://www.lotro.com/forums/showthr...obbit-Presents

That talks about the IXP Runes though the XP item that drops, what Bookworm is saying you get Item experience from quest, not the rune item, just XP, like the regular character XP to level up.

Edit: unless they mean other IXP from quest will count for reward track not just runes.

[aljbookworm]

So apparently the bat riders in Bushatap believe that floors are just for losers and as easy to fly through as the air.

[Elrantiri]

So apparently the bat riders in Bushatap believe that floors are just for losers and as easy to fly through as the air.

It's mainly to avoid getting detected by the radars of the Free People

[Osglinthor]

I will just comment from ward perspective, wont even go into details since its pointless and devs listen to wrong people or do clueless changes on their own. Scaling is borderline non existant, outside of weak defensive ratings. We again meet with character regresion as we lvl up where our characters get severly weaker before we can get borderline BiS gear for 140 to start seeing increase in strength(inb4 you 140 char is stronger against 130 enemy arguments and so on when tooltips decrease almost by half). Stat caps and stats in general are becoming soo insanely high, its impresive noone even talks about this when some stats cant even fit on UI. And ofc make good setbonus->class more fun to play->remove it. I wont even get into tracery choice, class that at best has 4 legacies out of wich only one increases main source of dmg not counting words of power/craft. I guess one can wait for future betas in hope for some imrpovment but so much is wrong and devs seem to be out of touch with it.

[LagunaD2]

We again meet with character regresion as we lvl up where our characters get severly weaker before we can get borderline BiS gear for 140 to start seeing increase in strength(inb4 you 140 char is stronger against 130 enemy arguments and so on when tooltips decrease almost by half).

Our fully-geared level 130 characters are god-like relative to on-level mobs. An xpac is a gear reset, which means we have to become weak (relative to on-level mobs) so we can get strong again.

[YamydeAragon]

Bullroarer is OPEN

Server Opening Time: Wednesday, 10/20 2:00 PM EDT
Server Closing Time: Friday, 10/22 ~3:00 PM EDT (Subject to Change)

• Report A Bug
• Guide to the Eyes and Guard Tavern
• Character Copy is AVAILABLE. This can be accessed through the 'Transfer' button on any LOTRO Launcher.

Update 31: Fate of Gundabad

The Legacy of Durin
...
Release Notes

• ...
• You can now join up to 15 private encounters per hour (increased from 10)
• You can now spend up to 98 class trait points. Reaching level 140 will award one class trait point.
• The Legendary Item Box now correctly offers these previously absent legendary weapons: Beorning Great Axe, Hunter Axe, Rune-keeper Fire Stone, and Rune-keeper Lightning Stone
  

...

Thanks for the increase on private encounter max per hour, it is really annoying when i get locked for doing short missions or solo instances.

Definitely love to have 98 class trait points. That will certainly help survive solo on Gundabad brutal landscape at level 140 (cause it will be brutal if follow the lore). The last 2 level 130 areas can be really tough already.

Thanks for reminding adding those alternate legendary weapons. About the damage kinds on RK, I have 1 idea: Instead to add (or bring back) more weapon kind, lets bring back the legendary tittles with a damage kind modifier, & this time don't forget to include not only westernese, dwarf kind & beleriand, but also, lightning, light, fire & frost damage kind modifiers. ...OK you can call them Tittles Traceries if you please since you seem to like that word & have the tier raised with those new items. Just don't quit to the one idea of the old legendary system that everybody liked.

[Strider5548]

I agree with you. My alts miss more and more trait points due o the required deeds. It really would be better if they can get them slowly through continued levelling. If you have to lock 100 additional trait points, fine with that. This is catering to the min/maxers and grinders but just like the virtue system forgets those who for the most part just do landscape questing.

Trust me, this is not catering to min/maxers and grinders, it's catering to people who buy valars. The virtue system and the trait point system are practically designed to be circumvented by paying money to SSG.

[Once_of_Bree]

Trust me, this is not catering to min/maxers and grinders, it's catering to people who buy valars. The virtue system and the trait point system are practically designed to be circumvented by paying money to SSG.

I don't normally agree with you but in this case it's the only reason I can see for making this change.

[cbfan14]

I spent today just exploring all of the new areas, and the new expansion regions are very well done. The in-game maps for Gundabad's interiors really don't do the new interior areas justice. The devs really captured the majestic feeling of Gundabad with the vertical design of these areas. It reminds me of the sort of thing devs were trying to do with Moria, but here with Gundabad it's done much better.