Spent three years away.

[Ishlana]

This is where I was when I left...Mordor was very recent. My main character was 115 and wearing a decent crafted outfit. My kin collapsed because of whatever the disenchanted currency was, I've forgotten.

I am the type to level up and try to have fun doing it. I read the text. I will do an instance if I can do it alone because as I learned in Mordor, I am a liability. There are good reasons for it that I don't really need to get into. In December, the urge struck. I should have dug much deeper into the current state of the game.

I came back to Yule and found out about Figments. Oh, okay. This pushed me up to level 119. I read a guide about the new LI system. I went too far and bought Minas Morgul, Three Peaks and Gundabad. I equipped my fancy new LI's and went back to the Black Book. Am about halfway through level 120 and this is what I've learned since my large donation to SSG last month.

1) There's no CS.
2) My traceries are about to expire and the remedy for this is to run School and Library at 121. Or use the reward track, which doesn't exist. Also I've never seen a scaled instance but people look at me like I'm crazy if I say that.
3) I watched the whole Ember/Mote/Figment fiasco last week and that's a really good motivator.
4) My little alt in Moria seems to need to farm Infused Adamants for the rest of time. I guess.

Did I mention no CS? No sign of the reward track, which is apparently the way forward for someone that plays like me.

The way things are going it feels like I should just tell SSG they're welcome for the expansion money and go do something else. Just skim the forums to see how happy everyone is and how well everyone grasps the LI system...I was told multiple times that my 106 traceries will continue to provide stats at 121 and was also told multiple times that they will just go inactive as soon as I reach the next level. Guess who I believe.

The wedding was neat. I found a new kin that seems nice when they get around to chatting.

What a mess of management imo.

[WeirdJedi]

My traceries are about to expire and the remedy for this is to run School and Library at 121. Or use the reward track, which doesn't exist. Also I've never seen a scaled instance but people look at me like I'm crazy if I say that.

A flaw with the game is when people out-level content. Standing Stone Games doesn't want you to skip content. You see this all the time when people are running only missions for 20 levels. Suddenly the missions are impossible and there isn't a quick way to upgrade their gear. The legendary system is no different. Your traceries are going to be disabled if you don't replace them within the level zone. Mordor to Ered Mithrin is tight. They only give you 5 levels to upgrade them. But the benefit, like I mentioned to you in the other thread, is you can solo Ered Mithrin (as well as Shadow King, Woe of the Willow, Agoroth) instances. "School and Library" are not the only places you get traceries. Even if you do not get the ones you want, you can easily get new common ones for around 100 Ancient Script each. All of this doesn't compare to the amount you get just reforging your legendary equipment. Seriously, as an experiment, try playing the game without traceries. I bet you can still survive.

The system is based on you obtaining traceries as you do content. But since the Reward Track isn't in yet, you might have to do something else. Get a tracery reclamation scroll from the bonus legendary box after doing 15 missions, pull all of your traceries off (when they are disabled), and disenchant them. Either buy new ones or obtain some from the instances. Prioritize getting the ones with cooldowns if those really matter to you. Or if it doesn't really matter since you are going to continue doing old content, might as well pick up a Tortoise Stone.

[The_Worst_Player]

The system is based on you obtaining traceries as you do content. But since the Reward Track isn't in yet, you might have to do something else. Get a tracery reclamation scroll from the bonus legendary box after doing 15 missions, pull all of your traceries off (when they are disabled), and disenchant them. Either buy new ones or obtain some from the instances. Prioritize getting the ones with cooldowns if those really matter to you. Or if it doesn't really matter since you are going to continue doing old content, might as well pick up a Tortoise Stone.

The reward track will reward the devs, not the players. If it was a way to get traceries and script would it have taken months to implement? They'll be able to advertise it as a way for players to get things, but It'll be just another convoluted way of frustrating players into making micro-transactions.

[JERH]

You get a dps boost from reforging at 121 which helps.

You didn’t say which class. As weirdjedi stated, depending on class you can get most benefit from just a few traceries in critical global/skills. Also there is not a huge difference between yellow (+16%), purple (+18%), and teal (+20%) for a global like single target damage boost. Same with an individual skill yellow(+40%), purple (+45%), and teal(+50%). The most significant gain is in getting any tracery for the most used global skills especially for landscape/missions. Heraldries and craft are stats and are less important than percentage boosts. I did a LI for a yellow rk with 2 purples (single target dmg, fury of storm damage) and a few yellows (ceaseless arguments, scribes spark) and that affected the most used damage skills significantly with very little AS cost. Hunter is another that uses single target damage and just a few primary skills for most damage. Red champ is another minimalist candidate.

Treat it as prioritizing highly used skills on a budget to get through to mid/late 120s where you can farm school/library more easily at +5 or more levels. Together with the dps boost at 121 and 126 you may find MM doable.

[Seregthol]

I watched the whole Ember/Mote/Figment fiasco last week and that's a really good motivator.
... No sign of the reward track, which is apparently the way forward for someone that plays like me.

...What a mess of management imo.

First, welcome back. A lot of us can certainly relate to your frustrations.

Secondly, yes, you're right...the lack of any details regarding the promised "Reward Track" and that entire "Ember/Mote/Figment" fiasco last week have really put a damper on any recent enthusiasm for the game. There's nothing like the threat of pulling-the-rug-out-from-under customers to make them rethink spending additional money on the game.

[MourneBlade]

This Mythical Reward Track should have rolled out with this half baked new LI system in the first place. They also should have made a comprehensive guide to the new system that included all of it's aspects-not leaving it up to the players to figure the majority of it out on their own and linking their own guides to it.

Also they need to give us a Community Manager that actually gives a care or two about the game instead of one that is more interested in DDO, also all info needs to be put out on these-ya know "The Official Forums" I barely use FB, I don't tweet or gives a rat's rear end about twitter or any other idiotic social platform, or watch pod casts or whatever they are called-better things to do with my time than watch the crew say a lot without really saying much.

Yeah that whole Ember, etc... fiasco last week.....Well that's all I'm going to say about that.

Fix the gosh dang server problems already.

Customer Service-Well let's just say you should go look at their listing with the BBB.

Already unsubbed my other account. Just waiting to see what lunacy they try to pull next!

I've defended them till I'm blue in the face for a long time but I'm finally getting fed up with all the BS they are pulling.

Gonna stop now before I get a lifetime ban for saying what I really think.

[Ishlana]

Not surprising that I've already seen the Tortoise mentioned and again doing instances that are far ahead of the story I'm on.

My fault for not buying a Tortoise stone for Yule! Nothing to see here.

At least a couple of people got my point that the game isn't being handled well. If I have to halt my XP for a holiday, sorry but that is wrong. If I have to skip the areas I'm at in the story to work on LI things, that is also wrong. I suppose I could talk about crafting but I'll bet that's been done plenty.

Hopefully update 32 comes soon. Hopefully it has the reward track and it's not a horrible joke. That's all I really want.

[TobiasEstForte]

When it came to landscape content from 50-100 I don't believe it was necessary to even spend points in LI's, just replace them every 5 or so levels so in that sense you had the legacy bonuses but they were meagre (and still quite mediocre after spending points). You didn't even need a first ager. Now I haven't compared the DPS values from third-ager to "new ager" but the assumption is that they're supposed to be more powerful than the old ones even when naked. Hence, if you didn't need to rank up your legacies you don't really need traceries.

Plus if you do happen to use traceries, the bonuses even when yellow/common are larger than the old, non-imbued legacies. Making them more powerful still.

Now, I really do think levellers should have better tracery sources, just saying 'they're not needed' is kind of a cop-out; people are within their right to dislike having empty sockets. But fortunately they're not an absolute must-have either.

Imbuement you had to keep feeding it crystals and emp scrolls as you levelled, which sucked as it meant farming Pelagir, then farming Throne 6 man, then making friends and doing duo/three man rako every week. None of it being the current content at the time. They took away MT dailies, lol. Did replacing mt dailies with region weeklies help? Nope, it was much slower.

So it's good riddance to the old system. And I'm anticipating a lot of backlash when the reward track is on bullroarer, and then doubly so when it gets released to live.

[Braer]

Take control of when you level. The DDO managers want to thrust everyone to levels where they can't keep pace with gearing.

If concerned with LI traceries stop before you reach the "range" cap unless confident you can do scaled instances at that cap level else prior tier (still useful) colour drops fall off.

Always park at the mote/ember border and assess where your gear stands; embers will still be a way off 'til unlocked and mote gear becomes mostly barred. If far over level for the content you can drift into troubles, SSG aren't going to warn you as they take advantage of the consequence of currency "management".

Make a choice of what you can sustain regarding tracery colours going forward. If you choose none, then look forward to the same bleak times ILI disengagement brought you as you near server caps.

It may be that the 50 to 100 game will follow the old LI requirement; not so necessary but will become ever more critical the nearer to cap you get. Use the time before to get acquainted and with some currency to spend for the basic traceries. Groups won't be so active chasing traceries under the mote/ember boundary level.

[Fadil]

Take control of when you level. The DDO managers want to thrust everyone to levels where they can't keep pace with gearing.

If concerned with LI traceries stop before you reach the "range" cap unless confident you can do scaled instances at that cap level else prior tier (still useful) colour drops fall off.


(Snip)

It may be that the 50 to 100 game will follow the old LI requirement; not so necessary but will become ever more critical the nearer to cap you get. Use the time before to get acquainted and with some currency to spend for the basic traceries. Groups won't be so active chasing traceries under the mote/ember boundary level.

Yup good advice.
So far my experience leveling from 75 to 105 is that it all doesnt matter.
The Dps from the new LIs is so good that I just use whatever tracery you get from questing and use runes from questing too.
Some of my traceries are empty.

However, it might be different in Mordor and so on, which might be a good place to use ancient scripts and buy traceries if you have any old LIs left to appraise.

[Guidorocker]

Hi Ishlana,
Welcome Back!

There a lot of fun content in the Beorning area (Elderslade), the Elven forest, Lake Town, the Dwarven holds and more.. Enjoy the content and adventuring.
Know that you need to watch your weapon for changes. If you have a 121 tracerie and are level 120, then yes, you will want to start removing the old ones and adding level 130 traceries.

I am nearing level 140, and the last 5 levels I make sure a guildmember and I go to at least 2 instances a day.. gather a few items you can turn into Ancient Script. So when I reach 140 I will have all new traceries in my weapon. Do the instances like the Library and Minas Morgul.. save up your Ancient Scripts.. Then go to Rivendell and buy your new traceries.

here is a link that may help:
https://lotro-wiki.com/index.php/Tracery

[The_Worst_Player]

Hi Ishlana,
Welcome Back!


I am nearing level 140, and the last 5 levels I make sure a guildmember and I go to at least 2 instances a day.. gather a few items you can turn into Ancient Script.

here is a link that may help:
https://lotro-wiki.com/index.php/Tracery

To me this type of playing turns into a skinnerbox. I had farmed up another 3000 script and I went to Rivendell to refresh my memory of the traceries costs. I would have just enough to replace my soon to expire traceries, and start all over. That character is still standing, exhausted and salty, in Mordor. The old system had built in ways to replace and augment your old LI without grinding. Even after imbument the landscape quests dropped some LI buffs. But the new system they didn't replace the old quest rewards with new LI stuff.

Edit: To the OP, sorry about my ranting. None of this matters to the devs, I hope I didn't sour you on the game.

[Guidorocker]

To me this type of playing turns into a skinnerbox. I had farmed up another 3000 script and I went to Rivendell to refresh my memory of the traceries costs. I would have just enough to replace my soon to expire traceries, and start all over. That character is still standing, exhausted and salty, in Mordor. The old system had built in ways to replace and augment your old LI without grinding. Even after imbument the landscape quests dropped some LI buffs. But the new system they didn't replace the old quest rewards with new LI stuff.

Edit: To the OP, sorry about my ranting. None of this matters to the devs, I hope I didn't sour you on the game.

refresh my memory of the traceries costs?

Traceries range from 100 to 600. Depending if you want to go to a higher or lower or stay the same with that tracerie.