While LotRO's world has gotten smaller over time thanks to additional travel routes and maps opening up, its size remains an obstacle to players forming groups at times. Killed in a Smiling Accident considers this alternative path a slightly superior way to level: "LotRO's skirmishes give really quite generous experience the first time you run them each day due to their having an automatic daily quest associated with them that boosts experience and token gains running the four skirmishes open to my character at the moment can net the best part of half a level for little more than an hour's play, something that is much harder to do with standard questing due to the traveling involved in getting from the quest givers to their objectives and back again." It's an attractive prospect: spend an hour or two in skirmishes a day, and that character will rocket up through the ranks to wherever you want him or her to be. This is a boon to many veteran LotRO players who are want to bring up an alt, yet have no interest in repeating the same quest content and zones from years past. Skirmishes hand out the two most essential tools for leveling - XP and gear - and do a decent job of it, even if questing or dungeon runs might reward better in certain circumstances. So going back to my original question, how are skirmishes shaping the face of LotRO? My most immediate response is that, much like WoW's Dungeon Finder, skirmishes are providing an alternative path to leveling. Massively has an excellent guide for newbies to the skirmish system, which you can read here, and you can check out the Skirmish Compendium on the official forums for advanced tips and statistics. Turbine is continuing to refine the skirmish system, as seen in the latest patch. Even if you're not a hardcore skirmisher, Daily Skirmishes - with their allure of increased skirmish marks and other rewards for the first run of the day - are a siren's call to at least dabble in the system. Speaking of which, Turbine tempts players to skirmish with a lot of tasty rewards, from full-fledged armor sets to unique cosmetic items. As the skirmishes scale up to larger groups and higher tiers of difficulty, rewards for successful skirmish runs also increase dramatically. By changing a soldier's vocation from, say, "warrior" to "herbalist," they assume a specific role (in this case going from DPS to a healer) to offset your class' weakness. Each player also has access to a skirmish-only "soldier" who can be customized both visually and functionally. Not only are skirmishes available anywhere and anytime, but players have the flexibility to enter them solo, as a duo, or in various group sizes up to a full-fledged raid of twelve. Skirmishes capitalize on LotRO's excellent storytelling factor, and reuses familiar locations (like Tuckborough or Barrow Downs) to snag some of that "nostalgia factor." Essentially, they're instantly-accessible instances that take a player or group of players through a dynamic battle, either taking the role of offense or defense. If you are unfamiliar with LotRO or are just now dipping your feet in the warm waters of the Brandywine, then skirmishes might be as foreign to you as Rune-Keepers to the lore of Tolkien (rimshot). Pick up a lute and play me a merry song, for we'll need all the courage to hit the jump and come out on top! So let's face this change head-on and see how skirmishes have fared since last December's debut. While not a complete game-changer, skirmishes have undeniably altered the face of the game and impacted many players' experiences, for better or worse. One could argue - and I guess I am that one - that skirmishes were LotRO's hole card for Mirkwood, the big "hook" that grabbed players' attention and imaginations. Not to mention that while each of these features has seen criticism, they are greatly embraced by the playerbase and enjoyed by millions daily. While not identical in form or function, each of these systems is similar in a few ways: they are instantly accessible, they promote easy grouping, they encourage ad nauseum replay, and they offer an alternative way to gain XP and levels. Warhammer Online proposed PvP scenarios, World of Warcraft launched their Dungeon Finder, City of Heroes added in Mission Architect, and with the advent of the Siege of Mirkwood expansion, LotRO invented skirmishes. In the last couple years, MMO developers have been addressing the problem of stagnant mid- and end-game play by giving gamers various forms of repeatable content. Every Friday, The Road to Mordor brings you the latest in Lord of the Rings Online news, guides and analysis.
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