Thursday, September 24, 2009

A little less Extreme

So, as I've been mucking my way through the lower levels in LOTR it's occurred to me that one of the things I like about LOTRO is that it's a little less "extreme."

Now I don't mean that the game is any less intense or anything like that, rather that the classes, as I've found them are not so specialized that they cannot do anything else.

For example, the Hunter in LOTR is very similar to the mage in WoW. It’s a ranged nuking class. However, if you get into melee with the mage, lets face it, the mage is done for. All he can really do is try to perform some maneuver or ability that will put you at range again. If they can't, more than likely, they are toast.

But In LOTR the Hunter can fight in melee. Sure it may not be the most effective and there's a loss in DPS. But the bottom line is that the hunter carries melee weapons and knows how to use them. As a player I find it satisfying to not have to run like a little girl from anything and everything and to have a few abilities to finish off my opponent should he get into melee with me.

I've also found that this is true with Wardens. They are melee fighters and sure they may not have the best ranged attack in the world, but it's there and it's strong enough to down a mob of equal level.

I find it to be a nice compromise. No one will ever mistake my hunter for a melee fighter, but when my back’s against the wall, it's nice to have options.

1 comment:

Mardigilian said...

I've noticed the same, every class has a role it excels in, another one or two at which its good (particularly if well played). Very few classes are completely useless at anything. Burglars (even hobbits) are pretty much SOL when it comes to ranged combat, but some of their CC abilities can give them a chance to close or catch a runner.

Another thing I've noticed and I hope it holds as we get into higher levels. Pulling aggro off the tank isn't instantly fatal--which I certainly appreciate when I get an endless combo going.