LOTRO continues to course-correct gear issues, starts Harvest Festival, and gives away mithril tokens

Lord of the Rings Online’s sloppy QA process has resulted in a quagmire of issues following the release of this week’s Update 21. Previously, the studio accidentally sold its new dungeon gear for way too cheap and then tried to remove all of purchased gear without compensation (a move that was later tempered due to player outrage).

But the woes aren’t over yet. Today’s Update 21.2.1 mistakenly nerfed the problematic gear, which hasn’t done much to bolster studio-player relations. “Why, SSG, why?” one player posted. “How can you keep messing up like this?”

For more in-depth coverage of this debacle, check out LOTRO Players’ seething essays on this week’s mishaps and Contains Moderate Peril’s take on the studio’s public relations problems.

Another hotfix for the gear should arrive this weekend, but in the meanwhile SSG is gifting players with 50 mithril coins to anyone who logs in to claim them. These coins can be used for a variety of in-game services and cosmetic gear.

Meanwhile, LOTRO’s Harvest Festival started on October 10th and will continue through November 1st. Players can bob for apples, trick NPCs to use emotes on them, and explore Bilbo’s famous Haunted Burrow during this time.