Testing is now underway for Lord of the Rings Online’s major fall release, as Standing Stone Games announced that it’s put Update 34: Before the Shadow on the Bullroarer shard. While the centerpiece of this update is no doubt its two sizable early level zones, the beta test revealed many features that came as welcome surprises.
These additions include finally expanding the quest tracker to 10 items on the screen at a time, the option to pick (or eschew) a tutorial zone, and changing how class traits are awarded. Previously, players received these much-needed trait points from a variety of sources, but with Update 34, all of the class trait points are automatically doled out through the leveling process.
The studio advised all players take screenshots of their class trait builds, as these will all be reset when the update arrives.
SSG is also testing the new difficulty-scaling Delving system: “Delvings are a new mechanic debuting with Before the Shadow’s missions. When you complete your first new Before the Shadow mission, you’ll get a special Delving gem called an Unnerving Zircon, which sets you on your path to additional challenge for additional reward!”
