While River-hobbits and stat squishes are getting major attention with Lord of the Rings Online’s upcoming Update 37, it hasn’t stopped the studio or community from looking ahead to the fall’s expansion. And in fact, SSG offered a “crafting refresh primer” this week on the upcoming overhaul to the entire system.
The crafting overhaul will, for the first time, allow players to pick any three professions to train rather than selecting a vocation with a fixed trio attached. It’ll also be adding an “Umbar” tier of crafting that won’t require you to have trained up crafting to a particular level, allowing high level crafting “newbies” to get in on the fun.
SSG said that it wants to “start emphasizing crafting and getting back to the viability and importance of the crafters in the world” with a new ranking system that’s divided by tiers that offer output equivalent to various other activities (skirmishes, raids, reputation) in the game. And yes, crafting will be able to make raid-quality gear.
Additionally, YouTuber Ghynghyn got his hands on the new Mariner class coming with Update 38, including its skills, specs, shanties, and ability to “sail” to various locations:
