Back in 2007 Lord of the Rings Online (lotro) launched with 7 character classes. A few years later, the Mines of Moria (MoM) expansion gave us 2 more. Now, after several years of speculation, the word from Turbine (the company that produces lotro) is that we can expect a new class sometime in 2014. This has set the MMO community, and obviously the lotro community in particular, abuzz with speculation, rumours and criticism. Here's my look at it.
Why?
This has been asked a lot, which seems strange to me, but many players are asking why Turbine would create a new character class. This seems fairly obvious to me. First of all, a new class provides a fresh take on the game. Anyone who's played through as (let's say) a hunter, and then gone back to play as a guardian, or a rune keeper, will find the game very different.
Secondly, MMOs are probably the most competitive game market in existence right now, so, frankly, you need to throw a bone out once in a while to draw some new attention and maybe hook some former players back in.
The third reason? Easiest of all: Because players want more classes. Whether or not you are one of those players is irrelevant to the fact that there have been forum threads since forever asking about the when and what of a new class and players suggesting new classes to bring into the game.
So, simply put, people want it, it is likely to make people want to play more, not less, and since Turbine wants people to play their game and like it they're going to make a new class.
What?
This one's a bit tougher and Turbine hasn't given enough information to do anything more than speculate widely by giving the hint that it's referenced multiple times in the books. While this may be true, they would also say the same of their current classes, but would anyone really look at Sam Gamgee and conclude that a class based on him would use heavy armour and shields? No. Why? Because it's not in the books. What about looking at the ring smith Celebrimbor (who's barely mentioned in The Lord of the Rings because he belongs to the second age, not the third, and come up with a class that shoots fire and lightning from their hands? Probably not, but Sam is named as the basis for the guardian class while Celebrimbor is the model for rune keepers. But, hey! Speculation is fun, so let's run with it for a few minutes, shall we?
Fun!
Many have speculated about Beornings, including myself. Shape changers are common these days in many games and they certainly add both new game-play elements as well as some cool eye candy.
Does it fit in the lore? Yes and no. Yes, Beorn was able to shift into a bear form and yes there was a group of his descendants, but it's not stated that his descendants retained his shifting abilities. That said, this is more than enough for Turbine to substantiate a new class.
Many have also commented regarding a knight class, something like knight of Gondor or Dol Amroth or something along those lines. While certainly fitting in with the lore, it would seem a bit redundant. After all, guardians, champions, wardens and captains are all in the "knight" category, so it's hard to imagine a knight filling a role in way that is not already done by these 5 other classes. Frankly, I think we have enough standard melee classes to go around.
Wizards has been asked for and speculated for several years and I'm assuming that the people for beg for it have never actually read the books, or if they have, have never bothered to look into what wizards are in Tolkien's world, particularly during the Third Age. I may write more on this later, but for now, look it up. Seriously. It definitely wouldn't fit into the lore and the Rune Keeper class was added, seemingly, in part to take the role of a magic user, while attempting to squish it into the lore.
Ent? Seriously? Not only would they be overpowered, and not only are they not any of the four "freep" races, and not only are they becoming rarer with every passing decade, and not only are they...you know what? Never mind. It's just stupid.
My Guess?
I don't know, honestly. However, there are a few balance issues to look at:
First of all, there are 3 classes in each armour category - Light: lore master, minstrel and rune keeper; medium: burglar, hunter and warden; heavy: captain, champion and guardian. What does that mean? Maybe nothing, but it would be interesting to have a class without armour or maybe a melee class with light armour. Just saying.
Of the 9 classes currently, 8 of them are playable by men, and the captain class is man specific. Again, doesn't mean anything, but it would be nice to give elves, dwarves and hobbits something to play as well. Both Beorning and knight would seem to be man specific.
Obviously it will be a hybrid, since all roles within a fellowship are currently fairly well met. Since DPS abounds in Middle-Earth I would expect something to fill in the gaps. It occurs to me how hard it is to find a burglar when you need one...
Ultimately, only time will tell. Since Turbine hasn't released much concerning what else we can expect in 2014, it's only guesses right now.
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