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Warriors of the Westfold: Overcoming LOTRO Burnout

With any MMO, it’s possible to reach a point of burnout. LOTRO is no exception. With nine characters that I regularly play on Landroval, and many more alts that I’ve started on other servers, there is a lot of repetition in the game. And being someone who plays anywhere from 4-14 hours per day, I know how easy it is to spend so much time in the game that you just need a break from it all.

So what are some tricks to avoiding (or overcoming) LOTRO burnout?

  • Focus on a less frequently played character. If you’re stuck in a new area and are becoming frustrated, switch over to a character you haven’t played in a while and tackle a different region.
  • Try a new class. If you’re just not feeling it with any of your characters, why not roll a new one? If you’re the kind of person who focuses on dealing damage from afar (hunter, rune-keeper, warden, lore-master), why not try a closer combat class, like a champion or guardian? Sometimes all it takes is a little tweak to your gameplay to remind you that your experience can be different with each character you play.
  • Farm/craft. Sometimes all you have to do is stop focusing on quests for a bit. Crafting is a relaxing way to spend some time in Middle-earth without getting frustrated over quests and challenging regions. It’s also an excellent way to level up and get your toon where they need to be to take on their next opponent.
  • Socialise. Fortunately, most of my burnouts tend to occur just before a festival, which instantly revives my interest and participation. If there are no festivals on the horizon, why not encourage your friends to join you for some adventures in Middle-earth? Or perhaps you’d like to make some new friends in game; role-playing might be your way to connect with new players.
  • Switch to another game. If I need a break from the game entirely, I’ll switch over to another MMO. Sometimes I’m instantly ready to go back to Middle-earth; and sometimes it takes a bit longer for me to come back. But ultimately, every other MMO I play – no matter how much fun they are – will only hold my interest for so long, and I’ll remember all the positive things that have kept me playing LOTRO for five years and counting.

How do the other Warriors overcome LOTRO burnout?

ALICE

I’m currently unmotivated to play, because I can’t quest in Forochel without dying. I easily completed Evendim because of the quest flow, it allowed me to level up a lot, so I started Forochel at level 44 (even if it’s pointed out as a 39-50 lvl region). I barely completed few quests with so much effort and even killing enemies required me too much morale. It was very frustrating. Thanks to Spring Festival I reached level 48, so I hope I’ll be able to complete other quests in Forochel now, but I’m in a lazy moment and I have to find something to stimulate me to play again.

alice_a

ARWEN

Hello, my name is Arwen, and it has been over 2 months since I’ve been able to log into LOTRO. Hehehehe. Honestly, though, it wasn’t because I burned out, it was more a time issue than anything. The problem is, since it’s been two months, I’m having a hard time wanting to jump back in. Where to start? Which char should I play? When will I have enough time to download the latest update? These are my questions. Questions that need answering. (See what I did there?)

One of the things that has helped me in the past is to play with someone. I find the game a lot more enjoyable if someone’s beside me laughing at all the horrible moves I do. So my plan? Kidnap one of the Westfold Warriors and make them play with me. It’s brilliant, I tell you. Brilliant. Where and who to play? I would really like to get my level 54 Hunter out of Moria and into Lothlorian, so I hope to start there. The download? Starting that riiiiiiight……. now.

MARIA

A while ago, I’ve experienced a LOTRO burn out. I was questing with my main Lilloa in Evendim and no matter what I did. No matter how often I tried, there were certain quests I had difficulties with to complete. I’ve got increasingly frustrated with the game and didn’t want to play anymore. For me, this level of frustration was new. Of course there are always quests that are challenging, but this time it felt as if I made no progress and as if all the joy was gone.

I wasn’t sure what to do, but I knew I needed a break. At first I stopped playing for a couple of days and then decided to devote my time to my other characters, some of which were still in the intro. That alone helped me to feel joy for the game again. However, to my luck, the Spring Festival began and I had a great opportunity to level Lilloa up with easy and fun quests (which I did). When the Spring Festival was over, I returned to Evendim, completed my various unfinished quests and enjoyed it. It was as if the previous frustration never existed.

maria_a

MYLA

I am currently experiencing such a LOTRO block, and it started months ago when I couldn’t do a particular book quest in Moria. Whenever I come across a quest I cannot easily complete I usually end up getting upset and not playing for months at a time. I also haven’t really had the time to dedicate myself to the game lately, but hopefully that will change next month.

To get back into LOTRO I plan on bugging some of the other warriors to help me with the quest that is causing me so much distress! And maybe I’ll FINALLY learn to craft.

What are some of your tips and tricks for overcoming LOTRO burnout? Let us know in the comments below!

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