So the long awaited Isengard expansion is here!  Although I did not get the opportunity to participate in the beta testing, since the NDA was lifted, I learned as much about the upcoming changes as possible.  Since my main character (Dromur, Meneldor) is a Champion, there was MUCH for me to absorb in this expansion.  The Champion class will never be the same, and dare I say it is a dramatic change for the better.

I am not going to re-hash all the changes made to the Champion class, Turbine has released Dev Diaries to that effect, and the LotRO forums are crawling with “New Champ Build” threads.  Suffice it to say, the Champion class has received very substantial boosts to its stances.  While Fervour will still be the preferred stance by many Champs (myself included), Ardour will no longer be laughed at, since it is now a very usable AoE stance.  Glory also received a huge boost, and Champions are now considered to be respectable tanks (if traited properly and skilled at playing the new stances).

All in all, I am very happy with the new Champion changes.  I am currently level 69, plugging away learning my new stance roles.  I’ve only died once thus far in the new Dunland zone, and that was due to a LotRO client crash (which are abundant right now for many players unfortunately).  The new zone has been a lot of fun to play in, and leveling has come quite swiftly for many (there are already numerous level 75′s).

The epic quest line, although not terribly exciting thus far, has had a few interesting twists.  Including the appearance of a certain White Wizard at a local auction (See the featured screenshot to see Dromur attempting to put Saruman in his place with an AoE attack which sadly missed its target.)

I am thoroughly enjoying actually having a purpose for playing my main character again.  Leveling him up and experiencing all the new zones and quests has been a joy, and even in a week or two when I am once again at the cap, I look forward to exploring some of the new raid and eventually the new zone cluster a couple months down the road!

Well, that’s all for now I suppose!  If any of you are around on Meneldor, send me a tell on Dromur and say hello!
My next LotRO venture after leveling Dromur will be a new toon on the Landroval server so that I can hang out with all the wonderful Lonely Mountain Band Kinship folks I’ve met in recent weeks here on the network!  I am once again playing a Dwarf Champion (I know, I know!)  and I am excited to role play my way through the content for a change!

I’ll check in with Dromur’s progress again soon!