Siege of Mirkwood, the new digital expansion for Lord of the Rings Online, will introduce an updated Legendary Item system when it launches on Dec. 1. According to a new dev diary entry, the update will change the identification and reforge process to give players a hint as to whether a Legendary Item is worth the time to level it. Also, changes to the amount of item experience needed to level the items wil give "more moments of advancement and reduces the feel that you’re 'grinding' at the current high level XP values."

In addition, each class' set of legacies has been updated and a new set of legendary item scrolls will be introduced. You can check out all of the upcoming changes to the system after the jump.

In The Lord of the Rings Online™: Siege of Mirkwood™, we’re updating the Legendary Item system that was introduced in Mines of Moria™. This revision of the Legendary Item system incorporates most of the feedback we have received about Legendary Items since they were introduced.

Identification and Reforge Changes

One of the primary issues with the system is that players have to invest a large amount of time before knowing that a particular Legendary Item is “good.” We have changed the identification and reforge process to front load the system a bit more. The initial legacies placed on the Legendary Item (LI) at identification are pulled from only the “best” legacies. This ensures the LI has some desirable legacies and the player can make a good guess whether that LI is worthwhile before spending time leveling it.

Item Experience Changes

The second major change is in the amount of item experience needed to level and the rewards for doing so. The first 30 levels use the same experience table currently used in the game. The first three reforges, at 10, 20 and 30, now add a legacy primarily from a second group (B) of legacies not in the identification (Group A) pool, though there is a small chance of picking a legacy from Group A. Players still get two randomly selected legacies to choose from to add to their Legendary Item.

The experience needed to move from level 30 to the maximum level of 60 (all Legendary Items regardless of Age have a max level of 60 now), is dependent on the Age of the Legendary Item. Every level from 30 to 60 is now a flat amount of experience; Third Age LI require 20,000 experience per level, Second Age take 40,000 and First Age require 80,000.

Reforges at levels 40, 50 and 60 will give an upgrade to the Tier of one of the legacies on the item. You’ll still get to choose one of two randomly selected legacies to upgrade.

As a result of these changes, Third Age items now require about one-third of the total experience to reach maximum level as the current system. Second age items are around two-thirds of the total, while First Age items will take just a little more experience to maximize the level as current items. This leveling scheme gives more moments of advancement and reduces the feel that you’re “grinding” at the current high level XP values.

Legacy Changes

With Siege of Mirkwood, each class’s set of legacies has been updated. The weakest legacies have been removed and will no longer be added to new legendary items, while other weaker legacies have been improved. Additionally, each class has gained a handful of new legacies. For the most part there are not any major changes in the legacies for each class. Champions are an exception to this as it was felt that there were too many Champion legacies with too specific an application. Their stance-based damage legacies have been replaced with individual skill damage bonuses and more general damage legacies. Other Glory- and Ardour-based legacies have been combined to affect both of these stances.

When Siege of Mirkwood launches, all legendary points on all Legendary Items will be reset. Each existing Legendary Item will also be converted to the new experience tables. For the most part this will result in items gaining additional levels. Any reforges gained during this process will be saved. Players may have multiple reforges available at the Forge Master.

Legendary Item Advancement Scrolls

In addition to the normal item leveling process players will now have the opportunity to further customize their legendary items as they are upgraded. There is a new set of legendary item scrolls that can be found in loot and during deconstruction. Each type of scroll will allow further upgrades to the legendary item on which they are used.

Scrolls of Empowerment

These scrolls allow the player to upgrade the Tier of any Legacy of their choice on one of their Legendary Items. There are no limits to the use of these scrolls other than availability and having a Legacy available to be upgraded.

Legacy Exchange Scrolls

These scrolls allow the exchange of one existing legacy for the Legacy on the scroll. So far the Wise have only been able to decipher scrolls that grant Legacies that increase basic Statistics, Might, Vitality etc.

Scrolls of Delving

These scrolls increase a Legendary Item’s maximum advancement level by 10 up to level 70. No item experience is granted. The extra ten levels have to be earned. Only one of these scrolls can be used on any one Legendary Item. A legacy upgrade reforge is granted at level 70. Legendary Items from level 60 to Level 70 are treated as having reached maximum level for deconstruction purposes.

Scrolls of Renewal

These scrolls reset the legendary points spent on the item to zero allowing the player to re-spend the points in any manner.

Relic System Updates

Crafted Relics

Every legendary item now has a fourth relic slot. This slot will only hold a new type of relics that are not part of the relic combining system but are instead created by Crafters. Each craft can make relics that give a bonus to a particular stat, morale or power. In addition, all crafters can make Greater Crafted relics once they reach Supreme Master rank. These Greater Crafted relics can only be used by the Crafter that made them and give a small bonus to Melee, Ranged, Tactical or Healing skills.

Tier 9 Relics

A new Tier of relics has been added to the relic combining system after Tier 8. These new relics give the same style of bonuses as the other relics.

Heritage Rune Changes (Legendary Item XP Runes)
 
Heritage runes found in Mines of Moria™ will have a maximum target item level of 60. You will be able to use these heritage runes on any legendary item of stat level 60 and below. Moria heritage runes *cannot* be used on stat level 61+ legendary items found in Siege of Mirkwood™.

We will be introducing a new set of heritage runes which can be used on all legendary items with Siege of Mirkwood.
Legendary items received that fit the following requirements will produce both a Moria heritage rune and a Mirkwood heritage rune upon deconstruction:

• The legendary item must be at experience level 60 (or 61-70 if a level unlock scroll was used on the item).
• The legendary item must be either a first age or second age item.
• The legendary item is stat level 60 or below.

  
This change will allow players to produce a Mirkwood heritage rune from deconstructing their maxxed out first age or second age legendary item from Moria for use with their new Mirkwood legendary item. Please note that the Mirkwood heritage rune received from these deconstructions will be a rune of lesser experience value than the Moria heritage rune received.