This is my first Riders of Rohan blog post and I’m not really sure how to start it off, because I never expected to be saying the things I am going to say. My first Rohan post was supposed to be a happy post. A post showing off my new warsteed in awesome colours with a mix-‘n-match outfit. A first post of many, sharing the amazing new possibilities using the warsteed outfit system. Unfortunately, this is not to be. Not because the new warsteed customization options aren’t there, but because those options require a hefty sum of real life money to be accessed.
If I were to give only one of my characters access to all warsteed colours, it would cost me more than the entire Riders of Rohan legendary expansion, over $70. Given the fact that I have four characters going into Rohan, I would need $280 to give each of them full access. This is without even considering additional cost for an extra warsteed outfit panel, much less an exclusive outfit set. These solid colour options have no equivalent in game. There are speckled and blotchy skins dropping from warband spoils boxes, but no solid colours. My scholars can make dyes for my outfits, but not for my warsteed items. In other words, a huge portion of the warsteed customization options is limited to my real life wallet.
It may not come as a big surprise that I cannot afford to spend $280 for my four characters. Heck I don’t even want to spend $70 for one character! These are not reasonable amounts to spend on a cosmetic game mechanic. Even if I had that kind of money available, I would much rather spend it on a noble real life cause like The Fellowship Walk or getting Sapience to shave his beard.
I am not alone in my disappointment. @ForgotMyGambits has started a petition on the forum to lower the prices. The suggestions made in that thread to make colour packs account wide and allow individual colours to be picked are all good and may make the system more accessible. Sig from warsteeds.com has posted his frustrations. He also points out that the class steed caparisons don’t even have their original colour nor include their original skin colour. And I have seen many more tweets and comments from players regarding the price issues who feel the same.
Now I understand that Turbine is free to put whatever price they want on their lotro store items. They are also free to choose which items are going to be store exclusive. I have an above average passion for outfits and have always purchased all wardrobe options from the lotro store including many store exclusive cosmetics and some steeds, but the prices for these colour packs are far beyond my means and far beyond what I am willing to spend on a cosmetic system, regardless of my passion for it. So I am sad. Sad and disappointed that something I have been looking forward to so much turns out to be nothing but a money scam.
So far I have purchased one hide colour pack and one item colour pack for my main character. That is my limit and I am not going to spend another cent on this system unless something changes drastically. Until then, I am joining the large herd of grey warsteeds that are running across the planes of Rohan right now. I will merge with the masses, and enjoy the otherwise awesome landscape and quests while my characters clad themselves in dull shades of grey to match their dull grey warsteeds.
Head: Worn Ranger’s Hood, grey dye (Vol.III Book 5 reward, cosmetic)
Shoulders: Combat Pauldrons of Éomer, white dye (T8 crafted level 85, medium armour)
Chest: Eastemnet Assault Robe, white dye (T8 crafted level 80, light armour)
Hands: Gloves of the Westfold, default dye (RoI expansion reward)
Feet: Refugee’s ragged shoes, grey dye (Rohan quest reward, light armour)
Warsteed
Legs: Hunter’s Leggings – default dye
Saddle: Hunter’s Saddle
No additional colour customziations
Cosmetic Lotro 
Your screenies even manage to make grey look great! I would add my voice to the every growing multitudes that are shouting the likes of ‘Too much, Turbine, too much!”. I think they’ve just gotten greedy and many of us will no longer pay what they ask. Here’s hoping for some sense to prevail…
I share your dissapointment. I love outfits, and was looking forward to matching my mounts and my characters… But, I never got any of the store steeds (I don’t like them as much as the reputation ones) so for now I’m stuck with a grey horse and a big black saddle. I know I’ll find cosmetics as I go on questing in Rohan, but still… Right now all the horses I see are the same…
I’m glad to hear we can get other skins with the warbands! I guess I’ll do with that, since there’s no way I’m spending so many TPs on colours!
Lovely atmosphere in the screenies once again! Like you I love creating cosmetic outfits for my toons, but theres no way that I will be buying any of the colour or cosmetic options any time soon. I might consider if they were account wide, or if I could buy one colour… but no, as it stands its not going to happen. A wardrobe feature for the war steeds would be an excellent addition – if we can share armour, why not saddle cloths? I think this would probably bump up sales for turbine, and leave alot of players in a better mood. So far, everyone seems to love the expansion but are seriously annoyed at the money grabbing of the store.
Thanks Emma. I’m not losing hope yet, if we keep our wallets closed they may be inclined to rethink their policies.
Even with very limited options, you manage to pull off something fantastic.
I really, really hope Turbine will listen to their players–such a shame that this great feature is locked up because of greed. 😦
Thanks Ely. And thank you for adding your voice on your blog as well. All those are good and reasonable alternatives.
I too share your disappointment. I am incredibly annoyed and upset at the cost of war steed colours and cosmetics. At the very least I thought my RK would have a nice looking war steed given that she has her class mount, but even that was a disappointment as the steed is still the same boring grey colour, and the RK steed equipment just doesn’t look right against it 😦
I really hope turbine makes some changes. As it stands I probably have enough TPs for a skin colour set or two, however I refuse to support the turbine store at these ridiculous prices.
I don’t know if Turbine will rethink their prices on this. They are not easy to convince. The issue with the skin colour not being included with the class steed is really sad as well. Class steeds look aweful with that grey skin. 😦
I guess they probably won’t change prices, but at the very least I’d like to be able to buy individual skin colours at a lesser cost, I really have no need for a set of four similar colours for one character
Wonderful example of how a company can stand in it’s own way. So there are hours and hours been poured into the development of a new system in the game. And then they shot themaelves into their own feet by making it inaccessible. It really baffles me how this can even happen. Why is there no-one in the company who looks over such things with a reasonable concept instead of letting person A develop a product to sell and then let person B put an insane pricetag on it, destroying the whole concept of making money (which would be giving people something they actually can afford)? Looks like they are experimenting with how far they can take it because they don’t seem to have a clue at all. In the end they are only destroying their reputation with the playerbase because they are just coming accross as greedy and uncaring. Well, I won’t buy these things on the store and let all their hours of development be invested for naught. Why should I care for people who don’t care for me? Why should I invest that much money into their new luxury cars? It’s ok if someone wants to make money. But you better have something good to offer. And you better don’t come to me and obviously try to rip me off.
Honestly, I didn’t expect to enjoy mounted combat very much, but I figured I would at least have fun playing around with the warsteed cosmetic options. Instead, I’ve found the reverse to be true. I really am having a blast with mounted combat. However, the blatant greed displayed in the pricing scheme of the warsteed color packs especially means that I will not be able to enjoy the aspect of the expansion that I was most looking forward to.
I do love the outfit, but I hate that these steep prices were what inspired it.
Thank you Ketani, I too am enjoying the mc more than I expected. As I pratice I’m getting better at it and it will soon feel like a natural part of the game, albeit dressed and decked out in grey *grin*
Unfortunatly i dont want to blow up our dream bubble on their good willing to change the prices ….
I just delt myself with the new Limelight horse …. and i decided that i will not pay again 40 gold tokens to replace a horse they have acknowledge bugged…. when 5 months later their replacement solution for a bug is :
1 – we keep the bugged one they have it already
2 – we create a new one with the original non bugged saddle and they will be busy to work again on gold tokens ….
Thank you but no
Non merci
I created a whole outfit around that horse, and i was really loving it, but even if i would really be happy to have it again, i will not enter *into their lies*
I agree that Limlight horse issue is really weird. I didn’t take the time to go back yet and look, but you’re saying the additional horse is the same as the initial original skin before it got bugged? Wow…
Reblogged this on StarShadow and commented:
Hymne describes the situation and her disappointment perfectly. I don’t mind shelling out some RL money for cosmetic options, but these costs are far too high. I urge people to sign the online petition (linked in Hymne’s post)
I honestly don’t mind spending RL money on cosmetic options – but those prices? absolutely not.
great article, beautifully written (and the screenshots are stunning both visually and emotively), hope you don’t mind but I’ve reblogged on my site.
Awesome… you’re the first person to even reblog anything from here. It’s an honour and thank you 🙂
ooh first! 😉 and you’re welcome. let’s hope they listen 🙂
I am so glad that so many people have /signed my petition. I truly hope that if we can get enough people to agree to it, and not buy the color packs at the current prices, maybe Turbine will actually listen to us! They supposed to be “Powered by the fans.” So the fans should be able to make changes like this, correct. I was planning on buying a $20 LOTRO card today to get some stuff for RoR, but since I saw the prices, I am spending that $20 elsewhere today.
I’ll echo what my good lady said Emma says above, our site might not reflect it 100%, but we spend a lot of time out fitting, and I was really looking forward to coming up with cool variations of horse outfits to match all my 75’s that were heading into Rohan. Its not going to happen now, in fact, I have put all my characters on a grey horse, with the free saddle as a reminder to myself.
It boggles the mind really, not much else we can say. People are free to do as they please, but if they are prepared to restrain and not spend a penny on the system, and add a polite, hyperbole free, comment to the protest thread (lets keep it positive and not overly emotive), this is the only real message we can send turbine.
Fingers crossed, as it is but account wide would be enough to make me personally accept it, really.
Adam
Reblogged this on Lotro Adventures and commented:
Hymne is absolutely right in her opinion that this cosmetic system is over-the-top price wise. It’s incredible. It seems Turbine wants more income…. They’ve “adjusted” several prices, i.e. the inventory bags more then doubled (for 2 weeks you have it for the old price then it’s 995 per bag!!!).
And why can’t scholars make these dyes? After all, we can already make the dyes for equipment and other cosmetics so why not too for Warsteeds? It’s a shame.
Let me begin by admitting I don’t have the RoR expansion yet. I hope to have it in the future. I was really looking forward to the option of getting customized warsteeds 🙂
It is very sad to hear that Turbine is putting so much effort into letting us pay outrageous prices for cosmetics and other tings (if you don’t have the inventory bags, they’re gonna be 995 TP as of October 29th! That’s more than double of what the old price is!). Personally I don’t understand why scholars can’t make the dye. After all, we already can make the dye for equipments and cosmetics. It seems only logic that we could also make dye for war steeds. And then put the warsteed dyes in the store with more reasonable prices, like the normal dye. I can imagine players are more willing to pay 100TP per color like they have to now for the “normal” dyes.
I’m all for only putting cosmetic things in the store, but this is just too much!
I’ve signed the petition and reblogged this post. You’ve captured everyone’s feeling precisely, I think.
As for your outfit, you’ve done a great job again. Although it is indeed a sad look, you’ve made gray look good 🙂
Thank you Choc. All support helps, and hopefully some day you’ll get to enjoy warsteed outfitting with better and more reasonable colour options!
I was hoping you were going to make a blog post about this after I saw your posts on the forums. I know plenty of people take a look at your blog so I knew it would be a good place to get the word out about this greed.
Whilst I’m an avid Lotro store hater :P, I have no problem with fluff items being sold in the store. There are some warsteed cosmetics that are available in game, so it’s fine they’d sell exclusive stuff in the store as they do with our character’s cosmetics. I was actually planning on buying the colour pack with white in it and the elfy horse stuff they had in the store (at least the body and saddle.. though they seem unavailable right now.) But the price shocked me and I immediately decided to buy nothing.
Anyway, thank you for helping get the word out.
Thank you Loth. Who knows, but I don’t think my little blog or the thread on the forum will sway Turbine’s store policies. 🙂
I agree with your assessment of the pricing situation Hymne. This is the first time I’ve been uncomfortable with the Store prices that Turbine has set. I *want* to give them my money to contribute to the game’s health and longevity, but I want to feel like I’m making good purchases when I do. This time I feel the price exceeds the worth of the purchase. I hope the good folks at Turbine will hear the concerns about this and adjust accordingly! I think Adam said above that all it would take would be to make the colour packs account-wide, and I agree.
(And great outfit by the way, the hood blends perfectly with the edge of the shoulders; very atmospheric too!)
You reflect my feelings perfectly. For me it was the first time as well. The first time that something inside me snapped and said “no, this isn’t right”. Turbine may listen, but only after a long while perhaps. After a year or two when it is obvious that no one is buying these colour packs in great quantities. Cosmetic warsteed options were a great selling point for RoR. It’s only now that I’ve come to realize what they are trying to sell.
It’s damned disgraceful. I’ve purchased just a few things to match my two favorite outfits on my Captain, and I might match one outfit on my Warden. Lucky I built some outfits around the free Eastemnet armor. But I ain’t got the stomach to throw more money down their gaping, greedy money hole of a store on pure cosmetic. $10 for a bare-chested dorf is ridiculous too. They’re just cashing in on the new.
It seems that not only cosmetics have seen a price increase. There’s a post on the forum about it, with 16% of the items getting an increase. In addition, they have lowered the TP rewards for deeds. Something they have refrained from mentioning in the patch notes.
So it’s deeper than warsteed cosmetics. Reckon Warner Brothers is tightening the screws on Turbine?
Reposted this on our kin’s facebook page. I totally agree that the store pricing is getting out of hand. It’s becoming nigh on impossible to enjoy many features of the game.
First of all, thanks for the linkage and your support!
Second, even being all grey and gloomy, these are great screen shots. You do amazing work!
Thirdly, RE: the color of the class steed caparisons: it seems to be only the Hunter one, as far as I can tell. It has the green trim around the blanket but the inside is a washed-beige color instead of green like the normal steed. Danania has a great post up showing all the class steed cosmetics on a warsteed, some of them look very good! http://www.danania.net/2012/10/rohan-warsteed-cosmetic-looks.html
I agree with Ketani. This is a gorgeous outfit and very well done, but it’s a shame it was inspired by something so outrageous.
I also share in your disappointment. Hide colors were what I was MOST excited for with mounted combat, even more so than getting to dress my horse up any way I want. Now all my excitement and expectations just seem like they were a waste all these months… I bought the legendary edition; I shouldn’t have to fork over that much more money to make the color of my horse look nice, too. I felt like I should be crying when I saw the prices. That being said, I did sign the petition over on the forums as well as provided my own two cents. Soon, I will make a message voicing my opinions further, on my blog.
But all concerns aside, I do love the outfit you put together for the cause. 🙂
100% agreement with everything you’ve said. This is a very greedy move on Turbine’s part. In the past they’ve given other alternative options besides just buying something from them in the Store. I felt their system used to be fair and I often took advantage of their store items. This warsteed customization predicament has left a sore taste in my mouth and I’m thinking twice about the Lotro Store.
Pingback: Warsteed Roundup | WARSTEEDS
Of course, I’m frustrated about the price, but it makes sense. They’re in no way obligated to make their products affordable, and at least this is only a cosmetic item, rather than something required for gameplay.
But I agree, this is a bit more money than most of us are able or willing to spend. I bought one color pack, and will leave it at that. As soon as they lower the prices, I will happily purchase all of them.
Lovely outfit, Hyme, but so sad for what inspired it 😦 unfortunately, I have to agree with Cennwyn. Turbine is first and foremost a business, and it can show at the most inconvenient of times. Hopefully there will be substantial sales tacked onto these items in the future so other players can enjoy them too.
I don’t dispute that at all, in fact I mention in my post that Turbine can put any price they like on their store items. Wether or not the players will like those prices too remains to be seen. I for one do not, that’s why I voice my opinion. In fact it’s the very first time Turbine has ever turned me off with their store prices.
Pingback: Landroval Style
Just another voice saying you make grey look great, and totally agree about the colors cost…
Fantastic job of creating a palpable mood with your outfit, screen shots and writing. Brilliant! I am completely with you on the pricing. My understanding is the pricing comes down from WB and not even Turbine has a lot to say about it.
You make grey look amazing.
The pictures are so evocative…head hung low, in the rain, beaten down…
It looks like a Pulitzer prize for photo shoot from a magazine.
I will stand by you and not give in to the lure of “buying all the things” until prices drop.
I kept typing multiple responses to this and deleting them because there’s just so much i want to say, i’m deeply saddened by the dye costs and have added my support to the forums before i checked your blog here, thank you for posting this and being honest, as much as we love the guys at Turbine for such a wonderful game, I too feel scammed.
I kept typing multiple responses to this and deleting them because there’s just so much i want to say, i’m deeply saddened by the dye costs and have added my support to the forums before i checked your blog here, thank you for posting this and being honest, as much as we love the guys at Turbine for such a wonderful game, I too feel scammed. I’ve never had a problem with buying from the store before but this is the first time it’s not possible for me to get the funds.
Pingback: I’m sorry, but I did it… « Cithryth's Blog
I want to believe this type of response from the players will get Turbine to change the prices, but I’m not optimistic. Didn’t we complain about the cost of the soldier on landscape tokens? Did those ever get changed? I’ve yet to use one. Pretty sure the model here was supposed to be “micro” transactions, not huge price gouges. I loved Turbine’s F2P model. I never played this game until it went F2P, and once it did, they’ve gotten way more real life money from me than they ever would have otherwise, from expansions, subscribing a month here or there, and TP purchases for cosmetics or quest packs. I’m the poster boy for using a free game to part a fool from his money. But this? Nah, no thanks. I’m not THAT big a fool.
This blog post is so sad, and I feel so bad for every one of you that has reached Rohan only to have great disappointment. I sincerely hope that they do something about the dye situation. That may be unlikely, but I am still daring to hope.
I had not checked the prices for the horse cosmetics, had no idea they were that expensive, and I can’t really see what Turbine are thinking here. So far I’ve only equipped the saddle and other stuff that came as quest rewards, and dyed them pink, which didn’t cost anything, and that’s good enough for now, because I doubt I will use my warsteed all that much. It’s clumsy and laggy, and it’s just as easy doing the quests in the oldfashioned, unmounted way. Of course I’m only lvl 77 yet, so maybe the lvl cap quests are different and impossible to do without warsteed. That day, that sorrow, as we say in my country…
Wonderful post, Hymne. Thank you for providing a place for all cosmetic lovers to voice their concern and dismay. All I can do is reflect the same feelings as everyone else, I’m just flabbergasted. I’ve supported this wonderful game through the Lotro Store and monthly VIP subscriptions, balancing Turbine’s profitability with Lotro’s playability, and until now have been comfortable with my purchases.
I will not buy a single color pack of anything until something is changed. Single color or account wide, there have been some reasonable alternatives suggested by the community. Until then, I will use only what was provided in the game. I just can’t justify it. All I’m left with is disappointment and a grey horse.
I don’t have a loud voice, but I have one and have used it here, by signing the petition and on my own cosmetics blog. Lotro has the right, of course, to charge whatever they want. But it does not mean we have to pay it.
–Ivy
Thank you Ivy. That’s a very sweet and heartfelt comment. I still can’t believe this is really happening. 😦
Pingback: Un oeil sur le Rohan « Sharilaa Gelaidhlind
Pingback: Tattered | Cosmetic Lotro
Pingback: The Price of a Well-dressed War-steed | Casual Stroll to Mordor
Lovely post, your style is impeccable as always. I agree with all of it and with the disappointment felt here on the prices and color pack groupings that are available now.
I can not afford to customize my war steed with those offerings at those prices.
My in-game protest is to add no cosmetics whatsoever on my war-steed. Since my war-steed is said to be a distant relation of Shadowfax, and since Shadowfax was unencumbered by gear of any kind, my war-steed will stay the same way. If it was good enough for the lord of all horses, it’s good enough for me.
I don’t have the expansion yet, but I’m working my way towards it. All the bad news about the War Steed cosmetics is so disappointing. I don’t think Turbine is being realistic about what people are willing to pay in this case. Hopefully the sales reflect that. I certainly won’t be getting anything unless there are changes made. Boo.
Btw, your screenies are all fantastic, but that second to last one is just perfect. Turned away, shoulders sagging, head down – perfect. Captures exactly how many of us seem to feel about this part of the expansion.
Pingback: Silver Bell, Silver Birch « Pony Lovers Anonymous
Pingback: What to do with our Warsteeds! « TheKhazadGuard's Blog
Hello there, I’m a french player on Estel.
I just discovered the warsteed system last night, after the tutorial, and was very disappointed about the customization, so I fully agree with what you wrote above. Hopefully, I have a hunter steed so my horse is not as bad looking as a standard warsteed…
Pingback: Welcome to the realm of the horse-lords: LotRO enters into Rohan, finally « Agamemnon's Domain
Pingback: Laurë | Cosmetic Lotro
Pingback: Spirited | Cosmetic Lotro
Pingback: Warsteed Roundup | LOTRO Players