Sunday Progress Report

Looks like I've abandoned Thursdays. Oh well. I said I would. Probably would. And I did. Yesterday's playtime ended up being not what I was anticipating. First off, when I logged in, it was a slow night for the kinship for whatever reason. Only three or four of us on. Not even enough to do an instance run. And I didn't feel like PUGing one because there would be no guarantee that the same six would stick together and get all of us the barter coin for the armor. I ran three or four runs last time with a PUG (the only time I did an instance run) and there were at least that many ins and outs of the group, one of whom did get the drop. Actually, I think they did one more run after that but then left. And then I had to go due to some real life obligations. I don't blame anybody for that, and I don't know their situation, but it seems like it happens more often in PUGs because there's less communication before the run about where everybody stands time commitment-wise. It's just the way it is.

So no instance runs. However, I did do some solo quests, one of which is part of the level 58 Captain quest for the Hands of the Healing legendary trait. All solo so far and I don't know what the future holds for that quest, so it's all new to me. Did a bit in the Flaming Deeps and then talked to three NPCs scattered in other parts of Moria. I also worked on part of the epic quest: 2.3.x. I got to chapter 9 which is a session play: We Cannot Get Out. I forgot that was the session that was borked and you cannot complete it. Figures, so I had to quit the session and at that point I took a break for dinner. Unfortunately, I got side tracked watching TV and didn't log in the rest of the eveing. For all I know more of the kin could have been on and I might have gotten some instance runs in. There's always another day.

And in between all that I did some exploring, particularly in Nud-Melek and the Flaming Deeps to find some of the exploration deed locations. I love exploring, particularly if I have an objective in mind (like a quest location). For example, I know A is here and I am at B, here, so how do I get there? Moria is awesome for that because of all the multiple levels. You might be underneath what you want to find but have to figure out first, if there is an underneath, and how to get there. One quest I did out of the Redhorn Lodes was like that. Good fun.

I'm still purchasing my Sublime Jewelry set. I have two more pieces to get (one if I win the auction I bid on yesterday). I really should take a break and save up for another chest in my vault so I have more space for my food stuffs but I guess I'm being vain. Besides looking pretty (yes, I know you can't see the jewelry on your character) they give me nice stats. Speaking of food stuffs, I've been using my guild recipes to cook stacks of critted restoration food (morale and power) and selling them on the AH. I'm making a profit so that's really a first for me with food and the AH. Thank goodness for guild recipes. And with the lowering of the cooldowns with Book 7 (yay Tuesday!) I'll be able to put them up more often and get coin even quicker.

So here are my goals:

• Purchase 1 more vault space
• Complete Sublime jewelry set
• Run instances for Radiance armor set
• Clear out (complete) lower level quests and deeds in old zones

I have quite a load with just those four. We'll see how things work out.

Kindred with Cooking Guild

I reached Kindred status with the Cook's Guild today. My cooldowns on the Large Repasts for Master and Supreme had reset and just cooking those two items you get 9000 reputation points. And that's exactly what I needed for reaching Kindred. With Kindred I have now learned all the cook's guild special recipes. I'll be using the Large Repasts to craft full stacks of Superior Lembas and Superior Racks of Lamb with Mint Sauce to sell on the AH. It should bring in a little bit of money hopefully. It would be really the first time I make money on selling food stuffs.

I Can't Get a Horse in this Economy!

It's a tough world out there right now, especially for your finances. Businesses are going under, banks need bailing out, and the mid-level player can't afford his or her horse. Er...

Money problems aren't just in the real world. Virtual worlds can't seem to shake the eternal need of coin either. And what does one need coin for? Well, a mount is a good place to sink a few golds, especially for the level 35 player in LOTRO. If you were like me and picked a crafting profession that doesn't quite make as much moola as those damned rich explorers (or woodworkers in the case of one kinmate), you might need a few tips on getting the cash for your steed.

Look no further than Massively's guide to mid-level money making. Shawn Schuster offers a few tips and tricks to netting you the big bucks. Well, maybe not big bucks, but enough to scratch that equestrian itch.

I'm especially a fan of the last point given I'm not a resource gatherer (unless it's of the vegetable variety). So, anything and everything I loot gets dumped for cash on either a vendor or the Auction House. Still, his advice about resource nodes is huge. If you want some money, be an explorer. You just better like running around gathering ore for hours on end. The big bucks are found on the Auction House. Yes, you can sell those resources but you really make the cash if you level up your armourer, woodworker, tinker, or weaponsmith and sell the high-level goods for golds apiece. I bought my entire set of level 47 critted crafted armor on the AH for somewhere in the neighborhood of 12-14 gold. And that was when the prices were falling due to smaller demand and anticipation for the next crafting level with mines of Moria. Pieces at their peak were reaching 8 -10 golds each. I couldn't tell you what or how much the highest level gear goes for now, but being so close to the release of MoM, you'll get a pretty penny - a lot of pretty pennies - for your effort.

And, like everything, making money takes time. Even in the virtual world. So, if you're will to invest a little of the t-word, you'll get yourself some cash. Just stick with it, LOTRO won't let you down in the riches department.