Lord of the Rings Online: A Lesson in Humility

From Witch to Warrior

Several times a week, I play videogames. The last ten years, I’ve been playing Lord of the Rings Online, as I also mentioned in this post. Only a couple of weeks ago, I learned something about myself because of the role I chose in this game.
My primary character in this game is a Lore-Master. The class of a Lore-Master is mysterious, full of magic, and overall challenging to play. It’s one of the most difficult classes in the game.

Last year, I started to play with my Champion character. A Champion is more like a dumb warrior. You don’t need to remember using skills in a particular order, you have no pets to control. You run up to the mob and slash it with your sword.

While playing my Champion I had a revelation: this is fun! I’m not dying every two seconds anymore. I can run into groups of two to three mobs and still survive. I can finish quests on my own instead of having to rely on other people. During the holidays, I had a long talk with my sister in law, where I discussed this new insight I had had. She also plays the game, and she had a lot to say to me.

Casting Classes Rock!

First of all, I know why I created a Lore-Master as my first choice. Actually, it was my second choice, because I started with a healer character, but that one was too squishy. I decided I wanted to be on the DPS side, that I was the one doing damage.
I like the pets the Lore-Master can control. Like in real life, I love having animals around me and with this class, I can even command them.
I like playing a caster character. I love handling magic. It suits me better than running into someone with an axe or a sword. All in all, I love Lore-Masters as they are both mysterious and influential.

Smart-Ass

The second reason why I chose to play this class is because I’m always trying to be the smart one. You don’t think someone with an IQ like mine is going to play some dumb sword-bashing character like a Champion? Pff. That is way beneath me.
sigh
My sister in law pointed out that she never understood why I didn’t start with an easier class. In her opinion, it’s better to start with an easier class, and then, when you completely grasp the game, you can start a more intricate class. Her main character is a hunter, which is also one of the more accessible classes. She is in full control of her character, she is an expert at playing it and has maximum armour.

Easy Does It

Funny story: my husband plays a champion as his main character. I’ve stood behind him while he was playing, and I was always in awe at his skill level. He could run into a camp with this character, kill four to six mobs at the same time, and continue on to the next camp. With a Lore-Master, with my skill level at playing computer games, this is impossible. I can barely handle two mobs at the same time.
I attributed this to my husband’s skill level in playing games, cause I thought he was just this good.

Now that I’m playing a champion, I can do the same. It’s a miracle!
Except it isn’t. It’s just not that hard to play the game with a warrior type character. Every time a monster dies, you automatically receive some morale. So to survive, you only need to kill a few monsters. Yes, it requires some skill in that you need to be careful not to attack too many high-levels at the same time. That’s not that hard to do actually.

Gaming is Fun

Ten years into playing this game, I have set aside my arrogance. I’m playing my warrior type, and you know what? It’s great fun! I actually enjoy playing the game.
Before, I played my Lore-Master, but I needed my husband’s Champion around to keep me alive. This meant I could never play alone. I could hardly finish any quests on my own.
With my Champion, I feel like I rule the world. There’s no quest I can’t finish, no monster I can’t defeat.

Life Lesson Learned

I see this as an essential life-lesson that I learned. You don’t always have to be the smart one. Sometimes staying on your level, or maybe slightly below your level, can be good enough. Don’t overreach trying to impress others, or perhaps even yourself.
And my Lore-Master is still out there. When I’m bored with slaying monsters with my axe, I can always go back to casting spells and directing my bear. But if I just want to let go of some steam, my Champion is definitely good enough.