Weaponshell

The Helm's Deep expansion was a controversial one. It brought a lot of changes, like trait-trees and epic battles, but there's been a lot of controversy about this expansion for its "solo" player content. Unlike the previous expansions, there were no raids or instances at the end of the expansion/level cap, but Epic Battles. Epic Battles are 5 different instances using new mechanics, which all center around defending Helm's Deep. Personally, I find these instances enjoying and like doing them with my friends, but a lot of players were very negative about Epic Battles. It's more a question of taste than a real difference between instances and Epic Battles. In my opinion, the change from traits to a trait tree was necessary. My character had all 4 skill bars almost completely full, and the last expansions brought only a few new skills and a lot of "improved" skills. For this reason I had no problems with the new trait trees. Also, this makes it easier for Turbine to change skills without having to rebalance everything. Personally, I like the trait trees. The quests and other content of Helm's Deep were fine. However, compared to the last expansions (Riders of Rohan and Rise of Isengard), this one is worse. The area is comparable to Riders of Rohan, only less interesting. The areas are wide and empty, with the exceptions of warbands. Comparing this to East Rohan, it has less interesting areas like caves, towns, ruins and forests. The quests are like expected from Turbine: great dialogue and interesting stories. However, if you do not read this dialogue the quests can seem boring and uninteresting. In conclusion: it is a good expansion, but not good for everyone. It is more a matter of taste than the previous expansions. Personally, I liked Helm's Deep and still run Epic Battles with my friends. If you lean more towards soloplay, this expansion is very enjoyable. I give this expansion a 7. Good points: - (Expected) great scenery. - Great dialogue in quests. - Iconic places. - Better trait/skill management. Bad points: - Little multiplayer content. - Less interesting areas. - No new mountlevels. - Bad Soundtrack (Fixed in an update)