New LotRO Test Server is Live with Book 7 [Lord of the Rings Online]

[RSS FEED]

The Lord of the Rings Online team has announced that a new public test server named Bullroarer is currently up and running. While it will be opened periodically to test content that is still in development, it is currently live with Book 7. The test patch notes for that update, which are subject to change, can be found here.

"At the beginning of the test cycle we will wipe the server of existing characters and copy all characters from a live server onto it. The first server to be copied onto Bullroarer will be Elendilmir. ... Once we feel we've gathered enough "clean" data we will enable the Eyes and Guard Tavern, in which you can auto-level up characters and try out the high-level content before the live servers are updated - and your server will have its chance some day, too!"

If you'd like to download the Bullroarer client, you can do so here. If you'd rather read more about the public test server first, just check after the jump.

Greetings, LOTRO community!

Do you like trying out new things and seeing new places? When something is broken, are you excited by the thought of fixing it? Are you always the first person to try out a new technology? If you answered yes to any of these questions, Bullroarer might be the server for you!

Bullroarer is a public test server which will be opened periodically to test new content, still in development, before it is completed and approved for the live servers. In order to ensure accurate data and a large spread of character levels, at the beginning of the test cycle we will wipe the server of existing characters and copy all characters from a live server onto it. The first server to be copied onto Bullroarer will be Elendilmir. If your characters aren't on Elendilmir, don't despair! Once we feel we've gathered enough "clean" data we will enable the Eyes and Guard Tavern, in which you can auto-level up characters and try out the high-level content before the live servers are updated - and your server will have its chance some day, too!

Your participation on Bullroarer is optional and purely voluntary. In order to play on Bullroarer, you must have an active LOTRO account and abide by the terms and conditions of the applicable license agreement, Terms of Service and Code of Conduct.

Bullroarer is now live with Book 7! Click here for the patch notes. Please keep in mind these are NOT FINAL and are subject to change!

Download
Playing on Bullroarer requires the installation of a separate LOTRO client. Click here for the Knowledge Base article with download instructions and other very important information.

Additional notes

• The current Bullroarer installer currently refers to the Mines of Moria closed beta. Please disregard any references to the closed beta. We'll have this fixed shortly.
• After installation, the game will patch another approximately 225Mb

F.A.Q
Q. I'm a Trial account. Can I play on Bullroarer?
A. Sorry, but you must have an active LOTRO subscription in order to play on Bullroarer.

Q. When will my server get its chance?
A. Before each test cycle, we will evaluate the type of content we are testing and choose the server whose playing patterns best match the content we would like to gather data on. These decisions are not based on population, but rather criteria like raiding, PvMP, questing, and so on. We will make every attempt to make sure every server has their chance.

Q. If you only copy one server onto Bullroarer for each Book, it could be forever before my server gets chosen!
A. There may be times when we need to open Bullroarer between Books to test special content, which should speed up the rotation!



More...