ZAM's Lord of the Rings ContestFollow

I have been playing LotRO for almost two years, and still enjoy every aspect of gameplay. The best feature of the game in my view is the small amount of focus applied to the PvP aspects. There are many online games out there that focus mostly on PvP with some PvE thrown in, but Turbine has steered away from that, and created a game where its not all about how many times you can crush another player.

The crafting is not complicated, nor is it really simple. There are interdependencies in the crafting materials, and you can make alternate characters to supply you, or make friends with people who have complimentary crafting professions for the materials.

I think that these two components help the community to be one of the best out of all the games I have previously played.

The combat models are middle of the road, and the classes are still separate and each has a role in any group. Overall I think it is a well done game, and there are no "game breaking" problems in my opinion. I look forward to future content, and a continuation of the journey.

I started playing LOTRO shortly after it came out, a few years ago after being disappointed with WOW and the community there. I loved having a game with the elements I enjoyed in WoW, but with a better community, and a plot I could really enjoy. I came to love the game more and more with each new update. The new areas that came, like Evendim were wonderful to explore. LOTRO got me through some rough times. I ended up losing my job, my computer fried, and I cancelled my subscription to cover the costs. I have missed the game greatly since. Now I am eager to return and explore the mines of Moria...

I'm in my first month of LOTRO. I played WoW a for a couple of years and I think LOTRO is a great game to transition into from WoW. Lag in the game occurs far less than the constant lag I've experienced with WoW (the primary reason that I left). I think some portions of the game could use some work, primarily the quest tracker and instance count, but Turbine seems quite dedicated to expanding the game and its features. I've had to deal with customer service already, with an account related issue, and I was very impressed. WoW customer service was horrid the entire time I played that game. I honestly can say that I will be playing LOTRO for a long time to come =)

I am an avid fan of the Tolkien series of books. I have been playing LOTRO since the initial beta test. The game has progressed enormously since it started and the graphics and backgrounds are everything you could want them to be. I like how I can pretty much explore almost everything west of Moria. I am looking forward to them opening up Rohan.

Overall, I enjoy the game given what little time I have to play. I work 2 jobs and spend the other 4 hours a week playing LOTRO. The differing classes especially the new Warden and Rune Keeper classes have really stirred up my passion for playing the game. There are still a few gotchas that you have to try and work around, like hidden people to finish quests and hard to find locations. I have really enjoyed the Faires that get set up quarterly also. They make things a lot more fun instead of the daily grind.

I am trying to save up enough money to buy my best friend a copy so he can play online with me. He can't afford the game since he is taking care of three kids as a single father.

I hope Turbine keeps up the good work and keeps the great quality coming.
-Shawn

I love the Lord of the Rings Online!!!
What I like: First being able to tool about Middle Earth, I cannot believe how great the graphics are. I am a new gamer so I do not have a depth of experience but I think the classes are good, the playability is good, I like the crafting and I like the fishing. I love being able to own a house in Middle Earth and decorate it. I mostly play solo, but the fellowships are pretty cool. I really think they have done a great job.
I would also add that the players by and large seem to be pretty classy. There are a few followers of Sauron in the game, but most are kind and polite. I have heard that WOW is not like that.

What I do not like: I find the pvp part too chaotic, though I do understand the draw and I think it is good that it is an aspect. I do not like that you constantly get attacked everywhere including Lorien, which leads me to my game wish list.

I almost wish they had a server for people who are more interested in experience Middle Earth than the competing part. Maybe one you could transfer a character to. Where the mobs are more sparse and in logical places not everywhere.
I would like to see other hobbies, though to be honest I am not sure what maybe canoeing.
I really wish they would build Mithlond (the Grey Havens)and maybe a little of the shores of Lindon, maybe even allow Elven characters to retire by sailing to the West. I would love to stand on the shore and just look out at the Belegaer (the sea).

All in all the game is awesome!

I love Lord of the Rings Online! I've recently started playing and I gotta say it's one of the best MMO's I've ever played. The PvE is great, and the crafting is wonderful!

I have only been playing Lord of The Rings Online for a mounth now.But its by far the best game i've played in a long time. Weather you are makeing bios for your chars or running an instance u will be haveing fun with it. Before i found Lord Of The Rings i was playing World of Warcraft and i have droped my chars there and fell in love with all the possable options u have with Lord Of The Rings Online from the professions to the deeds that can improve your char its got so much to do that you can never say that you have nothing to do. On one last note i highly recomend that anyone that has not already tryed lord of the rings online do and i hope to see you there.

I played LOTRO during its Beta testing, and for 3 or 4 months after its release. I recently jumped back into it a little bit, with their "play with your expired account" promotion (to try to get the older crowd to come back and buy the expansion). I still have the same problem I had when I quit: it's not a game meant for solo play. When I first started, I had a friend (one friend) who also played LOTRO, in Beta, etc. We made dwarves together (I made a guardian, he made a champion) -- and life was good. Then he got busy with work... was able to play less and less, and as we got to about level 20, when we needed to group up, we both wound up giving up on it (especially since the semester was about to start up again).

So jumping back in with my old characters was short-lived. I still can't solo with them in an enjoyable manner.

What I did do was make a free trial account (temp. account) and test out the new Runekeeper and Warden classes. I really like both of them, and they each seem like they can solo somewhat better (well, as well as my Hunter and my Minstrel used to) ... but so little of the content has changed, that I can "helpfully" remember all of the quests from levels 1 to 10 that all of my old characters went through. That "deja vu" feeling sort of kills it for me, as well. The new classes are new "flavor" which is nice, but I can't stand going through the "kill X of creature-type Y" quests all over again.

Just my 2 silver pieces...

- JtW

There are many things I adore about LOTRO, but two things really stand out for me.

MIDDLE-EARTH
One of the things I instantly realised from playing the game is that it almost perfectly recreates Tolkien's world without feeling more like a movie than a game. When travelling through The Shire, I stopped MANY times because I recognised places from the books and movies. From Bag End and it's snobby neighbour, Lobelia Sackville-Baggins, to things like Maggot's farm. And it doesn't stop there! I remember the first time I travelled to Rivendell. Walking along a long dirt-road, I come across a small creek, cutting straight across, and then a steep hill on the other side of the creek. As soon as I saw it, I recognised it from the first of Peter Jackson's LOTR movies as the place where Arwen, while carrying a sick and dying Frodo, is being chased by Black Riders and calls upon the magnificent 'Water Stallions' to stop the Riders in their tracks. I was really amazed that Turbine could recreate it so well for me to instantly recognise it. They have created a beautiful world, from the great view of Rivendell to the frosty wastelands of Forochel (which are completely breathtaking at night), LOTRO's environment is more than I could ever ask of an MMORPG.

SOCIETY
The second thing I'd like to mention is that LOTRO has an amazing society of players and staff. LOTRO has an amazing society, unmatched by any MMORPG I've ever played before. First off, I was able to join a Kin really quickly and easily. They didn't reject me because of my (at-the-time) low level, and they were all perfectly friendly towards me. Only yesterday, a person in my kin whom I had never spoken to before inspected me to see my gear, then crafted and mailed me some better items without me even asking. That's what should be had from a kin, a group of people who are willing to waste time and effort in order to help those you need it. I've also come across some really good friends that, for example, gave me a stack of Medium Hides for my crafting where he and I both knew he could sell them at the Auction House for a reasonable price. But it's not all about money or gear, it's also about caring for the well-being of others. The other day, I'd fought my way into an orc camp for a quest. I saw the orc I had to kill, but he was an elite, so I wasn't sure I could take him on alone. Confidently, I tried to fight him, but quickly realised that if I kept it up, I would surely die. Trying to escape, I ran back where I had come from and noticed another player, a minstrel. Without me saying anything, he noticed I was almost dead, so he started healing me as well as he could, making sure I didn't die. I noticed the healing, so I turned back to fight the orc and managed to kill it solely because this stranger had decided to help.


Thank you, Turbine, for creating such a wonderful game, and thank you, LOTRO players, for being the awesome people you are. It is really appreciated,
-Jamesuyt/Frumm/Haelandir
Australian Gods of War

I started playing LOTRO in late 2008 before the Moria expansion. I have a strong background in MMOs and gaming so I have certain expectations. LOTRO met and exceeded many of those expectations brilliantly but it's not a perfect game, no game is. The thing that impressed me the most about LOTRO and still does is it's improvement.

I will break down the game into several areas and give my opinion:

Graphics: Graphically this game is polished and the graphics are done quite well. It's not Crysis quality but the textures, environment and effects are definitely nice and enjoyable.

Sound: Sound wise the game is better then average but you can definitely tell that the game makers used the same person to make many of the npc voices. I think the voice acting is done from Neelix from Star Trek Voyager. This is mainly in the Human starting zones so it's not a big deal really but you will notice that the tavern has the same atmospheric sounds and so on. You can play instruments in the game and link them with abc files to play your favorite tunes in game. Think Hobbits playing Pantera.

Controls: Standard mmorpg here. If you've played WoW then you know what it's about. Keyboard and mouse used for playing. I bought a number pad I could plug into my USB port and remapped the keys so I play with my hands to the side of the monitor. Works out better but they did great with what they have to work with.

Difficulty: Varies, if you actually know what your doing and play in a sane manner you will find it just right. If you find it too easy at times just fight higher level mobs and vice versa.

Replayability: Tons, if you get sick of playing it's because you've played it too much and not because you ran out of things too do. It's an all you can eat buffet of gaming.

Immersion: Very good, solid world built on the framework of the master storytelling of Tolken. The atmospheres and sounds really add to the ambiance of everything.

Housing/Crafting: Crafting is enjoyable and not overly complicated but so far the crafted items like weapons and armor are not worth the effort compared with dungeon and quest rewards. I craft for the enjoyment and in case it becomes more useful in the future but as of now it's not really worth it to craft most things. Housing is nice and adds a personal touch to the game but I find that I don't really go to my personal or kinship (guild) house unless I make a point to do it. You can personalize your house by decorating however you want but are limited by the number of slots you have.

Group: Many classes but you still get stuck in the needing to get a group to do certain content. This has been one of my main frustrations because often there is a need for one class who is in demand, usually a healer. You'll most likely spend some time looking for others to join your group (fellowship) so you can get that piece of armor or whatever your going for.

Solo: Lots of solo content to keep the casual gamer busy. You can create 7 characters on each server and even if you max them all out you can continue to earn xp to level up your legendary weapon/items that grow in power.

Raid: New content coming out at frequent intervals. On my server most Kinships (guilds) are not taking full advantage of the available raids due to difficulty and getting geared up.

Size: World is big and getting bigger all the time. They are releasing parts of the game world bit by bit and so far were not even 1/3 into the size of the LOTR world from the movies. I really wish I had a faster horse.

PVE: In my opinion the best I've played in a long time.

PVP: What I call the achilles heel of LOTRO. There is monster play where you can play as evil character and it's done in an interesting and creative way. Once you reach level 10 you can enter into monster play and pick any of the available monster classes. The monster classes are max level but are pretty weak for their level. There is currently one zone (The Ettenmoors) where you can play at and there you can fight the free peoples (good aligned character). You can get what is called Destiny points that can upgrade your character with more abilities, stats and so on. 200 Destiny points are gained by you good characters for every level past 10 but you can earn them like exp by playing a monster and killing things/doing quests. There is talk about them opening up more zones in the future but it's anemic at this point for sure. Also, there is no instancing like a capture the flag 10 vs 10 or anything like that so when you do go the the Ettenmoors you spend most of your time either running away or too creatures. Kinda boring.

Future: I am excited about the positive changes I've seen so far in LOTRO and am going to stick with it for now. I consider it one of if not the best online games at the moment but they have to make some serious changes in the future or they will get buried in the graveyard of obsolete mmos.

Edited, Jul 17th 2009 12:08am by BrianAhn

I've been playing LotRO since last year. I didn't play sisnce the realease 'cause I didnt know there was a MMO of the Tolkien's series (most because I didn't used to play much online games :( ). The reason I still play this incrediable game, is because the graphics, so rich and so beatiful, and the fantastic story it has. Of course, the community is great,nice people there. Despite the fact of no-new content for beginners (such new lands), I keep creating new characters jsut to know about the classes. By the way, I have to say the dev team did a great job on the PVP system, bringing it to the LotR world something the make sense. We, fans, didn't want see elfves figthin against hobbits or dwarves... XD

Hello. :)
A couple years ago, I got handed this box that said "Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar" by a friend that wanted me to try it out. I had never ever played an MMO before and was quite hesitant. After creating my character and taking an hour to think of a name..I started my journey in Archet. I was in awe of the detail..the swaying grass, the music, the fact that I recognized certain npc's...the whole area of Bree just astounded me and I must have taken 200-300 screenies before my toon hit level 10! Although I enjoyed the game and the detail...I fell in love with the game when I started exploring The Shire, Ered Luin...then I got invited to go to the Great Barrows. "Sure! Why not!" That was the BEST 2 hours of my life! LOL. (Although it seems funny to me now at level 60, at level 17 it was quite the challenge!) Seriously, that was my first real group experience and thank GAWD I was a hunter because I literally just pew pewed without thinking..lol.

So it's been a couple years later and I've been to Fornost, killed big turtle and her little babies in Evendim, Uru, Carn Dum, The Rift and in Moria from The Grand Stair to Dark Delvings to The Turtle to The Watcher and the detail in the game still fills me with awe. I've built meaningful friendships in game that have entended outside of the game. Turbine has opened up a whole new world for me. I have tried other MMO's which I will not mentioned but I will say that none have held my interest like LotRO. Even when I get burned out, I still log in to craft or mine or to simply touch base with friends.

I look forward to all that Turbine has in store for it's subscribers in the future! You have a lifetime member in me!