LotRO.

Guy from work has been telling me that its a good game and to give it a try. So I did.

Jeez. Its WAY better than I thought. If you can ignore all the "read teh books!" idiots, +D

I just hit level 24, on an RK. I have yet to group, and have been able to get a couple levels a day (so far) without abandoning my wife, kid, or job. Dunno how end game goes yet, but from what I have seen its way ahead of WoW, and other wanna be MMOs.

WoW = time sink. I played it for 4ish years. Raided every zone with the top guild on my server right up until about last oct. when my account expired. Just decided I had had enough.

My guildie with whom i work, says that bosses drop coins/tokens that you turn in for gear. Instead of camping the same instance for months upon end to get one crappy shoulder piece.

Looking forward to end game.

Very surprised at how good its turned out to be though. Give it two thumbs up so far.

The guys in my vent server always babble about LotRO! It sounds great from what ive heard.

I've been playing atlantica lately, and its great. I can say it is the best Free MMORPG out there, with a heavy final fantasy feel without bogging it down. There are no limitations in the game, unlike some "free" mmo's where you only get a tiny part of the game. It is set back in the 1500 era world, and is mostly set in Asia/Europe. Some parts are completely out of the time period, but the game maintains the same feel throughout. Check it out.

I had a maxed out captain in there used to play, I'm tempted to take it up again just to see how the game has progressed over time, I did like it

I still play somewhat regularly after taking a break for several months back. They opened up "The Mines of Moria" so the level cap is up to 60 from 50 and you can now explore the great cave/mine empire of Durin (where the Fellowship has previously passed) and Lothlorian (Galadriel's domain). There is also a new region opened up in the north (Forochel).

What I like most about the game is how well they stick to Tolkien's lore. Tolkien made it easy for the developers because he wrote so many books detailing all the aspects, including a rich history, of Middle Earth. You get to be actively involved with the main characters in assisting them with their quest. However, it is a good game even if you are not familiar with his works. However, if you are a Lord of the Rings fan, you will find plenty of the characters in the books (and interact with many of them) and landmarks right where you would expect them.

The production values of the game are incredible (great visuals, audio, and voice acting and music). Furthermore, what few bugs are introduced are quashed quickly. There is also much less 'adjusting' of stats for skills and items (nerfing) than I have experienced in other MMOs. It's as if they actually thought out and tested the combat system before they actually implemented it.

As time goes by, more areas will open up as the fellowship proceeds from Rivendell to Mordor (moving north to the southeast).

I belong to a kinship on the Elendilmir server. Feel free to ask me questions.

I really like the lore, probably read the series 10+ times at this point.

Do they have a refer-a-friend system where I can try it out for free and someone gets a month's credit if I stay or something?

edit: Oh yeah. Did they keep Tom Bombadil? I still haven't seen the movies because I heard they dropped him.

It's p2p and no levels and everything, just fighting, rright? If yes then it's not interesting i think.

PC Gamer or MaximumPC recently declared this as one of the best MMOs to get in as it has a longer life expectancy. I think that, WoW (obviously) and Warhammer were the top choices.

ratbuddy said:

I really like the lore, probably read the series 10+ times at this point.

Do they have a refer-a-friend system where I can try it out for free and someone gets a month's credit if I stay or something?

edit: Oh yeah. Did they keep Tom Bombadil? I still haven't seen the movies because I heard they dropped him.

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There is a refer a friend promotion:

http://www.lotro.com/news/442-refer-a-friend-and-earn-free-game-time

I would be happy to sponsor you. However, as I have a lifetime subscription, 'extra' game time does me no good. If you have a friend that pays a monthly fee, you would be doing them a service. If you can find no one else, drop me a PM.

Oh, yeah--Tom Bombadil is there (even though he didn't, in fact, make it in Peter Jackson's rendition) and he has a quest for you as well. Even content from the Hobbit is in there.

mbigna said:

There is a refer a friend promotion:

http://www.lotro.com/news/442-refer-a-friend-and-earn-free-game-time

I would be happy to sponsor you. However, as I have a lifetime subscription, 'extra' game time does me no good. If you have a friend that pays a monthly fee, you would be doing them a service. If you can find no one else, drop me a PM.

Oh, yeah--Tom Bombadil is there (even though he didn't, in fact, make it in Peter Jackson's rendition) and he has a quest for you as well. Even content from the Hobbit is in there.

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How does one get a lifetime subscription

newn said:

It's p2p and no levels and everything, just fighting, rright? If yes then it's not interesting i think.

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I'm not quite sure of the question you asked--lost in translation, perhaps.

There is no Player vs. Player in LOTRO. All player characters are among the "Free Peoples" of Middle Earth and as such are not allowed to fight each other. Allowing otherwise would be against Tolkien canon.

There is, however, Player vs. Monster Player available in one area (the Ettenmoors) where large scale battles can occur. But they are free peoples (player characters) against players taking on monsters' persona. The player monsters can gain levels and abilities, but player monsters can only exist in the Ettenmoors.

While I'm not sure what you mean my 'no levels,' players earn levels and monsters have levels (just like in WoW).

Oh, i tought it's just some kind like Lord of the Rings Conquest. Sorry for tht. Anyways, it's p2p, but sounds interesting. Quests, leveling, just like WoW, but with history well known movie. Yea, i like those series.

newn said:

just like WoW, but with history well known movie.

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I think they had a book or something too

Metallica said:

How does one get a lifetime subscription

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When the game was launched, they offered a lifetime subscription for $200. They also offered "Founder's" accounts initially that got you a few extra perks (some buff items, a ring, a cloak, and a token that allowed you to acquire a horse at level 25 instead of 35 for everyone else).

At the one-year anniversary, Turbine offered the lifetime account again, but at $300. I do not know if there is a current lifetime offer being made as I wasn't able to find anything but the $10/month offer going on right now on the LOTRO site.

Don't like books much.