Lord of the Rings Online

[Neon_Chaos]

They have it here...

LOTRO Free to Play Plan Comparison (http://www.lotro.com/betasignup/vipchart.html)

[chesapeake]

I am actually optimistic about this. There is no lack of mature, friendly guilds in the game, and it never has been a game that would appeal much to the do0dz. I think this will be good for repopulating the lower ranks and making the group quests at lower levels viable again.

[Peregrine]

That part I do agree with chesapeake, but we'll just have to see. It's a great game and a lot of fun - I'd be glad to play with some FOFC folks once it goes F2P, I can make a new character or whatever. I'm not a big fan of some of their decisions with the various F2P levels, but I guess people will have to make up their own minds about it.

[Matthean]

Well, the single character slot per server for a free account is rather limiting to say the least. It will be easy to become a premium account and that opens up to 3 per server which is decent. Not sure how many slots I would need. I think CoH kind of cured me of making too many alts. :lol: Still likely see what it's like to get a level 20 in DDO and then maybe move over. I commit to nothing considering DCUO, TOR, and GW2 are all coming out and at least two of the three have no sub after you buy the game. No clue on TOR as of yet.

[Neon_Chaos]

Well, the single character slot per server for a free account is rather limiting to say the least. It will be easy to become a premium account and that opens up to 3 per server which is decent. Not sure how many slots I would need. I think CoH kind of cured me of making too many alts. :lol: Still likely see what it's like to get a level 20 in DDO and then maybe move over. I commit to nothing considering DCUO, TOR, and GW2 are all coming out and at least two of the three have no sub after you buy the game. No clue on TOR as of yet.

CoH was alt heaven!

[Greyroofoo]

Has the "need to pay for" stuff already been listed?

You're probably going to have to start paying money at around lvl 20 or so. Unless you're happy walking around Eriador grinding boars.

[Schmidty]

I played LOTR for a while, but I'm sticking with DnD, as it feels more exciting and interesting to play.

[DaddyTorgo]

That part I do agree with chesapeake, but we'll just have to see. It's a great game and a lot of fun - I'd be glad to play with some FOFC folks once it goes F2P, I can make a new character or whatever. I'm not a big fan of some of their decisions with the various F2P levels, but I guess people will have to make up their own minds about it.

Yeah - it'd be a ball to play with some FOFC folks.

[Thomkal]

If you played the FreetoPlay beta and/or (I think) were a one-time paying customer of LOTRO, the Free to Play Head Start has begun in advance of the regular Free to Play starting this Friday. So if you've played before, the new Free to Play is available to you now.

[Apathetic Lurker]

If you played the FreetoPlay beta and/or (I think) were a one-time paying customer of LOTRO, the Free to Play Head Start has begun in advance of the regular Free to Play starting this Friday. So if you've played before, the new Free to Play is available to you now.

Yes...He is correct..playing now

[Neon_Chaos]

Yes...He is correct..playing now

How is it? :)

[Mustang]

I commit to nothing considering DCUO, TOR, and GW2 are all coming out and at least two of the three have no sub after you buy the game. No clue on TOR as of yet.

I'm usually pretty good with abbreviations, but what are DCUO, TOR and GW2?

[tyketime]

DCUO = DC Universe Online

TOR = The Old Republic (Star Wars)

GW2 = Guild Wars 2

All highly anticipated MMO's coming out "soon".

[mrkilla22]

I know when the game came out we had an FOFC guild. Is it still around?

[Apathetic Lurker]

How is it? :)

Good..I prefer the old way but its probably just that i'm not used to it......Waiting for the inevitable Noob invasion on friday

[Peregrine]

Any idea what server people want to play on if they're joining the F2P? I've heard there are a lot of new servers, as well as the older ones. I have characters on Landroval and Arkenstone.

[Thomkal]

F2P only allows two characters/server, so may not want to start on a server if you have characters there already. I would say one of the four new servers (Imlardis, Crickhollow, Dwarrowdelf, or Riddermark) would be best to give us maximum alt char flexibility

[Greyroofoo]

I vote Crickhollow because it's the most hobbity name.

[Schmidty]

Ok, I'm downloading this again. I know what I think about DDO, and want to give a fair shot to LOTR.

[Neon_Chaos]

What server do you guys think should be place where us FOFCers should congregate on?

[tyketime]

I have (had?) a Lifetime Membership. I signed into my server (Elendilmir) Tuesday night (since I qualified for the "Head Start"). I had to wait 7-8 minutes to get logged in even though I supposedly have the highest priority login access. I am not looking forward to the expected crush beginning today if that was any indication.

It will be nice to have more players for questing fellowships, but I hope they scale the servers accordingly.

[Apathetic Lurker]

F2P only allows two characters/server, so may not want to start on a server if you have characters there already. I would say one of the four new servers (Imlardis, Crickhollow, Dwarrowdelf, or Riddermark) would be best to give us maximum alt char flexibility


But if you are a paying customer you get your full allotment of toons.

[Apathetic Lurker]

They have it here...

LOTRO Free to Play Plan Comparison (http://www.lotro.com/betasignup/vipchart.html)

I believe its outdated...I have a lvl 60 on Brandywine and a 59 on Landroval so I know the 50 level cap is off.... I also have full complement of toons on both servers and it is not capped at 5..Shared bank? Automatic....

But it might be that you need the Mirkwood and Moria expansion to get these but I doubt it...

[Apathetic Lurker]

[QUOTE=tyketime;2345189]I have (had?) a Lifetime Membership. I signed into my server (Elendilmir) Tuesday night (since I qualified for the "Head Start"). I had to wait 7-8 minutes to get logged in even though I supposedly have the highest priority login access. I am not looking forward to the expected crush beginning today if that was any indication.

It will be nice to have more players for questing fellowships, but I hope they scale the servers accordingly.[/QUO

Everyone in head start wanted to jump in so there is no priority login till the Noob deluge. After all, we are all in the same boat..We will have priority over the F2P crowd

[tyketime]

Everyone in head start wanted to jump in so there is no priority login till the Noob deluge. After all, we are all in the same boat.

LOL... good point!

[Thomkal]

But if you are a paying customer you get your full allotment of toons.

Yes yes, but I assume many of us will be f2p, so will have limits on characters. I could care less which server really, but just thought that bore some consideration.

[Neon_Chaos]

I believe its outdated...I have a lvl 60 on Brandywine and a 59 on Landroval so I know the 50 level cap is off.... I also have full complement of toons on both servers and it is not capped at 5..Shared bank? Automatic....

But it might be that you need the Mirkwood and Moria expansion to get these but I doubt it...

The footnotes at the bottom of the page, as indicated by * and ** :


* Purchasers of the Mines of Moria™ expansion get access to the Mines of Moria region and content, premium classes (Rune-Keeper and Warden), legendary items feature, Tier 6 crafting feature, 2 extra character slots and a level cap of 60. Purchasers of the Siege of Mirkwood™ expansion get access to the Siege of Mirkwood region and content, a level cap of 65 and the Siege of Mirkwood skirmishes.

** Purchasers of the LOTRO Adventurer's Pack get 2 extra character slots and 20 slots of shared bank storage across all characters on the same servers.


I am assuming that if you previously have owned the Expansion and the Adventurer's Pack, the footnotes apply.

[Apathetic Lurker]

The footnotes at the bottom of the page, as indicated by * and ** :



I am assuming that if you previously have owned the Expansion and the Adventurer's Pack, the footnotes apply.



I just refuse to read footnotes...

[chesapeake]

I still regularly play on Landroval, so my preference would be to play there. Since I am still a paying customer, I have character slots available. For whatever reason, I have never suffered from alt-itis on this game like I did with EQ and DAOC. My burglar and I have had an intimate love affair for three years now. And I don't care who knows it! :)

[DataKing]

I too have an established character on Landroval (level 63 dwarven guardian). I haven't played much at all in recent months, but these changes have me considering it again. And if course I'd be more than willing to help out any up-and-coming FOFCers with free armor (supreme master metalworker and grand master tailor).

[chesapeake]

And I am happy to bang together any weapons noobs may want on Landroval. I haven't topped out my supreme skills, but I am a master at all the levels before that.

[DaddyTorgo]

Maybe I should jump on this...hmm

[Scoobz0202]

I'll hopping on sometime tomorrow I'd assume. If not, probably Monday for sure.

[tyketime]

My first set of alts are on Landroval. I have a Level 60ish Hunter, and a number of other ones. I'm all for jumping into a FOFC group too. I hadn't played in a number of months, so I decided to create new characters on Elendilmir to go through it all again. I have a Level 40ish Warden and a Level 32 Runekeeper there.

[mrkilla22]

Did we have a consensus on which server to play on yet?

[mrkilla22]

I've created a Champion named Anairyl on the Landroval server.

[mrkilla22]

What are everyone's character names on Landroval?

[DataKing]

Thofur Grimhelm

[Apathetic Lurker]

unlike others here, I love my alts..They pretty much stay in Bree in the bank filling up their bags with my ill-gotten loot.......

[chesapeake]

My main is Cordas Goodfields, Master Burglar, at your service.

[Schmidty]

What classes do we need? Sounds like there are enough Burglars already.

[Peregrine]

If we're going to be playing on Landroval, it would be nice to have a guild. I have several characters on the server:

Khaurin, 26 Dwarf Minstrel
Ledia, 30 Hobbit Guardian
Marheth, 23 Elf Warden
Elliel, 18 Woman Burglar

[Peregrine]

Actually I discovered that buying a kinship charter is quite cheap - any ideas on a FOFC Kinship name?

[Scoobz0202]

What file do you download to play for free. I downloaded one earlier this week but Im having trouble geting it set up. Might just try and redownload it. Id like to get it setup before tomorrow.

I downloaded LOTRO-Stdres

[mrkilla22]

I think there are two files you can download...one for standard graphics and one for high res graphics. They both should be available on the LOTRO website.

[Scoobz0202]

Yea. I got the standard one. I'm having all kinds of fun with the install. From blue screen, to the game just not opening. I got the turbine launcher to open and its installing updates so after that I'll see if the lotro file opens.

[Apathetic Lurker]

Yea. I got the standard one. I'm having all kinds of fun with the install. From blue screen, to the game just not opening. I got the turbine launcher to open and its installing updates so after that I'll see if the lotro file opens.

Turn off your AUL or whatever its called..worked for me....

[Scoobz0202]

I got the updates.

What do you guys open when you play? The Turbine launcher takes me to a login screen. If I click "lotroclient" in the progam files screen I get an error that pops up.

Game Error[205]

The game client was passed invalid command-line parameters.[205]

[DataKing]

I am the leader and sole active member of a Rank 10 (max) guild on Landroval, The Ravenhill Pact. The others are all mains and alts of friends and family members that no longer play (some for years). Any from FOFC that wish to join me are welcome.

I've attached a brief history of The Pact. Keep in mind as you read it that this was written when the game was originally launched, and naturally the storyline has progressed somewhat since then.

[DaddyTorgo]

man - we got lots of players here - i'll have to get goin on this shit

[Greyroofoo]

Samkin is my main on landroval

[Neon_Chaos]

They've updated the F2P faq:

The Lord of the Rings Online - Play for Free! (http://www.lotro.com/free.php)

F2Pers now get 2 character slots per server, Premiums get 3.

[Schmidty]

Since I bought the game back in the day, shouldn't I get a premium membership? That's what they did in DnD.

[Thomkal]

I have created a Human Captain named Kalloran on Landroval. Is there any place we should be looking to meet up?

If you are looking for a character class to play, we may need Minstrels if you're the sort who likes to be a healer.

[chesapeake]

I have a dwarven minstrel leveled into the teens on Landroval. I also have other low level characters on the server -- a level 10 or so hunter named Ranulff; Uldarion, a mid-teens Elven Champ; and Fordryth, a level 6 warden I created last night. I am happy to slot into whatever the group happens to need.

[Schmidty]

I've been trying to get on since last night, but every time I log in, all of the world servers are down. I haven't even been able to get in once. Is this happening to others, or is my own issue?

[chesapeake]

I got in last night without a problem, but I am a current subscriber.

[Thomkal]

I got in this morning when I was playing no problem

[Schmidty]

Yeah, I don't understand what the problem is. It's really annoying. I can't find anything to solve it so far.

[Thomkal]

I'd post on their forum board then and see if someone can help.

[Schmidty]

I can't even ask for help on the forums since I don't have a subscription. I might have to give up on this one. :(

[chesapeake]

I am the leader and sole active member of a Rank 10 (max) guild on Landroval, The Ravenhill Pact. The others are all mains and alts of friends and family members that no longer play (some for years). Any from FOFC that wish to join me are welcome.

I've attached a brief history of The Pact. Keep in mind as you read it that this was written when the game was originally launched, and naturally the storyline has progressed somewhat since then.

I like the backstory and this looks like a good option for us to use as an FOFC guild. Does anyone have any objections? If not, I'll look for Thofur online this weekend.

[mrkilla22]

I like the backstory and this looks like a good option for us to use as an FOFC guild. Does anyone have any objections? If not, I'll look for Thofur online this weekend.

Sounds like a good choice to me. :)

[Schmidty]

As a last resort, I created a new account, and now I can get on. Kind of sucks because I would have liked to use one of my old characters. Oh well. At least I can play now.

[Thomkal]

As a last resort, I created a new account, and now I can get on. Kind of sucks because I would have liked to use one of my old characters. Oh well. At least I can play now.

Hmm that is weird. But glad you got in regardless. I will be on shortly with my Captain Kalloran

[DaddyTorgo]

Oh boy - if we have a guild now I'll have to get my ass into this shizzle.

[Thomkal]

Of course after saying I've had no problems, took a long time to load the launcher, then was in the queue, then got told Landroval was down. :( Lots of people must be trying to play

[DataKing]

For those interested in joining The Ravenhill Pact, just shoot me a PM here or an in-game mail with the names of the characters you would like to join with, and I'll be sure to send you an invite as soon as I can. My availability this weekend will be limited (between work and football), but I should be on for at least a little bit this evening and hopefully on Saturday afternoon.

[Neon_Chaos]

Just got out of the Intro with Adanthadriel, lvl 6 Elf Hunter.

[Matthean]

I forgot to download this when I was asleep. I'll try to do it when I go to sleep tonight at the latest. I'm probably doing some online gaming today and would prefer to not have a massive download going on in the background.

[thealmighty]

Problem...

I can't set up an account. On the LotRO page, on the right, is the sign-up thing, but when I try, the whole application stays in that little area. I can't see/read what I'm doing, even with tabbibg.

Even when I think I have it all filled-in and actually type the words in so it advances, when I hit submit it just starts me over.

Is it my system or is it theirs? Anyone know what I can try (already have the game downloaded)? When I try to sign-up from the game load screen, it takes me to the same LotRO site with the problem...pissing me off royally.

tyvm

[Greyroofoo]

I've been having problems with my account as well. I tried to re-subscribe to lotro and it threw me an error.

Guess Turbine doesn't want my money...

[Apathetic Lurker]

Well, considering everybody and their grandmother are clamoring to get on and the lines remind me of ration lines under martial law in Poland, I am not surprised you have problems getting re-upped..Include the fact that the EU servers are not up and all those Europeans are banging on the LOTRO door trying to get their fix. Teething problems will probably last another week. Yesterday it wouldnt accept my password the first 6 times, then I had to wait....

I have a line of 27 in front of me as I write this

edit: Got hung up on the loading screen to Landroval..Had to kick out and try again.......

[Matthean]

I chuckled at them saying it's 3-6 hours to download the standard version and they don't say anything about the higher graphics version. Yeah, gonna be a while downloading this. :lol:

[RomaGoth]

I was a founder but lost my account and password, so I started up a new subscription a couple of years ago. I played a little off and on, but never leveled anyone really high.

I have some toons on Brandywine and Landroval, mid-teens I think.

[Fidatelo]

I created an account this morning and played briefly (level 3 I think). I did the same with DDO yesterday. As a former WoW player, I'm not sure I get why I would play either of these games over WoW? What are the differentiators, if any? LotRO did seem better than DDO, at least.

[Schmidty]

I've been off and on a lot tonight, and should be on quite a bit tomorrow. The character I'm playing is named Kelann.

[Greyroofoo]

I've been having problems with my account as well. I tried to re-subscribe to lotro and it threw me an error.

Guess Turbine doesn't want my money...

I tried it again and subscribed successfully. I don't if it's just because I waited or I used IE instead of firefox.

[GrantDawg]

I created an account this morning and played briefly (level 3 I think). I did the same with DDO yesterday. As a former WoW player, I'm not sure I get why I would play either of these games over WoW? What are the differentiators, if any? LotRO did seem better than DDO, at least.


I'm going backward as I played LOTRO for three years, and now am playing WOW. I can tell you chiefly the three things that are improvements in Lotro over wow; graphics, storyline and ease of play.

Graphics in Wow are goofy, and something I'm just working on ignoring. Lotro still isn't the best graphics of any MMO, but are vastly superior to Wow. The Tolkien storyline is sort of an unfair advantage considering I grew up reading Lotr at least once a year every year since I was 12. Gameplay wise, there is a learning curve but not nearly as steep as Wow. It really is pretty simple for a mmo, from combat to crafting and even raiding.

Are those reason big enough for you to leave WoW? IDK. The main reason I saw people came to Lotro from Wow was because there was a more mature player base in Lotro. 99% of the people were friendly and helpful, and though you got a few idiots that would spam public chat, it was never anywhere near as bad as what you see in Wow. FTP shoots that in the foot hard. That, the lies to the paying player base ("oh no, we are not going to ftp. Keep paying us monthly and buying the upgrades."), lack of new content for months as they first move DDO to ftp, then transform this game whole claiming they weren't. And the complete lack of need for ftp (it was a healthty, thriving community. There were many servers, no server shut downs. There were even waits on log-in times on the larger servers every time they realeased new content. The long, dead periods between new content is what was hurting them).

I was in the second/third largest guild on our server. We are almost to a man now in Wow, with the few only looking in Lotro because the were lifetime susbscribers.

[Matthean]

Fianlly got the beast downloaded and had to scale back the graphics to high because very high was making my PC crawl.

Morticane, level 3. It's the controller type class. I need to make an archer and even if I got more slots I wouldn't need them.

[Matthean]

Fianlly got the beast downloaded and had to scale back the graphics to high because very high was making my PC crawl.

Morticane, level 3. It's the controller type class. I need to make an archer and even if I got more slots I wouldn't need them.

Morticane, Lore-Master, is now up to level 5. Gamiel, Hunter, is at level 4. I like the different starting points, but it's going to make it harder to team up early on. The good news is leveling seems rather quick so far.

How do you get a basic mount though? It says you can get one at level 5 and yet I've seen no option for one.

[Neon_Chaos]

Morticane, Lore-Master, is now up to level 5. Gamiel, Hunter, is at level 4. I like the different starting points, but it's going to make it harder to team up early on. The good news is leveling seems rather quick so far.

How do you get a basic mount though? It says you can get one at level 5 and yet I've seen no option for one.

You need to purchase the riding skill from the lotto store. From there, you buy a horse in Bree.

[Greyroofoo]

Morticane, Lore-Master, is now up to level 5. Gamiel, Hunter, is at level 4. I like the different starting points, but it's going to make it harder to team up early on.

It's really not hard to team up early on as each starting location has a nearby swift-travel to the other starting areas. Although for some reason the devs decided not to include Combe in this network (but available to subscribers), though West Bree isn't too far away from Combe.

[DataKing]

If anyone's looking for an invite to the Ravenhill Pact, I'm going to be lingering with Thofur on there for at least part of the night...send me a shout.

[Schmidty]

If anyone's looking for an invite to the Ravenhill Pact, I'm going to be lingering with Thofur on there for at least part of the night...send me a shout.

I probably will later on.

Like I said before, I don't "talk" much because I suck at typing.

[chesapeake]

I must get on later than you do, DK, because I haven't found you when I've been on the last several days. I'm usually on after about 9:30 EST, although I won't be tonight. I'll try and hook up on Thurs.

[Neon_Chaos]

If anyone's looking for an invite to the Ravenhill Pact, I'm going to be lingering with Thofur on there for at least part of the night...send me a shout.

Did you receive my PM, DK? :)

[Neon_Chaos]

As a side note...

SO MUCH RUNNING....

[chesapeake]

They now give you access to a horse at 5 and then the full speed horse at 20. You used to have to wait until 30.

[Neon_Chaos]

They now give you access to a horse at 5 and then the full speed horse at 20. You used to have to wait until 30.

Yep. But you have to purchase the Riding Skill.

[Matthean]

Morticane, Lore-Master, is now up to level 5. Gamiel, Hunter, is at level 4. I like the different starting points, but it's going to make it harder to team up early on. The good news is leveling seems rather quick so far.

How do you get a basic mount though? It says you can get one at level 5 and yet I've seen no option for one.

Gamiel is 7 and on the final part of the intro. Found some things I didn't like, ie where quest can be done in the open so people can fight over the same targets. More annoying when uniques are involved. CoH still remains the best MMO I've played, but this is still decent.

[chesapeake]

Gamiel is 7 and on the final part of the intro. Found some things I didn't like, ie where quest can be done in the open so people can fight over the same targets. More annoying when uniques are involved. CoH still remains the best MMO I've played, but this is still decent.

This will become less and less of a problem over the course of the next few weeks, I expect, just like having to wait in long queues to log into servers. For the moment, I'd recommend just sending a tell to others that appear to be seeking the same unique mob and entering a short-term fellowship.

[DataKing]

Did you receive my PM, DK? :)

I did, but we have to be online at the same time for me to invite you to the Kinship. You and Chesapeake both still have invites coming, if we can get our timing down.

And honestly, I haven't been around all that much lately. Oral surgery hasn't left me in much of a mood for gaming. :(

[DataKing]

Lore note: Tomorrow (September 22nd) is Bilbo and Frodo's birthday.

I'm not sure if the LOTRO folks have anything planned this year, but in years past they've had special quests, events, and such. Keep your eyes and ears open.

[tyketime]

Lore note: Tomorrow (September 22nd) is Bilbo and Frodo's birthday.

I'm not sure if the LOTRO folks have anything planned this year, but in years past they've had special quests, events, and such. Keep your eyes and ears open.

Cool! Thanks for the heads up. I will close Civ 5 just long enough to check my characters in Middle Earth. I just pinged 37 with my Runekeeper!

[DataKing]

Save yourselves a trip. I went to Rivendell to wish them both a happy birthday, but there's nothing special. :(

[Neuqua]

Is there a free trial or something with this game? I haven't played an MMO since Star Wars Galaxies beta, but have some free time over the next month or so.

[Thomkal]

Neuqua the game itself is free to play, so you can just go their website and download it. There are things you can pay for if you want to, but not required

[scooter]

Is anyone still playing this game? I started up a Dwarven Champion on the Landroval server named Gyrdrar.

[chesapeake]

I'm on a CiV break. I expect I will be back on before too long.

[Greyroofoo]

I still play...

[tyketime]

I have a L47 Runekeeper on Elendilmir. I am playing almost on a daily basis. I just discovered a whole hub of quests in the Capital of Farochel. Working on them now. My highest character is a L51 Hunter (on Landroval), but I am REALLY loving my RK.

[DataKing]

Work and women have been consuming all of my time as of late, and New Vegas is about to suck me into a deep, dark hole I suspect. Still, if folks are interested in utilizing the guild, send me a PM here and we'll make arrangements to get you added.

[mrkilla22]

I'm still playing as well.

[Matthean]

Caved and got Going Rogue so I've been back playing CoH and mixed in some Titan Quest. Since the DDO group I was playing with seems to be dead I'll likely get back on LotR eventually.

[Greyroofoo]

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WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT AND TURBINE UNVEIL THE LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE™: RISE OF ISENGARD™

New Digital Expansion to The Lord of the Rings Online™ Launching Fall 2011

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment unveiled today The Lord of the Rings Online™: Rise of Isengard™, the latest expansion to the award-winning free-to-play massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG) developed by Turbine. Rise of Isengard will expand the online world of Middle-earth where players will join forces to press further eastward into the legendary region of Isengard. Rise of Isengard will be available for purchase in the LOTRO Store in the Fall of 2011 with an increased level cap, the new region of Isengard including the legendary tower of Orthanc, enhancements to monster play and much more!

“2010 has been a year of unprecedented growth for The Lord of the Rings Online with our successful introduction of a free-to-play option for our players,” said Kate Paiz, Executive Producer of The Lord of the Rings Online. “This is going to be another outstanding year for the game as we progress on our journey toward Mordor and it all begins with our upcoming November update. The journey will carry through 2011 ending with our arrival in the epic region of Isengard where players will confront the raging war and shadow that has spread across Middle-earth.”

NEW FEATURES:
•Experience the Rise of Isengard – The Epic Story continues as the Grey Company makes its way south into Dunland, but troubles arise as their road takes them into lands where Dunlending forces, marshaled by the Wizard Saruman, prepare for war. The Rangers must seek new allies and face dangerous new foes, chief among them the traitor Saruman, whose web of intrigue threatens to endanger your quest, your friends, and your life.
•Increased Level Cap — Players will be able advance their characters up to level 70, gaining access to new traits, virtues, skills and class quests.
•Expanded Monster Play – LOTRO’s monster play system will get a major revamp including opening up the feature to all players, changes to monster player skills and advancement and a brand new region for players to battle for or against the forces of evil.

The Lord of the Rings Online is the ultimate adventure. This award-winning massively multiplayer online role-playing game delivers an interactive experience brimming with life and filled with the familiar people, places and monsters from the most famous fantasy of all time. From the picturesque surroundings of the Shire to Moria, the most fearsome underground realm ever imagined, players can experience the world of Middle-earth for free! For more information, visit The Lord of the Rings Online – Now play the game for free! (www.lotro.com).

[AFShadow]

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Ehh nothing different here from 2-3 years ago me thinks? Plus, a year from now man surely there will be innoc=vations past now as well. I love LOTR universe but this is a pass. They sure are stretching the game out but I understand that as when they get to Mordor they are all unemployed:)

[tyketime]

I finally pinged Level 60 today. I'm disappointed it will be almost another year before the Expansion comes out. I am so glad to be out of Moria, and while I like the quests in Mirkwood, the area is so condensed. I wish they would have spread it out a bit more.

[Greyroofoo]

Ehh nothing different here from 2-3 years ago me thinks? Plus, a year from now man surely there will be innoc=vations past now as well. I love LOTR universe but this is a pass. They sure are stretching the game out but I understand that as when they get to Mordor they are all unemployed:)

I have a feeling we'll be taking a detour to the Lonely Mountain for the release of The Hobbit.

[Radii]

I just started playing this again, I have a level 10 champion for now named Jarana on Landroval. Are many of ya'll still around? If you go the VIP route do you find that you have everything you need while you're levelling/playing or is there still a strong push to use the store to be competitive?

[DataKing]

Honestly I haven't been playing at all lately. This seems to be a bit of a pattern with me. I come back for a little while, then drift off to other things.

That being said, if people still want to use the Ravenhill Pact for a guild, let me know. I'll set someone up who is around frequently with officer rights.

[Greyroofoo]

Just ask me, i'll help you through all the beginner quests

[Radii]

Just ask me, i'll help you through all the beginner quests

Thanks :) I'm playing w/ a friend, through the end of chapter 1/level 21 we've been fine so far, but I assume things ramp up soon.

any comments on the pressure to spend extra money in addition to being VIP, or is VIP status w/ a normal subscription enough to get you everything you need?

[Izulde]

Wait, LOTRO is free to play?

[DaddyTorgo]

Wait, LOTRO is free to play?
Indeed

[Izulde]

...I may just have found my timesink once I get my Windows laptop back up and running.

[Matthean]

Turbine: LotRO Monthly Revenues Tripled Since F2P Switch, Rise of Isengard Explained – Blistered Thumbs (http://www.blisteredthumbs.net/2011/01/lotro-tripled-revenues-f2p/)

LotRO goes F2P and triples income. How about them apples?

[tyketime]

I saw that too. I have to admit I was very skeptical about the switchover, but it is hard to argue with those numbers. Now if we can get some additional content before Isengard, that will really satisfy the masses.

[Coffee Warlord]

Be interesting to see if any ballsy publisher decides to fund an A-list MMO with a free-to-play model from the get go.

[GrantDawg]

Turbine: LotRO Monthly Revenues Tripled Since F2P Switch, Rise of Isengard Explained – Blistered Thumbs (http://www.blisteredthumbs.net/2011/01/lotro-tripled-revenues-f2p/)

LotRO goes F2P and triples income. How about them apples?


It sucks, because it was a great game. Now it is crap. Less content= more money means MMO's are going to get suckier.

[Alan T]

I haven't actually played since it went Free to play but mainly because I've just been way too busy and traveling too much.

Is it as bad as Grantdawg suggests, ie: not worth me even bothering updating my client at some point?

[chesapeake]

I am more of a casual LOTRO player now -- maybe logging on once a week. But I haven't noticed any drop in quality after the change. I still enjoy it very much when I play. Granted, I still am a subscriber, so everything is open to me.

Alan, I see F2P as being more of a free trial of unlimited duration. If you like it, throw some money at it. If not, you lost nothing.

[Alan T]

I am more of a casual LOTRO player now -- maybe logging on once a week. But I haven't noticed any drop in quality after the change. I still enjoy it very much when I play. Granted, I still am a subscriber, so everything is open to me.

Alan, I see F2P as being more of a free trial of unlimited duration. If you like it, throw some money at it. If not, you lost nothing.

Sorry I was a bit confusing in my post. I actually have a lifetime subscription and such. I just got busy so stopped playing. I guess I was more asking if there really isn't any new content added, and if the quality had diminished as Grantdawg's post made it sound like. (ie: I wouldn't have to pay anything extra, but is it even worth my time at this point)

[chesapeake]

Ah, I see. It hasn't been getting me back more than once a week, so I'd say it probably isn't. I am playing through the Dol Guldur epic quest, which is interesting enough for a Tolkein nerd, but hardly breaking new ground playwise.

[tyketime]

Spent some time looking over the three different Pre-Order editions for Rise of Isengard this weekend. I also created a new character having been away from the game for 5-6 months. My disclaimer is that I am a Lifetime Member that already has access to all areas/quests.

Mounts/Armor
Having your choice of all three mounts vs choosing one color vs Red would give me some flexibility. I have the Adventurer's Goat that I get for each new character, so this is worth some consideration, but nothing too much more than what I already have.

Turbine Points
1,000 TP is OK. I think I read it is about the equivalent of $12. But the truth is I have saved all of my points waiting for the next expansion. Now I have to choose whether to pay cash to pre-order (and get the bonuses), or wait until it is released and then use my TPs. I have only purchased one mount + riding skill bundle for my new character. I have not purchased anything else from the LOTRO Store.

Quests
Since i already have access to them, this does nothing for me. But... if you haven't purchased the newer quest areas, this makes a very good return on investment for preordering.

25% XP Boost
If you pre-order, you get a Pocket item that can be used immediately to boost your monster kill XP by 25%. This is usable up to Level 65 for any existing/new character. This is where I thought I might get the most value, but I'm not so sure after playing this weekend. I'm finding that by just doing the quests in Archet/Combe/Staddle, I'm already 2-3 levels ahead of some of the quests. Is this based on a new reduced XP curve? If I throw in an additional 25%, I'm afraid I will quickly outlevel the area. I haven't even strolled into Bree yet. Maybe the curve flattens a little later?

So... I'm having a hard time justifying the cash purchase up-front instead of waiting until it's released and then use my precious TP.

What are some of the rest of you doing? If buying now, which edition and why?

[Alan T]

I'm just waiting to use TP on it as well. My wife's account is not a life time member, so not sure what we'll do with her, but we only play it like 3 times a week (roughly 6 hours) because of us being busy with other things right now.

[DataKing]

Does anyone know off-hand how many Turbine Points the expansion will cost? I'm sitting on around 5-6k.

On a side-note, I've started playing a little bit again. Anyone on Landroval, feel free to look me up. I can make nearly all armors and crafting tools (Supreme Master Metalworker, Grand Master Tailor).

[scooter]

Great, someone else on Landroval. I've got three on there: Gyrdrar, Erthondur and Nethwel. I'm not up to the high levels yet, so I'm not sure I see much incentive to get the expansion yet. Any reason to do so for lower level characters?

[tyketime]

Does anyone know off-hand how many Turbine Points the expansion will cost? I'm sitting on around 5-6k.

On a side-note, I've started playing a little bit again. Anyone on Landroval, feel free to look me up. I can make nearly all armors and crafting tools (Supreme Master Metalworker, Grand Master Tailor).
I think Sapience (LOTRO Community Manager, or something like that) was quoted "While we have not settled on final point pricing for Isengard once it is available in the store, the current thinking is it will be priced somewhere north of Mirkwood and Moria (the expansions, not the quest packs)." So forum posters are suggesting somewhere between 3000-4000TPs. Nothing concrete though...

[DataKing]

Great, someone else on Landroval. I've got three on there: Gyrdrar, Erthondur and Nethwel. I'm not up to the high levels yet, so I'm not sure I see much incentive to get the expansion yet. Any reason to do so for lower level characters?

I haven't looked into it very deeply, but I really don't see any reason for it. Assuming that the new traits, skills, and class quests are all geared towards higher levels, the only possible gain I can think of for lower-level characters are the new virtues (and that's assuming that even those can be gained in the lower level areas). So probably not worth it just yet.

[Alan T]

I haven't looked into it very deeply, but I really don't see any reason for it. Assuming that the new traits, skills, and class quests are all geared towards higher levels, the only possible gain I can think of for lower-level characters are the new virtues (and that's assuming that even those can be gained in the lower level areas). So probably not worth it just yet.


I would say the most beneficial thing for lower players that preorder is the xp bonus item that you can get up to level 65.

[DataKing]

I would say the most beneficial thing for lower players that preorder is the xp bonus item that you can get up to level 65.

I guess there's that, if you're in a hurry or something. Hardly worth the money though IMO.

[spleen1015]

While I wait for SWTOR, I think I'll give LOTRO a shot.

Is there anything I need to know before I get started?

[tyketime]

I just started playing again a couple of weeks ago and rolled a Burglar (one of only 2 classes I've never played). I'm enjoying it, and just brought him into Bree. But in reading a fair amount of changes coming with the Rise of Isengard expansion next month, I'm now questioning whether I should wait until then to continue my journies. Any thoughts?

[Surtt]

I just started playing again a couple of weeks ago and rolled a Burglar (one of only 2 classes I've never played). I'm enjoying it, and just brought him into Bree. But in reading a fair amount of changes coming with the Rise of Isengard expansion next month, I'm now questioning whether I should wait until then to continue my journies. Any thoughts?
From what I have seen, most of the expansion is geared toward high level players.
So I would start leveling now, but YMMV.
(Also, if you pre-oder you get an item that boosts you exp 25% Nice or leveling.)

[tyketime]

Looks like they've announced new instances for an update shortly after ROI. But they are not being very clear with whether stored Turbine Points to buy ROI gives you access to this as well. I will climb thru LOTRO forums soon:

While a new expansion is usually a cause for celebration, some Lord of the Rings Online (http://massively.joystiq.com/category/lord-of-the-rings-online) players have expressed disappointment that September's Rise of Isengard (http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/rise-of-isengard/) lacks new instances outside of the much-ballyhooed 24-man raid.

Between convention appearances, Turbine's (http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/turbine/) Sapience (http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/sapience/) confirmed on the forums that while Isengard players won't be enjoying any additional three-man or six-man dungeons, more will come by the end of the year (http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?415426-Five-New-Instances-in-Update-5) in Update 5: We are currently preparing five new instances for release post-Isengard.

Rise of Isengard will be released on September 27 along with a 24-player raid. There will be 3 three-player, 1 six-player and 1 twelve-player instance released in Update 5, the first update after the release of Rise of Isengard. These instances will be free to any player who has pre-purchased the Rise of Isengard expansion or who purchases after launch via the Turbine web store.

Update 5 will be available before the end of the year.Rise of Isengard will be on display at Turbine's booth this weekend at PAX (http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/pax/) in Seattle.

[Alan T]

Looks like they've announced new instances for an update shortly after ROI. But they are not being very clear with whether stored Turbine Points to buy ROI gives you access to this as well. I will climb thru LOTRO forums soon:


The note you quoted states the instances would be free for people who pre-purchase it or who purchase it from the turbine store. (which would include stored turbine points)

[tyketime]

The note you quoted states the instances would be free for people who pre-purchase it or who purchase it from the turbine store. (which would include stored turbine points)

I don't think that is true. There is a huge debate going on in the LOTRO forums about this. They have made a distinction between the in-game store & a web store. It has been asked many times & not officially answered yet: if you buy ROI with Turbine Points, will you also get the instances free. The lack of an official response is leaving many to think the answer may be "no".

Edit: This is the thread I'm specifically referring to where Sapience's responses seem to be intentionally vague: Five New Instances in Update 5 (http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?415426-Five-New-Instances-in-Update-5&p=5630499#post5630499)