Lord of the Rings Online
 

I've been beta testing this for about a month and a half. Now that the NDA is lifted, I can talk about it.

For those who are into LOTR, this is a great game -- a nice mixture of WOW-like gameplay with a pretty decent crafting section that surpasses that of WOW.

If anyone has any questions about the game, I'll be happy to answer them.

i am going to <3 this i have a feeling

It's one of the first MMORPG's that offers a one-time fee for a permanent subscription, so you can pay per month (for preorder customers, it's $9.99 a month) or a one-time fee of $199 and no further monthly fees.

preorder customers? how do i get in on that? i'd love to try it out for a month or two before deciding to plunk down $200 on it

I just got into the beta, downloading now....

http://www.lotro.com/preorder

They call it the "Founder" program.

I'm on the Brandywine server, Level 10 Champion. Brandywine is the less cluttered server right now.

They actually sent me two keys ... one when I got lucky and get in the Closed Beta 1, and another when I "won" a spot after participating in the Stress Test.

Can people still get into the closed beta? I was going to preorder now with the $9.99 and saw that the part about being able to play in the beta was only the open beta which is a week before the release in 6 weeks. If that is actual for now the closed beta I would preorder right now?

Could you explain the crafting system? How is it different from WoW?

For people who got bored with WOW, what does this game offer that's better about it? Besides the setting of course :D

I played the beta and though I appreciated what they are trying to do, this just didn't grab me, there just wasn't enough that screamed "Lord of the Rings" instead of "generic WoW clone." I might give it a shot later on, once it comes out and they've added some more content.

I am on the other server, with a lvl 10 champion and guardian. Like the champ more, and enjoying the game. Not sure if this will pull me away from EQ2 but it's tempting.

I like the fact that it seems solo-friendly so far, not sure what it's like at higher levels. I enjoy monster play but there are never enough people on the monster side to make it interesing.

Here's the professions, right from the crafting FAQ:

• Cook: A long march can be made all the easier with the promise of a good meal at the end. While it may seem a mundane talent, a good cook is every adventurer's best friend.
• Jeweller: Simple adornments and objects of beauty are the heart of the jeweller's trade. However, exceptional adornments can go far to increasing the stature and confidence of an adventurer, and a skilled jeweller can produce true works of art.
• Metalsmith: Metal armors and sturdy shields are the metalsmith's domain. Though their initial products may be of simple make, eventually their skills will allow them to work finer materials and greater designs.
• Scholar: Perhaps the most mysterious of the professions, the Scholar collects fragments of lost lore, and attempts to interpret their secrets. In doing so, he can produce scrolls that other craftsmen can read to improve their chances of producing a superior product. Other practical applications include lore by which specific enemies (orcs, trolls, the dead) might be best combated, or cures for various maladies.
• Tailor: A skilled tailor can make simple clothing from common cloth, but with time and practice can create garments of great beauty that provide significant protection to their wearer. The Tailor can also work with tanned hides to produce leather armor – light, tough and suitable for travel.
• Weaponsmith: As expected, the Weaponsmith is the primary source of melee weapons. Swords, daggers, and axes of all varieties are the Weaponsmith's purview, ranging from bronze training gear to weapons of ancient design and great renown.
• Woodworker: As any archer will tell you, it takes more than a stick and a string to make a worthy weapon. The woodworker is an expert bowyer, but expands his trade to include staves, spears, and other hafted weapons. A master Woodworker can produce weapons that even an Elven hero would be proud to wield on the battlefield.
• Prospector: One who gathers ore and stone.
• Forester: One who gathers resources from the forest, such as collecting wood.
• Farmer: Collecting items from farms

The big difference is that you can't choose each profession, rather you pick Vocations, which are 3 professions set up to better encourage interactions between vocations:

• Armsman: Prospecting, Weaponsmith, Woodworker
• Armorer: Prospecting, Metalsmithing, Tailor
• Explorer: Forester, Prospector, Tailor
• Historian: Farmer, Scholar, Weaponsmith
• Tinker: Prospector, Jeweller, Cook
• Woodsman: Farmer, Forestor, Woodworker
• Yeoman: Farmer, Cook, Tailor

The point is that at least one of your professions can be used by at least one of the other vocations (Woodsman helps Tinkers, Tinkers help Historians, Historians helps Armsmen, ect). The crafting system also incorporates the idea of Mastery, the idea of adding a certain rare item when making your item leads to a better item.

I hope that gives a least an idea.

Is this game basically Wow set in middle-earth, or is it something that a huge Tolkien fan would enjoy? I guess when playing it do you feel like its a LotR game, or does it feel like it could really be anywhere and they just chose this setting?

I didn't preorder and I got in the beta

If they do this right, this would be the game that would make me take the plunge into online gaming of this sort. I used to play MUME, and I loved that, the history and the landscape and the history, etc., there is a ton of stuff in Middle Earth that can be tapped.

Do you want to be a Rider of Rohan and have great mastery of fighting on horseback, but have disadvantages on the ground, do you want to be a Dunedain, or a Black Numenorean?

Heck, look at what MERPS was like, just translate it to a computer, I'd be in heaven.

But, I think the beta is now closed to new applications?

DaddyTorgo, sent you a PM.

responded already

the download for this is really slow and unstable:( And the torrents that they have up doesn't seem to work for me either. Did anyone else have issues trying to load the beta onto there pc?

I didn't have any trouble with downloading the client at all. I was getting pretty good speed, actually.

So is there still a way to get in the beta? I get that impression, but I'm not sure.

Maybe it is becuz the weekend.

So what are the character classes and races you can play?

I had trouble downloading it, but eventually got it.

Any chance of an FOFC guild?

Yes? No?

I think you can just sign up.. The stress test is next weekend so, I think that is open to the general public but, other than that, appears you have to be selected.

So wait...you have to have a DVD drive to play this game? Damn...

They cost like 30 bucks at a computer wholesaler. Not that expensive at all.

Crafting is cool. I am making a ton of money as a farmer! When you harvest a crop you can recover seeds from the crop so you dont have to buy them.

Plant crop, harvest items and seeds, repeat for easy money.

Races:
Man
Hobbit
Dwarf
Elf

Classes:
Guardian
Champion
Captain
Hunter
Burglar
Minstrel
Lore-Master

I play on the Meneldor server
Tagg Lvl 9 Champion

I'm on the same server. Usually playing as Issa (Captain) or Desverger (Champion).

OK, so what would make one play this vs. WoW?

Very single player soloing friendly from all accounts.

thanks Grey for the info on races/classes. Seems a bit light on choices/variety there.

The Accomplishment system is what makes the game fun.

That, and titles. To the LOTRO players out there -- you know you can get titles from emotes, right? Have 100 people wave at you, and "The Friendly" becomes available as a title. There's a TON of other emote titles as well.

Is anyone still looking to get into the closed beta?

I just tried to sign up...LOL

You never know, I may do that lifetime package.

I put in a beta application on 2-18 when it was mentioned here and got my beta link email today, so looks like it's still open.

Same here.

Initial thoughts, appears very quest driven. (Gather, Kill X number, report to X person). I'm up to level 5 (max 50) and I have not had to grind at all so, if that continues, it will be a breath of fresh air.

Beta seems very stable, I haven't encountered anything major just some graphics issues (floaters, some bodies 'vibrate' when dead..)

Few other small things I'd like to see changed so far (solutions might exist, just haven't found them) but, I'd like the camera to snap back to center when looking around with the mouse and when fighting multiple guys, seems like when you kill one the loot screen comes up right away.

How are the graphics? Do you feel like you are in Middle Earth or just some generic fantasy world?

Overall, I like the graphics. It doesn't have that cartoonish edge that WoW has.

Do I feel like I could be on the set of one of the Lord of the Rings movies? Yes. But, then again, there were parts of those movies that could have been just a generic medieval world but, I think you would have to consider the sum of all the parts to feel like you are in Middle Earth.

Hope that makes some sense...

Actually did my first 'grind' last night in the game but, the only reason I did that was so I could get the 'Spider Foe' title (kill 30 spiders) and then that opened up the Advance Spider Slayer accomplishment (kill 60 spiders). So, at least there was a point to grinding.

I haven't messed with crafting yet mainly because I haven't found a trainer but, I'm not actively looking for one yet...

For men, the crafting house is in Combe.

There's several quests you'll pick up in Combe that will introduce you to crafting. As a matter of fact, you have to drop and pick up several professions to complete all the quests (designed to let you try them all out and see which one you like).

I wonder if that is something specific to the Beta.. to force everyone to try everything out?

That would make sense.

Here is an idea of what the hobbit areas look like. This is me running around Buckland.

Thanks for the screenshot. Doesn't look like anything real special, but not horrible either.

I got in the beta and created a character but really haven't had a chance to mess around with him too much yet.

I'm Jeebo on Brandywine...