Lotro is an amazing game where you feel like you're in a real vast genuine world. With the long viewing distances and a seamless world you can see hills and features way off in the distance and know that you can go there, and once you get their and look over that next ridge you'll see even MORE landscape you can traverse and explore. The stories are so well told that you feel like you're part of that world and truly helping the people that you grow attached to and their plight.
Welcoming? I don't want to be welcomed. Don't you DARE be nice to me. I want the cold shoulder from the start. I want to be thrust into a cold, brutal, hell hole (picture Albania or perhaps large Russian cities in the winter time). I want to fight for my place in this new world, I want STRUGGLE, I want suffering, I want the pain baby. Give me the pain. Then, only then, does the success mean anything. Only after I have clawed my way from the bottom, overcome the terrible user interface, outdated graphics, poor optimization, Chinese hackers and bad customer support, only then I can look back on it all and feel a sense of accomplishment. Without griefers and trolls, MMOs are just decadent bourgeois playgrounds. Do you want to sink into your chair, pointlessly click on the screen with your eyes glazing over? Or do you want to feel alive? I want a game that makes my brain begin releasing stress hormones the second I log in. I'd if I lose my hair before I'm 25. I'll be a bald queen. But I will be a just queen. Because I've been tested. When I take my rightful place in the leaderboard you know it means something. And even better, once I'm there I get to look forward to the knowledge I am always being undermined and sabotaged by those hungry masses beneath me because they too have that same fire in their soul... They aren't living in a world of delusion and what do you call it, "welcoming"? They live in the real (virtual) world, and they know only suffering. The only solace from this constant pain is the occasional pee break, or the 8 hours you are at work, but that "job" is merely a means to an end.. To pay the electric/internet bills and the GPU to grind the good grind. Yes. Give me the struggle any day. If I log into your game and feel welcomed, part of me dies. As part of you has died, clearly, as you aren't even ashamed to admit you like being welcomed anymore. Let me guess, on days you don't feel like playing you just simply go do something else instead? Perhaps spend time with friends and family? And leave your faction to face the enemy alone? This is unacceptable. I don't care if I am shitting blood and surviving off of expired freeze dried instant coffee, you bet your ass I will be on dayz namalsk fist fighting other survivors over a can of frozen spaghetti-o's. And when I'm thawing them out by a fire it's not relaxing, I don't sit and think about life or my "feelings", I have to be eternally on the lookout for other fresh spawns who are freezing to death and can't take the chance of asking me if they can sit by my fire, because I might have a gun, and in this frozen hell scape of namalsk there isn't enough to for everyone. So he will have to stun lock me, because he has no supplies he has full stamina and lock me in a series of heavy attacks which leaves me completely defenseless. I not only use my eyes, but my ears, to scan for the discreet sounds of sneaky footsteps. I use my sixth sense, I must connect to my ancestors who came before me, and access their collective will and knowledge, just to make a fire and survive.
I just typed basically a short story clowning around about wanting a hard game vs an easy game, the entire thing was blatant Satire, and then I post it... And apparently youtube instantly removed it for some reason. Maybe because I said a bad word in it. Wow. That is really weak.
I love lotro! Also always going back after breaks. Mostly on landroval server so concerts are always happening there. Very happy for a video like this!
I still love playing LOTRO and I've been with the game since the open Beta, having grown up as a massive fan of the books. I remember getting as far as the Midgewater Marshes before the beta concluded and looking across them, with considerable excitement, to see Weathertop in the distance, I could have just rushed across to try to get a closer look, but I really wanted to wait until the launch of the real game, so that I could take my time and enjoy soaking up the atmosphere and seeing all those amazing places I'd only ever visited in my head. Back then there were a number of different tiers to play the game but - Tolkien fan that I was - I decided to risk it and pay the £199.99 to buy a lifetime subscription. Back then, it was a bit of a gamble as the MMO market was blooming and there was a good chance the game might fold in under a year., or I might get bored of it. But I calculated that, if the servers stayed up for 18 months, then I'd have broken even. As it is, just over 17 years later, I'm still here and I'm so glad the game is still going strong. Even with the now dated graphics, it's like coming home every time I enter the world and I've made some very good friends here. I hope it lasts for many more.
I remember playing the beta, but I could not pay for a subscription at the time. I started working part-time as a student and a year later I began my journey proper. Down the line they offered lifetime subscriptions and I saved up the money for it, which was a lot at the time. All of my friends thought I was insane for spending so much on a game. I've been playing for 17 years, it is the best deal of my life. Love this game.
I first played just as Isengard had come out. Those were some magical times for me in my teens. I'm still a big fan of Tolkien's works and have very fond memories of the game and various communities I was a part of, but last I tried to play around two years ago, the lag was a bit unbearable and player count was down so bad that it felt bittersweet and I couldn't find that much enjoyment out of it. I wish this game got new breath blown into it somehow. Then again, maybe I should just be the change I want to see in the world and start playing again, maybe spend some money, maybe build a community.
Totally agree with everything. It is THE best game I have ever played and I've played many MMORPGS. I was hooked since the beta version, I played. Been playing it ever since. I hope they keep improving it as they go, maybe spend the next year with lots of quality of life updates.
A great video for a great game! You managed to produce a decent video which transports not only the flair of the game but also your enthusiasm for it. Really enjoyed watching your video. Thank You very much!
The time I spent on LOTRO is insane! Those "first" moments in moria, helmsdeep and eriador were truly magical. If they remaster the graphics I'd be sure to revive my old account or hell I'd even start all over again!!
I wish they would....it feels like it would be a well-worth it project to trace the designs and give them new life, and IMO improve the interface and maybe even combat too. At the very least, add some beautiful animations to combat. Imagine your horse-riding looks more like RDR2 or Shadow of the Colosses. Imagine the fights look awesome to behold rather than tippety-tap numbers appear (numbers can stay of course, but maybe smaller). Imagine they added weather and camping and storms (and just more ways to make travel more fun and interactive (as travel and exploration is a huge part of the game). Maybe even add a network of rangers who, as npcs, can travel with you sometimes and guide you through areas and advice how to keep safe from storms and avoid Orc fortresses. Lots of stuff can be done to breath new life into the game.
Just a great game. I've drifted away for short spans of time now and then, but mostly have played it fairly consistently since the first months it came out with the Shadows of Angmar release. No end of things to do. Part of the enduring fun of LOTRO is the ability to bring up other characters (toons) through completely different paths and adventures. Different races, professions, starting in different locations, etc., etc. Yes, I have a max-level main who is technically at 'end-game', but there are still huge portions of this giant world that even that toon hasn't explored. So it never gets boring for me. Now, different folks want different things out of such games, so LOTRO may not be for everyone. But if you love the idea of exploring the world created by Tolkien, in arguably THE most faithful and detailed rendering of that world in any medium outside of the original books, and meeting and interacting with just a fantastically nice community, then you should try this game. If you are looking for the most advanced, modern graphics-rendering and gory-realistic, fast-twitch combat mechanics ... maybe not so much. (Note, the graphics, while not rendered with a modern engine, are neverthelsss often amazing and beautiful and reflect a lot of care and craftsmanship put in by the devs, maximizing what they can do with the tools they have.)
I bought the game when it launched, but I was a kid and my parents already hated getting billed monthly for EverQuest, a game I’d been playing since 2000- I dabbled with lotro here and there over the years but just recently I finally dove into it, and my only regret is I hadn’t done this sooner. This is imo, possibly the greatest mmo out there. Yeah I said it. Ok maybe it could use some updating to the UI and a few things but in terms of a huge open world mmo experience, I’ve never seen better. I think it’s even better than EverQuest, which I consider to probably be the greatest of all time (I’m also biased in that claim I know)- But yeah the way the story intertwines u with the main lotr plot but still is independent of it and brilliant for it, to the size of the world(it’s so massive), I’ve never felt more like an actual part of one of these worlds known as MMO’s as this game makes you feel. I had been playing WOW the last few years pretty intensely mostly because I didn’t think anything currently was much better than it, but I’ve since dropped it like a bad habit 😂😂😂. Sorry to my guildies and m+ group but I feel like I have to experience and explore this game now that I know how incredible it really is! Sorry this post is so long 😂
I am introvert, and I struggle with grouping and socialising , even though LOTRO is quite solo friendly I still missed a lot of content due to being 6 or 12 player ride .... and if they incorporated NPC AI from skirmishing into the open world it would have been the game of my dreams where you can hire a NPC if you have none to group with or miss a player or two to fill the group for the dungeon !
I really like it though I've not put nearly the amount of time into it as many have. Although I have played it (off and on) for a very long time; I was a beta tester in like 2007 for it and played it back when it had a monthly cost. But it's a game made by people who I think really love Tolkien's work and they put that passion and love into the game. Heck over 15 years later and it gets fairly frequent updates, STILL. Highly recommend it if you haven't played it and are even slightly interested in LOTR.
I share in your feelings about this work of art. LOTRO to me is more than a game, it's my escape when I need a break from the world. No game in history have I spent so many years playing.
So basically another game? Honestly the graphics arent herendous at all and theyll be better with the new xpac character models, and the combat is perfectly fine for a tab targeting game, the real problem is the ui wich is dated and looks like crap, but from what ive heard they re about to replace it
I remember trying this game a few years back getting some sort of bundle excited to dive into years worth of content with a friend and we were having fun for a bit but regardless of it being an MMO we couldnt really play together and progress towards goals together but rather do things individually and just be present around the same area at the same time. Completely killed the fun for us. I want to love this game but as a solo endeavor i just cant enjoy it unfortunately
It is a great game and I agree largely with your points. If they ever improve the UI I think it would go a long ways towards retaining people who give it a shot...(I quit initially because of it as it is so off-putting in 4k)
I agree that the UI is more imperative to update than the graphics. I'm a new player and that's my biggest wish. They say they are going to update it but it's probably going to take a bit of time
@@Shadaaala The computer code is a lot more cluttered on Lotro than WOW, which has led to a lot of seemingly simple issues become more complex to fix . That's what I've heard anyhow.
@@noahg5998 The game was released 17 years ago in 2007, but the engine it uses was actually released in 1997, so it is badly in need of an update. FYI, I've played since beta and still play it today, it's the most amazing MMO I've ever played, and I've spent time in several.
I was playing this on and off since beta. Sadly now my computer is too old to play it. The community in Lotro is amazing though. Very mature and friendly.
Been playing w wife since 2007. Listening to shire night music as a write this. I recommend you check out Project Gorgon. Don't let the graphics fool you.
I've played it a bit. It's a good game. I'll probably make a video about it sometime in the future. I do have some really old videos of PG in my back log but they aren't very good compared to how I script and produce videos now. Good recommendation!
But please, mark the Mordirith spoiler, it is so greatly tied to the deeper lore of Gondor and this plotline also returns in the Black Book of Mordor later, do not spoil it to the newcomers pls. I know it is old game, but still.
I played the game when it came out. Lvl 60 was the cap, the game had cost 13€/15$ per month as active subscription. Somewhere i still have the Steelbook. PvP was Mediocre, even thoo, that creating a Urukhai was kinda cool for the time =)
You can, although there are a lot of areas where you need to make sure you don't get one shot by over-leveled mobs. Sticking to the roads usually helps.
@@storytimegaming7875 Thanks for the reply! That’s exactly what I’m looking for, a game where I can just explore middle earth. I don’t really have the concentration or the patience for missions anymore. (Haha, also, didn’t bilbo say to stay OFF the roads ? 😂)
Is it worth coming back to? I ask as a few of other videos say yes and some say no because of problems with servers, updates hardly happen etc. I used to play since Launch when Turbine run it, I was away on deployment at the time of Turbine selling it on, and hence missed the chance to swap my account over to the new owners back then so I lost all my max level characters, and then ofc just did not return to it.
There are certainly performance problems with the servers. Many of those should be fixed once 64 bit servers are rolled out, and that has already happened for Legendary servers (which need subscription to play on). I'd expect the roll-out to the other servers in the next couple of months. Updates do happen, there's an expansion coming in two weeks; I don't think there are fewer updates than in the past either. I'm also not sure why you'd have lost your characters when Turbine sold the game... that was in 2017, and I don't think any transfer was necessary.
I've been playing since beta, with months-long breaks several times. Updates happen constantly, so I don't know who told you that. The servers are indeed going to be updated to 64 bit, and they are already 64 bit on the legendary servers so lag is almost nonexistent on them. In my opinion the game is well worth starting over if you enjoy the lore and less-stressful playstyle. End-game and PvP has never been the focus of LotRO, but the story itself.
That's not likely to happen. They have discussed a "Classic LOTRO" and how it's just beyond their resources to support a "Current" and "Classic" versions and how it would be a "Brand New Game" and so on. As for Graphics or Visuals as they are usually discussed, they keep updating LOTRO's Visuals. The Legacy of Morgoth Expansion (Nov 2024) is using their latest available visuals for LOTRO. We've been seeing Visual Updates over the years and the SSG LOTRO Team for example are looking to Visually Update some Dungeon Interiors in the future. A poll was on the LOTRO Forums and Skorgrim's Tomb was one of the Dungeon Interiors with a lot of votes and people could select up to 3 of the given 10 choices. Example a past Visual Update was The Last Homely House for it's Interior was updated in 2023. So "Visual Updates" are in progress it's just a very "Long Term" Project.
watchin the new LOTR series on Amazon (which is fantastic by the way) makes me wanna play. I think Im gonna sub and get all the new content. Im still only level; 65 in Mirkwood though so is it even worth it to sub now? Or should I wait until my level is higher? Just wondeirng what I will get out of subbing now. Any help please? Im out of the country so its just kind of a pain getting money in my US account
I would say you can hold off the sub if you are playing on live servers and want to continue on your old character. However if you want to start from level 1 again, I recommend to join progression or "legendary" server. They are subscription only, but the level cap is only at 50 and is expected to be raised to level 60 in early December. This makes it easier to get to raid content without having to level all the way to the 150 level cap. And the world is smaller so you'll find more player characters running around the world, grouping up with each other, making the game world feel more alive.
I tried playing one of the legendary servers but what put me off was how empty it felt, I was on what was supposed to be the most populated legendary server but maybe saw 4-5 people in my entire time there over the month I played. Are the normal servers more populated? I enjoyed the experience but I play MMOs to feel like part of a community and ultimately the feeling that there wasn’t enough people won out and I stopped playinf
Angmar, new legendary server, is very populated, still on the base game release (lvl 1-50). In the early levels I didn’t see that many players, but from 20-30 which is where I am now I’ve been running into players all the time, doing combat and occasional fellowships for quests. If the older legendary servers have been out for a while, a bulk of the players were probably just far past you in progression in different regions, but that’s just a guess
Did you go on Treebeard? That's the only legendary server that I can think of that would have low pop and that's because it's old. Try Mordor or Angmar.
If only they would get with the times and get sone native controller support in the game. There is zero reason why they can’t implement it, aside from being lazy. Amongst a couple other smaller issues….such and not letting me draw my weapon when outside of combat. Other than that the game is really good!
More than likely better Native Controller Support isn't going to happen due to how the game was built for such. Between Turbine & Standing Stone Games they did attempt to get LOTRO to Consoles (PS3 & Xbox 360 for Turbine and PS5 & Xbox Series X for SSG) but these didn't pan out. It's a PC MMORPG with a lot of Skills any Class has to use so a "Mouse & Keyboard" is the preferred way to play and already works. That saves development time for other Projects. If one plays through Steam and uses their Controller Software does give a much better experience than what one can get with just LOTRO itself.
Lotro didnt start with diffrent skill trees, it was all accessible as you leveled and you didnt need to points into anything. you had everything unlocked once you leveld and you could use every single skill. it's the skill tree system that made me leave the game
On the live servers, players can be quite spread out. If you want to catch up more easily, I recommend the vip servers. Level cap is lower and the world is smaller which keeps players together more. I'll be releasing a video about these servers shortly.
Love Lotro, but it has become FAR too easy on ANY difficulty level, don't play it for a challenge,, play it for the world until you get bored of easy mode gaming
Ehh man i tried to like it as hard as i could as a Long term WoW player but the shitty graphics, gameplay and what not turns me off - ive been trying to play it for the last week but god damn its hard to enjoy, even 2004 WoW was better that this at its current state... why cant they update the graphics?
To each their own. Most mmos have dated graphics at this point. They are all over 10 years old except for New World. Never felt like graphics in mmos mattered that much.
I don't know. I pay my sub fee, and for the occasional expansion. I've never felt obligated to pay more than that to play the game. I'm sure the game benefits off a small population of whales but I can't think of many mmos that don't have microtransactions in them. Maybe Project Gorgon? That's an even more niche game though.
Tiene traducción al francés y al alemán, y no al español. No puede disfrutarse por los hispanoparlantes, que sumaria una cantidad importante de jugadores.
It does, but not the strongest aspect of the game tbh. The one thing I didn't really cover in this video. XD. PVMP (players versus monster players) where you can play as different classes of orc, a warg, and a spider vs the free peoples. Monster players are not playable in most of the game though, only two specific zones, the Etten moors and Osgiliath. It doesn't get the love, balance, and support like the rest of the game though. There is still a small community that does enjoy it though.
It looks and feels like a cashgrab leveraging the LotR title to be honest. 25:04 Animations are below par, the strategy is to clip through doors. Okay. The UI is too cluttered and uses too much inspiration from WoW. Font is hard too read because they for some reason chose a very thin font with heavy anti-aliasing. Quests are a joke, but that is to be expected from a MMORPG with basic skills and lore setup. The plus side is some non-canon canon lore drops about Nazgûl and other locations.
My last comment never showed up, which was annoying as I put a bit of thought in to it, but it was probably because I put a link in the comment to a site where you can change the UI to your liking. But that said, I also talked about the love the Devs put in to this game, certainly not a cash grab ! The music in some parts of the game is arguably better than Howard Shore's score of the movies, and the love the devs put in to the game really does show, and has done since 2007. They are a small team these days, and have done amazing things with an old engine. Also the quests aren't a joke, they are very tailored and if you read them all they are contributing to a huge story (not the main epic), and lots of thought has gone in to them. For example, you make a decision at one point which has ramifications (sometimes months later when you are playing), to a character and if they are still around or not (no more spoilers from me).
@@VirtualPasts I saw your comment like half an hour ago. Maybe you accidentally deleted it? :( It was longer than the one you typed now! But I appreciate your honesty and each their own, agree. To some redeeming opinion, I really like the music in the game that's true, it's the same feeling as playing Elder Scrolls Oblivion and hear that pilgrim tune playing when you scour the fields of Cyrodiil. Nostalgic and sometimes gives me goosebumps again. Even though I didn't play LotR online a lot, I appreciate the lore and work into it. Even though the gameplay was kinda stale. Thanks for your comment.
@@Scythra Good you saw my original comment, it never showed up for me as soon as I posted it, but who knows why, RUclips can be strange :) Also agree about Elder Scrolls ! Amazing soundtrack which really completes the game !
LOTRO has been Free to Play since September 2010. They did a massive Free to Play Update in April 2022 that at the time had more than half of the game as Free to all Accounts. Any Quest Packs & Expansions past Helm's Deep (2013 Expansion) & Level 95 either needs LOTRO Points or a VIP Subscription and the Latest Expansion is money-only until 6-ish months after it launches.
Lotro is an amazing game where you feel like you're in a real vast genuine world. With the long viewing distances and a seamless world you can see hills and features way off in the distance and know that you can go there, and once you get their and look over that next ridge you'll see even MORE landscape you can traverse and explore. The stories are so well told that you feel like you're part of that world and truly helping the people that you grow attached to and their plight.
LOTRO from all MMO's I've played has so calming atmosphere that it nearly makes me melt into my chair.
Honestly New World Aeturnum is giving me those vibes right now.
This is all so relatable, the game is not only true to the spirit of Tolkien writings, but also so cozy and welcoming. A special one indeed.
Welcoming? I don't want to be welcomed. Don't you DARE be nice to me. I want the cold shoulder from the start. I want to be thrust into a cold, brutal, hell hole (picture Albania or perhaps large Russian cities in the winter time). I want to fight for my place in this new world, I want STRUGGLE, I want suffering, I want the pain baby. Give me the pain.
Then, only then, does the success mean anything. Only after I have clawed my way from the bottom, overcome the terrible user interface, outdated graphics, poor optimization, Chinese hackers and bad customer support, only then I can look back on it all and feel a sense of accomplishment. Without griefers and trolls, MMOs are just decadent bourgeois playgrounds. Do you want to sink into your chair, pointlessly click on the screen with your eyes glazing over? Or do you want to feel alive? I want a game that makes my brain begin releasing stress hormones the second I log in. I'd if I lose my hair before I'm 25. I'll be a bald queen. But I will be a just queen. Because I've been tested.
When I take my rightful place in the leaderboard you know it means something. And even better, once I'm there I get to look forward to the knowledge I am always being undermined and sabotaged by those hungry masses beneath me because they too have that same fire in their soul... They aren't living in a world of delusion and what do you call it, "welcoming"? They live in the real (virtual) world, and they know only suffering. The only solace from this constant pain is the occasional pee break, or the 8 hours you are at work, but that "job" is merely a means to an end.. To pay the electric/internet bills and the GPU to grind the good grind.
Yes. Give me the struggle any day. If I log into your game and feel welcomed, part of me dies. As part of you has died, clearly, as you aren't even ashamed to admit you like being welcomed anymore. Let me guess, on days you don't feel like playing you just simply go do something else instead? Perhaps spend time with friends and family? And leave your faction to face the enemy alone? This is unacceptable.
I don't care if I am shitting blood and surviving off of expired freeze dried instant coffee, you bet your ass I will be on dayz namalsk fist fighting other survivors over a can of frozen spaghetti-o's. And when I'm thawing them out by a fire it's not relaxing, I don't sit and think about life or my "feelings", I have to be eternally on the lookout for other fresh spawns who are freezing to death and can't take the chance of asking me if they can sit by my fire, because I might have a gun, and in this frozen hell scape of namalsk there isn't enough to for everyone. So he will have to stun lock me, because he has no supplies he has full stamina and lock me in a series of heavy attacks which leaves me completely defenseless. I not only use my eyes, but my ears, to scan for the discreet sounds of sneaky footsteps. I use my sixth sense, I must connect to my ancestors who came before me, and access their collective will and knowledge, just to make a fire and survive.
I just typed basically a short story clowning around about wanting a hard game vs an easy game, the entire thing was blatant Satire, and then I post it... And apparently youtube instantly removed it for some reason. Maybe because I said a bad word in it. Wow. That is really weak.
I downloaded this last night and I am really excited to try it out when I get off work today!
Captain from the arkenstone server here. Welcome aboard 😊
I love lotro! Also always going back after breaks. Mostly on landroval server so concerts are always happening there. Very happy for a video like this!
I still love playing LOTRO and I've been with the game since the open Beta, having grown up as a massive fan of the books. I remember getting as far as the Midgewater Marshes before the beta concluded and looking across them, with considerable excitement, to see Weathertop in the distance, I could have just rushed across to try to get a closer look, but I really wanted to wait until the launch of the real game, so that I could take my time and enjoy soaking up the atmosphere and seeing all those amazing places I'd only ever visited in my head. Back then there were a number of different tiers to play the game but - Tolkien fan that I was - I decided to risk it and pay the £199.99 to buy a lifetime subscription. Back then, it was a bit of a gamble as the MMO market was blooming and there was a good chance the game might fold in under a year., or I might get bored of it. But I calculated that, if the servers stayed up for 18 months, then I'd have broken even. As it is, just over 17 years later, I'm still here and I'm so glad the game is still going strong. Even with the now dated graphics, it's like coming home every time I enter the world and I've made some very good friends here. I hope it lasts for many more.
I remember playing the beta, but I could not pay for a subscription at the time. I started working part-time as a student and a year later I began my journey proper. Down the line they offered lifetime subscriptions and I saved up the money for it, which was a lot at the time. All of my friends thought I was insane for spending so much on a game. I've been playing for 17 years, it is the best deal of my life. Love this game.
That was a wise investment! Maybe the best deal in gaming ever, and I sometimes wish I had been a player back then and made the same choice. Cheers!
I’ve been playing since launch day in 2007, and still play to this day.
I love this game so much. ❤
Hey! This video went under my radar for a bit, but thanks a bunch for the shout-out! Love hearing about other people's passion for this game.
I first played just as Isengard had come out. Those were some magical times for me in my teens. I'm still a big fan of Tolkien's works and have very fond memories of the game and various communities I was a part of, but last I tried to play around two years ago, the lag was a bit unbearable and player count was down so bad that it felt bittersweet and I couldn't find that much enjoyment out of it. I wish this game got new breath blown into it somehow.
Then again, maybe I should just be the change I want to see in the world and start playing again, maybe spend some money, maybe build a community.
Totally agree with everything. It is THE best game I have ever played and I've played many MMORPGS. I was hooked since the beta version, I played. Been playing it ever since. I hope they keep improving it as they go, maybe spend the next year with lots of quality of life updates.
A great video for a great game! You managed to produce a decent video which transports not only the flair of the game but also your enthusiasm for it. Really enjoyed watching your video. Thank You very much!
Thank you. Glad you liked it!
The time I spent on LOTRO is insane! Those "first" moments in moria, helmsdeep and eriador were truly magical. If they remaster the graphics I'd be sure to revive my old account or hell I'd even start all over again!!
they kinda did, game looks good, some stuff still dated but overall is very good, the new stuff it top quality
@@danilovicente8511 game looks absolutely horrible for 2024, the only reason you would think otherwise is nostalgia
@@Becko21 it doesn't look "horrible". There's a charm to the game.
I tried it but the graphics are just too dated for me I'm afraid.
I wish they would....it feels like it would be a well-worth it project to trace the designs and give them new life, and IMO improve the interface and maybe even combat too. At the very least, add some beautiful animations to combat.
Imagine your horse-riding looks more like RDR2 or Shadow of the Colosses.
Imagine the fights look awesome to behold rather than tippety-tap numbers appear (numbers can stay of course, but maybe smaller).
Imagine they added weather and camping and storms (and just more ways to make travel more fun and interactive (as travel and exploration is a huge part of the game). Maybe even add a network of rangers who, as npcs, can travel with you sometimes and guide you through areas and advice how to keep safe from storms and avoid Orc fortresses. Lots of stuff can be done to breath new life into the game.
Been playing it for idk 15 years now maybe. STill my all time favorite. I was playing when it used to have a subscription to play.
This brings back so many memories for me, I need to revisit it.
Just a great game. I've drifted away for short spans of time now and then, but mostly have played it fairly consistently since the first months it came out with the Shadows of Angmar release. No end of things to do. Part of the enduring fun of LOTRO is the ability to bring up other characters (toons) through completely different paths and adventures. Different races, professions, starting in different locations, etc., etc. Yes, I have a max-level main who is technically at 'end-game', but there are still huge portions of this giant world that even that toon hasn't explored. So it never gets boring for me. Now, different folks want different things out of such games, so LOTRO may not be for everyone. But if you love the idea of exploring the world created by Tolkien, in arguably THE most faithful and detailed rendering of that world in any medium outside of the original books, and meeting and interacting with just a fantastically nice community, then you should try this game.
If you are looking for the most advanced, modern graphics-rendering and gory-realistic, fast-twitch combat mechanics ... maybe not so much. (Note, the graphics, while not rendered with a modern engine, are neverthelsss often amazing and beautiful and reflect a lot of care and craftsmanship put in by the devs, maximizing what they can do with the tools they have.)
More people need to discover this game.
an excellent description and valentine to the best game around!
Yeah, it's really a hidden gem!
This looks so fun! I'm gonna give it a try for sure!
I bought the game when it launched, but I was a kid and my parents already hated getting billed monthly for EverQuest, a game I’d been playing since 2000-
I dabbled with lotro here and there over the years but just recently I finally dove into it, and my only regret is I hadn’t done this sooner. This is imo, possibly the greatest mmo out there. Yeah I said it.
Ok maybe it could use some updating to the UI and a few things but in terms of a huge open world mmo experience, I’ve never seen better. I think it’s even better than EverQuest, which I consider to probably be the greatest of all time (I’m also biased in that claim I know)-
But yeah the way the story intertwines u with the main lotr plot but still is independent of it and brilliant for it, to the size of the world(it’s so massive), I’ve never felt more like an actual part of one of these worlds known as MMO’s as this game makes you feel.
I had been playing WOW the last few years pretty intensely mostly because I didn’t think anything currently was much better than it, but I’ve since dropped it like a bad habit 😂😂😂. Sorry to my guildies and m+ group but I feel like I have to experience and explore this game now that I know how incredible it really is!
Sorry this post is so long 😂
I enjoy hearing other peoples' stories about how they got into the game. Appreciate the post. ;)
I am introvert, and I struggle with grouping and socialising , even though LOTRO is quite solo friendly I still missed a lot of content due to being 6 or 12 player ride .... and if they incorporated NPC AI from skirmishing into the open world it would have been the game of my dreams where you can hire a NPC if you have none to group with or miss a player or two to fill the group for the dungeon !
I really like it though I've not put nearly the amount of time into it as many have. Although I have played it (off and on) for a very long time; I was a beta tester in like 2007 for it and played it back when it had a monthly cost.
But it's a game made by people who I think really love Tolkien's work and they put that passion and love into the game. Heck over 15 years later and it gets fairly frequent updates, STILL.
Highly recommend it if you haven't played it and are even slightly interested in LOTR.
I share in your feelings about this work of art. LOTRO to me is more than a game, it's my escape when I need a break from the world. No game in history have I spent so many years playing.
An escape from the world is actually exactly what a game is.... That's why most people play them....
love this game been playing since the beginning on and off.
Someday I'll get a PC again and will just lose myself in this and SWTOR
Its cool but their expansion prices are too damn high 😅
if they imporved the combat and graphics I would get back into it for sure!
Bro just say you want a new game lmao
(Amazon is supposedly developing a new lotr mmo as we speak)
@@mvmusic8467I don't think that's it though. What makes this game great is what's under the hood, but the pain job is what sells!
So basically another game? Honestly the graphics arent herendous at all and theyll be better with the new xpac character models, and the combat is perfectly fine for a tab targeting game, the real problem is the ui wich is dated and looks like crap, but from what ive heard they re about to replace it
@@mvmusic8467wouldnt have my hopes up for Amazon. They suck
They won't
Played for two years until it was sold to disney...The most fun I've ever had in any game bar none!
I remember trying this game a few years back getting some sort of bundle excited to dive into years worth of content with a friend and we were having fun for a bit but regardless of it being an MMO we couldnt really play together and progress towards goals together but rather do things individually and just be present around the same area at the same time.
Completely killed the fun for us. I want to love this game but as a solo endeavor i just cant enjoy it unfortunately
Try the difficulty modifier. It makes it more enjoyable for group play.
It is a great game and I agree largely with your points. If they ever improve the UI I think it would go a long ways towards retaining people who give it a shot...(I quit initially because of it as it is so off-putting in 4k)
I agree that the UI is more imperative to update than the graphics. I'm a new player and that's my biggest wish. They say they are going to update it but it's probably going to take a bit of time
@@noahg5998I wonder how it’ll take that long if there’s literal hobby modders doing wow addons or Skyrim mods regularly without a problem
@@Shadaaala The computer code is a lot more cluttered on Lotro than WOW, which has led to a lot of seemingly simple issues become more complex to fix . That's what I've heard anyhow.
@@Shadaaala yeah I think it's because they are confined to the original engine from 17 years ago
@@noahg5998 The game was released 17 years ago in 2007, but the engine it uses was actually released in 1997, so it is badly in need of an update. FYI, I've played since beta and still play it today, it's the most amazing MMO I've ever played, and I've spent time in several.
I was playing this on and off since beta. Sadly now my computer is too old to play it. The community in Lotro is amazing though. Very mature and friendly.
You're right! The community is probably the biggest selling point of the game. I've never run into any issues, everyone is really friendly.
I think it’s high time I give it a shot. One of the only mmos I haven’t played
Been playing w wife since 2007. Listening to shire night music as a write this.
I recommend you check out Project Gorgon. Don't let the graphics fool you.
I've played it a bit. It's a good game. I'll probably make a video about it sometime in the future. I do have some really old videos of PG in my back log but they aren't very good compared to how I script and produce videos now. Good recommendation!
But please, mark the Mordirith spoiler, it is so greatly tied to the deeper lore of Gondor and this plotline also returns in the Black Book of Mordor later, do not spoil it to the newcomers pls. I know it is old game, but still.
I play lotro since 2007 Beta ans still love it :-)
I FUCKING LOVE LOTRO
I played the game when it came out. Lvl 60 was the cap, the game had cost 13€/15$ per month as active subscription. Somewhere i still have the Steelbook. PvP was Mediocre, even thoo, that creating a Urukhai was kinda cool for the time =)
Level 50 was the cap when released...it went to 60 withe the Mines of Moria expansion
Pantheon is playable now if anyone wants to try a combat based challenge instead of story mode
Can't wait for its full steam release.
Are you able to simply wander around the entire place?
You can, although there are a lot of areas where you need to make sure you don't get one shot by over-leveled mobs. Sticking to the roads usually helps.
@@storytimegaming7875
Thanks for the reply!
That’s exactly what I’m looking for, a game where I can just explore middle earth.
I don’t really have the concentration or the patience for missions anymore.
(Haha, also, didn’t bilbo say to stay OFF the roads ? 😂)
LoTR:O is great!
can't play it because the text is too small on 4k. quest text font increase is not a solution.
Wait! There's GIANTS in LotRO???
The Eldgang rep faction are giants, yes, and they're in the Rift of Nurz Ghashu raid instance, but there are giants in other regions, too.
@@rikk319 Very cool.
Is it worth coming back to? I ask as a few of other videos say yes and some say no because of problems with servers, updates hardly happen etc. I used to play since Launch when Turbine run it, I was away on deployment at the time of Turbine selling it on, and hence missed the chance to swap my account over to the new owners back then so I lost all my max level characters, and then ofc just did not return to it.
There are certainly performance problems with the servers. Many of those should be fixed once 64 bit servers are rolled out, and that has already happened for Legendary servers (which need subscription to play on). I'd expect the roll-out to the other servers in the next couple of months.
Updates do happen, there's an expansion coming in two weeks; I don't think there are fewer updates than in the past either.
I'm also not sure why you'd have lost your characters when Turbine sold the game... that was in 2017, and I don't think any transfer was necessary.
I've been playing since beta, with months-long breaks several times. Updates happen constantly, so I don't know who told you that. The servers are indeed going to be updated to 64 bit, and they are already 64 bit on the legendary servers so lag is almost nonexistent on them.
In my opinion the game is well worth starting over if you enjoy the lore and less-stressful playstyle. End-game and PvP has never been the focus of LotRO, but the story itself.
They should give this the RuneScape treatment and remake it with new graphics while keeping both updated
That's not likely to happen. They have discussed a "Classic LOTRO" and how it's just beyond their resources to support a "Current" and "Classic" versions and how it would be a "Brand New Game" and so on.
As for Graphics or Visuals as they are usually discussed, they keep updating LOTRO's Visuals. The Legacy of Morgoth Expansion (Nov 2024) is using their latest available visuals for LOTRO.
We've been seeing Visual Updates over the years and the SSG LOTRO Team for example are looking to Visually Update some Dungeon Interiors in the future. A poll was on the LOTRO Forums and Skorgrim's Tomb was one of the Dungeon Interiors with a lot of votes and people could select up to 3 of the given 10 choices. Example a past Visual Update was The Last Homely House for it's Interior was updated in 2023.
So "Visual Updates" are in progress it's just a very "Long Term" Project.
watchin the new LOTR series on Amazon (which is fantastic by the way) makes me wanna play. I think Im gonna sub and get all the new content. Im still only level; 65 in Mirkwood though so is it even worth it to sub now? Or should I wait until my level is higher? Just wondeirng what I will get out of subbing now. Any help please? Im out of the country so its just kind of a pain getting money in my US account
I would say you can hold off the sub if you are playing on live servers and want to continue on your old character. However if you want to start from level 1 again, I recommend to join progression or "legendary" server. They are subscription only, but the level cap is only at 50 and is expected to be raised to level 60 in early December. This makes it easier to get to raid content without having to level all the way to the 150 level cap. And the world is smaller so you'll find more player characters running around the world, grouping up with each other, making the game world feel more alive.
I tried playing one of the legendary servers but what put me off was how empty it felt, I was on what was supposed to be the most populated legendary server but maybe saw 4-5 people in my entire time there over the month I played.
Are the normal servers more populated? I enjoyed the experience but I play MMOs to feel like part of a community and ultimately the feeling that there wasn’t enough people won out and I stopped playinf
Angmar, new legendary server, is very populated, still on the base game release (lvl 1-50). In the early levels I didn’t see that many players, but from 20-30 which is where I am now I’ve been running into players all the time, doing combat and occasional fellowships for quests. If the older legendary servers have been out for a while, a bulk of the players were probably just far past you in progression in different regions, but that’s just a guess
Eh? I'm playing on Angmar and it's very busy with lots and lots of players in game.
Did you go on Treebeard? That's the only legendary server that I can think of that would have low pop and that's because it's old. Try Mordor or Angmar.
Why do you say Minis Tirith like Farmir at the river battle
Just some spontaneous roleplay, you know. XD
If a warg named Cujose ever bit your ass then we’ve met.
Amazing Game !!❤
If only they would get with the times and get sone native controller support in the game. There is zero reason why they can’t implement it, aside from being lazy. Amongst a couple other smaller issues….such and not letting me draw my weapon when outside of combat. Other than that the game is really good!
More than likely better Native Controller Support isn't going to happen due to how the game was built for such. Between Turbine & Standing Stone Games they did attempt to get LOTRO to Consoles (PS3 & Xbox 360 for Turbine and PS5 & Xbox Series X for SSG) but these didn't pan out. It's a PC MMORPG with a lot of Skills any Class has to use so a "Mouse & Keyboard" is the preferred way to play and already works. That saves development time for other Projects.
If one plays through Steam and uses their Controller Software does give a much better experience than what one can get with just LOTRO itself.
Lotro didnt start with diffrent skill trees, it was all accessible as you leveled and you didnt need to points into anything. you had everything unlocked once you leveld and you could use every single skill. it's the skill tree system that made me leave the game
I’ve only become a PC gamer for the first time this week. Do you think this game is okay for a total noob? Or will I forever be behind everyone else?
On the live servers, players can be quite spread out. If you want to catch up more easily, I recommend the vip servers. Level cap is lower and the world is smaller which keeps players together more. I'll be releasing a video about these servers shortly.
LOTRO is about the Journey. One doesn't need to and shouldn't rush at least playing the first time.
Looks similar to Morrowind
Anyone play Shadowbane?!
- Tirith
Last couple of times ive checked the game was not enjoyable to play because of the server lag.
Which class is he playing like a wizard?
It's a loremaster, but yeah basically a wizard without breaking the Tolkien lore of there being only five wizards.
@ thank you dude
Love Lotro, but it has become FAR too easy on ANY difficulty level, don't play it for a challenge,, play it for the world until you get bored of easy mode gaming
Ehh man i tried to like it as hard as i could as a Long term WoW player but the shitty graphics, gameplay and what not turns me off - ive been trying to play it for the last week but god damn its hard to enjoy, even 2004 WoW was better that this at its current state... why cant they update the graphics?
To each their own. Most mmos have dated graphics at this point. They are all over 10 years old except for New World. Never felt like graphics in mmos mattered that much.
Very Tolkien like with the 9 reasons ahha
As soon as the cash shop and microtransactions arrived, I stopped. No thanks.
Loved this game though.
I don't know. I pay my sub fee, and for the occasional expansion. I've never felt obligated to pay more than that to play the game. I'm sure the game benefits off a small population of whales but I can't think of many mmos that don't have microtransactions in them. Maybe Project Gorgon? That's an even more niche game though.
Tiene traducción al francés y al alemán, y no al español. No puede disfrutarse por los hispanoparlantes, que sumaria una cantidad importante de jugadores.
This game have any pvp
It does, but not the strongest aspect of the game tbh. The one thing I didn't really cover in this video. XD. PVMP (players versus monster players) where you can play as different classes of orc, a warg, and a spider vs the free peoples. Monster players are not playable in most of the game though, only two specific zones, the Etten moors and Osgiliath. It doesn't get the love, balance, and support like the rest of the game though. There is still a small community that does enjoy it though.
I want to love this game, but it's too greedy.
love this DEAD GAME lol
Far from dead, mate.
yeah,it's so dead that it continuously gets new expansions and the player base probably never been better in years.
It looks and feels like a cashgrab leveraging the LotR title to be honest.
25:04 Animations are below par, the strategy is to clip through doors. Okay.
The UI is too cluttered and uses too much inspiration from WoW.
Font is hard too read because they for some reason chose a very thin font with heavy anti-aliasing.
Quests are a joke, but that is to be expected from a MMORPG with basic skills and lore setup.
The plus side is some non-canon canon lore drops about Nazgûl and other locations.
I disagree, but to everyone their opinions 😊
My last comment never showed up, which was annoying as I put a bit of thought in to it, but it was probably because I put a link in the comment to a site where you can change the UI to your liking. But that said, I also talked about the love the Devs put in to this game, certainly not a cash grab ! The music in some parts of the game is arguably better than Howard Shore's score of the movies, and the love the devs put in to the game really does show, and has done since 2007. They are a small team these days, and have done amazing things with an old engine. Also the quests aren't a joke, they are very tailored and if you read them all they are contributing to a huge story (not the main epic), and lots of thought has gone in to them. For example, you make a decision at one point which has ramifications (sometimes months later when you are playing), to a character and if they are still around or not (no more spoilers from me).
@@VirtualPasts I saw your comment like half an hour ago. Maybe you accidentally deleted it? :( It was longer than the one you typed now! But I appreciate your honesty and each their own, agree. To some redeeming opinion, I really like the music in the game that's true, it's the same feeling as playing Elder Scrolls Oblivion and hear that pilgrim tune playing when you scour the fields of Cyrodiil. Nostalgic and sometimes gives me goosebumps again. Even though I didn't play LotR online a lot, I appreciate the lore and work into it. Even though the gameplay was kinda stale. Thanks for your comment.
@@Scythra Good you saw my original comment, it never showed up for me as soon as I posted it, but who knows why, RUclips can be strange :) Also agree about Elder Scrolls ! Amazing soundtrack which really completes the game !
@@TheMrSilverdude When faced with criticism, you should at least provide some counterpoints.
until it's free let it pass like star wars galaxies
LOTRO has been Free to Play since September 2010. They did a massive Free to Play Update in April 2022 that at the time had more than half of the game as Free to all Accounts.
Any Quest Packs & Expansions past Helm's Deep (2013 Expansion) & Level 95 either needs LOTRO Points or a VIP Subscription and the Latest Expansion is money-only until 6-ish months after it launches.