Yup, i ended up cancelling my vanguard account.

I love the game dearly, but it costs 12 pounds a month, and finances are tight. So i was skeptic when pointed to LOTRO's trial, my first thought was 'oh god not another fellowship bs game'

You know the drill. You play as the fellowship, or you play as a unknown who is with the fellowship for no apparent reason. I expected quests to be around the fellowship, i expected the main quests to mostly be meeting frodo and the likes, etc.

It turns out quite differently. The quests barely related to the 'fellowship' but instead to things that happend beforea nd after and inbetween. For example, i met one of frodo's relatives and fought a Nazgul (who kicked my ass) and so on and so forth.

The roleplay is excellent, theres random roleplay all over the place ! It feels populated, you see people on errands all over, be it npc or pc.

There are some merits to the combat system, i do enjoy the 'fear' factor. Big, legendary evil things inspire awe/fear into charecters, and just like the books, a charecter with a weak will etc will cower in fear unable to act. Minstrels can inspire and play music and so on to make you all take on the enemy without the fear. Its pretty good.

The deed system is addictive. You can level your charecter up normally, but until you get deeds they dont start becoming anything heroic. Deeds are a huge array of traits and things you can add to your charecter to make them a hero, like say, they can face undead, or they swipe swords faster than anyone, etc.

Anyways, id reccomend it if your a LOTR fan, but not if you arnt. The combat is very, very simplistic. (AT leeast it feels that way, compared to WoW and Vanguard) I dont like the combat at all, but hte roleplay and experinace Plus the graphics are enough to keep me there for awhile.

Heres a few screenshots. Me with Dwalin (from the Hobbit) on my dwarf while trying it out, Then sunrise in the elven lands, as well as me facing (running away from) the Nazgul.

Im not quite on highest settings. It runs flawlesly and can alt-tab, im on max almost except for a few things.

But im not on the highest graphics because the very, ultimate one is direct-x 10 only :P

Heheh.

Ive heard the raiding is okay but not as good endgame as it was before, as at level 60 theres less to do due to there only being moria and lorien content.

Next update will probly bring more stuff.

Im loving it. I miss vanguard but meh, its cheaper, i have 42 days free, i won a competition for mithril armor ingame, and the rp is fantastic.

You can actually request a GM to run rp events ! (As long as they dont infringe on the main story, cant have aragorn etc. But a goblin assault on some place? plausible)

Yup, started playing this last week. In a very hardcore raiding guild on AoC, so we clear all content in 2-3 evenings. So this is my bit on the side, as 4 lvl 80 chars in AoC, and don't fancy levelling any more.

Have a lvl 21 Champ so far, and enjoying the game much more than i thought i would. All settings maxed and DX10, a very pretty game (visually) is the way i'd describe it.

Crafting system is very nice, good to be able to craft something at a level as low as 10, and it be useful for someone.

Indeed.

I havent crafted or anything yet, im really saving that for my alt.

I would reccomend you slow down a bit as the content is huge, and its not a matter of clearing it. Besides, you dont want to hit 60 yet ;)

Im looking forward to moria etc, but i dont want to be hitting the 60's till theres more content. Although i do want to go to the ettenmoors and win myself the Knight-Captain title.

I've got lots of friends in the game that i know from AoC and are looking to raid soon, so that's why i'm powering my way through so i can join up with them asap.

Definately seems one of the most polished PvE MMO's out there, thoroughly enjoyed my time in Middle-Earth (Milthrandir eh Grizz;D)

Crafting system is really nice, very accessable and great fun to use. Actually bought Mines of Moria not long after it came out but began to get bored after a while...i like socialising ingame but nothing beats playing with people you already know:)

For all it's positives, i can't see myself playing it long, not sure if it will hold me even to the level cap. Sick of being told to run and kill 20 boars for their tusks, to then go and hand it in and be given the next quest, which is to go back and kill 20 boars but this time, bring back their tales. And so on, and so on...

huggett87 wrote: go back and kill 20 boars but this time, bring back their tales.

"I remember when all this was fields... when I was a young boar, winters were harder, we had to walk bare hoof through the snow to get to school... etc"

Theres not many where you kill the same enemy repeatedly.

Usually you get told to go for the higher-tier.

The deed system is the grind of the game (quests are relatively straightforward)

If you want deeds, some have to be grinded.

Theres the new lorien update...

But...powelevelling to reach the 'raids' you WILL be dissapointed !

You will end up with a level 60 and great gear after a few weeks/months, but then..thats it. Theres no more story, no more quests, you'd have to do quests below your level if you really wanted to.

Im taking it slow as i want to have another content update before i hit 60 :p

Then again, if you get therea nd gear that 60 up then start an alt and go slow, that will work great.

Shadetail wrote: Theres not many where you kill the same enemy repeatedly.

In my experience so far (lvl 27), this has been very much the case.

Shadetail wrote: But...powelevelling to reach the 'raids' you WILL be dissapointed !

Why's that? I'm in this game to raid, not do quests that mirror every other MMO that's been released.

Shadetail wrote: Theres no more story, no more quests

Praise the lord!

Because there isnt much raid content yet at level 60? :)

Unlucky. Im at level 20 and ive yet to get the same monster to kill again, so far its been lots of walking.

Either way, good luck !

you'll probly get more raids as your not alread level 50 ^^, so the raids from shadow will be new to you.

Theres lots of the higher levles complaining in forums about lack of new raid content for level 60's thugh.