I started in beta and played for 6 months after release. I got my Minstrel to 40 then quit as it seemed leveling was too slow for me. I came back late last year and left after 3 months cause it seemed after level 30 that it took too long to level still. Has this changed? I am starting to think that I can never catch up in an MMO after an expansion is released.

Turbine is regularly flipping the "extra XP switch", and they've revamped the leveling pace in the lower 40 levels. With the revamp of Angmar and the addition of Forochel, it's pretty easy to blast through the 40s.

Leveling is too fast now, IMO.

I played a full month and made it to 35, i found it slow compared to other mmo i played, but maybe it's just me and being new to the game.

Leveling is definitely faster than the last time you logged on. The XP curve was adjusted a few months back and it's realistic to reach level 20 in a couple of days, and level 35 in about 10-14 days.

Also Turbine have been systematically revamping lower level areas to bring the game into line with later content. The result has been a more focussed leveling experience in those areas so far updated (Shire/Erid Luin and Breeland).

I have to say that once you leave those areas (around 20-25), leveling really seems to slow down a lot. (more than simply the fact that you have a larger XP goal each level). The good news is that Turbine should be continuing these reworkings in future updates, so a revamped Lone Lands and North Downs can't be far away.

My personal opinion is that the starter areas seem to be over very quickly. This is okay for a veteran who wants to level a number of characters (I have 7!), but i do wonder if new starters are being hustled along at a pace that may leave little time to savour the atmosphere and storyline that makes this MMO really stand above the rest.

If you think leveling is too slow in Lord of the Rings Online than you probably find 15 second commercials for something you like to also be too long.

I played LoTR at release and for about 5-6 months after, till I got bored. I never found lvling in LoTR slow in fact I found it to fast. Maybe I just play  to much.  I was not in a rush or running thru content cuase there was no real end game stuff at the time but I found getting to 50 not really all that hard. 

My kids were playing  last month and the lvled to 35ish in a week? If that is any help.

I would say it's very slow. In 8 months, I got to level 44, before basically giving up on the game (in May 09). I have a lifetime sub, unfortunately, so I can never really give up, as much as I wish I could.

By contrast, I hit 100 in 4 months in Sword of the New World (a Korean Grinder) and 3 months in Atlantica Online.

3 days left on my Free Trial and focusing on one Warden, I have him at level 21. I play it no more than 2-4 hours per day, spread out, so I wouldn't say leveling is slow. 21 levels in 7 days. Maybe it used to be, I wouldn't know.

Originally posted by Comnitus

3 days left on my Free Trial and focusing on one Warden, I have him at level 21. I play it no more than 2-4 hours per day, spread out, so I wouldn't say leveling is slow. 21 levels in 7 days. Maybe it used to be, I wouldn't know.

I didn't think the free trial let you play the characters from the expansion?  I was kinda disappointed when I got the invite to come back to LoTRo I wasn't able to play either of the two new classes, it said I needed to buy the expansion....

Anyway the xp goes pretty fast for the first 10-15 levels but starts to slow down quite a bit as you get into the 20s esp if you work on other things like harvesting picking up achievements which are pretty important and hard to avoid.

leveling is pretty good. what takes so long is getting the new gear in the end game stuff.

Originally posted by CWEGuru

I started in beta and played for 6 months after release. I got my Minstrel to 40 then quit as it seemed leveling was too slow for me. I came back late last year and left after 3 months cause it seemed after level 30 that it took too long to level still. Has this changed? I am starting to think that I can never catch up in an MMO after an expansion is released.

what a coincidence i played from beta till i got my minstrel to 42 then quit. wierd huh.

 Leveling was never slow in LOTRO. It must be the easiest and fastest leveling game out right now.

Levelling has been one of the quickest in this game, if someone really only wanted to level. Even at launch, levelling from 1 to 35 was very quick, however at that time there was a gradual slowdown due to lack of solo quests at 35-40, and later between about lvl 42-45. But after they added Evendim (35-40), Forochel (40-45), and Misty mountains east (45-50), plus revamped Angmar adding a ton of new quests, levelling solo to max have ever been easy as hell.

On top of everything, they furthermore changed the XP curve recently, and now honestly, in my humble casual gamer's opinion, leveling as actually way too fast. You will happen to miss quite a big portion of the content, unless you're willing to do greyed out quests. Lots of it.... :/

DB

I think people forget that there are two groups of MMO players. The EQ-clone crowd (this includes WoW and Lotro) and the asian MMO's.

The asian MMO's usually have HUGE level ranges, and so levelling up is relatively fast but also meaningless. But it keeps the people who like to hear "ding" happy.

The western MMO's are typically slower but with fewer levels and each level brings something. In Lotro this is often a skill or a class quest or a new set of items etc etc.

Another point is that Lotro is really not about levelling up. The game's endgame is really not why most people play Lotro and you will be missing out on a lot of content.

I see a LOT of new players who have raced to 60 but skipped huge areas and not for instance done their class quests or even heard about them.

Over its life, levelling has come faster and faster and it shows. Quality of players has gone done and down. 

Originally posted by CWEGuru

I started in beta and played for 6 months after release. I got my Minstrel to 40 then quit as it seemed leveling was too slow for me. I came back late last year and left after 3 months cause it seemed after level 30 that it took too long to level still. Has this changed? I am starting to think that I can never catch up in an MMO after an expansion is released.

Yes, you actually level too fast in this game in my opinion anymore.  Not "wtfjuststarted playing AOCyesterday" bullshit fast but its immensely faster than when the game launched.  They've also added a lot of content too so it goes quicker unlike at launch where the number of quests at higher levels was rather anemic.

First off, I have to agree with those point out that levelling is if anything, too fast. It's the fastest of an MMO I have ever played for any length of time. (and I have played from launch on)

Example: we recently dragged a rl friend into playing, he is definately a "casual" player..full time job, married etc doesn't play most days at all. In the less than 6 months since we roped him in, he has one fully traited and well geared 60th and two more over 50th, one of which he plans on working to 60th.

If you find it slow chances are either you're not following the quest lines (and thus are in level inappropriate areas) or just totally lack perspective to measure it against.

Leveling is anything BUT slow in this game, which unfortunately causes some players to try to rush through to get to the level cap and the "good stuff", never realizing that the content that they bypassed IS the "good stuff".

Levelling is so-so in LOTRO.  Definitely not what I'd consider slow compared to some other MMOs out there.  By far the most miserable experience I had in levelling was Lineage II.

 I've been playing on and off for about two weeks. No more than about 2-3 hours when ever I do play, and I'm level 37 Minstrel.

i'd say about a 65-35% split on solo-group play. I would say it's about right.