Weatherstock 2011:

Can you find LOTRO celebrity Goldenstar?

Large version here; or download here.





 

I think my favorite screenshot is in my house. It was really awesome to duo Helgham with my wife. We managed to down him on our second try and I got awesome tentacle in my house, much to my wifes horror I might add. (Click for bigger picture)

(click for bigger image)

Sunrise by the crystal waters of Nenuial,where the ancient city of Annuminas lies in ruins.No matter what  region I was at,Evendim was always my favourite. Beautiful even in the dark days of the third age. The magnificent capital of the ancient kingdom of Arnor still lies in wait for the return of the King.

This is one of my favorite action shots I have ever taken. It really makes my elf guardian, Lilliandil, look as powerful as she is. :

Dusk over the rooftops of Bree-town.

One of my favorite things in LotRO is being able to explore its landscapes and get to all kinds of places, even if at first it doesn't seem possible to get to them. The game really rewards you for it, too,  with its stunning atmospherics and still-amazing graphics. The view from high places never fails to be awesome, and Bree-town is no exception - after all the hustle during the day, there's something very relaxing about being on a rooftop and enjoying the quiet calm while the town drifts into sleep.

Two years ago I was looking into MMOs, when I came across one called Lord of the Rings Online. I saw that it had a 10 day trial period so I thought why not and try it out. When I read Tolkien's books, I was always intrigued with the elves, so of course I rolled as an elf in the trial.

An hour into the game I was almost done with the tutorial area, and I was already stunned by how amazing LotRO looked, even though the tutorial area was a bleak dwarven settlement. When I finished the intro, I was placed into Middle Earth itself, and the first thing I saw was the elven town of Celondim.

It was night and a full moon was high above head, the  town was filled with lights, and the perfect elven ambient music was playing in the background. I was so impressed of how Turbine recreated Middle Earth that I subscribed the next day. This is my favorite moment in LotRO, discovering a great game.

Okey, have no ide if you are going to be able to see the pic, and have NO ide how to do this, it just dont work to putt it in here :S but just click it and you will se :) 

Anyway, the pic is a dwarf in hes best days in the misty mountains.I like it because its a beautiful sky and mountain and remindes me of some grate storeys and adventures in LOTRO! Tank you everyone who makes it posible for me to play and live in middle earth everyday! 

This screenshot is from the first time I was privileged enough to be a part of the LOTRO anniversary event, thanks LOTRO for such a great game! I hope to see this sight for many years to come! :)

Cheers!

This screenshot is from March of this year, featuring the majority of our close-knit kinship (who migrated to LOTRO following Star Wars Galaxies closing its doors in December). On that particular evening, we sat out on our crumbling stone yard piece, gathered our instruments up, and played a few tunes, such as "Wight Busters" as Berowalde (featured dancing) fondly refers to it as. It was an enjoyable evening as we simply sat around and conversed, recalling memories in Star Wars Galaxies, while forming new ones in Lord of the Rings Online. 

Hello Draigoch, nice to meet you ... dead.

(right click view image for large)







 

This screenshot remains one of my favorites, both for its sheer frigid beauty and for the story behind it.  As a long-time fan of Tolkien's lore and world, I was thrilled to find up in Forochel this frozen shipwreck.  Tolkien tells that when the ancient northern kingdom of Arthedain was overrun by the forces of Angmar, its last king, Arvedui, fled north to the ice-bay, there to be sheltered by the Lossoth.  Eventually a ship came to his rescue, but the Lossoth warned him not to go, saying that the Witch-king could control even the storms.  Alas, he ignored their warnings and perished when a gale drove the ship onto the ice.  I'm sure I'm not the only one who has gasped in absolute delight at the sight of Arvedui's ship, broken, weathered grey, but still holding a trace of ancient majesty out there alone on the ice.

The full image: http://i1246.photobucket.com/albums/gg609/gabrielSbrug/ScreenShot00064.jpg

This is Lone Lands landscape at dusk, one of the most beautiful views of lotro when the day is starting to become night. And this is why I love LotRO, it gives us awesome maps and details always loyal to the real Lord Of The Rings story and Tolkien's universe.

After all the headache these guys caused me as a young level 50, it was nice to come back after "growing up" a bit and dish out some headache of my own.

I would expect most people playing LotRO have SOME experiences with Lord of the Rings (or even The Hobbit) predating the phenomenon of MMORPGs. I looked through DOZENS of screenshots I've taken over the years while playing - of my first time standing in front of orc artwork outside a certain famous (or infamous?) Goblin Town resident's grotto, of my first visit to Rivendell (made on foot), of taking a walk with Frodo to help ease his mind about the burden hanging from his neck, of happening upon a jolly oddball at his house in the Old Forest (in the middle of the night, no less!). Almost all of them allowed me to set up the shot or put some thought into what I wanted to capture. Only one of my pictures was the result of a frantic attempt to find the "Prnt Scrn" button and mash it before it was too late. A reader of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings surely knows of Gandalf's trip into Dol Guldur, but to see it play out like this in the game...well, let's just say, I actually feel like Peter Jackson has something to live up to now!

Creeps like to party in their own way!

Doing Great Barrows with kin memorable times and wonderful camaraderie all fun!

My favorite part of LOTRO is the friendships I've made. Weekly meetings with my kinship, running instances and group content, and just getting to know other players have made the past few years in Middle-earth amazing. Thanks for a great game, Turbine, and happy 5th birthday, LOTRO!!