If I start LoTR now and play for 15-20 hours per week, how do you think it will take to hit the new content?

Is the older content fun to play through? Are there a lot of other players leveling up?

I'm not a min-maxer and I like to explore and smell the roses along the way, fishing (if it's available) and gathering as I level. I will group sometimes if there are people who want to run group quests, and I often like to explore on my own.

Fishing is definitely there, rose smelling could be a problem (the closest you can get is maybe wild flowers on a nearby farmer's field, or some fine pipeweed)

Maybe just my nostalgia but the original SoA content is great, and with some revamps in the last 1-2 years it got even better (like you don't have to spend hours with swimming back and forth in Nenuial).

Time estimation is a bit tough, it's heavily depend on how much do you like the exploration, the gathering, and the rose smelling :) with 15hrs a week I'd put my bet on cca. 2 months until you reach Rohan. But it's just a wild guess, it was long time ago when I levelled an alt from scratch.

Lotro has a lot of sidetracks when it comes down to leveling. (Till lvevel 75) You can't do all the zones, it boils down to whenever you want to "see" those zones and put in additional hours for visiting them or doing a quest or two along.

The Issue is, Lotro offers almost thrice as much zones and content as you need to level up per level bracket. All the following levels are doable through each listed zone alone. (Not counting bonus XP)

Ered Luin quest can take you up to lvl15 alone.
Breeland can take you up to lvl 24 (without barrow downs!).
The Shire can take you up to lvl19 too (the old forrest counting for shire rather than breeland questwise)

The west part of North downs can take you up to lvl 26.
The south part to lvl 29
(Everything before Esteldin quests).

The Lone lands take you up to lvl 30 alone
Evendim can take you up from lvl 30 to 42 alone
Trollshaws can take you up from 34 to 39 alone

Starting around lvl 38+ there are three Zones where you could get enough XP alone to hit lvl 50 per zone again. Angmar / Forochel / MistyMountains.

Eregion can take you up from lvl50 to lvl 55.
Moria can take you up from lvl 50 till 62.
Lothlorien can take you up from lvl 60 to 65. (or from 55 to lvl 62)
Mirkwood can take you up from lvl 60 to 67.
Enedwaith can take you up from lvl 60 to 67.
Isengard can take you up from lvl 65 to 77.
Great River can take you up from lvl 70 to 77.

Rohan can take you up from 75 (or 73 if you prefer to rush things) till lvl85.

Zone you should avoid to quest if you want to not take almost tripple the time for the same xp , are:
East Angmar, Shire, West Northdowns, South Northdowns, East misty mountains, Trollshaws, Forochel

Those are bautiful landscapes (for lotro) but if rohan is your aim, consider additional two to three weeks if you do these zones. (So much running for little xp)

The fastest route for a regular fresh new player is: Erid Luin OR Archet + Breeland
Then lvl18+ Barrow downs in Breeland
-> Lone lands (till lvl30)
-> (Partial till you hit lvl 30 in case you didn't want to do all of lonelands) East Northdowns starting from Esteldin.
-> Evendim at lvl30. (Hobbit fare south) to lvl 40+
-> (Partial FEM Quest Chain in Angmar, but don't go beyond that) till lvl45
->Eregion from lvl 45+ till 50
-> Moria till lvl 60+ (you need the traitline capstones)
-> Mirkwood till lvl 65 (skirmish unlocks)
-> Bonevale + Galtrev in Isengard (Till lvl70)
-> Great River till lvl75
> Rohan

You can skip the Mirkwood areas completely and also half of Moria and go from lvl 55 till 60 in Lorien and then from 60 to lvl 65 in Enedwaith.

Issue is, EPIC BOOK and skirmish unlocks. So you want actually rather level from 60 to 65 with the elves in mirkwood than in Enedwaith. Same goes for Moria you rather want to finish the Epic Book in Moria (till B7) to unlock your traitline capstones instead of leveling from 55 to 60 in Lorien.

It will probably cost you more time to finish those afterwards if you choose not to level up there as a new player.

Alternative is to "skirmish" your way through and avoid certain landscape quests. Drawback is, you will lack the virtues and deeds for exploration and quest grinding as well as most slayer (kill) deeds. In the end you want those and so you will grind them at high or max level instead on level.

~ 6 - 9 weeks till lvl75. @ 15 -20 hours a week including crafting.

1.5 Weeks if you skirmish most of the levels and additional 1 week to grind the virtues and unlocks (moria + mirkwood). But this requires extensive knowledge of the game. (where, when what) - and you will skip most of the (old) game parts.

There are some players leveling, barely enough to form a instance group sometimes. I would avoid instances since most are scaleable (you can and will do them at max lvl), and those who are not, are not worth the additional time.

Plus all of them except the RAIDS, are solo runable at lvl85. (Well some raids are, but that is another story)

Originally posted by skydiver12

Lotro has a lot of sidetracks when it comes down to leveling. (Till lvevel 75) You can't do all the zones, it boils down to whenever you want to "see" those zones and put in additional hours for visiting them or doing a quest or two along.

 

Plus all of them except the RAIDS, are solo runable at lvl85. (Well some raids are, but that is another story)

 

 

Thanks alot for the well done information. I am planning to do an alt so your guide will be most helpful :)

Originally posted by PWN_FACE

If I start LoTR now and play for 15-20 hours per week, how do you think it will take to hit the new content?

 

Is the older content fun to play through? Are there a lot of other players leveling up?

 

I'm not a min-maxer and I like to explore and smell the roses along the way, fishing (if it's available) and gathering as I level. I will group sometimes if there are people who want to run group quests, and I often like to explore on my own.

I recently started a few new characters and there are still people running around the starter areas, so you wont feel lonely and plenty of RPers in those areas as well. Plus the festivals are in the starter areas, which always brings people back (apart from the winter one Frostbuff). I agree with other posters, you will have to choose where you go, otherwise the sheer number of quests and deeds becomes unmanagable. I did most zones with my minstrel and I was way too high when I got to Rohan. I have a 62nd Guard and he's doing Lorien ---> Mirkwood ---> Great River ---> Rohan. My Minstrel did Enedwaith ---> Dunland ---> Gap of Rohan/Isengard and Great River before Rohan (and did Lorien and Mirkwwod as well which was why I was 79 by the time I got to Wold, which was a bit too high.

If you like exploring then maybe do all the zones and focus on exploration deeds rather than picking up all the quests. I tended to focus on the zones where I wanted kindred as well, so my Elf Minstrel got kindred with Rivendell, Mirkwood and Lorien because it suits his character, and he's got Elf Ambassador. Who you want to play is as important on an RP server as much as what class you play.

I play on Laurelin.

I've logged close to 600 hours now on my main LOTRO guy and I'm 66th.

Little better on my 2nd highest, about 200 and 56th.

But to me, it's one of the slowest leveling games around.

Originally posted by trancejeremy

I've logged close to 600 hours now on my main LOTRO guy and I'm 66th.

 

Little better on my 2nd highest, about 200 and 56th.

 

But to me, it's one of the slowest leveling games around.

I'd agree with that, oddly enough it's easier than ever, almost all content is soloable, but because there is far more to do now than on release that's slowed things down a little. I expect if you ground skirmishes to 85 it wouldn't take long, but who could do that without going insane?