Lord of the Rings Online

MMO in-game events are one major way to drum up community interaction as well as make things interesting every few months. Events themselves can come and go at predictable times, mostly repeating themselves year over year. And Bradford has never really been able to get into them.

Amazon and Leyou canceling their upcoming Lord of the Rings MMORPG is unsurprising, but it is a bit depressing. However, it does make Bradford wonder what could have been, from both a pure MMO standpoint and as a die-hard Lord of the Rings fan.

As we all transitioned into 2021, one thing that loomed on Bradford's mind while introducing his daughter to more MMOs was something that may go unnoticed by many, but affect thousands of players across the entire games industry: Accessibility. Bradford explores this and how future (and even some present) MMOs can ensure that more people can enjoy the game worlds that shape many of us.

From the ashes of last week's sale of Daybreak Game Company to EG7 for $300 million, we learned quite a few things from the company now that the information was made public. One tidbit caught Bradford's eye: updating The Lord of the Rings for PCs and "nextgen consoles." Bradford takes a look at whether he thinks the MMO could even succeed in its current state on the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.

The Lord of the Rings Online's self-styled "mini-expansion" has definitely been controversial, so much so that it's giving Bradford, our resident LOTRO expert, mixed feelings. Is it truly something that should be called a "mini-expansion"or does it feel like a cash grab from what many feel is an inattentive studio?

MMOs and housing, they go hand in hand most of the time nowadays. They aren't in every MMO, but the ones that do have housing see their fanbases rave over the latest design aesthetics and more. But, there's still nothing like finding and buying your first home, whether in real life or in game. Do you remember buying your first MMO house?

After a rough few months ending the summer, The Lord of the Rings Online seems to be looking ahead at their upcoming content plans. War of the Three Peaks was talked about again on the recent Cord of the Rings stream, but it's the pricing that feels off. Mini-expansion for $99? Bradford breaks down why he feels the timing seems tone deaf.

For the past week many Lord of the Rings Online players have been unable to log into their game as downtime goes into its eighth day. Curiuosly, and upsettingly, Standing Stone Games has relayed little to no info as to exactly what's going on, which is unacceptable.

I've been playing The Lord of the Rings Online since essentially the game's release, and relatively early on I started my own Kinship, LotRO's version of guilds. However, we are small - something I wouldn't trade for the world.

It's no secret that Elder Scrolls Online is my favorite MMO. I genuinely love the open freedom that game allows for, especially after the One Tamriel and Tamriel Unlimited updates. However, as I was playing LOTRO this weekend with my buddies, a new realization dawned on me. MMOs should have a free exploration mode, opening the map completely. Let me explain.

March 25th holds special significance in Tolkien's sub-universe, as it's the date the Ring was destroyed and Sauron defeated utterly. So why not explore some of the world of Tolkiens World?

As someone who studies and reads The Lord of the Rings, Christopher Tolkien is a name I know well. His passing last week, aged 95, has had a profound impact on many lives, with many wondering where this leaves his father's estate and the rights to all of the stories yet adapted. However, for me, the passing has made me reflect on how the secondary universe has allowed me to fully enjoy games like The Lord of the Rings Online.

I've had an interesting love/hate relationship with the latest Lord of the Rings Online expansion. I'm really finding that the story telling in LotRO is feeling aged, and the constant fetch quests are grinding on me. However, the way the team has designed the titular settlement in the expansion has me excited to explore even more once again.

As Bradford moves towards the finish line of his review of Minas Morgul, something has been nagging at him for the last few weeks - something that only became really clear over the past weekend. LotRO's storytelling style is, unfortunately, starting to show it's age.

Resident Tolkien fanatic, Bradford, has been exploring the world of Minas Morgul since the expansion hit earlier this month. This week he comes upon the Morgul Vale, home to the Tower of Sorcery. Read on for his first Review in Progress of the Minas Morgul expansion.