The Lord of the Rings Online: The Re-Review In Progress

It’s hard to approach a game you’ve largely enjoyed for almost two decades from the perspective of a new player, yet that is exactly what I’ve been trying to do now since July as I embarked on this project to re-review The Lord of the Rings Online. An MMO that has been around since 2007, The Lord of the Rings Online has had its ups and downs over the years, yet it’s stood the test of time when other MMOs have come and gone rather quickly.

It’s huge world that takes players from the slopes of the Ered Luin in the West, up to the frozen north of Forochel, under the Misty Mountains in Moria, and even down into the deserts of Harad and Umbar, the developers at Standing Stone Games (and formerly Turbine) have crafted one of the best realizations of the world JRR Tolkien created. 

Yet it’s not without its faults. Seventeen years on, LotRO can look both beautiful and decidedly aged. Its combat can feel dated, a throwback to MMOs of yesteryear in an age where action combat MMOs dominate the newer releases. And it still struggles with massive lag that makes playing the MMORPG a slog in places. 

This re-review is meant to portray what it is like playing The Lord of the Rings Online today, especially if you’re aiming to jump into the long-running MMO for the first time in 2024. While I’ve been playing for the last seventeen years and have gone on record multiple times stating that this is my favorite MMO, that doesn’t blind me to the issues players might face jumping into Middle-earth in 2024. So come with us on this journey, culminating with our final score with the latest expansion, Legacy of Morgoth. 

Choose Your Own Adventure

Originally launched as The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, LotRO has seen quite a few transformations since then, most notably its shift to a free-to-play model in 2010. Throughout its seventeen-year history, The Lord of the Rings Online has multiple expansions, from 2009’s Mines of Moria to last year’s Corsairs of Umbar, and countless major updates bringing new content, new zones, and more to the MMORPG.

For a new player, knowing where to start can feel daunting, especially given you are faced with your first microtransaction decision rather quickly: to start with the original tutorial and starter zones from the early days of the MMO, or pick the mini-expansion, Before the Shadow, and play through its newer starter areas.

Each has its pros and cons. For a new player, the original starter locations are perfectly valid places to get up to speed with what LotRO has on offer. This experience also has the potential to take players through some of Middle-earth’s most iconic locations, such as The Shire and Bree-land. On the other hand, though, once you’ve gotten past those three regions, you’re once again presented with the need to spend money on zone packs to continue into the mid-level 20s and beyond.

There’s also the fact that the storytelling and questing from these areas can feel a bit dated to a modern player. This isn’t to say that The Lord of the Rings Online’s questing has fundamentally changed in its long history, but you can feel the team’s growth as both storytellers and quest designers in newer regions by comparison. However, there is nothing quite like running pies around the Shire, avoiding nosy Hobbits, or lounging on the banks of the Bywater, marching up the long, stone-carved staircases of Thorin’s Hall, or making that long trek to the Inn at the Prancing Pony for the first time. In my opinion, these are quintessential LotRO experiences that many of us look back on fondly - and something I feel every player should experience at some point. 

Yet it can’t be denied that the new zones of Cardolan and Swanfleet, which make up the Before the Shadow mini-expansion, LotRO’s tenth expansion since its launch. Since August of this year, this mini-expansion is now free to all players, which is a great touch for players eager to try out newer content right away. 

The new zones carry players from level 1 through their early 30s, culminating in a trek to Rivendell to set them on the path of the Legacy of Angmar Epic storyline. These regions are dense, rich with quests, NPCs to meet, and incredible music that makes the original regions feel like a rough draft in many ways. 

The story told through Before the Shadow showcases some incredible moments in Middle-earth’s history, such as recounting how Sauron forged the One Ring. It also helps tell Boromir’s story of his journey to Rivendell for the Council of Elrond. All the while, players will be helping the Rangers try to stem the tide of the Nazgul racing towards The Shire in search of a Baggins. 

I’ve been playing through these zones as part of this re-review, mostly because I’ve played through the original areas so many times it’s not even funny. It’s such a smooth leveling experience, especially since I haven’t had the need to languish in The Lone Lands (seriously, if there is a zone I loathe, it’s the Lone Lands), and I’ve really enjoyed the MMO slowly peeling back the lore of places like Cardolan and Arthedain. The way the developers set up the oncoming storm that is brewing across Eriador, from Saruman’s treachery, the rise of the Nine, and more is a great entry point into LotRO’s broader narrative.

As with every major MMO out there, The Lord of the Rings Online starts off with you needing to create your character, choosing between the main races of the Free Peoples of Middle-earth. You can create a Dwarf, stout of heart and body (and even a subrace of Dwarfs, the Stout-Axes), an Elf (with a High Elf variant), a character who is of the Race of Men, or your very own Hobbit (or River Hobbit). Some of these races are locked behind the LotRO store (a common theme that will continue to come up), meaning you’ll either need to grab the race from the store, or in some cases you might be better off buying a previous expansion which could include the race. 

Classes fall under the same pattern: there are quite a few hidden behind a paywall, such as last year’s Mariner class, or the Brawler from a few years back. However, free-to-play players still have access to quite a few of the main classes that the MMO launched with, including its rather unique healing class, the Minstrel, or the tanky Guardian. 

There are a ton of choices, as everything from your starting Race to class will help define some of your early stats. Elves, thanks to the fact that they are waning in the latter days of the Third Age, start with decreased Fate, while Men, who are coming into their own, start with buffed Fate, for example. These choices have a tangible effect on gameplay. I remember back in the early days when my Fate was so low (Fate helps boost in-combat Power regen, the resource used for skills) that I was constantly running out of Power in early dungeons. This was, in part, thanks to the Fading of the Firstborn stat, which significantly reduced my ability to regen under fire. 

For a new player, there is a ton of choice, and thankfully, there are some incredible wikis and guides to help you decide what is right for you. Like many other MMOs out there, as well, LotRO sells Race Change tokens in case you change your mind and want to try something else. 

The Lord of the Rings Online is definitely a game of its time, hearkening back to MMOs of yesteryear that were very skillbar-heavy and were tab targeting-focused. There’s no action camera here, and while it’s technically playable with a controller, I’m not sure why you’d want to. 

Personally, it’s somewhat refreshing to go from an action MMO like New World or Black Desert to something super familiar and slower like LotRO’s combat, and I find falling back into my Hunter or Minstrel’s rotations after extended periods away to be like riding a bike. 

Just because LotRO’s combat is focused heavily on its massive skill bars doesn’t mean it isn’t engaging. Playing as a Loremaster requires you to pay attention to what your pet is doing to react accordingly when openings happen, while playing the Warden means learning its complex, yet satisfying, Gambit system. The newest class, the Mariner, takes advantage of a Balance system that aims to emulate the feeling of swaying fore and aft on a ship. 

I will admit, though, there are times when encounters can be rather simple that I find it boring occasionally. Doing the same style of fetch quest over and over again can become tedious, coupled with the same five skills that take down a small group of enemies and it’s easy to understand why many modern MMOs have somewhat moved away from this style of combat. Yet in a group or in more challenging encounters, keeping track of cooldowns, debuffs, various class resources such as Fervor or Focus, and more is still as thrilling today as it was back in 2007 when I started playing. 

Each class feels functionally different, and while LotRO hasn’t added a ton of new classes to its roster of the years (looking at you, Black Desert Online), each one feels inherently different. This provides a ton of variety for anyone coming in with a blank slate, and while they are all wrapped up at the altar of the Holy Trinity of Heals, Tank and DPS, the way they get there feels unique enough that I never felt like I was simply repeating myself throughout my class testing over the years. 

I’m also very happy that Race and class choice today is much more accessible than it ever has been. Before certain races simply couldn’t be certain classes. You wouldn’t see an Elven Captain, for example, in the old Shadows of Angmar days, nor a Dwarven Burglar or LoreMaster, yet now you can see both with their racial variants. Beornings are still a class and Race of their own, but it’s nice to see classes be more democratized, meaning new players won’t be choosing between their desired Roleplaying choice and a playstyle choice. 

Monetization Seeps In Early

Yet it’s impossible to talk about anything regarding LotRO without talking about its intense monetization. The Lord of the Rings Online is a free-to-play MMO, and with that comes the necessity of microtransactions. It’s a decision that, at the time, I didn’t necessarily agree with, but likely saved the MMO from the dustbin of history back in 2010. 

The Lord of the Rings Online does offer an optional subscription with some pretty cool VIP benefits, including a 500 LotRO Point monthly stipend to spend in the store, extra inventory space, access to quest packs and other content (though it should be noted that this does not include expansion content such as Fate of Gundabad or Corsairs of Umbar at the time of this writing), and much more. It’s $14.99 a month, though you can buy multiple months at a time for a small discount. 

Unfortunately, LotRO’s Lifetime membership is no longer offered - and I regret never buying it myself early on, thinking I would never justify spending $200 on access to a video game. Oh boy if future Joseph could have shook some sense into past Joseph…

The fact that right from the jump the MMO effectively asks free-to-play players to spend money if they want to try out one of the new classes or races, and once you’ve left those starter areas, the LotRO store icons start to dot the landscape, showing that you’ll need to either spend the money on the recurring sub, or drop some hard-earned cash on the next quest pack.

It should be noted that you can earn LotRO points by virtue of playing the MMO, from grinding deeds and more. But that grind is a slog, especially if you’re unsure of the most optimal ways to grind for points, and more often than not players will be reaching for the wallets.

Don’t misunderstand me, either: I’m all for developers being paid for their work. Microtransactions in a free-to-play game like this are necessary to ensure that the MMO continues to provide stellar experiences as it has the last seventeen years. I just wish it didn’t feel like Standing Stone Games (and Daybreak Games) were constantly trying to dip their hands in my pocket at every turn. 

Nearly every aspect of LotRO is monetized, from its quest packs and expansions (which make sense) to unlocking inventory space in your bags or vault (which, give me all the space you can, game). While the VIP perks give players more inventory bag space, it’s still not enough for even a mildly seasons MMO hoarder. 

Thankfully, there is plenty of time to decide whether the sub is worth the recurring cost or if they feel they can buy quest packs piecemeal as they need, as since the 15th anniversary the majority of LotRO's content until level 95 is included in the free-to-play account. But there’s merit in buying quest packs as you can because once you own them, you needn’t buy them again. If you’re a VIP and cancel your subscription, you lose access to those zones, prompting you to buy them.

If you’re a more established player, the microtransactions feel like just part of daily life in Middle-earth. I’ve come to ignore them mostly as I play through each new zone, often only stopping in the store to grab a cosmetic or mount that catches my eye. But through the lens of a new player, I’d be interested in the metrics Standing Stone Games has to see if the daunting amount of microtransactions causes a ton of players to leave the game, especially when they get met with the end of the “free” content. 

A World Worth Living In

If you can get past this, though, Standing Stone Games’ version of Middle-earth is a wonder to behold. I will always maintain that The Lord of the Rings Online is the best adaptation of Tolkien’s works, especially in video game form. The developers clearly love the world and the lore, and have taken great care over the years to craft the best version of this world that they can. 

There’s something that always brings a smile to my face whenever I play, such as standing atop the clearing at Woodhall at night and seeing the Menelmacar riding high in the sky, or the simple fact that the developers got the color of Minas Tirith’s outer wall correct (it’s the same material as that at Orthanc, so naturally it would be the same color). 

Visually, despite it being a dated MMO, LotRO’s presentation retains some of its early magic. While it lacks features that a modern game would have, such as ray tracing or even advanced graphical upscaling techniques like an FSR or DLSS, the MMO has steadily made improvements to its engine to look better and better over the years. Per-pixel light attenuation adds so much detail to a scene, while I’ll maintain that LotRO’s water and water reflections are among the genre’s best. 

You don't need an exceptionally powerful PC to run the MMO, either, though it does help smooth out one of LotRO's constant bugbears: lag. I've been running these early zones on the Starforge Voyager II PC we reviewed this past summer, and it's handled it like a champ. We'll see how things go as we move closer and closer towards Mordor. 

Yet it’s the fact that the world feels true to both the spirit and detail of the books that continually make me return to it. Its characters feel real and as if they have always belonged within the world, even if they are characters made up by the developers. The writing has improved considerably over the years, but even so it has always felt Tolkienian - effortlessly so.

This attention to detail has crafted one of the best video game worlds, full stop. And the fact that it’s based off one of fantasy’s most iconic locations, and all the pressure that comes with portraying that, makes it all the more a triumph. 

I’ve always loved the fact, too, that LotRO doesn’t shy away from showcasing new areas and regions unseen in the books. We’re seeing even more of that now as the MMO moves into South Harad and the regions around Umbar, but it’s nothing new. One of the first additions to the MMO was Evendim, the lake to the North of the Shire where Annuminas is, which houses the seat of the High King of Arnor and Gondor. Forochel was such a rush to explore, especially with its weather effects forcing players to seek out steam vents to warm up. 

The world of Middle-earth is huge, and there is a ton on offer for new players and returning players alike. Hell, I’ve been playing for seventeen years, and there are still regions I’ve not fully explored for one reason or another. 

Wrapping up

For now, this first re-review in progress is more of an establishing piece than a full review, and so you can expect a few more in the coming weeks before and after Legacy of Morgoth fully releases. In the next re-review, we’ll be covering more about the microtransactions, solo vs group play, housing, and more in the lead-up to the next expansion. 

I’ll leave you with this: The Lord of the Rings Online is a huge game, and summing it up even in a full re-review series will never be able to cover everything. But, it’s a game worth playing, even casually, if you’re at all interested in The Lord of the Rings, or just want a great game you can throw on and kill a few hours. Despite some of my complaints, which I’ve expressed only in this re-review in progress thus far, 2024 feels like one of the best years to get into the MMO, more so than it has in years past. 

I’m curious what your thoughts are, especially if you’re a new player jumping into the MMO for the first time. With Lord of the Rings back in the zeitgeist heavily thanks to Amazon’s Rings of Power, I’m curious what drew you into the MMO, and whether or not you agree with my thoughts as a new player to the game. Let me know in the comments below.