Why I like LOTRO so much

Note: as I write this, LOTRO is down. There is big activity on Twitter where everyone is telling which server they’re on. Look for the #Servername hashtag. I posted mine.

I have been enjoying Lord of the Rings Online a lot recently. I have 4 characters (the natives call them “toons”) on the Gladden server, one a mid-level Lore Master, a lower-level Hunter, a similarly low-level Minstrel, and a very low-level Rune Keeper. There are several more classes that I have yet to try. Each class is so different that it really makes the game very interesting and not boring to replay the missions (mostly). For example, the Hunter is quite the badass at low level, and has only died about twice, and then only when mobbed. The Lore Master can reach out and touch the enemy and has a pet to help, but dies pretty easily when approached. The Minstrel can play music that does damage and heals, but can also use weapons. I haven’t played the Rune Keeper long enough to be able to comment on him.

The crafting system in LOTRO is very good (and much better than in Star Trek Online, though that has improved a lot). To craft, you need materials and recipes, which you either need to gather or otherwise get. Being in a Kinship is great help here, because your kin will send materials and recipes to you (as well as give you other goodies). Then, when you make something nice, you can send it to appropriate kin. Essentially, you don’t need to be self reliant. One of my characters is a jeweler and a cook, while another is a farmer and woodworker, and a third is a scholar (potions and scrolls) and weaponcrafter. With crafting, you can often make better stuff than what drops from your kills.

If you this sounds like fun to you, check out LOTRO, create characters on the Gladden server, and, when you decide you want to stay, look for members of the “Thirst for Power” kinship and join up!


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