The Lord of the Rings Online
Without Tolkien’s fantasy epic “The Lord of the Rings”, the image of the typical Elf as a pointy-eared archer would probably not exist. Therefore, it is only natural that the Elves from the MMORPG Lord of the Rings Online appear in our elf special.
As one of the oldest races in the world, Elves (who are actually called “Elben” in Middle-earth) have an extremely detailed backstory that we can only touch upon here.
In Middle-earth, Elves are an ancient, immortal race. If an Elf is not slain or falls victim to an accident, they effectively live forever. Elves were once tolerant and open, but many acts of betrayal and war with other races have caused them to suffer greatly.
Therefore, Elves protect their ancestral homeland with great zeal and are distrustful of other races, appearing arrogant and superior. An old rivalry exists between them and the Dwarves.
Orcs, on the other hand, despise them. This is because this race once arose from dark powers from tortured and deformed Elves, representing a bizarre distortion of the noble race.
What Elves are there in Lord of the Rings Online?
In the game, you can play only two Elven races: the regular Elves and the High Elves, who were newly added in the 2017 Mordor update.
Elves: These Elves were previously the only playable representatives of this race. They correspond to the image of the Elves known from the works of The Lord of the Rings. So they are tall, noble warriors. Elves can come from various regions of Middle-earth, including Lórien, the home of Galadriel, or Legolas’ home in Mirkwood.
High Elves: This race was newly introduced with the Mordor update 2017. The High Elves are the representatives of their race who have already been to the distant land of Valinor. This area is the refuge for Elves who have left the fates of the world to the younger races and retreated from Middle-earth.
Some of these Elven elite have, however, returned to ensure that the younger races can cope with their “heritage”. High Elves are even more graceful and beautiful than their “lower” cousins, who never saw the shores of Valinor.
Interesting detail: High Elves start far before the game’s story in the Second Age. You will be gravely wounded there but can only rejoin the fray centuries later.
What is special about the Elves of the Lord of the Rings?
As mentioned at the beginning, Elves in the Lord of the Rings universe are the archetype of this fantasy race. Therefore, anyone portraying an Elf in the game is playing the original!
Additionally, the game has a large roleplaying community, and those knowledgeable about the extremely rich Elvish lore and possibly even speak the Elvish language can truly thrive as roleplayers here.
In which game do you like the Elves best?
