The Lord of the Rings Online – The Best MMORPG for Story Fans
Developer: Standing Stone Games | Platform: PC | Release Date: April 24, 2007 | Model: Free2Play with optional subscription | Combat System: Tab-Targeting
What kind of game is this? In The Lord of the Rings Online you travel to Middle-earth, where you gradually step out from quiet starter zones into the world. It is threatened by Sauron’s grip and even goes beyond Tolkien’s novels, telling its own story without the Ring.
The MMORPG is characterized by a wonderful atmosphere, many contents, and regular updates, even though the game is already 17 years old. You can choose from playable races like Elves, Dwarves, or Hobbits and access various classes.
The combat system is a static tab-target system where you aim at enemies and then unleash your skills in a certain rotation. While this may not seem particularly modern, it serves its purpose and fits the down-to-earth fantasy setting.
Recently, the game gained attention for offering more content for free-to-play players, including a new class and a total of four expansions. Last year, the newest expansion with the Corsairs of Umbar was released, including a new class of the mariner. The next addon is already scheduled for release in 2024.
What does it do well in PvE? Especially the open world of Middle-earth can convince, particularly if you are a fan of the books or movies. The story, in which you meet iconic characters like Gandalf, Frodo Baggins, or Legolas, is absolute fan service. You can experience, for example, the wedding of King Aragorn and Arwen.
LOTRO also offers the usual content like dungeons and raids, which, however, cannot compete with the major titles. They are certainly a nice pastime.
Additionally, there is a large role-playing community, for whom loyalty to lore is very important. Sometimes this leads to entertaining group activities, like a role-playing group that simply plays music together all day long.
What does it do poorly in PvE? The open world is nicely designed, but often a bit empty, which does not necessarily encourage exploration.
Criticism is often directed at the graphics, which are now quite dated. The combat system is also the weakest on this list, which indirectly affects the PvE experience.
What about PvP? The PvP mode of LOTRO only takes place in the Ettenmoors region. There, you can choose to run around as a monster, such as an orc, or, with certain small requirements, play your “real” hero.
This form of PvP is quite original and is appreciated by a minority of players. However, most fans of LOTRO steer clear of PvP and are not bothered by it. If you want to know more about the future of the MMORPG: The Lord of the Rings MMORPG presents its roadmap for 2024 – Announces new expansion and graphics update.
