I signed up for LOTR before it changed from subscription to Free2Play. But I never had a chance to play it until now.
I'm not a big fan of the free to play model. When done well, as in Wizard 101, it feels like a perk on top of the game. But in other games it seems as if it is being used to milk money in any way possible. The LOTR model is bad marriage between the two. It's store has nice perks but the game also makes you pay for things that are needed in the game. Lets discuss basics such as mounts. In the Wizard 101 plan, mounts are a perk you can buy from the get go. In fact it is presented as a pay option from the start. There is no farming a player can do in game to get a permanent mount. It is a perk and customers know they must factor in the cost if they want a horse, shark, tiger or unicorn. In LOTR, the F2P customer must buy the option to ride a mount plus the mount. This just strikes me as a bit of gouging. The game will let you grind your way to a mount but considering the economy in game, that could take a long, long time.
The penny pinching over mounts in LOTR is just annoying, especially when they are ignoring the truly pay dirt pay options such as housing. I'm sure Wizard 101 makes a bundle with vanity housing. You cannot buy housing in LOTR as a pay option. Plus there are limits within the game on housing, such as only one house to an account on one character. If you want more housing, you need to create another account. You must buy the housing with in game gold (slow in the gathering) plus be subjected to weekly rent. Also the player has limits to housing size and limits to what can be placed inside of the house. Mansions are only available to guilds (called kinships). This set up just strikes me as insane. Especially when Turbine could be charging real money for this option with no limits and people will buy it. They would and will buy multiple houses for each character. I've checked out their forums and there are rumors that Turbine is looking to changing the set up, but nothing is concrete. Many on the forums have speculated that the code the housing is built upon will not scale. So that is why the game puts so many caveats on the option.
LOTR is graphically gorgeous to behold. The creators have truly worked hard to create Tolkein's world in VR. The avatar creation process is simple yet holds numerous possibilities in looks and background stories.
There are two, instanced starting areas for all 4 races (Men, Dwarves, Hobbits and Elves). One start area is shared by Elves and Dwarves the other by Hobbits and Men. So there is quite a bit of overlap in the quest story lines. As players level, they all end up on the main quest line which converges in Bree Town. Basically players are just a few steps behind the story written by Tolkein in his trilogy.
The fight mechanics are the same as any mmorpg where LOTR excels is the graphics and the IP it is based upon. Lord of the Rings gave birth to the modern fantasy genre so visiting this mmorpg is rather like being able to visit fantasy's Ur. All the important landmarks have been lovingly recreated by the graphic designers. Truly no expense was spared when it came to creating the visuals.
The game play is strictly PvE and the player will never run out of quests to complete. If one is an explorer there are even more hidden quests with found objects and from lonely NPC travelers. The number of quests do depend on the type of subscription the player is working on. If F2P, there is an option to buy more quests. Premium players (those who use the Turbine store) get a few more perks. But to truly get everything the game offers (with the exception of a few designer classes), VIP is the way to go. VIP is a monthly pay subscription to the game.
The PvP option is not as large nor seems that popular with the players. It is embodied as something called MonsterPlay, which only VIP customers can access. Monsterplay allows players to build an endgame level Orc to fight against players on the side of Frodo & Co. I haven't tried it yet, so I can't properly review it.
The training system for classes and professions is well done. There is also the well loved fishing hobby included in the game play. A past time that I never understood the love for in WoW or in this game. There have been players in Wizard 101 and WAR asking for Fishing to be added. Why? Fishing doesn't feel like playing a game...well...whatever. If you love virtual Fishing, it is in LOTR. And like the rest of the game, it is beautifully animated with appetizing fish and gorgeous fishing hole locations. LOTR even includes a profession that I've only seen in Asian mmorpgs, which is farming. The farming areas are located in Hobbit villages such as Michel Delving, Straddle and Buckland. Just throw out seed and reap the rewards. Although the produce can only be used by players who have cooking as a sister profession.
The economy is slow. It is a black mark it shares with Asian mmorpg's such as Jade Dynasty. Which means the rewards gotten from quests are really chump change. The AH is inundated with junk and basics. Which means it will take a player a long, long, long time to make that first gold piece. On the other hand, if you do manage to slog all the way to level 20, then the rewards will improve and drops from monsters get better as well. So it does get better.
What is not slow is the population. I'm on a server that is very busy. Which is good to see. It seems that the free option has attracted more players and not scared away older, paying players. While sometimes it can turn into a fight fest to get to monster NPCs first or farm nodes, it is better than playing in totally empty areas.
To sum up this game has a lot to offer. While it does have some drawbacks in it's F2P option, it makes up for it in wonderful game looks and play.
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