is this game p2w?

[JomboKits]

wanted to try this since it looked fun but wondering if its p2w since p2w is a turn off for me.

[Harvain]

No it's not "Pay to Win". The Lord of the Rings Online has nothing "to win". There is "Pay for Convenience" where one can use Money and then LOTRO Points that also can go into other In-Game Currencies to achieve certain things.

In-Game Currency can also be gained by everyone through doing Deeds. So playing the Game will earn a Player the very Currency they can use for extras. Money just makes this process many times faster compared to the time needed to do Deeds & build up LOTRO Points or LP for short.

LOTRO "does" have Player versus Player, called Player versus Monster Player but it's really not even a Secondary System but a 3rd System which is 100% optional to participate in. Most do not.

Mithril Coins is a Currency which can be spent in a variety of ways to do certain things. A key example is being able to use a Mithril Coin on certain Quests to Automatically return to the Quest Giver. Or using Mithril Coins to get a Premium House.

There are "Stat Tomes" which are on the In-Game LOTRO Store which provide Stats but have no seen work in Years and are very outdated in terms of the Stats they provide. Stat Tomes can be earned through various In-Game Options. The amount they provide is pitiful when compared to just 1 Item which right now some provide nearly +20,000 to a Main Stat compared a Stat Tome which in 2023 provides less than +1,000 for a Main Stat.

[Wenzilber]

What's your preference in a MMO-RPG?

If you want to play for the Story, then the Story Progression (called Epic quests in LOTRO) is very much like in SWTOR.

It's F2P up to a certain point of the story, then you would have to either subscribe or buy the expansion to progress further in the story.

In LOTRO, the story for any F2P player ends at Helm's Deep, which is around Level 95 or so. You probably can get to around Level 100 if you're a crafter and do all the side quests.

If you're going to be a new player and want to do dungeon and raids of old content, then LOTRO is NOT the game for you. Vast majority of players are at max level and they only look to do the new content.

If you're into PvP, then you will be VERY limited to both the server you would want to play in and the actual characters you may PvP with. In most cases, PvP is dead .... VERY MUCH DEAD.

[Ironwu]

No. There is nothing you can buy in the Cash Shop that helps you 'win'. You can buy some things that make it more convenient to play, mostly travel time reductions and inventory management. But they are not necessary and certainly do not promote a 'win'.

LOTRO is really not about competition. It is about the story and the journey. There are dungeons and such, of course. But they are really a side-show compared to the landscape and story.

Good Luck

[Berserkr]

Messaggio originale di LarsSigvard ᛏᛟ:

Try the game out, its free. Form your own opinion.
I have been completely f2p for years and I only ever supported the game with maximum 5$ for a cosmetic or two, but that was due to this company constantly giving out actual expanion(S) for free and i wanted to give something back because i want the game to stick around. They seem to care about the game which is endearing and rare in gaming nowadays.

You don't have swift travel?

[Harvain]

Messaggio originale di Berserkr:

Messaggio originale di LarsSigvard ᛏᛟ:

Try the game out, its free. Form your own opinion.
I have been completely f2p for years and I only ever supported the game with maximum 5$ for a cosmetic or two, but that was due to this company constantly giving out actual expanion(S) for free and i wanted to give something back because i want the game to stick around. They seem to care about the game which is endearing and rare in gaming nowadays.

You don't have swift travel?

Spending Money only gives Premium Account Status.

An Account must go VIP, log into a Character during VIP Status to get & retain Swift Travel Access on said Character forever.

[Q]

Get one month of VIP and that's it, i think you have to create as many toons as possible during the VIP period and make them travel at least once with the stables or something to retain the swift travel option.

Get the horse for each one at level 20 and well VIP is totally worth it for f2p who never had VIP before specially if they just started with Lotro.

But even if you don't well i played lotro for 4 months with no VIP at all and other than reduced inventory my experience was amazing.

[JomboKits]

thanks for the info everyone, il give it a try. I dont really mind paying for expansions, subs or even skins but what I meant by p2w was if the best gear is locked behind a paywall like some other old mmo's do but it seems like its just expansions so looks like i might enjoy this one thanks!

[Berserkr]

Messaggio originale di LarsSigvard ᛏᛟ:

No. I am able to use the stables NPC to get around but mostly I use my mount. Don't mind it really, I would have missed huge parts of the game and alot of hidden references which makes the game feel alive and vast - if I had simply teleported everywhere.

That's good for a first character first time playing or maybe 2nd one just to see everything, but I couldn't go without swift travel on my 10th max level but to each their own I guess

[Wenzilber]

Messaggio originale di JomboKits:

thanks for the info everyone, il give it a try. I dont really mind paying for expansions, subs or even skins but what I meant by p2w was if the best gear is locked behind a paywall like some other old mmo's do but it seems like its just expansions so looks like i might enjoy this one thanks!

I want to say that the best gears in LOTRO is locked behind the most current expansion that gives the dungeons, which house the NPC mobs that carries the drop table to have the chance of getting the best equipment in the game. In that sense, it would be p2w but since you don't mind paying for subs or buying the expansions, then that shouldn't be an issue.

The best weapon, however, is free to all players after doing certain epic story quests.

But no, the Equipment in the game store is merely for cosmetic only. Players have to earn their gear

[Ironwu]

Messaggio originale di Wenzilber:

Messaggio originale di JomboKits:

thanks for the info everyone, il give it a try. I dont really mind paying for expansions, subs or even skins but what I meant by p2w was if the best gear is locked behind a paywall like some other old mmo's do but it seems like its just expansions so looks like i might enjoy this one thanks!

I want to say that the best gears in LOTRO is locked behind the most current expansion that gives the dungeons, which house the NPC mobs that carries the drop table to have the chance of getting the best equipment in the game. In that sense, it would be p2w but since you don't mind paying for subs or buying the expansions, then that shouldn't be an issue.

The best weapon, however, is free to all players after doing certain epic story quests.

But no, the Equipment in the game store is merely for cosmetic only. Players have to earn their gear

If one does not buy the expansion, then one does not need the gear drops that the expansion provides. :)

[wolonggong]

The game FITS what P2W is. You can buy buffs, level skips, faster mounts. You cant buy weapons/armor that give you an edge but you can buy all the other things P2W games have.

[Ironwu]

Messaggio originale di wolonggong:

The game FITS what P2W is. You can buy buffs, level skips, faster mounts. You cant buy weapons/armor that give you an edge but you can buy all the other things P2W games have.

"Buffs' from the Store are pretty much a waste of money and irrelevant in normal game play. Anyone who buys a 'Level Skip' in LOTRO has completely missed the point of the game (in my opinion). And a few % faster mount is also irrelevant in LOTRO.

There ARE things in the Store that make the moment to moment game play (especially travel) easier. But there is nothing to actually 'win' in LOTRO and nothing in the Store that will make you a more effective player.

Just my opinion. YMMV.

[wolonggong]

Messaggio originale di Ironwu:

Buffs' from the Store are pretty much a waste of money and irrelevant in normal game play. Anyone who buys a 'Level Skip' in LOTRO has completely missed the point of the game (in my opinion). And a few % faster mount is also irrelevant in LOTRO.

There ARE things in the Store that make the moment to moment game play (especially travel) easier. But there is nothing to actually 'win' in LOTRO and nothing in the Store that will make you a more effective player.

Just my opinion. YMMV.

Personal opinions do not matter when it comes to the definition of a thing. The game has P2W aspects and your argument that there is nothing to win in LOTRO applies to all games for those that do not complete...yet the definition still exists and applies.

[Elitewrecker PT]

Since none of that is store exclusive and the best gear is play-to-earn no, it doesn’t matter if it ‘has p2w aspects’.

[Berserkr]

Not P2W at all, trust me no one that does end game raids or anything end game has ever got an edge or one up by buying anything in the store, and pvp is almost non existent so you can toss that theory out the door also, this was pretty much a troll post to begin with