Recent reviews by guzelinator

lord of the rings online holds a special place in my heart as someone who appreciates tolkiens work it was natural for me to give this game a try and thanks to the developers current generosity you can now progress through the vast majority of the game all the way to level 95 (previously 30) without spending a single cent which represents hundreds of hours of gameplay

before discussing the financial aspect though i want to address the game itself because it offers a very specific experience. lotro is a classic mmorpg in the truest sense. you choose your race and class and are placed into a starting area that feels distinct to your origin

the narrative journey is excellent because it respects the source material. you are not replacing frodo or aragorn instead you are working in the background clearing the path for the fellowship which makes the world feel grounded and realistic. a major highlight is the bingo boffin questline do not skip this it is an episodic adventure featuring a hobbit cartographer that provides some of the best writing and humor in the entire game

the community features are honestly where lotro stands apart from the competition there is a fully functional music system that allows players to plug in .abc files and play instruments in game if you walk into the prancing pony in bree you will often hear full player bands performing real songs. there is even a player run event called weatherstock which is a massive concert held on weathertop that draws hundreds of attendees

there are also obscure quests like chicken play where you become a level 1 chicken and attempt to run across the entire map to mount doom without dying and it is a legitimate challenge

regarding the visuals the game is undeniably older but the art direction is timeless the atmosphere of the shire or the golden woods remain breathtaking despite the aged graphics engine. the world is also gigantic effectively the largest cohesive recreation of middle earth in existence

finally regarding the economy and the grind there is a system of deeds which are challenges like exploring ruins or defeating a set number of enemies completing these earns you premium currency so you can technically unlock everything for free

if you love lord of the rings or enjoy the pacing of classic rpgs this is absolutely worth your time if you are looking for modern graphics and twitch reaction gameplay you might want to look elsewhere but for immersion and community lotro is unrivaled