Down the Hobbit Hole: LOTRO Free-to-Play

I am not an MMORPG player; let us start with that.

In all my time playing video games I have only once attempted to join the world of online role playing games and it lasted around 30 minutes; sorry World of Warcraft. This isn’t to say that I have anything against them. In fact, knowing so many die hard MMORPG players, I can completely appreciate their appeal. For some reason, one thing or another has always got in the way of me finally indulging myself in a title and really giving it a shot.

On the other hand however, I am a Tolkien obsessive. I have read the Lord of the Rings countless times, along with its counterpart novels and in-depth companion guides; if you have ever attempted the first paragraph of The Silmarillion then you know that this is no easy task! I have a Tolkien emblem tattoo on my forearm and ‘One Ring To Rule Them All’ in Elvish Tenguar permanently inscribed on my foot (feet, hobbits… get it?). I’ve spent hours waiting in queues and outside buildings to meet the cast and crew of the films and my most prized possessions in my entire collection are my signed group photo and my swords.

And yet despite all this, I have never bought The Lord of the Rings Online game.

I have never been an avid PC gamer, as my first few personal computers were barely up to scratch on hardware components to run them. As such my love for consoles overpowered the appeal of PC titles before long (with the exception of games such as Broken Sword, The Sims, and Civilization).  PC gaming was an area of gaming I had rarely delved into. This hasn’t stopped me from walking past the PC games aisle and feeling the golden glow of The One Ring burning holes in me – from the Shadows of Angmar case – with every visit to GameStation. For me, not buying the game has been like an addict trying to refuse their drug of choice. The insatiable thirst is almost unbearable but two things have always prohibited me from playing.

Firstly my lifestyle; having so many day to day responsibilities and interests has meant that having more than an hour or two in the evening to indulge in gaming was a rarity and usually ended up being spent on my Xbox 360. Secondly, the notion of having to pay a subscription to play Lord of the Rings Online, when my ability to play could be hindered on a day to day basis, seemed like an unnecessary waste of expendable cash. On the flip side, it could have resulted in me neglecting all my other duties entirely as I would have become completely hooked.

The latter was highly likely; and incredible will power was necessary to resist.

Imagine my surprise when earlier this year the teams behind LOTRO stripped reason two from underneath my feet and announced that the game would become Free-To-Play from September 10th 2010. Then imagine my reaction when Dan told me that I was being granted special access a month early to give myself a guided tour around Turbine Inc’s version of Middle Earth! It resulted in much gasping and a happy dance worthy of Bilbo’s Eleventy-First Birthday! After finishing my evening classes and work easing off for the summer, everything was slotting into place and I was finally getting the chance to delve into the virtual gaming experience of the world that I love.

First things first – this game is big! I wasn’t expecting the 12GB monster that I got, but I play from discs so forgive me for being a noob; my W.O.W playing sister sniggered (as many of you are probably doing now)! Aside from installation surprises, as a person who is incredibly particular about the way in which Tolkien’s Middle Earth is referred to, I have to admit I was nervous venturing into this game, worried that my sensitivity to the accuracy of any portrayal would make me take an immediate dislike.

After booting it up for the first time my initial task was to choose my race. Having been affectionately referred to as a hobbit by many of my friends, it seemed like the obvious (albeit less cool) option to pick compared to that of a Man, Dwarf or Elf. I was immediately relieved to notice that very fine detail has been included in terms of appearance and back history for the different possibilities in the lines of heritage chosen. The main reason I have such a love for all of Tolkien’s work is due to his incredible attention to depth and detail; to then see this reflected in the realms of the game, even down to default character appearances was a welcome addition. The men of Gondor appear fair in skin and dark of hair, while Elves of Mirkwood are slender and blonde: just how they should be. LOTRO – 1, Lozzy – 0.

After settling for a Stoor relation for my hobbit lady, I decided to name her Linwen (flower maiden in common Elvish) and chose for her to be a minstrel by Class; I’m not particularly known for my musical ability but I do like the chocolates! The various options for Class, or fighter type, was varied and sometimes race specific, but wishing to keep my little hobbit as feminine as possible, the idea of whipping out a lute and thrashing my enemies down with a tune rather than a sword seemed like a worthy style choice; if only Middle Earth knew of Iron Maiden, my battles would be easy!

The only thing left was to jump in and start playing, and so the nerves kicked in. I’m not the most comfortable person in social circles and going into The Lord of the Rings Online  felt like walking into a giant party full of people I didn’t know, with nothing in common. I must admit, I felt incredibly relieved at how gently the game eased me into the concept of an online gaming experience. Despite the fact I was playing in an online virtual world I felt very much secure and isolated in my initial interactions, with the starting missions being very solo player centered. For a beginner in this style of game (or, I guess, even a veteran of the genre), it was a very user friendly start but more importantly, let me complete much of the game as a solo player if I wished (at least in terms of how far I have come at the time of writing).

As a hobbit, my early objectives were set in a town called Archet, part of the Bree-land in the East of Middle Earth. As an area co-inhabited by men and hobbits alike, it instantly felt like a viable place to start my experience. Of course, the main story of The Lord of the Rings is well known and centered around a very selective few characters, however the way in which Turbine have interpreted and researched its wealth of back story and in-depth history has obviously paid off as even I struggled to deny that the experience they were giving me could have happened in some lesser known area of Middle Earth and played a part in the story of The Ring.

The battle system itself was fairly tricky to get a hold of initially, being centred around an active time battle system of rechargeable move sets. Thankfully having played games such as Final Fantasy, this wasn’t a style too far removed from one I was used to; once I had swapped buttons for keys and a mouse I was soon slaying wild boar and evil spiders and looting them for their skins too! As I began to progress in levels I was then able to learn new skills and abilities from trainers located in local towns.

Being completely oblivious to the importance and variations of roles in MMORPGs (after all I am used to RPG games where I have access to all the characters!) it was this further adaptation of abilities for my hobbit that opened up the possibility of refining what she could do. Although certain classes, such as the minstrel, could appear to be limited to healing and strumming a banjo, by completing side quests, called Deeds, I was able to go further into developing her individual skills rather than feeling the necessity to go running after Gandalf and asking if he could help me.

The downside, however, is that you often find yourself hacking and slashing everything in your path inbetween missions to upgrade your character. However, due to the sheer size of the Shire, let alone Middle Earth, the need to run between villages and towns was so great that you don’t have to stray far from the beaten track to find targets to kill; as such, the initial levels of development unlock as you play. More importantly, as a fan of The Lord of the Rings, the story development along with stunning graphics and locations, drives you in your desire to keep completing missions and pushing the game forward. While many (myself included) will get a shrill of excitement when a recognisable character comes along, the lesser peoples of Middle Earth are just as compelling, fun, or downright evil as you could hope if you were someone who couldn’t care less about Tolkien!

Once I had begun to unlock Deed missions, and side quests throughout Hobbiton, I began to get a little power hungry. That inevitable addiction I had predicted I would gain before I’d downloaded as much as a megabyte, had grabbed a hold without me even realising it. Before I knew it, I was running home to log on, desperate to find a new location, finish off a few more quests, and more importantly, get my hands on stronger moves and weaponry! It was at this point that I mistakenly started to follow what I thought was a secret character, only to discover it was in fact another online player like myself (I slowly backed off and hid my shameful hobbit self in a nearby bush until he had run far enough away), and although I have played for hours I know there is still a wealth of gaming greatness to come when I feel strong enough to band together with other gamers to create a ‘Fellowship’ and take on greater challenges. However this is reserved for much more skilled and higher levelled characters than my currently feeble little Hobbit, but even the smallest of creatures can come to play a major part in the end.

The final element to The Lord of the Rings Online Free-To-Play that is definitely worth a mention, is the new addition of an online store. Thanks to Turbine making the game a newly free experience, the addition of an online store where players can purchase a variety of character add-ons and upgrades seems like a more worthwhile and cost effective shopping trip to Middle Earth; the advantage being that players can then choose to add funds when they wish rather than paying a monthly subscription. To add to the transfer from pay-per-month membership, existing and continuing subscribers will now get a monthly allowance of free Turbine Points (the new currency) as an added bonus for their Lord of the Rings Online package, as well as a bundle of other bonuses such as extra character slots.

Since my initial time playing, I’ve ranked up 14 levels, killing a variety of Middle Earth bad guys, have delved into the spooky depths of Bag End, helped Aragorn before he ran off to find Frodo, and my character has just mastered her very own Bilbo Birthday Party Dance. Isn’t it funny how games imitate life? In many ways, having now fully succumbed to the addition of The Lord of the Rings Online, I am completely gutted that it has taken me this long to buy the game. Duties, responsibilities and every day life aside, I have completely adored getting into this game and find myself no longer worrying about the feeble achievement system of the Xbox 360, but now I wonder how I can get my little Linwen levelled enough to equip the nice and shiny medium armour I’ve found.

I also have to give a massive thank you to the wonderful contributors at Lotro-Wiki.com as for any newbie starting out in an MMORPG as expansive as this one, their help and guides were invaluable. The Lord of the Rings Online Free-To-Play goes live this Friday 10th September, 12 days before Bilbo and Frodo Baggins’ birthdays; dances at the ready everyone!

Sign up now at http://www.lotro-europe.com/!