LOTRO is The Best MMO To Play In 2024 & Here's Why it's SPECIAL

Join me as we journey through the enchanting realms of "Lord of the Rings Online" (LOTRO). Discover the magic behind this MMO classic, and learn why, even after 15 years, the game holds a special place in the hearts of many.
#mmorpg #mmo #lotro
Disclaimers:
This video is intended for entertainment and informative purposes only.
All gameplay, images, and music from "Lord of the Rings Online" are the property of Standing Stone Games. No copyright infringement intended.
All views and opinions expressed in this video are solely those of me and do not represent the views of Standing Stone Games or any affiliated entities.

[@iamArahad]

Please don't forget to like and subscribe, thank you!

[@colore-qm5wr]

2023 this game is still rocking, free to play and a wild and wise community! Long live lotro!

[@NarutoOnDope]

Been playing for 13 years. Still playing at 26 years old and working full time

[@alexxsaf]

been playing since day of release at 10 years old, 26 now too lool

[@TapTwoCounterspell]

Been playing since closed beta. 15 years. On my fourth marriage and sixth career change due to crippling addiction to the game.

[@CrabRackune]

I've played for about a week now and I fully agree. Lotro is my favorite mmo ever. Also I really appreciate this very well made video! You said it all perfectly. Cheers to that 🍻

[@romaroalte2645]

I bet you haven't played Lineage 2 at its glory days and Age of Conan, I don't even say the years when they were made.

[@jenniheinanen8434]

Started as a free 2 play, now I've been a VIP for some time, money well spent. I play landscape quests and the epic storyline and I just love how you are weaved into the storyline. It is done in a way that does not take anything from the original work, but build up the sheer volume it has. There was much going behind the scenes of the original story, and this allows you to live those events. As for servers, Landroval has been a good home for me, kind and helpful community, lots of events on top of game festivals, distinc lack of trolls in the world chat. There are many kinships as well, some are raid kins, some are more laid back and lets not start with music bands. Lotro is a good way to test out the world of MMO and new players are always welcome.

[@Calis708]

All they need to do is fix the lag. I love the game but the lag drives me nuts.

[@barth0k]

As Warden can approve

[@garigan]

💯

[@PoogiBear1]

This is me, I'm really loving the game when I can play it, but there can be an hour where I simply cannot get anywhere because I'm waiting for the world to load.

[@MintyCanRead]

As a long-time player, my first character was a Hobbit, which means you start the game in the Shire. There's something truly magical about following in the footsteps of Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin. You essentially follow them from Hobbiton to the Old Forest to Bree and so on. If you know the books, it's an additional thrill to come across Tom Bombadil, Goldberry and the Barrows. This is THE game for LotR nerds.

[@juansebastianaguirrepatino2197]

I have been playing for 8 years and I love it

[@1998trades]

Actually THE best presentation of LOTRO i ve seen so far. Good job 👍 I ve reinstalled the game last week after 6 years of AFK. Already lvl 41 on my new warden.

[@Nerobyrne]

As someone who is way too much into the books than I should be, and also someone who was dumb enough to go to college for English Literature, I can say that the portrayal of most of the characters where I bothered to really look into it are surprisingly good. They really worked hard to keep the extended stories they tell in line with how the characters might have acted based on Tolkien's works. This is hard, but for probably the most story driven MMO out there, it's what should be expected. Props to that guy who has the enviable job title of "Tolkien Expert" at SSG ^^

[@EmeraldView]

Lotro is a remarkable game. It's so incredibly extensive, with an amazing Epic story, extraordinary continuous landscapes (without loading screens) with incredible viewing distances that make you feel like you're in a genuinely vast world to explore.

[@MichaelSerecka]

My favorite MMO of all time!

[@laurasungailaite]

this video captures lotro so well honestly!

[@Jamz43]

Been playing off and on since the second beta. I have met so many in game friends in that game. The landscape, the music, the stories and the fellowship with other Tolkien and MMO lovers is unmatched. I’ve tried many other MMOs. There just isn’t any other game when you take into account the overall experience, that comes close to this game IMO. Long live LOTRO!

[@theteedees]

fantastic video. thank you for including my favorite thing ever... the lotro music system. See you at the next concert :)

[@morrowoblivion13]

Idk if it is mentioned in the video. In lotro you can make music bands in the game. There is usually bands on south bree. Across from the auction house.

[@drzooland8902]

Been playing since 2010... And still just lvl 70. Instead of shooting through all the quests and levels! I see myself just exploring and looking at the scenery. I go to riven dell and just go afk listening to the music of the area. I winter I go to Forochell and feel the cold just like how cols outside is. When I see an interesting place in the distance I just try to see if I can go there. And especially when there is a high place I go there just to view the world and go afk. And this is just a small part. There are the community raids and skirmishes that I really love doing with old and new friends. Then after sometime I go back to the shire or Bree after a long time in dangerous and dark areas just to let all the dread wear out

[@temptingcider2313]

Very good review. Honest, thorough and true to the game and its feeling. Thank you.

[@VoiceoftheRings]

Hey Amazing job with this video! I am a Tolkien & LOTRO content creator. I really enjoyed your Postive showing of how Amazing this game is. I try to show that on my channel. with Voice overs & Guides. I really thought you did an amazing job! keep it up! Cheers!

[@blockmasterscott]

I started playing on launch day in April 2007, bought lifetime, and still play to this day. I freaking love this game. ❤

[@trentdubb05]

I started playing in the beta right before launch. Still have my captain that I created to this day. I do regret not buying the lifetime subscription though...

[@dumbdumbsmart8081]

@@trentdubb05u can find lifetime accounts for sale .. definitely worth it

[@Veslanjejezivot]

How can I pay for this game? Only "Free" section I can find on website

[@HH-ys1pq]

​@@VeslanjejezivotBit late, sorry. You purchase VIP in game.

[@Veslanjejezivot]

@@HH-ys1pq np my friend

[@djay6651]

I was a beta tester for LotRo. I had an Elven Guardian named Bregolas. I got him to level 35.

[@Miloascape]

Great review Arahad! Love that you actually used in game footage. where did you take the location at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="139">2:19</a>??? That forest seemed fantastic! Nice shot! Dropped a like.

[@iamArahad]

Thank you friend! About the forest i think it's called bindbole wood, such a beautiful location, one of my favorite locations in lotro besides the north trollshaws.

[@Miloascape]

hmmmm i may have to check it out what region is it in?@@iamArahad

[@iamArahad]

The shire, it's around Overhill i think

[@letoinoudelarzal1951]

I tried a lot of MMO, but I always end up coming back to LOTRO

[@terrylandess6072]

Everything about it is even more grand than 90% of the films - The Beacons for example, not a pile of logs but well maintained towers with a local populations to watch over them.

[@magischerreis4847]

Amazing Video! Much love to the lotro community

[@topgilroy4005]

i love this game. just hit level 52 first time :D

[@lifetotheminimal1211]

Great video!

[@Spacepotato9000]

Not to forget the guilds that do really fun events, i never forget we once rode from the shire to the mines of moria in one go for fun

[@connorgates119]

15 years and still playing, bought a steamdeck and have put over 100 hours on it just on the deck. Cell phone hot spot is way more than enough to run this game perfectly. Can't recommend this game enough.

[@mizzogames]

Great video, this MMORPG is a gem.

[@dw22509]

If Only They Could Solve The Lag Problems...

[@TheInteractiveAuthor333]

Thank you good sir for such a wonderful video! You did an absolutely amazing job and I've downloaded the game and am ready to begin my adventure.

[@SilverPT84]

Great game with so much to offer in group play , solo play , stroy quests , huge world , seasonal events , crafting and much more. Give it a try if you havent still.. :)

[@PWReviews]

You should do more LOTRO videos 😊 really captured what makes LOTRO great!

[@drinkingwalrus7644]

You hit it on the head man. If you want to immerse yourself in middle earth this is the game. Been playing for 8 years now and everyday the game amazes me with how it makes me feel like I’m apart of middle earth.

[@NorthOf60Gaming]

I just logged into play after years away, so much has changed, I had a VIP life-time membership, the only issue I have is that when they took servers down, all my characters were gone. So I am starting over.

[@SilverPT84]

Yes, servers merging lets players move acount charecter to other servers for a period of time. Unfortunatly you did not log in for a long time. Now its much quicker to lvl if you reelaly want to catch up to max lvl. And the Traits and content untill lvl 100 are all unlocked. Good luck. I bet in a couple of months, a new experienced player can get there . LEGENDARY weaponds are better to get into. MISSIONS can help you get virtue exp and lvl exp verry quikly too + buy few acessories on the way Reward track gives you reward boxes as you play and gain exp Scaling instances can get you all the way to max lvl with decent gear drops and exp. Events also give some really powerfull items like Storvagun now in winter event (best in slot bracelets)

[@cavetroll666]

Corsairs Of Umbar Soon :D

[@BryannMax]

SPOT ON 👏

[@ghekster]

I played in both beta's and have been a permanent vip from day 1...back when there were only 2 servers...so I have always felt a special freedom...orc's and goblins make every fight personal....you can jump in and help someone if it looks like they need it....I was ill for some years and would start my non work hours with EverQuest (I took my main from 35 to 51 without dying) and when I would not be able to focus well enough, play LOTRO till I became too tired for that....then I would play World of Tanks...it was so easy, I only like needed 4 buttons...then I would sleep. I ran a popular BBS in the 90's and also ran the local Lazer Tag games til 9-11 so I was not like a shut in....fun was everywhere...I 99.99% solo in Lotro almost every day, people ask questions and I often know the answer...Sometimes I will play with a best friend or sister. So for me it is a part of life I never grow tired of.

[@scumbaag]

Damn I installed it like a month ago and never played, I'll have to check it out. I remember playing this like 10 years ago..

[@joeyr184]

The UI is unplayable for me on 4k Monitor. Its also not on the road map for 2024. Sad because i use to play it years ago.

[@TheAUTcheker]

ok.. what do you do professionally? your sound setup and voice is way too good for you to just do videos about lotro (even if i do very much apperciate it!)

[@rollerball34]

I’m wondering if returning players and new players are resulting in the player base increasing in this game

[@syradon4051]

Dang, ich buyed life time membership a decade ago and was last time online before launch Rohan. I even think about starimg again, not for raiding, only for playing the quests and looking and living in middle-earth. Are there many players still activ ?

[@dumbdumbsmart8081]

To anyone getting into this game find a lifetime vip account for sale and jump on it

[@m4dmaxx363]

I really like Lotro and play it since years. The only issue is that the Performance not the best in the past year.

[@RogdushTheMystic]

This is one game to rule them all. Never played such game to which I could return always except this one. Blizzard can suck big toe here.

[@dumbdumbsmart8081]

I hope they bring back vip for life offer

[@sjhof9559]

Good God 😳 it really feels awesome wtf ESO feels lot worse

[@Jive33]

I won’t return to LOTRO until the combat is changed. That’s too much of a core setting of the game, it’ll never change. Oh well…

[@Hat153]

"why would you play a game that was released 15 years ago?" He asks as I'm playing OSRS while watching this...

[@inodium327]

Wake me up once they fix the unplayable levels of lag and finally upscale the UI. Until then it physically can't be the BEST MMO. Special though? Yeah, it's certainly special.

[@darkwombat333]

Could not disagree more. In a game where a good number of their players are over 40 years old (poorer eyesight) AND in a time when a lot of people have larger monitors with higher resolutions, the choice to not provide adequate up-scaling for 4k or even 2k monitors is a crime in of itself is a one-two punch of complete and utter incompetence in favor of dishing out mini over priced DLCs with less content than ever before. And I'm a vet, easily 3000+hours, been playing off and on since 2008.

[@axiom4694]

I've been playing recently and it's been a lot of fun but I got to a point where alot of my questions where dungeons and I could find people to Q with no matter how long I waited . It's kinda turned me away from the game for now

[@user-uw9ir7fl8l]

youre gonna be a wizard...whoops ,a wizard appears when a wizard arrives?? lol yay lotr-O

[@andrewaugustine1494]

Whats so special about lotro, is the game wide lag that makes it unplayable... Ahhh

[@winterrobot9605]

At first, I thought this must be satire and was a little amused. Then to my horror I realized that it was not. It's like watching a salad fingers episode, but it's real life, which makes it all the more terrifying. This game was barely tolerable 15 years ago. Now it's just an abomination that wants to die, but you people won't let it. You're like MMO necromancers.

[@BAAa-tw7lo]

Ok, buddy.

[@monster2slayer]

i want to like it, but the UI is just unbearable

[@tomsawyer4131]

No, sorry the game is not fun anymore. Everyone is max level and I don't want to solo 120 levels to be able to raid. It's called an MMO, not a single player game.

[@Tattle-by-Tale]

LOTRO doesn't like my 4k monitor so.....

[@HyperBlast4]

Game was absolutely amazing back when it went f2p, now its just too laggy to play and idk if the servers are even getting maintenance anymore. Hopefully the new LOTR MMO will capture the same magic the original had...assuming amazon doesnt fuck it first!

[@garigan]

Assuming it doesn't get canceled again lol this is like the 2nd or 3rd time Amazon trying to make a LOTR MMO 😅 LOTRO is getting regular maintenance and in fact has a new xpansion on the way and level cap increase Doesn't make it less leggy though sadly 😅 lol

[@Domaister420]

Tb honest Amazon wouldnt be able to recreate the vibe this game offers. I bet they will deliver good graphics and at least stable servers... and that might be it. Probably a heartless story, cause as they said, the books dont matter too much for them. Probably a shitty action based combat and the missing ability to swim *kekw* Probably a big focus on endgame rather than enjoyable replayability.

[@TreyVacovsky]

It got canceled

[@melmartinez7002]

Too laggy to play - and yet tons of people continue to play it. I'm not going to say lag doesn't happen, but maybe it's not as bad for others at it seems for you? I personally don't experience lag much since they fixed the issue caused by the delving system bug. It still happens now and then, but pretty rare. Now, I have pretty high speed connections and am located stateside so that probably helps compared to users overseas.

[@romaroalte2645]

Catchy title is not enough for the video, LOTRO is extremally outdated and needs money to play at its fullest, there're the paywalls and outdated visuals, awful riding mechanics like sliding on ice, etc.

[@Dovydas372]

What about LEVELING BOOST?

[@TheTervaskanto]

game is good but server lag is crazy, it's been a problem for years and nothig is being done about it

[@YogibearXXL]

If u wanna play a very good solo MMO this is the game to play as u wont see or get to play with no one

[@Kfo221]

I don't think being able to BUY stats makes an MMO good. Also the rubber banding lag and dated combat doesn't help

[@frankferrero5827]

Graphics and that ridiculous UI on top of the clunky combat is a deal breaker for me. So yeah best mmo in 2023? no way Jose,maybe for you but for A LOT to other mmo players? not a shot in hell.

[@dan44762000]

Goodness sake it’s not Tolk e un, it’s Tol keen!

[@thexoo9480]

the only thing that keeps it alive is fans of the story nothing more game is trash and it sucks money form evryone and its so bad

[@fu6817]

This video gives 0 reasons why it's the best mmo. Funny that, because it has 0 reasons why it would be the best mmo. The video is just some useless stuff you already knew. Garbage.

[@Emperor_PHNX]

First of all, I don't wanna be rude, but your video is from 6 months ago, why change the title to ''2024'' and clickbait people? Not cool. Secondly, with all due respect, LOTRO wasn't the best MMO in 2023 when you make your video nor in 2024 it's not. The game has very obvious CONS for not deserving that title, it's even unplayable for some people and one of the MMOs very far from being even a good MMO to play in 2023 or 2024. UI/HUD is the biggest problem, the update has been needed for years, yet DEVs are not delivering it, they told they would and then later removed it from the roadmap, such a shame. The second problem is constant lag, and it's like a joke, imagine having years to optimize your game, yet even today it's being terribly optimized and laggy. Then gameplay, it's too old at this point and not enjoyable, they should have improved gameplay already, this is very old MMO, if you don't improve your core dynamics what's the point? Let's not forget it doesn't have enough players at this point, I don't mind that much tho, but it's a deal breaker for a lot of people. Lastly, visually the game looks very old as well, but honestly, this can be ignored if all other three CONS did not exist, still along with them this is obvious CON as well. Saying LOTRO is the ''Best MMO To Play In 2024'' is a big flex. Or I should say ''LOTRO is The Best MMO To Play In 2023'' since your video was made in 2023, not in 2024...

[@stickstu2866]

Couldn't agree more the title was such clickbait when looking at when this was released lol

[@xDarkjoy]

laggy, garbage ui, low population... lotro is very far from THE BESTEST mmo in any year.

[@colore-qm5wr]

But is far from the worst

[@Domaister420]

Ui isnt that garbage, just bc its not scalable to 4k.... in fact,it was way ahead of its time... just think of wow, where they praised themselves for customizable ui (without plugins) after 20 years during the latest expansion. Lag is sucking hard tho. Even though, i have rather a small but friendly community than a big toxic one... its great to know the majority of the active playerbase in a game, rather than be totally anonymous . I would even go so far to say that the lotro community is one of the best on the whole market