LOTRO & why it's a stunning MMORPG 💖

#lotro #lordoftherings #mmorpg
Thank you for joining ‪@aubreytheweirdone‬ & me as we cover what makes ‪@lordoftherings‬ unique in 2023. Lord of the Rings Online is a free to play MMORPG available on Steam. Moreover, Amazon Games is developing another Lord of the Rings MMORPG; what will LOTRO's fate be?
Find Aubrey on Twitch: / aubreytheweirdone 💖
💖 Thank You for Your Support! 💖
✨ paypal.me/marlemmo
✨ / @marlemmo
~Timeline~
00:00 LOTRO in 2023
02:12 Why LOTRO is Unique
11:03 LOTRO as a MMORPG
20:15 Amazon Games' Lord of the Rings MMO
21:31 Is LOTRO for me? (Before the Shadow)
24:04 Interview with ‪@aubreytheweirdone‬
27:55 LOTRO's evolution as a MMO
33:12 Good changes under SSG?
41:29 Why play LOTRO?
43:57 LOTRO's greatest feature
49:03 What SSG needs to improve
50:10 LOTRO's music culture
54:49 LOTRO's biggest draw
56:40 Misconceptions about F2P
57:35 LOTRO's worldbuilding
1:05:48: LOTRO's biggest problem
1:10:41 LOTRO's future
1:13:14 Why play LOTRO?
1:15:33 ‪@aubreytheweirdone‬
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[@MarleMMO]

Question! ⚡ What do you think about Lord of the Rings Online? Let us know. 👇 The links to LOTRO are below. 👉 🌟 Website: www.lotro.com/home 🌟 LOTRO's Discord: discord.gg/bPkCux7v

[@Games-fl8id]

wass a great game when it came out. Nowadays it's just a dead mmo imho. getting to level cap takes ages, combat is extremely clunky, nobody to play lower level dungeons with. Other mmo'ss are simply better nowadays.

[@MarleMMO]

How do you define "dead?" 🥰

[@Games-fl8id]

@@MarleMMO I think I included that in the past comment, but in general: Unless you're max level the game is pretty much a single player game, can't find party mates for any of the low-mid level dungeons. And it has been like that for YEARS.

[@MarleMMO]

Yeah, MMOs with constantly expanding worlds suffer from this issue. :(

[@Games-fl8id]

@@MarleMMO True, but not all. ESO is a good example where it's not the case. due to the level scaling.

[@gcerchio]

My Wife and I have been playing LOTRO for the past 15 years. This is the only game we always put some time in every week. Long live Standing Stone Games!

[@MarleMMO]

Incredible! What a fun family experience. 💖

[@aubreytheweirdone]

Love this!!!

[@MarleMMO]

Relationship goals, eh? 💖

[@suleymangabriel5250]

you are both fortunate, I met so many nice people in lotro, My gf played a lot time with me too, she is my wife today =)

[@aubreytheweirdone]

@@suleymangabriel5250 aww that’s so cool!

[@patw3611]

It was so satisfying that after 10 years of playing, I finally got to do the quest to throw the Ring of Power into Mt. Doom. Afterward, I felt my purpose on LOTRO was complete, but I've recently returned to explore areas beyond Mordor.

[@MarleMMO]

🥰

[@aubreytheweirdone]

That is one of the most exciting moments in game!

[@kendray9670]

One of the best video games ever made. LOTRO is a living world. And the graphics are incredible for being such an old game - they sank time and effort into the sky, the mountains, the grass. It's 2023 and I still take screenshots in Rohan.

[@MarleMMO]

I totally agree! 💖

[@boxonothing4087]

There's an easy fix for graphics, just mess around with Reshade if your rig can handle it. It won't fix the lack of model geometry detail, but it will make the game look much better.

[@MarleMMO]

@@boxonothing4087 Yeah, I've thought about reshade too; I'm glad you mentioned it! 🥰

[@Microphunktv-jb3kj]

lotr was way ahead of time back in teh day.. i remember how shit my fps was.. ~20 or they just had so bad optimization, not sure... i remember how "realistic" the water looked like to me and how realistic frogs looked like haha (not so cartoony and blocky like world of warcraft..) ... to a WoW player in ca 2004-2006, not entirely sure in what year i tried it ; ) probably like with all the old mmos.. they ask insane money for old content, wich i refuse to pay on principal... i bet you have to buy content packs in this game.. and somekind of vip membership .. pretty confident that the shaders in 2023, are not the same wich from back from the day.. u know u can make them retroactively make better these days... is the game voice-acted, or the main storyline? is there endgame.. im not like super lotro fan or smt...

[@MarleMMO]

@Microphunktv-jb3kj Most content up until level 90 is free. There is some voice acting although most quest dialogue is read. There is an "end game" raiding scene although the emphasis is certainly on the journey. 🥰

[@Kalarandir]

While Lotro is not a game that I constantly play, it is a game I return to just for the experience.

[@MarleMMO]

I imagine most MMOers nowadays drift between titles; I am like you in that I enjoy LOTRO in spurts. 💖

[@jeffseidl]

I’ve only ever played one MMO in my life- and it is this game. And as you cite at the beginning of the video- it is purely because of the world and how immersive it is. Nothing against WoW, I remember playing the early RTS versions of it. But I’m literally only interested in this because I get to walk around in Middle Earth.

[@MarleMMO]

🥰

[@Trendle222]

i just came back to Lotro after being gone 5 years, once again im addicted to one of the best Mmo's of all time, im also allways in awe of the scenery, and incredible graphics for such an old game, and the lore /quests are so in depth and fit in Tolkeins Theme perfectly

[@MarleMMO]

I'm so happy for you! 💖

[@damaexn]

i left like a decade ago when it went f2p, is it rly worth it again?

[@MarleMMO]

@@damaexn Give it a try and let us know! I have enjoyed every second of my time in LOTRO. 💖

[@randalthor6872]

@@damaexn totally worth coming back! I also left back in like 2010 before it went ftp. I just came back last month and It's simply amazing if you enjoy the world Tolkien created. The dedication to the source material is really what makes this game special.

[@ihateandreykrasnokutsky]

The world is beautiful in LotRO.

[@MarleMMO]

🥰

[@pauloamaral6069]

There will never be a game so lovely and immersive as this. This is my childhood, the game that gave my imagination much of its shape. Its fairyrailish, part of that secondary wolrd that Tolkien taught us that every human should have inside his mind to escape sometimes. Cant fit it into words. And yes, the mechanics, class system, combat, housing, all that is to my like, even being old, because its based on classic and traditional mmos mechanics.

[@MarleMMO]

What a great comment -- was LOTRO your first MMO? 💖

[@pauloamaral6069]

@@MarleMMO Yes. I was itnroduce to MMOS watching my aunt playing Ragnarok, Aion and Perfect World. And then i played LOTRO. And its so dear to me that im still playing it. I also played SWTOR. Im sad that i never played other great MMOS like D&D and those from the 90's, so i might be a novice, altough im very familiar with the mechanics, concepts and to fighting long term dungeons. My only dificulty, and thats a problem of LOTRO TODAY, is that its extremely rare to find groups of players doing instances and RAIDS on lvl. Those that help me are always higher on lvl, so i never had much oportunity for gorup combat in the sense that i helped and had pressure over me. I play as a LM, as always i excell in mage classes, with ranged casting and long inductions. At least im good and very experienced in individual combat, having completed many instances that peopel say are impossible alone.

[@MarleMMO]

Wow, exceptional! I'm so glad that LOTRO has been a home for you for so long. 💖

[@pauloamaral6069]

@@MarleMMO Thanks bro! It really means a lot to me, and im glad to have found a channel like yours. Its a rare sight in todays internet to find peope that review lotro and other games with justice. Many just trash the game by pure prejudice of its old visuals. Since im a guy who liked old games when i was a boy, its no problem to me. Im not so dependent of visual quality as the newer generations are. There are other things that matter in a game, and nobody cant say that Lotros visual is ugly, even though its oldy.

[@MarleMMO]

My pleasure. I think we're similar: I can appreciate an artistic style if it serves the game's broader purpose. In this case, as you said, LORTO's graphics are just fine if not more admirable than generic UE4/5 MMOs. 🥰

[@toddmclaughlin8153]

The bad lag needs to be fixed. Me and my wife have played for years. We still enjoy this game over others. We love the feeling of being in middle earth.

[@MarleMMO]

💖

[@IlRe720]

Getting Jedi in galaxies was insane, I still like that they made it hard yes, but there’s better ways of making it hard to get than just making it stupidly obscure to figure out

[@jamesalec1321]

I have several characters, all around 45-50 currently, because I like crafting my own gear, so I keep them all about the same level. As a woodsman and loner, I think the environment in LOTR is the best; the hills, the paths, how woodlands look and feel. I appreciate it very much, and makes me feel at home. I don't group with people and avoid them as much as possible. I take my time and smell the roses as I pass them by. I never understood why peeps attempt to get to max level like in a race, and then whine because there is nothing else to do; there is lots to do. While the lag can be bad at times, the graphics outdated, it is still a great game. I am not adverse to being a vip or using real money initially to set myself up where I feel comfortable in handling all the gathering and mining items, so I need lots of bags. Sometimes I feel I've put enough money into it that they (SS) could've bought a new server or faster bandwidth, but I'm not complaining. It's a great game.

[@MarleMMO]

What a lovely attitude! Thank you for sharing. 🥰

[@lindaw66]

I too have been a long time player of LOTRO. Every time I read the books I can visualize the scenes because “I’ve been there”. I know the geography and landmarks. Such a funny thing. I always enjoy videos that celebrate this wonderful game. However, I was disappointed in that so many scenes here are dark, night, or just colorless. Many shots seemed blurred as well. I know how vivid this world is. Many times I’ve stood on a hillside looking out saying “oh wow, look at that!” I also love to just take my time enjoying each area as I play through, stopping to fish or watching the children playing somewhere, or catching the orc guards scratching their butts and sharing some joke on their watch. Not all games have to be entirely about quests and fighting.

[@MarleMMO]

What a great reply -- thank you! 😍

[@ZampanosCat]

My best friend and I are huge Tolkien fans, and we created LOTRO characters together about a year and a half ago. We are playing as dwarves, and are progressing slowly together through the world. It has been an absolutely incredible experience, and LOTRO has become my favorite game of all time. There is just something special about this game that’s hard to put into words, but you’ve done a good job here. Thank you!

[@MarleMMO]

My pleasure! Continue enjoying LOTRO! 🥰

[@randalthor6872]

awesome man! This vid got me to come back to LOTRO after being away since 2011. What an amazing game and I'm so amazed it's still going strong :) I need to make a dwarve character one of these days :)

[@MarleMMO]

@@randalthor6872 🥰

[@aubreytheweirdone]

Welcome back to LOTRO! @@randalthor6872

[@MarleMMO]

💖

[@toliver3039]

Excellent video. I will use this info when deciding what MMO to play next.

[@MarleMMO]

Thank you for the kind words! 💖

[@thelazyfarmer]

I have been playing for over 13 years. I love this game because I get to experience the mind of Tolkien. What I miss about the old legendary system was being able to craft them myself. I was the weaponsmith of my kin and changing that system took that away. That is the only negative that I have. For those that love the movies, and more so, for those that love the books, LOTRO is an extremely immersive game. I play with all his books by my PC so that I can reference them as I play. The lore is in the game.

[@MarleMMO]

What a fantastic idea! 🥰

[@harrr53]

There are as many skills per class in total as there used to be, but since they introduced trat lines, you get a smaller subset of them to deal with in each line.

[@MarleMMO]

🤩

[@gfimadcat]

Let's put it this way, I'm on 16 years now. I don't play it full time, but I come back to it often. And it's the only MMO ever where I've spent days upon days sitting in a nice area fishing. In an MMO. Because the world is just that nice.

[@MarleMMO]

🤩

[@R_radu]

So i reintalled LOTRO this week after 5 years AFK. Feels like coming back to childhood, exaclty what i ve wanted now. A game where i can play and feel relaxed same time. Regarding the game, yes: it is mandatory they invest in the game and update it's features including engine/graphics and all other because it will run into major problems down the road. Only a few are loyal to this game but after some time, those will disappear as well. Worst case scenario is that they sell the whole game to another company with the budget to work on it. Though, it would be nice for them to take action asap. All this aside, i still enjoy the game now as much as i did 10 years ago. 👍

[@the-yomma]

This is an excellent video! Thank you for your work on it, and a great interview with @aubreytheweirdone, too! I recently started up with LOTRO and wow...I was shocked at how good it is. I bought it upon its original release many years ago and didn't really get into it - too distracted by other games and life events, I guess. But now...16 years later it's just hitting the spot. If you're a sucker for Middle Earth like me, it's such a great game to dive into. I can't believe how big the zones are and how rich in detail. I spent 30 minutes exploring Hobbiton and Bagshot Row last night as I was headed to Evendim via The Shire. Truly wonderful. The Party Tree! Anyway...I could ramble on for hours...thanks again for the video.

[@MarleMMO]

My pleasure! I'm glad you're enjoying LOTRO - I am too. Which server are you on? 🥰

[@the-yomma]

@@MarleMMO I am on Brandywine. Not sure how I arrived at that decision, just picked one and started. How about yourself?

[@MarleMMO]

Arkenstone, also an arbitrary choice. 🥰

[@the-yomma]

@@MarleMMO Well, I’m not tied down anywhere so if you were amenable to connecting at some point down the line, let me know how I should contact you in a less public setting and I’d happily oblige. I’m sure you’re not just handing out your info though, so I understand!

[@MarleMMO]

@@the-yomma, it's no problem! My main toon on Arkenstone is "Marlem," so if you decide to roll a toon there and I'm on, reach out! 🥰

[@Eyeslayer]

ok one more comment the fact you have everquest music playing at the end of the video is just a stab in the heart with memories of when i was much younger and playing that game for weeks at a time. that is just epic. rofl i just saw my last log in date on this game was 2010 so that was 13 years ago. wow i can't believe the game is that old.

[@MarleMMO]

You're welcome for the surprise! Yeah, Kelethin music hits me in the guts every time I hear it too. 💖

[@dynjarren5454]

Playing since it's launch, and on that night shortly before the game servers went down the last night of beta, a great war took place between the players, and several devs. They were powerful mobs and we the free folk. We won that war. I have vivid memories of that...what a great game Still play 17 years later

[@MarleMMO]

🥰

[@Torshan24]

Appreciate the video. Currently downloading the game again after quite a few years absence.

[@MarleMMO]

My pleasure! Enjoy! 💖

[@Bornstellar4658]

At night in the Trollshaws there will be trolls on the road.

[@MarleMMO]

I can't wait to experience them! 💖

[@randomchild4223]

There is also a quest in Lorien, and I think probably some others that can only be completed at night. Time is day usually isn't mechanically significant, but there are exceptions.

[@Eyeslayer]

wow so i just got back to finish this video. after hearing the changes to the game i think it is in a better place than it has ever been to join this is very nice amazing video thank you for making it.

[@MarleMMO]

My pleasure! Thank you for the kind words. Be sure to join LOTRO's subreddit & Discord if you want to more easily integrate with the community! 💖

[@lotroadventure]

The sound design is fantastic! I've only recently noted the difference in emotional impact if I have my headphones in or not.

[@MarleMMO]

I agree! 💖

[@Daniele_1210]

I can't name a game with a better atmosphere than Lotro. Games like The Witcher 3 or Ghost of Tsushima have awesome atmosphere too, but they are simply not Tolkien. Lotro is just phenomenal. I spend so much time in this world, its just feels like coming home everytime I open the game. I no other game I spent this much time.

[@MarleMMO]

💯🥰

[@temjiu9915]

Wonderful video man. I played allot of MMO's, but none of them captured my heart like LotRO did, and it along with SWtOR, are probably some of my best gaming memories. Just to clarify the weapon system chronology: In the original vanilla game, legendary items didn't exist. it was about as vanilla as you can get (old wow school vanilla type). nothing wrong with that, it was a decent system. Along came the Moria expansion (which I started playing shortly before), where the leggo's were introduced. and you leveled them, along with crafting (through the leg system) stat stones that affected the weapons base stats. you also had a random selection of abilites on each the changed how your class skills worked. These were from various pools and random within each pool, so sometimes you could find weapons that were amazing gems, other times complete junk. you invested points into these affixes as you leveled them, so you would have to choose which ones got more powerful on your tool. And you could save one of those special abilities by basically breaking down that weapon. So it became a grind to find weapons with some abilities you like, level them up, and trash them to save the affixes. it wasn't a bad system, but for many it started to feel less "legendary" then they felt it should, since you spent more time breaking down legendary items then appreciating them. I think were on the 4th iteration now? it's allot smoother and seamless and easy to do, and for some it feels more legendary, but I also feel like it lost allot of that desire and motivation to chase down the "perfect weapon". to me it was fun finding the affixes you wanted and putting together your own weapon. YMMV.

[@MarleMMO]

I appreciate the kind words! Thank you for the commentary on the legendary item system. Hopefully they continue to improve it as time moves on. 💖

[@terrylandess6072]

I never remembered mounts being 'behind a paywall'. I DO remember it cost a little over 1 gold to do and considering normal play - you earned your first gold about 10-15 levels beyond the level required to ride a mount. For those not familiar with LotRo currency, it's 1 copper x 100 = 1 silver x 1000 = 1 gold. Yeah, 1000 silver to get one gold . . . . Now at cap the game poops gold out. Sadly this also affects using the auction house because sellers aren't reasonable, or like in real life, have made so much money they are out of touch with the reality of being a new player.

[@MarleMMO]

The paywall being the skill to ride a horse used to cost premium currency. Regarding the economy, yeah, I wish they had a 'squish' there too. 💖

[@luiscypher9844]

This really emphasises what lotro is all about, the community is amazing and as a new player I have never felt more at home.

[@MarleMMO]

🥰

[@b.1162]

The frequent backtracking is one of my few complaints about the quests. I don't mind fetch quests at all. I love the landscape, I don't care what I'm doing there. It's only when I get sent back to a place I was JUST AT that I start to question my life choices lol. But overall, this game is absolutely magic. Simply wonderful.

[@MarleMMO]

Precisely -- it's about not caring about what you're doing that can lead to the fun being sucked out of the experience. I almost wish that all quests, minus the epics, would be removed. Instead, we do deeds, grind a bit, then when ready, continue the epic. Free to explore! 💖

[@PanzerShrek94]

yeah the backtracking sucks sometimes..like an npc says bring him 5 wolf hides..ok i do that.i bring it back and now he says bring me 10 crow feathers..why couldn't you say that before and i can collect all of them at once?

[@MarleMMO]

@Propagandalf94 Exactly!

[@copydepastey]

a great video and guest! its always nice to see this game still being so appreciated! i have been playing this game on and off since it came out and for me its still one of the most atmospheric and immersive worlds of any game i have played. as a huge fan of Tolkien, its so cool to be able to explore so much of this world in so much detail, and the open world nature allows you to explore at your own pace. i think even people who are not familiar with the world and the works of Tolkien can still easily get immersed in the rich atmospheric (and huge!) landscape and feel the sense that its a living world with a sense of history behind it.

[@MarleMMO]

Thank you for the kind words! Aubrey was superb! I agree that LOTRO does honor Tolkien well - it is absolutely immersive, a rare quality nowadays in the genre. 🥰

[@aubreytheweirdone]

@copydepastey Copy!!! Thanks for showing support and watching!!

[@copydepastey]

@@aubreytheweirdone no problem, it was a good time :)

[@MarleMMO]

🥰

[@Krieghandt]

Most problems on questing are from a subscription pay model. The more back tracking the better. A complete overhaul of quest lines would not be unwarranted.

[@MarleMMO]

😭

[@yacdj]

It's incredible how most of what you're saying about Lotro can be said about the seven first years of WoW. Now that WoW is not that kind of game anymore, I will definitely try Lotro to calm the mmorpg fever that is coming back behind my ears.

[@MarleMMO]

Enjoy LOTRO! At least there is Classic WoW. 🥰

[@PaleTyche]

Some of my friends and I were beta testing it in 2006/2007 and started to play from the launch in spring 2007. However, majority of things required a group back then and it all took lots of time, so although the world (that was rather small back then) was awe inspiring, then trying to align the playtimes and find the time needed for the game, became more and more difficult and started to feel like a chore. So, we stopped playing about a half a year after the launch, playing other games instead. (We all had experience in EQ, DAoC, WoW and more games already). I returned to the LOTRO in autumn 2019 and found it much more enjoyable. It is like a massive storybook. You are not pushed to do anything you do not want to do, you have freedom to choose your own path, if you do not have any time to log in to the game for a few weeks or a few months even, you do not lose anything (except some of your mail sometimes) and even when you have just 20 minutes, you can get something done. You do not have to grind. You are not forced to spend real money (unless you really want to and it feels worth it). You can just ride around and admire the world. Btw, one French hobbit reached the max level by solely baking pies. Or you can focus on refurbishing your houses. Interesting that the long time player said that the SSG does not promote player content. I see the community manager often letting us know what player organised festivals, celebrations, parties are going on plus there are weekly discussions, developer talks, and so on. How can she miss that all? Moreover, the developers actually listen to the players and take it on board. There is also a dedicated RP portal, there are rewards and game codes distributed by the LOTRO bloggers etc. The music system is lovely. You can play manually but also can use midi files and process these (there are apps for it) to create the files needed for your instruments and there is a plugin that will then play the chosen instrument for your (or you can synchronise the plugin with others or your alts on other accounts and have a band performance). I actually like the new Legendary weapons. In the old system much more grind was involved and a strong element of lottery (that could be very frustrating), the new system allows you to be much more in control and once you level, your weapons come several times more powerful than the old system Legendary Weapons. I guess many people do not like changes... :) As the community is rather tight knit and supportive, whenever there is an influx of new players, it is felt. Some people fit in and some people can be rather awful (with a mentality of Black Desert Online players -- the most toxic community I have ever experienced). Luckily the ones who are not a good fit either adjust their attitude or stop playing.

[@Caerulean]

Enjoyed this~ Thank you. o7

[@MarleMMO]

My pleasure! Thank you for watching! 💖

[@DizzWhazzUp]

Back in the day there were certain book-quests (story quests*) that required a party of 4+ people, or 1-2 higher level players, otherwise you'd never manage it. Now you don't really NEED to group up until end-game stuff :P

[@MarleMMO]

🥰

[@DizzWhazzUp]

I've also played the game on and off since the day the servers first launched officially, and have for sure seen a lot of (great) changes. I was never caught up to current end-game stuff until the 130-expansion, and I've never been a hardcore raider myself (also because I work shifts and can't make it every week on the same day/-s, which can be required for people who to it regularly), but I have done the ones since 130. I really like that they've also made most raids after Remmorchant (130) quite easy at Tier 1 so that even casual players can join in on it, and from T2 it becomes a lot more challenging with more mechanix to care for etc. Overall there are lots of things that can still be improved, but an MMO is always being worked on, and with somewhat limited resources the devs have to prioritize what to do all the time. Personally I think it's still a great game, and they still take time to make low- and mid-level content to make any alt-leveling more enjoyable for everyone! One of my favorite changes made recently is the way you now get all your Class Trait Points simply by leveling up, instead of having to do class meta-deeds and certain very specific quests (and chains) to get those points before. By the time this change came I was still missing about 9 trait points for my main, which really sucked, and it took a long time to go back to aquire the rest :P @@MarleMMO

[@miketokles9451]

One of my favorite things is just to explore the world, i love seeing places from the books. Havent olayed in 2 years...downloading it now.

[@MarleMMO]

Enjoy LOTRO! 💖

[@grumpyolegamer]

While always being one of my favorite games having played as a BETA tester and continued until Moria; the age of the engine, user interface and lack of player base detracts from all of it's great qualities. I simply wish they would upgrade the overall engine. I try to return periodically but I play MMOs for the social aspect (running content social; not stand around in the inn social) and LOTRO is just difficult to find a group at the same level; running the same content.

[@MarleMMO]

I hear you regarding playing socially; I grew up with early EverQuest, so I miss the days in which open world grouping was the default experience. 💖

[@pauloamaral6069]

I think the solution would be inviting a bunch of friends to play together. Today im still happy that there ARE many kinships that never leave you alone. But i understand your saying, because when i came in 2012 It was easier to find same lvl players to co-op. As for the engine, idk If It Will change. Many people say It was part of Turbine original code and that SSG hás no ascess to It. Maybe we can dream of a Future where there is a remaster, Maybe players and fans Will invest money for that, idk. This games main thrust was always the love of the community for Its content, wich made It F2P so many years ago.

[@MarleMMO]

🥰

[@Dryeyece]

Around 22 minutes you mention that if you buy before the shadow you get a different and better newbie experience. I do not seem to be starting in that new area, I made a Beorning maybe thats why, but I still start int he same place I did before.

[@MarleMMO]

If you watch my next LOTRO video, I show you how to access the new tutorial. It's a little confusing. 🥰

[@division2232]

Do you use reshade perhaps? If so, what preset u use?

[@MarleMMO]

Great question! I don't play with any post-processor; however, some scenes here I did enhance in post (a very small selection of them). 💖

[@jamesharrison1579]

What is the outfit you're wearing at the beginning of the video? I recognize the two trees cloak but I would love to know the rest of the outfit, please

[@MarleMMO]

I believe it is the "Alliance of the Third Age" set. 💖

[@Ta3ideftis]

I recently finished the story of Gundaband. I was crying like a baby at the end. Along with Black Book of Mordor (my favorite so far) this game has given me epic moments! In terms of lore, it's by far the best and despite its issues, the team behind the game has done a fantastic job. Even the tiniest details from the books are there, and wandering around Middle Earth is a sight to behold!

[@MarleMMO]

Your reply really sums up my feelings about LOTRO too. Thank you for commenting! 💖

[@debadrichowdhury9936]

Is this game still active? I remember trying to play on steam a few years back but couldn't get the installer to run. Have not bothered about it since.

[@MarleMMO]

It depends on how one defines 'active,' yet generally, yes -- it still receives expansions & updates. There are always players bustling around the villages & cities. However, Middle Earth is so large that it may be rare to find those leveling in the open world due to scale. 💖

[@debadrichowdhury9936]

@@MarleMMO ok sold. Will give it another try. Maybe will try the installer from the website other than steam.

[@MarleMMO]

@debadrichowdhury9936 Great! I use "OneLauncher." 🥰

[@KisokeLAN]

there are quests you can only accomplish at night, i remember one in the shire about a thief, that for obvious reasons only comes out at night :D

[@MarleMMO]

I love it! Thank you for the correction! 💖

[@nick15d]

I'm new to lotro and reading the books alongside rn. I have some questions. Lol where are all the people? Even in a lesser popular MMO I would think there would be people. Maybe I'm just in too low of an area? Are there guilds? and is there a queue for dungeons?

[@MarleMMO]

Welcome! 💖 1) Lotro's world is HUGE, so they are likely in cities or exploring the massive play area. Many are in the new areas per the recent expansion. 2) There are guilds called 'kinships." 3) There is a type of 'queue' for dungeons yet it's best to advertise via the LFG channel. It's a bit 'old school' in this regard.

[@HMWND]

Played th is game in 2008 for a few weeks but stopped shortly after. As of yesterday i've began my journey again. Thanks for the inspiring video.

[@MarleMMO]

I'm so glad! You're welcome. 💖

[@Toni_N66]

This is the one game i always come back to. Who can resist the fantastic world Tolkien created and i must say that Lotro does a great job in recreating it as a gaming world. There is always something to do , great way to chill out after a busy day. If you dont' feel like questing , take out your fishing pole and ease off . Best community of all mmo:s i've played.

[@MarleMMO]

LOTRO is a place that calls me each year and I am never disappointed. 💖

[@harrr53]

Yes, in the old days you had to pick the right deeds for the virtues you wanted to advance. BUT you only needed to do about 10 deeds for each of those 5 virtues and you were at max. Also, you did know the reward before getting to the advanced deed, you just had to turn on "show rewards" in the deeds window. Now, all deeds, and some other accomplishments give virtue XP, and you can choose what virtue to advance with that XP....however, each virtue goes up to 92. So it takes a much larger amount of deeds to get them to max. So overall, the grind grew, under a thin veneer of convenience. I don't mind that on my main. I do enough content on him to max out all virtues without issues. But when you have a number of alts. it becomes a mountain of stuff to do on each of them.

[@MarleMMO]

🤩

[@persnicketypicker6748]

Is there still a graphics update coming or did that get scraped?

[@MarleMMO]

SSG incrementally continues to upgrade LOTRO's graphical fidelity. 💖

[@Deathbanes]

You can only see bill ferny in person without using his doorbell at night

[@MarleMMO]

🥰

[@dustinvanwinkle5078]

Found Lotro 2 years ago an have spent I think 55 dollars total an half of that is mostly ease of life stuff from the store such as the ingredient crate for crafting. Only missing the most recent expansion as a f2p player. Such an accessible game for anyone who loves LOTR.

[@MarleMMO]

🥰

[@OMGitsZenius]

Now tell me how can I extend the 24h daytime to 48h, I have to work and I want to play this, Arelith ( love the series btw) and keep playing my favorite MMO, Wakfu. Amazing video !

[@MarleMMO]

Thank you! I love Arelith and Wakfu! Both lovely MMOs! 🥰

[@Komijoyo677]

"Then joining children dancing in the rain." Sir those "children" have beards.

[@MarleMMO]

💖 xD

[@jogumby]

The event I think you were referring to for the music festival I believe is called Weatherstock.

[@MarleMMO]

Yes! Thank you so much! 💖

[@gerardo25918]

I tore my ACL as a teenager and played this game when it first came out while I rehabbed. I miss raid nights and a lot of the pvmp late nights.

[@MarleMMO]

🥰

[@Morggin]

Nice you inspired me to download and play the game again. My wife and out kids played for many years starting off from the Beta Days through the Helm's Deep release. My wife and I started back in 3/2/2007 15 years 9 months. We used to play on Galden. My first character and still my main Hobbit burgler is Landoo. An intresting fact ... i used to be the IT support guy for a short time of the Venture Capital company out of Seattle that helped to fund LOTRO. I so wish we would have opted for the lifetime account.

[@MarleMMO]

Fascinating! I agree with you in that I wish I had a lifetime account too. 💖

[@GameGamesGaming-tc8ur]

"I wish I had invested in the single biggest thing that held Lotro back in funding development." LOL you can't make it up!

[@MarleMMO]

@@GameGamesGaming-tc8ur Hm?

[@Domaister420]

There are actuaöly differences when playing at nighttime ig. F.e. these lights in Evendim have a slightly increased spaqn rate than at daytime. There several examples like that.

[@soylencer]

There are a few places that are time/weatherlocked as well. But that's probably more immediately identified by seasoned players.

[@MarleMMO]

Awesome! I'd love to experience those areas.

[@MarleMMO]

Ooo -- any recommendations? 💖

[@tadejhlavacek404]

@@MarleMMO Most dead type enemies have a higher spawn chance at night, important to remember when doing slayed deeds, some quests like killing specific trolls in trollshaws can only be done in night as they only spawn at that time, same for a quest in middsummer minas tirith where you need to collect fireflies only possible at night etc.

[@MarleMMO]

This is great to know! Thank you so much! 💖

[@soylencer]

Not do double-comment, but in regards to the difficulty... Bluntly, they made the game easier to solo because they simply don't have a big enough player count (particularly in the mid-levels) to satisfy the needs of reliable grouping. They also likely wanted to attract players who liked LotR but we're not into the MMO scene. The "number of skills" issues also arose due to the fact that the core games original level cap was 50. It is now 140. This was an elephant in the room as long ago as when they raised it to 90. Every expansion has a level cap, every level cap needs to give you something new, so the power/ability creep continues. They alleviated this a little with the "new" (like 10 years ago) build trees, making many things passive, making some skills stronger, and making some skills unavailable to certain builds -- thus removing up to a dozen skills from a given players list of concerns. It was a generally well received solution, but that was like 6 cap increases ago. I have had a account since Alpha. I come back every few years, have yet to finish even the original Angmar questline from launch, though I have explored forward a bit to unlock some level-dependant features. LotRO is an old friend. MMOs have changed in the last 20 years, no doubt, but I still like to log into LotRO and I still buy the expansions to support the project... One day I'll have time and the will to play for a few weeks and I want it to still be there for me.

[@MarleMMO]

Wow! An alpha player -- excellent. I wonder if a system similar to GW2 would work -- that after level 50, levels stop, yet a type of 'mastery' or 'AA' (cf. EQ) kicks in making it easier to group yet still having progression. Of course, the devil is in the details, and your summary is spot on. Thank you for sharing! 💖

[@grothaal]

I played from the Beta, but last time i tried to come back, the sheer amount of different systems is kinda of overwhelming to learn again. When I stopped I had several characters. Moria kinda of breaked the game for me, i really didnt liked the legendary system. People still play creeps vs players in the pvp mode?

[@MarleMMO]

I can't comment on PvP yet, although I wonder why specifically the (old?) legendary item system was not attractive to you. Do you enjoy the new upgrade? 💖

[@spankyjeffro5320]

You're an adult, aren't you? MAKE time to game! You either have really poor time-management skills or you CHOOSE to not game.

[@MarleMMO]

@spankyjeffro5320 Let's chill bro. People are busy, especially adults.

[@marcusblackwell2372]

Question: if I buy a LOTRO membership, will I get all expansions like with Star Wars The Old Republic?

[@MarleMMO]

Unfortunately no, yet there are likely 100 hours of free content without having to spend a dime. 🥰

[@kokocaptainqc]

@@MarleMMO300* if you go completionnist

[@MostlyFaded420]

I really want to play and get into this game but for whatever reason my audio does not work at all during cutscenes. Apparently it’s been a thing for over a decade and I just don’t have the patience or know how to figure out a work around. Maybe one day I’ll fix their problem for myself and truly give this game the time it deserves.

[@MarleMMO]

That's frustrating! I'm so sorry. 💖

[@MsDurinu]

I just want to point something Aubrey and you talked: the future of LOTRO if Amazon's "monster" is released. And I'll do it in three point: - I have doubts about Amazon managing to release a MMO. Let remember they already cancelled a first try (2019-2021). - Considering what happened with RoP, the way Amazon treats Tolkien's legacy gives a good idea about the route of any other related project -it's never a good idea to make a movie or a TV show without the proper, original source being available to work with. - Let keep in mind that those players who jump into games with the newest graphic engine in the market don't stick (with some exceptions, of course) with MMOs 'cos the story, the background or the playstyle, but 'cos the graphics. LOTRO players stay 'cos the community and more important, the story behind the game. So Tolkien's legacy matters for the community.

[@MarleMMO]

I agree. 💖

[@MrZurbagiu]

at around 1hr mark you guys mention a professor who teaches lotr books while playing the game; do you perhaps speak of Corey Olsen? if so, his stuff is easily findable on KZbin on Signum University channel! his streams are what made me try lotro in the first place 😹

[@MarleMMO]

That's awesome! I'll have to double check. Thank you for the source! 🥰

[@JerryBanks572]

Tuesday nights on Landroval is the ingame lecture and field trip. The developers made a special room just for the class. It's near the West gate of Bree, up the 'scholars stairs' then into a door on your left. It's across from what I call the cat lady's house.

[@MarleMMO]

This is incredible. I'll have to check it out! 💖

[@ExploringAndMe]

I wanne try this mmo again i love tolkiens world last time i olayed i didn't understand how to get a horse and walked teough a.huge city with zero noc to talk to or qeust so i stopped. But i definitely will try again

[@MarleMMO]

Feel free to reach out to the community as I am sure they would love to help! 💖

[@itchyt2997]

Along with ddo i didnt get to play thses games as much as i wanted, i miss them

[@TheNoemad]

Honestly a really fun interview to listen to while I play diablo 4 😄

[@MarleMMO]

I'm so glad! I hope you enjoy the 1.1.1 patch! 💖

[@lukefloyd6451]

Awesome video 🙏

[@MarleMMO]

Thank you for the kind words! 💖

[@BigDaddyPuffAlot]

Ive been meaning to play this game for years but was so into WoW fo rso long I never got around to it, watching this I'm finally downloading it

[@MarleMMO]

Enjoy LOTRO! 💖

[@Endtimescoming]

You know I tried this game once waaaaay back when it first came out, but at the time I was too immersed in WoW to pay it the attention it deserved. For whatever reason recently I decided to give it another go, and while I am not very far along my journey yet, I am interested in a way that I havent been interested in WoW in a very long time. The new WoW expansion I am told is pretty good much better than the last few, I tried it I see that its better and yet my interest isn't piqued maybe 17 years of playing the same game is just enough. Though really since the end of Legion my playing has been extremely spotty at best. I find I am looking forward to leveling in LOTRO and watching videos about LOTRO the microtransaction nature of it I'm not a fan of but maybe I'll try the subscription thing if I make it to level 95 and find I'm still interested.

[@MarleMMO]

Glad to read! What level are you? Which class did you decide to play? 🥰

[@Endtimescoming]

@@MarleMMO Level 13 right now, decided to start with hunter, played a shaman healer for the last several years in WoW, so it was time for a change.

[@MarleMMO]

@Endtimescoming Excellent. Have you leveraged the landscape difficulty settings yet? 🥰

[@Trendle222]

Excellent Interview!! Aubrey is awesome!

[@MarleMMO]

She's the best! 💖

[@anarchy-]

LOTRO is wonderful. But some unnecessary things take away from the experience, like the cash shop/paywall that could've been done way better, super small texts/UI on 4K screens, ingame map structure, fast travel, graphics feel often too edged and rough.

[@MarleMMO]

I hear you! 🥰

[@kane2844]

do you recommend playing it on steam?

[@MarleMMO]

Steam works, although I use the "OneLauncher." 💖 github.com/JuneStepp/OneLauncher

[@PanzerShrek94]

18:04 But that's one of the best things in the game,you can solo nearly everything. Grouping sucks,the more things you can do alone the better it is..that's why raids are the worst things in this game. Especially because they gate the most important story bits behind raids..you want to fight Shelob?Raid.. You want to fight a Balrog or a First age Dragon? Raid..thus these things exclude people from epic scenes.

[@MarleMMO]

🥰

[@grothaal]

The game is great, but I stoped playing it. Major factors were I didnt liked the Mines of Moria expansion and the legendary system (where you weapon isnt really special), the excessive tokenization (1 billion types of items and coins and badges) and was little sad that it went F2P just 1 year after I bought the lifetime subscription)

[@MarleMMO]

I hear you, and agree with many of your points. I'm curious why you did not enjoy Moria? 💖

[@brendan12882]

Can we all agree this narration is top notch?

[@MarleMMO]

🥰

[@aubreytheweirdone]

100%

[@MarleMMO]

💖

[@DreySpynthasalar]

I should try it again, I played briefly like 15 years ago but I didnt have a good first impression.

[@MarleMMO]

The Before the Shadow introduction is the best if you sense the price is worth it. 💖

[@Allen2142]

"There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of corporate capitalism". - Gandalf, wise old wizard, in regards to lotro vs AGS lotr game

[@MarleMMO]

Wisely put. 💖

[@coldcrush5921]

If anyones interested in the oldschool Lotro theres a private server launching next year called Echoes of Angmar

[@MarleMMO]

It looks promising! 🥰

[@DirtyBelgian]

I played it during launch but because of my bad pc i didnt for long ...so my question : as a new player is it still worth starting a new character?

[@MarleMMO]

Yes, absolutely, especially if you can afford "Before the Shadow." A video premiering tomorrow will give an in-depth look at this new content. 💖

[@DirtyBelgian]

so its a expansion you need to buy ? i looked on google and its the one from 2022 ? @@MarleMMO

[@MarleMMO]

Before the Shadow requires a purchase, yes; the other starting experiences I believe are free (although are inferior). I do wish they released BtS for free, yet alas. 💖

[@darkwulf2k]

I have wanted to go back, but that bloody tutorial is so painful to do. I wish they'd go back an streamline it. I enjoyed it for a few years and maxxed a ranger and uh rune mage. I would love to give it the ol college try again if i wasnt so absorbed in other games lol.

[@MarleMMO]

I hear you. Before the Shadow has a far better tutorial especially with the landscape difficulty modifiers. 🥰

[@FinneasAF]

My other MMO is Final Fantasy 14, and a lot of the reason is that it shares a lot of the features that attracted me to LOTRO all these years. It has an in-depth story, a wonderful community, highly customizable gear appearance system, and a player music system that is as good or better than LOTRO's. I feel at home there, like I belong in the world. LOTRO is my comfort game, the people, the world, the story, the music, it all feels like home. For those looking for a similar "feel" in a modern game, try FF14.

[@MarleMMO]

FFXIV is great too! 🥰

[@the1tigglet]

I fully expect Amazon to fuck it up, honestly.

[@MarleMMO]

Unfortunately, that seems to be the prevailing prediction. 💖

[@soylencer]

20:50 that quote seems exactly what the issue with their approach to One Ring. They want to make it accessible to new customers, but we're probably about saturated on LotR fans. And any new fans are going to be drawn in by the more competent storytelling and cohesiveness of the old NewLine movies. Look at how rough Fantastic Beasts was when it did little to evolve what existed, and went with something new with hollow allusions to the original (nevermind the author turning into a dingbat, that hasn't actually hurt business much). If the game is going to be New World with a LotR skin, it's going to retain a base simply for Amazon having money, and maybe a few players who can't get over the old graphics in LotRo. Like you, I'm not convinced it will be the death knell of LotRO. The two possibilities are: a minor reduction in returning players, or an influx of refugees from Amazon's game once the social media wave hits. Like I'm sure PoE has more players now that D4 is getting heat, and how Torchlight 2 boomed when D3 bombed at launch. I don't think this is the end.

[@MarleMMO]

Yeah, I hear you. PoE & D4 is a great comparison, and I'm glad you referenced it as an example. I feel similarly, and I hope the best for LOTRO. I expect that SSG will invest even more in its success now that a major competitor will be on the scene! 💖

[@soylencer]

For the record, I meant to timetag the quote from the Amazon dev, not Aubrey.

[@MarleMMO]

No worries! 💖

[@DaroffApFire]

Imagine if they just chose to ask for a partnership with Amazon, and re-do this game with modern day graphics.

[@MarleMMO]

Although that route would come with additional baggage, no? 🥰

[@SubFlow22]

Good content!

[@MarleMMO]

🥰

[@wompoo7967]

Loved LOTR for the community, in its early days.

[@MarleMMO]

So fun! LOTRO has a great community. 💖

[@traviscue2099]

I'd love to play a fresh server, jumping in now to a server feels super empty and meaningless since they're so far into expans.. But its the same issue with a lot of long lasting mmorpgs.

[@MarleMMO]

I hear you! 🥰

[@RogdushTheMystic]

LOTRO got awesome story and journey is the best game Ive ever played. Nevertheless, endgame is pretty well designed as well. Mechanics in raids are hard and really requires top performance and top grind. Veteran players have problems to even complete tier 3 raids and there are 4 and 5 as well. There are lots of tricks and mechanics involving classes and roles also. Its even hard to explain, you just need to play it., You can spend toins of time in that game

[@MarleMMO]

Yeah, Ghynghyn (in the second video) discusses how he loves LOTRO raids too. 💖

[@OfDeath]

I really wanted to love lotro but the dated ui/map/questing was really frustrating to navigate and there were consistent lag issues that never seemed to go away. The world is so beautiful and honorably represents the writings though. Character models could use an upgrade.

[@MarleMMO]

The UI is one of my biggest gripes, I agree. Lag is painful too. :(

[@zeebzeebo]

your content is amazing. thank you for your work

[@MarleMMO]

That's very kind; thank you for watching! 🥰

[@guilhermeluis8041]

i Will give this a chance, seens pretty fun

[@MarleMMO]

I'm so glad! Please let us know if you have any questions. 💖

[@sesenji]

I feel like I would enjoy it more if I had people to play it with.

[@MarleMMO]

I bet -- have you joined any Kinships? 💖

[@sesenji]

not amazing at socializing I admit, but when last I played I believe so.

[@MarleMMO]

@sesenji Perhaps consider joining a social kinship. 🥰

[@ruinition737]

Really needs a visual upgrade of the combat and movement.

[@MarleMMO]

Visual improvements are incremental, and movement can certainly be improved (especially warsteeds!). 💖

[@ryanspurlock9320]

Great job

[@MarleMMO]

🥰

[@matthewkeating-od6rl]

yea im still trying to escape dwarf starter zone at lvl 8. cant rember how LOL.

[@MarleMMO]

Escape? xD

[@dubiousjester475]

love the game (other than moria lol). one of few games i can pop in and out of at will and instantly know where i am.

[@MarleMMO]

🥰

[@deafmadgamersparanormalmic4591]

LOTRO didn’t have the game update with better graphic.. or did you use add on?

[@MarleMMO]

The only areas of the video in which the visual quality is different than in-game is the video during the podcast portion in which I did a bit of color work post. Otherwise, it's raw gameplay.

[@DJChipsandGarlic]

yea but can you find parties to do the book quests?

[@MarleMMO]

This is a good question. I presume the answer depends on if you are actively looking. I do not think groups are required, so it would be primarily for the social effect. 💖

[@DiscipIeJohn]

I returned after 8+ years, and Im loving it, great game

[@MarleMMO]

I'm so glad! 🥰

[@aubreytheweirdone]

Welcome back to LOTRO 💖

[@DiscipIeJohn]

thanks@@aubreytheweirdone

[@MarleMMO]

💖

[@guypaquette7549]

Been playing Lotro since the start, you should have a chat with me also, hehehe... Some of what Aubrey said are not fully accurate as I feel her memory of the early game fails her. Mind you, she was quite young back then.

[@MarleMMO]

Care to share more? 🥰

[@guypaquette7549]

@@MarleMMO Would love to, but there's way too many things to explain. I don't feel like writing a novel, hehehe... If you have Discord, we could have a chat about it... Just to give you an example, the problem she has with the character stuck in the Moria intro, she should just delete the quest and start over. Not sure why she hasn't thought of that, it's an old MMO trick... ;)

[@MarleMMO]

@@guypaquette7549 I'm Marlevvll on Discord :)

[@guypaquette7549]

@@MarleMMO Sent