GameBanshee Forums

Basically, just an FYI for anyone who might be interested.

Of course.. "free" is a bit misleading. Once you've completed the lower level areas (takes you to about lvl 20) you have a choice between grinding for Turbine Points with which to buy content.. Or you can splurge on a point package when there's a sale.
Thing about the point package, at least, is that you actually own the content... which is better than a subscription.

Anyway, just wanted to put it out there.
You can download the game [url="http://www.lotro.com/"]here[/url]



If you decide you like the game I recommend:
*buying the 6900 TP points, they'll come on sale for about $50 quite regularly.
*waiting until quest packs/expansions come on sale
* do not spend TPs on fluff like cosmetic stuff or consumables
*I calculated that all of the quest packs total to 5610 points without being on sale, while the expansion (Mines of Moria) comes to 2495 points. That's a grand total of 8105 points.
Between sales and grinding points through completing deeds etc. it's not hard to buy all of the content that way.

There are other things you might want to spend points on.. like the riding skill and shared storage. but beyond those put all your points into unlocking content.

They didn't make the European version yet, too bad .

I saw that..
Sounds like they're working on getting the fixes out soon though

I played it for a short while and it was an interesting game which just didn't capture me enough. It was too bad it came out when it did, and wasn't polished enough.

dragon wench wrote: Of course.. "free" is a bit misleading. Once you've completed the lower level areas (takes you to about lvl 20) you have a choice between grinding for Turbine Points with which to buy content.. Or you can splurge on a point package when there's a sale.
Thing about the point package, at least, is that you actually own the content... which is better than a subscription.

Sounds a lot more like a trial than a free-to-play game. I remember a few MMOs went that route such as Ryzom to name a few.

My girlfriend and I plan on starting to play it after I return from my co-op.

How exactly do you "grind" for Turbine Points? How quickly (or slowly) do you get them?

Thanks for tipping us off. The SO is quite the LOTR fan.

@Xan,
hmm... I'm not sure what you mean by not polished enough. I recall when I played before there were some things that frustrated me, in crafting for example. But, overall I found it quite polished and bug free... Nothing like Conan which was just a mess upon release.
But.. my experience with MMOs is somewhat limited, so I'm also no judge.

@Des,
I hear you, but the difference is that here you can own content, should you choose. Also, trials tend to be time-limited, which is not the case here. Finally, the entire main storyline is free and you can access every area of the game, including gathering resources everywhere. (you just can't complete quests without TPs beyond the 3 starting zones).

@Crenshinibon,
I don't know the whole story on points yet, but as I've experienced so far you grind for points by completing deeds. For example, you tend to obtain about 15 TPs when you complete all of the quests in an area. You also achieve deeds by slaughtering a given number of creatures/bandits or completing a certain type of combat move a certain number of times. During normal game play this often just happens automatically, but you can also focus on running about killing things for that precise purpose. It's called grinding because doing so can become incredibly tedious, no matter how beautiful the surroundings. (though, at least the deeds also give you something called "virtues" which significantly enhance your character build)
You can eventually acquire enough TPs by grinding though, and they facilitate this by giving access to all land zones and allowing you to create two characters (the max for full F2P) on every server. As you can see... it's doable to access all content for "free" but you need to have the stomach for a lot of repetition. That's why I bought the $50 point pack, between content sales and TPs accrued automatically by just playing I figure I'll be able to do quests in all zones.

Personally, I much prefer this model because when you don't pay a monthly subscription you don't feel obliged to spend time playing when you don't feel like it. I get bored with MMOs if I play too frequently because of the numerous Fedex types of missions. But a few hours here and there when you know the content you've acquired will always remain works well.

Now, there are perks to subscribing, such as instant travel or being able to post an unlimited quantity of things on the Auction House. But, there are ways around this. The only thing you absolutely need a subscription for is if you want to participate in PvP. Since I'm not into that sort of thing, I'm not fussed.

@Tricky,
you're welcome! From what I've read, the European F2P should be running within the next month, so keep a watch.

dragon wench wrote: @Des,
I hear you, but the difference is that here you can own content, should you choose. Also, trials tend to be time-limited, which is not the case here. Finally, the entire main storyline is free and you can access every area of the game, including gathering resources everywhere. (you just can't complete quests without TPs beyond the 3 starting zones).

There are also trials which allow you to play until a certain level, like say 20, and from there on out, you'll have to pay a monthly fee if you wish to continue playing.

But since you mention that TPs can be accrued via grinding, it sounds reasonable, but I'm not sure if I want to jump back into the MMO wagon again. Got a bit fed up with them after playing them for a while.

DesR85 wrote:There are also trials which allow you to play until a certain level, like say 20, and from there on out, you'll have to pay a monthly fee if you wish to continue playing.

But since you mention that TPs can be accrued via grinding, it sounds reasonable, but I'm not sure if I want to jump back into the MMO wagon again. Got a bit fed up with them after playing them for a while.

Ah.. didn't know that, but as I've stated I don't have a huge amount of experience with MMOs.

In addition to the TPs obtained through grinding, as I mentioned, you can actually quest through the main storyline for free. And you can explore all of the zones, in LOTRO this is actually worthwhile because the graphics are gorgeous and immersive. (and unlike certain single player titles they are all very distinct from one another)
But, I hear you. Too much MMO playing is wearing and the abundance of Fedex quests can become tedious. That's why I'm happy to avoid the subscription. I can log in when I want to for a few hours and enjoy the scenery and atmosphere, but I don't feel obliged to spend "X" amount of time playing.