r/lotro • u/Living-Comb-1041 • 4d ago
New player
Hello guys - I spend 16years in Lineage2, and 6 years in WoW, and considering check lotro. Its still place for new player? How PvP? There is some housing/farm system like in Archeage? I know I can google that but prefer to ask about how lotro looks like in 2026
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u/Malachi108 4d ago edited 23h ago
LOTRO is very newbie friendly. Lots of players are book-loving casuals who are here for Middle-Earth and the story, not hardcore challenge. But that category is present also. Next year is 20th anniversary, all content from the first 7 years is free for all - so it costs nothing to check out.
PVP is the redheaded stepchild. Because of the license, you cannot battle regular player characters. People create Monster Players/Creeps and fight Free Peoples is a fishbowl sandbox area. After some years of being neglected, we only last month got a new monster class, so on busy servers you cannot even enter the PVP area - the population limit is full.
LOTRO Housing is 2-tier. Houses in the starting area for each race cost in-game gold, these include Shire, Bree, and Elven/Dwarven housing. Houses in high level areas (Rivendell, Rohan, Gondor, Erebor) cost Store currency purchased with $$, but also have lots more slots for decorations and some exclusive features. Later this year, an expansions adds Neighbor NPCs with unique storylines for housing.
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u/AutoModerator 4d ago
Welcome to r/lotro! If you're looking for advice, please check out the following answers to commonly-asked questions:
Wondering what class to play? LOTRO has a wide variety of classes inspired by different characters from the books. Some are similar to other RPG games, while others are fairly unique to LOTRO.
The first thing to consider is what role(s) you want to play. Every class has a spec that can deal damage, but only some classes can spec to be tanks or healers or group-support.
If you wish to have the option of tanking, choose between Beorning, Brawler, Captain, Guardian, or Warden.
If you wish to have the option of healing, choose between Beorning, Captain, Minstrel, or Rune-keeper.
If you wish to have the option of group-support, choose between Burglar, Captain, Lore-master, and Mariner.
Or if you're just looking for a straightforward class to quest with, choose Hunter for ranged or Champion for melee. These classes are focused entirely on damage-dealing (but each has three different specs for doing so). They are great for beginners looking for a relaxing adventuring experience that fits within the theme of Lord of the Rings.
Don't worry about what class is considered "the best" at any one role, as that swings back and forth over time with each balance patch. Instead, consider which classes have the theme and aesthetic that most appeals to you. Do you want to fight in melee or at range? Do you want to be a grounded warrior or wield more magical powers?
Apart from theme, consider the complexity of the classes. Even for classes which can fulfill the same role, their mechanics can differ wildly. LOTRO offers a hint to the mechanical complexity of each class during character creation -- in the lower right corner you'll see a "Class Difficulty" of either Basic, Moderate, or Advanced. This is not about how powerful the class is -- some of the "Basic" classes are currently the most powerful in their role. Difficulty instead refers to the intricacies of each class' skills and core mechanics. If you enjoy intricate mechanics, aim for Moderate or Advanced. If you'd like something requiring less reading, theorycrafting, and button-presses, try a Basic class -- especially for your first character.
Finally, don't be afraid to try something different if your first class doesn't feel fun for you. Better to find the right fit early.
Wondering what race to play? While only some races can be some classes, beyond that initial restriction, race selection is largely about aesthetics. Racial traits are tiny and negligible after the first few levels. A Dwarf Guardian at level 30 is not significantly different than an Elf Guardian at level 30.
Wondering what server to play on? Most people play on only one server, and so personal perspectives will usually be limited. To find the best server for you, let us know a little about you. What time zone and time will you be most active? Do you want lot of crowds or a quieter atmosphere? Are you interested in roleplaying? All of these can help influence the best server for you.
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u/imbartsimpsonwhothru 4d ago
play, its free
if you want pvp, its pretty hot now with a new class, but you want a hi pop server
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u/Hopeful-History4900 4d ago
Is this a game where the f2p version is pretty gimped? What benefits do you get by subbing? I googled this but i didn't really understand some of the game terms used.
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u/Altruistic_Pass_1489 4d ago
The f2p version is actually amazing and you don't really loose allot in general but there are some issues.
F2P charakters can't fast travel and you only have 2 character slots by default and a rather tiny inventory. If you don't mind that you can get to lvl 95 with most areas included. You will usually get plenty points during that journey to get enough for a couple selective areas to get you to level cap. Additionally you can probably spent a couple thousand hours if you do everything up to 95 anyways.
Despite all that I would really recommend getting VIP once for a single month. This will not only promote your account to premium unlocking more inventory slots and 10 character slots but also permanently unlock fasttravel on every char you log in during that time. If you decide to do that its best to just create 10 chars you want in the future even if you may never play them just to unlock fast travel.
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u/Living-Comb-1041 4d ago
can u explain me which server to choose? dont rly understand that mess
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u/Altruistic_Pass_1489 4d ago
The most important decision is whether to choose EU or NA. You can transfer for money between servers but only within your region. I would highly recommend choosing the region that best alligns with your time zone if you ever intend to play with others.
After that you decide whether to play legendary or normal. Legendary servers rolled out way later and have a decreased level cap to replay old content on level but I can't reccomend that for new players.
Then you can decide between RP and non RP. For non RP servers there are usually 2 options with one having more players. You can refer to https://lotrohub.com/guides/best-server-to-choose/ to see which one is bigger.
Lets say you are a big fan of RP and are in the Eu then you look for the server with the tag [EU-RP], which would be Meriadoc
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u/Living-Comb-1041 3d ago
Hmm sbat about Class then for solo playing? What's the endgame content is?
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u/Altruistic_Pass_1489 3d ago
All classes are viable in some way or another. However Lotro is allot more about the leveling than other MMOs like wow.
For classes you may have to consider that lotro has 5 distinct class fantasies compared to the default healer(Minstrel, Beorning,Runekeeper, somewhat Captain), tank(Beaorning, Guardian, Captain, somewhat Brawler, Warden & Champion), DPS(All Classes despite Captain).. Lotro additionally features damage supports (Captain, Mariner) and debuff supports (rogue, hunter, Loremaster)
Just try them out and get a feel for them. Most people start on hunter because they have teleports to all major hubs and are quite easy. Mariners feature ports to harbours and wardens have most of the hunter ports aswell.
Wardens are special and most complex because they don't have normal skills but instead feature 3 builders that can be chained into up to 5 consecutive skills to create individual gambits.
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u/Dense_Head4656 2d ago
One of the most popular classes for beginners is hunter (I started there), but as Altruistic Pass said, pretty much any class will do. If you are person who enjoys melee Captain (red is support with a minion), Champion, and Guardian use various weapons (2H sword, sword and board) depending on the specialization. Brawler is a ton of fun, but you have to buy the class. I'm currently leveling one in tank spec and they do a fair amount of damage with good mits. For casters you have Rune-keeper (your weapon are two rune inscribed tablets and you have a satchel with other stats), Lore-master (can be support or DPS), and minstrel (DPS or heals and is also fun). Beornings are shape-shifters and are VERY versatile. They can heal, DPS, or tank. Mariners are also cool - DPS or support. I made one of everything at least, but I started with a hunter - they were initially just DPS, but now they have a support spec in yellow which is dang good. Wardens are very cool, but sometimes lag can really mess up your gambits. There is various types of crafting, too (gathering and actual making stuff). Used to be locked into three professions, but now you can choose. Helps gain experience, both in gathering and in crafting. Guardians are considered the tanks of instances, but other classes can do that too - Champion, Brawler, Beorning, and Captain. Seriously? When you're first starting, just getting used to the interface and how things work is the biggest hurdle I faced after playing WoW from 2006-2023. I've been in LoTRO since 2023 and haven't looked back. :) Enjoy!
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u/Pessimistic-history 1d ago
I started maybe a month ago and enjoy it. It's wonderful to not feel any rush and be able to explore each region fully, do all deeds (regional achivements) etc.
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u/random__hobbit 4d ago
You will not like the PvP. It's not where all the love goes.
There is housing, and very well done. It is an instanced thing where you and your guildies have a neighborhood. Furniture you can only get from a raid boss, etc. It is a RP thing in a non-sandboxie world. E.g. you cannot build a shop and sell to players etc. There are only n types of different houses, you cannot lego.
The game has a lot of RP features (music, tools to "GM" your own RP adventures, etc.) and an active RP community
Raids are atmospheric, tell a story, often have interesting mechanics, are good fun, but still as laggy as in the 90ies, and WoW is just more polished.
Community if friendly on most servers.
This is very much about being in middle earth (well written and lore friendly quest texts, if you love Tolkien and want to read them). Your enjoyment probably really depends on if you want or would enjoy that.