Questing across Middle-Earth
The Tolkien universe is at your fingertips as you explore all corners of this ancient world. Whether you're walking across the imposing courtyards of Thorin's gate, popping into the Prancing Pony for a swift pint of ale or meandering around the small hamlet of Archet, the design of the maps and the attention that's gone into faithfully recreating the universe manages to seduce you into feeling that you're playing your part in the next stage of The Lord of The Rings phenomenon. Turbine could have looked outside the traditional MMORPG box and tested out some new ideas, but what we're left with in LOTRO is a robust, fulfilling game that will almost certainly appeal to any Lord of the Rings fan, those WOW fans who are bored (will they ever get bored), or anyone new to the genre seeking their first experience.
Click for larger imageThe game begins by creating your character. There are four races to choose from, including elves and hobbits, and each has their own strengths and weaknesses, such as power, agility and will. Next up you choose the class of your character, which shapes your future in the game world. For example: Choose to be a burglar and you'll be able to strike from the shadows or blind foes by tossing dust into their eyes, however the burglar is weak in one-to-one combat. Choose a Champion on the other hand and you'll excel in close combat and be able to inflict large scale damage to opponents. There's plenty of choice on offer before you even start the game, but you're not limited to playing as one character, so there's the option to mix and match the classes in order to find the balance that suits you. Without further ado, and after choosing a name and tweaking your character's features, you step into Middle Earth to embark on your first quest.
Click for larger imageLOTRO has shed loads of quests. Quest givers are found by looking for the gold ring that hovers over their heads and players can have up to 40 quests running simultaneously; thankfully it's easy to track quests and they don't need to be carried out in a particular order so you pretty much have the freedom to do whatever you wish. Quests range from the main missions, where you'll uncloak the game's main story-line, collecting apples in the orchard in return for a few pieces of gold, to infiltrating enemy camps, or heading off on group quests for larger prizes. Of course, with every quest comes a reward, ranging from a new weapon to potions that improve health and stamina. EXP points allow you to level up, so you can buy new skills from a trainer, better weapons, armour or take on the more difficult enemies that roam the wastelands. I've personally enjoyed the range of quests that I've carried out so far, even the trivial ones and those that lack any true challenge, such as delivering a pie to someone across town or collecting apples from the orchard. The quests in LOTRO have been well thought out and no matter how trivial they are they add and build on the existing story-line as well as introducing you to characters you may be familiar with if you've read the books.