Lord of the Rings Online

I've been playing the crap out of the game the last 3 days and wanted to write my early review of the expansion.  Overall I'm very happy and impressed.

- Graphics: They mentioned in the release notes that they fixed some bugs and made some optimizations.  I must say they really did something.  Colors seem more colorful, and edges are sharper.  Everything looks less washed out.  Very nice!

- Legendary Items:  Ridiculous fun.  I was nervous about how these were going to turn out but the combination of choice you have, and the random nature of legacies make it a number-geek's dream.   I've been looking on the auction hall a lot to learn more about them, and I've bought some and equipped a bunch.  Currently have 4 items leveling, and a bunch more I want to deconstruct.  Really looking forward to how the system will affect play in endgame.

- Entering Moria:  The little mini-instance to gain access to Moria was a great idea and I enjoyed it.  I got shivers when I heard the new music, new terrain, and got lost in the little dungeons outside Moria.

- Book 15:  Biggest letdown so far.  Rather uninspired.  Mostly a bunch of horse riding.  They set a high standard with Book 14 and Book 15 does not live up to it.

- Other: Crafting Guilds, personal stats changes, trait changes have been a bunch of new things to learn about.  First day my almost exploded with all the changes.  The new devastating criticals are pretty fun, and the stat changes should help with people who are concerned the game is too easy.  After some trait changes my captain still feels very tough.  Took out a Lvl 51 elite with 13K health today.  Probably wouldn't have needed to use Last Stand/Man Heal except a warg decided to wander into the fight.

It should be noted I've put in at least 20 hours so far, and I've gained one level and haven't even started questing in Moria.  I've spent time questing, crafting, exploring, looking at legendary items, and checking out the auction hall.  Can't wait to see what Moria is like.

I'll definitely agree with the first 11 chapters of book 15, though 15.12 defintely raises the bar.  Creative mechanics and it's quite a challenge.

I've cleared out Eregion (enough to go from 50-53 with very little rested) and the quests there seem to flow very nice.  Moria itself it quite large, and by quite large, I mean freaking huge!  Very well done and it's so easy to get lost in there.  Again the quests, what little I've done, seem to flow very nice.  I also like how the zone map is split into sections, instead of one enormous map for the whole zone.  You could even count Moria is a series of zones, not just one.  Just based on the size and that your horse is no longer usable while inside the mines.

Overall, I'm impressed.

I got inside Moria tonight, goosebump awesome . The way the lamp is made to give you a little light through the passages is awesome !

warden and rune keeper are dang fun classes. im loving them. When I  get high enouogh to get into Moria Im sure Ill have a nerdgazm or 2 myself

I wrote a review for MMORPG.com on my first impressions of MoM.  Check it out here.

-G

More Review Notes:

Eregion: Love it!  One of the nicest outdoor areas in the game.  Think Shire size but with more rugged terrain, but similar beauty.  Almost finished up questing there.

3-Man Instances:  Did the Library, School, and Wings of the Drakes instance last night.  Creating 3-man were such a good idea and executed well.  Wings of the Drakes is TOUGH and requires patience because of so many roaming dragons.  A cloak dropped from the library that was incredible looking.

Legendary Weapons:  Friggin love them

This is by far the best expansion i have playined in any MMO. The amount of content they added is unbelievable. Not just zones and quests, but a lot of new features and customisation options. And TWO new classes?! Keep up the good job Turbine!

I never thought i would see the day that i would get lost in a MMO. But Moria is SOOO HUGE that you will definatley come to a point where you say "Where the heck am i?!".

Everything added in the expansion is so entertaining and gives players a new way to ineteract with Lotro. The new book quests are AMAZING. Book 1 of volume 2 will make you go "WOAH!" . It really introduces you to Moria in the most perfect and edge of your seat way.

If you have ever thought  about joining lotro or if you have been thinking about returning, then now is the perfect time to subscribe and enjoy the best MMO out there, Lord of the rings online!

 Moria is basically Dwarf Housing area.  I was so unimpressed.  They should have picked a better venue , like Rohan or something.  I felt like i was just killing things in the housing zone lol.  

Originally posted by Serulith

This is by far the best expansion i have playined in any MMO. The amount of content they added is unbelievable. Not just zones and quests, but a lot of new features and customisation options. And TWO new classes?! Keep up the good job Turbine!

I never thought i would see the day that i would get lost in a MMO. But Moria is SOOO HUGE that you will definatley come to a point where you say "Where the heck am i?!".

Everything added in the expansion is so entertaining and gives players a new way to ineteract with Lotro. The new book quests are AMAZING. Book 1 of volume 2 will make you go "WOAH!" . It really introduces you to Moria in the most perfect and edge of your seat way.

If you have ever thought  about joining lotro or if you have been thinking about returning, then now is the perfect time to subscribe and enjoy the best MMO out there, Lord of the rings online!

Honestly, who are you?  You work for turbine?  I just cancelled after playing since BETA.  There are alot of these positive remarks on this site and i'm concerned about the lack of honesty in many of these reviews.  Something smells.....fishy.