There were two big MMO free trials that were floating around the internet last week. Fallen Earth was one of them, and you can read my thoughts on it here. The other was Lord of the Rings Online. A game which I had bought just after it’s release and only played for a few days before going back to….man, what the hell was I playing then? Anyways, doesn’t matter, point is that there wasn’t anything about LoTRO that kept me playing. The environments were very nicely done, but I didn’t care for the character models. The combat was mostly standard stuff, nothing different from what was already being done to make me excited to play. Questing and crafting seemed, again, pretty standard. I didn’t have a problem with anything in the game; it just wasn’t something on my radar to begin with. I really never even gave it a fair shake.

This time around has been different though. I don’t really know if it has anything to do with changes made to the game, or if it’s my current MMO situation, but I’m really enjoying it. Everything in the game runs silky smooth, which is a huge check off the list of must haves for my MMO. Graphics seem to have gotten a bump since the last time I played, but the character models still look pretty blocky and oddly defined. In a couple words: big boots. But, after running across a decked out Captain last night, I’m thinking once I get some better armor on my character I won’t notice the models as much. I plan on giving weapon crafting a go tonight. I spent most of last night running quests and collecting ore. One thing I did find odd was the location of the mineral nodes. They seem to pop up in specific spots, and these spots don’t always make sense. There was one copper node that I ran across a few times that was just sticking out of the middle of a large patch of grass. I would think they’d keep these around more areas which show more exposed earth. Just me?

One thing that has changed since the last time I played was the addition of two classes; The Rune Keeper and the Warden. I decided to try the Warden because it looked like something up my alley. It’s a melee class that wields a spear and a shield as its primary weapons, but can also throw javelins as a ranged attack. I’ve found so far that the javelins are mostly just there to grab mobs, but I really dig the idea and look of the class. Supposedly later, I’ll get some abilities to heal myself, and that immediately justified the class for me. I’m a lover of hybrid tanks who can self heal or siphon life. What really locked me into the Warden though, was its Gambit system. A Gambit is a buff or attack that is only available after completing a specific combo of moves that would unlock it. For instance, if I perform two shield styles in a row, I get the option to hit the Gambit button and gain a buff to my blocking. If I do a spear style, then a shield style, I then get an option to do a kick which stuns my enemy. There’s a ton of different Gambits you can unlock, and the neat thing is it flows with how you are playing the class. Shield styles seem to open up for more defensive abilities, and offensive attacks open up more lethal strikes. Eventually I will be able to perform a three hit combo to unlock even better Gambits, and I can’t wait. I am absolutely in love with this combat system.

Leveling in the game is incredibly easy. I almost worry that it’s too easy. I’m happy that I can sit down and knock out a level or two in one sitting, but I feel like I’m skipping over tons of content. Is that a bad thing though? Maybe it’s not considering I look at Aion as something I would never level through more than once due to its lack of content. Gives me hope for alting in LoTRO. The questing is standard, but rewarding. I turned in three quests this morning before heading to work and got nearly half of level 9 knocked out. I was really hoping for some better story with the quests given the setting, but maybe I just haven’t found the good ones yet. One concern I have with the quick leveling is crafting. I really wonder if it will be something I hold off on because it will get in the way of leveling, or will I be able to keep it up to par with class level?

I hope to answer this and other questions over the next few days as I search for an MMO to call home for a while. Stay tuned for updates!