| FAQ |
| By: Magi, Posted at: Mon, Feb 12th 8:35 AM 2007, Last Edited: Tue, Oct 27th 1:22 PM 2009
Rated 4.85 by 81 people |
General LOTRO
Middle-earth
Core Game Dynamics
Combat
Crafting
Monster Play (PvP)
End Game
UI (User Interface)
Social Dynamics
Travel
The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar (LOTRO) is a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) set in J.R.R. Tolkien's fictional world of Middle-earth. [return to index]The Lord of the Rings Online launched in the United States, Australia, Japan, and Europe on April 24, 2007. [return to index]
An MMORPG is a game where millions of users connect to play co-operatively and against each other in a persistent, never-ending world. [return to index]
You can play LOTRO on any personal computer that meets the minimum system requirements. There are no plans to make it available for any console or for Mac's. [return to index]
Minium requirements: Processor: Intel Pentium 4 1.8 GHZ or equivalent Video Card: 64 MB nVidia GeForce 3 or ATI Radeon 8500 Direct X: DirectX 9.0c OS: Windows XP RAM: 512 MB Disk Space: 7 GBs Internet: 56kbps Modem Optical Drive: 2x DVD-ROM Recommended requirements: Processor: Intel Pentium 4 2.8 GHZ or equivalent Video Card: 128 MB nVidia GeForce FX 6800 or ATI Radeon X850 DirectX: DirectX 9.0c OS: Windows XP / Vista RAM: 1 GB Disk Space: 10 GB Internet: Broadband DSL / Cable Optical Drive: 2x DVD-ROM [return to index]
Yes. The standard fee is $14.95 USD with discounts available for subscriptions paid in three, six and twelve month lengths. A special Founders Program was offered at launch that offered fees of either $9.95 USD a month or a life time subscription can be purchased for $199.99 USD. For more information on the Founders Club, click here. [return to index]
Subscriptions may be paid via credit card or game cards. [return to index]
No. The game can only be played online, with the subscription service. [return to index]
Middle-earth is the mythological world created by J.R.R. Tolkien for use in his fantasy stories, including the Lord of the Rings. Accordingly, it is this same world that will be available to players in the Lord of the Rings Online! [return to index]
The region of Eriador, which includes the following sub-regions: The Shire, Ered Luin, Bree-land, Lone-lands, North Downs, Ettenmoors, Angmar, Trollshaws and the Misty Mountains. As the game has expanded many more areas are and will be available. [return to index]
The game takes place at the end of the third age, beginning with the time when Frodo Baggins leaves his home at Crickhollow. [return to index]
Yes. This is done through player actions and game updates. [return to index]
Yes. Famed characters from the trilogy - Merry, Pippin, Gandalf, Gimli, Aragorn etc - appear in the world to help players along with various tasks. [return to index]
No, you will not. The main story of the Lord of the Rings cannot be altered by any actions of players. [return to index]
Turbine, Midway and Tolkien Enterprises are determined on sticking as close to the books as possible, but they are being granted space to make the game fun. [return to index]
While the fate of players will not be the same as the Ring-bearer or his fellowship, you will have a very Lord of the Ringish storyline to participate in that leads to the Witch-king of Angmar! [return to index]
Whilst this is largely wild speculation, Turbine has stated a number of times that more and more of Middle-earth will be included as expansions are released. [return to index]
The free people of Middle-earth are available for play: Men, Elves, Dwarves and Hobbits. [return to index]
The seven cardinal classes are Hunter, Guardian, Champion, Burglar, Lore-master, Captain and Minstrel. [return to index]
No. Once you choose your class at character creation, it cannot be altered. [return to index]
Assuming you possess the requisite coin and level requirements, skills can be learned from class trainers located throughout Eriador. [return to index]
Speaking strictly on non-aesthetic terms, you can acquire traits from accomplishments. These [traits] are boons to skills, abilities statistics and more! For more information on the trait and accomplishments, read our guide on the system here. [return to index]
This is done through the many different kinds of accomplishments: racial, social, killing, lore and more! For more information on accomplishments, read our guide on the system here. [return to index]
Players will be able to advance to the fifyth level. [return to index]
It should take casual players 6-8 months, and only a couple months for the more hardcore [players]. [return to index]
While players can advance in any manner they desire, it is optimally done through quests. [return to index]
Quests come in a variety of forms which include social, delivery, kill and instances. [return to index]
When an NPC has a quest for you, the One Ring will appear over their head. [return to index]
There are quests available for both playstyles, but solo quests are more common with the exception of dungeons, instances and storyline occurences. [return to index]
There are no mandatory quests; how players advance is completely up to them. [return to index]
Certainly so! Examples include the Great Barrows in the Barrow Downs and the ruins in the tainted land of Angmar. [return to index]
There are no 'solo dungeons'; only players who join a fellowship will be able to survive in them. [return to index]
Like in other MMOs, all offensive and defensive capabilities are derived from skills, and each of these have a use and re-use timer. So yes, it is time based in the common sense. [return to index]
While comparisons of this nature are difficult to make, combat has a solid pace to it. [return to index]
Both. An unskilled player will have tremendous difficulty, as well as an under-geared combatant. [return to index]
If anything, it is reaction based. It is important to pay attention to battle at all times - be it solo or group - lest one wants an easy defeat. [return to index]
Players who master their class wholly will stand out above the rest. [return to index]
In groups, players have specific roles based on the current makeup of the fellowship. For example, it is role of the Guardian to take damage (tank) and the Minstrel to heal his or her allies. Contrast that to the 'jack of all trades' that every class has during solo play and you have the answer. [return to index]
The enemy AI is neither simplistic nor stupid; if players do not adapt their combat styles from one enemy to another, many defeats will occur. [return to index]
Fellowship Attacks are very powerful skills that are only available to grouped players. They are only activated when players are fighting challenging opponents and a special set of events occur. [return to index]
Crafting professions are organized into Vocations, and they are as follows: Armsman: Prospector, Weaponsmith and Woodworker. Armorer: Prospector, Metalsmith and Tailor. Explorer: Forester, Tailor and Prospector. Historian: Farmer, Scholar and Weaponsmith. Tinker: Prospector, Jeweller and Cook. Woodsman: Forester, Woodworker and Farmer. Yeoman: Farmer, Cook and Tailor. [return to index]
Crafting Vocations are simply bundles of professions that players can train to learn the [professions] contained in them. [return to index]
Simply speak with a Master of Apprentices NPC who is located near the major crafting junctures. [return to index]
All of the major towns in Eriador have a variety of crafting stations, including some villages as well. [return to index]
Double-click on an appropiate crafting station for your vocation to bring up the crafting menu. You can then select a recipe to craft. [return to index]
First you need to purchase the necessary harvesting tool for your gathering profession (ie., mining pick for prospectors and axe for foresters). Then you can activate your resource tracking skill to locate the node for your particular profession. Then, once you have found a node to use, double click it to gather the materials. [return to index]
Some materials that you need cannot be gathered by any profession in your vocation; you need to visit either the auction hall or another player who can gather them to supply your requirements. [return to index]
Absolutely. You will need to co-operate with fellow crafters to produce particular items. [return to index]
You may either open the trade window or put them up for sale at the auction hall. [return to index]
Every player has a number of storage slots at their bank vault. Visit one of the clerks in every major town! [return to index]
Monster Play is Turbine's response to the player versus player question in LOTRO. It essentially pits monsters (controlled by players) against other players in some of the greatest battles in Middle-earth history! [return to index]
Such a dynamic would be against the lore of Professor Tolkien's mythological world, and so it will not be utilized. [return to index]
It is very similiar in the respect that it pits two sides in an instanced setting, complete with diverse objectives. The difference, however, is that your monsters can complete PvE objectives independent of the PvP instances. These accomplishments lead to the accumulation of monster points, which can be used to upgrade your monster, among other things. [return to index]
Yes. There will be a whole slew of PvE quests that will be only available to monster characters. [return to index]
Yes. One of the many functions of Monster Points is the ability to purchase more advanced and powerful monsters! [return to index]
Besides more powerful monsters, players can spend their points on equipment and boons to their regular characters. [return to index]
Aside from completing quests as a monster, players can earn Monster Points by defeating other players and completing objectives. [return to index]
No. Players enter either as a monster or their regular player; the two sides then engage in combat in an instanced battlefield. [return to index]
If you wish to enter as a player, you must be of the fortyth level. Alternatively, if you want to enter as a monster, you only need to be of the tenth season. [return to index]
You either speak to the Monster Controller in Bree (to enter as a monster) or an NPC in Rivendell (to enter as a player). [return to index]
No. If you want to avoid Monster Play completely, you may do so; PvE and PvP content are distinct and separate. [return to index]
When players reach the initial level cap of fifty, there are six distinct activities to participate in: soloing, crafting, grouping, raiding and monster play (player versus player). So yes, there will be high level content available for each of these categories. [return to index]
The best items available to players will come from crafters - that is how crafting is feasible. As far as soloing, however, high level loot will drop off normal mobs. [return to index]
Contrary to other online titles, this is a big yes, and they can be obtained in the following ways: soloing, grouping, crafting and raiding, of course. [return to index]
While raids in LOTRO will be similiar to that of many other online titles, there will be substantial differences: the amount of players required wil be reduced, there will be more 'check points' (places where you can resume your quest later) and they will be designed to be less repetitive and more fun! [return to index]
While high level raids will tell more of the story of Middle-earth, they certainly aren't a required function of gameplay, nor impact the player versus player dynamic too heavily. [return to index]
While the number is hard to pin down, it is expected there will be several in Angmar, Misty Mountains, Ettenmoors and more! [return to index]
The raid instances will come in many different aesthetic designs, person requirements, storyline impressions and loot rewards. [return to index]
There will be all kinds of servants from the Dark Lord of Mordor - Orc Chieftans, Spider Queens - and perhaps even Dragons! But there will be no Balrogs, ancient servants of Morgoth. [return to index]
If Gandalf the Grey - one of the Maiar - could not topple the Balrog without death, what makes you think you could? [return to index]
Yes! LOTRO fully supports the complete customization of any piece of the user interface. [return to index]
Simply unzip the skin files into the "documents>\ui\skins" directory, then activate your skin in the options menu! [return to index]
You can download many interfaces (or select pieces) at LOTRO Interface! [return to index]
Simply hold CRTL and click the \ key and that will allow you to move individual pieces around; use the command again to hold your interface in place. [return to index]
On the bottom right-hand corner of the chat box there are three diagonal lines; click and drag to expand or shorten. [return to index]
Simply type in a message in your chat box and hit enter. Alternatively, if you want to speak to only one person, simply type /tell . [return to index]
Whilst any locale is possible for this, taverns like The Prancing Pony in Bree is suited for this purpose. [return to index]
Roleplaying is certainly encouraged in LOTRO, so more roleplay then in other online titles. [return to index]
No more then any other titles, but there are rewards for communicating in the form of social traits. [return to index]
Yes! Currently, when you use emotes X number of times, you are rewarded with new titles. [return to index]
Yes! You can organize into larger groups called kinships. [return to index]
To create a kinship, simply seek out a requisite clerk to purchase a charter. To join a kinship, however, you will need to ask a leader of another to invite you. [return to index]
While no content is restricted to kinships alone, the larger grouped experiences - raids - certainly do cater to well organized [kinships]. [return to index]
Yes! You are free to do such a thing if you wish. [return to index]
Currently they do not. Down the road, however, things can change. [return to index]
The walk speed is abysmally slow; it is rather like a crawl in fact. Alternatively, the run speed is comparable to that of World of Warcraft and EverQuest II [return to index]
While the developers have been very protective of that number, it would likely take many hours on foot. [return to index]
In the starting areas the time is rather small; as the you progress, however, the time lengthens. [return to index]
Yes! You choose a milestone to set as your homepoint, then you can use your map to return home (it's set on a one hour timer). [return to index]
Yes! In each village, town and city there is a stable master. Simply speak to him (or her) and you will have acquired that location; you can then travel to that locale via a stable master from another bastion of civilization. In addition, you automatically acquire all the starting villages stable master locations. [return to index]
Yes! At higher levels you may purchase a horse or pony, as your race allows. [return to index]
Not at this time, no. Each race has only one horse or pony to choose from. [return to index]
While this has been a consideration throughout development, they are not available at this time. [return to index]
No. [return to index]
Hunters gain access to abilities that transports themselves and allies to the major cities. [return to index] |
| LOTR: General: FAQ, by Magi |
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