LotRO Europe F2P launch date announced
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29 Oct 2010, 15:42
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Journals
The Lord of the Rings Online is finally going free to play in Europe after a one and a half month delay (caused by contractual problems) on 2nd of November, which is next Tuesday. This will mean that you will be able to play the game for free, being able to access all areas in Eriador (you won't be able to get into Moria or Mirkwood though, as they require the expansions) and complete quests in the Shire, Bree-land and Ered Luin (which should get you to about lvl 20-25) and level your character up to level 50, the level cap of the game without expansions (lvl 65 is the maximum level with expansions, but I heard that the developers are planning on removing the level cap etc. and alloving players to access the areas of the expansions for free in the future). A slight downside is that quests in the other parts of Eriador (North Downs, Evendim, Forochel, Lone-lands, Trollshaws, Misty Mountains) will not be available instantly, and you will have to purchase them from the in-game store system with Turbine points. Fear not, however, as the points can be acquired for free too.
The Free to Play will include several new things in the game, including brand-new starter areas, new deeds, the LotRO Store, which uses the Turbine points as a currency, and new high-level content in the form of a new Book (which is a long series of quests related to the books written by Tolkien) and a region, Enedwaith, located near the south end of the Misty Mountains, south of Eregion.
The LotRO Store will be a new in-game shop, not too much unlike the infamous item shops familiar from many Asian "free to play" MMOs. However, there are some key differences. The Store will not contain any items that will make your character better than characters who have bought items from there (ie. no gear or skills will be purchaseable from there, unlike in many other "free to play" MMOs where you basically have to spend real money on it to be able to own), and the store currency, the Turbine points, can be acquired through gameplay by doing Deeds (kind of "mini quests", involving tasks like "Kill 60 wolves" and "Use this skill 120 times") and completing some quests, or by buying them with real money. So you basically have a choice of investing some time or some money (in USA the points are roughly 1 dollar = 100 points, and for example the quest packs for areas are 600 to 800 points). There will also be special events held every now and then which could include Point rewards.
If you want to get an early access, you can download the current version of the game now and start a free 14-day trial - however you will not gain the Turbine points "recursively" from deeds completed before the launch of F2P. If you had a trial in the past or subscribed in the past but no longer do, you don't have to start a new account. Your old account will be unlocked and you will be able to play as your old characters.
The original news post here, and a comparision of the various "account levels" here. A VIP is someone who pays the subscription (around 12 euros), a Premium member is someone who has either once purchased points or paid the subscription, and a Free player is someone who has never purchased points or paid the subscription.
TL;DR: Lotro going free next Tuesday
The Free to Play will include several new things in the game, including brand-new starter areas, new deeds, the LotRO Store, which uses the Turbine points as a currency, and new high-level content in the form of a new Book (which is a long series of quests related to the books written by Tolkien) and a region, Enedwaith, located near the south end of the Misty Mountains, south of Eregion.
The LotRO Store will be a new in-game shop, not too much unlike the infamous item shops familiar from many Asian "free to play" MMOs. However, there are some key differences. The Store will not contain any items that will make your character better than characters who have bought items from there (ie. no gear or skills will be purchaseable from there, unlike in many other "free to play" MMOs where you basically have to spend real money on it to be able to own), and the store currency, the Turbine points, can be acquired through gameplay by doing Deeds (kind of "mini quests", involving tasks like "Kill 60 wolves" and "Use this skill 120 times") and completing some quests, or by buying them with real money. So you basically have a choice of investing some time or some money (in USA the points are roughly 1 dollar = 100 points, and for example the quest packs for areas are 600 to 800 points). There will also be special events held every now and then which could include Point rewards.
If you want to get an early access, you can download the current version of the game now and start a free 14-day trial - however you will not gain the Turbine points "recursively" from deeds completed before the launch of F2P. If you had a trial in the past or subscribed in the past but no longer do, you don't have to start a new account. Your old account will be unlocked and you will be able to play as your old characters.
The original news post here, and a comparision of the various "account levels" here. A VIP is someone who pays the subscription (around 12 euros), a Premium member is someone who has either once purchased points or paid the subscription, and a Free player is someone who has never purchased points or paid the subscription.
TL;DR: Lotro going free next Tuesday
Might give it a try when i'm bored.
jesus
However, the expansions can be bought on the store too, they're just slightly more expensive, taking some time to grind points to if you want to play completely free.
E: Anyways, Turbine (the company behind the game) has said in some interview that they are planning to remove the level caps completely, and allowing everyone to access the expansion areas and do "Book quests" there, just like the situation is at the moment for the vanilla content.
It's basically PvP, but it differs in that the "creeps" (monster players) don't do the usual stuff that you have to do to be able to win in PvP, i.e. grind instances and reputation and whatnot. But they don't receive all the "leet stuff" for free either, I think, but will instead get them for scoring kills or something. I don't really know as I haven't ever touched that part of the game, but this is what I think.
lets go ;D