[Draco]

I guess this explains the increase in lag recently

"LOTRO Hits Highest Player Count In 10 Years"

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/lo.../1100-6502802/

[Saelanna]

Summer pressures at work (and home) are starting to ease - so it looks like LoTRO is back on the menu!

Events have started to appear on the calendar...

[Draco]

Some free quest packs available now, and the previous expansions on sale for 99 points:

https://www.lotro.com/news/lotro-fre...coupon-2022-en

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it looks like LoTRO is back on the menu!

I see what you did there

[Draco]

Just a service notification for LotrO players, but update 34 (coming November 8th) will reset all class trait points, you might want to take a screenshot of your current allocation beforehand.

[Leoferwic]

Winter festival starts tomorrow, time to stock up on rotten fruit and flower petals...

[Draco]

In the interest of full disclosure: My main left UFP on lotro to join another kin... I love UFP but Im generally the only one on and I'd like to get into raiding a bit more . My alts are still UFP and will continue to join in kin events whenever my calendar allows.

[Tbang]

I play on Arkenstone, mainly a Warden Frealyn and Champs Othuigil, and her mother Eldargil.

Long ago I was a decent min too, but I haven't worked much on one this time around. I was an early player, and left when they got so big on pay to play (they were one of the early proponents), only returning a year or so ago.

In the intervening time, it's now universal that any and every game has their hands out for your wallet. LotRO isn't particularly greedy about it, and bless their pointed little heads, they have upheld one major point, in that you can wallet warrior your way to decent gear, but for the very best, you still have to play for it.

So I started playing again, initially on Gladden, which is the "new players start here" sort of server, and it was reasonably friendly and helpful. I located my old Kin, Southern Cross, relocated to Arkenstone as Southern Cross-1, and I moved over there. I would not however recommend it for starting players, the worldchat is a sewer. I didn't even realize there was a UFP presence on LotRO. If any of you happen to be on Arkenstone, Frealyn and Othuigil are my two most often online toons. I can help with getting started, crafting

[Bedders]

I play on Arkenstone.... I would not however recommend it for starting players, the worldchat is a sewer....

Thankfully this is something I've never seen on Laurelin. It's a Role-Playing server so most people are really polite and friendly in World Chat, and just in the game in general.
It's a really refreshing change from other MMO's that I play.

I'm hoping to start running events for LotRO soon, as my calendar allows. It'll be great to play as part of a group again

[Sunfire]

Thankfully this is something I've never seen on Laurelin. It's a Role-Playing server so most people are really polite and friendly in World Chat, and just in the game in general.

Laurelin server is best server!

[Tbang]

I started a character on Lauelin, just a basic hunter/explorer to get going. So far it seems pleasant enough, but I'm not seeing any blatant evidence of RP, but then so far have only been thru the intro, TH and Noglond, as I detest the elf intro and did the dorf prologue once out of Edhelion, stopped at lvl10 for the moment. Once I head to Bree we'll see, so far the server doesn't look at all crowded.

Oh, in case there are others like me, who previously played and left. They were able to recover one of my accounts from way back, however I'm unable to transfer any of the old characters to any live server, so I ended up starting over. Entombed in Vilya's archive is...

[Sunfire]

I started a character on Lauelin, just a basic hunter/explorer to get going. So far it seems pleasant enough, but I'm not seeing any blatant evidence of RP, but then so far have only been thru the intro, TH and Noglond, as I detest the elf intro and did the dorf prologue once out of Edhelion, stopped at lvl10 for the moment. Once I head to Bree we'll see, so far the server doesn't look at all crowded.

Bree is RP central on Laurelin. You'll see roleplayers there especially around the Prancing Pony. Otherwise a lot of RPers keep to the Shire or other specific areas, not so much the whole server in every zone.

As for the population, you have to remember that even though Laurelin is a very old server the game itself has a steady but not huge population. And the areas covered are huge, so population is quite spread out.

[Tbang]

Bree is RP central on Laurelin. You'll see roleplayers there especially around the Prancing Pony. Otherwise a lot of RPers keep to the Shire or other specific areas, not so much the whole server in every zone.

As for the population, you have to remember that even though Laurelin is a very old server the game itself has a steady but not huge population. And the areas covered are huge, so population is quite spread out.

Yep, kinda figured Bree. I got the Bingo intro at lvl8, I'll head down MD way once I get to Gondamon, which has a lot of silly running about knees bent sort of quests.

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I was just pondering my path for a moment, and it raised one thing that has bothered me about how the game has evolved over the years.

From long habit, I tend to do all, or almost all of a given area's quests when I start a character, because for reputation or some other reason, you'll end up doing it anyway eventually.

Playing like that however will seriously overlevel, not to mention if I get say expert or artisan crafting.. Heh, I have a yeoman on Ark that's level 42 and hasn't done a single epic line quest, or more than one or two of the local quests in the shire. Spends all his time fishing or cooking something.

Yes, I know, you can turn off xp if it bothers you that much, it's just that artificial measures are needed to go through any significant number of quests and remain more or less "on-level" for the quest. I wistfully think they could have done it better for people who enjoy the journey, it getting to be more like STO does, zoom you to the level cap and then you "start playing"... I can remember when there wasn't a Moria, cap was 50 and it was work to get there.

[Sunfire]

From long habit, I tend to do all, or almost all of a given area's quests when I start a character, because for reputation or some other reason, you'll end up doing it anyway eventually.

Playing like that however will seriously overlevel, not to mention if I get say expert or artisan crafting.. Heh, I have a yeoman on Ark that's level 42 and hasn't done a single epic line quest, or more than one or two of the local quests in the shire. Spends all his time fishing or cooking something.

Yes, I know, you can turn off xp if it bothers you that much, it's just that artificial measures are needed to go through any significant number of quests and remain more or less "on-level" for the quest. I wistfully think they could have done it better for people who enjoy the journey, it getting to be more like STO does, zoom you to the level cap and then you "start playing"... I can remember when there wasn't a Moria, cap was 50 and it was work to get there.

LotRO is so vast these days that you have several zones for the same level brackets. It's not feasable to do these without either overleveling or turning off XP. If you want to do every zone and every quest you'd be busy for years to come
But honestly, especially in LotRO the journey is the best part, I wouldn't worry too much about XP. Check different areas, quests vary wildly between zones of the same level (some people love the Shire, others hate it, for example).

[Tbang]

I've started a set, I generally start enough characters to cover the crafts, I still need a yeoman and a scholar. I'll probably do a minstrel scholar, and a hobbit yeoman before too long, no craft buff scrolls or potions or dyes yet, but that won't seriously matter till 50 or so.

The lads over on Arkenstone are a bit further along, and I'll be bouncing back and forth some since it is Anniversary festival.

[Saelanna]

I've just started character number 17 (!) on Laurelin. A Woman burglar currently exploring the new starter area of Swansfleet. I don't have a lot of time to play these days but I still hop on during festivals, because cosmetics...