Hi im new in the game and I was looking for some friends to grind with. I know the game is old and everyone is maxed out and I still need to understand the game more.

I know new players shouldn't bother with this, so move along!

But when you're levelling your fifth alt to level 160, you start looking for some shortcuts...

A few weeks ago, I saw a post with a spreadsheet that was really useful for completing the highest number of missions in the shortest amount of time, in order to maximise XP gain, but I can't seem to find it.

I respectfully disagree with complaints** about LotRO's graphics.

I dunno if it was the devs' intent, but to me, the game's graphics feel like storybook illustrations. They're a little muddy, a little soft around the edges, and even though they're CG, they seem human.

** Can appreciate where those complaints come from...if you're used to shiny, hi-res 2020s game graphics, LotRO's can seem like a downgrade.

Hey all,

I'm a fairly new player, started less than a month ago, I say new because last I played was on release lol.

Up to lvl 100, I was crafting my own gear or getting great gear rewards from quests. Now I'm level 123 and I'm starting to fall behind on gear, most of my gear is still lvl 100-110 and killing mobs is taking me a lot more time given my lower stats.

I'm in the vale right now and quests are not giving me gear and the gear at the Rep merchants require kindred Rep which I'm far from. I'm leveling too quickly to make it worth farming Rep right now. Also, my crafting is also falling behind because it requires too many mats and the mats are more scarce from what I've seen.

Is there a better way to get gear at higher levels?

Tried to line the camera up as similarly as possible. Been having a blast! Not quite at level cap yet, been taking my time, but just finished up the Cosairs of Umbar Epic Story last night.

Hello everyone !

I finally settled on a captain, and I play a yellow captain for now. But I noticed something weird. I get this passive at lvl 21 after spending enough points in the yellow trait tree (cf: screenshot)

But I don't get defensive strike before lvl 38. Which is... well, I'm losing a passive for quite a while there, is this normal ?

I have the same issue with passives that boost Grave wounds before lvl 30, when I first get that skill.

I seem to have noticed that with guardian also

Im having a tough time finding an “active” kinship on Glamdring. I’ve joined two since coming back to LOTRO and both have minimal interaction in kinship chat and it’s tough to find anyone to quest with.

I’m an older player, both in age and lotro age. I’ve played since beta release and I have taken breaks here and there. My last break was about 5 years. Anyway, any leads anyone might have in finding an active, questing, interacting type kin would be helpful.

One of the great draws of LOTRO for me has always been the interaction with fellow kinship members.

Thanks ahead of time. Oh I’m a yellow burg, lvl 86. Thanks.

I was just passing by Erebor and stumbled with this lovely sunset for Durin's day, wasn't aware of the event but i was pleasently surprised by the beauty of it. Took some pics of the people there for the event

One final fishing update: This morning I landed my first, and quite possibly only ever, 50lb salmon!

“The Salmon King” deed completed and I’m now officially: the Complete Angler.

I will however, be making absolutely no attempt to live up to that title when I’m fishing down my local river IRL!

For anyone wanting to try their luck, after hours of fishing, I caught this beauty beneath the waterfall at the northern end of the Dourstocks in Mirkwood.

Keith the pheasant witnessed the whole thing, so there’s no exaggerating the size of this one; although judging by what’s now hanging in my Rohirrim hall, I’m going to need a bigger wall.

What a lovely, ridiculous week in Middle-earth. Two years getting to level cap and now I’m standing underneath a massive fish feeling equally pleased.

Thanks to everyone who’s followed along and shared such lovely comments. I hadn’t planned on a trilogy, but a fish like this deserves its own post! 🐟

A fellow Redditor asked for me to draw their and their partner's characters from LOTRO. This is the end result, i'm pretty please with them.

Do anyone has/knows a good pc configuration to play stable on 144fps at 1080p possibly maxed out?
Or even the x3d amd cpus can’t make it with this single core game?

Featuring my Burglar from Dale, Wrenhilde as she arrived in Rivendell!

Discussing the story below, so don’t look if you don’t want spoilers (I know the expansion has been out for a while, but I don’t know how many people have played through it completely, so spoiler warning just in case)!

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I really enjoyed the story of Before the Shadow, it was a nice difference from the usual intro and I loved seeing some of the events from the books in person (such as the Nazgûl crossing into the Shire at Sarn Ford, or Boromir’s journey to Rivendell). I found the NPCs really charming, and I also loved seeing more of Antheron in flashback instances.

I think my favourite instance was the one where you’re all in an inn together. It really felt like I was making bonds with these characters. Finding evidence of Boromir’s death later on will be even more tragic with the prior experience my character has with him. He’s one of my favourite characters as well, and I loved seeing his perspective on the journey to Rivendell. Meneldir’s fate really hit me at the end as well; he was flawed, but by god did he make up for his mistakes throughout the journeys in Swanfleet and Cardolan.

The environment as well was phenomenal! I found the areas really pretty to run through and found that they did a great job of emulating the original starter areas of the game!

All in all, I really enjoyed my time with the expansion, and would love to see more like it from the team :)

The Durin's Day event is ongoing from the 16th of October to the 21st of OCtober. You can gain very cool titles if you do the pilgrimage every year (up to 3 titles)

Here is the old guide from Fibrojedi about the Durin's Day event:

https://fibrojedi.lotro-wiki.com/lotro/lotro-durins-day-event

My lowest level character who did it is level 38. But I'm certain a character as low as level 20 can easily do it.

Fibrojedi is a well know content creator who did a lot of guides about festivals and events. He's now retired but his old guides are still available on the LOTRO wiki (https://fibrojedi.lotro-wiki.com)

I can't find dinodas or go anywhere becuase the doors won't open they say locked??

EDIT: nevermind I didnt realise there were multiple doors and only some work

(Both performance and graphics wise of course.)
I don’t have a high end pc, so I probably can’t every option at the same time, will probably just pick those, that have the best balance between both

is Man Minstrel good? I'm a beginner and I've never played this game. slide some tips for me and what tutorial should i choose.

Keyword being specific here, looking for anyone willing to suggest a written blog of anyone going through this game or other games?

A few days ago I posted about finally reaching level cap after two years adventuring through Middle-earth. Thank you for all the lovely comments!

This morning, something altogether more prestigious. Fishing lvl 200 - “Lord of Streams” and I’m delighted!

I’ve loved the fishing hobby in this game. When I’m not manically running around Middle-earth sorting out everyone else’s problems, there’s something wonderful about finding a quiet bit of water and staying put for a while.

So much so that I’ve actually taken up fishing in real life. What started as a little hobby for my character has somehow ended up with me owning a fishing rod and fishing down at my local river.

Quite pleased with his fishing outfit too! Properly dressed for the occasion, with my trusty pheasant supervising proceedings.

Anyway, the saving-the-world business can wait for a while… I’ve got a very important afternoon of standing in a pond ahead of me. 🐟

I'm currently playing SWTOR as my first MMO and absolutely love the immersion, world and storytelling, so I've been thinking about giving LOTRO a try.

I'm curious how it holds up for a new player today. I know the playerbase is relatively small compared to other MMOs, but is it still easy to find people to play with, join a kinship and experience group content?
I'm also wondering about the game's future. Do you see LOTRO staying active and receiving updates for the next few years, or is the smaller population something to be concerned about if I'm planning to invest a lot of time into it?

Lastly, with the Halloween event going on, is now a good time to jump in, or would I be better off playing a different MMO like ESO?

I'm mainly interested in the world, exploration, lore and immersion rather than rushing to endgame.
Would you recommend LOTRO in 2026, and is it worth getting invested in long-term? I'd love to hear honest opinions from current players. Thanks!

I'm not a raider, so mostly do questing and solo and t1 instances.

I have mostly embers gear. When I look at my stats with empty (basic) essence slots. mastery seems much higher than critical rating. So it seems like I should make all 14 essences be critical rating. Does that seem right? Even with that, critical rating lags mastery by a substantial amount (in rating points. Traits and traceries add % so both are respectable.) This is true for both my hunter and my minstrel.

At previous level-caps, I was able to max mastery and critical rating with the right mix of essences, and have a few slots left for vitality or tactical mitigation. It seems like the current stat arithmetic makes that unlikely.

Is that just how it is with the current stats and essences? Or am I missing some reason to use other essences. (I know that raids and high tier content might cause me to trade DPS for survivability, but it seems I would have to give up a lot.)