Seventeen years ago, The Lord of the Rings Online invited us to step into Tolkien’s legendary world. Fast forward to 2024, and this veteran MMORPG is still adventuring onward! Today, we’re diving deep into this year’s highlights, hiccups, and everything in between. Buckle up, adventurers—it’s time for an honest look at LOTRO’s journey through 2024.
In January 2024, Orion dropped the community roadmap like Gandalf dropping wisdom. We’re going quarter by quarter, rating the highs, the lows, and those 'Why did you do that?' moments. LOTRO may not be perfect (spoiler: no MMO is), but let’s give credit where it’s due—and call out the areas that need some TLC.
You can read the full roadmap here -> https://www.lotro.com/news/lotro-letter-to-the-players-2024-en
Act 1: Corsairs, Gems, and Raids – Oh My!
First up: Corsairs of Umbar! The epic conclusion of this storyline brought us fresh challenges, lush landscapes, and new characters sprinkled among our old faves. Personally, the exploration vibes were 10/10. New zones, new enemies, and plenty of adventures to keep my Hobbit toes tingling. What did you think? Let me know in the comments!
Speaking of fresh content, delvings got a much-needed quality-of-life update. Gone are the days of hoarding every gem in Arda—a couple of gems now do the trick to trigger the delving stones. Oh, and the shiny jewelry reward? Chef’s kiss. Totally made the grind worth it. What’s a little suffering for sparkle, am I right?
Now, let’s talk Khorbo—aka the 'drop all the instances at once and watch chaos reign' update. Three-man, six-man, and 12-man raids all went live on the same day. Result? Everyone skipped straight to the 12-man because… priorities. While the smaller instances had decent loot, the raid was the star of the show.
Here’s my hot take on the raid: fewer mobs to boss rooms? Love it. Boss mechanics mimicking player skills? Genius. But the ‘easier raid’ promise? That aged worse than Denethor’s dinner. Weekly updates kept making it harder, leaving casual raiders in the dust. PSA to developers: stop making raids harder after release. Fix bugs? Sure. But tweaking mechanics to borderline unplayable? Big nope from me and the community.
Act 2: Springtime Shenanigans
Spring brought the 17th anniversary, festival fun, and a descent into the underworld of Umbar Barabhel. Honestly, I only tackled the epic questline once—thanks, Khorbo grind—but it had its moments. Did anyone else completely miss the spring activities? Just me? Cool.
Highlight of my spring? Grease! Yep, I joined Brandywine Theatre Company for my first-ever in-game performance. Nerve-wracking? Totally. Fun? Absolutely. And spoiler alert: I’ll be back for their 2025 spring production. Stay tuned for the big show reveal at https://tinyurl.com/brandywinetheatre
Act 3: Summer Fun & Fresh Features
Summer brought us the ultimate chill hobby: birdwatching! Who knew Middle-earth had so many feathery friends? Should I attempt a 'find every bird' challenge? Hit that like button if you’re into it.
Crafting got a glow-up, too. Now you can mix and match professions AND unlock a fourth for a little extra coin. My main is now an ore-wood-scholar hoarding machine. Efficiency? Yes, please.
Act 4: Autumn Adventures
Autumn brought us the Angmar legendary server, aka the lag-free promised land. Reports of minimal lag are rolling in, but the tradeoff? Older servers feel emptier than Thorin’s wallet after reclaiming Erebor.
Legacy of Morgoth delivered four jam-packed new regions. Each area is brimming with quests, secrets, and stunning scenery. I’m still working through the story LIVE on my channel, so if you’re stuck on a quest, just search ‘LOTRO’ and the quest name—chances are I’ve got you covered.
Act 5: The Grind is Real
Now for the hard truth: LOTRO’s player base has been shrinking, and the grind is partly to blame. The endgame loop—new raid, better gear, rinse, repeat—is wearing thin. Imagine if older raids scaled and rewarded upgrade tokens? We’d see a revival faster than Gandalf at Helm’s Deep. Just saying.
Final Thoughts
Looking back, LOTRO hit 88% of its roadmap goals—pretty solid! While there’s room for improvement, the devs deserve credit for sticking to their plans. But will I be back full-time? Probably not until a level cap increase shakes things up. For now, you’ll catch me questing, performing with Brandywine Theatre, and dabbling in other MMOs and RPGs.
Thanks for reading!
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