Lord of the Rings Online goes free to play!

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!EpIc fAiL!

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WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES
THE LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE? WILL BE FREE TO PLAY STARTING SEPTEMBER 10, 2010

Turbine and Codemasters to Release Free-to-Play Version of Award-winning Online Game Across North America and Europe

WESTWOOD, MA ? August 18, 2010 ? Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announced today that Turbine?s The Lord of the Rings Online? (LOTRO) will introduce its innovative new pricing model, allowing players to download the game and play for free and purchase expansions, quest packs, items, and account services a la carte from the new LOTRO Store starting September 10, 2010.

Extending its award-winning story, LOTRO delivers the ultimate adventure featuring the massive world of Middle-earth brought to life through state-of-the-art graphics and gameplay, and a rich set of features that until now could only be found in premium subscription-based online games.

?Our LOTRO beta program has been a huge success and we want to thank all of our players who worked with us to get the game ready for launch,? said Kate Paiz, Executive Producer of LOTRO, Turbine. ?Our unique pricing model has revolutionized the industry and starting in September, players will be able to choose how they pay for and play one of the world?s best online games and we can?t wait to welcome millions of new players to Middle-earth!?

LOTRO will offer players unlimited choice!

* Free means Free! ? Players will download LOTRO by visiting www.lotro.com and join with millions of other adventurers as they explore the most complete and authentic recreation of Middle-earth ever created and participate in LOTRO?s award-winning epic story up to level 50 for free.
* Visit the new LOTRO Store! -- The LOTRO Store is loaded with thousands of convenience items as well as expansion packs, premium content, additional character slots, potions, character customization and more! The LOTRO Store is seamlessly integrated into the game and lets the player identify new and exciting ways to enhance and customize their experience using points which can be purchased in the store or earned through gameplay.
* Be a LOTRO VIP! ? Players who elect to become a LOTRO VIP will have unlimited access to all premium content, receive priority server access, 5 character slots, a shared bank slot, and a monthly allotment of points to spend in the new LOTRO Store.



How many of you all will be trying out and playing LotRO when it goes F2P next month?

I am on the Brandywine server.

Hope to see ya there. :)

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_Og07yGRnU[/ame]
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jp5qefk6sXM[/ame]
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WC2K_r1E3m0[/ame]
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J89avpExV6s[/ame]
 
Just as I planned to start Global Agenda when I finished Borderlands then maybe go into Fallout: New Vegas. But noOoooOooooOo LoTR must go free, jeeeeez ._.
 
Cut Chem!st said:
Seems like the micro-transaction system for MMOs is successful.
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Well alot of MMO's just can't compete with WoW at paid subscriptions. So They are resorting to Free To Play micro Transaction system. Even Everquest went free to play...

But anyways, People should really cheek out this game. I have heard nothing but good things about LoTRO.
 
Cut Chem!st said:
Seems like the micro-transaction system for MMOs is successful.
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It still really depends on the game, but yeah in many cases it does work.
I'm still waiting for SOE to make the final evolution in their stupidity and make SWG micro-trans....actually...that would almost make it slightly better than where they're at now. I just blew my own mind...wow.
 
Playing the Closed Beta of this right now, IT'S SO ADDICTING AND AWESOME!!! Literally has the best crafting system of any game I've ever played! The quests and storyline and lore are all so detailed! Loads of active players online that will actually help you and offer advice, in over a month of playing I've only encountered a troll ONE TIME, and he stopped pretty quickly. I seriously suggest you play this, especially if you love story driven MMO's and/or the Lord of the Rings lore, because this game gets pretty into the LotR lore. CHECK IT OUT!!!!!!
 
Shadowesh said:
Next thing you know, WoW goes free to play...
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I'd much rather have WoW be P2P. I don't like that I have to pay for every little thing on F2P games. I suck the free content dry, then move on. I'd be devastated if WoW went with micro-transactions (Not like they need the moneys).
 
Commando Vlaskiyov said:
Poor guys who go the LoTR game must be pissed after paying for it for so long.
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nope. If you where a former subscriber you get to keep everything you already bought. if you are a current subscriber, you get VIP access so basically we get the same game nothing really changes..free points to spend in the store and more people.

if you bought a lifetime members ship you are VIP for life and get more point than regular subscribers.
 
Commando Vlaskiyov said:
That will never, ever, happen. Blizzard makes way too much money from that for it to go to free.

Poor guys who go the LoTR game must be pissed after paying for it for so long.
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Well, I was in beta back in 2007, and I still have all my beta benefits. Also, if you are a subscriber, you get special VIP benifits, and if you purchased the expansions, you get them for free.
 
im gonna use Free 2 play to get my character to moria at which point i ll probably start paying again since the limitations on the free 2 play account is really restricted.
 
Well once you buy 1 item from the store...you get a premium account access. The F2P has access to everything from the original lotro game...minus the PvMP.
 
!EpIc fAiL! said:
nope. If you where a former subscriber you get to keep everything you already bought. if you are a current subscriber, you get VIP access so basically we get the same game nothing really changes..free points to spend in the store and more people.

if you bought a lifetime members ship you are VIP for life and get more point than regular subscribers.
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What I meant was the fact that if you payed for it for so long, to only find out it will eventually go free...
 
Commando Vlaskiyov said:
What I meant was the fact that if you payed for it for so long, to only find out it will eventually go free...
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Some ppl were but most of the community realizes that that as long as you continue to pay for it, nothing changes except more people to play with and the few UI changes.
 
Boo-Yeah!! said:
im gonna use Free 2 play to get my character to moria at which point i ll probably start paying again since the limitations on the free 2 play account is really restricted.
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Hah, good luck. Now that the NDA is lifted, I can tell you all about beta!

And unless you want to grind from level 20 to level 65, you're gonna have to spend some money on quest packs. The game is pretty much free up to level 20, and you can get through it no problem spending no money (a mount would be nice, but definitely not necessary). At level ~20, you move out beyond the city of Bree and into either the Lone Lands or the North Downs. Both of them cover the same level range, but you have to buy the quest packs to be able to play the area. Just an example of where you're going to pretty much have to pay to keep playing.
 
Well i wouldnt say that you cant quest there, all areas of the original game are free to quest the main quests in. but to do the side quests for that area you must buy a quest pack..which isnt much. and since they are rescaling the instances you can just keep doing those to gain level til about lvl 30 then start doing skirmishes. :)

You can get a mount by reaching lvl 20 in game...unless they change that. You can play through the main story all the way to angmar(i think its angmar) (the end of the original game) then to get to moria you must purchase either the moria quest pack OR buy the Mines of Moria expansion( i suggest if you dont own the game at all, to go to wal-mart or any store that sells new games and buy LotRO: MoM...it comes with SoA and MoM for like $20). Which is a much better option cause you'll get the 2 classes...Wardens and Rune-keepers with it. ;)
 
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