Lord of the Rings Online: Overview
Set within the world of Middle-earth, Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar is designed to give you an experience that goes "beyond the books". The combination of a vast array of race, class, traits and experience, players are able to create their own unique characters and roam the vast lands of Eriador. Through a partnership with Tolkien Enterprises, Turbine has brought to life a unique world that reaches from the pastoral Shire and rustic Bree to the dark canopies of the Old Forest to the dark and dangerous mountains of Angmar.
No, you can't be Frodo or one of his companions, but the opportunity to meet classic characters such as Elrond and Bilbo are built right in. Battles against orcs, trolls, and spiders are common and you can even fight the Nazgűl or a Balrog! Players form groups and fellowships to keep evil from overtaking the land, and should come prepared to unlock the secrets of Middle-Earth while stopping the advance of Sauron's minions. Turbine hopes to allow players to participate on the periphery of the Fellowship’s quest, which will unroll as the game expands along the same geographical lines as the trilogy.
Players have the choice of one of the iconic races of Middle-earth: Man, Hobbit, Dwarf, or Elf. Each race brings a slightly different element to the game. In addition, certain races are restricted from playing certain classes. The classes are: Burglar, Captain, Champion, Guardian, Hunter, Lore-master and Minstrel. There are no wizards in Middle-earth, at least not that the players have access to (there were only five in Tolkien's works), but the Lore-master provides the same feel, with a completely terrestrial explanation.
The game is fairly well balanced between solo and group play, with a slight bias towards groups. There is no direct player vs. player combat in Lord of the Rings Online, which makes class balance easier. In an effort to remain true to the master works, Turbine opted instead for Monster Player as their PvP solution.
In Monster Player, players can fight each other either as their regular character or as a monster in a special section of the world. This mode is unlocked at level 10. Players can choose to play the game as a monster, and enter the Ettenmoors, attacking any of the higher level players. Keep control has been introduced into Monster Play as well, allowing characters of either faction to control areas for additional benefits.
Don't fancy playing a monster? As a prototype, a Turbine developer invented "Chicken Play", allowing players to play as a chicken and complete chicken-like quests around Middle-earth. This is just one instance of Monster Play, they also introduces trolls and rangers, which are limited numbers of high powered characters in the Ettenmoors that help balance the ongoing struggle between player monsters and players.
Lord of the Rings Online also contains a deep crafting system, complex character customization, an innovative deed system and a host of not so serious features to keep things light.
Turbine launched Lord of the Rings Online on April 24th, 2007 and supports the game through quarterly free content upgrades called Books. They have also announced The Mines of Moria, the game’s first retail expansion, slated for Fall 2008.
