Publisher: Turbine
Developer: Turbine
System requirements: 1.8 GHz or better CPU, 512 MB RAM, 64 MB video card, DirectX 9.0c, 7 GB hard-drive space, Internet connection
Genre: MMORPG
Release date: Fall 2010
Preview by: Lieren Teeling

To the delight of many of us who don’t have the money or inclination to subscribe to monthly-fee MMO games, Lord of the Rings Online, like Dungeons and Dragons Online before it, is joining the ranks of the Free to Play. This fall, the game will re-launch with a complete overhaul, converting it to a game built on micro-transactions rather than monthly payments. A welcome change to most people.

Having had the chance to spend some quality time with the beta release of the new systems, I have to say I’m pleased. The changes mirror those made to Dungeons and Dragons Online when it was converted to F2P, with the addition of an in-game “shop.” The variety of merchandise available includes cosmetic items, mounts and temporary XP boosts, as well as extra character slots, extra inventory bags and extra character classes. All are typical MMO “mall” items, and nothing appears to be available that would unbalance the game and make it a pay-to-win, as some MMOs have sadly become. The option to buy the game expansions in the item mall and have extra character slots and classes bundled with them is a nice touch as well.

The LOTRO store is really the largest change to the game world. Some content that was given automatically or earned through quests (for example, inventory bags and mounts) has been removed and made purchaseable from the store instead. Also, a new quest-like system has been implemented that rewards in-game accomplishments (such as slaying a certain number of a particular monster) with small amounts of Turbine Points. These accomplishments aren’t activated until you begin them, say by slaying one of the required monsters. The amount of points awarded increases by their rank, and those available vary by character level.

Overall, I’m optimistic about the free-to-play release of Lord of the Rings Online, and really all I hope to see change drastically are the prices in the item shop. I’m looking forward to the final release and I certainly plan to give it some serious play time when it arrives. I always prefer MMOs in which buying upgrades and perks comes as an option, rather than a requirement.