I'm also playing LOTRO again. I was an Alpha-era player, and due to a really bad series of events, that account is most likely permanently lost. I'm still waiting for final word on it, but it's been a week since I requested review and I've not heard anything, so I'm not hopeful. So I'm on a fresh account playing catchup and re-leveling.

Why LOTRO? Well, it's an awesome PvE game, and well... It's Middle-earth. I'm a die-hard Tolkien fan. Have been since I was about five years old, and that's been a long time. ;) My mother read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings to me then (and a few more times while I was a kid, until I could read them on my own). I can still remember her doing voices and such while reading the stories to me. This was my introduction to Fantasy literature... and it stays with you. ;)

It's got the kinds of quests you don't really see in many other games. Sure there's your standard "kill x of y" stuff and "take z to w" kind of thing. But sometimes you're helping a hobbit woo a widow he's interested in. ;) Other times, you're helping a dwarf get back the sword he made a few hundred years ago, and then it turns out he gives in and trades it for a human girl's life. Little things like that... it's great. ;)

Anyway - the game is good - and has gotten better since I last actively played.

There are 2 new classes added with the expansion, Warden and Rune-keeper. We won't discuss Rune-keeper here, as I do, as a serious Tolkien fan, feel it's about as far from what should be in the game as can be. Though, admittedly, it IS well done and fun to play. Warden, though, is what I'm playing. It's an avoidance-tank and DPS class, based on the premise of "Gambits" which you build up through combinations of only 3 basic skills.

This is really nice, as LOTRO, like most modern MMOs, has you filling up 4 or more hotbars full of abilities once you reach the highest level. Not so with Warden. You'll end up with more than just the 4, as there are other support abilities (and "Muster" skills, which are self-ports), but mainly you're dealing with those 3 basic abilities, which you combine in specific orders to then use the Gambit you want. The Gambit key is always the same, what it does just changes based on the combination you've built up. So basically, 4 keys: the 3 builders and the Gambit key. :)

The starter areas for the Race of Man have also been redone, and wow, I'm impressed. Many quest givers have been moved to create MUCH better flow between giver and goal, and progression is much smoother and feels more natural and polished. A lot of the "sticking point" quests have been retooled to be more easily completed. No more needing to deal with Elites this early on. The mid-level areas are also slated for revamp, and that's nearly done, so I'm actually thinking of pausing leveling my Warden and leveling up a couple other classes to 18ish until the revamp is in, and then going forth. I'm not sure on that though as I'd like to get back to high level again as quickly as I can, while still enjoying the process. :)