Hi, because my old LOTRO account is not active I cannot post on the official server forums. I hope the players here can help with my questions.
I played LOTRO from open beta, through to release and a few months on.
The problem I found was that at that time it seemed very slow to progress through the levels with no real feeling of gain in abilities. I have played RPG's since the days of Ultima Underworld and the thrill has always been that feeling of your character becoming more powerful and capable.
It also seemed hard to progress as a solo player - I have a busy family and work life so I cannot devote long periods to a game. Players in my kinship that grouped seemed to race away from me in levels, leaving me behind. My playing hours meant few players online at the time.
So, since 2008 how has LOTRO changed with respect to the items above? Is it easier or harder to solo than WoW? More fun or less fun? (disregarding the huge numbers of idiots on WoW). Can you solo through the main quest line to enjoy the story or do you have to flail around trying to find someone to group with during the strange hours that New Zealand players like me play?
Is it worth returning? I do not have any of the expansions, and have to download heaps of stuff to get the game going again.