LOTRO — No Regrets
April 28, 2010A sweet deal was offered on deals.woot the other day — the Lord of the Rings: Siege of Mirkwood Complete Digital Download with a free month of play for ten bucks! And so I did it, I went ahead and bought it. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse, even though my Minstrel is still a puny lowbie and it won’t be a while ’til I even reach the content offered in Mines of Moria let alone Siege of Mirkwood. But as far as MMORPGs go, it’s moments like these that don’t make me regret my re-sub to LOTRO one tiny bit.
To be honest, I was a little worried before this. The only reason I started playing LOTRO was because I saw the retail box on sale at EB Games for $4.89 (and that’s in Canadian dollars too!) last winter. I mean, damn, I’ve seen people buy cups of coffee that are more expensive. And with a free month in the bag as well, I figured it couldn’t hurt. So I played until Star Trek Online came around to suck up all my gaming time, leading to the cancellation of my LOTRO sub which, because of the circumstances, was a relatively guilt-free decision.
My re-sub to the game recently, however, brings the number of my concurrent MMO subscriptions up to 3, which is something I’ve never done before. I know my limits, and juggling games is NOT my forte. But I’ve been lucking out so far on good deals for this game, and I was heartened by the fact Turbine is known to throw out free content to their players on a regular basis (and I’m hoping this won’t change too much under the new Warner Bros. ownership). In any case, I feel like this is the least I’ve ever paid for an MMORPG with this much quality content. I’m not beating myself up for feeling like I didn’t log in enough this week, or scrambling to try to get the most bang for my buck. As far as I’m concerned, I already have.
What a great game. I’m still making my way through the Bree-lands right now, and am on the epic quest to meet Tom Bombadil. I have a feeling I’m about to express an unpopular opinion here, but I absolutely hated Tom Bombadil in the books and I was glad they skipped him in the movies. I’m sorry, but I don’t care how merry you are, anyone prancing up to me speaking in nonsensical songs will receive nothing but a swift kick to the ‘nads. But props to Turbine for managing to make his in-game persona actually likable, at least from what I can remember on my first time through this area on my Elf Champion. Maybe it’s the awesome music you hear in his house that did it for me.
Oh, Tom Bombadil...you scare me.
Creepy jolly forest-folk notwithstanding, I’m having fun in LOTRO so far. If anything, this is the first game that has ever made me play with the idea of getting a lifetime subscription. Last week marked the game’s 3rd anniversary, so it has proven it can stand the test of time.
Hey dol! merry dol! ring a dong dillo!
Ring a dong! hop along! Fal lal the willow!
Tom Bom, jolly Tom, Tom Bombadillo!
Oh my god, you evil evil person.
The game changes immensely the more you progress. Mirkwood and Moria are very different to early Eriador. You won’t regret the journey.
That’s good to hear. I can’t wait to get there, but at the same time I have a feeling this game is best enjoyed slowly, taking the time to see the sights and hear the stories
I won’t admit to hating Bombadil, but he’s not one of my favorate characters and I may or may not skip the his songs when I read the book. *whistles innocently*
You ‘nads joke gave me a good chuckle though.
Glad you’re still having fun, I haven’t run into you online yet though.
But Tom Bombadil is an enigma, no one really knows what he is. He can see the Ring-bearer when invisible. He is unaffected by wearing the Ring himself and he seems unable to affect the Ring in return which shows that Tom was outside the divine plan and struggle and had no position in it. Gandalf later says that this is because the Ring has no power over him and that Tom Bombadil the eldest being in existence.
The most common theory is that Bombadil is a Maia. But no one knows.
Not to start a theory debate; but if Tom is a Maia, doesn’t that make him the same level in the LOTR divine hierarchy as Gandalf and Sauron? I believe they are both Maia, and obviously very much involved in the divine struggle.
That would make him the same level as Gandalf and Sauron. That wouldn’t necessarily mean he;d be interested in the struggle especially seeing as how he was unaffected by the ring.
There was a recent post on Casual Stroll to Morder referencing this very subject on their Outside LotRO column. It’s an interesting read if you’re a Tolkien geek, like me.
http://www.casualstrolltomordor.com/2010/04/outside-lotro-tom-bombadil-essay/
I play LOTRO either really late at night or really early in the morning, that’s probably why. But I’ve added you to my friends list
I’m glad you enjoy your time in Middle Earth, GeeCee. I certainly don’t regret the 10 bucks I plopped down on the “Warchest,” even if I didn’t enjoy playing.
Is the deal still good? maybe i should look into this game
http://deals.woot.com/deals/details/105daddd-d660-4005-9c0f-6bc1ec093c05/the-lord-of-the-rings-online-siege-of-mirkwood-complete-edition
I just checked just now, and it’s still coming up at $9.99 so I’m guessing the deal’s still good. Just make sure to check that it comes with these:
The Lord of the Rings Online: Siege of Mirkwood Complete DIGITAL DOWNLOAD includes:
* The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™
* The Lord of the Rings Online™: Mines Of Moria™ expansion
* The Lord of the Rings Online: Siege of Mirkwood expansion
* 30 Days of Free Game Time