Why I'm In Middle Earth, and Not Northrend

As anyone who knows me can attest, I've spent a fair bit of time in World of Warcraft. Far too much time, I'm sure some would argue. So last April when I decided that it was time for a little break, some were surprised, and some were relieved.

My 'little break' stretched into November, and a couple of weeks past the launch of Wrath of the Lich King. During my break, I had beta tested and played Age of Conan, beta tested and played Warhammer Online, and found time to play a number of games that had eluded me during my time in WoW. With the launch of Lich King, the Warhammer Online server I was playing on went from bustling to ghost town in a matter of hours. After a week of this, my wife came home with two copies of Lich King, and made the announcement that we were returning to WoW so we'd have someone to group with. I loaded it up with some trepidation. After all, I hadn't played in months. Would I even recall how to do anything?

After spending a little time learning and setting up my new talents, I moved off to Northrend. I have to admit, the new areas are beautiful. Unfortunately, once the novelty of the new areas wore off, I felt that familiar tingle that told me that I had done all of this before. Not the quests themselves, for those remain fairly constant across all MMO titles. Just the idea of working through another 10 levels only to re-enter the grind of raiding for new gear left me doubting my ability to persevere.

It was extremely gratifying to see all my old friends in the guild, and to chat with all the folks who were such a major part of my life for two years. These people kept me interested in WoW long after I had felt my interest in the content began to wane. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling the desire to play like I once did. My wife was enjoying herself, and I soldiered on through level 73 for her, but my heart wasn't in it.

Shortly thereafter, a friend asked me to join him in Lord of the Rings Online. Now, I had played LotRO in beta, and I must admit I was not impressed. Still, it's been a year, and with a new expansion, maybe they had learned from their mistakes. I agreed that if he sent me a buddy key, I'd be more than happy to give it a go.

Imagine my surprise when I found a lush, beautiful world awaiting me; one that was full of quests that furthered a unified story. This, I thought, was something that I hadn't seen in MMO's before. I set upon my travels happily, braving underground horrors alongside the mighty Dwalin, veteran of the Battle of the Five Armies. Upon my exit from the introductory areas, I found my friends waiting to explain to me the intricacies of the crafting system, and to help me find my way around. Not only that, but they explained the Epic questline and how it paralleled the story of the Fellowship.

Thus far, I've battled orcs, goblins, brigands, and even trees in the Old Forest of Buckland. I've been to the Barrow Downs, danced with Tom Bombadil, and even scaled to the summit of Weathertop. I've even hunted brigands with Aragorn, and shared a smoke with Gandalf the Grey himself in Barliman's Prancing Pony. As a self proclaimed Lord of the Rings junkie, I have to admit, I think I've found a new home.

If, like me, you tried LotRO back in the early days, you owe it to yourself to give it another chance. Its growth and progress as a game is marked, and I suddenly find myself eager to login, rather than finding excuses not to. If that isn't a mark of success for an MMO, I don't know what is.