LOTRO: Moving on From the Server Migration

April 09, 2025 / Roger Edwards

The dust appears to have settled for the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online, after last month’s server transfer debacle. Despite the technical issues arising and subsequent delays to the migration timetable as well as the procurement of in-game housing, LOTRO seems to be enjoying a minor resurgence. Many former players are returning to the game and moving retired alts to new servers, due to the superior performance. The migration issues have also brought a lot of attention to this 18 year old game and it would appear there are many new players trying this Tolkien themed MMO. I was pleasantly surprised to see that a further two 64-bit servers, Grond (EU) and Sting (US), are to be added to the game to meet demand. As I predicted in my previous posts, LOTRO has a habit of bouncing back due to its unique niche in the gaming ecosystem.

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, LOTRO, Standing Stone Games, Server Migration, 2025 Roadmap

LOTRO: 64-Bit Server Migration Part 4

March 13, 2025 / Roger Edwards

It has not been a good week for the MMORPG, The Lord of the Rings Online and its developer Standing Stone Games. The migration from legacy 32-bit servers to 64-bit servers has not gone smoothly. The transfer queue was overwhelmed by the sheer number of accounts and it has taken far longer than expected to process the backlog of requests. Today has been the fifth day of waiting to see if my 3 main characters from Laurelin server have successfully migrated to their new home on Meriadoc. When I checked this morning, the transfer wizard indicated that my characters were back where they originally came from. I therefore considered repeating the entire process. However, around midday, Community Manager Cordovan indicated that SSG had caught up with transfer requests made around 8:00 AM EST on Sunday 9th March. So I decided to be patient and wait a little longer.

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, LOTRO, Server Migration, Part 4, Standing Stone Games, Transfer Successful

LOTRO: 64-Bit Server Migration Part 3

March 09, 2025 / Roger Edwards

I’ve been busy this weekend, so it wasn’t until late afternoon today that I found time to sit down and attempt to migrate my characters from the old 32-bit server Laurelin, to the new 64-bit server Meriadoc. The “Great Server Migration” has not gone smoothly and the week has been a litany of changing deadlines and unfulfilled expectations. However, developer’s Standing Stone Games, have been “firefighting” issues on a daily basis and communicating regularly with the player base of the MMORPG, The Lord of the Rings Online. Sadly, a lot of players have not responded well to the ongoing technical difficulties and there is subsequently a lot of ill feeling on the official forums. I have chosen to adopt a more pragmatic outlook and to let events run their course.

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, LOTRO, Server Migration, Part 3, Standing Stone Games, Transfer

LOTRO: 64-Bit Server Migration Part 2

March 05, 2025 / Roger Edwards

Standing Stone Games were scheduled to open their new 64-bit servers for the MMORPG, The Lord of the Rings Online, today. However, when the free transfer service went live yesterday, it was quickly overwhelmed by the sheer number of players trying to migrate their alts from the older 32-bit servers to the new ones. Eventually SSG had to disable the transfer facility so that they could process the backlog. Hence today’s launch of the new servers has been postponed till tomorrow. In the meantime, the official LOTRO forum’s have gone into meltdown with irate players berating the developers for handling the migration poorly. True to form, SSG have been somewhat defensive and prickly in response to what they see as unjust criticism. Let it suffice to say that neither party has covered themselves in glory and there is a good chance that the technical problems will persist a while longer.

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categories / LOTRO, Gaming, MMORPG, Server Migration, Part 2, Delays, Standing Stone Games

Has LOTRO Lost its Way?

September 11, 2024 / Roger Edwards

After the initial shock of Update 41 and the radical revisions it made to the Lore-master class, I recently returned to The Lord of the Rings Online to experiment with new Master of Nature’s Fury (red line) and Keeper of Animals (blue line) builds. It is odd to find that skills I’ve been using for years are now gated behind specific trait lines. Furthermore, the consolidation of skills has left the entire class somewhat overpowered. Some players may argue that this is a good thing. However, for me it has rendered what was a subtle class requiring skill and intelligence to use effectively, into what is just a blunt instrument. Since playing tactically is now redundant, instances and skirmishes no longer poses any significant challenge. PVE content has been easy in LOTRO for a long time. Post update 41 it is now trivial and nothing more than a minor diversion.

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, LOTRO, Standing Stone Games, Update 41, Has LOTRO Lost Its Way

LOTRO: The Lore-master is Broken

August 11, 2024 / Roger Edwards

I started playing The Lord of the Rings Online on On Monday 22nd December 2008. I still have the receipt in the box set that I bought, which included the base game Shadows of Angmar and the newly released expansion, Mines of Moria (it had been out about a month). This was my first MMORPG and unlike many other gamers, I had not previously played World of Warcraft. Hence, this was very much a new experience for me. I spent a lot of time pondering what race and class I would play and after reading the game manual thoroughly, (remember them?) I decided upon a human Lore-master. This proved to be a wise decision because I immediately took to the class with its mixture of ranged fire attacks and combat pets. As I am not an “altoholic” this has been my primary character in LOTRO for the last 15 plus years. I have played through every update and expansion with this Lore-master. A total time investment of 7 months, 1 week, 3 days and 5 hours.

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, LOTRO, Standing Stone Games, Lore-master

LOTRO: What You See Is What You Get

September 21, 2023 / Roger Edwards

As many of us suspected, the proposed “remaster” of the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online has been formally cancelled. Daybreak boss Ji Ham touched upon this project in EG7’s latest investors pitch video and stated that the proposal was a poor return on investment. The estimated cost of $30 million could well be spent more effectively elsewhere, possibly the development of new games. As a console release of LOTRO would be dependent upon a remaster, I think it is safe to say that idea is similarly no longer an ongoing concern. Sadly, it would appear that all the ideas regarding LOTRO that were floated during Robin Flodin’s tenure as EG7 CEO, have now all been quashed. It will be interesting to see if developers Standing Stone Games push ahead with support for 4K gaming and revisions to the game’s GUI or whether that also will be abandoned.

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, LOTRO, Daybreak Game Company, Standing Stone Games, What You See, Is What You Get

Echoes of Angmar and “Classic” LOTRO

August 26, 2022 / Roger Edwards

Video games are evolutionary products that change over time, driven by technology, consumer preference and market trends. Furthermore, change is not always for the better. Video games are consumer products and all too often artistic and creative decisions are overruled by commercial considerations. Irrespective of the rectitude of such things, video games do not stay static. If you want a clear example of this, consider the MMORPG genre as it is today, as opposed to how it was in the late nineties. Compare the likes of Ultima Online with Guild Wars 2 of The Elder Scrolls Online and they are very different beasts. If you prefer a more specific example, then how about The Lord of the Rings Online as it is today with the game as it launched in 2007, fifteen years previous. Because the private LOTRO server Echoes of Angmar provides exactly that.

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, LOTRO, Standing Stone Games, Echoes of Angmar, Classic LOTRO

Echoes of Angmar Stress Test Begins

August 24, 2022 / Roger Edwards

On Saturday 20th August the stress test began for the private LOTRO server Echoes of Angmar. This project is offering a version of the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online as it were in late November 2007. I have spoken to several players who have participated in this and other tests and so far the results have been positive. The server crashed on several occasions and the longest uninterrupted period of stability was two hours. Character creation is proving to be a slow process and some players have found that they cannot see other players when logging in. However, the majority of players could create alts and progress through the game as normal. The data generated from these tests has proven useful and the team overseeing the project are currently working on a revised build to improve stability. Further server tests are scheduled for Friday 26th August.

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, LOTRO, Standing Stone Games, Middle-earth Enterprises, Echoes of Angmar, Stress Test

New Mini-expansion Coming to LOTRO in September

August 22, 2022 / Roger Edwards

Today Standing Stone Games formally announced their next mini-expansion for the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online. Before the Shadow will be available in September and as recent leaks have shown, will include Cardolan and Swanfleet as new zones for the game. The new content will be between levels 1 and 32. SSG press release stated “Before the Shadow will send players into two new regions, Swanfleet and Cardolan, as Boromir makes his way north to Rivendell ahead of the meeting of what will eventually become the Fellowship of the Ring while the Nazgûl search for “Baggins” in the peaceful land of the Shire. Players will discover the threat rising from Mordor and Saruman's Uruks as they explore the far history of Middle-earth!”

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, LOTRO, Before the Shadow, Mini Expansion, Standing Stone Games

Middle-earth Enterprises and Echoes of Angmar

August 04, 2022 / Roger Edwards

Last month I wrote about a private server that is based upon an early iteration of the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online. The project named Echoes of Angmar, is currently in development by a third party outside of the auspices of Standing Stone Games and will contain content up to and including Book11: Defenders of Eriador. Effectively this will be a version of the game as it was eight months after its initial release in 2007. Naturally, this private server has attracted a great deal of attention, as many LOTRO players have expressed an interest in a “classic” version of the game. However, the official developers of LOTRO have indicated that they have no desire at present to pursue such an undertaking. Some sources have claimed that it cannot be done, however video footage of Echoes of Angmar posted on YouTube seems to contradict such statements.

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, LOTRO, Standing Stone Games, Middle-earth Enterprises, Echoes of Angmar

LOTRO: What is Going On?

July 21, 2022 / Roger Edwards

For the last three years developers Standing Stone Games have followed a twelve monthly expansion schedule for the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online. Sadly that has not been the case this year. All we had so far in 2022 is two generic new zones that offer “same meat, different gravy” content. Both Update 32: Rangers and Ruin and Update 33: Yondershire, although enjoyable, have not brought anything substantially different to the game. A further small release, Update 33.1 The Further Adventures of Elladan and Elrohir, went live on Tuesday 19th July offering 5 new themed missions. To say that they are lacklustre is being generous. All of which raises the question, what is going on? 18 months ago there appeared to be a LOTRO renaissance after the game was acquired by EG7. Is the lack of an expansion this year an indication that things have changed and not for the better?

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, LOTRO, Daybreak Game Company, Enad Global 7, Standing Stone Games, What Is Going On?

LOTRO: Abandoned Game Mechanics and Systems Part 1

January 16, 2022 / Roger Edwards

According to Merlin, played by the great Nicol Williamson in the 1981 film Excalibur, “It is the doom of men that they forget”. A criticism that could be levelled both at me and Turbine/Standing Stone Games. The MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online is littered with systems, game mechanics and features that have been introduced to the game, proven unsuccessful, unpopular or too complex to maintain and subsequently abandoned. I can’t help but think that the last reason is possibly the most common factor in determining the fate of a new game system. Cryptic removed The Foundry system of player created content from Star Trek Online because the sole member of staff that curated it left the company, proving this problem isn’t unique to LOTRO. However, as it’s been my main MMO of choice for 14 years, I shall be using it as a point of reference. Here are a few examples.

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, LOTRO, Abandoned Game Mechanics, and Systems, Part 1, Mounted Combat, Epic Battles, Skirmishes, Turbine, Standing Stone Games

LOTRO: Changes to Embers, Motes and Figments Currencies

January 12, 2022 / Roger Edwards

I dislike an excess of currencies in the MMORPG genre. I believe that such systems are implemented with a deliberate intention to obfusticate and dissemble. Especially if such currencies are bought with real money. Consider the following scenario. A player buys a specific currency and then uses that to purchase a second, different currency. They then use that to obtain an ingame item, The sole intention of such systems in video games are to disassociate the player from the fact that they have made a purchase which has a real cost. These are manipulative and predatory business practises but such is the nature of the video games industry and they are commonplace. You have to keep your wits about you when spending money ingame. Sadly those who don’t, end up falling foul of such practises.

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, LOTRO, Standing Stone Games, Raninia, Oleg Brodskiy, Embers, Motes, Figments, Currencies

LOTRO on Consoles

December 06, 2021 / Roger Edwards

When EG7 bought the Daybreak Game Company over a year ago, they mentioned in a subsequent investor report that a console port was being considered for the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online. This was met with a degree of scepticism by the player community who saw it mainly as speculative marketing. However, one year on and EG7 has referenced a potential console version yet again. Their Q3 2021 investor report lists a “release on consoles” as a medium term goal. The fact that this idea has been mentioned twice within a 12 month period is interesting. Investor reports are public information so EG7 no doubt knew that this “talking point” would find its way into the wider gaming press. It certainly means that the concept now warrants some serious consideration from LOTRO players.

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, LOTRO, EG7, Standing Stone Games, Console Conversion, LOTRO on Consoles

LOTRO: Problems With the Revised Legendary Item Systems

October 13, 2021 / Roger Edwards

NB. If you have a strong feeling of deja vu while reading this post, it’s not just you. Most of the points raised here were mentioned previously a few weeks ago when I wrote about my experiences during the beta testing of Update 30.3 on Bullroarer server. I’m sure long time LOTRO players will not be at all surprised by what is discussed in this post.

Developer’s Standing Stone released Update 30.3 for the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online today. This includes the new Brawler class and the revised Legendary Item system. The latter has proven to be problematic. Firstly, there has been no support information from SSG as to how the new system works. There is no in-game tutorial or quest that orientates the player. In fact unless a player opens up the LI window and discovers that there is a new “appraise” button added to the UI, they could easily continue playing totally oblivious to the revised system. Secondly, all the bugs and glitches that were highlighted by players on the test server have not been addressed and have been ported over to the live servers. Unless you are the type of player who is heavily invested in the game and has kept abreast of the various threads about the revised LI system on the official forums, you will have to muddle through the best you can. Furthermore, you will be at risk of making mistakes, wasting valuable in-game resources and potentially gimping your new LI.

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, LOTRO, Standing Stone Games, Revised LI System, Legendary Item, Legendary Weapon

LOTRO: Brawler Class Preview

September 09, 2021 / Roger Edwards

Standing Stone Games are currently previewing the new Brawler class and major revisions to the Legendary Items system on the Bullroarer test server. So I decided to take a look today. As ever, they have made it very clear that both of these are very early builds and therefore subject to change. In fact some elements of this “first look” have not even been fully integrated into the game. For example, the quest arc prior to entry to Moria is still linked to the existing Legendary Item system and as of yet has no suitable rewards for the Brawler class. Players using the test server need to visit the Eyes and Guard tavern in Archet to obtain a suitable LI. It is also the same for Brawler related gear. Most quest lines do not at present provide suitable gear for this new class. Also many icons and tooltips associated with both Brawlers and LIs are temporary placeholders or recycle existing content.

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, LOTRO, Standing Stone Games, Bullroarer, Brawler Class Preview, Legendary Items Revisions

LOTRO: What Happens Next?

July 06, 2021 / Roger Edwards

Around the middle of May, it was announced on the official forums that the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online had a new Producer, Oleg Brodskiy (AKA Raninia). This news was hardly “shouted from the rooftops” and I only found out about it when Raninia was recently “interviewed” by LOTRO streamer Louey7. So what do we know about Mr Brodiskiy? Well he comes from a mobile game background, having worked on such titles as Archer: Danger Phone and Marvel Puzzle Quest. He has experience as a game producer and in QA. According to the introductory post he made on the forums “Sev remains the Executive Producer, I'm coming in as support under him. I'll be spending my time exclusively on LOTRO, and am hoping to be reasonably communicative”. As mentioned, he recently appeared on a live stream and answered some questions regarding what’s happening with LOTRO in the next 6 months or So. He also alluded to 2022.

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, LOTRO, Standing Stone Games, EG7, Raninia, Oleg Brodskiy, What Happens Next?

Thoughts on “Classic LOTRO”

June 22, 2021 / Roger Edwards

Cordovan (AKA Jerry Snook), Community Manager for the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online, stated in the last Developers Live Stream that “the idea of a formal classic (server) is never off the table”. Naturally, this comment has led to a lot of speculation on the official LOTRO forums. Many players by inference have concluded that the original code does exist for the game as it was at launch or immediately thereafter. As you can imagine this has resulted in much debate as to whether a classic LOTRO server based upon the original Shadows of Angmar release could be created. Assuming that this is the case and technically developer’s Standing Stone Games can do this, it raises the question of whether they should or not. Because a classic server is a different beast to the previous legendary progression servers. 14 years has seen a great deal of change within the MMO industry and with LOTRO as well. Let us take a moment to reflect.

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, LOTRO, Standing Stone Games, Classic LOTRO, Shadow of Angmar, LOTRO Classic

EG7 to Consolidate All Titles on its 4Game Platform

May 25, 2021 / Roger Edwards

EG7 is very slick when it comes to corporate communications. Earlier today the company posted their Q1 Report Presentation and Q&A on YouTube. Although specifically designed for the company’s investors, CEO Robin Flodin stated that he was aware that many gamers watch these presentations and are welcome. However, he did point out that any major game related news would always come via their appropriate outlets, thus making it clear that there was not any consumer information in his briefing. He then went on to discuss how well EG7 was faring financially and even to the layperson, it is clear that the company did very well last year. However, there were two nuggets of information that were interesting from a gamer’s perspective. The first was that EG7 is going to consolidate all of its games on their current 4game platform. The second was that the company was developing a new AAA MMO linked to a major intellectual property.

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categories / Gaming, MMORPG, LOTRO, EG7, Daybreak Game Company, Standing Stone Games

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