I Remember When...

[LizzyNienna]

I remember when I had to swim through the beginning of Evendim because I thought there was just no way I could make it to Tinnudir.

I remember when I dealt with my first walking trees and I thought there was no way I could get through this game.

I remember seeing my first eye in the mini-map and the people in my fellowship asking a friend what was wrong with me when I just wanted to leave after finishing. "She's scared."

I remember my first time going after higher level Tomb-robbers while others were around because I realized I could maybe take them and they gave more experience.

I remember the first time I saw the moon and claimed it as my moon.



I love this game.

[Gelihad]

I remember when you had to run around until level 35, when you were able to buy a horse, for 4 gold. Good times.

[Patriotp3a]

I remember when you had to run around until level 35, when you were able to buy a horse, for 4 gold. Good times.

lol yea, and i was like F that cuz I actually liked walking everywhere exploring.

[GrinsgarCZ]

I remember playing my first char, dwarf champion and running on foot up to level 50. I didnt want o spend those 4g (loads of money!) and I didnt want my dwarf to be riding a horse nor a pony. Everytime I was in some fellowship they were like "Wait for the dwarf, hes on foot, he will be here in a while".

I remember falling off Weathertop in an instance and getting stuck on a rock. The rest of the fellowship (mostly elfves) thought I betrayed them and left them alone.

I remember when I had to actually travel to places to do stuff with fellowship. The Journeys were amazing.

I remember when I had to find company for epic quests when they couldnt be done solo.. it was often epic

I remember discovering new areas when the map was all black.

[milimber]

I remember going into Etten for the first time (Gaurdian) and saying to my 2 Kinnies " Right what do you want me to tank" and then woundering why my aggro grabbing skills had no effect

[Rhoenin]

...when the game didn't feel like a grind.

...when exploring was fun and exciting.

...when grouping for quests was encouraged and at times necessary. The game felt much more social then.

...Thursday night raid nights were a staple for my kin and the Rift was a challenge.

...when a hunter was a useful class...even if it was only a glorified taxi 90% of the time.

...thinking how the hell can a lynx or warg stealth! And always my evil twin would chime in "freakin magic, dude" Oh! That explains it.....twerp!

...making cash in the game for your next big purchase felt more like an accomplishment instead of a necessity as it does now. When 100 silver didn't feel like a penny.

...being in a kin meant something. Not that it doesn't now. It was just a different feel back then.

...Bree was hopping. Weekly concerts and playing an instrument was fun and interesting.

...game atmosphere was less like WoW and intelligent conversation permeated GLFF instead of the drivel seen nowadays.

...people weren't anti-social.

...Old Forest was a beast to negotiate.

...LL, ND, MM, the Shaws & Angmar were not ghost towns. Or the starter areas for that matter.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

[Poisoncrow]

When in PvP I thoguht Audacity was good.

When I thought Grothum was safe and fun

When Creeps were tough

When my Warsteed drove me 50+ backwards off the top of a fence

When I got stuck 1feet above the air and was falling for half an hour till I died of a 1 foot fall

When I thought Trolls were the strongest NPCs ever

When I fell off Dulliond, full speed

When I Elf-Stealthed up on the door of Gramsfoot

[thegneech]

Gotta say, considering how negative these forums are any more, I do love this thread. So many happy times!

I remember, after getting frustrated that my champion was having so much trouble, deciding "Maybe I'll try that new warden class, it looks kinda neat. And I've always wanted to play a hobbit character." That led to two long and happy years of blogging about "The Life of a Bounder." I remember my first real test of being the tank in the Hall of Mirrors, and how proud I was of not just surviving, but doing well. I remember rehabilitating my champion with the lessons I'd learned from the warden, and I remember many happy runs with a regular group.

Those days have passed into memory, but I am working on building new happy memories now, and this thread has helped inspire me to that. So, thank you, all!

-The Gneech

[Mordie2107]

I remember going into Etten for the first time (Gaurdian) and saying to my 2 Kinnies " Right what do you want me to tank" and then woundering why my aggro grabbing skills had no effect

ROFL That post got me, haha.

[howieman2]

I remember when my friend invited me to play this game what seems to be oh so long ago. I was a console gamer and the thought of using the 1-10 keys for skills just made me go "huh" lol.

My first toon was a minstrel and....

I remember wanting to sit on the docks in Celondim all day and just watch people talk to their trainers, the bard, laugh at the cat.

I remember questing in Ered Luin in one of the Dourhand camps, and a level 50 hunter rolled in with all these yellow stars on their portrait and killed every dwarf in about 1 minute, got on their horse and left lol.

I remember wishing Duillond was a real place I could visit.

I remember finding a random npc in the middle of nowhere asking for help in a mess of spiders, and thinking this is so cool.

I remember finding Sarnur very early and wanting to go back when my mini was 50! (waaaay before my 5th toon needed the valour deed)

I remember going to Bree, and there were so many people crafting, running around doing their thing, and these guys with names like ggrtl selling gold for real money!

I remember when the doors on the crafting hall in Esteldin were never closed.

I remember seeing a rare elite master drake for the first time in Nan Amlug West and getting destroyed by it!

I remember when the armoursmith trade used so many resources, crossing my fingers and praying for a crit.

I remember mastering the skill of avoidance while farming rich iron ore in the North Downs with purple mobs lol.

I remember a scant few with the Council of the North rep horse and always asking if I could get a closer look.

I remember the my favorite reveal in a way, questing from Oatbarton wandering north on foot, and seeing the High King's Crossing for the very first time. I thought it was so cool how it played out, having to stop to kill a salamander, move up some more, kill a bog lurker. With every few steps, more and more of the crossing showing from behind the hills. When I finally got there I was so amazed on how much different this looked from anything I had seen in the game. When I made it to Tinnudir, I was blown away on how Lake Evendim looked, with the Sunken City just in sight. Even with the countless triathlon type swims across that lake, I still enjoy visiting that area 5 or 6 years later. The rep horse was so satisfying to get...

I remember Annuminas for the first time, again enjoying the way the water looked, the buildings, the lighting... such a great job.

I remember running on foot until level 43 on my mini, because one gold was about all I ever had, but it never really bothered me.

I remember doing a fellowship instance in Annuminas with a person from Europe, and being amazed that he was in sync with us!

I'll stop here for now with remembering the closed gate to what later would be the path to Forochel. I would wander all around the northern part of Evendim seeing if I could sneak in to the new area before it opened. lol So much fun

[Leanya]

I remember....

... sitting for hours near the lake in staddle with my little hunter after I discovered the hobby master and stopping at each and every lake, river or puddle to go fishingn for the next 10 levels or so.

... not being able to repair my stuff for quite some time because I spend all I had on the vendor weapons/armor when I first stepped foot into Bree

... selling a lvl 60 1st age bow for 90g and thought that I won't ever need money again

... my then best ingame friend, a guardian at level 44, pulling all the mobs on the way to the Rift with me (hunter lvl 35) following in a more or less secure distance. We survived and that view when we entered the instance was breathtaking. We spend an eternity there taking screenshots and felt like the greatest adventurers ever.

...when I got "heartseeker" for the first time. I quickly slotted it at the Pony Inn and kept one-shooting ~lvl20 boars south of bree because that skill was so amazing. Same goes for the first time my champ aquired Raging-BLade.

.. the great feeling of accomplishment when I bought the first house and the first horse.

... standing in awe when I discoverd Thorin's Hall. It was so amazingly huuuuge. And then later.................. stepped foot into Moria :-O

... the first dwarf with a dress i encounterd in afellowship...Still have like 20 Screenshots of her.

... all the nights we were RUI (Raidiung under influence )...we usually didn't accomplish anything in these particular raids but had more fun than in any of our succesful (first)kills, which also are memorable. People falling asleep during the BLind One. People pulling anything in their range because they could. Our raidleader going insane a couple of times because someone had already activeted the boss while he was still explaining. People going AFK during Watcher because they needed another drink.....We laughed so hard these nights and I really miss those days.

... beeing so sad for a long time for having to destroy my dear bow when SoM came out and it got useless although it served me so well for such a long time.

... beeing shot by the Elves of Lorien a couple of times when I tried to sneak further into the region, trying every possible way.

... when this game offered challenges for groups which really made you bond with your kinmates because of all the suffering and happiness you experienced together the whole time. Don't get me wrong, I still like my kinnies -although there are fewer and fewer of them and a lot of great friends left the game- but you don't get that feeling any longer that symbolized how important it was to trust your fellow players, aid them (and be aided) in difficult situations and master those situations only by a stong community. These challenges made you really experience the spirit of a fellowship.

... when I strength-stanced through my first instance (barrow down), the tank constantly told me to switch it off and I had no idea what he meant at that time.

... that I tried to kill that damn elite-warg in chetwood with every new class I rolled which cost all of my chars the chance to become "the undying"

... when I did not feel the need to feel nostalgic about this game.


Great thread! Spent a long time reading all the way through it, when I discovred it yesterday!

[Jazzlvr]

My Kinship formed a couple of months after the game launched, and we called ourselves "The Mirrormere Companions". We'd no idea how long it'd take for Turbine to let us visit our namesake, but we set off to support the Fellowship however we could.

Years later, after fighting step-by-bloody-step through Moria, we came to the Eastern Gate, stepped through, and *raced* down the stairs! We couldn't wait to see those waters so dear to us, and we weren't disappointed. It was quite some time before we noticed the quest-givers and merchants of Mekhem-Bizru standing around us, staring at us as if we were mad.

[Nymphonic]

April 26th, 2007. I had just finished the tutorial and stepped out into the open world of Archet, and while looking around at the beginning of my life in Middle Earth I knew I had come home. I love this game.

[Hayden102]

- When I farmed gondamon and tuck to lvl
-When my server was active
-When I was so addicted to mining/crafting I would be attempting to mine in Isengard at level 30, but shat myself when a popup came up saying that I would pull aggro from a further distance, I went up to a rock and tried to get the ore but the bar went so slow, and I would pull half the map I swear, all to me, The mobs would just charge at me from 100s of metres away from me I swear.
- When I farmed brigands in western bree fields camp, thinking that it was a great way to level and get money lol.
- When I first did angmar instances - best instances I have ever done, wish I was actually there when it was cap, it makes me sad.
- Fun times with kin
- When instance finder worked lol

[KM3161]

April 26th, 2007. I had just finished the tutorial and stepped out into the open world of Archet, and while looking around at the beginning of my life in Middle Earth I knew I had come home. I love this game.

different start date but same exact feeling.

[firelfwood]

I remember when fellow ships where fun, Everyone wonted to stay an push on to what was next. I miss the days before the store. I really miss helping other players out in the game. Talking with other people. Lord of the rings has open so many doors for me for gaming. I remember when my guard was lvl 5 going thought bree getting kill to many times I did enjoy the black map waiting to see what was next. I do not like everything being showed to me. I wont to find things out for my self that is what makes games so much fun.

[vampblood21]

I remember when i was doing sword halls t2c with a buddy of mine and i glitched and i got flung up ontop of the arena...

And doing a conga line from bree to Dunland!

[Polymachos]

I had just started playing and done the first epic quests in the Ered Luin; so it was time to move on. The next place to go was the Shire, and so I wandered down to the gate, entered a new place, walked along a narrow valley, came through the first village, crossed the Rushock Bog, traveled on a road with little walls on either side, then the landscape suddenly opened, and I broke into tears.

It was the most beautiful likeness of a piece of land that I know very well, because I grew up there - at its eastern edge, but minus the horrible retribution of the farmland that they did to it in the 1970's. All the old big trees were still standing there, casting their shadows in the hot sun, protecting the little roads which have been bearing the weight of so many carts for hundreds of years. It was even more home than my own home.

To understand what I mean, look at these pictures.
http://www.leben-im-kraichgau.de/kra...dschaften.html

The Kraichgau's valleys are wider than those of the Shire, but only a bit. And the name 'Kraichgau' actually means, Shire of the River Kraich. Peter Jackson could well have found here what he searched for in New Zealand. Well, the people here don't speak English, unfortunately. But we have a lot of framework houses, too.


Greetings, Polymachos

[Jillymala]

I had just started playing and done the first epic quests in the Ered Luin; so it was time to move on. The next place to go was the Shire, and so I wandered down to the gate, entered a new place, walked along a narrow valley, came through the first village, crossed the Rushock Bog, traveled on a road with little walls on either side, then the landscape suddenly opened, and I broke into tears.

It was the most beautiful likeness of a piece of land that I know very well, because I grew up there - at its eastern edge, but minus the horrible retribution of the farmland that they did to it in the 1970's. All the old big trees were still standing there, casting their shadows in the hot sun, protecting the little roads which have been bearing the weight of so many carts for hundreds of years. It was even more home than my own home.

To understand what I mean, look at these pictures.
http://www.leben-im-kraichgau.de/kra...dschaften.html

The Kraichgau's valleys are wider than those of the Shire, but only a bit. And the name 'Kraichgau' actually means, Shire of the River Kraich. Peter Jackson could well have found here what he searched for in New Zealand. Well, the people here don't speak English, unfortunately. But we have a lot of framework houses, too.


Greetings, Polymachos

I imagine hobbits would feel right at home there! Thanks for showing us this, it really took me away and I can imagine very well this is an amazing representation of the shire. How awesome!

[ajc196]

I remember...

...When I went out and bought this game for my friend on his birthday and bought myself a copy as well. We chose Meneldor

...Making my first character. An Elf Champion

...When I first saw the in-game world and wanted to just sit there forever watching the world around me

...When I first got to level 20 and actually had to work for my riding skill. I was so happy when I got my first horse. I chestnut horse

...The sad day when my first kinships leader left the game for good and left me in charge

...My first legendary, a third age 1H axe

...The next week when I found the best kinship on Meneldor. Lords of Evening Twilight

...The first time my kinship successfully killed the watcher

...The first time I set eyes on Lothlorien. My elven homeland

...When we killed Draigoch for the first time

...When I finally got my cloak from that raid

...When mounted combat came out

...Going back after Rohan and re-doing all those old raids

...The last day I ever played LOTRO...

If I could say any one thing to Turbine and LOTRO it would be this..."Thank you for all the years of fun I had and all the new friends I made (some of whom I still talk to) and thank you for bringing one of my favorite fantasy worlds to the stunning realization that is Lord of the Rings Online. I wish you all the best on your future endeavors and I hope to one day we will meet again, hopefully under better circumstances."

I remember today...the day I finally left LOTRO for ever...or is it?

[The_Warg]

I was on my first MMO toon ever (a hunter) in the Lonelands. My quest was to kill gaunt men, and after dying several times with only 1 kill, I gave up. Then I saw a lvl 31 hunter ( i was 29) and fellowed with him. I didn't die again, and I thought that the 2 extra levels made you that much more OP, not the gear lol.

Stacking all my gear with fate cause I thought it would max out my morale regen.

Joined my 1st kin and made my first friend on lotro. He (lvl 85) took me to many amazing places when i was severely under levelled. I left that server to play with my irl friend on another. A few months later I came back to the server to play with my 1st friend only to discover that he didn't play on that server anymore. Thanks for everything, Venomousarrows. You were great.

I swam around lake everswim cause i didn't know players could use the boats.

I *flinches* destroyed my first SS Key because i didn't know what it was for.

Began my kin with the name Warriors of the Dragon Helm (I later changed it to Those Who Wander) and all the amazing people who were in it, but stopped playing after HD. Miss you guys

[BBChild]

Some of my fondest memories are from when I first began playing.

My sister had started before me, and wanted me to join her in the game. She was down in Bree and I was up in Archet doing the starter quests, so I began making my way down to her… but my little Hobbit was so overwhelmed with the world of Middle Earth ("oh the grass is so much taller than I am!") that I kept getting sidetracked and took about an hour to go that short distance, only to find that it was barricaded up for the intro quest line. XD

And walking around the Shire for the first time… I was so in awe and quite a bit emotional… I'm pretty sure I cried a bit but I was really happy...

And my first trek from MD to Bree on foot… Oh my gosh, I thought I'd never get there! I got so terribly lost and bears kept trying to kill me! :'D I ended up in the Old Forest somehow and was incredibly scared (that music… oh my word) and worried I'd never get out. The more I tried to find my way, the more helplessly lost I got!
Finally arriving in Bree was such a relief, but then I got lost again and my sister had to come help me find my way (Bree was so huge to me at the time!). And then afterwards we found a waterfall (which I have never been able to find again D: ) across from a cliff and decided to see if we'd make the drop down to the water to go swimming. We didn't and both died. XD

Then trying to protect Lalia in the Barrow Downs… My sister and I both decided she had brain damage because no one in their right mind would skip up to wights so carelessly! That was the first of many NPC-protector quests that I had to tank as a Burglar to ensure their survival. I miss that feeling of urgency… Past 60 I never had to do that again, the NPCs got so buffed up.

And exploring Evendim without the quest pack, because everyone had told me it was "so pretty!" I think I was only level 15 or level 20, and I really, really, really wanted to explore Annuminas but the guards at the main gate wouldn't have it at all. I spent a few days there just trying to scheme up a way to sneak in.
Later being attacked by one of the deer and being so amazed, I sent a quick /tell to my friend, "All the other deer have just fled in my presence, but the deer in Evendim actually have balls!"

And also, stealthing all the way up through the Rift area with all the red-level NPC elites staring down at me until I reached the safe little camp to the far East. I thought I was such a badass.

And iceberg hopping for the first time. :'D

Of course, also entering Moria for the first time (still my favourite area in the game) was just amazing. That place was so huge, and I felt so small, and the music made me feel like I had jumped right off the pages of the book and into the movie! I don't even know how long I spent in there since I wouldn't leave an area until it was thoroughly explored… Then to leave it and come into a new one and be filled with awe again…

And Mirkwood. All of Mirkwood! The atmosphere was perfect and as a Burglar I suited the shadows well!

I think my sister and I were in the late 60s - early 70s around the time Helms' Deep came out, and well, we just HAD to go see it. I think it took four attempts before we figured out a route to avoid the majority of the NPCs (if you have never tried running through an area designed for players 20+ levels above you - you NEED to give it a try! Even the 1 morale bunnies and squirrels seem to want you dead and it actually feels like Middle Earth!), but being able to finally get there paid off for us and we had a great time getting lost together trying to find the story characters. :'D We also did this earlier with the Wold/Eastern Rohan, and way before that, Sarnur.

And trying to get South of The Falls of Rauros. We tried for sooo long. Down the waterfall, up the cliff, jumping carefully down… Of course there was no way we'd make it, but the view was spectacular and it was fun trying.

Also joining my first "real" kinship after being in so many bad ones was really special. They're almost like family. I didn't know you could be that attached to people in an MMO until I met them.
We did Ost Dunhoth together one evening and I have never laughed so hard. It was so hard but also so rewarding and fun.

EDIT: Oh! I can't forget the first time I went from the North Downs into Evendim… Goodness, trying to get through all those mobs was a nightmare. And all the floor levels and dread effects made it even harder. I'm 100% I pulled every possible mob as I ran screaming to find the exit to Evendim, only to be greeted by even more mobs!

And also my first few days in the Moors were pretty awesome, but this post is long enough! Many great memories with this game, and hopefully more to come. There are some aspects of Turbine that I have great disdain for, but… when I reflect on all these good times, I try to cut them some slack. Maybe other players should try that, too. C:

[deliguy]

I remember when my prima guide was still relevant, well for at least a week I think.

[Stryker1487]

My Kinship formed a couple of months after the game launched, and we called ourselves "The Mirrormere Companions". We'd no idea how long it'd take for Turbine to let us visit our namesake, but we set off to support the Fellowship however we could.

Years later, after fighting step-by-bloody-step through Moria, we came to the Eastern Gate, stepped through, and *raced* down the stairs! We couldn't wait to see those waters so dear to us, and we weren't disappointed. It was quite some time before we noticed the quest-givers and merchants of Mekhem-Bizru standing around us, staring at us as if we were mad.

Amen! I remember this intense joy I felt stepping into a massive world. The feeling of potential was unmatched.

[SudianX3]

I love this game.

Don't we all?

I remember creating my first monster character. I suddenly realized, "Holy cow! He's already max level!"

I remember promptly killing NPC hobbits in Hoarhollow for hours. Sometimes it is fun to be evil.

I remember getting Infamy for killing those NPCs. My warg hit rank 5 without doing a single quest.

I remember people laughing at me for not even knowing what "maps" were nor how to get them.

I remember being sad when the moors routinely emptied every time the level cap was raised.

I remember running around feeling immortal as a creep in the moors, right until people hit the level cap again.

I remember being surprised by a few people gaining 10 levels in under two days and returning to the moors with a vengeance.

I remember the first time my main free player character hit the level cap.

I remember when I entered the moors as a warden and felt like I was trespassing on my monsters' turf.

I remember thinking, "I thought this would be easier. My opponents must actually know what they are doing!"

I remember feeling like a traitor every time I entered the moors as a free player.

Some nonpvp memories:

I remember doing every quest and deed I could with my first 5 f2p characters while trying out different classes.

I remember finally getting a character up to level 35 and thinking, "Yeah, I could enjoy this game for a while."

I remember looking at my TP balance to find myself with over 3k, and only 95 or so short of buying the Mines of Moria expansion.

I remember promptly subscribing and buying MoM, then starting a Warden.

I remember my Warden becoming my instant favorite and new "Main."

I remember waiting for groups to travel to us, listening to our Minstrel play music while the rest of us blew smoke rings.

I remember never regretting a minute of it!