I Remember When...

[Trantor]

I remember when you could actually get lost in the Old Forest searching for flowers.

I remember trying to escort that stupid sheep in the shire out of the goblin camp, or was it a cow? Either way it was dumb... but fun.

I remember doing my first all kinship run through the GB at level... man that was a blast!

So many more... lone-lands goblins, weathertop, First CD run, first Rift Run, first kin Balrog and Thorog kills. So many great times.

Hopefully Turbine can bring some of the magic back that I think the game has lost.

[Beowulfe]

I remember doing my first all kinship run through the GB at level... man that was a blast!

Speaking of which, I remember going into GB, attacking a mob, then hearing the sound effects from the fight 5 minutes later

[Forjo]

Speaking of which, I remember going into GB, attacking a mob, then hearing the sound effects from the fight 5 minutes later

I remember that bug. I think it's gone now, though. In any event, I still switch to software sound on occasion when I start noticing that there are missing sound effects.

I remember when the dev tracker wasn't filled with downtime and rubberbanding reports.

But I also remember that every time there's an outage or instability that Patience or Sapience, or some other poor Turbine employee posted throughout the night, keeping the playerbase up to date and in the loop.

I suspect for many of these people Lord of the Rings Online is more than just a job.

Thank you for all your efforts -- in the good times and the bad.

-Forjo

[acrb101]

• I remember Ghost Bear's roars echoing around Bree.
• I remember, during open beta, slaying countless Dourhands in Kheledul with a Kin mate.
• I remember, during open beta, when we took a 6 man group of level 15's into the Barrow Downs over and over to see how far we could make it.
• I remember soloing 7 spiders at the same time in Angmar, thanks to my (RIP) 30% block.
• I remember the day of the official launch, questing in the Lone Lands, and doing a fellowship quest that we kept wiping on. So we met another fellowship, and both groups helped each other out, and completed the quest.
• I remember charging into the middle of creep raids, and seeing how long I could survive.
• I remember seeing the dread icon with the Witch King of Angmar's face on it that says something like "You feel as if he is flying above you" and thinking that he was actually flying above me.
• I remember looting and buying weapons and armor from vendors that I actually used!

[Viking66]

I remember ...

- when your equipped items was what you looked like. Thank goodness for the costume update.

- thinking how rich I was going to be when I could finally mine those Gold Ore nodes. And how disappointed I was when I found out that Gold Ore does not equal Gold Pieces.

- my first times running the Great Barrows and Fornost and how overwhelmed I was at the time, feeling like such a noob. But at the same time, I felt like I was finally getting somewhere and accomplishing things.

- my first time in the Rift, after getting an invite out of nowhere to a group where I knew nobody. My sound wasn't working, so I couldn't hear all the chat and instructions. I kept wondering what all the long pauses were before each fight and why everyone would just stand around doing nothing for so long. About half way through I realized my sound was borked and fixed it, and was like, "OHHHH!" It's a wonder they didn't boot me from the group after the first fight.

- mainly, I remember seeing all the stuff I remember from the books, such as the Prancing Pony, Weathertop, Tom Bombadil's house, Rivendell, Bag End, and Gollum's Cave. Turbine did a truly excellent job bringing these places to life

[Nylonus]

The Bree Town Hall grocer discounts.

[teenk]

[*]I remember the day of the official launch, questing in the Lone Lands, and doing a fellowship quest that we kept wiping on. So we met another fellowship, and both groups helped each other out, and completed the quest.

I had the same experience in Landro for the Greatest Find quest. My group and another group decided that one group would aggro and clear out the mobs while the other group carried the statue. This was when it really occured to me that lotro players are of a different breed .

[ararax2]

I remember in SOA beta when I first logged in. The joy of reaching Tolkiens world.

[Schmo]

I remember the day that Fat Smokin Hobbits was founded in open beta... except it had to be called Friends of Mr. Underhill due to the word filter (thanks Patience for fixing that).

I remember when I avoided the Old Forest at all cost because I knew I would get lost and never see daylight again.

I remember when Retake Weathertop was near impossible, the ending bosses were Elite Master and Nemesis if I recall.

I remember when I first hit 50 on Schmo... One of the last folks in my kin but I had fun doing so.

I remember wishing I could quest in the Shire till I was 60... Oh wait I still wish that.

[honoure]

I remember the first time I saw Bucklberry Ferry
I remember the first time I saw a Rainbow in the Shire.
I remember when the old Forest was scary!! and Felyne kept shooting the trees by accident!
/agree with Schmo that we could still quest in the shire at 60

[igromov]

Well, honestly, I think a lot of the people who don't think it's frightening say so because they've already been there a million times. My brother and my mom have started playing, and their characters are in the old forest for the first time. They're terrified of it. I've had to walk over to their computers just to help them navigate out of it. My brother still won't go in there if his map is on cooldown or he won't be able to find his way out.

It's easy for those of us who have been playing for a year, but it's still hard for the newbies.

I am sorry that you have the misfortune of playing with your mother.

[RobinThorp]

I remember getting my first yellow item outside Combe and thinking I was suddenly powerful
I remember standing on the edge of Staddle overlooking the Midgewater Marshes covered in fog and feeling a chill
I remember standing on Trestlebridge and thinking I'd never be big enough to venture beyond it.
I remember seeing someone at 50 level (heck 45) and being in awe
I remember getting lost in Bree
I remember the first time I stepped into the Prancing Pony and ordering a beer (and being disappointed that my character drank it in one gulp)

[Jilla]

... I first started this game and thought it was horrible how it was always nighttime in the Shire (yeah, I didn't play a lot and had the bad luck of always logging in when it was night in the game--took a while to see daylight--lol)

... I don't remember the Old Forest... I suppressed the memory of the horror! LOL, actually I do. I remember obsessing about finding all the flowers too. I think I played for hours just wondering around getting lost and trying to find them all for the deed--all the while being chased by psychotic trees.

... Silver was overabundant and barrow-iron ore was the thing people ninjaed nodes for (the ratio was off for some reason) and speaking of which, I remember when Misty Mountain silver was hard to find (and it was called Misty Mountain Silver).

... I Decided to find Rivendell at level 20something and being white knuckled and paranoid the whole way, purple mobs chasing me, and me never knowing if I found the right path. I also remember the relief of finally getting there.

... not long after that I decided to find the Misty Mountains... all I can say is, mistake

... When the book 1.9 came out and I thought, wow, we are getting more of these?

... No power was stronger than Barz... no one had beaten him yet (at least no one I knew).

... April 2007 when my husband "dragged" me to this game kicking and screaming. Why should I give up my level 70, decked out raiding rogue for a new game? I was ticked at him for guilting me into playing this game with him. Why didn't he play his WoW mage? I'd even secretly play WoW when he though I was solo playing to catch up to him in LOTRO. That didn't last long though--it took about a month for me to get hooked on this game. Since I only wanted to play one game at a time, I quit WoW as soon as my gamecard expired and now I play this game a lot more than he does... oh, the monster he created :P

[DYMongoose]

... running around in 1st person mode with the UI hidden so I could get screenshots of everything

... the first time I heard Tom Bombadil's theme and thinking "this is awesome!" (I still think that and am still looking for enough mathoms to get that hobbit to sell it to me)

... the first time I saw Bleakwind in the North Downs and the conflict of terror and awe

... trying to pass the watchers in Angmar and wondering how I could die when nothing was attacking me

... wondering "What the heck ever happened to that slow-walking Sara Oakheart that I had to rescue way back then?"

[ararax2]

I remember standing on Trestlebridge and thinking I'd never be big enough to venture beyond it.

Whoo yea. I remember the first time I crossed over and got beaten to death by a purple bird.

P.S. I saw bleakwind the other day killing 2 lv 40s, I hopped off my horse on my captain, rezzed one and healed the other then helped them take him down. He is a BAD ***** still.

[Banaticus]

The Bree Town Hall grocer discounts.

That was awesome and I miss them. The only reason I ever go to Bree nowdays is to either 1) hit up the Bree rep dungeon or run a group through the Barrows, 2) as a pit stop on my way to Ered Luin, the Shire or the Ettenmoors. I'm in Bree really infrequently, but I'd go there more often if there was still a discount in it for me.

I remember that crazy uber boss spider in the pre-burning Archet instance, the prologue of the game, the one that's like a signature level six or something.

I remember when Bloodtusk was so tough that two people had to work together to beat him and only one tusk dropped each time, so you had to wait and kill him a second time so you both had one. But, back then the weapon you got as a quest reward was so awesome that you'd use it all the way up through level 12. Nowdays, the weapon's been nerfed and will be traded out the next level, Bloodtusk has been nerfed and is soloable and even if you are in a group everyone gets a tusk.

I remember when weapons were either vendor trash or super cool -- we never carried vendor trash around with us and kept paying its repair cost and we never had to travel to far away cities to get rid of our vendor trash weapons (we never had to go find a relic/forge master).

I remember when the devs said that the "new" armour marks would "always" be used for second-best armour and that the list of instances that granted them would change each time the expansion cap raised. They're worthless now and don't even vendor for a decent amount of silver.

I remember when I hit the level cap last time and was first faced with the daunting prospect of spending the next week at umpteen hours a day of collecting materials so that I could have armour made so that I could be competitive enough to actually participate in the end game instances.

I remember when, I remember, I remember when I lose my mind. There was something so pleasent about that place. Even your emotions have an echo in so much space. And when you're out there without care, yeah, I was out of touch. But it wasn't because I didn't know enough, I just knew too much. Does that make me crazy? Does that make me crazy? Does that make me crazy? Possibly. And I hope that you are having the time of your life, but think twice, that's my only advice. Come on now, who do you, who do you, who do you, who do you think you are? Ha, ha, ha, bless your soul, you really think you're in control? Well, I think you're crazy, I think you're crazy, I think you're crazy, just like me. My heroes had the heart to lose their lives out on a limb and all I remember is thinking, I want to be like them. Ever since I was little, ever since I was little, it looked like fun and it's no coincidence I've come and I can die when I'm done. But maybe I'm crazy, maybe you're crazy, maybe we're crazy, probably. -- Gnarls Barkley

[saintguinness]

I ran from Thorin's Hall...through the Shire...into Breeland...to the Lone Lands...and into Rivendell. Just to explore and see the wide world. No horses. No quest. Just the sturdy pounding of dwarven feet and a pack full of Bomburs lager.

[Harry2]

I remember when I finally saved enough spare cash to get my lifetime membership.

No regrets.

[Samcharles77]

I remember when I first walked into the Barrows Downs and a wight climbed up out of ground. That sent some shivers down my spine!

I remember when the first time I was attacking bears. I was actually attacking a smaller bear. Meanwhile behind me, (and unknown to me), a bigger one was getting ready to roar. Next thing I know I hear this huge roar behind me. I think I threw my mouse across the computer desk.

I remember when they spawned a bunch of creatures in the Shire during
beta. One was a big blue drake and I stood right in front of its mouth to get a shot of the flames.

[Forjo]

... the first time I heard Tom Bombadil's theme and thinking "this is awesome!" (I still think that and am still looking for enough mathoms to get that hobbit to sell it to me)

(A hint -- farm Rantost in Evendim -- you'll get lots of mathoms as well as tomb raider sashes.)

I remember trying to find the Prancing Pony in open beta and finally having to ask.

I remember when I first finished "The Wayward Companion" chain out of the North Downs after months of trying to get a group.

I remember being excited about "mobile quest hubs" and item deeds.

I remember when Hakai reworded the tooltip of a guardian skill at my suggestion.

I remember when my wife and I used to wait to do fellowship quests until we were high enough to duo them. That lasted until we were in our late 30's.

I remember checking the housing brokers every day, waiting for a neighborhood to open so that I could get 4 Wending Way (the deluxe Shire house with a pier).

I remember grinding Rantost day after day with my wife so she could get her Annuminas horse (she loves that horse!).


I remember Tadan.

-Forjo

[ararax2]

I remember Tadan.

-Forjo

I've still got his ring!

[Forjo]

I've still got his ring!

I'll keep mine until the servers close for good.

I remember getting Ronad Dwale's Pipe (which I also still have) before I knew you could grow and smoke pipe-weed.

-Forjo

[Arness]

I remember the first time I heard ghost bear when there were no bears left alive in the area I was in.

I remember being shocked by how much wax was - and thinking it must cost a fortune to level up forestry, until I tried prospecting, and had to buy coal.

I remember when the Old Forest didn't have a map, and the Forest would change with every update.

I remember my first Great Barrows run - and one of the bosses bugged out on us.

I remember reaching level 15, and then realizing that I couldn't turn in another quest until the game went live rather than open beta.

I remember thinking it would take forever to get to 50.

I remember being afraid of those elite aurochs up in the North Downs.

And I remember hunting for boars everywhere until I wanted to cry.

[Doronlas]

Remember when Sweet Galenas pipeweed was THE thing to farm? ah, those were the days...

[Lupini]

I remember...a particularly bad day in my life, logging in on my level 15 elven champion at 2 am, and heading in Kheladul...and "coming to" a 1/2 an hour later with the place cleared and my bags full. Talk about battle frenzy.

I remember the first time I headed in to the Old forest, took a turn and suddenly had a tree punt me through the forest. Once she hit the ground, my character didn't stop running until she was out on the other side of Adso's wagon.

I remember coming out of the marshes over the hill into the Lone Lands for the first time...it was sunset and the view was breath taking. I still have those screen shots, even though that character is long gone.

I remember in the Lone Lands the first time my captain kept a group from wiping. The tank went down and I heard "Save our beloved minstrel please!" The last goblin died as I was defeated, with the minstrel still standing.

I remember getting choked up during the funeral service for Tadan and the others.

Most recently, I remember standing there in Moria as some boss mob told me to leave my dwarven fellow and return to deliver a message. I tried to make them attack me, I looked for other ways out...but no. They made me walk past jeering orcs that I couldn't kill. The whole way out I muttered "Turbine...don't you EVER force me to abandon my fellows like this again!"