So, one of LotRO's great strengths is the amazing vastness of Middle-Earth that still doesn't prevent Turbine from perfecting the details. However, since it is a MMO it has an unpreventable linerar-ness to it. The way to prevent that is obvious: portals. We may like the idea of connecting areas, but these are only worth it if they come with story and higher-level content. Portals already connect the Shire to Ered Luin, hold Eriador, Rhovanion and Gondor together whether we like it or not (Moria, Paths of the Dead) and Lothlorien to Mirkwood (?). So I would go on to suggest several more portals, ranked by order of urgency:

1. The obvious one: Gap of Rohan and the Westfold - Rhovanion and Eriador literally touch each other here, but one has to ride all the way north to Moria to cross the mountains

2. Gandalf's favorite: So, I saw this in a forum post a while ago and - why not? The fellowship is already gone and - does one have to go through Moria every time? Why not jump into a portal at the Redhorn Snowfall and come out at the Dimrill Stair?

3. Grimbeorn's Front Door: Now that there's little island in the map - Vales of Anduin - and not the first (Ettenmoors, Winterhome and the Dead Marshes) there's only one way to get there at the moment... porting. How about a nice portal from the High Pass to the lodge at theCarrock?

4. The Long Road: I remember the feeling of coming to Andrath, fighting my way through the brigands and finding - a barricade? Not long ago, I looked at the road from the other end. It belongs to Middle-Earth that road, you can't just block it. Would be cool if there's a portal behind the brigands - even if it requires Level 60.

5. Why not? : So I was looking at the map, thinking about all these connections and the loose tail at Edhelion near Thorin's Hall that annoys me so much "To Northern Ered Luin". What if it had a portal to Forochel or Winterhome? It would place Winterhome somewhere and alternatively make that frozen waste of land more accessible.

Thanks for reading (and hopefully considering)!