Is lord of the rings online better then world of warcraft?

[Korrigan]

Its objective, you cant say for example that WoW has a better world, or better scenery or that it has a better story and lore or music
LOTRO wins in all of those aspects-period

WoW definitely has a way bigger and more varied world than LOTRO. Scenery... aren't you sick, sometimes, to always see the same ruins with the same textures in LOTRO? Because the elf ruins in eRegion are exactly the same than those in Ered Luin... The music in WoW is amazing. The story and lore in WoW is great too, yet I can eventually grant you that point since they had no Tolkien to write it, but since Turbine is trashing Tolkien into the ground with each new expansion or patch...

I won't even mention dungeons, raiding and PvP, where WoW crushes LOTRO.

Just playing devil's advocate btw, I'm playing BOTH games and enjoying both for what they are.

EDIT:
And I believe a game that manages to take the best of both would be a winner. It seems that Bioware's SW:TOR is heading that way... let's wait and see.

[Lohi]

WoW definitely has a way bigger and more varied world than LOTRO. Scenery... aren't you sick, sometimes, to always see the same ruins with the same textures in LOTRO? Because the elf ruins in eRegion are exactly the same than those in Ered Luin... The music in WoW is amazing. The story and lore in WoW is great too, yet I can eventually grant you that point since they had no Tolkien to write it, but since Turbine is trashing Tolkien into the ground with each new expansion or patch...

On the other hand the lore in WoW is made up on the fly and is internally inconsistent! It's really hard to get involved in a sort of off-the-cuff lore intended solely as background in a game. Maybe it impresses the Blizzard fans who played Warcraft series (yawn) but it's not that great really. Especially since the vast majority of the players ignore the lore or break it.

Graphics were nice in WoW but still they have the huge cartoon feel all the time. Nothing in WoW ever came close to the first day feel I had seeing the Shire for the first time. WoW graphics are too much like a theme-park. Every region has a distinct stereotype; the swamp, the desert, the badlands, the volcanos, etc. There is no immersion in WoW because it hits you over the head all the time that you're just in a game. Yes, I know they screwed this up in Mirkwood badly here too, and a little bit in Enedwaith. But elsewhere in LotRO it feels more like a real place. The Elf ruins are the same because that is what makes sense!

Music in LotRO beats out WoW I think. But that's up to taste I guess. Certainly you don't see the idiocy of WoW dances luckily.

[nuaxtreme]

Gameplay wise, wow is certain more intense than lotro. PVP, raid group etc in wow is more intensive. Thus more hardcore players might prefer wow. But some of those who are more casual might not like it.

World wise, wow certain has a bigger place to explore compared to lotro for now. Of course, lotro is still pretty new compared to wow. But some of the worlds in wow do not exactly match up. Eg. the elven forest north of badlands (can't exactly remember the names). Its like having a lush forest right next to a barren place...... kind of weird.

For music, I would prefer lotro over wow. Not every piece of course. But rivendell and trollshaws are awesome compared to anything in wow.

But one thing that stands out in lotro and the main reason why I like lotro over wow and consider lotro the best mmo every made. Its the contents (scenery, language, story etc). Its like amazing to know that this is where all the fantasy came from, the elves, dwarfs, etc..... even a language was created for it. Middle earth looks so amazing in the movies and now it has been recreated in a game. For the first time, I can explore this place. The feeling is just so amazing. I don't want the world to look fancy or nice for the sake of it. I just want it to look like what its supposed to be. No flying mounts? Its ok since there aren't any in the movie (other than the big birdies...).

No matter how wow may seems amazing in terms of gameplay etc... its still just a world created by Blizzard which does not have much of a history or legacy or anything. Can't help but get a feeling that its just copied from Tolkien.....

[JRonnie]

Gameplay wise, wow is certain more intense than lotro. PVP, raid group etc in wow is more intensive. Thus more hardcore players might prefer wow. But some of those who are more casual might not like it.

From a casual raiding viewpoint, I would say that in general WoW has been more forgiving and accessible for casuals then LOTRO. Simply because they release far more raids, they can have entry level raids and ramp up from there. I think LOTRO are trying to emulate this a little with the tier 1 and 2 OD raid, however given the horrible loot from tier 1, no one does it so it fails in that respect. Hopefully they'll be able to sort this out going forward.

No matter how wow may seems amazing in terms of gameplay etc... its still just a world created by Blizzard which does not have much of a history or legacy or anything. Can't help but get a feeling that its just copied from Tolkien.....

You could say this for pretty much any high fantasy setting really. I would say The Lord of the Rings was the driving force behind the themes used for D&D which in turn drove the fantasy gaming market to what it is today.

[nuaxtreme]

From a casual raiding viewpoint, I would say that in general WoW has been more forgiving and accessible for casuals then LOTRO. Simply because they release far more raids, they can have entry level raids and ramp up from there. I think LOTRO are trying to emulate this a little with the tier 1 and 2 OD raid, however given the horrible loot from tier 1, no one does it so it fails in that respect. Hopefully they'll be able to sort this out going forward.

You could say this for pretty much any high fantasy setting really. I would say The Lord of the Rings was the driving force behind the themes used for D&D which in turn drove the fantasy gaming market to what it is today.

Hmm... I am not sure about this cause perhaps the raids I been to in wow are quite intense and require good coordination to succeed. Ok, I have yet to been to a raid in lotro so I don't know how it is like. But since it requires less people (unlike 60 man raid groups). So I thought its less intense. I could be wrong.

you are right that lotr is the main driving force behind all the fantasy games today. Perhaps the main thing is that lotr is made into a very successful movie (3 parts to be exact) but there are no movies for wow. Thus the feeling is different. For me, I would say the big WOW! factor is the movie. Being able to relate a place to what I have seen in the movie really makes a big difference.

Btw, I still like PVP. Its just so fun. Wow really has the PVP factor (though it can be a little annoying at times).

But then I did play PVP in warhammer too and I think its even more fun due to the PVP zones. Then can PVP all the time.!! Playing with human players beats NPCs anytime of the day!!

[Ozeagle]

Ok, I have yet to been to a raid in lotro so I don't know how it is like. But since it requires less people (unlike 60 man raid groups). So I thought its less intense. I could be wrong.

The thing you need to keep in mind... what happens in a 60 man raid if 1 player wanders off to get a cup of tea? Does anyone really even notice?

When there are only 12 of you, and the instance was designed to require 12 people doing a good job, one person not doing their job has a much bigger impact. So there's a lot more pressure to get things right. Less room for error.

[Warriorpoetex75]

Is lord of the rings online better then world of warcraft?

Honestly all this question does is cause conflict. Play the game and decide for yourself.

[nuaxtreme]

The thing you need to keep in mind... what happens in a 60 man raid if 1 player wanders off to get a cup of tea? Does anyone really even notice?

When there are only 12 of you, and the instance was designed to require 12 people doing a good job, one person not doing their job has a much bigger impact. So there's a lot more pressure to get things right. Less room for error.

OK, this I am not sure. Cause I am using a Shaman in wow. Thus I am usually just a secondary healer or just someone to add to dps only. Not any of the main characters. but its intense because we have to observe our roles carefully. If someone screws up (esp. healers or tankers). Healers must take turns to heal and regen while tankers must hold aggro and take turns to take as well. Thus I thought its would be very tightly coordinated.

As for whether anyone goes off...lol I dont know.

But I just hope lotro comes out with 60-120 raid groups. The reason is that I love to play with many many people and do things in large groups. The more the merrier.

Just like when I play CS, I always go those 60 player servers. 30 player each side..... hoho awesome!!

Of course, its chaotic having so many people but thats the fun of it.

As I have mentioned earlier lotro is awesome mainly because of the legacy behind it and the movies. Something that cannot be match by other mmos. Only mmos like Star Wars and Star Trek come from great movies and have stories behind them.

[Korrigan]

You could say this for pretty much any high fantasy setting really. I would say The Lord of the Rings was the driving force behind the themes used for D&D which in turn drove the fantasy gaming market to what it is today.

Tolkien himself got inspiration from very old stories and legends, like the Ring of Nibelungen and Beowulf.

[Ultrahhh]

The thing you need to keep in mind... what happens in a 60 man raid if 1 player wanders off to get a cup of tea? Does anyone really even notice?

When there are only 12 of you, and the instance was designed to require 12 people doing a good job, one person not doing their job has a much bigger impact. So there's a lot more pressure to get things right. Less room for error.

More people = more place that smt will go bad in raid.

[Sinfullyvannila]

And I believe a game that manages to take the best of both would be a winner. It seems that Bioware's SW:TOR is heading that way... let's wait and see.

I think a lot of people are going to be disappointed. Judging from Bioware's previous games, (especially KOTOR and Dragon Age) class balance is going to be a major issue. Bioware simply is no longer interested in making well-crafted games anymore, don't get me wrong though, their stories and characters are superb. I'm still going to play the game because of curiosity and the fact that all of my friends are interested in it, but I tell all of them to keep their expectations in check.

[nuaxtreme]

I think a lot of people are going to be disappointed. Judging from Bioware's previous games, (especially KOTOR and Dragon Age) class balance is going to be a major issue. Bioware simply is no longer interested in making well-crafted games anymore, don't get me wrong though, their stories and characters are superb. I'm still going to play the game because of curiosity and the fact that all of my friends are interested in it, but I tell all of them to keep their expectations in check.

I have not played dragon age but I love KOTOR though, it has a great story. Didn't really bother much about balance or anything but welding light sabers and the word Jedi is good enough for me.

I think there will be a KOTOR online or some sort of MMO about the old republic. I am looking forward to it since I am a fan of star wars since I was young. I am also a trekkie but not so much into star trek since no more shows and ST:Enterprise is seriously...bad.......

[Korrigan]

I think a lot of people are going to be disappointed. Judging from Bioware's previous games, (especially KOTOR and Dragon Age) class balance is going to be a major issue.

Well, compared to LOTRO's unexisting class balance...

[nuaxtreme]

Well, compared to LOTRO's unexisting class balance...

Perhaps you could explain now about this class balance?? What is it about? I understand its needed for PVP but what issue is there for PVE?

[Sinfullyvannila]

From my experience, LOTRO has the best PVE balance I've ever seen. This is coming from someone who's highest character is level 40 though...

[Korrigan]

Perhaps you could explain now about this class balance?? What is it about? I understand its needed for PVP but what issue is there for PVE?

Issues are ease of leveling and acceptance in groups compared to other, less desired classes.
And in the case of PvMP, of course, balance between the two sides, which is inexistent nowadays in LOTRO.

[sporo96]

yes lotro is waaaaaaaaaay better than wow gosh

[Lohi]

Issues are ease of leveling and acceptance in groups compared to other, less desired classes.

This is a fault of the players who either can't think outside of tank/heal/dps, or who insist on perfect fellowships based on a fixed recipe. The classes as designed are all viable and useful in groups for any instance. We have multiple tanks, multiple healers, multiple DPS, and multiple support classes to choose from. If you're not in a raid then very often a first-come-first-served fellowship invite will work; if you don't have your class then you just change your strategies slightly. Ie, crowd control is a very nice to have for Sammath Gul but you can get along without it; if someone keeps spamming for an hour for a CC class then that's their fault and not the fault of the game design.

And in the case of PvMP, of course, balance between the two sides, which is inexistent nowadays in LOTRO.

Mostly unimportant since PvMP is a mini side game. Many players here are glad that PvP does not affect class balance, as opposed to other games where changes demanded by PvPers have screwed up PvE.

[Digital_Utopia]

The thing you need to keep in mind... what happens in a 60 man raid if 1 player wanders off to get a cup of tea? Does anyone really even notice?

When there are only 12 of you, and the instance was designed to require 12 people doing a good job, one person not doing their job has a much bigger impact. So there's a lot more pressure to get things right. Less room for error.

I'm not exactly sure what the player you quoted got is information, but there are only two raid sizes in WoW. 10 man and 25 man - which is more than comparable to LotRO's 12 man and 24 man sizes. See the main difference here is that LotRO uses support classes, while WoW gives support skills to the Tank/Healer/DPS roles. This is generally why LotRO requires more players in their fellowships/raids.

That being said, like the poster you quoted, I haven't experienced what LotRO has to offer in raid mechanics, but in WoW raids, there's generally a lot of movement and target switching required - with the vast majority of the difficulty boiling down to raid awareness - and I'm talking the entire raid. There are very few cases where a boss can be defeated by simply having healers sitting back and healing, tanks just holding aggro and DPS wailing away. And yes, even in a 25 man raid, one player not moving where they need to be or one player not attacking what they should be attacking can cause a wipe.

But, like most raids - once you have the strategy down, and know what to look for and how to react to it - it's pretty simple. The trick is getting everybody to that point and not making a mistake.

[Eurik]

Yes, Lord of the Rings online is better than World of Warcraft.