Beta in the late teens...

JonMichael

...is incredibly fun!!

The game really starts to open up... with everything.  I have a lvl 18 Captain who kind of a jack of all trades.  He's not fantastic in any one trait, but he has a bit of everything... melee, herald (human pet who buffs the fellowship with his banner and assists in combat), group/solo heals and buffs.  I think the Captain class needs a bit of tweaking since a recent nerf because they are a bit harder to solo than other classes.  They're not the strongest healer, tank or DPS, but they do offer a decent contribution to a fellowship and I'm finding him really enjoyable to play.

I was worried in the beginning of the game that there weren't enough class choices and keeping with the LOTR lore, there cannot be pure casters in the game.  I'm noticing that each of the few classes there are, are quite versatile and fun to play.  They seem to have wider ranges of abilities than typical MMO classes. 

The areas that open up in the late teens are great.  The Barrows and the Old Forest are perfect areas to get a fellowship going and assist in quest steps. The areas are quite eerie and provide some serious combat.  Some of the towns are beautifully designed.  Seeing the windmills in the middle of the Shire moving gently in the breeze.. and small rabbits running around.  The environment is probably the best I've ever seen. 

I'm typically more of a soloer in MMO's, but with LOTR, the community seems much more friendly and helpful.  I can't tell you how many times when I was soloing and almost dead that someone didn't come along and assist me in some way, just to be friendly.  If you're in an area soloing, people will send PM's asking if you want to join in on a quest or ask if you need help working on yours.  I'ts a fantastic community.

Overall, the more I play this game, the more I love it... it just keeps getting better and better for me!  I hope Turbine keeps up the excellent work they're doing.