For my new character I decided to create a hobbit minstrel named Balco on the Crickhollow server. Most times I tend to stay away from the shorter races, but I decided to make one this time because it is the one starting area that I don't really have any experience with. The Minstrel is the first of two healing classes in the game, however to play the second one, called Rune-keeper, you have to buy it from the in-game store.
My first thought when I get into character creation mode is that I wish it had a few more customization options for my character. There are six customization areas (Head, Hair Style, Eyes, Eyebrows, Mouth, and Details) that have only a few preset options to choose from. There is a little color chart for Eye Color that lets you pick different shades of blue or brown, a color chart for Skin Color that lets you choose different shades between light tan and medium tan, and a color chart for Hair Color that lets you choose between different shades of gray, blond, brown, or black. The only slider in character creation is to alter whether your character is fat or skinny. The customization isn't nearly as nice as some of the other MMOs I've played and gotten used to, but I can understand why they would want to keep people looking pretty normal so they fit into the Lord of the Rings world better. The character creation music is simple, but nice. It makes you feel like going on an adventure.
You start your adventure on the run from a Black Rider, a menacing looking creature that rides a black horse. As you are escaping back into the Shire you encounter two hobbits trying to escape a group of brigands. Before long the brigands have caught up to you and throw you in a prison for withholding the location of Frodo. Luckily, you and your fellow hobbits are rescued by a human. As you escape the prison with the help of the human you find one of the human's traveling companions being confronted by the Black Rider you encountered earlier. The Black Rider stabs the man and gallops off into the night. You quickly take the man to the nearest town to get medical aid, and so ends the tutorial. The tutorial is very well done, there is a lot of drama and suspense happening, and the music that goes along with it is great.
After the tutorial is over you get sent to the small human town of Archet. Your new task is to do various quests throughout the neighboring forest in order to gain the trust of the Captain of the town, who needs to be convinced that the brigands are a threat to his town. While earning the trust of the Captain, you learn that there are traitors within his army! Finally the Captain sees the truth, but it is too late for him to message for help, the brigands have the town surrounded. You recruit the Captain's son from a nearby hunting lodge, but by the time you get back to Archet the attack is already underway. You rush into battle to try and end the fight before it is too late to save the town. After a hard battle the enemies were driven away. Although the enemies were gone and most of the townspeople were safe, the toll was great. The town was burned, and the Captain was slain. After the battle at Archet, the Introduction is over and you are teleported to the Shire.
At level 6, the level I was after finishing the Introduction storyline, I have one melee attack, one heal, one rez, and a chain skill that has one ability for tier one, two abilities for tier two, and one ability for tier three. The class seems pretty balanced so far, and it is definitely a fun class to play if you like healing classes. Hopefully soon I will get a chance to join a group and see how well they do in a group scenario.
While I do wish there was a bit more character customization, that is the only negative aspect that I have found so far. The game is fun, the storyline is great, and the music really helps to draw you into the game. If you are a fan of the Lord of the Rings series, or are just looking for a different game to try, then you should definitely download LotRO and give it a go. It is free after all!
Have any questions/comments? Feel free to leave them below!
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