LOTRO was launched in 2007 and so being a long-time Tolkien fan, I had to play it. My main character was Relggson the Dwarf Guardian, but I also created Kallisti the Champion who waa human. I played her all the way up to level 65 which was as far as you could go by the time I stopped playing in about 2012.
The Champion is the high DPS melee character class in LOTRO, while the Guardian was the lower DPS the defensive Tank, or was supposed to be but gradually the Guardian got buffed. Relggson got up to about level 100 but got stuck at Helm’s Deep.
The game was very enjoyable as the designers had built in an epics story for your character to follow alongside the main plot form the books. For example in the early game you help run interference for Frodo and the other Hobbits getting out of the Shire over to Bree. There are plenty of diversions from the book plot for the epic story to follow, up into Evendim and then into Angmar. Later you get to visit Rivendell and I must admit to being rather blown away at the way your character finally enters Rivendell, the graphics arefantastic and the soundtrack is stunning. On the right you can see Kallisti in the main hall of the Loneley House in Rivendell.
While in Rivendell you get to meet all the members of the Fellowship and you get to listen in on the Council. The game does a good job of making you feel part of the story! Later you get to go to Moria, just after the Fellowship has passed through. In the game this gives the Dwarves and opportunity to try to reconquer Moria and you take part in various adventures to help them.
Further along, you get to visit Lothlorien and also venture into Mirkwood and Dol Guldur. You follow the Fellowship down the Anduin OR you can head south on the western side of the Moria and eventually get to Rohan and get involved in the war against Saruman, including an epic battle at Helm’s Deep. This is as far as I got in the game, but as it stands now they have released expansions that take it beyond Mordor and the fall of Sauron.
I bought a lifetime subscription many years ago which accumulats the credits needed to buy firther expansion to the game – I’ve got a LOT of credits stored up if I ever want to go back and play it again.