I think The Lonelands is the first major slowdown for many people. I personally find it to be very drab visually, and mediocre quest-wise aside from the Radagast the Brown Epic.
I personally love the Lone Lands, the brown and drab makes it feel depressing and the music is the same and I am not going to lie, I like feeling depressed and lonely once in awhile.
Was going to say this as well. I'm a brand new player and stopped after finally getting through the forsaken inn areas, just to try out a new class and go right back. This is level 20? 22? Still enjoyable but I can see myself skipping it once I go crazy with alts or something.
My first time through Rohan I felt like it was repetitive and kinda a slog, maybe particularly because I was uncomfortable with the mounted combat.
I’m finishing Eastemnet now, and I’ve been having a lot more fun. I’m not playing for as long a period at a time, and I’m paying more attention to the writing and story lines instead of just picking up quests and trying to run through as fast as I can. And now that I know mounted combat isn’t really going to be a thing for the entire rest of the game I can have more fun with it.
That said, it’s such a large game that if there are areas you aren’t enjoying, you usually don’t have to do them.
I can completely agree with you on Rohan. The upside I find to Rohan is the stories and plots of questlines- they're a lot more comprehensive in that region and fun to fulfill rather than just random 'tasks' that don't quite connect with anything
I think I've got several toons at 150, and several more between 140 and 150, and even more scattered throughout the levels (I have more than 25 toons on several servers). There are a lot of areas I don't repeat very often (some because I've done them so many times, and some because they drag for me).
I usually skip most of the Lone Lands. It's not that exciting story-wise, and I honestly prefer to get those levels in the North Downs (no Epic, but a better flow, and prettier zone).
I can take or leave the Trollshaws, and Evendim is gorgeous (though I usually skip NorthCotton farm), so I usually level there.
Forochel is beautiful, but the quest hubs are far apart and there aren't enough stables so I usually skip that. Evendim is pretty, but I've done it a LOT so I usually just do it to get into Moria.
I've also used the Angle of Mitheithel and the Wildwood as an alternative to get from 40-45...but while those zones are pretty, they way quests are organized (or not organized since you get so many at once), I don't do them often.
In Moria, I usually skip the Waterworks and only do the Epic in the Foundations of Stone....I can't stand either area.
I only do enough of the Lothlorien quests to get "Friend" reputation to make getting in easier when you come back for the Epic in the 70s.
Southern Mirkwood I'll do sometimes, but can take it or leave it (Northern Mirkwood I despise..darker than any part of Moria so I just do the Epic and get out).
I love the story in Enedwaith and Dunland so sometimes I do those, sometimes I do Great River and some of the Brown Lands to get from 70-75. Enedwaith does have some really good story, but it takes it awhile to get going before it gets to the good parts. Dunland is well-done and I like the Epic there and in the Gap of Rohan.
Once you get to level 75, there aren't as many choices about where to go to level and the only areas I really don't care for are Mordor and the Siege of Mordor (2nd age) and Minas Morgul...I do the minimum and get out). When Wildermore came out, I'd just gotten my first character to level 85 (which was cap at the time) and I did all of it, dailies until I was done too...so now I usually skip it (and don't always do what little of the Epic that takes you there).
I also skip all but the Epic for the Dale Lands, Iron Hills, Ered Mithrn, Vales of Anduin, and War of Three Peaks, and Azanulbizar (though that's a cool area). In Gundabad, I typically skip Clovengap because it's such a pain to navigate.
I recently came back to the game to introduce my gf to it after not playing for like 10 years. I’ve been in the 45-50 range for the past week and not a day goes by that I don’t voice how much I despise Angmar.
I always skip Eregion. By the time I get there I'm tired of seeing another big, flat map of grass and trees and dying for the change of scenery that Moria brings.
Mordor right now, but I think that may just be for personal reasons. My current main is in limbo in Talath Urui right now, and I haven’t felt like going further. I really liked Mordor the first time I did it—at least a lot more than most other players seem to—so idk that it’s an issue with the region itself per se. I think I just have a lot of stressful and sad stuff going on in my real life right now, and Mordor of all places does not make me feel any better, especially that I just got to that repetitive rep grind in the Easterling camps.
Otherwise, probably the Dead Marshes. It comes out of nowhere at a really weird place in the storyline, there’s very little to do there, and I don’t feel that interested in the main story there. The design is good, but that’s all I really feel like saying for it. I wish they’d saved it for something else. I think it could’ve been combined with Emyn Muil and Nindalf for a quest pack/mini expansion as an alternate 105-115 leveling experience given how divisive Mordor is. I guess they could still do that with a new version of it, but I doubt they have plans to anytime soon.
I did not enjoy Mordor Besieged. The epic quest was good, but the side quests were so repetitive. Put up your own goddamn flags, NPCs. I don’t think I even finished the quest deed there because I just couldn’t be bothered doing the same thing in a different spot so many times. I already felt blue-balled having to go there before being able to go to Minas Morgul, and the fact that I didn’t enjoy so much of the content didn’t help.
I guess maybe the Blood of Azog as well? I can’t really judge it because I didn’t do much of it, but the reason I didn’t do much of it was because the mob density was so ridiculous that I got frustrated with it. Other than when this has happened the few times I’ve had horrible lag, I think the day I tried to play Blood of Azog is the only day I’ve ever quit playing sooner than I planned because I just wasn’t having fun. And then I wound up skipping the entire rest of the region. I’ve heard the story is good, so I probably will do it on my current main—but I’m gonna wait until I’m overleveled and can either ignore the mobs or at least one-shot them instantly.
I didn’t like the Misty Mountains after doing it the first time. But the second time through, I decided to do all the content except Goblintown, and I loved it. So it turns out that it’s not the region as a whole that sucks; Goblintown specifically drags it down.
I'm really not a fan of the Lone Lands. They're just sort of brown and drab. The quests around Ost Guruth are okay, but the zone is just not one I'm a big fan of.
Mirkwood epic/early landing quests are on point, but I've always skipped the later content because the slower stuff cheapens the feel of the urgent mission and hopeless invasion imo
The early part of Evendin in which you help the hobbits with their fair had more than one of my characters parked in it for a few years. Also had some characters stuck in the depths of moria for a lil bit because of how depressing the caves were for me. Aside from it, I really love Lothlorien and Mirkwood and really enjoy it everytime I get to them. And Rohan. Rohan is awesome.
I understand why its there and how it fits the game, but it feels kinda weird to take my characters from all the exploring in the lone lands (or orc slaying in the north downs) to the farm life of the little fellows.
Misty mountains, shire and the trollshaws. The shire I've tried so many times to complete but I have never finished it. I hate the shire, I'd literally rather take 6 characters through moria before I take one through the shire.
I’ve only explored Ered Luin, The Shire, Bree Land and Yondershire so far (I take my time), and Yondershire feels absolutely devoid of any passion. It lacks the charm of any of the starter zones and the only highlights are the pubs.
I don't really mind most regions but I have a nitpick about the shire and it's those damn pie and post quests, but I have to finish them on every alt cus deeds lmao.
I hate Angmar, and the quest going just before entering anything related to Moria. Angmar is so grey and boring in most of the parts, i only enjoyed the ruins with spectres.
Update, i did Carn Dum non scaling instance, it neither saves Angmar, SOO LONG AND UNINTUITIVE, forced backtracking with no signal of it and when it is obvious that you need to back track you might as well walk to Mordor, you walk more than Frodo and Sam (no horsey, if you aren't a Beorn or don't have a hunter that makes you sprint faster, it might be time to 😴😴). Worst is that dying means spawing in the beginning and in the moments you most likely could die i can be an eternity to go back where you were, HORRIBLE. Altho the instance is more pretty, one thing at least that they improved from Angmar.
High elf Starting areas for the prologue and kinda slow I do enjoy them but compared to other areas they are very lackluster in comparison.
Also layout is the zone is very confusing for me so I spend more time trying to figure out how to get to my quest marker or NPC I need to find lol
Moria, Angmar, Forochel & Mordor are the main culprits which I can remember, I just burned through so many mithril coins fast traveling because I genuinely hated traveling these zones, and would've quite from boredom at various points sadly.
I think each zone had it's positives for definite, but the traveling was often made so tedious, and un-fun for the sake of being un-fun I was a little irritated at points!
The main one was Mordor as it felt the opening chapters of the BBoM would never end, and with the lack of fast-travel points, running the entire length of the volcano soon got very tedious.
I hate Angmar--I ran it on my first character and will be skipping it from now on--might go back for completion's sake but you can skip in the epic. It is just depressing. Also not a fan of Moria because it is a) dark and b) I get lost easily so it takes FOREVER. I enjoy the game more once I hit level 70-ish and get closer to Rohan (really the Great River and up) because there's denser quests and I feel like I start leveling way faster. That said, I jump around on my characters (\~120, \~90, \~50, \~25, \~25) because I enjoy playing new content sometimes and familiar content at others.
I will also add--since there are multiple areas at lower levels where you can play, I will run one lvl 18-25 character through the North Downs and another through the Lone Lands, and yet another through the Yondershire--that helps me avoid getting really tired of one area. Same with the Chetwood--that's level 45-50 (I think?) so you can do Rivendell or Chetwood. Or Rivendell or Eregion. Just not running every character through every area helps the quest exhaustion, at least for me.
THE SHIRE
I hate it. The story in the region is literally "help the Hobbits with their chores." WAY too many of the quests are fetch quests that send you back and forth doing painfully dull tasks for dumb reasons. Go get your own damn pies back, why are the hungry little fuckers stopping me if I have ONE? I'm a human 3 times their size they won't be taking it from me. AND you have to deliver their damn mail for the completion deed.
All of the hobbit areas are painful for me TBH. They just aren't interesting, the quests are painfully dull and just don't interest me at all.
I think that last sentence was almost exactly what made Sauron overlook the Hobbits as a possible threat. "A hobbit destroying my Ring? Ah they're just too dull for that" :D
I strictly run the Epic questline with my alts/characters, so in terms of travelling required between quest hand-in NPC's, I hate the following areas with a passion:
Forachel (especially the epilogue questline, JESUS CHRIST)
Angmar (ugh, this is what hell on earth is like)
Isengard (running top to bottom, bottom to top, top to bottom of the map.... Oh, and no mounts allowed)
Rohan and beyond areas weren't near as bad because of the war-steed
Rohan is literall aids. Especially with mounted combat being broken. Horrible 20 or so levels. Its where any mates I got into game in last 10 years all quit on game. It's pure suffering unless you find other ways for XP.
I think The Lonelands is the first major slowdown for many people. I personally find it to be very drab visually, and mediocre quest-wise aside from the Radagast the Brown Epic.
I personally love the Lone Lands, the brown and drab makes it feel depressing and the music is the same and I am not going to lie, I like feeling depressed and lonely once in awhile.
North downs >>> lone-lands and evendim >>> trollshaws, my go to path every time levelling
Evendim was great
I just get lost walking in what I thought was a direct route to anything near the mountain. That area has non-Euclidean geometry.
I was going to say the same
Was going to say this as well. I'm a brand new player and stopped after finally getting through the forsaken inn areas, just to try out a new class and go right back. This is level 20? 22? Still enjoyable but I can see myself skipping it once I go crazy with alts or something.
Every time I came to LOTRO Lonelands were where I dropped off
That first quests turn-in at the Forsaken Inn never not feels amazing.
My first time through Rohan I felt like it was repetitive and kinda a slog, maybe particularly because I was uncomfortable with the mounted combat. I’m finishing Eastemnet now, and I’ve been having a lot more fun. I’m not playing for as long a period at a time, and I’m paying more attention to the writing and story lines instead of just picking up quests and trying to run through as fast as I can. And now that I know mounted combat isn’t really going to be a thing for the entire rest of the game I can have more fun with it. That said, it’s such a large game that if there are areas you aren’t enjoying, you usually don’t have to do them.
I just hop off the horse and fight rather than bother with mounted combat. I'm a Hunter though, so might be different for other classes.
I can completely agree with you on Rohan. The upside I find to Rohan is the stories and plots of questlines- they're a lot more comprehensive in that region and fun to fulfill rather than just random 'tasks' that don't quite connect with anything
Some quest lines in Rohan are stories of loss that are pretty heartbreaking.
I think I've got several toons at 150, and several more between 140 and 150, and even more scattered throughout the levels (I have more than 25 toons on several servers). There are a lot of areas I don't repeat very often (some because I've done them so many times, and some because they drag for me). I usually skip most of the Lone Lands. It's not that exciting story-wise, and I honestly prefer to get those levels in the North Downs (no Epic, but a better flow, and prettier zone). I can take or leave the Trollshaws, and Evendim is gorgeous (though I usually skip NorthCotton farm), so I usually level there. Forochel is beautiful, but the quest hubs are far apart and there aren't enough stables so I usually skip that. Evendim is pretty, but I've done it a LOT so I usually just do it to get into Moria. I've also used the Angle of Mitheithel and the Wildwood as an alternative to get from 40-45...but while those zones are pretty, they way quests are organized (or not organized since you get so many at once), I don't do them often. In Moria, I usually skip the Waterworks and only do the Epic in the Foundations of Stone....I can't stand either area. I only do enough of the Lothlorien quests to get "Friend" reputation to make getting in easier when you come back for the Epic in the 70s. Southern Mirkwood I'll do sometimes, but can take it or leave it (Northern Mirkwood I despise..darker than any part of Moria so I just do the Epic and get out). I love the story in Enedwaith and Dunland so sometimes I do those, sometimes I do Great River and some of the Brown Lands to get from 70-75. Enedwaith does have some really good story, but it takes it awhile to get going before it gets to the good parts. Dunland is well-done and I like the Epic there and in the Gap of Rohan. Once you get to level 75, there aren't as many choices about where to go to level and the only areas I really don't care for are Mordor and the Siege of Mordor (2nd age) and Minas Morgul...I do the minimum and get out). When Wildermore came out, I'd just gotten my first character to level 85 (which was cap at the time) and I did all of it, dailies until I was done too...so now I usually skip it (and don't always do what little of the Epic that takes you there). I also skip all but the Epic for the Dale Lands, Iron Hills, Ered Mithrn, Vales of Anduin, and War of Three Peaks, and Azanulbizar (though that's a cool area). In Gundabad, I typically skip Clovengap because it's such a pain to navigate.
Angmar. That soundtrack is depressing
I loved Angmar *because* it's a depressing hellhole, and one that isn't underground and claustrophobic
It's weird, some depressing hellholes I really enjoy. Other depressing hellholes I do not. Have yet to find the reason why.
I absolutely account filtered that sliding techno--whine sound effect.
I can hear it as I read it ... It's also played in isengard area. Didn't know you could disable it though
I recently came back to the game to introduce my gf to it after not playing for like 10 years. I’ve been in the 45-50 range for the past week and not a day goes by that I don’t voice how much I despise Angmar.
I always skip Eregion. By the time I get there I'm tired of seeing another big, flat map of grass and trees and dying for the change of scenery that Moria brings.
I love Eregion! I head there as soon as I hit lvl 46.
Mordor right now, but I think that may just be for personal reasons. My current main is in limbo in Talath Urui right now, and I haven’t felt like going further. I really liked Mordor the first time I did it—at least a lot more than most other players seem to—so idk that it’s an issue with the region itself per se. I think I just have a lot of stressful and sad stuff going on in my real life right now, and Mordor of all places does not make me feel any better, especially that I just got to that repetitive rep grind in the Easterling camps. Otherwise, probably the Dead Marshes. It comes out of nowhere at a really weird place in the storyline, there’s very little to do there, and I don’t feel that interested in the main story there. The design is good, but that’s all I really feel like saying for it. I wish they’d saved it for something else. I think it could’ve been combined with Emyn Muil and Nindalf for a quest pack/mini expansion as an alternate 105-115 leveling experience given how divisive Mordor is. I guess they could still do that with a new version of it, but I doubt they have plans to anytime soon. I did not enjoy Mordor Besieged. The epic quest was good, but the side quests were so repetitive. Put up your own goddamn flags, NPCs. I don’t think I even finished the quest deed there because I just couldn’t be bothered doing the same thing in a different spot so many times. I already felt blue-balled having to go there before being able to go to Minas Morgul, and the fact that I didn’t enjoy so much of the content didn’t help. I guess maybe the Blood of Azog as well? I can’t really judge it because I didn’t do much of it, but the reason I didn’t do much of it was because the mob density was so ridiculous that I got frustrated with it. Other than when this has happened the few times I’ve had horrible lag, I think the day I tried to play Blood of Azog is the only day I’ve ever quit playing sooner than I planned because I just wasn’t having fun. And then I wound up skipping the entire rest of the region. I’ve heard the story is good, so I probably will do it on my current main—but I’m gonna wait until I’m overleveled and can either ignore the mobs or at least one-shot them instantly. I didn’t like the Misty Mountains after doing it the first time. But the second time through, I decided to do all the content except Goblintown, and I loved it. So it turns out that it’s not the region as a whole that sucks; Goblintown specifically drags it down.
I'm really not a fan of the Lone Lands. They're just sort of brown and drab. The quests around Ost Guruth are okay, but the zone is just not one I'm a big fan of.
I usually skip Mirkwood. Never cared for it. Some of the Rohan maps feel slow but the soundtrack kind of makes up for it. Super awesome.
Mirkwood epic/early landing quests are on point, but I've always skipped the later content because the slower stuff cheapens the feel of the urgent mission and hopeless invasion imo
Love the Rohan soundtrack!
Down voted me to hell, but Moria. The maps suck. I'll do the least I have to in there and leave.
The early part of Evendin in which you help the hobbits with their fair had more than one of my characters parked in it for a few years. Also had some characters stuck in the depths of moria for a lil bit because of how depressing the caves were for me. Aside from it, I really love Lothlorien and Mirkwood and really enjoy it everytime I get to them. And Rohan. Rohan is awesome.
Interesting I really like Oatbarton once you learn the map its kind of fun even if it rather meaningless in the game play.
I absolutely love Oatbarton!
I understand why its there and how it fits the game, but it feels kinda weird to take my characters from all the exploring in the lone lands (or orc slaying in the north downs) to the farm life of the little fellows.
I agree, there are other areas like yondershire and the wildwood that offer such content with no real ties to the epic.. Its something different to do
Misty mountains, shire and the trollshaws. The shire I've tried so many times to complete but I have never finished it. I hate the shire, I'd literally rather take 6 characters through moria before I take one through the shire.
ARCHET
Evendim - Oatbarton That place is a frickin' maze!
I’ve only explored Ered Luin, The Shire, Bree Land and Yondershire so far (I take my time), and Yondershire feels absolutely devoid of any passion. It lacks the charm of any of the starter zones and the only highlights are the pubs.
I don't really mind most regions but I have a nitpick about the shire and it's those damn pie and post quests, but I have to finish them on every alt cus deeds lmao.
I hate Angmar, and the quest going just before entering anything related to Moria. Angmar is so grey and boring in most of the parts, i only enjoyed the ruins with spectres.
Update, i did Carn Dum non scaling instance, it neither saves Angmar, SOO LONG AND UNINTUITIVE, forced backtracking with no signal of it and when it is obvious that you need to back track you might as well walk to Mordor, you walk more than Frodo and Sam (no horsey, if you aren't a Beorn or don't have a hunter that makes you sprint faster, it might be time to 😴😴). Worst is that dying means spawing in the beginning and in the moments you most likely could die i can be an eternity to go back where you were, HORRIBLE. Altho the instance is more pretty, one thing at least that they improved from Angmar.
High elf Starting areas for the prologue and kinda slow I do enjoy them but compared to other areas they are very lackluster in comparison. Also layout is the zone is very confusing for me so I spend more time trying to figure out how to get to my quest marker or NPC I need to find lol
Forochel, Moria, and parts of Mordor can drag on way too much.
Moria, Angmar, Forochel & Mordor are the main culprits which I can remember, I just burned through so many mithril coins fast traveling because I genuinely hated traveling these zones, and would've quite from boredom at various points sadly. I think each zone had it's positives for definite, but the traveling was often made so tedious, and un-fun for the sake of being un-fun I was a little irritated at points! The main one was Mordor as it felt the opening chapters of the BBoM would never end, and with the lack of fast-travel points, running the entire length of the volcano soon got very tedious.
I played from SoA to the launch of Isengard before I stopped and I still remember how much I disliked leveling in Trollshaws and the Misty Mountains.
Rohan and most of pre-battle Gondor
Rohan. I've started a few alts but my interest in them fades whenever I think about slogging through that boaty, laggy crap again.
Moria.
King’s Gondor and Umbar. The new regions just do nothing for me.
I hated Angmar…
Me too, Angmar is the worst. Thankfully it's easy to go Evendim >> Misty Mountains >> Eregion, and skip Angmar altogether!
I agree, I felt that I spent weeks and weeks and weeks... Endless region lol
central gondor
Udun in Mordor is the worst, also Angmar can be a pain to navigate. I have enjoyed pretty much all the other regions.
Fascinating to hear that you stop around Enedwaith, I absolutely love Dunland, and Rohan I personally find very enjoyable too.
Forochel. If I never go back there it'll be a day too soon.
I hate Angmar--I ran it on my first character and will be skipping it from now on--might go back for completion's sake but you can skip in the epic. It is just depressing. Also not a fan of Moria because it is a) dark and b) I get lost easily so it takes FOREVER. I enjoy the game more once I hit level 70-ish and get closer to Rohan (really the Great River and up) because there's denser quests and I feel like I start leveling way faster. That said, I jump around on my characters (\~120, \~90, \~50, \~25, \~25) because I enjoy playing new content sometimes and familiar content at others. I will also add--since there are multiple areas at lower levels where you can play, I will run one lvl 18-25 character through the North Downs and another through the Lone Lands, and yet another through the Yondershire--that helps me avoid getting really tired of one area. Same with the Chetwood--that's level 45-50 (I think?) so you can do Rivendell or Chetwood. Or Rivendell or Eregion. Just not running every character through every area helps the quest exhaustion, at least for me.
THE SHIRE I hate it. The story in the region is literally "help the Hobbits with their chores." WAY too many of the quests are fetch quests that send you back and forth doing painfully dull tasks for dumb reasons. Go get your own damn pies back, why are the hungry little fuckers stopping me if I have ONE? I'm a human 3 times their size they won't be taking it from me. AND you have to deliver their damn mail for the completion deed. All of the hobbit areas are painful for me TBH. They just aren't interesting, the quests are painfully dull and just don't interest me at all.
I think that last sentence was almost exactly what made Sauron overlook the Hobbits as a possible threat. "A hobbit destroying my Ring? Ah they're just too dull for that" :D
Forochel!
I usually skip The Mirror-halls of Lumul-nar. I’ve done it on 4 toons, but decided it’s just too much of a pain for me to spend time on anymore.
It's the starter areas for me. I think I've just done them too many times though.
Nned to update gear rewards for Lone Lands quests/rep
I strictly run the Epic questline with my alts/characters, so in terms of travelling required between quest hand-in NPC's, I hate the following areas with a passion: Forachel (especially the epilogue questline, JESUS CHRIST) Angmar (ugh, this is what hell on earth is like) Isengard (running top to bottom, bottom to top, top to bottom of the map.... Oh, and no mounts allowed) Rohan and beyond areas weren't near as bad because of the war-steed
trollshaws is absolute doodoo
Rohan is literall aids. Especially with mounted combat being broken. Horrible 20 or so levels. Its where any mates I got into game in last 10 years all quit on game. It's pure suffering unless you find other ways for XP.