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LotRO or AoC?
Stuck in the middle of both... These are the only two MMORPG's I'm willing to play as I will likely end up subscribing for premium content down the road but for now I want a "A-Class" MMORPG for "free".
I enjoy questing; not a big fan of grinding. Communities, guilds, PKing/PVPing and Raiding is important for me. I've heard that LotRO hinders your raiding ability significantly at higher levels without paying for the expansions/add-ons, etc.
I'm also looking for a game that looks beautiful on a high-spec computer (my home PC) but can still play on a good laptop (at my girlfriends). Also, my girlfriend will plan on playing aswell so this is another major factor: Which game will work best as a "duo"?
Thanks for reading!
-Brad
Comments
Welll AOC may be the way to go if you want to play on a laptop. But id pick LORTO for the whole thing is pretty put together and not a pain in the you know what. I like aoc but it just needs to be revied too much right now.
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By "revied", do you mean it is a dead game? I plan on playing a PvP server. (Tyranny from the looks of it, not Deathwish; as my girlfriend won't like the rule set of it).
AOC trust me i play the community is getting larger every week gameplay keeps u on the edge quest get very deep areas of the world are very fun to explore the free characters are fun trust me i use to be a sub if ur startin out and wana pve winnica is the best most populated server i even have a very large populer guild in the server always recruiting and helps alot also im starting a priest maybe we can lvl quest its fun...LOTRO is alright very fun aswell but if you want something new and exciteing AOC is the way to go!! aoc gets better every patch no lies!!
AOC on max if thats not a problem IS A NO BRAINER its just simply amazing truley a liveing breathing world
i run on max and its just lush and very nice:)
Lotro is dated 2 is stale and bland AOC is fun in every way 2!
so if aoc is what u choose give me a message and ill tell my guild to invite you
Grey wardens
there is very little pvp in LOTRO, so if pvp is a big factor than i'd go with AoC. Everything else LOTRO excels at (in comparison to AoC). AoC is arguably the best graphical mmo also.
I've just heard so many negative things about AoC. Is it really that bad of a game?
you almost only hear negative things on foruns, because people who enjoy the game, prefer to pass the time playing it instead of ranting in the foruns.
about your question. I think AoC is better than LotRO now, but it is just my opinion, you should just try both.
if you like rich PVE content, interesting crafting system, then go for LOTRO.
if you like stunning graphics, dynamic combat, PVP, then go for AOC
Lotro has more content, however, AoC has far better quality. Especially the content in Godslayer is nothing less than amazing. Still, both games are quite solid.
REALITY CHECK
Age of Conan is my current favorite. Lord of the Rings online is cool, but it lacks life. It's hard to explain. Something about it just doesn't pull me in.
Age of Conan looks beautiful. The combat is different and more involving than LotRO. You might like it or hate it. I'm neutral, but it's a nice change. Gotta love the fatalities though. I really enjoy the soloable instances and am also super excited for the scalable instances, which I haven't really played much since I just reached the 40s. The music is amazing.
There are a ton of quests to do as well. I actually find myself leveling up too fast and wish there was something to slow me down. You also get offline levels you can put into any character level 30 or higher. You gain an offline level every 4 days of subscription time. You also have PvP, which isn't really something available in LotRO.
Overall, Age of Conan is just a high quality MMORPG. It's been overlooked the past few years, but hopefully going free to play will draw some attention and get the game rolling a bit faster.
if PvP is your thing then you really have to go with AoC, that coming from someone who thinks LotRO is at least the equal if not better game. its more polished, has better community, but it is a themepark mmo and the pvp for you would be miserable more than likely.
having said that, if the f2p model is something that concerns you, im afraid that LotROs is by far the better model. you can actually earn points to spend in game and you have access to most content. AoC has extremely limited content access at the f2p level, their pricing scheme is higher than most f2p games, and ive played quite a few. and AoCs shop does lean toward P2Win, though it hasn't gone completely there yet.
if youre going to premium eventually, might as well go ahead and go premium now with AoC, buy the xpac (im not sure if it contains the original game as well, but most xpacs do), and get the free 30 days. the reason i say this is because the first 20 levels in Tortage do *not* reflect the majority of the game. so unless you want to lvl to 30 or 40 with all of the class and racial restrictions in their f2p, then go premium and save yourself the trouble. you'll have more options right up front and be able to play the classes and races you *want* to play, have access to storage, chat, and xpac materials ahead of time and not have to go back and level again.
"There are at least two kinds of games.
One could be called finite, the other infinite.
A finite game is played for the purpose of winning,
an infinite game for the purpose of continuing play."
Finite and Infinite Games, James Carse
all those benefits mentioned above are b/c you either bought them in the store or are a subscriber, please make that clear as most folks reading that would think the f2p model simply gives them those things.
one of the main reasons ive been turned off by AoCs f2p is the stinginess of the company. far more content is offered by far better companies with better polished at launch games, then Funcom has offered here.
its why i reccommended that the OP just go ahead buy the xpac and then subscribe. his overall play experience will be better because of it.
"There are at least two kinds of games.
One could be called finite, the other infinite.
A finite game is played for the purpose of winning,
an infinite game for the purpose of continuing play."
Finite and Infinite Games, James Carse
Both games are very good. I guess it depends on what you want more: PvP or epic storyline
Alright so I rolled a Priest and got to about Level 12 before I was a little burned out. I was planning to play with my brother and learned that one of the main early quest chains requires single-player mode... This was a major turn-off.
The inventory limitation of 8-10 spaces whatever it is is absolutely ridiculous. Aswell as the 2 gold limit. I chose Tyranny as it's the most active PvP server. I remeber playing AoC at launch and ganking in White Sands alongside the Goonheim. As I ventured there last night, I soon learned it's barren! Not a single soul....
I might just be better off going to LotRO and excusing the PvP from my requirements.
Not knowing much about AoC, but seems it's very similar to LOTRO aka You won't get far for free. In LOTRO free means demo version till about lvl 30. Then it's pay or play a grindy korean MMORPG. But free part should be large enough to make up Your mind. PvP isn't major part of the game and it's for subscribers only for now. LOTRO is very nice and fun game but You'll definitely need to fork out cash to get the best out of it.