Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) set in the iconic world of Middle Earth, based on the fantasy novels by J.R.R. Tolkien. Developed by Turbine and published by Standing Stone Games, the game was released in 2007 and has since evolved with numerous updates and expansions.

Today, I'll delve into a few aspects of Lord of the Rings Online and share my thoughts on why it's still worthy of our attention in 2024.

Content For Low-Level Players

The first thing I find fascinating about LOTRO is its willingness to develop and release new content aimed at low or mid-level players, rather than focusing solely on endgame content like raids or PVP. This approach is somewhat foreign to other MMOs like World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy 14, where such content is often overlooked.

For instance, LOTRO's Update 33 introduced the Yondershire, a new region for characters around Level 20 to 23. This zone, reminiscent of the Shire, offered new quests, reputation rewards, and cosmetics. Similarly, the mini-expansion Before the Shadow revamped the new player starting experience with zones like Swanfleet, offering story-based content rather than just high-level challenges.

I appreciate how Standing Stone Games normalizes the addition of lower and mid-level content, understanding the diversity of their player base. While other MMOs may focus on endgame activities, LOTRO prioritizes the journey over the destination. Its vibrant world and rich storytelling immerse players in the Middle Earth, catering to those seeking more than just loot and optimization.

In LOTRO, you can still pursue high-level challenges, but the game's slower and more laid-back pace offers a refreshing alternative to the fast-paced gameplay of other MMOs. This unique approach makes LOTRO a canvas for experiencing Middle Earth's story and atmosphere, appealing to a different kind of player and enriching the MMO landscape.

Great Zone Design 

In traditional MMOs, I've noticed a tendency for zones to feel somewhat limited in scale and scope, which can detract from the overall immersion. For instance, in the WoW Classic Cataclysm zones like Mount Hyjal or Kun-Lai Summit in Pandaria, while enjoyable, sometimes lack that grand sense of scale they aim for.

On the other hand, in the Lord of the Rings Online, zones like the Dimrill Dale or Eregion convey a remarkable sense of vastness and grandeur. Even though the graphics may not be cutting-edge, the world feels expansive, with mountains towering in the distance and valleys stretching out before you.

This attention to scale and immersion is one of the distinguishing features of LOTRO. Unlike some modern MMOs where fast travel and flying mounts shrink the world, LOTRO preserves that sense of vastness.

Stay True To Tolkien's Lore

LOTRO has always strived to stay true to Tolkien's lore, even when introducing new elements like the Rune-keeper class or expanding lesser-known areas like Swanfleet. This commitment to authenticity and respect for the source material sets LOTRO apart. While some may focus on flashy graphics or fast-paced combat, LOTRO's appeal lies in its ability to transport players to Tolkien's world and let them explore and learn at their own pace.

LOTRO's appeal lies not in cutting-edge graphics or fast-paced combat but in its role as a gateway to Tolkien's world. Players have invested years immersing themselves in Middle Earth, learning about its lore, and feeling their time respected. LOTRO offers a unique experience that cannot be replicated by mere graphical updates or flashy advertising.

Landscape Difficulty

Moreover, LOTRO has introduced innovative features like the Landscape Difficulty, which allows players to adjust the challenge level of the Open World and solo or Duo Missions.

This feature, although recent, demonstrates the game's willingness to evolve and cater to players' preferences. It's a good idea to have plenty of LOTRO Gold on hand.

Final Thought

In conclusion, while the future of LOTRO may be uncertain, its legacy as a faithful adaptation of Tolkien's world remains strong. Players value the game not just for its gameplay mechanics but for its role in preserving and honoring the rich lore of Middle Earth. As LOTRO continues to evolve, it remains a beloved staple in the MMO genre, offering a unique and immersive experience for fans of Tolkien's works.

Here I want to talk about Railway Rifle, which is one of the best weapons in the game if it is set up properly.

Railway Rifle is a home-made steel stake launcher that is loved by many Fallout 76 players. It has high single-shot damage values ​​in both semi-auto or full-auto shooting modes, is incredibly ammo efficient, and is very easy to make.

This is undoubtedly one of the best weapons in Fallout 76, especially for VATS Commando builds. If you want to buy a Railway Rifle for yourself, here are some places to find it.

How To Find Railway Rifle?

Imagine taking a solid block of steel and shooting it at someone’s head. That’s what Railway Rifle is all about. It uses the power of a steam engine to fire solid steel bolts at whatever you want to destroy.

It makes a cool gurgling sound when you reload. You can find plans to make them starting at level 30 in the southern and eastern parts of the map. But you can also buy plans directly from vendors, including Free States and Shopping Mall Vendors at Whitespring Resort. Additionally, Grahm, a super mutant merchant, and vendors in Watoga, as well as Berkeley Springs Station, also sell these plans.

Why It’s Good?

By default, Rifle does 95 base damage per shot. That’s more than Hunting Rifle’s 70 base damage. It also has a very high recoil, so at first glance, it looks like a classic sniper that hits hard but shoots slowly.

But if you look closely, you’ll see that it only costs 20 Action Points to shoot in VATS, which is less than VATS cost of most snipers. Adding Automatic Piston mod also halves Action Point cost and increases the rate of fire to 75, which is comparable to Handmade Rifle.

One of the great things about the game is that weapons that hit hard tend to shoot slowly and require a lot of Action Points in VATS. You should use them as precision weapons. On the other hand, fast-firing weapons deal fewer damage per shot, and Machine Guns require a lot of AP in VATS. So you should rely on the rate of fire to take out enemies.

But Railway Rifle breaks all stereotypes. It does a lot of damage, but it also fires very quickly and is also cheap in VATS. The only downside is the ridiculously high recoil. This makes the automatic Railway Rifle unique.

How To Use It Properly?

Railway Rifle almost looks like it was designed specifically for VATS. And that’s exactly how you should use it, because VATS can counteract the recoil.

It doesn’t have a lot of mods. As I mentioned before, Automatic Piston Receiver increases the rate of fire and reduces the cost in VATS. Outside of VATS, the extra rate of fire will be useless because of the recoil, but when you add the mod, it also reduces AP cost. So it’s a simple choice to go with Automatic Piston.

Long Barrel gives you more range and accuracy, but at the cost of more recoil. But as we mentioned before, VATS counteracts recoil, so you’ll want Long Barrel as well.

Also, Longer Scope will make you more accurate, which is very handy, but opting for Reflex Sight will reduce AP cost to 7 per shot. If you have plenty of Perception, then Reflex Sight might be the better choice. Players with low health and a full Unyielding set will be particularly suited to using it.

Extra Perception will let you hit more in VATS, extra AP means you can shoot more, and extra Luck means more crits.

But unlike most Rifles, it doesn’t have Armor Penetrating Magazines, so make sure to use Tank Killer to give yourself some ways around armor, and use Critical Savvy perk card to get as many crits as possible.

There’s no weight saving perks under Perception so you should also be free to use Commando perks for more damage.

If you don’t have Speed ​​Demon mutation, Ground and Pound should help you reload faster. But if you have mutations, you can replace it with other perks, since reloading is only a little faster and the hip fire accuracy bonus isn’t very useful for Railway Rifle.

Best Legendary Effects

As always, which Legendary Effect is best comes down to personal preference, but I’ll give some of my thoughts.

Since Railway Rifle has a small magazine, with only 10 spikes. This makes Quad effect more useful than other weapon types.

Anti Armor is also particularly useful, since Rifle doesn’t have an Anti Armor magazine, halving an enemy’s armor makes a noticeable difference. Combine it with Tank Killer and you can reduce armor by nearly 70%, compared to 36% with just Tank Killer.

Against bosses, you still need Quad effect for a more sustained shot, but Anti Armor does significantly more damage per shot, so it works better in normal play. But both are great as endgame gear.

For the second star, Explosive effects are always good for marking, but the 25% faster fire rate against bosses will actually give you more damage, especially if you land more critical hits at low health.

VATS Enhanced is the obvious choice for the last star. Reducing VATS action cost by 25% doesn’t seem like much, but this discount is based on the base AP cost, so the action point cost per shot is fixed at -5.

With Automatic Piston and Reflex Sight, it costs 7 AP per shot, which is still low, but with the reduced VATS cost, it only costs 2 AP per shot, which is ridiculous.

It pairs well with any other combination of Legendary Effects, but pairs particularly well with Quad. Therefore, the ideal combination is Quad, Faster Fire, and VATS Enhanced.

I got 492 AP with my low health character, which is more than enough to throw multiple magazines at a boss without running out of AP.

Outro

All in all, Railway Rifle is a very specialized weapon. For anyone using VATS, especially with a low health build, this is one of the best weapons you can get. It hits hard, shoots fast, and has a very low VATS cost. Once you use an excellent weapon, you’ll understand why it has remained popular with players for so many years. Give it a try!