Lord of the Rings Online
I've been playing Lord of the Rings Online for a bit. I've put over 100 hours into it, and my character is level 40. I've mostly just been doing story quests and festivals. It seems like there's always a festival of some sort going on, and you can get really cool rewards from them while doing fun little tasks, so it's hard not to focus on them.
My character's name is Desienne, and her current title is Wild Hunter. She's a hunter, obvs, and I'm currently playing with the blue-line skills, which means I deal less damage but have increased mobility. It's best for soloing, which is pretty much all I'm doing. I don't have any friends who play, and the game is quite solo-friendly. I'm in a fellowship (or guild), but the members are mostly higher-level and focused on endgame content. My goal is to eventually participate in endgame stuff with them, but for now I'm just leveling on my own.
I've tried out several MMOs over the past few years, and LotRO is the only one I've found that suits me. I like that I can play at my own pace, and I love how quickly you're able to customize your appearance and decorate your house. A lot of games save that stuff for endgame, but you can do it almost immediately in LotRO. Cosmetics are admittedly a big draw for me in games, and LotRO offers a plethora of items in that respect. Every festival has plenty of new cosmetic outfits and decorations as rewards for completing quests.
I also think the game looks really good, especially for how old it is. It has a ton of character. There are little details, like the way clothing fits your character, that I appreciate, and the environments are just lovely. I've been a fan of Tolkien all my life, and LotRO does a fantastic job of transporting you into Middle Earth. The water is reflective and beautiful, there are wildflowers and butterflies everywhere, and there's just so much to look at. When I entered the Shire for the first time, it took my breath away. Same with Swanfleet, pictured above, which is my absolute favorite in-game location.
Another thing I love is that you can play various musical instruments. Players have formed countless bands, and you're likely to run into a live concert whenever you enter a city. I haven't played around with any of the instruments myself yet, but it's lovely to be running along and just randomly hear a concert going and then run into the crowd, who are all cheering and dancing for the musicians. The game is still active and lively, which is great to see. It makes it feel like a living, breathing world.
There's so much to do in LotRO, and the fact that it's still very active is a testament to the time and effort that the devs have put into it throughout the years. It's a fantastically robust MMO and one that I highly recommend, whether you want to play solo or with friends.
Lord of the Rings Online is free to play, but you can subscribe for additional benefits.