LotR Online Open Beta

Lord of the Rings Online began its open beta today, allowing players who pre-ordered the game (not me) to being playing and trying it out. Everyone else (including me) who signs on gets to start checking it out next Friday, April 6th. I figured, what the heck - I'll go see what it's all about. It costs you nothing to get in (a free Gamespot signup gets you the key), and you download the client directly from Turbine.

I'm going to be honest and say that I'm not really very enthused about this game, but since I've quit playing my WoW Paladin I've certainly got time on my hands. I particularly enjoy PvP, and there's just not much available in this game. You can spar (like dueling in WoW, I assume), or play as monsters under certain conditions, but there will be no world objectives, battlegrounds, or anything resembling RvR.

As far as classes go, the Captain most closely resembles the Paladin/Warrior Priest archetype - a melee oriented support class. The abilities listed appear limited, providing minor augmentation to your allies, and there aren't nearly as many combat options available when compared to the much more offensive Champion. I'll probably end up rolling a Captain to see how it plays, though I have a feeling it won't have as many offensive options as a Warrior Priest. The beauty of the Righteous Fury system is that it gives the Warrior Priest real alternatives - restore and sustain your allies, or unleash the wrath of Sigmar upon your enemies.

Anyhow, I'll keep you guys posted when I'm finally able to log on. As usual, I'll also be sure to fill you in as soon as I find out anything regarding the Warrior Priest. If anyone's interested, I may even bump into you in the beta.