Going free to play was one of the best moves that Turbine ever made for its epic fantasy MMO, Lord of the Rings Online. Even now, well after the change, server pops are way up, there are many more servers than ever before, and great, original content keeps coming, while the game itself continues to come with each patch.
And Update 6: The Shores of the Great River has all that in spades. Here's what's in the update:
Epic Story
The latest chapter in LOTRO’s free Epic Story awaits! Travel to Lothlórien to seek Galadriel’s wisdom after experiencing troubling dreams. Investigate the grim tidings along the Great River but be prepared as the evidence may point to a foe more terrible than your darkest nightmares.
Soldier on Landscape
Get the helping hand you need with LOTRO’s new Soldier on Landscape! This new feature allows you to summon your faithful skirmish companion in the field. Customise your skirmish solider to help you tackle even the toughest challenges!
Instance Finder Update
You spoke, we listened, and now we’re making Instance Finder better than ever! Instance Finder will soon allow you to queue for the specific instances and skirmishes that you want to do. You can also choose to change loot rules and remove players with a fellowship vote. The rewards are being enhanced, too, granting additional XP for skirmish completion and scaling currency bonuses for when you queue for a larger range of instances.
The update is free for for VIP players, and will cost a few dollars for free players. And I can guarantee it'll be worth it, if only for Legolas doing cool shit. Check out this trailer...
