Getting Started with Lotro

So you just bought the game, installed it, and you want to know what to do next! What's the best class to play? What are the best graphic settings to run on? Which server should I joine? Which kinship? Which profession? The questions are endless, but LOTROedge's getting started guide should help answer some of these important questions. Consider it your getting started cheat sheet!

Getting Started Guide
System Requirements
Make an account
Choosing a Class
Intro Quests
System Requirements

Minimum Recommended
Processor: Intel Pentium® 4 1.8 GHz or equivalent Intel Pentium® 4 2.8 GHz or equivalent
Video: 64 MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 3 or ATI® Radeon® 8500 128 MB NVIDIA® GeForce® FX 6800 or ATI® Radeon® X850
DirectX: DirectX® 9.0c DirectX® 9.0c
OS: Windows® XP Windows® XP / Vista
RAM: 512 MB 1 GB
Disk Space: 7 GB available 10 GB available
Internet: 56kbps Modem Broadband DSL/Cable
Optical Drive: 2x DVD-ROM 2x DVD-ROM

To run this game at maximum graphic performance, it can be quite demanding. I run mine on a top of the line Athlon with 3 gigs of RAM and still dont' turn all the graphic settings up. I always prefer game-play vs. perfect graphics, so it'll be up to you to decide what's most important. There are pre-set settings you can choose from, spanning "poor" to "ultra" so mess with them and find your best combo of performance and looks.

Make an Account
So you've installed the game but need to log in, and choose a server. The first thing you need as an account from Turbine that will allow you to play the game. You should recieve a "key" with your game and you will use this during sign up to enable your account. After you've created a custom username and password, you'll get a chance to log into your account in the game. Select a server from the list provided before entering, but remember to select the same server that your friends are on if you want to play with them. Each server is a completely seperate realm.

Choosing a Class
There are a lot of questions you can ask while you decide on a class. If you're playing with friends, you may want to consider what the most "needed" class is for your kinship. If it's simply personal preference, you can take a brief look at our race and class overviews and then decide based on the features you like most. After you select a character, you'll need to complete an opening quest to enter the "real world" - which we'll explain below.

Intro Quests
No matter what race or class you choose, you'll need to complete an "intro" quest and "intro" quest chain. The game begins in different places based on race, but you'll always have a quest to complete right away. This is a great way to become familiar with game-play and take a look at some of the neat game features. Once you complete your initial quest, you'll be taken to a "starting" or "noob" zone where you will complete quests until about level 5 or 6. Then you'll be moved to the "real world" and be able to talk with friends, etc who are past the intro quests.

Happy playing! http://lotro.mmorpgedge.com/articles/39/1/Getting-Started-with-Lotro/Page1.html