Thread: Why You Picked An elf

Did u pick ur elf because he is tall, or looks good, just because elves are awesome. I picked mine cuz i know a fair amount of lotr lore and i know just how awesome elfs are. My elf is from Lindon, because Lindon is one of the first elven cities. So why did you pick ur character as an elf what class is he, and what do you think of him now?

When I originally started playing the champion, I envisioned someone who beat stuff down not because he was strong, but because he was fast. Elves dominate that market.

The reality is, of course, marginally different...

Same reason you mentioned really. Of all mythical creatures, Tolkien or not, the Elves have always intrigued me...so my first Character was a no brainer.

My first Elf fit the first character concept I had for this game - a sort of hidden defender of the Race of Man, hunting down the last primordial threats that Men can't, or won't, face down themselves.

Ive always been fascinated with elves, specially in this world, tall, beautiful and fairest of all beings, incredibly skilled crafter, and warriors, may the weapon be the sword, bow, or the pen and harp...they're are tons of lore and mystic to dig upon for any needs, it was a no brainer. all but 2 of my char are elves!

Cause the movies made legolas look awesome and cause they seemed the most magical class so my LM fit perfectly. Too bad after book 4 chapter 8 i hated him and his npc stupidity

Because I always play dudes in MMOs, and it sounds funny but I wanted to try out a female character haha. ALSO I always play melee warrior classes, and I wanted to try ranged.. hunter! Soooo Elf was a no brainer really.

Read the Silmarillion long ago and became an Elf fan, and roleplayed Tolkien type elves in other games, waiting on this one. Even went so far as to start learning Sindarin long ago (where most Tolkien language fanatics learn Quenya as the more beautiful Elf language, but Sindarin was the everyday language). Anyway, eventually learned a lot of vocabulary and some grammer before quitting when I got to all the nasal mutation stuff. I think its one of those languages you'd need to grow up hearing.

Originally Posted by Galadh

Read the Silmarillion long ago and became an Elf fan, and roleplayed Tolkien type elves in other games, waiting on this one. Even went so far as to start learning Sindarin long ago (where most Tolkien language fanatics learn Quenya as the more beautiful Elf language, but Sindarin was the everyday language). Anyway, eventually learned a lot of vocabulary and some grammer before quitting when I got to all the nasal mutation stuff. I think its one of those languages you'd need to grow up hearing.

Yeah, like Esperanto.

I'm a human irl, so I didn't really want to play one in game too. :P My first char was a hobbit minnie. Played a week or less, lvl 7, wasn't doing it for me. Read the forums about classes, etc. Thought, Hmmm.... LM sounds cool. Then read an article on LM's that they're not like mages in D&D etc, but can go h2h and eventually dual wield sword and staff. Well, that sounded way too much like Gandalf to turn down! It really only makes sense to have an Elven LM wielding a sword of his own make (one of my goals) because humans don't live long enough to get good enough to make an awesome sword and be a warrior too. Plus elves are just so stinking cool. Chose to go with a female elf just for kicks. I wonder how many ig people I meet who assume I'm female irl. Makes me chuckle.

Also, I read Children of Hurin last year. Enjoyed fleshing out some of the lore about elves and men in the early days. I always liked Glorfindel in the Trilogy. I loved that the Riders didn't spook him and loved the flight to the ford scene in which Frodo sees him glowing. Basically, elves kick. I was always disappointed that Legolas was the only elf we really heard much about after FotR.

For me it was a mixture of tradition and the fact that I'm visually shallow. I always play male elves. Did it in FFXI, DAoC, EQ2, and all the other MMOs I've tried. And to be blunt, it's because I like the way they look. I've heard people complaining that the male elves are a little too feminine, and honestly that's why I chose them. It's sort of a goal of mine to play feminine males in every online game I play, because that's what I like to look at.

Also, though I've noticed that most LOTRO females are fully clothed, my choice of solely male characters came from the fact that in previous MMORPGs I've found that the women are usually wearing chainmail bikinis while the men are properly geared for battle.

I play Elven characters in LOTRO exclusively and have something like 19 of them. (Okay, that's partially an untruth. I have one human Burglar and one human Captain on top of that. Does it count that they are adopted by my other Elven characters and share the same Surname?)

I do so because:

1.) Elves are ub3r-1337. That's why Turbine had to gimp them so hard in the game.

2.) I've read the Silmarillion one too many times.

3.) My first girl-friend tortured me by making me learn to read & speak Sinarin & Quenyan...so even though all of that's old and rusty I figured I might as well not waste all that effort and use it for something.

4.) If I'm going to stare at the backside of my toon for 8 hours a day, then as far as I'm concerned it's going to have to be the backside of a smokin' h4wt female elf with long flowing hair, a lithe form, graceful curves, and porcelain pale skin. Let's just say doing such is much cheaper than buying pr0n all the time, and certainly much easier than dealing with a psychotic gf who decides to go off her meds at inopportune times (been there, done that, over it).

5.) Playing an Elf allows me to be snooty and aloof, just like I am irl, although to everyone else they just think I'm RPing and don't think bad of me for it.

6.) When creating an Elf character I can choose an unpronouncable name that looks great but generates hours of cheap entertainment as people try to pronounce it in Chat/Vent (just how do you pronounce "Filegedhiel" again?)

7.) Because I have a theme going, and I'm going to run with it. Why mess with tradition?

8.) I can claim dibs on all mining nodes in an area and when a human or dorf or hobbit claims they were there first I can proclaim with all sincerity "Excuse me? What are you, like 25 years old? As I am 2400 years old I can say with all certainty that I was most definitely here long before your great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandparents were ever conceived!"

9.) The point ears (does that qualify as a fetish?).

10.) So that when I decide to leave the game I can proclaim with dignity and class "As the time of the Elves in Middle-Earth draws to a close, so must it come my time to sail into the West to the white shores of Avalonne. I bid you all a farewell and leave the care of Middle-Earth to you Children of Men" rather than be a tactless attention monger by saying "Turbine, that was the last straw! I'm tired of the Nerfs and making the game too accessible. I'm leaving for WAR/AoC/KOTRO/{Insert Other MMO Here}. And no you can't have my stuff!"

Originally Posted by TsarithArcher

I play Elven characters in LOTRO exclusively and have something like 19 of them. (Okay, that's partially an untruth. I have one human Burglar and one human Captain on top of that. Does it count that they are adopted by my other Elven characters and share the same Surname?)

I do so because:

1.) Elves are ub3r-1337. That's why Turbine had to gimp them so hard in the game.

2.) I've read the Silmarillion one too many times.

3.) My first girl-friend tortured me by making me learn to read & speak Sinarin & Quenyan...so even though all of that's old and rusty I figured I might as well not waste all that effort and use it for something.

4.) If I'm going to stare at the backside of my toon for 8 hours a day, then as far as I'm concerned it's going to have to be the backside of a smokin' h4wt female elf with long flowing hair, a lithe form, graceful curves, and porcelain pale skin. Let's just say doing such is much cheaper than buying pr0n all the time, and certainly much easier than dealing with a psychotic gf who decides to go off her meds at inopportune times (been there, done that, over it).

5.) Playing an Elf allows me to be snooty and aloof, just like I am irl, although to everyone else they just think I'm RPing and don't think bad of me for it.

6.) When creating an Elf character I can choose an unpronouncable name that looks great but generates hours of cheap entertainment as people try to pronounce it in Chat/Vent (just how do you pronounce "Filegedhiel" again?)

7.) Because I have a theme going, and I'm going to run with it. Why mess with tradition?

8.) I can claim dibs on all mining nodes in an area and when a human or dorf or hobbit claims they were there first I can proclaim with all sincerity "Excuse me? What are you, like 25 years old? As I am 2400 years old I can say with all certainty that I was most definitely here long before your great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandparents were ever conceived!"

9.) The point ears (does that qualify as a fetish?).

10.) So that when I decide to leave the game I can proclaim with dignity and class "As the time of the Elves in Middle-Earth draws to a close, so must it come my time to sail into the West to the white shores of Avalonne. I bid you all a farewell and leave the care of Middle-Earth to you Children of Men" rather than be a tactless attention monger by saying "Turbine, that was the last straw! I'm tired of the Nerfs and making the game too accessible. I'm leaving for WAR/AoC/KOTRO/{Insert Other MMO Here}. And no you can't have my stuff!"

I'd like to counter the above, excellent post with this:

BARUK KHAZAD!


The one elf I had, it was just because she was hot. I deleted her and replaced it with a dwarf though.

I'm playing an elf because I can't play an uruk-hai.

Elves have the most interesting history amongst all other races in all of Arda and so naturally I chose one to be my main.

Originally Posted by TsarithArcher

4.) If I'm going to stare at the backside of my toon for 8 hours a day, then as far as I'm concerned it's going to have to be the backside of a smokin' h4wt female elf with long flowing hair, a lithe form, graceful curves, and porcelain pale skin. Let's just say doing such is much cheaper than buying pr0n all the time, and certainly much easier than dealing with a psychotic gf who decides to go off her meds at inopportune times (been there, done that, over it).

[/I]"

lmao good idea

Originally Posted by Sigram

I'd like to counter the above, excellent post with this:

BARUK KHAZAD!


The one elf I had, it was just because she was hot. I deleted her and replaced it with a dwarf though.

When I first started playing LotRO, on trial account, I made a male elf Loremaster. But, while playing him, I kept on thinking "Why did I make a chick?"

Just couldn't tell the difference!

So, deleted, and now I only play Dwarves.

Originally Posted by Karhald

When I first started playing LotRO, on trial account, I made a male elf Loremaster. But, while playing him, I kept on thinking "Why did I make a chick?"

Just couldn't tell the difference!

So, deleted, and now I only play Dwarves.

See? there's the problem. You make a male elf, then wonder why you have a chick that sort looks like a chick but doesn't really do it for ya. **Aerosmith's song 'Dude Looks Like a Lady' rolls through the mind at this point***
so instead, roll the fembot elf, and then you KNOW you have a chick, alls well.

rolled elf due to them looking the coolest as a hunter, or champ...or anything. didn't like the male elf..torso looked way too long, and he stands like he has a stick up his <insert preferred word to describe the buttocks here>. so girls it was and they are hawt, though a little skinny at times. Ya get used to it tho.

My main toon is a Female Elven Champion. I chose her because of her "look." It got even better as time progress with heavy armor. Elven Female + Hvy Elven Armor = Full of Win.

I also have an Elven Male Guardian. The sole reason of his existence is that I wanted an Elven Character that could be a soldier in the old days of the Last Alliance. In Middle Earth, when you think of Elven military forces, you think of heavy infantry, not pew-pew Elves.

I picked an elf the the 2% bow damage. Mhmm

I chose a elf because I wanted a hawt character, and humans can't be RK's and... I don't find dwarfs very attractive.

I chose an elf because it complimented my class choice.

As a ministrel who wields a club, the sword and box damage really.... wait.... hmmm.

Well, okay, but on my warden the.... well.... hmmmm.

Well the racial trait that helps me, ummm.... wow.


I guess, I chose an elf because I'm a stupid stupid man.

It's all about the ears..

enough said..

^_^

My brother picked a dwarf, his friend picked a hobbit , another one picked a human so I chose elf to keep our fellowship diverse. But then another friend joined in and chose elf and the human guy started all over again as an elf, in the end we now have no human =P Meh there goes the variety in fellowship.

In beta I picked an Elven Minstrel with thoughts of singing in Hall of Fire at Rivendell.

I'm really Vulcan.

*runs*

I've liked elves even before I knew about LOTR, so yeah. I like the pointy ears, haha. Their normally portrayed as graceful and I like that as well. May as well look good while you're killing orcs.

Because I've never been able to put together a decent looking light armour cosmetic outfit for a Dwarf.

Originally Posted by Enzdid

Because I've never been able to put together a decent looking light armour cosmetic outfit for a Dwarf.

QFT. That's the only reason my RK is an Elf, really. I just couldn't make the Dwarf work in light armor.

lol because i thought the elf hunter at the character creation screen looked BA with the antler bow.

I don't get how reading the Silmarillion would want to cause someone to play or like Elves more. Sure, if all you know about is Peter Jackson's overly-glorified movie Elves, or even the standard LOTR Books I could see it.

But the Silmarillion shows that the Elves were treacherous, selfish, kinslaying, murderers who were the ancestors of Orcs.

Sorry for those who haven't read it and thought the Elves were always good guys, pure etc.

I think some Elves in Middle-earth are pretty awesome, but the Silmarillion was a huge eye-opener for me when it revealed their dark, brutal and murderous past.

Originally Posted by LoupGarou216

I don't get how reading the Silmarillion would want to cause someone to play or like Elves more. Sure, if all you know about is Peter Jackson's overly-glorified movie Elves, or even the standard LOTR Books I could see it.

But the Silmarillion shows that the Elves were treacherous, selfish, kinslaying, murderers who were the ancestors of Orcs.

Sorry for those who haven't read it and thought the Elves were always good guys, pure etc.

I think some Elves in Middle-earth are pretty awesome, but the Silmarillion was a huge eye-opener for me when it revealed their dark, brutal and murderous past.

The "evil" Elves in the Silmarillion are the exception, rather than the rule. EVERY good race in LotR has its downsides, without exception.

I don't get how reading the Silmarillion would want to cause someone to play or like Valar, Maiar, Men, or Dwarves more.

Valar: Morgoth was one of them. He was also pretty much the biggest, baddest evil in the history of Arda.

Maiar: Sauron, the Valaraukar, Saruman. None of them were very nice folks.

Men: They betrayed the Elves and were corrupted by Morgoth. They were corrupted by Sauron. They even went so far as to WORSHIP the guy. Still serving their evil masters in the Third Age.

Dwarves: They were sometimes quite greedy, which resulted in the betrayal and murder of Thingol by the dwarves of Nogrond, which lead to the sacking of Doriath. Not a stellar history.

So, really, your points are valid, but they apply to everyone else as well.

Originally Posted by Taralom

So, really, your points are valid, but they apply to everyone else as well.

No argument there.

Being the Silmarillion though, the despicable acts of the Elves are delved into in much greater detail than the "side stories" of Men and Dwarves. The Elves are arguably the focus of this book, and while the treachery of men and the Dwarf-Elf wars of the first age are indeed stains on their history, none of the above was as painful to read as, for example, when the Noldor slaughtered the Teleri for their ships. I think we all expect Men to betray everybody and Dwarves to war against the Elves, but the kinslaying by the Noldor in the First Age were a shocking eye-opener for me.

Originally Posted by LoupGarou216

No argument there.

Being the Silmarillion though, the despicable acts of the Elves are delved into in much greater detail than the "side stories" of Men and Dwarves. The Elves are arguably the focus of this book, and while the treachery of men and the Dwarf-Elf wars of the first age are indeed stains on their history, none of the above was as painful to read as, for example, when the Noldor slaughtered the Teleri for their ships. I think we all expect Men to betray everybody and Dwarves to war against the Elves, but the kinslaying by the Noldor in the First Age were a shocking eye-opener for me.

And why was it so painful to read? I feel it is because it was such a huge departure from the normal behaviour of the Elves. The Elves turning on each other is so shocking, so eye-opening, because you know they are as a whole better than that, you know of their normal nobility and honour, and you could never have expected the massacre of Alqualonde.

Because of their bittersweet history and the idea that this era is pretty much their final years of fading glory.

I chose a female elf because at least I'd have an excuse for crying like a girl when I get hit...

1) I tried all the other races and I didn't find them fun or immersive.

2) Elves make the best Hunters.

3) Elves have the best zones. Sorry dorfs Thorins hall is still just a hole in the ground and Moria is a hole in the ground full of orc and orc poo.

Then we come to the race of Men. Saruman said this about the house of Eoril but it fits Bree rather well...."A thatched roof barn where brigands drink in the reek and their brats roll on the floor with the dogs."

And as far as male Elves looking like chicks.....I can't think of one instance where any of mine have ever been mistaken for females. All I hear from other players is "Dude that was awsome!" or "thanks for the help dude."

In all seriousness though the first two reasons are really the only ones. I like the way Elves look and feel when you play them. Its nice having that connection to the whole history of Arda. It really lends the feeling that the war isnt simply an obligation forged from a desire for self preservation, but the duty of being the first born of Illuvatar.

+ Bow damage and hawt looks. The Bree girls don't do it for me.

Chose mine because I was a total n00b in the begging and thought Elves were cool like Legolas.

Legolas in the movies is a downturn, but it didn't kill it for me.

I just like the way they look and I'll spend a lot of time staring at that character's backside. Some female men characters also come out good, but with less variety. The increased agility of the Elfs is to my liking, I like to actually hit things.

I wanted the stealth skill although after I got it I never used it because of the cooldown that ranges right into the 5th age. Well, you can't have everything.

So I have two women (Hunter and Captain), one Hobbit (Burglar), one Dwarf and the rest is Elves, with the Dwarf guardian possibly being replaced with an Elf one if his looks don't improve anytime soon. I feel that in LOTRO there are only very limited sets of design elements that make Dwarfs look good, aka the good-looking Dwarfs mostly all look the same.

I have one character, her name is Illidirial of Lorien and she is a Runekeeper. Before I get into detail about why I chose an elf I should first elaborate on my own character.

My Character
1) The name Illidrial, to my knowledge has no real meaning, because when I created her I saw myself more as a parent then as a writer and how many parents look for meanings in a name? Most of them just want their child to have a kicking name. So I chose Illidrial, but also for the reasons it reminds me of both Gil-Galad and Galadriel.

2) I chose Runekeeper at the beginning because I thought it was a pretty cool class, but as I leveled and my character grew with the class I became more aware that Runekeeper FITS the Elven race, more so my character. During one of the class quests where you visit Weathertop you are taught the way of runes and how runes are connected to Nature. I have always seen Elves as masters of Nature and all life on Middle-Earth, that is in fact why at least one elf that I know of chose to come over the sea. Because she would be held in much higher respects and would be able to rule.

The Race
1) Elves are the first born. They are the older brother's and sister's, they are their brother's keepers, they are responsible for their siblings (the other races). They are much older and much wiser than any child of Illuvatar that walks Middle-Earth.
I also think that being the first born, they have a certain favoritism, they must be the beloved of the Valar because despite their betrayal they were called home in the end (Most of them).

2) Elves are the essence of good. As far as the levels of piety go in the realm of Tolkien I think it is as follows:
The One
The Valar
The Maiar
The Elves
(Continued)
The closer you are to The One, indeed the holier you are. The Elves are not immune to corruption, but they are very virtuous creatures.
One trait I think they exhibit that proves their high moral standards is the little "No Sex Before Marriage" clause that they have going on. Furthermore, divorce is unheard of among them, I haven't read up much on this, but as far as I have read they are the only race that is loyal to their spouses "Til death do they part".

3) The Rings. The Elves were the ONLY race that was able to wield the rings that were (originally) given to them. They held together the very last alliance against Sauron's power, the Three Rings were the last true power on Middle Earth that was wielded by the Free Peoples.
It was the elves who forged the rings, the elves who hid and protected the rings, and later the elves who wielded and used the rings to hold back the tide of darkness sweeping from Mordor.
Does the ancient power of the elves still exist? No, the race is no where near as powerful as it once was, but I would place money on it that if you pit any other race, in its entirety against the Elven people and they all hauled up in Lorien and Rivendell, those other races wouldn't get ANYWHERE.
Lothlorien held back Dol Guldur three times by the power of Nenya and Rivendell barred the way to the Nine with the power of Vilya.

So those are ultimately my reasons for choosing an elf, love them, hate them.

Hey secret fire, I like your explanation of runekeepers I hope more people read it and pick up on the way you feel they fit into Lotro. I suspect that elves low birth rate has more to do with them thinking carefully about who they choose to spend the rest of their lives with, and we are not talking about the next 50 years. It may be that few of them married as they couldnt stand being saddled with nagging mothers in law for the rest of eternity or paying child support for the next 5 milenia rather than due to any greater morality on their part.