Thread: Is lord of the rings online better then world of warcraft?

The Lord of the Rings Online is based on the books, high fantasy epic books written by philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien
By this only you can understand the great,interesting content that this game has
Its simply the most epic,fantasy story , LOTRO reflects that very nicely

The vast and amazing landscapes, the feel and look of every area is just a unique aspect of this game that no other game out there have
Same can be said about the lore and the story
The music is really good, especially at some areas, such as Lothlorien and Rivendell
The epic story line is another unique and great aspect , even the side quests are interesting with their own story and lore

PvMP is special and realistic in the world of Middle-earth


And just for the record, i had never that much interest for a game before, i was never member of a game forum and talking and posting comments on the forums

LOTRO got me hooked, with all the above things i have mentioned
Its just amazing of how LOTRO captures people interest for long time, maybe thats why LOTRO has the most loyal players

LOTRO is beautifull, period

All that, however doesnt mean that LOTRO doesnt need improving on some aspects(housing,epic battles with lots of npcs and mobs,pvmp for example)

Originally Posted by Berephon

That is entirely a subjective question.

Actually its not
Its objective, you cant say for example that WoW has a better world, or better scenery or that it has a better story and lore or music
LOTRO wins in all of those aspects-period

And from what i read Isengard expansion is going to be epic
Berephon maybe you could give us a hint about Isengard? something, tell us that it will be epic!Hearing that from a developer it makes a lot of difference

There's three possible answers for the OP's question, depending on where the question is being asked;

1. When asked on LOTRO forums, answer is generally "hell yes, it's the best".
2. When asked on WoW forums, answer is generally "hell no, it sucks".
3. When asked on any other game's forums, answer is generally "hell no, they're both just as bad". *)

*) Replace "bad" with the strongest negative word you can imagine.

I think this is fairly close to truth. Right?

Originally Posted by KahnyaGnorc

I played WoW (from launch to about two years ago, 2009). I play LotRO (from about two years ago, 2009, to now). My opinion is evident on which is in the past tense and which is in the present tense.

Amen brother. launch to 2008 WoW. 2008 to present LOTRO. Guess which one i prefer? lol

Originally Posted by Korrigan

Ever done the cookie fight in Deadmines Heroic? It was released long before the North Cotton Farm

I have indeed! But eating good food and avoiding bad food is nowhere near as awesome as slapping hobbits as a fight mechanic.

Here is -an- opinion published some time back that directly compares the two. It's hardly the best but it does discuss every aspect of each game in great detail.

http://www.mmorpg.com/showFeature.cf...RO-vs-WoW.html

edit: why was this moved to the German forums? o_o

Originally Posted by Dankanthegood

Actually its not
Its objective, you cant say for example that WoW has a better world, or better scenery or that it has a better story and lore or music
LOTRO wins in all of those aspects-period

In your opinion, which makes it subjective.

That's like saying Beethoven is better than Lady Gaga, because you like Beethoven better.

Both are good games in their own right.
If cartoon graphics not appeal to you LOTRO is the better game for example.

Both games have ups and cons.

I like the graphics in LOTRO better but I am not a fan of the animations in LOTRO
Community seems to be better at LOTRO but with some last threads I read I think that is declining too.

My opinion on some points.
LOTRO Ups
Graphics
Story
Scenery
Community (Still at least )

Down
Direction the game is heading (Store is King, Annoying Store Buttons all over the UI panels, advertising to paying VIPS)
Animations
Turbine comes with some nice ideas, but implement a half baked version of it and then it ends up under in the drawer. (Housing, hobbies to name a view)

Wow Ups
Animations are fluid
Features added are not dropped in the deep drawer but Blizzard keeps improving them, at least faster then Turbine.
PVP is better

Downs
Community (Barrens chat, Chuck Norris ####, and the Anal #### get's very old very fast.
Cartoony graphics is not really my thing.
Story is not as good as LOTRO. I leveled very fast in Wow but took my time in LOTRO and enjoyed the journey I did not really enjoyed in WoW (Rush to 80).

BTW, I don't play both games anymore but had a real blast with LOTRO since dec 2009 till I cancelled my subs right after Update 3.

Originally Posted by Roberto_the_First;549251 2

In your opinion, which makes it subjective.

That's like saying Beethoven is better than Lady Gaga, because you like Beethoven better.

Oh come on now

This is the proof that LOTRO wins in scenery/world/graphics section


(watch in hd)

If you have something better of WoW than this, then show it , but i am sure you dont because simply WoW doesnt have that -period
People who say that WoW has a better world/scenery than LOTRO then simply they dont even know what they are talking about

LOTRO gives you the feeling that you are into a ''real'' wolrd, in the time, in the story, the most detailed, rich deeply described places in existence that doesnt actually exist to the point that it really feels tha it exists

When you walk around Middle-earth it feels like a ''real'' place

LOTRO has the richest online world , and its still on its half way, imagine later with Rohan and Gondor
WoW doenst even come close to LOTRO especially on this aspect

Originally Posted by Dankanthegood

Actually its not
Its objective, you cant say for example that WoW has a better world, or better scenery or that it has a better story and lore or music
LOTRO wins in all of those aspects-period

One thing I have noticed is that looking past the cartoon style and the wilder excesses (particularly the monumentally silly armour and weapons), I'd say WoW has better art direction and always has had, full of neat little touches. Turbine do great landscapes, but the things they add to them (other than ruins, they're good at ruins too) can often let them down. The funny thing is, I'd say that if Blizzard's artists chose to put a cheeky ripoff of the Prancing Pony somewhere, I reckon it'd be more like the 'real' thing than LOTRO's version is; it's odd, but when Blizzard do choose to design something quite mundane they do a really, really good job of it and it's thoroughly believable. More so than the equivalent in LOTRO, I'll tell you that.

Also, WoW's Worgs are more like Wargs ought to be than LOTRO's Wargs are

Wow, what a subjective question. Having played both, and both from launch, I can tell you, it depends on what you find enjoyable.

WoW is ahead on the UI customization, but LOTRO is slowly coming around (without sacrificing Client Security or enabling botting).
LOTRO feels like it is Middle Earth. Your own personal preference will dictate whether you find WoW cartoony and LOTRO realistic.
Personally everytime I enter a new region I find myself pausing and looking around. Often I catch myself holding my breath as the stunning artwork has done just that.

I can't compare WoW's endgame anymore as I left shortly after Burning Crusade came out (coincides with LOTRO's Beta) and never went back. (Though I'm told by the Chinese office of Blizzsard that my account has been hacked several times).

There is this though. A look at what makes WoW so very popular.

Originally Posted by Grinn

Wow, what a subjective question. Having played both, and both from launch, I can tell you, it depends on what you find enjoyable.

Again nope,
Some things are objective no matter what, the sky is blue you know in the day-period, the air is invisble-period, the same can be said about LOTRO's story,lore and scenery/grapchis and music, they are all far better than what WoW has



There is this though. A look at what makes WoW so very popular.

[/QUOTE]

Eww, i feel sick , do you call that good? i call it exacly the opposite
Where is the beuaty in it?where is the story, the music? there isnt none, thats why
WoW has no point at all, developers just throw in the game whatever they can make out of their heads lol, it doesnt have to make sense, they just add something just so they can say that they do updates etc

While in LOTRO everything is interesting and makes sense

actually I think neither game is "better"! DDO is by far highly superior.


but of course I am just joking around and should not be taken seriously in this thread except for this comment "It all ddepends on what you like"

Originally Posted by Dankanthegood

Eww, i feel sick , do you call that good? i call it exacly the opposite
Where is the beuaty in it?where is the story, the music? there isnt none, thats why
WoW has no point at all, developers just throw in the game whatever they can make out of their heads lol, it doesnt have to make sense, they just add something just so they can say that they do updates etc

While in LOTRO everything is interesting and makes sense

Oops I think you missed something there, World of World of Warcraft is an Onion parody.


Still, I know people that have stayed with Wow and are still enjoying it. If that floats their boat then good for them.
Myself, I play LOTRO now, and haven't looked back at WoW since LOTRO went into open beta.
Whenever I enter a new zone, there'll be a moment while I look around and find myself holding my breath as I look at the fabulous artwork that had gone into the landscape alone. That wasn't something I really experienced in WoW. No, I'm LOTRO for life and quite happy about that.

Originally Posted by Grinn

Lol onion xD

I've also played both and WoW is equally well developed (at least the subscribers' money isn't going to fancy cars...), and I've also never again touched WoW since I've discovered LOTRO

In the end, lore is what keeps us loyal to LOTRO (and Turbine isn't wasting our money), and Mr. Tolkien beats Blizzard in that field even from a coffin. WoW is weak compared to LOTRO.

Originally Posted by Dankanthegood

Again nope,
Some things are objective no matter what, the sky is blue you know in the day-period, the air is invisble-period, the same can be said about LOTRO's story,lore and scenery/grapchis and music, they are all far better than what WoW has.

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

I used to Play WoW and now I'm playing Lotro.. It really depends on the persons gaming perspective..
I liked WoW because of PvP.. I like the characters..
I likes LOTRO because i love the LOTR Movie and I like the way the developers connected everything to the story..
I also like the characters in LOTRO because they are so unique..
Graphix are the same for the 2 games IMO..

I've extensively played both so I figure I can comment on this.

WoW has:

Much more content
Better PvP
Much better loot itemisation
Much better raid progression and raiding is more accessible
A lot of gameplay aspects are better
No microtransactions that effect gameplay

LOTRO has:

Better IP
Better community
Better graphics

Ultimately, I've recently hung up my WoW subscription again simply because although overall WoW is probably a better game, I've made long lasting friendships with the people in my kin and so while they're here, I'm here (probably goes back to the community thing).

That depends.

From a technical and visual standpoint? WoW wins. It is more polished. You load up the game and it just works, WoW's character animations are smooth and attractive, glitches (while present) are far fewer than in LOTRO. In WoW art direction dictates the look of the game as opposed to graphical muscle and new directx technologies (something FFXIV struggles with, and LOTRO to a much lesser extent). The world itself, while 'cartoony', is beautiful and full of interesting areas and vistas (blades edge mountains where the dragons are impaled on the spikes spring to mind, or howling fjord with the burning boat strung up on chains in a canyon).

Comparatively, I find LOTRO's scenery very pretty but the design of the areas more boring than WoW's - and this is no fault of the artists as they're constrained by the LotR license. The enemies aren't as varied as there are only so many ways you can make trees, hills and fields before it gets somewhat boring. But Turbine's artists have created some magnificent vista's.

In terms of game play? Its hard to say. WoW seems to be designed around the idea of ensuring you're always having fun. But in chasing that noble ideal the game has been over simplified and streamlined (note: I didn't say easier, Cataclysm is tough). WoW recently made questing much more interesting but made the process so fast that you fly through an area without getting a real taste of its flavour. In contrast, I really enjoy leveling and questing in LOTRO. It takes enough time to move through an area that I really get to explore it and enjoy the experience. The gameplay retains a level of depth that WoW lost in TBC but still remains fun (at least up the parts I've played so far).

The LOTRO community is less stressful. I came to hate grouping in WoW because you were always in the wrong, always blamed if something went wrong (especially as I was the healer character). I get enough stress and blame in my daily career that I don't want more from my videogame. LOTRO's community is a breath of fresh air and complements the World's charm and lore as opposed to clashing with it.

So TLDR: two very different games. While WoW is more polished, its questing -> instances -> raid and dailies approach to each expansion has grown stale over its long lifetime and I have, quite frankly, gotten bored with it. LOTRO has more charm and is less stressful along with real support classes that I love playing - so that's a win.

Edit: In terms of lore I found WoW really annoying. In order to understand what was happening in the game you had to read novels, played WC 1, 2 and 3, have a subscription to their comic and a couple other things that I never figured out. LOTRO does a really good job of presenting lore in-game and the story is easy to follow, while retaining some depth and complexity, even if you haven't read the books or have just watched the movies.

Originally Posted by hucklebarry

...*snip*...

After saying all that... I do grant LOTRO a nod over games that create new IPs. Turbine struck oil in obtaining the LotR lore and that is something other develepors are going to have to figure out a way to beat. Even newer games with cutting edge engines, modular code, and gobs of features for the player base... they have to find a way to beat LOTRO on the story. Throwing a bunch of orcs and elves together doesn't equal something fun to sit in front of

Just to keep on topic, LOTRO over WOW, hands down.

The beautiful thing about LOTRO not having certain well received aspects of MMO's (like WoW's cross server instance join) is that Turbine CAN, at some point, build them in. WOW and others like it will never have a sense of history and story on the same scale.

Now that said, I would love to see the Dragon Lance Saga converted to an MMOG. The amount of Lore that has amassed for THAT world is truly epic.

Originally Posted by imolnar

That depends.

From a technical and visual standpoint? WoW wins. It is more polished. You load up the game and it just works, WoW's character animations are smooth and attractive, glitches (while present) are far fewer than in LOTRO. In WoW art direction dictates the look of the game as opposed to graphical muscle and new directx technologies (something FFXIV struggles with, and LOTRO to a much lesser extent). The world itself, while 'cartoony', is beautiful and full of interesting areas and vistas (blades edge mountains where the dragons are impaled on the spikes spring to mind, or howling fjord with the burning boat strung up on chains in a canyon).

Comparatively, I find LOTRO's scenery very pretty but the design of the areas more boring than WoW's - and this is no fault of the artists as they're constrained by the LotR license. The enemies aren't as varied as there are only so many ways you can make trees, hills and fields before it gets somewhat boring. But Turbine's artists have created some magnificent vista's.

In terms of game play? Its hard to say. WoW seems to be designed around the idea of ensuring you're always having fun. But in chasing that noble ideal the game has been over simplified and streamlined (note: I didn't say easier, Cataclysm is tough). WoW recently made questing much more interesting but made the process so fast that you fly through an area without getting a real taste of its flavour. In contrast, I really enjoy leveling and questing in LOTRO. It takes enough time to move through an area that I really get to explore it and enjoy the experience. The gameplay retains a level of depth that WoW lost in TBC but still remains fun (at least up the parts I've played so far).

The LOTRO community is less stressful. I came to hate grouping in WoW because you were always in the wrong, always blamed if something went wrong (especially as I was the healer character). I get enough stress and blame in my daily career that I don't want more from my videogame. LOTRO's community is a breath of fresh air and complements the World's charm and lore as opposed to clashing with it.

So TLDR: two very different games. While WoW is more polished, its questing -> instances -> raid and dailies approach to each expansion has grown stale over its long lifetime and I have, quite frankly, gotten bored with it. LOTRO has more charm and is less stressful along with real support classes that I love playing - so that's a win.

Edit: In terms of lore I found WoW really annoying. In order to understand what was happening in the game you had to read novels, played WC 1, 2 and 3, have a subscription to their comic and a couple other things that I never figured out. LOTRO does a really good job of presenting lore in-game and the story is easy to follow, while retaining some depth and complexity, even if you haven't read the books or have just watched the movies.

Being an ex 40m and 25m H mode healer for a guild in wow I gave up with cataclysm . WoW over Lotro? perhaps you should stay with wow I kick myself for not trying lotro far sooner. The cartoon graphics of wow get tiresome after 4yr+ staring at it the art is mediocre at best character animations are smooth sure but the community as a whole is lack lustre and rude (grown adults included who never cease to bicker over loot tables or who is in the wrong). End Game content with wow turned into luls with wotlk and cataclysm by far the two easiest expacs they thought of that required very little skill.

Came to lotro with beautiful vistas as well and was immediately taken in with how mature and intelligent the community here as a whole is. Far better than that steaming pile of fecal matter known as wow. Even skirmishes and dungeons here are a challenge and require the player to micro manage their own aggro without the use of a addon which drills into everyone the true meaning of skilled players are those who know their class mechanics and when to ease off to avoid aggro something the wow crowd don't understand.

While it has pve it is overly far too simple and easy Pve even raid wise with wow It's more pvp orientated i find and that to me is zzzz with it's poor lore. Lotro I am all for being a fan of Tolkiens work and having read the books numerous times as a child I find the lore with ME far richer than wow's.

Originally Posted by Celebcairion

Being an ex 40m and 25m H mode healer for a guild in wow I gave up with cataclysm . WoW over Lotro? perhaps you should stay with wow I kick myself for not trying lotro far sooner.

Not entirely sure you read my post. I didn't say "WoW over LotRO" I just explored some of the aspects of both that I enjoyed and didn't enjoy.

Originally Posted by JRonnie

I've extensively played both so I figure I can comment on this.

WoW has:

Much more content
Better PvP
Much better loot itemisation
Much better raid progression and raiding is more accessible
A lot of gameplay aspects are better
No microtransactions that effect gameplay

LOTRO has:

Better IP
Better community
Better graphics

Ultimately, I've recently hung up my WoW subscription again simply because although overall WoW is probably a better game, I've made long lasting friendships with the people in my kin and so while they're here, I'm here (probably goes back to the community thing).

you forgot story/lore

there lotro wins hands down.

and it is the story that keeps many folks here.

Originally Posted by megaboy

you forgot story/lore

there lotro wins hands down.

and it is the story that keeps many folks here.

It's more than just story, though. It's the fact that people know the story, before playing. We've all (or mostly all) read about Middle-earth and it's characters and places and events; but being able to take part in them is what makes the game so amazing for many of us.

It's a story that many players grew up loving, and they now get to watch it come to life. The magic of watching your favorite story come to life before your eyes is what makes LotRO so much better than WoW.

Were money not an issue, this game would have players for the next 100 years no matter what Turbine did to the gameplay, purely because people who love Tolkien will love to explore his world for themselves.

Originally Posted by Davidm8249

Is lord of the rings online better then world of warcraft?

Does a hobbit like food?

Originally Posted by charazan

Does a hobbit like pie?

lol

FTFY

Ask yourself this...

Would you rather spend a day in Middle-Earth?
Or Azeroth?

Originally Posted by megaboy

you forgot story/lore

there lotro wins hands down.

and it is the story that keeps many folks here.

Well yes, I sort of meant that when I said it had a better IP.

That being said LOTRO will need to keep on top of the story aspect, I think there's a large push on in the industry at the moment to really beef up this side of MMO's going forward. TOR is going to be fully voiced with an express focus on story and I believe I read that Guild Wars 2 is going down the same track.

Imo, raids and pvp is way more interesting in wow then lotro.

Originally Posted by Ultrahhh

Imo, raids and pvp is way more interesting in wow then lotro.

But WoW is designed for Raiding and PVP. Lotro is (mostly) not.


Honestly, I don't think you can fairly compare the two games, because they are geared towards different things. It really is apples and oranges.

From my personal experience i noticed that its much harder to go back to WOW after LOTRO but its easy to go from WOW to LOTRO. Its just the look of the characters and the world that is just not for me. One thing what i couldn't understand are those stupid looking steam siege engines and the over the top use of technology that doesn't fit in the environment of the game.

Originally Posted by zagreb000

From my personal experience i noticed that its much harder to go back to WOW after LOTRO but its easy to go from WOW to LOTRO. Its just the look of the characters and the world that is just not for me. One thing what i couldn't understand are those stupid looking steam siege engines and the over the top use of technology that doesn't fit in the environment of the game.

Completely agree with you there, as a former WOWer myself, I couldn't go back, now that I've fully experienced LOTRO.

Originally Posted by AltitudeAvalanche

Ask yourself this...

Would you rather spend a day in Middle-Earth?
Or Azeroth?

Well Azeroth would be nice too, if it wasn't for the goblins with mini-guns and helicopters.

Originally Posted by Davidm8249

Is lord of the rings online better then world of warcraft?

There both fun, I prefer LOTRO over WoW.

But then back in past, lotro wasnt so good presented in world. Many people still dont know that this game exist, and laugh when you say to them come play lotro. I'ts more about the movies the true fans play the game mostly.

Well LOTRO is free to play, after all, and the player base is much better than WoW, IMO.

Originally Posted by Dankanthegood

Its objective, you cant say for example that WoW has a better world, or better scenery or that it has a better story and lore or music
LOTRO wins in all of those aspects-period

WoW definitely has a way bigger and more varied world than LOTRO. Scenery... aren't you sick, sometimes, to always see the same ruins with the same textures in LOTRO? Because the elf ruins in eRegion are exactly the same than those in Ered Luin... The music in WoW is amazing. The story and lore in WoW is great too, yet I can eventually grant you that point since they had no Tolkien to write it, but since Turbine is trashing Tolkien into the ground with each new expansion or patch...

I won't even mention dungeons, raiding and PvP, where WoW crushes LOTRO.

Just playing devil's advocate btw, I'm playing BOTH games and enjoying both for what they are.

EDIT:
And I believe a game that manages to take the best of both would be a winner. It seems that Bioware's SW:TOR is heading that way... let's wait and see.

Originally Posted by Korrigan

WoW definitely has a way bigger and more varied world than LOTRO. Scenery... aren't you sick, sometimes, to always see the same ruins with the same textures in LOTRO? Because the elf ruins in eRegion are exactly the same than those in Ered Luin... The music in WoW is amazing. The story and lore in WoW is great too, yet I can eventually grant you that point since they had no Tolkien to write it, but since Turbine is trashing Tolkien into the ground with each new expansion or patch...

On the other hand the lore in WoW is made up on the fly and is internally inconsistent! It's really hard to get involved in a sort of off-the-cuff lore intended solely as background in a game. Maybe it impresses the Blizzard fans who played Warcraft series (yawn) but it's not that great really. Especially since the vast majority of the players ignore the lore or break it.

Graphics were nice in WoW but still they have the huge cartoon feel all the time. Nothing in WoW ever came close to the first day feel I had seeing the Shire for the first time. WoW graphics are too much like a theme-park. Every region has a distinct stereotype; the swamp, the desert, the badlands, the volcanos, etc. There is no immersion in WoW because it hits you over the head all the time that you're just in a game. Yes, I know they screwed this up in Mirkwood badly here too, and a little bit in Enedwaith. But elsewhere in LotRO it feels more like a real place. The Elf ruins are the same because that is what makes sense!

Music in LotRO beats out WoW I think. But that's up to taste I guess. Certainly you don't see the idiocy of WoW dances luckily.

Gameplay wise, wow is certain more intense than lotro. PVP, raid group etc in wow is more intensive. Thus more hardcore players might prefer wow. But some of those who are more casual might not like it.

World wise, wow certain has a bigger place to explore compared to lotro for now. Of course, lotro is still pretty new compared to wow. But some of the worlds in wow do not exactly match up. Eg. the elven forest north of badlands (can't exactly remember the names). Its like having a lush forest right next to a barren place...... kind of weird.

For music, I would prefer lotro over wow. Not every piece of course. But rivendell and trollshaws are awesome compared to anything in wow.

But one thing that stands out in lotro and the main reason why I like lotro over wow and consider lotro the best mmo every made. Its the contents (scenery, language, story etc). Its like amazing to know that this is where all the fantasy came from, the elves, dwarfs, etc..... even a language was created for it. Middle earth looks so amazing in the movies and now it has been recreated in a game. For the first time, I can explore this place. The feeling is just so amazing. I don't want the world to look fancy or nice for the sake of it. I just want it to look like what its supposed to be. No flying mounts? Its ok since there aren't any in the movie (other than the big birdies...).

No matter how wow may seems amazing in terms of gameplay etc... its still just a world created by Blizzard which does not have much of a history or legacy or anything. Can't help but get a feeling that its just copied from Tolkien.....

Originally Posted by nuaxtreme

Gameplay wise, wow is certain more intense than lotro. PVP, raid group etc in wow is more intensive. Thus more hardcore players might prefer wow. But some of those who are more casual might not like it.

From a casual raiding viewpoint, I would say that in general WoW has been more forgiving and accessible for casuals then LOTRO. Simply because they release far more raids, they can have entry level raids and ramp up from there. I think LOTRO are trying to emulate this a little with the tier 1 and 2 OD raid, however given the horrible loot from tier 1, no one does it so it fails in that respect. Hopefully they'll be able to sort this out going forward.

No matter how wow may seems amazing in terms of gameplay etc... its still just a world created by Blizzard which does not have much of a history or legacy or anything. Can't help but get a feeling that its just copied from Tolkien.....

You could say this for pretty much any high fantasy setting really. I would say The Lord of the Rings was the driving force behind the themes used for D&D which in turn drove the fantasy gaming market to what it is today.

Originally Posted by JRonnie

From a casual raiding viewpoint, I would say that in general WoW has been more forgiving and accessible for casuals then LOTRO. Simply because they release far more raids, they can have entry level raids and ramp up from there. I think LOTRO are trying to emulate this a little with the tier 1 and 2 OD raid, however given the horrible loot from tier 1, no one does it so it fails in that respect. Hopefully they'll be able to sort this out going forward.

You could say this for pretty much any high fantasy setting really. I would say The Lord of the Rings was the driving force behind the themes used for D&D which in turn drove the fantasy gaming market to what it is today.

Hmm... I am not sure about this cause perhaps the raids I been to in wow are quite intense and require good coordination to succeed. Ok, I have yet to been to a raid in lotro so I don't know how it is like. But since it requires less people (unlike 60 man raid groups). So I thought its less intense. I could be wrong.

you are right that lotr is the main driving force behind all the fantasy games today. Perhaps the main thing is that lotr is made into a very successful movie (3 parts to be exact) but there are no movies for wow. Thus the feeling is different. For me, I would say the big WOW! factor is the movie. Being able to relate a place to what I have seen in the movie really makes a big difference.

Btw, I still like PVP. Its just so fun. Wow really has the PVP factor (though it can be a little annoying at times).

But then I did play PVP in warhammer too and I think its even more fun due to the PVP zones. Then can PVP all the time.!! Playing with human players beats NPCs anytime of the day!!