It appears that Dungeons and Dragons: Eberron Unlimited was such a success, that Turbine has opted to wrap Lord of the Rings Online in the same package. The studio and its new owner Warner Brothers Interactive collectively announced this morning that LOTRO is going free-to-play, offering users a way to download and participate in the Tolkien-rich MMO without spending a dime this fall.

Of course, with every free-to-play MMO there's a reason to spend money (and/or points earned through the game in LOTRO's case). Turbine is setting up a new storefront for the game that will sell expansion packs, character slots, potions, customization items, and "premium content." The VIP program, which was popularized by DDO, is a thing that will be in LOTRO as well. The program will give people who do want to pay some sort of fee "unlimited access" to premium content as well as five character slots, a shared bank slot, and a monthly allotment of points to spend in the store.

It appears that Dungeons and Dragons: Eberron Unlimited was such a success, that Turbine has opted to wrap Lord of the Rings Online in the same package. The studio and its new owner Warner Brothers Interactive collectively announced this morning that LOTRO is going free-to-play, offering users a way to download and participate in the Tolkien-rich MMO without spending a dime this fall.

Of course, with every free-to-play MMO there's a reason to spend money (and/or points earned through the game in LOTRO's case). Turbine is setting up a new storefront for the game that will sell expansion packs, character slots, potions, customization items, and "premium content." The VIP program, which was popularized by DDO, is a thing that will be in LOTRO as well. The program will give people who do want to pay some sort of fee "unlimited access" to premium content as well as five character slots, a shared bank slot, and a monthly allotment of points to spend in the store.

Was this even worth getting into at this point? i was never a big fan of the ficiton so to speak, but do love me some online!

YES!

This was a really good MMO when I played it. I don't know how much it has changed but I might have to check it out again now.

Oh my god I am a huge LOTR fan! The only problem is that I have a MAC not a PC. Since you download it to play do you think they will open up the option for MAC's to download? I really want this if its free!!!!!!

I'm currently subscribed and I think it's totally worth the money. Now that it's f2p it's a steal. Arguably one of the few MMOs out there that are really worth the time and money.

I still play Lotro every once in a while, definitely one of the best MMO's I've ever played. On max graphics the world looks amazing. Hopefully this'll bring the larger audience that it deserves. 

I played Lord of the Rings: Online for a couple months during one of my World of Warcraft "breaks" and I actually enjoyed it a lot. It is extremely similar to World of Warcraft in pretty much every way and it's a little shameful in spots on just how much it borrows from WoW. But for it is and certainly for free, it's a quality MMO.

I did play it for a while.
 
And it was good.  And some of their ideas were cool. I just stopped playing eventually... and I really can't remember why.
 
Whats up with all these games going free to play suddenly...

Jeez. Has anyone else noticed that several free to play online games have been announced in the last two weeks?

Does anyone know the answer to my question of whether I will be able to download it on my MAC once it becomes a downloadable game. I really need to play this. I am a really big LOTR fan.

Hmmm, havent played an MMO since WOW like 2 years ago. Maybe I'll try this out now that its free.

Cool, for free I'd love to play it.

wooo time wasters free to play mmos seem like the way of the future and i like it

@Drintrigue
Dang it. Wow I hate that this is the only computer I have. Why does the MAC get the shaft with all games not made by Blizzard? its a great system other than it has no game options. I love LOTR and its gunna suck I'm one of the only hardcore fans that won't be playing it this fall.

The best MMO I own (which is many) and now it's free? this is a gift from god ladies and gentlemen.

Thankfully I'm not getting screwed as i'm a lifetime subscriber and still love the game. :)

" Thankfully I'm not getting screwed as i'm a lifetime subscriber and still love the game. :) "

Sweet!  I still have my Hobbit Champ on there.  I would definitely come back under a F2P program.

Cool. I'll give it a go. I sometimes pick up an MMO and play it for a couple weeks when my things to do well dries up. I have been interested in this MMO since it came out but I'm never going to buy an MMO before I get to play it for a while. It's a rule of mine.

" @Aeterna said:

" Thankfully I'm not getting screwed as i'm a lifetime subscriber and still love the game. :) "

I am a lifetime subscriber too and am kinda worried that we are gonna get screwed more than anyone! Will we definitely get unlimited access to all the premium stuff as lifetime members? "

Awesome news, signed up for the beta.Giantbomb meetup/adventure anyone?

" Jeez. Has anyone else noticed that several free to play online games have been announced in the last two weeks? "

  I might start playing some mmo's if this trend continues.  Never liked the idea of paying $15/ month for a game as I'd feel bad for not playing it enough.  I really hope the Old Republic goes this way.

Always wanted to give this game a spin, can't wait for beta and hope I get picked.

" Always wanted to give this game a spin, can't wait for beta and hope I get picked. "

My ideal design of an MMO is something that makes itself equivalent to a retail game E.G  
Lvl 0-10 free 
Lvl 10-50 $40  
Lvl 50-70  $30  

Lord of the Rings Online is actually a pretty good MMO!
 
I liked it more than Warcraft, at least.

Lord of the Rings Online is one of the better MMOs out there, especially if your a huge fan of the books or movies. This will get me to play it a lot more than I previously did that's for sure.

Sure why not, everyone else is doing the free to play model these days.

I played the game when it first came out for like 3 months. I liked it, but as with all MMOs, the fee usually isn't worth it. I might pop in LOTRO and see how its changed.

Wow this game was going to be my first foray into mmorpgs, but I wasn't sure when i was going to have the time or money to start playing. This is great news!

" This was a really good MMO when I played it. I don't know how much it has changed but I might have to check it out again now. "

Great move, with WoW and TOR coming soon I wouldnt have even considered LOTRO. Now I will probably play it.

" Great move, with WoW and TOR coming soon I wouldnt have even considered LOTRO. Now I will probably play it. "

didnt know dungeon and dragons online was free....might check it out...

If this trend continues, and it most likely will, then Blizzard is going to have to do this too. When WoW goes free-to-play then that will be the final nail in the coffin for subscription based games.

Yes! I played the Beta, but my old computer chugged while playing it and it looked pretty cool.

I thoroughly enjoyed DDO after it went free-to-play, and I've always wanted to dig into LOTR Online.  This is the perfect opportunity!

Sometimes it's just fun to hang out with friends online, smoke some tabac and play a friggin' lute. And hunt some fawking BEARS.

Those people who bought the lifetime subscription are going to be mighty pissed.