Something that should be mentioned here and is waaaaay overlooked on the LOTRO Forums because too many people made "asumptions" that ALL of LOTRO would be free now and all they can see is red in their eyes.
The Premium tier is overlooked by so many people in those forums. Consider that paying a subscription does get you VIP status with less hassle to enjoying the Shadows of Angmar (SoA) content BUT as a subscriber, VIPs are still only renting access to that content. If they stop paying that sub, they are in the exact same boat as the Free players as far as SoA content goes. On the other hand, Premium players, which are NOT paying a monthly sub, are unlocking content and are doing so for the life of the account. That means it's unlocked permanently without a subscription. The only real choice that needs to be made is whether or not to grind the TP out or buy some here and there from the cash shop. That's one of the beautiful things about the ala carte plan, you're paying them on YOUR TERMs, not theirs. It's basically like a Lifetime account which Turbine has no current plans to reintroduce, whereby you pay once and that's it. Of course there are a few items that can't be unlocked such as PVMP in the Ettenmoors but if PVP is not your bag then the Premium tier for LOTRO is a very attractive offer on Turbine's part. And as far as getting the TP, grind it out if your wallet is tight but also consider that throwing Turbine a bone every now and then is also a good thing. They've produced a wonderful game that does deserve at least some support and that support will just further enhance the great journey through Middle Earth.
I personally have a Lifetime account but I am also building a couple of free accounts up, one Premium and one Free. Some have asked me why multi accounts if I have a Lifetime. One reason is so I can see from the perspective of a free account as opposed to VIP only whenever new changes are implemented. The other reason is, why not...it's free
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