Lord of the Rings Online does a WoW: Classic style rollback with Legendary servers

World of Warcraft: Classic isn’t the only place where MMOs are trying to relive the past. Lord of the Rings Online, which is only a few years younger than World of Warcraft, is also getting a bit nostalgic. Lord of the Rings Online’s Legendary servers hurl the game back 11 years, before new level caps and before the One Ring was destroyed. And you can travel back in time right now. 

The first Legendary server launched yesterday, but that got busy rather quickly, prompting the creation of a second Legendary server, along with free character transfers. 

While the servers rewind the story and contain only the level 1-50 quests, items and areas that the MMO shipped with in 2007, not all progress has been ditched. UI improvements, system changes and, of course, bug fixes carry over. Some regions have been updated since the early days, too, and those changes will persist, as well. It’s not a complete refresh.

Lord of the Rings Online is free-to-play, but to access the Legendary servers, you’ll need to be a VIP subscriber. Take a gander at the official FAQ

It’s been years since I last mucked around in Middle-Earth. I was hooked at launch, with my adorable Hobbit Burglar and his vendetta against all the world’s spiders. I was a tourist in one of my favourite settings, climbing up to Weathertop or traipsing around in the Old Forest. I keep almost returning, but after so many updates and expansions, it all seems a bit much. This, however, sounds a lot easier to digest. It might be time to make another Hobbit Burglar. 

Fraser Brown
Online Editor

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog. 

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