Lord of the Rings Online....

I've only played LoTRO for what may have been a few hours during a 14 day free trial back in late 2010. It was due to go free to play at the end of that year and I think I wanted to see the game before that. At the time it didn't feel like something I could get into. WoW rules all and was a greater draw to me than the LotRO build of that time.

It's hard to think that that game is now approaching it's 10th anniversary this coming April.
2017 seems to be a year that reinvigorates the game. The takeover of LotRO by Standing Stone Games seems to have given more freedom to do things with the game regarding it's future development. It's good that the developers stayed with the game just under the new name. They seem to be dedicated to the game and that can only be a good thing.

This year will bring a paid expansion to the game in the summer with two major content updates in the Spring and Autumn. The expansion is the first one in a few years so it's an interesting move for a free to play game that I'm sure will be used to fund further development. I'm sure the spring content update will be more than just an event for the 10th anniversary. The post from the producers is very optimistic and I'm sure has brought new hope for the loyal fans that have stayed with the game. What stood out to me as well was that they want to update the graphics/engine. Something that worked well for STO.

https://www.lotro.com/en/game/articles/lotro-producers-letter-2017-plans-new-expansion-and-10th-anniversary

Looking up more details has me thinking of installing it and seeing if I can resurrect the old account.

A good LotRO YouTuber that I've also come across is Balthelion who has a long standing walk through and more info on the game: