LotRO "Legendary Server" Will Arrive This Fall, Offering Scaled-back, Launch-day Experience

Add The Lord of the Rings Online to the growing list of older MMORPGs seeking to recapture that launch magic with a "classic" server. Today, Standing Stone Games announced the upcoming creation of a "Legendary Server," which will offer gameplay similar to that which existed around LotRO's launch in 2007.

The Legendary Server will launch in November and require a VIP subscription to play, though there are not additional costs. The Legendary Server will run alongside the normal servers and won't impact development on the "current" game. The level cap will initially be set at 50, with (mostly) only launch-era Shadows of Angmar content available; SSG plans on updating the game with new content approximately every four months. Classes that were introduced after the game's launch -- rune-keeper, warden, and Beorning -- are available, as well as the new high elf race. Other systems changes, UI tweaks, bug fixes, and so forth will also be implemented -- including trait trees -- even if they weren't present at the game's launch.

Back in 2009, when the game was just two years old, I and some members of my kinship tried re-creating this ourselves, starting new characters and leveling them together exclusively through old content. That's the thing that's always made me scratch my head a bit when it comes to this sort of thing -- there's nothing stopping you from replaying the "classic" part of your favorite MMO right now. Sure, a few things might be different, like NPCs in different places or whatnot, but, IMO, you don't need to wait for a developer to come through. Do it yourself.

For more on all of what's included -- and what's not -- on LotRO's Legendary Server, check out the FAQ.