Anyone play LOTRO?

[Eel Snave]

I just started out as a Dwarven Champion (I think?). Any hints, help, suggestions?

[Razgon]

Get Rift instead ;-)

[Qantaga]

Don't mind Razgon.
   
LOTRO is an excellent game. It's been awhile since I've played, so I'm not one to give you much in the way of hints, help, or suggestions (a lot has been updated since I've been there), but I've really enjoyed my 3 or 4 extended forays in LOTRO.
   
Others will be along shortly to give you more info, but I'm sure you'll have fun with the game.

[Scraper]

I play nearly every day. No real suggestions for a champ. They aren't my preferred class. I would tell you to just take the game in, enjoy the setting and the story. Real group action starts around lvl 20, prior to that you can solo almost everything if you want to. Once you hit lvl 20 it's safe to go into the first dungeon and try to get the armour set it produces. The heavy armour your champ wears looks really cool from that dungeon.

Also the tasks boards are a good way to earn experience and reputation in the game as you lvl.

[Blackadar]

I'm a LOTRO founder, but I quit LOTRO a few months ago and now I don't think I could ever go back.  RIFT is far superior in so many ways, including that all-important and elusive "fun" factor.

It had an excellent community though...until they went FTP.  Then, not so much.

[Barrakketh]

I don't have any advice on playing a champion, as it's one of the few classes I have never played. As a dwarf, you can explore and quest through Ered Luin until the mid-teens, then head to Breeland and quest there into the low 20s. Bree is usually pretty busy, so getting help on a group quest, or just needing a question answered is easy there.

It had an excellent community though...until they went FTP.  Then, not so much.

That may have been true right after the first rush of F2P people last September, but I'd say 99% of the chat trolls and general morons are long gone. On the server I play on, the community is back to its normal friendly demeanor.

[ydejin]

I haven't played a Champion either.  But LOTRO is a great game, particularly if you're a Tolkien fan. 

There are several alternative leveling paths for starting characters.  For Tolkien fans, who don't mind a bit more flavor and a bit less combat, I'd recommend heading to the Shire as soon as you get out of the tutorial.  It's very well done and very evocative of Tolkien's work.  Once you've leveled up sufficiently in the Shire, follow the path of the Fellowship out of the Shire cross the river and go to Buckland followed by the Old Forest.

They've redone both the Elf/Dwarf northern starting area and the Brea human area since I last played through, so I can't comment too much on either of those.

When I went through as an Elf, I went through the tutorial, followed by the relatively short leveling area (my impression was that both the Humans and the Dwarf-side of the Elf/Dwarf area was deeper), and then followed the path to the Shire.  I had a lot of fun in the Shire.  I think the Brea area tends to have more of a generic fantasy MMO.

[ericb]

Enjoy LOTRO...it's great and I had a lot of fun with it.

[Scraper]

If it turns out you really like it I have a handful of 60 day time cards left (at least three) that I would trade or let go cheap.  They should upgrade you to VIP, extra points each month, open up PvMP, etc, etc.

If you have a price in mind I will buy one of those cards.