The Lord of the Rings Online shuts down most of its worlds

Five worlds to rule them all…

Looks like The Lord of the Rings Online hasn’t been in the best shape recently. Developer Turbine has announced it will be closing all but five of the worlds for each region.

The only worlds that will remain open in the US are: Arkenstone, Crickhollow, Landroval, Gladden, and Brandywine; while those staying open in the EU are: Belegaer, Gwaihir, Sirannon, Laurelin, and Evernight.

Players will be able to transfer their characters over to one of the remaining worlds (bar Brandywine; that one’s full). According to Turbine, this transfer will work “indefinitely”, so there is no need to rush.

This isn’t necessarily a sign of the end of LOTRO. The MMO is almost ten years old now, and as players leave, worlds are consolidated to cut costs and make the game more active for the remaining players. For a free-to-play MMO, the fact it’s still open after so long is impressive.

Do you still play Lord of the Rings Online? If not, what made you quit playing?