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The Lord of the Rings Online Leveling Guide 1 – 140

Leveling in Lotro can still be a bit slow if you don’t know where to go next, but with the latest expansion and updates, there are more options than ever before. In this updated guide, we will show you some good tips for quick leveling and where to go at each level when leveling in Lotro. Following this guide should help you reach the current level cap of 130!

Leveling Tips:

  • Quest Guide: The Quest Guide is still a useful tool for planning your leveling path efficiently. You can enable it by going to Options > UI Settings and turning it on. Use the map to complete all quests in an area before moving on.
  • Looting: Gold is still an essential resource, but looting every enemy you kill can slow you down. If you have a lot of gold, consider skipping looting for a while. If you need gear or gold, turn on “Always Loot All” by going to Options > UI Settings > Always Loot All at the bottom.
  • Staying Ahead: Staying a few levels ahead of the content you’re doing isn’t as important as it used to be, but it still helps make leveling easier since mobs go down faster.
  • Questing: Questing is still generally faster than grinding, and it will reward you with the gear and gold you need to get ahead. Keep your quest journal updated by always deleting quests you have outleveled and group quests you won’t be doing.
  • Food: Minimize downtime by always having enough food. You can buy food on the Auction House or craft it yourself. These will also give you stat boosts.
  • Enhanced Experience: VIP members still gain enhanced XP, and you can still buy accelerated XP with your Destiny Points. You can also get Tomes of Experience that will boost your XP by 25% from mob kills. Additionally, there are now XP Boosts available in the in-game Store.
  • Mounts: Always have the fastest possible mount for fast traveling speed when leveling. Make sure to upgrade your mount as you level up.

Level 1 – 5 Tutorial:

For the first five levels, you will still go through the tutorial. The tutorial is very story-driven and goes by fast. You will get all your starting gear here.

Level 6 – 13 Starting Zones:

After the tutorial, you will be spending your time in your racial starting zone. Leveling here is still a breeze, and you will finish here quickly. If you are a VIP member, be sure to head to the Hengstacer’s Farm north of Bree-Town and get your first mount.

Level 14 – 20 Bree-land:

At around level 13, give or take a few levels, you should move on to Bree-land. Try to work on the Epic Storyline as much as you can, although this is not required. At around level 20, you should consider moving on.

Level 21 – 30 Lone Lands / North Downs:

At around level 20, two options will open up for you, the North Downs and the Lone Lands. You should hit up both these zones. Head to the Lone Lands and stay there until around level 25, then move on to Trestlebridge in North Downs. Or you can move back and forth between the two zones. The North Downs should take you to around level 30, maybe even a few levels over.

Level 31 – 40 Evendim (Trollshaws):

Evendim is still a very enjoyable zone to level in. There are plenty of quests, and you will reach level 40 here in no time. If you get low on quests, you can head over to the Trollshaws as well.

Level 41 – 50 Angmar

At this point, quite a few options open up for you. You can head to Angmar, which is a very large zone with plenty of quests and activities, including the infamous Rift raid. You can also go to the Misty Mountains, Goblin Town, or Forochel. These zones all offer unique experiences and rewards, so feel free to explore and choose the one that suits you best.

Level 51 – 59 Eregion / Moria:

It’s now time to head underground to Moria or Eregion. Moria can be pretty confusing at first, but once you get a hang of the places, leveling here will go pretty quickly, and you should hit around level 60 in no time. Alternatively, you can level up in Eregion, a vast and scenic zone located outside the doors of Moria. Eregion has plenty of quests and activities, including the famous Walls of Moria instance.

Level 60 – 65 Lothlorien / Mirkwood:

After getting out of Moria or Eregion, head over to Lothlorien and Mirkwood. Leveling here is pretty easy as there are a lot of quests, and everything is very streamlined. Once you are level 60 or so, go to Mirkwood. Questing here is a breeze as all the quests are in quest hubs, so you won’t waste much time. Mirkwood will take you to around level 65.

Level 66 – 75 Rohan:

After leaving Mirkwood, it’s time to move on to the Riders of Rohan Expansion. You can start by heading to the Eastfold in the Kingstead region and working your way through the various zones. Rohan is a vast and beautiful land with plenty of quests, activities, and mounted combat. The expansion will take you all the way to level 85.

Level 76 – 85 Gondor / Mordor:

Once you reach level 76, you can start exploring the areas of Gondor and Mordor. These regions offer challenging content, epic storylines, and some of the most stunning landscapes in the game. In Gondor, you can start with the Pelennor Fields and the Dead Marshes.

Level 85 – 95 – Helm’s Deep Expansion:

Once you hit level 85, it’s time to head to the Helm’s Deep Expansion. This expansion will take you through the epic battle of Helm’s Deep and into the great plains of Rohan. You can start by heading to Edoras and working your way through the various zones. Helm’s Deep offers plenty of quests, instances, and a new mounted combat system that will keep you engaged and entertained for hours.

Level 96 – 105 – Western Gondor / Central Gondor / East Gondor:

After completing the Helm’s Deep expansion, you can start exploring the areas of Western Gondor, Central Gondor, and East Gondor. These regions offer challenging content, epic storylines, and some of the most stunning landscapes in the game. Western Gondor is known for its scenic coastal landscapes, while Central Gondor features a variety of locations, from the ruined city of Osgiliath to the scenic hills of Lossarnach. East Gondor features a desert landscape, and the ruined city of Pelargir.

Level 106 – 115 – Old Anórien / March of the King / North Ithilien:

Once you hit level 106, it’s time to explore the areas of Old Anórien, March of the King, and North Ithilien. These regions continue the epic story of the War of the Ring and offer challenging quests and instances. Old Anórien features the city of Minas Tirith and its surrounding areas. March of the King takes you to the fields of Pelennor and the gates of Mordor. North Ithilien features the scenic landscape of the Noman-lands and the Black Gate of Mordor.

Level 116 – 125 – The Wastes / The Vales of Anduin:

After completing the March of the King storyline, you can head to the Wastes and the Vales of Anduin. These regions offer a variety of content, including challenging instances, repeatable quests, and crafting materials. The Wastes are a desolate landscape located east of Mordor and feature the Tower of Durthang and the Pit of Iron. The Vales of Anduin are a vast and scenic landscape located north of the Misty Mountains and feature the River Running and the ruins of Dale.

Level 126 – 130 – Minas Morgul Expansion:

Once you hit level 126, it’s time to explore the areas of the Minas Morgul Expansion. This expansion takes you to the land of Mordor and features the city of Minas Morgul and its surrounding areas. The expansion offers challenging quests, instances, and the new black steel crafting tier. You can start by heading to Minas Morgul and working your way through the various zones.

Level 130 – 140 – Gundabad Expansion:

Once you hit level 130, it’s time to explore the region of Gundabad. This new expansion takes you to the land of Rhovanion, where you can explore the ancient dwarf stronghold of Gundabad. The expansion introduces two new factions, the Reclaimers of the Mountain-hold and the Zhélruka Clan Allegiance, which offer new quests, rewards, and reputation items.

In conclusion, leveling in Lotro can be a fun and rewarding experience if you follow these tips and level-up zones. Always remember to enjoy the journey and take your time to explore and experience the vast world of Middle-earth. Good luck on your journey!

Lin

Sunday 21st of February 2016

Wow, lots of big announcements. The big one that stnads out for me though is skirmish soldiers in the landscape are you kidding me? The open world is already easy enough, unless they do a complete balancing overhaul then any sort of landscape questing is going to be completely, ridiculously, trivial. It looks like a sw:tor copycat feature to me, but that game is balanced around the idea that everyone will be running with a companion and so the difficulty is pitched accordingly. Throw skirmish soldiers into the existing landscape in lotro and you'll be able to faceroll pull 5+ mobs at at time without any issue, which is crazy.