Subscribe for more Brightlife-thats-one-button-too-low-you're-not-a-seventeen-year-old-abercrombie-model-you-look-ridiculous moments!

VIP should give a shared crafting bag. Some other MMO's such as ESO does this and it's great... Other than when your sub lapses and your inventory gets wrecked.

I think the ideas you suggested to improve VIP are all good. I'd add one more to the list - black steel keys. Maybe 2 - 5 of them each month, because otherwise the chests that drop from every other kill practically are useless and I usually just end up filtering loot boxes so I don't see them anymore. And yeah, I'm still a little irked that they took sturdy steel keys out of the world, replacing them with black steel keys and putting them behind a paywall. I refuse to spend a single LP on one.

The best thing about VIP in my opinion is that a lot of the benefits stay after your sub runs out. I havent been subbed for months now, but i logged into all the alts i wanna play, so i keep the benefits like the swift travel. Also a good point ive seen others mention is now would be a good time to add a lot of quality of life features to VIP. Theyve made so much of the game free, back in around summer of 2020 they gave all the quest packs free, and they are doin it again right now. And back in May, they increased the free content up to the Helms Deep xpac, but if you logged on during that time you got Mordor, War of 3 Peaks, and Minas Morgul for free too. I bought Gundabad, so I own the entire game having subbed for around 6 months in my time playing on and off the last 15 years. Everything else i want from the game I need to spend LP on; shared storage, an actual usable amount of wardrobe space, the apprentice/journeyman riding trait, trait line specs, the list goes on. If I resub right now I get out of town services and access to the crafting guilds. I wasnt even aware there was a chat benefit with VIP, never noticed a difference when f2p or VIP. In my opinion VIP just doesnt have enough incentive to sub as someone whos subbed before. Adding more incentives would bring people like me back to VIP, as well as draw in new players.

Now more than ever is the time to increase vip perks. Because in the last 2 years they have converted a lot of vip only stuff into free to play. Which is great, the more players the better for everyone, but vip's are just seeing less and less reason to pay that monthly fee.

Great video Brightlife! I think you've got a strong point regarding shared inventory, just 10 shared inventory slots would really change the value proposition of VIP. I think the benefits you retain after VIP lapses also add a lot to the value. Anecdotally I know this has convinced people I know to buy VIP at least for a short time, as opposed to remaining f2p. Often my decision on whether or not to buy a few months of VIP is governed by the exchange rate, at the moment 1 AUD = 0.65 USD, which makes it a bit expensive. Keep up the great content!

I'm back and loving the game. Thanks for the VIP review. Gonna give it a try!

Great video as always man. I'm a VIP and I feel my money is well spent, I do however agree on your points though. Maybe an idea for the next video would be the Lotro store itself? I for one would love to see them add more cosmetics to the store.

I agree, I think VIP should at least come with 120 wardrobe spaces, +50 (So 60 with the base 10) Shared Storage, +30/50 Vault Space, 2-3 cosmetic outfit slots, a Large Carryall for each character and the posibility to buy Deluxe houses with in-game money, it was a big dissapointment to me when I first suscribed to learn that I should spend tons of extra money to get what I thought were VIP houses. It would also be great if it added an extra milestone skill and the thing that reduces its cooldown by half.

The moment where you needed to count - so relatable hahaha. I agree mostly with your take, I think though that it is not necessary to unlock *all* slots just a decent amount. With the outfits I would see it the same way, it should be like 5 or 6 Outfits that are unlocked. That way you could also say that the player keeps them unlocked when the subscription runs out. But all in all I think you are totally correct! Great video as always :)

I agree with making VIP/Premium more desirable in general. What I'd like specifically for now is for the VIP permanent unlocks to also be given to Premium players who have spent around $15+ on the game without needing to sub. Buying any supporter pack (which, currently, $35 is the cheapest offering) should also give you said permanent unlocks. I personally am not a fan of time-limited purchases in general as I do not want the added pressure of trying to make the most out of my 30 days or so. I'd rather spend more on LOTRO points because those don't expire, but unfortunately as it is currently, buying points to get said VIP bonuses is (I believe) a good deal more expensive than just subbing. Also, the temporary VIP bonuses cannot be bought for LPs. It would be nice if those could. I don't know if they're chasing after active subscriber numbers, but if more people are paying for points and making store purchases in general, subscriber numbers shouldn't be as much of a concern. On that note, there should be more packages/bundles in general. Like, what if subbing for ~6 months also gets you a supporter pack or something? LOTRO marketing team, get out of bed. 👏😅 Your players want more ways to support you. - Anyway, I think the Unlimited Chat benefit from subbing is to remove the limit (character limit(?), cooldowns, etc.) from chat and tells. Also: LOL You sold your legendary item? 😂

I have a completely different business idea for a game like LOTRO. It's like merging completely free to play, with all the VIP to all players. Completely free, to enjoy this game at the best. That way you enjoy it even more. Many that leave, didn't get to enjoy it, because they were hindered with bag space etc. And I would merger it with a kick starter format. Donation accepted and shown how much, that would be used to kickstart this new idea. Once that goal is reached, to the amount they need to keep the business running. They'll take part of the overflow of the donation to make the game even better. Hire more people, upgrade their gear, machine or whatever they want to focus on. And some for their pay on a job well done. I want to see if this game could change the format. By listening to what their fans want, and provide it the best way they can.

cosmetics are the reason I play lotro so would like to get more space to store them! first lotro points I spent ingame was for a beutiful armour set over 7 years ago!

As i said many times, they should give us an opportunity to buy cosmetics that are not obtainable now because it was a part of old expansions collectors editions. I know its problematic for them but they can just reskin this items and sell them again. Everyone will be happy, don’t you think?

I bought a life-time VIP membership years ago and so for me it was worth it. It cost me (if I remember right) $299 and I've played it on and off since.

I haven't had an issue with the coins yet. At some point I collected over 200 (I'm not sure where from, probably all the anniversary giveaways?) and haven't come close to spending them all. The 500 LOTRO points I get a month gets saved until there is a wardrobe or shared bank sale (like the one last week). I have been wondering if I should just let it lapse though. I originally signed up for VIP for swift travel, town services and quest pack access primarily. Since I'm VIP now, my characters that are already created will keep swift travel (according to the wiki) and they just gave us all the quest packs. So I'm trying to decide if the town services and a couple other small things are worth it to me. I could just dump that $15 a month into LOTRO points and probably finish my storage/wardrobe slots quicker. No real question there or anything, I just thought I'd let you know you aren't the only one thinking about the value of VIP membership these days :)

I liked your early comment that it's worth paying just so you can see your favourite game keep being updated.

I agree that that wardrobe slots should be unlocked by being VIP. I have about 120 slots unlocked and I am completely filled and still have more cosmetics that i have to put in. Edit: yes please let us get mithril points.

Anything that involves storage space is a pet peeve. If you pay a sub you should get the space. I know in ESO if you sub you get a special crafting bag that takes those items out of your normal packs.

Totally agree with you

Agreed on all points

$99.99/year = $8.34/ month. Basically 2 gallons of gas per month. Or 3 Grandes. About half what you are paying for a month of being able to watch Rings of Power. You would be hard pressed to find a better entertainment value.

Used to be VIP, haven't been for a while. But did sub for years. Like your thoughts on access to shared inventory, cosmetic slots and wardrobes. I think that perhaps instead of having all of that unlooked with a month of subscription that perhaps it's tiered. If you Sub for 1 month it unlocks one cosmetic slot, x amount of wardrobe/shared inv slots. At 2 months another cosmetic slot and more wardrobe/shared inv space unlocked, so on and so forth. What could they add to VIP? I very much liked one of ESO's sub benefits, a separate materials inventory.

IMHO the biggest problem with lotro is the monetization. Speaking for myself, I dropped the game twice before accepting it the way that it is and I am sure a lot of people that try lotro drop it when they see how many things are locked behind a paywall and even if you are a VIP. Of course, giving a lot of the content freely not long ago helped A LOT but still. Nowadays I don't think a lot of people will choose to go VIP without the philosophy of helping the game develop. To summarize, the game would benefit a lot by having the least amount of paywalls possible for VIP players and by having a wardrobe system that isn't as limited as it is now (guild wars 2 and eso are examples to go by).

I've been VIP since the launch and though I've had long periods with little to no play in the game, I agree. I really like the fast crafting, the no item wear, the vendor/vault/auction house/legendary/mailbox access, it's really nice and I could never go back to NOT having those. Having said that I think there should be a few more advantages, in additional n to the ones you mentioned. 1 example is that we only get 2 trait-pages basic, when several classes have 3 viable lines to go. VIPs should get 3 trait pages, or at the very least the 100 Mithril Coin cost to unlock each new one SHOULD be account based, not per character. That's one of THE most annoying things, I find. I have already purchased the max amount or Shared Wardrobe spaces, capped at 320 slots, and that's still not enough tbh!! But yeah, getting at least 100 of them as VIP should be included. The cooldown reduction you can purchase is also something I like getting for my chara, but again it's a bit annoying that I have to spend roughly 1k LP per char just for that. I'd love to have an account-wide version for all current and future chars, even if it costs 2x times what the character-based one is atm.

I haven't watched the video yet but personally I feel it is worth it. While it doesn't offer you a ton of extra content the buffs to your character (inventory space, no item wear, fast crafting, etc) are phenomenal. Don't get me wrong. It could be better. But if the question is simply "are the current benefits worth paying 15 dollars a month" then I feel the answer is a resounding yes.

I want a mailbox added to the Subscriber Services Token. Currently have I leave an unopened bit of mail in my alerts to keep access to remote mail.

I love VIP on Lotro I can’t play without it to be honest.

I have 2 original VIP accounts, one I won from a con they were at when they first came out. The other one i bought when they offered it, 199.99 i think. I do need to sell off the one i dont use, all expansions are on it and also like 60k lotro points

least they can do is unlock task board for VIP players.

i do spent my lotro points for bags and share banks cuz so much stuff lol

The problem with free slots for VIP is when you stop paying. What should happen to the items? Should the drop? Be locked from using? It should not only be a perk for VIPs but also be able to undo if you stop being a VIP. As simple but yet useful VIP perk would be to be able to activate both tracker skills at once, if you have them. Other things I would like to see in general, and this would help a bit with the cosmetic outfit problem, is display cabinets for your house. if you for example got the Rift set, it would be nice to be able to display it. And the same goes for so many other sets. Another thing is that while the carry all is nice, it would be great if you could get a material storage to go with the crafting stations you could get for your house. Just dump all materials in it and they could be used directly at every crafting station nearby. (Now I got seven(?) carry alls on my shared storage that I just pick up whenever I craft anything - no need to know where anything are, just craft. but it could be simpler.

I honestly disagree with keeping the riding skill behind a paywall. Considering that Cardolan is going to be a really big area, traversing this new area from a low level without a mount could be off putting for new players who have no LotRO Points. I think the basic riding skill should be earnable in-game for everyone from either level 15 or 20, either via a small quest chain like the war steeds in Rohan or the skill trainer (kind of like SWTOR). Journeyman riding and accound wide riding should still be paywalled though because that's more of an optional convenience. Just my two cents as it were though. :D

I also want portable crafting tables and stuff

Whilst i agree on VIP benefits like mithril coins per month and things that improve the actual playing of the game, I'd prefer it if they did it more like ESO where the cosmetic stuff is there but its out of the way and not interfering with the actual game itself. I've never felt the need to dress up my characters in any gam I've played and prioritising things that have no effect on the playing or completion of a game is just annoying. Because the cosmetic stuff takes up physical space i bin it as soon as i get it. I am aware that I am an outlier in the modern gaming world but this is a discussion so i wanted to give a different view, i couldn't even tell you what my dwarf is wearing other than its got the best stats I've found for my build.

My main problem, or our problems with the game is only that it's too easy. Compared to other games, there is no same level monster that is difficult for you. I think me and my brother without too much difficulty took out monsters 10 levels higher than us, something that wouldn't be possible in most other games. This ofc was at like lvl 30. This led to us eventually stopping to play, bcz was just grind and no challenge doing the quests in group. These story quests early, when you have to grind down massive HP-monsters don't help with that feeling.

I can’t understand creating a problem just to sell a solution. That’s wild.

i think pay to convience is a death sentece for a game thats going to turn off a lot of people

I would like an armor swap system like they have with the cosmetics. It would store an additional armor set to swap with a button, like from tanking set to DPS set. Not hunting for it in my inventory would be awesome. This would be so simple for them to make.

VIP doesnt give you that much unfortunately. The Reason why i surbsribe is to support developers, so they can continue their awesome job. :)

Sorry Bright, but to have all 8 cosmetic slots, ALL 320 shared vault and 320 wardrobe spaces, which are unlocked account wide as you expand them, with subs is asking a bit too much. I can see increasing the starting spaces/slots increased somewhat and a 10-15% discount on buying more spaces for VIP, but as that's probably the biggest revenue generator for development, giving all of it away right off is probably a step too far. If you are having problems with not enough spaces/slots, manage them better and purchase them when they are ON SALE. As for the wardrobe, which I have unlocked fully along with my shared vault, there's also the ability to add every dye to each piece in it which adds a fair bit to the amount of memory that needs to be stored. My idea for wardrobes would be give each character 100 slots with the same dye adding systems but also the ability for each character to access the other characters' wardrobes thus increasing the overall space. Using mithril coins habitually for trans[port is silly and lazy. I've never wasted mithril coins on that, instead using them to purchase premium housing. Giving a few would not be too much of a step with each month's points, however.

I got VIP but i think, just to support the game. But there is no need for it to play the game i think.

I returned back to the game (again) recently and was always a VIP in the past. I think it's good to support the game it helps keep new updates and content. I've been trying to buy vip but it keeps saying it can't process my payment, go to support. I've used 2 different cards that are both good I use regularly for in person and online. I've even contacted support with, yeah you already know, no response. I'm literally willing to throw money at this game and for some reason they won't take it.

VIP is a monthly sub and should be treated as such aka it should unlock full inventory/wardrobe/shared stash etc.

Do we know when the big game update coming out?

I have a lifetime account since 2008, no idea what you talking about

Dude I feel like I could see you posing all smexi for a model magazine cover. Am I tripping? This image needs to get out of my head. Must be that shirt.