
It was several World of Warcraft expansions ago — Legion, most likely — that the development team at Blizzard really got worked up over this idea of “class fantasy.” While the devs talked about it so much it kind of became a bit of a joke, I’ll admit that it was the first time I consciously thought about this topic as something that existed outside of my imagination.
Class fantasy, in my view, is how well a particular MMO profession immerses you into its singular culture and simply delivers on its core premise. Does a Hunter feel like a Hunter when you play it? Are there little touches that add to this fantasy, even if they’re not combat related?
Applying that line of thinking to Lord of the Rings Online is something I wanted to do today. How well — or poorly — does our favorite MMO handle class fantasy?
I know I should spend the rest of this column laying out evidence and building up to a conclusion, but I’m going to jump ahead to the end: The more I think about it, I would definitely say that LOTRO does an excellent job with class fantasy. Specific builds aside, if you look at the classes as a whole, the dozen professions of this MMO are rather distinct from each other and offer some really nice touches of immersion.
While there are some skill and role overlap between classes, LOTRO does establish boundaries that keep the lines from blurring. Nothing in this game functions or feels like a Minstrel as a whole package. The class fantasy there is of a traveling battle bard, able to wield shouts and songs to the detriment of its foes. It’s also given the ability to apprentice other characters in the use of exotic instruments, which is fully in line with what a Minstrel is.
All classes get a few bespoke quests that reinforce their particular fantasy, with Beornings even receiving a full introductory experience. I do wish that the developers would put in more of those class-specific quests (they peter out before you hit 50) because they do so much to make you think of your class as a full lifestyle within the context of Middle-earth.
I also like that right there in the character creation screen, the devs link each class to a particular well-known (or sometimes obscure) figure from Tolkien’s legendarium. It emphasizes that not only did the devs pull this class directly from the lore but that this class actually fits within the context of the world.
Skills certainly have a lot to do with class fantasy, especially when you get those signature abilities that aren’t seen anywhere else. I feel like a Captain when I can call a herald to my side, blow a battle horn, and charge into the fray with my halberd. I feel like a Hunter when I lay down some traps, throw up a decoy, and lure enemies into the killing zone. I feel like a Beorning when my hairy butt expands 5000% and I rear up to maul orcs and goblins.
I think it’s a testament to the strong design of LOTRO’s classes that so many of them are visually identifiable if you see one running along the path (even with cosmetics!). Actually, speaking of cosmetics, players have another layer of freedom to fashion the look of their class to further reinforce that fantasy if they so choose.
Could the class fantasy be better? Absolutely, if the devs felt it was worth investing their time and effort into improving. That’s a tall order for a small team that would probably like all of its work to be universally accessible, but it could be worth investigating.
As I said before, more class-specific questlines would be a terrific addition. And to steal a good idea from WoW, class-specific guilds or halls or hidey-holes or what have you would be pretty neat. What about class factions that you could pursue? Class-specific mounts?
Yeah, I’m pipe dreaming, I know. I’m simply pointing out that there’s always more that could be done to reinforce and improve players “sense of class” beyond the initial portion of the game where it’s the strongest.
What do you think about class fantasy in LOTRO? Is it something the game does well, or is there room for improvement?
