Originally developed by Turbine, the game launched in North America, Australia, Japan, and Europe in April 2007 as The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar.

The game saw continued development, alternating between paid expansions and free updates, which added new content in the regions of Isengard, Rohan and Gondor.

Characters also earn Reputation with various factions in the world, completing progressive tiers which unlock various rewards, from cosmetic pets and outfits to superior quality weapons and armour.

A typical "instance" alternates between groups of strong enemies and boss encounters with special mechanics that provide a chest of rewards upon defeat.

The game began to allow exploration and adventuring into the arid regions south of Gondor — Umbar and Harad — in order to ensure the prolonged safety of the newly-crowned King Elessar (Aragorn) and his wife Arwen, in November 2023.

Mordirith, Steward of The Witch-king of Angmar, is driven away from Carn Dûm, prompting Sauron's other servants - Amarthiel and Mordrambor - to vie for his position.

Using the power vacuum in the wake of the Balrog's demise, the dwarves quickly claim major ground and establish several footholds within Khazad-dûm, but their fortunes start to turn as the evil in Moria begins to unite under new leadership.

Making an alliance with the Elves of Lothlorien, the dwarves attempt to hold their ground, but an emissary of Sauron arrives from Dol Guldur to put an end to their expedition.

This story concludes in the Siege of Mirkwood expansion, where the Galadhrim launch a major assault against Dol Guldur in an effort to draw the Eye of the enemy away from the Fellowship as it departs from Lorien.

Saruman's forces block the company's passage across the Fords of Isen, and as the Rangers recuperate, Lady Galadriel summons the player to Lorien, and urges them to follow the Fellowship down the river Anduin.

The player fights in the battle of Helm's Deep, after which they accompany King Théoden to confront Saruman at Orthanc, where the Rangers of the North finally meet with Aragorn.

They narrowly escape with the remaining Ithilien Rangers and reach the White City just as Faramir is shot by a Morgul dart and rendered unconscious.

They then join the assembled Host of the West that marches through North Ithilien into Dagorlad and fights at the Battle of the Black Gates, from where they see the One Ring destroyed and the forces of Sauron finally defeated.

Assisting Gandalf, the player learns of the Gúrzyul – powerful servants of the Enemy which, unlike the Nazgûl, did not perish with him, and continue to pose a danger to the people of Middle-Earth.

The player and Gandalf give chase through the ruins of Dol Guldur, into the halls of King Thranduil, and eventually to the Kingdom Under the Mountain, now ruled by Dain's son, Thorin III.

Karazgar's forces assault Erebor but are repelled, and a company of dwarves departs to reclaim their ancient strongholds in Ered Mithrin, believing them to be safe after the demise of Sauron.

The player joins Faramir's White Company and, with the help of Gandalf and the Rangers, manages to defeat Gothmog, Lieutenant of Morgul and second-in-command to the Witch-king of Angmar.

Emboldened by the success in the Grey Mountains, Prince Durin, son of King Thorin III, wishes to reclaim the ancestral dwarven stronghold of Gundabad.

Bolstered by reinforcements from Erebor and the Iron Garrison recently driven from Moria, the dwarves clash with the Orcs of Gundabad in front of ancestral peaks.

They achieve a minor victory, only to learn that Orcs are not their biggest problem: Gundabad has been claimed by a Frost-Dragon, her brood of drakes and their Hobgoblin servants.

King Elessar travels the kingdom of Gondor with Queen Arwen to heal the scars of the War of the Ring while multiple factions battle for control of Umbar, across the Bay of Belfalas.

In April 2007, Salon.com reported[22] that the game had dropped a planned feature for in-game player marriage because of the controversy around the possibility of same-sex[23] and inter-species[24] weddings.

[28] Executive producer Aaron Campbell transferred to other duties in 2015, and Dungeons and Dragons Online franchise director Athena Peters replaced him.

Peters announced a new roadmap for the future of Lord of the Rings Online, including improvements to the legendary item system, new fellowship quests, and various "quality of life" fixes.

In addition, all paying subscribers were given access to Standard Editions of the game's Mordor, Minas Morgul, and War of Three Peaks expansions for the duration of their subscription.

After Mordor all music so far has been composed by Bill Champagne, with full soundtracks for free updates and expansions alike released on the game's YouTube channel.

[45] Characters on reaching level 5 can learn to play musical instruments, including Bagpipes, Clarinet, Cowbell, Drum, Harp, Horn, Lute, Pibgorn, and Theorbo.

[48] GameDaily awarded the game 9/10, praising its rich, fantasy-themed universe, well-integrated trait and title system, and a story that remains true to the works of Tolkien.

[55] GameSpy gave it 4.5/5 stars, claiming the game "opened up Middle-Earth to the masses" but commented negatively on its weak PvP content,[56] while GameTrailers awarded it 8.5/10,[57] citing its interesting tweaks to the MMO genre.

In both 2018 and 2019, gaming blog Massively (formerly known as Joystiq) rated The Lord of the Rings Online as Most Underrated MMORPG of the year for its expansions and updates, vast, diverse world, some excellent storytelling, and a friendly and dedicated community.