LOTRO is now officially free-to-play

Warner Bros. and Turbine opened the gates to Lord of the Rings Online  yesterday in North America, making the game free-to-play for everyone.

Early access folks shouldn't feel so alone now.

Players can now download LOTRO and play along with other adventurers of Middle-earth as they explore, complete quests, and slaughter those pesky wargs and blood-thirsty orcs.

The new LOTRO store is now open as well, where you can purchase expansions, quest packs, items, and account services a la carte, or join the VIP program that provides unlimited access to the game for one monthly fee.

The update also extends the epic storyline, and expands the world into Enedwaith.

Those who use DX11 will definitely want to give it a try, because from what we saw at PAX, we personally cannot wait to get Windows 7 and marvel at the loveliness when we play. Screenshots just do not give it justice. More about that later, though.

We're still waiting on a European release date from Codemasters, so hang tight. Until then, Codies is having a welcome back week to try and soften the blow.

Check out all the new goodies for LOTRO over on the game's official site, and enjoy the new screens from the game below.

The latest commercial for the game is also below courtesy of FileFront.