LOTRO goes free-to-play September 10

Warner and Turbine announced a date this morning for Lord of the Rings Online's free-to-play debut.

Not only will the story be extended this fall into Enedwaith (Vol.2 Book 3) but the new pricing model will allow players to download the game and play for free, purchase expansions, quest packs, items, and account services a la
carte from the new LOTRO Store, or join the VIP program to get unlimited access to all of the game’s content for one price starting September 10.

"Our LOTRO Beta program has been a huge success and we want to thank all of our players who worked with us to get the game ready for launch,” said Kate Paiz, executive producer of LOTRO.

"Our unique pricing model has revolutionized the industry and starting in September, players will be able to choose how they pay for and play one of the world’s best online games and we can’t wait to welcome millions of new players to Middle-earth."

Here's some extra information for you:

• Free means Free – Players will download LOTRO and play free up to level 50.

• The Store - The LOTRO Store has thousands of convenience items as well as expansion packs, premium content, additional character slots, potions, character customization and more. It is integrated into the game and lets the player enhance and customize their experience using points which can be purchased in the store or earned through gameplay.

• VIP – Players who elect to become a LOTRO VIP will have unlimited access to all premium content, receive priority server access, 5 character slots, a shared bank slot, and a monthly allotment of points to spend in the new LOTRO Store.

So there ya go. Launching worldwide on September 10.

We've played around in the Beta a bit, and the new content is not only fun, but gorgeous as well.

You should really try it out, especially now it's going F2P, you don't have to spend anything to do it.