What is Monster Play in Lord of the Rings Online?

In Lord of the Rings Online, those who reach level 40 are able to join some great fun in the Ettenmoors as they play as either a monster or their normal toon to take over the four objective points. But, if you don't know what this is about - or what you're doing - this can get really confusing. So, here is a bit about this monster play PvP area to help you see what you're in for so that you don't look like a noob running around.

In Lord of the Rings Online, PvP takes place as Monster Play in the Ettenmoors. This is a zone for only those who are level 40+ and you have to capture five different keeps to win. Each keep is guarded by a monster boss, and both players and monsters fight for control over these keeps. If your side gains control over these keeps, you post your NPC's, guards, and more to help you, and you'll see this change as you takeover that keep and the NPC's automatically change over to your side. You will also notice that the map will change over on that particular keep as well, so you can see where you need to go next to keep your streak going.

Now, in this area, you will also find quests and other monsters who will give you Destiny Points instead of experience when you complete a quest or kill the monsters. You will also find many great higher end resources here to make you want to head to the Ettenmoors.

You now know a bit about the PvP area and what all it offers you in terms of play, but what about playing as a monster? Well, any player who is level 10 or over can visit one of the Fell Scrying Pools to create or log in as a monst character. These are all real toons that you will have access to, and they will also be saved for the next time that you are ready to head into the monster world. You create them, name them, and when you are ready to head into the world, you're automatically boosted up to level 50 to be able to compete with the higher level characters in the Ettenmoors. Now, the downside is that you cannot leave the Ettenmoors with these higher level monster toons – they have to stay there. But, you can gain active and passive ability upgrades as well as destiny points to spend on your monsters as well.