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In lotro, much like in most MMOs, one of the first decisions you have to make is which server to play on.

Some questions may come to mind when confronted with the list of servers: how am I supposed to choose? Is there any difference between the servers? Previously, this used to be a more complicated question, but these days, the answer is generally simpler. It all boils down to the server's type and its population.

The first consideration is the server language. Though most of Lotro's server's are English-speaking, Turbine has provided several dedicated French- and German-speaking servers.

Next is the server's population density. This matters for a variety of reasons, which are listed in the following table:

Since there are no official numbers from Turbine regarding the population on each server, consider the following (not too accurate) methods of guesstimating the population density of a server.

• Trying it
  Creating a character on the server and playing for a few levels after the introduction quests. Check the Auction House, try chatting on regional channels, see the reaction of players and the answers you get for your questions. You could also try using the social panel, but that is both a bit buggy, and does not account for players who have set the Annonymous flag.
• Using the forums
  The official game forums at http://forums.lotro.com/ are a great source for advice and for getting a general feel for how many players are on that server. You can even find a kinship (guild) that you might like and decide on the server you'll play according to that kinship.
• Checking the boards
  Another way to get a rough grasp of the population level is to check the PvMP leaderboards, though it is much less accurate and only indicates the amount of people taking part in PvMP activity (Player vs Monster Player).

A related issue to population density is the timezone. In the past, lotro had separate servers for European players and American players, but some time ago Turbine merged the server pool. This means that though you have one list of servers, some servers (like Gilrain) are home to mostly European players, while others are predominantly American.

Another consideration in selecting a server is role-playing. Lotro has 3 types of servers:

• Standard: Most of lotro's servers are of this kind. Standard servers allow you to raise the role-play flag, but generally don't have a large roleplaying population.
• Roleplaying (RP): These servers are dedicated to roleplaying, and as such have additional rules regarding behavior, naming conventions, and chat. There are RP servers for all 3 languages.
• Roleplay-Encouraged (RE): These servers do not have enforcement of any RP rules, but do encourage roleplaying in a friendly environment. There is currently only one such server.

That's about it. So how can you decide which server is right for you? Because each player has his own priorities and interests, we can't really recommend one server over the other, but hopefully after reading this guide, you have a better idea of how to choose a server that is right for you.

Lotro has no limit to the number of servers you can play on, so if you still can't decide on a server (or are debating between a few choices), it might be best to just pick one and start playing. Because lotro's player-base is generally older than most other MMOs, you'll usually find helpful, patient people on most servers, though as mentioned above, high-population servers will tend to have more youngsters.

Hopefully this guide has helped you choose a server. If you wish to learn more about the game in detail and with free updates as the game changes, purchase the guide below.