The Lord of the Rings Online Preview

IGN PC has written up a two-page preview of The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, focusing primarily on the game's classes and character advancement.
At level 10, a Captain gets the benefit of summoning a guy who runs around with a banner. Though these Heralds of War, as they're called, may look silly as they follow you around waving a flag, they're quite useful in combat and party play for several reasons. First, they fight along side you. Second, their presence gives you and your party members a sizable bonus to Might and Agility. Third, they have their own special skills, including a stun attack, an attack that draws the enemy's attention, and the ability to sacrifice his own Morale (health) to restore yours. The Captain seems to encompass nearly everything desirable in LotRO: he can heal, inflict significant amounts of damage, command a pet, and buff himself and fellowship members. At level 14 Captains learn another heal, Words of Courage, which does an up-front and over time Morale boosting. At 15 this class can even learn Shields, further bolstering their defense.