So much of day-to-day communication relies on facial expressions and tone. For example, say you walk into a dim tavern and see a Hobbit, an Elf, and a Dwarf. After your eyes have adjusted you belly up to the bar and take a seat next to the trio. Suddenly, the Hobbit says, “Barkeep, what is the meaning of this fly in my ale?”

	This statement can be taken in so many ways. The Hobbit (in order to keep the guilty party’s identity a secret, we’ll call her “Molly”) might have meant this in a playful way. Maybe she put a fake fly in her cup, as part of a long-standing joke between her friends and the bartender.
On the other hand… Molly could be angry about the fly in her cup, and about to demand a refund (or at least a fresh pint!). Or. perhaps she has a penchant for flies in her beverages, like marshmallows in cocoa, and is sad that there is only one.

However, if you see that she’s angry (/mood_angry), you might want to be ready to duck any airborne tankards when she starts accusing others of sabotaging a perfectly good ale.

LOTRO’s /mood emotes offer a way to bring even more life to your character. Why not wear a happy look when you join up with a new fellowship, or add the facial expression of sadness when delivering stirring eulogies over your fallen brethren?

Let’s say your character has a phobia about caves. Well, not really caves themselves, of course - it’s a hole in the ground, silly! It’s what lurks IN the cave... And on this particular adventure, your fellowship approaches – what else? – a cave. You frantically choose /mood_fearful to show your fellows that you’re scared.

“How big did you say this Cave-troll is? How big are its teeth in proportion to its size?”

Your character can also convey your actual mood, on your behalf. For example, you’re tired. It‘s 4 a.m. in the morning, you’ve just finished a marathon session of monster slaying, and your forehead is threatening to connect with the keyboard due to lack of sleep. Type /mood_sleepy… your character’s eyes begin drooping, accompanied by occasional yawns. Soooo sleepy…

“Well my friends, all that orc-slaying has made me rather tired. I think I’m going to head for the nearest inn and get a few winks. Good night!”

That cave troll probably wasn’t home, anyway.

Here is the current list of LOTRO’s mood emotes:

/mood_angry
/mood_apprehensive
/mood_calm
/mood_confused
/mood_fearful
/mood_happy
/mood_mischievous
/mood_sad
/mood_sleepy
/mood_solemn
/mood_suprised

You can use these by typing the appropriate “slash command” in the chat window, or by accessing the full emote list via the small gold “chat bubble” icon on the bottom left of your chat window.

So, the next time you strike up a conversation with your fellow adventurers, or settle down by a tavern hearth to tell a tale, try setting the mood with a mood emote to make your dialog more entertaining, for both you and your audience!

For more information about the mood and emote system check out this excellent player created guide!