Last updated: 27 September 2026
LotroHQ (lotrohq.com) is an unofficial fan site with guides, builds and news for The Lord of the Rings Online. This page explains what information we and our partners collect when you use the site, why, and what choices you have. If anything here is unclear, please get in touch.
Who we are
LotroHQ is run by an independent fan of the game. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to Standing Stone Games, Daybreak Game Company or Middle-earth Enterprises. All game names, images and trademarks belong to their owners.
Information we collect
Information you give us
If you use our contact form we receive the name, email address and message you type. We use it only to read and reply to your message, and we keep it for as long as we need to follow up. We do not add you to any mailing list.
Information collected automatically
Like most websites, our hosting and analytics tools record standard technical information when you visit: pages viewed, the site or search that referred you, your approximate location (country or city level), device and browser type, and your IP address. We use this to keep the site secure, block spam, understand which guides are useful and fix problems. This is provided by our hosting platform (WordPress.com, operated by Automattic) and its tools such as Jetpack and Akismet. We also use Google Analytics, a service from Google, to understand how visitors use the site. It uses cookies and similar technologies and receives your IP address in anonymised form, together with details such as the pages you view and your device and browser. You can opt out with the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.
Information saved on your own device
If you star a class in the menu, your browser remembers it so we can show a shortcut to it. This is stored only on your device and is never sent to us.
Cookies and advertising
We use cookies and similar technologies for essential functions (keeping the site working and secure), for measuring visits, and for advertising. Ads on LotroHQ help pay for the site. They are served by third-party advertising partners, who may use cookies, device identifiers and your IP address to show ads and to measure how they perform. Depending on where you live, they may show ads based on your browsing activity across sites (personalised ads), and you may be asked for your choice in a consent banner. Our advertising partners have their own privacy policies, and we may change partners over time.
You can also manage advertising choices through your browser settings or these tools: optout.aboutads.info (US), youronlinechoices.eu (EU) and your Google account’s ad settings.
Mediavine Programmatic Advertising (Ver 1.1)
The Website works with Mediavine to manage third-party interest-based advertising appearing on the Website. Mediavine serves content and advertisements when you visit the Website, which may use first and third-party cookies. A cookie is a small text file which is sent to your computer or mobile device (referred to in this policy as a “device”) by the web server so that a website can remember some information about your browsing activity on the Website.
First party cookies are created by the website that you are visiting. A third-party cookie is frequently used in behavioral advertising and analytics and is created by a domain other than the website you are visiting. Third-party cookies, tags, pixels, beacons and other similar technologies (collectively, “Tags”) may be placed on the Website to monitor interaction with advertising content and to target and optimize advertising. Each internet browser has functionality so that you can block both first and third-party cookies and clear your browser’s cache. The “help” feature of the menu bar on most browsers will tell you how to stop accepting new cookies, how to receive notification of new cookies, how to disable existing cookies and how to clear your browser’s cache. For more information about cookies and how to disable them, you can consult the information at All About Cookies.
Without cookies you may not be able to take full advantage of the Website content and features. Please note that rejecting cookies does not mean that you will no longer see ads when you visit our Site. In the event you opt-out, you will still see non-personalized advertisements on the Website.
The Website collects the following data using a cookie when serving personalized ads:
- IP Address
- Operating System type
- Operating System version
- Device Type
- Language of the website
- Web browser type
- Email (in hashed form)
Mediavine Partners (companies listed below with whom Mediavine shares data) may also use this data to link to other end user information the partner has independently collected to deliver targeted advertisements. Mediavine Partners may also separately collect data about end users from other sources, such as advertising IDs or pixels, and link that data to data collected from Mediavine publishers in order to provide interest-based advertising across your online experience, including devices, browsers and apps. This data includes usage data, cookie information, device information, information about interactions between users and advertisements and websites, geolocation data, traffic data, and information about a visitor’s referral source to a particular website. Mediavine Partners may also create unique IDs to create audience segments, which are used to provide targeted advertising.
If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices to opt-in or opt-out of this data collection, please visit National Advertising Initiative opt out page. You may also visit Digital Advertising Alliance website and Network Advertising Initiative website to learn more information about interest-based advertising. You may download the AppChoices app at Digital Advertising Alliance’s AppChoices app to opt out in connection with mobile apps, or use the platform controls on your mobile device to opt out.
For specific information about Mediavine Partners, the data each collects and their data collection and privacy policies, please visit Mediavine Partners.
Third-party services on the site
- YouTube. Guides and the home page can show YouTube videos. Videos load only when you press play. Once you do, YouTube (Google) may set cookies and collect data under its own privacy policy.
- Official LOTRO news. Our server reads public news and sales posts from the official LOTRO website and forums to show them on the home page. This does not involve any information about you.
- Discord and other links. Links to Discord, the official LOTRO site and other websites lead to services with their own privacy practices.
- WordPress.com, Jetpack and Akismet provide hosting, statistics, security and spam filtering for the site.
- Google Analytics measures visits and which pages are useful, under Google’s own privacy policy.
How we use information
- To run, secure and improve the site and its guides.
- To reply to messages you send us.
- To show advertising that helps fund the site.
- To comply with legal obligations and protect against abuse.
Where the law requires a legal basis (for example in the UK and EU), we rely on your consent for advertising cookies, and on our legitimate interests in running and securing the site for analytics and spam protection.
Sharing information
We share information only with the service providers described above, when required by law, or to protect the site and its users. We do not sell your contact details. Some advertising activity can count as “sharing” or “selling” personal information under laws such as the California Consumer Privacy Act; you can opt out through the consent options shown on the site or the tools linked above.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to ask what personal information we hold about you, to have it corrected or deleted, to object to or restrict certain uses, to withdraw consent, and to complain to your local data protection authority. To make a request, use our contact form and tell us what you need. We will respond within the time required by law.
Retention and security
We keep messages and records only as long as needed for the purposes above. No online service can be perfectly secure, but we rely on a reputable hosting provider and keep the site’s software up to date. Your information may be processed in countries other than your own, including the United States, where our providers operate.
Children
LotroHQ is not directed at children under 13 (or under 16 where local law sets a higher age) and we do not knowingly collect their personal information. If you believe a child has sent us information, please contact us and we will delete it.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time, for example when we change advertising partners. The date at the top shows when it was last changed.
Contact
Questions about privacy? Please write to us through the contact page.