The biggest problem with the reward track and this kind of normalised behaviour with online game production is; it is a demand of the players to play 'now'.

It might not necessarily be something exclusively necessary to acquire or something everyone wants, or even something all that important. But the reward track and any content like it says to those logging in 'these commodities are limited and you have to put in the effort on MY timeline, not yours'.

A lot of the ethos of LOTRO outside of the endgame scene is an extremely laid back experience and denotes a well-rounded ability to see the player through the levels with a variety of content that changes and grows as they progress through the world. It is antithetical to this exact design philosophy, and that's from a surface look only.

It also makes it so that a re-routing and beginning anew is timed with how the system wants and is a way to lightly hold more power over player action, a small amount yes, but it is nevertheless a step in the wrong direction. A step in the wrong direction that has been on the hands of a lot of much more publicised games and seen as less of an issue due to its repeat presence just the same way DLC and micro-transactions had.

Now granted I don't think this is a MASSIVE deal, you can more or less decode it from your playstyle if you wish - but if you want to lean into the use of progress at max level, or make effort on your current LI it doesn't allow you to dynamically play or explore these aspects at your own pace; it instead asks you commit directly to the grind. Whether it be via time constraints, interest or something else - some people may not want to or cannot do this. Whereas with other systems this doesn't mean missing out - it just means being behind - a track system means if you take a break you are punished for it, the chance to get higher tier legacy levels or any of the exclusive items is bound only by your loyalty to the game and a loyalty to the game that explicitly makes it so you have to spend more time on it for less gain.

It is a bad thing. It may not necessarily look or be sculpted like a problem, but it is a clinically negative effect on both the creative nature of the game's construction and the play-ability of it.

It is good for keeping investment and monetisation only, as with most choices now.