The Update 15 Beta introduced a new Gondor map that includes various parts of Gondor, Harad and Mordor. With the game getting so close to several famous locations, we decided it would be a good time to predict how the next several years will play out based on the new map.
Gondor and Beyond – Predicting What Is Next For LOTRO
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What Is The First Thing You Will Do When Mordor Is Released?
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Hey! What’s with the Warbands popping up in Harondor near the bottom of your map during your discussion! Spoiler Alert!!
I think that is just a visual glitch but it could be a hint.
Just a thought: maybe we go back north across the White Mountains, and fill in the area where the Entwash meets the Anduin. If you look at the current map, it would be the area starting at the Falls of Rauros, skirting south-west around the East Wall to the Fenmarsh, down the river that flows past Beaconwatch to the White Mountains, and back to the Anduin, as well as some of the area on the Eastern bank of the Anduin.
Osgiliath would make an interest ending point for that area. Then we can continue down the Anduin to Minas Tirith.
This would also server to link Gondor to the rest of the map (with the PotD instance no longer acting as a gate), and maybe even linking in The Dead Marshes.
In fact, where the road meets the river near Beaconwatch, there’s a crew working on the road.
That would be awesome to connect all that together but I don’t know why, from a story point of view, we would need to cross the mountains.
Stupid me, the region I’m describing is the mouths of the Entwade & Anorien
My best guest would be that, perhaps, we are sent to convince Ghan-buri-Ghan to assist the Rohirrim. Inevitably, we are sent out on various quests to gain his trust and help the Druedain.
Or, we are sent back to aid Theoden and the Rohirrim with the trek through Anorien.
I’ve always wanted to go south from Rauros. I’ve died several times trying to get down there >.<
Say the word wilderness! Now say the word Wildermore! Now say Wildermore pronouncing the wilder part as it is pronounced in the word wilderness!
Angrymar, Everswim, Wilder-more (because that story is wilder than your dreams) … 😀
What if they opened up an area near Amon Hen that leads to Dead Marshes, then go south of the Dead Marshes to get to Osgiliath? Sort of like what they did coming into Rohan even though we had already had landscape that led there.
Don’t forget after Pelannor Fields, there is an army to the north of Minas Tirith that was supposed to block the Rohirrim. So that could be late 2016.
Originally I’d thought that we were certain to follow the Anduin north, into Lossarnach, and circumnavigate Minas Tirith (along the extended wall that surrounds the Pelennor Fields), to get to Osgiliath that way, but this map: http://www.strangehorizons.com/2010/20100823/tolkiens.jpg , a genuine Tolkien map, shows that the outer-wall of Minas Tirith comes touches the river, and as such we’d not be able to sneak around the side.
My preference would be for us to be able to come from the north, through Anorien (as Osgiliath is slightly further north than Minas Tirith), and this would allow us to encounter various landmarks such as Amon Din and Cair Andros (not to mention meeting the Druedain), however Anorien is a large area, without any useful mountains (as can be seen in West Gondor) between the Entwash and the White Mountains, and so this section alone, let alone the area around Osgiliath, would probably take more work than just allowing us to slip around the edge of the Pelennor Fields.
However, the idea of going through South Ithilien is an interesting one (we can already see from the northern bank that there are various structures already in place on the southern side), and it would allow us to continue fighting against the Haradrim, who begin to play a role in Central Gondor, plus this may also be the more cheery area that Produktion Malphunktion mentioned in a forum post a week or so ago, which is intended to remind us what we are fighting for – Ithilien, because there are so few settlements there, remains relatively untarnished by war, according to the books.
My assumption is that we’ll go into Eastern Gondor, and simply follow the west side of the river to Osgiliath, carefully avoiding Minas Tirith and the Pelennor Fields, but I would love to see Anorien brought into the game (even if a portal is required to connect Rohan to Gondor eventually).
What makes you think we won’t be going to Minas Tirith in Update 16? There is nothing in the executive producer’s letter that states that we won’t be…just curious.
He has mentioned the two in a specific order twice now. Here is the most recent: https://www.lotro.com/forums/showthread.php?557012-A-Letter-From-Executive-Producer-Aaron-Campbell-October-2014
“We’re advancing north, and now almost in sight of both Minas Tirith and The Black Gate. Osgiliath is a city overrun by Sauron’s army. Expect new adventures as you journey along the Anduin.”
“As the war escalates even further, you will journey to the City of Kings and participate in the Siege of Minas Tirith.”
I just remembered. In a producers letter or a dev post following a producers letter, it was stated that we would be able to see Minas Tirth from Osgiliath but not be able to reach it. Sort of like we could see Edoras from the Entwash before HD. I’d bet we are simply going to skirt along one side of the river, having a view of the White City the whole way! TEASE!
The palantir of minas morgul (formerly minas ithil) was lost after it was captured by the ringwraiths, and was kept at barad dur with sauron himself. Even if we captured minas morgul we would not find it there.