Helm’s Deep – Epic Story Summary

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Along with the recently announced release date and pre-orders for Helm’s Deep, Turbine also created a new page giving teasing snippets of various aspects of the upcoming expansion.

For this article we will be looking at the Epic Story.

 

Book 11: The Golden Hall

The White Hand plots the conquering of Rohan with Uruk-hai, Orcs, and Dunlendings. Meanwhile, at the whispers of Chief Advisor Gríma, Théoden King believes Saruman a friend of Rohan.

You must disobey the command of a King, and journey to the capital city of Edoras to reunite with old allies. Unearth the depth of Gríma Wormtongue’s treachery, come to the aid of Éowyn and Éomer, and prepare Edoras to march to safety.

 

Book 12: War in The Westemnet

Meet with old friends and journey the expansive lands of West Rohan, at the request of Éomer, to help the people of Rohan. Aid refugees, seek out informants, and uncover a mystery weaved through the war-torn fields of green.

 

Book 13: Helm’s Deep

Saruman commands a horde of fell creatures and Men; the White Hand’s army marches on Helm’s Deep and the Hornburg, where the people of Rohan, led by Théoden King, seek refuge. Terror and chaos mingle as you ride to aid the Rohirrim in a seemingly unwinnable battle.

 

Looking at the details here, I would guess that the first Book will be centered around Edoras, helping the major lore characters and kicking Grima’s slimy butt. The second will be more based on our questing around West Rohan as a whole, with less interaction with lore characters and more focus on doing things.

The last, of course, centers around Helm’s Deep. I am not certain whether the Big Battles will be integrated with the Epic like Skirmishes, since that would require them to be at least partially free. Additionally, I wonder where the Book will end. After the Huorns arrive? If so, then the very next Book might involve travelling to Isengard.

8 comments

  1. Thraorin /

    Note that according to Sapience the new epic quests require purchase of the expansion. 🙁

  2. Yeah, I just read this. Very disappointing. I’m not sure that I’d agree that LOTRO is really F2P if you’ve got to pay (or even grind) for the epic. That’s always been a major arguement in my mind for Lotro being truly F2P as opposed to other games where you pretty much have to pay in one form or other.

  3. Ethelros /

    In practice I doubt it will make much difference. I certainly don’t know of anyone who has levelled this far without buying the expansions, at any rate the percentage is likely very low.

    That said I’m frankly bewildered that they’d choose to change it now. Can’t really see the benefit of it either, aside from being a solution to the whole Epic integration with Epic Battles problem, and even then it’s hardly the most elegant.

    In the long run this is just going to tick people off, and whatever measly monetary bonus they could get from this will pale in comparison.

  4. I wonder if their player data with Wildermore led them to decide this.

    I know that for myself (I’m premium, not VIP) I only did the Epic story in Wildermore at first, and then waited for it to go on sale before buying it with TP. Maybe I wasn’t alone in this, and that led them to choose to not allow free access to the epics going forward.

  5. knowfere /

    The amount of game that is “free” is shrinking and pretty soon they’ll have to change up the model name…

  6. I’m going back to Zork. See you guys there.

  7. I am very excited for the EPIC but am not looking forward to having it impede players journeys.

  8. Bloobwulf /

    Good call Sig, then Myst can die a new way — eaten by a grue.

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