Belfalas Housing, North Ithilien, and Mordor – 2016 Producer’s Letter

Today, Severlin posted the 2016 Producer’s Letter, detailing the plans for the game moving into 2017 and beyond. A few highlights:

• New premium housing in the Bay of Belfalas: own multiple homes in Gondor in addition to your classic homes in exchange for mithril coins
• New regions and new quests: North Ithilien, the Cross-roads, Osgiliath (After Battle) and Minas Tirith (After Battle)
• Hunter, Burglar, and Beorning changes

“We are currently hard at work on Update 19, titled the March of the King. Our plan is to release the update in October. Update 19 will feature The Last Debate, along with the Host of the West and its March through North Ithilien, the debut of new premium housing on the Cape of Belfalas, a return to landscape questing, and a new rotation of featured instances. North Ithilien was once known for its gardens, and some called it the prettiest area of Gondor. That beauty remains even in the presence of the enemy. The overgrown and wild area still has many plants and flowers that are not found elsewhere in Middle-earth, and players can gather the flora found there to barter for rewards that will remain useful into 2017. We look forward to telling you more about Update 19 in the coming weeks!” – source

“Premium housing brings vastly more hook points, the ability to own multiple houses, a fully revised housing UI, and more. Current homeowners can continue to enjoy their dwellings, and we remain committed to supporting classic housing in the future.” – source

Excitement is rising in the studio as the story progresses toward some very enticing story moments and some very interesting regions. Looking past Update 19, we are looking forward to exploring the foreboding lands of Dagorlad, experiencing the Battle of the Black Gate, and perhaps even meeting a VERY well-known riddle and magical accessories fan. We’ve hinted at the possibility of bringing you to Mordor in a full expansion, and we’ll be continuing to work through that process in the coming months. – source

We’re also aiming to address some of the things you’ve been urging us to work on. Lag in large encounters is a top priority. We are working on changes to the Burglar and Hunter class to make them more competitive.  We are also looking to fix more bugs, add some quality of life improvements, and improve some of our festivals to keep them interesting and fun.

It remains a pleasure to help guide the LOTRO team through our journey in Middle-earth, and we look forward to celebrating all things Tolkien with you for a long time to come. – source

You can read the full Producer’s Letter here.

In addition, the Bullroarer test server is open for Update 19. The test notes can be read here.