The next expansion will take us to the lands of the Morgul Vale. The old gondorian city of Minas ithil or Morgul as orcs now call it. The pre-orders are up and use the same pricing as the Mordor expansion. The first possible release date given by SSG is 29th of october with the 7 3, 6 and raid instances following in later patches.
The 80$ version is could be good with a Valar if you’re planning on it . The 130$ is for the people that know they will want everything. But the base version of 40$ includes the new stout-axe race as well as a character slot.
To avoid paying double taxes for EU players. Change the language setting in the topright to Non-US
The Lotropoint version will be on sale in March for
Base Edition (includes the Minas Morgul Region & Instances only): 2495 Points
Stout-axe Dwarf: 1000 Points
Not available atm, but if you (pre-)order the Stout-axe race is available as of now.
A small landscape trailer has been released that shows you some of the, well, landscapes
As part of Amazons push into the world of Tolkien it has taken an unknown stake in the developer of Lord of the rings online SSG. While the series is still a few years away, the development of a game world the size of Middle-earth would take years.
As part of the investment in SSG, they get access to a dedicated team of developers that is familiar with both the world and story telling that comes with such a prominent IP. For the developers it opens up a whole new age. Amazon has rights to the Silmarilion aren’t part of the rights SSG has. Which would allow them to expand into the second age and historical events before the Lord of the rings.
Through a 3rd party Amazon provided the means for them (at that time Turbine) to introduce the race of the High elf. This gave them an insight as to how the studio would integrate the second age into the existing game world. While originally a new race wasnt on the table. The story we can now play with our own characters was meant to be a session play. Unbeknownst to the developers this was just a possible start.
The departure of Dr. Octothorpe took most by suprise in december of 2018. Behind the scenes this was part of the transition of Amazon into a stakeholder. Currently Dr. Octothrope is part of the story boarding team that works on Amazons prime lord of the rings and it’s tie-in with Lotro.
During an interview at Pax east it got spoiled that before the Minas Morgul expansion will launch we’ll receive free episodes as a prequel to events in the Morgul Vale.
Future content
While details are sparse it’s expected to have the first episodes to involve the High-elfs in episodic content to be released around the time the Minas morgul expansion has launched.
Early impressions of Minas Ithil
The city now known as Minas Morgul was part of the Gondor until it got conquered in the Second age by Sauron. Roughly in the time frame where the series is about to take place. More details are expected as the current marketing campaign by Amazon is finished as the maps get more detailed.
Robust client required
The second age prequels are expected to be released as part of the second wave of hype train by Amazon (and SSG). Rumors hav it that part of the investment, a more robust client is required by Amazon before the next milestone is greenlighted. This might explain the rush on the once legendary 64-bit client.
So what could it be (own speculation)?
Will it be a high-elven episodic content like Bingo Boffin? Or will it involve the ancestors of Aragorn? The rumours of Aragorn to be the focus of the series makes me believe that it will focused on the Dunedain and Numenoreans in Minas Morgul. Free to play content in a Gondorian city of Minas Ithil that ties into the the upcoming expansion of Minas Morgul? A new class part of the expansion that focuses on the Dunedain rangers? Doubling down on development and using exiting assets sound like a wise plan. Just in case the deal falls short.
In short
Amazon through a 3rd party funded the development of the High-elf race as a test during the Mordor expansion.
Dr Octothorpe left SSG to join the amazon prime lotr series as part of a deal for a Lotro-tie in with SSG
Part of the 2nd wave of marketing, unknown content will be released by SSG late 2019
Details about this content is expected to be released during the summer (depending on timetables of the client updates and expansion timelines?)
New 2nd age “session plays” and/or anew class for the Minas morgul expansion?
Everyone looks at their calendar and realizes what date it is.
Greetings LOTRO Players! In this article, we will be taking a look at some of the new sights that are coming soon when Update 19 goes live later this month. I’ll give my thoughts on the new region below, and also be warned that you should not continue past this point if you want to experience these wonderful new views firsthand!
The Staute at the Cross-roads
Ithilien, the Land of the Moon, was long called the Garden of Gondor by its denizens, but foul orcs from Mordor drove the brave citizens west of the river many years ago. Now, its beauty lies undisturbed by civilization, seen only by a select few roaming warriors and hidden rangers. The journey into North Ithilien begins at the Cross-roads, a landmark set beneath the boughs of enormous shade trees. It is dominated by a statue of a King of Old whose head has been replaced by orcs with a crude stone bearing the mark of the Eye of Mordor.
The Morgul Gate
The Cross-roads connects Minas Tirith to its sister-city Minas Morgul, with Osgiliath lying in between. Following the road east and south, we come quickly across a sinister gate leading to the infamous city of the Witch-king.
Minas Morgul from up close
Unfortunately, the barrier cannot be crossed. Turning our sights north, the land slopes gently upwards, revealing fields of flowers and blooming trees set with ruins all about.
The Flowers of Ithilien
Many varieties of trees grow here near the borders of Mordor
Stately ruins dot the landscape, echoing the glories of Ithilien when its enemies lay dormant across the mountains.
Aelin Veren in the distance
Trees growing in the ruins of Aelin Veren
An old waterway lies abandoned
A pool in North Ithilien
In far-off Osgiliath, the Dome of the Stars can be seen from this hill
Continuing north brings us to Henneth Annun, the hideout of the Rangers of Ithilien, led by noble Faramir. They dwell within a cave that leads behind a roaring waterfall. On an interesting note, this cave is not instanced off from the landscape content; you can simply wander into the entrance of the cave and continue down to where the Rangers are stationed without ever hitting a loading zone.
The entryway to Henneth Annun sits atop a high hill
Behind the waterfall
To the west, we get a fantastic view of the forests below and Cair Andros in the distance.
The Rangers’ Watch
Riding west towards Cair Andros and turning a little north, we come across the Field of Cormallen. The beautiful King Crimson trees that line the clearing are a sight to behold, and I can’t wait to see this area in action for the party after the war is won!
Hurry up and get here already, Aragorn & Co!
Finally, heading north from Henneth Annun, we come upon Aragorn’s War-stead and our first glimpses into the wastes that surround Mordor known as Dagorlad.
The blasted area begins abruptly at the plains of Dagorlad, with the beauty of Ithilien only paces away
As promised, here are my thoughts after riding through the region for an hour or so:
The landscape looks beautiful. There are plenty of new art assets used, such as new types of trees and flowers, that keep the game visually interesting into update 19. Additionally, there is a good deal of variety, from the dark woods near Minas Morgul to the beautiful views of Henneth Annun. The world builders did a fantastic job of creating some breath-taking views in various places around this zone and cleverly winded the main pathway through the region to provide many of these moments. The new barter-flowers which are harvested in exchange for gear can be found in plentiful amounts all around the region; I was not particularly searching for them, and I harvested a good handful.
The wandering creatures in the area are more-or-less similar to what we’ve been seeing in most of Gondor: Bears, goats, birds, spiders, a few mountain-lions, and the occasional lizard. Of course, near Cair Andros were a great deal of Corsairs and orcs. Many were scaled above the level cap of 105, and I frequently saw mobs of level 107 or higher, making them more difficult to fight than anything in Far Anórien.
Lastly, the blue skies and bright colors that occupy most of the new region are a welcome breath of fresh air, relieving the ‘gloom-and-doom’ look of Central-through-Beacon-Hills Gondor. I was having a fantastic time exploring, and I hope you all will too when Update 19 launches later this month!
Please let me know in the comments below if there are any particular places you’d like to see more of. I’d like to also provide an article with pictures from the new housing neighborhood, depending on the status of Bullroarer this weekend!