GamesRadar - The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria

The Lord of the Rings Online: Siege of Mirkwood expansion - Trailer 2 (Video)

Nov 3, 2009

A further deepening of a great MMO for those with more mature tastes.

The Lord of the Rings Online: Siege of Mirkwood expansion - Trailer (Video)

Nov 2, 2009

A further deepening of a great MMO for those with more mature tastes.

The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria (Screenshots)

Nov 2, 2009

2010 MMO Calendar Goes On Sale (News)

Oct 26, 2009

The fourth annual MMO Calendar, which raises funds for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, is now on sale.

Developers of a wide range of Massively Multiplayer Online games have dedicated artwork from their games to the cause. This year, the list includes a mix of old and new games, some yet to come such as Funcom's The Secret World.

Anyone who purchases a calendar is also entered into a prize draw where they can win one of ten prizes for each game that features in the calendar.

LOTRO: EU Expansion Pre-Order Deals Announced (News)

Oct 14, 2009

Codemasters has released the pre-order deals for European players on the upcoming expansion for Lord of the Rings Online; 'Siege of Mirkwood'.

The expansion is launched on 3 December, and EU players can get it for free by opting for one of the special deals listed.

EU LotRO Players Welcomed Back (News)

Aug 3, 2009

Codemasters are offering former LotRO players a chance to come back to the game and play for free for one week.

From today, former players can update their client to the latest version and log in to play LotRO for no cost, until 10 August. Players will find their characters waiting for them, so they can resume play from the last time they were logged in.

Lord of the Rings Online: Welcome Back Week July 9-15th (News)

Jul 9, 2009

Examiner.com writes:

"Turbine is offering a "Welcome Back Week" from July 9th until July 15th. For those who have already played Lord of the Rings Online, you can reactivate your account starting tomorrow, and play for a week for free.

For all players of Lord of the Rings Online, you'll also get to indulge in a 25% experience boost (which stacks with rested bonus.) "

Lord of the Rings Online: "Design a Horse" contest (News)

Jul 6, 2009

Examiner.com writes: "Turbine has launched yet another Lord of the Rings Online contest: this time, to design a horse. Using the horse template (previewed here), contestants will want to provide custom colorization and tack for a LOTRO horse, from at least the side view. Winners get their horse placed into the game, recieve a Turbine goody bag, and get a special forum title."

The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria - Scourge of Khazad-dum (Video)

Jun 24, 2009

A further deepening of a great MMO for those with more mature tastes.

Lord of the Rings Online: Book 8 released (News)

Jun 23, 2009

"This morning, Turbine brought down the Lord of the Rings Online servers to apply the update for Book 8: Scourge of Khazad-Dûm. . . Here's a little of what you can expect in Book 8 . . ." (via Examiner)

Middle Earth Is Getting Bigger (News)

Jun 21, 2009

Lord of the Rings Online is bucking the trend for new MMOs and actually attracting new customers.

Start downloading LotRO's Volume 2 Book 8: Scourge of Khazad-Dûm (News)

Jun 20, 2009

Announcement of pre-patching availability of MMORPG Lord of the Rings Online next major content update. Volume 2 Book 8's release date is set for June 23, 2009.

Lord of the Rings Online: Book 8 Instances and Raiding (News)

Jun 12, 2009

A new developer blog by Jared "Amlug" Hall-Dugas from Lord of the Rings Online's development team has brought to light many of the changes that will be new to instances and raiding in Chapter 8.

Lord of the Rings Online: Book 8 crafting changes (News)

Jun 3, 2009

A new developer diary for Lord of the Rings Online reveals several special changes to crafting in the upcoming Book 8 update.

Here are the highlights of what's new.

Lord of the Rings Online: "One Kinship To Rule Them All" contest (News)

May 21, 2009

Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO) has begun a new contest, called "One Kinship to Rule Them All." A levelling contest for kinships, the winning kinships will have their kinship hall paid for for one year (or get a new kinship hall, and six months of payment). The top kinship across all servers will also receive a special badge for their my.lotro.com page!

LOTRO Book 8 On Test Server Tomorrow (News)

May 20, 2009

IncGamers report that Turbine will open its test server tomorrow, Thursday 21 May, at 7pm EDT to begin testing the next update for Lord of the Rings Online.

Players wishing to take part should ensure they have the up to date client installed and are ready at 7pm. New features such as the Summer Festival await testers.

Lord of the Rings Online: Performance event with prizes (News)

May 15, 2009

Turbine is upgrading the servers for its MMORPG, Lord of the Rings Online, and in order to promote the upgrade, tonight (May 14th) they will be hosting a special "Performance Event" to stress the servers and give away prizes.

Another LotRO welcome back week full of goodies (News)

Apr 24, 2009

A quick look at what Lord of the Rings Online 2 year anniversary welcome back week will include. A lowered subscription fee, bonus experience, and free time for returning players are highlighted.

LotRO: Book 7 Patch 2 Out Next Week (News)

Apr 17, 2009

Turbine has announced that the next patch for its MMO, Lord of the Rings Online, is scheduled for release sometime next week.

The exact date of the patch will be announced "as soon as the schedule is firm". The relatively small update, Book 7 Patch 2, features the new Quest Guide system, which is now finally out of beta. Players will find the system is turned on by default, but it can be toggled off in the options panel in UI settings.

LOTRO: Next Expansion Named? (News)

Apr 3, 2009

Keen-eyed Lord of the Rings Online players have spotted a new Trade Mark application for specifically computer games and related products under the name of 'Riders of Rohan', a possible expansion for the successful MMO.

The application was made on 20 March by 'The Saul Zaentz Company'. On further investigation, this company is behind a number of films including the 1978 animated version of LOTR. It appears that there is a division of Saul Zaentz called Tolkien Enterprises, which owns certain exclusive rights to the literary works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien Enterprises provides the licences to other parties wishing to use LOTR for "various lines of merchandise".

EU LotRO Book 7 Update Goes Live (News)

Apr 2, 2009

Book 7: The Leaves of Lórien, the latest update for Turbine's Lord of the Rings Online, has now gone live on European servers.

The huge patch introduces many new features to the MMO including a new 12-man raid, a revamped new player experience for Dwarves and Elves, a new self-revive function and of course the new area of Lothlórien.

The Elves of Lothlórien will only allow characters into the area if they have the required level of reputation, so a number of quests have been added to allow players to increase their standing with the Elven faction. Once inside, players are reunited with the fellowship and can accept a host of new quests.

LotRO: Book 7 Leaves of Lórien Live (News)

Mar 18, 2009

The latest game update for Lord of the Rings Online has gone live today in the US.

Book 7: Leaves of Lórien introduces many new features to the game including:

* The new self-revive mechanic
* Induction times (time spent interacting with game objects) reduced
* Monster Play emotes
* New area: Lothlórien, with new quests and a new faction, the Elves of Lothlórien
* New player Experience overhaul
* New quest guide integrated with the quest tracker
* New 12 man raid
* Crafting instances
* XP curve change (faster levelling speed)

New LotRO: Leaves of Lórien Screens (News)

Mar 4, 2009

Turbine have just released six new screens of Lothlórien and Book 7.

Lothlórien is the new area in the upcoming Volume 2 Book 7 update, which also features a new faction, several new quests and a reunion with the Fellowship of the Ring.

LotRO Developer Diary: Lothlórien Quest Notes (News)

Mar 3, 2009

The latest 'Quest Notes' article from LotRO developers has been released, revealing details about quests in the upcoming Volume 2 Book 7 update.

Volume 2 Book 7 is a large update that has just begun its test phase. Once on the live servers, players may be reunited with (most of) the fellowship of the ring in Lothlórien, a new area the update.

LOTRO Devs Release Guide (News)

Feb 18, 2009

The developers of Lord of the Rings Online have been adding detailed information on different parts of their game to the official website, and the latest article is a guide to the area known as the Old Forest.

The guide takes players through the rough level they should be to enter the area, through to a list of monsters they might encounter.

Lord of the Rings Online weekend server difficulties (News)

Dec 7, 2008

Some of Turbine's servers for Lord of the Rings Online Online have been undergoing issues, apparently stemming from unduly high loads on Saturday evening. At least that's when everything seemed to start going wrong. Initially, it was just the usual lag effects, then zones began to freeze on some servers, and the game suffered some minor rollbacks of as much as ten or fifteen minutes after an unexpected crash or emergency reboot.

The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria (Review)

Dec 4, 2008

Launching an MMO expansion pack in the same month as Blizzard may seem like madness, but Lord of the Rings Online has a huge user base, well-defined and even innovative MMO mechanics, and the world’s best known fantasy world. There are vast swathes of people living in the Shire and loving it. ...

How to be a Lute Hero (Feature)

Nov 19, 2008

Dwarves know how to drink. They know how to fight. And most of them know how to pull off a reasonable Scottish accent. But did you know that your Dwarf can play Portal’s “Still Alive” song with a Guitar Hero controller? It sure can, if your Dwarf lives in Lord of the Rings Online, that is.

Combine LOTRO’s rich in-game music system with a Guitar Hero controller, and you’ll have a new reason to make some ...

LOTRO, EQ2 Expansions Launch (News)

Nov 18, 2008

Not sure whether this is really good or really bad timing: less than a week after Wrath of the Lich King, the second World of Warcraft expansion, went live, new expansions to Lord of the Ring Online and EverQuest 2 have been launched.

Turbine on Tolkien (News)

Nov 18, 2008

Turbine's Jeffrey Steefel has stated the relationship between the developer and the Tolkien estate has changed since the Lord of the Rings Online project began.

LotRO likely to be second truly successful western MMO in Asia, says Steefel (News)

Nov 18, 2008

If, as planned, Lord of the Rings Online can successfully launch in China next year, the game is likely to become only the second truly successful western MMO released in Asia, the game's dev lead Jeff Steefel has told VG247.

Turbine Talks Console MMOs (News)

Nov 17, 2008

IncGamers recently caught up with Turbine's Jeffrey Steefel as he prepares for the launch of the Mines of Moria expansion for Lord of the Rings Online. We asked him about the super secret MMO in development by Turbine for consoles and he talked us through the challenge of bringing the MMO to the sofa.

Win an EXCLUSIVE cloak for Lord of the Rings Online (Feature)

Nov 17, 2008

We don’t usually purchase special collector’s editions of MMORPG expansions. It makes us feel like total tools, like simple fish that bite on any hook baited with an exclusive item or art book. That’s why we usually go to the store and pick up our regular copy like everyone else. But you know what? No matter how much we rationalize our frugal decision to pick up a retail copy, we LOVE those exclusive items! ...

LotRO boss: We're not worried by Lich King (News)

Nov 10, 2008

Lord of the Rings Online boss Jeff Steefel reckons Wrath of the Lich King isn't a problem to his Mines of Moria expansion, despite the fact the two are launching within a week of each other.

"The way that we succeed is by focusing on ourselves and competing with ourselves, and that's what we're continuing to do with this," he said on the subject of feeling pressure from Blizzard's latest.

Mines of Moria Downloadable Updater Now Available (News)

Nov 10, 2008

To prepare you for the release of Mines of Moria next week, Turbine has announced that their downloadable updater is now available. With this updater, you'll be able to download the new expansion for Lord of the Rings Online before it actually goes live on the servers. Plus, this is a way for you to download the content on another computer, transfer the patch to a disk or device, then run it on your LotRO computer later.

Take special note that this downloader is needed for those who have not purchased Mines of Moria, as well. It contains many other updates, including Book 15, UI and class changes, and more. This means that you don't need to pre-order Moria to have access to this updater. Also note that this particular patch is only for the North American/AU/NZ version of the game, and will not work for the EU version. More download options, such as a torrent file and more direct download links will be available soon.

LotRO: The Ettenmoors Re-vamp, Part 1 (News)

Oct 29, 2008

Battling other players in Lord of the Rings Online's Ettenmoors will become a bit more balanced (read: challenging), once Mines of Moria releases next month. According to a recent dev diary, the devs have been aware of some issues with the PvP zone since the game launched, and have performed a complete revamp just in time for Moria.

Changes include:

* More fortifications for the main monster-player and player bases to prevent camping the exits (we're talking to you, Burglars and Wargs)
* Pathing and structural changes to increase the challenge within camps and keeps
* The introduction of artifacts and flags
* Controllable bridges
* The removal of hot points
* A proper place for the five outposts throughout the map, used for smaller skirmishes

Massively in Moria: The beta NDA lifts tomorrow (News)

Oct 19, 2008

Massively is happy to announce that the Non Disclosure Agreement for Lord of the Rings Online's Mines of Moria beta will be officially lifted tomorrow! They've spent several weeks in the beta, exploring the deepest depths, leveling the two new classes and experimenting with the new Legendary Item system all for you.

Turbine dev chat transcript gives more info on Moria (News)

Oct 10, 2008

Massively: "It's been quite a long time since we've reported on a House of Commons dev chat with Lord of the Rings Online's Turbine and Codemasters devs, so this latest one should come as a special treat. In it, we get word of a few new features for the first expansion, Mines of Moria, which was just announced today to have a release date of November 18th! In order to paraphrase this long dev chat, we've bullet-pointed what we feel is the most interesting answers to player questions:"

Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria Release Date and Pre-Order Info (News)

Oct 9, 2008

GamingShogun writes, "Turbine has announced the release date for its upcoming Mines of Moria expansion to the Lord of the Rings Online. The expansion is due out in North America and Europe beginning November 18th. If you pre-order the expansion, you will receive two free in-game items..."

The Harvest Festival returns to Middle Earth (News)

Sep 26, 2008

The Harvest Festival is coming! The Harvest Festival is coming! Starting later today, September 26th, and running until October 13th, Lord of the Rings Online will play host to the second annual Middle-earth Harvest Festival. According to the announcement, there will be a return of player favorites like bobbing for apples, picking pumpkins, horse races and the Geode Surprise.

Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria (Preview)

Sep 24, 2008

There’s pressure on MMO developers to get their dungeons right, but imagine the crunch on Turbine to nail literature’s darkest, deepest, and most revered subterranean world (sorry, Batcave). As the first full retail expansion pack for LOTRO, Mines of Moria opens up the long-dormant Dwarven capital of Khazad-dum and its surrounding areas, drawing the player into the struggle to re-establish Dwarven supremacy. ...

Coming Soon to PvMP Near You: PvMP changes with LotRO: Mines of Moria (News)

Sep 9, 2008

Often times, players want to know why there's no open or "proper" PvP in Lord of the Rings Online. The system they have in place now is very unlike what most other games consider a player vs player environment. To many, this is a good thing, but to others, it detracts from the game. To fully understand the reasoning behind no open PvP system in LotRO, one must first fully comprehend the lore. J.R.R. Tolkien's world is extremely important to Turbine (despite what some may think with the introduction of the Rune-keeper), so the way they incorporate popular game mechanics into their heavily lore-based PvE game is a constant battle.

Over at Pumping Irony, Scott gives his impressions of how this could all work. He talks about all of the reported changes coming to PvMP with Mines of Moria, and mentions his understanding of the lore and how the current world of Eriador is mostly unaware of their impending doom from the forces of Sauron. This is an excellent point as many players have no idea that this is the case. Scott also brings up some great points about the future of LotRO PvMP and how Jeffrey Steefel himself has hinted at an expanded system coming after Moria.

Lord of the Rings Online Mines of Moria Beta Sign-up Live (News)

Aug 29, 2008

Codemasters has announced the opening of the Lord of the Rings Online Mines of Moria expansion beta sign-ups.

The Lord of the Rings Online: The Mines of Moria (Preview)

Aug 19, 2008

While there’s pressure on MMO developers to get their dungeons right, the crunch on Turbine to really nail Moria is intense. As the first annual paid-for expansion pack for LOTRO, and the second volume in its epic storyline, Mines of Moria is opening up the long-dormant Dwarven capital of Khazad-dûm and its surrounding areas, and draws the player into the struggle to re-establish Dwarven supremacy underneath the world. ...

Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria details (News)

Aug 16, 2008

Destructoid writes: "The first thing that Adam Merskey, Director of Communications at Turbine told me was, 'Nobody delivers as much content as Turbine.' Over the course of Gen Con 2008, I've learned that may be completely true. Turbine has the excellent habit of never neglecting its fans, even if the game is nine years and has already been updated one hundred times. The idea behind this is one of fan loyalty and a sense of duty.

One game Merskey really takes pride in is Lord of the Rings Online and its upcoming expansion called "Mines of Moria." The expansion was originally unveiled at Connect '08 in March, but development on it keeps rolling. The new ideas being introduced, and the epic dungeon of Moria is sounding pretty good. As a Tolkien fan, I have to say I was highly impressed by Turbine's offering. Their commitment to the fiction of Lord of the Rings seems as true as their commitment to continually updating their material.

Hit the break to learn more about the Mines of Moria expansion.

Lord of the Rings Online: Box Art Revealed (News)

Aug 3, 2008

Turbine has released the finalized box art for the upcoming Lord of the Rings Online expansion, Mines of Moria.

Lord of the Rings Online Book 14 Update Goes Live Tomorrow (News)

Jul 24, 2008

Codemasters and Turbine have announced that the eagerly awaited update will go live tomorrow.

Turbine gets funding, "new titles" on the way (News)

Jun 5, 2008

Turbine, Inc has revealed that a number of investors have pumped $40 million into its coffers, including Time Warner, for the development of "new titles"."With this funding we are uniquely positioned to change the future of online entertainment as we bring new titles to market, as we expand the platforms we support and introduce new technologies to sustain self-evolving game worlds." said Turbine president Jim Crowley.

Bring new titles ...

LotRO: Mini-Game Launched for Mines of Moria Expansion (News)

May 9, 2008

Turbine, Inc. and Codemasters Online today announced the launch of Swig and Toss, the second mini-game on www.unlocktheminesofmoria.com. Registered participants can challenge themselves and their friends to earn special deeds that unlock unique rewards including exclusive videos, images, and in-game items that will aid them on their journey when The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria launches this fall.

Can you unlock the Mines of Moria? (News)

Apr 7, 2008

Is LotRO's first full expansion Mines of Moria causing your +5 girdle of endurance to burst in anticipation? Then take website Unlocktheminesofmoria.com in a passionate embrace. ...

Can you unlock the Mines of Moria (News)

Apr 5, 2008

CVG writes: Turbine properly launches new website attached to first LotRO expansion. Mini-games included. LotRO's first full expansion Mines of Moria causing your +5 girdle of endurance to burst in anticipation? Then clutch website Unlocktheminesofmoria.com in a passionate embrace.

First LoTRO expansion revealed (News)

Mar 14, 2008

Turbine has revealed the first expansion to its decent Tolkien MMO Lord of the Rings Online, which is scheduled in the shops before the end of the year. As True Believers probably already know, The Mines of Moria takes high level LoTRO players underground to battle goblins and other nasties in the old living space of the Dwarves (Gimli's cousin lived here). The expansion raises the original's level cap from 50 to 60, as well as adding two new ...