The Road to Mordor: Riders of Rohan pre-launch guide
The other night in kin chat, I said how I'm just not mentally ready for Lord of the Rings Online: Riders of Rohan. My Captain may be prepared to saddle up and venture forth, but the notion that we're on the verge of one of the most significant expansions this game has ever seen is taking me a little while to absorb. Fortunately, many of my friends assured me that I wasn't alone in this.
With just two days to go until players can head into Rohan, we're running out of time to prepare, and I'm not just talking about pre-purchasing the game (although that too). Riders of Rohan contains a host of content and changes, not the least of which is the new mounted combat system. I don't know about you, but I hate heading into expansions completely blind, so I decided to spend this week putting together a big roundup of everything you need to know about LotRO's fourth expansion.
Read well, my friends, but get your rest as well. You may not get it this coming week.
Official Riders of Rohan resources
Riders of Rohan website -- Including images, videos, and behind-the-scenes documentaries.
Pre-order options -- If you want to snag all of the bonuses, make sure you pick one of these up before the expansion goes live. Otherwise, the expansion will be available both through the Turbine store and eventually the LotRO store.
Official Riders of Rohan forum -- A great place to hear about the expansion from all of the beta testers.
Mac client confirmed -- Apple gamers, rejoice!
Hands-on, guides, and opinions
MJ's impressions of the expansion -- Including the reveal of a hobby horse race!
Mike's impressions of the expansion -- A good overview of the major selling points.
Justin's impressions of mounted combat -- Taming the world from the saddle.
Jeffery's E3 impressions of the expansion -- Including an illuminating Q&A.
CSTM's impressions of the expansion -- With plenty of gorgeous screenshots.
Doc Holiday's impressions of the expansion -- He expresses mixed excitement.
Post-NDA impressions from the beta -- These are mostly positive, although there are a few reservations.
Fifteen great things about Riders of Rohan -- Of which at least one is obsolete.
The complete guide to Riders of Rohan -- The Rangers of Eriador do us a great service with this.
Soundtrack
Riders of Rohan soundtrack is released -- And I'll be reviewing my favorite tracks from it in Tuesday's Jukebox Heroes!
Massively's interview with Composer Chance Thomas -- Finally coming back to add more aural awesomeness.
Instances
Classes, skills, and crafting
Crafting changes dev diary -- If you're looking to get a jump on the new tier of crafting, you'll want to memorize this diary.
Warden dev diary -- Streamlining comes to the class.
Rune-keeper dev diary -- Now with five improved skills!
Minstrel dev diary -- Small changes for a big class.
Lore-master dev diary -- Swords for all!
Doc Holiday's analysis of Lore-master changes -- The good, the bland, and the bad.
Hunter dev diary -- Hunters get faster and more agile.
Guardian dev diary -- Overpower stance, activate!
Champion dev diary -- All about threat management and survivability.
Captain dev diary -- Making legacies useful across the board.
Burglar dev diary -- Becoming a better mischief-maker.
Monster play revamp -- Bringing PvMP up to par.
Lore and land
Epic story dev diary -- Turbine explains why it's going back to the essential Lord of the Rings character and tale for this expansion.
Epic story quest notes -- This includes a few minor spoilers, so beware!
Landscape dev diary -- Hear about the new vistas we'll be exploring.
The legendary edition horse quest -- Which yours truly does not take very seriously.
Creating the character of Rohan video -- The team defends its approach to the game.
Rohan region dev diary -- Why Turbine decided to split the region in two.
CSTM's region video -- A quick video tour of the different areas you'll encounter.
Maps of Rohan -- Everyone loves poring over maps!
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Mounted combat
Official mounted combat guide -- Looks quite pretty, although players have much better information elsewhere.
History of mounted combat dev diary -- If you're interested in the evolution of this system, this is a must-read.
War-steed dev diary -- Equipping and training our new war-steeds will be a major part of mounted combat, and this gives a nice overview of how it works.
War-steed video -- See the new mounts in action!
War-steed customization -- I'm all about making my little pony look its Sunday best.
Warband dev diary -- Get a load of what we'll be up against out in the field
War-steed tutorial video -- CSTM walks you through the start of your war-steed experience.
Lore-master in mounted combat -- CSTM throws together a highly educational video.
Hytbold
Hytbold dev diary -- Find out what the new endgame will be for many of us: rebuilding a sacked town.
I'll see you all in the game on Monday! Until then, forth! Down fear of darkness! Arise! Arise, Riders of Théoden! Spears shall be shaken, shields shall be splintered! A sword day... a red day... and the sun rises! Ride now... Ride now... Ride! Ride for ruin and the world's ending! Death!
When not enjoying second breakfast and a pint of ale, Justin "Syp" Olivetti jaws about hobbits in his Lord of the Rings Online column, The Road to Mordor. You can contact him via email at justin@massively.com or through his gaming blog, Bio Break.
