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Massively hands-on with LotRO's Book 13 gallery
Before the Lord of the Rings Online team rolls out their first expansion, there are still two more free content patches coming down the pike. The first one of those two is Book 13, Doom of the Last King being released later this week. It introduces not only a new part of Middle-earth, Forochel, but also a healing class to Player vs Monster Play, the Orc Defiler, and the first Hobby in the game, Fishing.Click on the first image below to join us for a walkthrough of Forochel, meet the ice people of the area, the Lossoth and get a look at the new features and monsters coming to the game. And after you're done, don't miss the video of our tour we posted a few days back. %Gallery-21063%
Massively goes hands-on with LotRO Book 13 video
We could write reams of text that describe in loving detail all the features that await you in Lord of the Rings Online's Book 13 content patch. We could lay out screenshot after screenshot that could perfectly capture the chilly northlands that are being introduced, the eerie agent of Angmar who is tearing apart the land or the monstrous beasts that roam the wintry tundra.Or you can just click after the jump and watch a video that sums it up in less than 5 minutes. Plus, glimpses of Fishing, new trophies and new environmental effects.Don't worry you lovers of words and pictures, a write up is coming your way in the next day or two complete with a gallery of shiny shots to accompany the purple prose.
LotRO Book 13 hits test servers, reveals fish trophies
Lord of the Rings Online's Book 13 update has hit the test server today and we've got a rundown on the laundry list of updates, changes and additions coming to the game. Turbine is knocking it out of the park with Book 13: Doom of the Last-King and they've got the patch notes to prove it. Everything from the new zone, Forochel, to the also-new fishing mechanic -- including an awesome image of the tiniest fish trophy you'll ever see.
New Book 13 screenshots
More Last King shiny goodness! Turbine has released more screenshots from the upcoming LotRO Book 13 expansion, where folks will be treated to a Winter wonderland, full of ice, snow, and yetis. The textures in Forochel look absolutely gorgeous, and the color palette is quite a bit more varied than you'd think.To be sure, the frozen wastes are nothing to sneeze at (pun not intended) -- in addition to the standard monster fights, merely remaining out in the cold for too long will sap one's life. But hey, it can't be too bad -- look, everyone's fishing!%Gallery-18168%[Thanks, Jackie!]
Interesting Book 13 features revealed in LotRO dev chat
During the most recent House of Commons chat over at Stratics, we got some interesting information from the LotRO devs regarding Book 13, slated to release later this month. Wait, thats like two weeks away!Matt Elliot, Paul Simon (no, not that one), Cardell Kerr, Meghan Rodberg and Aaron Campbell answer the most pressing player questions. We hear a bit about a new shaggy reputation horse created specifically for the frigid climate of Forochel. We also hear the glorious news that more drops will be consolidated to be stackable, creating much more room in our bags for bulbous boar intestines and neekerbreeker filth! Talk of fishing is also prominent on the minds of the developers, mostly in the context of their rods. Oh, you'll just have to read it to understand. So be sure to check out this recent dev chat log for more details on what they have in store for us with Book 13.
Book 13 preview offers new screens and avatars
We're halfway through April, and Lord of the Rings Online's next content patch, Book 13, will be released before the end of the month. To tantalize players just a bit more before the free update is out, a new preview page devoted to Book 13 is now available at the official site. The preview looks at some of the previously discussed big features of the patch, including the Forochel area, the Orc Defiler PvMP monster class, the Fishing hobby, and the enhanced fellowing features. As well as this, the bottom of the page leads through to a gallery that has some new screens, and a large selection of avatars for use with forums, messenger programs and the like -- a nice touch! We've updated our own Book 13 gallery with the new pictures for you to take a look at.%Gallery-18168%
More information on Book 13's Forochel region
The Lord of the Rings Online development team has revealed more information about the new region for Book 13: Doom of the Last-King -- Forochel. This new, expansive land will feature their latest effort at a snowbound landscape. One of the ways in which Forochel will be different will be in its new 'cosmetic temperature system', in which you'll be able to see your character's breath the farther into the cold you travel. While this may seem trivial, you'd be surprised what a tiny effect like that can do to help immersion.Of course, the changes aren't all cosmetic. Spending too much time in the Ice Bay will have a deleterious effect on your morale. Life-saving warmth can be had at towns, by spending time over geothermal vents, and by creating campfires. And annoyingly, the announcement mentions that they've learned some lessons concerning monster moods, spawns, and patrols, but stop short of actually saying what those lessons are.For those of you who've been anticipating this new Book, go check out the full release, and judge for yourselves if it's going to be worth the wait.
LotRO Book 13 gets beautiful new screens
We've long since known the new area being introduced in the newest Lord of the Rings Online's Book 13 patch was Forochel. The fact that Forochel has an enormous water mass (that players can't swim across) makes it perfect for the new fishing mechanic being introduced to the game. If players aren't in the mood for fishing, it's not as though they can't level up on their own instead. Forochel is very solo-friendly.There's also been the recent revelation that Book 13 will have a pretty cool name, "Doom of the Last-King" and will be the first zone in LotRO to have it's own faction reputation to earn. So expect to be at an 'unfriendly' status with the Lossoth in the region, at least upon first entering. Improving your faction level with said survivors of the Forodwaith will be rewarded with treasures such as new armor sets, a new mount, weapons, housing decorations, and some class-specific items as well. All very cool stuff, but there's still some more to be seen.Today Turbine has released some rather enticing new screens for the upcoming Book 13 patch and we've got them right here for your visual enjoyment.
LotRO Book 13: Doom of the Last-King
Following the recent release of The Ashen Wastes, we now have LotRO's Book 13 to look forward to very soon. In a recent dev diary, not only has the name of the new book been revealed, but also much more. We learn about some unique creatures in Forochel, including moose, winter-worms, and Gauredain war-mammoths, just to name a few. These new creatures in Doom of the Last-King will also have their own brand of monster skills introduced specifically for them.In Book 13: Doom of the Last-King, the content team introduces something they've been waiting a long time to do: implement a new region with its own reputation. This means that your character will start out as "Unfriendly" to the Lossoth who inhabit the region. In order to improve reputation, players will need to complete quests and collect item drops for the Lossoth. This is actually the first time a region was created with reputation built-in. Lossoth reputation rewards include unique armor sets, weapons, a new mount, housing decorations, and even a few class specific items! Be sure to check out a recent dev interview for more information on Book 13, and remember, there is only one more content patch after this before the Mines of Moria expansion!%Gallery-18168%
Massively interview with LotRO's Jeffrey Steefel on Book 13
Recently we sat down with Lord of the Rings Online's Executive Producer Jeffrey Steefel to shake him down for every last bit of Mines of Moria expansion info he was holding back from us. We were confident his resolve to deny us exclusive information would crumble under our steely gaze and he would gush forth with exhaustive overviews of the new classes as well as divulge the closely held secrets of the Middle-earth adventures that would await us this Fall.Ok, it didn't quite go like we planned, but at least we learned more about what they had planned for their upcoming Book 13 free content update. And that's just as good as leet beta infoz, right? Right?
Devs answer questions on Book 13's Forochel
Over at the Lord of the Rings Online European forums, the developers gave players a chance to ask any questions they had about the new Forochel region that will be introduced with Book 13. All sorts of things were asked over a number of days, and the question time is now over. We've had a read through the thread, and compiled the answers that the developers gave in bullet-point format, so check after the break to see what the players managed to find out -- short answer, a lot!
LotRO dev chat reveals Book 13 map
So maybe you weren't able to make it to the dev chat last Monday, or maybe you just didn't know about it. Well, whatever the reason might have been, fear not -- for there is a chat log bursting at the seams with information. A lot gets touched on, but the thing that has us the most excited would have to be the upcoming social upgrades focused on quests -- hopefully making the completion of them a bit more streamlined. We're really happy to hear it, because that would be one of our main complaints with the game currently -- which is saying a lot since we don't have too many complaints about Lord of the Rings Online. We've complied the most interesting bits of information and formatted them in the ever-easy to digest list format. So read on if you'd like to hear about what's in store for Book 13 and even Book 14. Also, remember to check back with us this coming Friday as there's going to be a big Lord of the Rings Online announcement from Connect08. Our guess? We're hoping for a new expansion, but the only way to know for sure is to wait for the big day.
