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The Daily Grind: Will Helm's Deep bring you back to LotRO?
Lord of the Rings Online is one of those MMOs, at least for me. You know the ones I mean. They're great games for the most part, but for whatever reason you've quit and returned and quit and returned to them more times than you can count. With yesterday's announcement of the forthcoming Helm's Deep expansion, I'm finding it harder than ever to keep to my pledge of staying away from Turbine's Middle-earth. What about you, morning crew? Assuming you're a LotRO expatriate, will Helm's Deep bring you back? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
LotRO's Helms Deep expansion coming this Fall
Lord of the Rings Online's fifth expansion has been announced, and Middle-earth explorers will travel to Helm's Deep sometime in the Fall of 2013. Turbine is raising the game's level cap to 95, while the epic storyline will continue through the western plains of Rohan and allow players to directly participate in the battle at Helm's Deep. Additionally, Turbine's press release mentions new skills and "completely updated class specializations," as well as locations including Edoras, Dunharrow, and the fortress of the Hornburg. [Source: Turbine press release]
New LotRO Riders of Rohan video explores Rohan, soundtrack
Turbine has graced us with another behind-the-scenes video focused on Riders of Rohan's production process. This time around, the star is composer Chance Thomas, who says that penning Tolkien-inspired tunes is like "walking on sacred ground." Senior world designer Chris Pierson agrees, and he says that Turbine is aware of the lofty fan expectation surrounding Lord of the Rings Online's Rohan and the horse-culture Tolkien created. "Rohan is one of the strongest elements in the books, in my opinion, as far as stirring the emotions of the readers, captivating them, and creating a mental image of what people expect," Pierson explains. Thomas concurs, and he takes it a step further when discussing the audio work that's going into the expansion. "While the players are playing the game, I'm playing the player with some emotional knobs and sliders to bring their emotions into the experience," Thomas says. Check out the full video after the break. [Source: Turbine press release]
Turbine takes you behind the scenes on LotRO's live-action trailer
Lord of the Rings Online fans are still suffering a bit of sticker shock over Riders of Rohan's price point, but Turbine is gamely soldiering on with its publicity plans. LotRO's fourth expansion is coming in September, and the firm has just released a new behind-the-scenes featurette that looks at the making of the recent live-action Rohan trailer. The clip shows the considerable care that went into the trailer's production, and it bodes well for those Middle-earth fans who are anxiously looking forward to Turbine's take on Tolkien's horse-lords. Check it out after the break, and check out the structural concept art in our gallery below. %Gallery-149032%
LotRO announces Volume III, Book 1: Oath of the Rangers
Lord of the Rings Online fans have been speculating for a while, wondering what the name of Volume III, Book 1 was going to be. Turbine's Sapience has been giving increasingly specific hints in a hangman-style game in the forums. Now the game's over, he's had his fun, and we have a title. Volume 3:Allies of the King, Book 1: Oath of the Rangers is on the way, bringing with it plenty of new additions to the game. Players will be returning to Dol Guldur for four skirmishes in the brand new twelve person mode, and a fifth skirmish in the Depths of Nûrz Ghâshu. Crafting will receive a some attention as well: players will be able to craft items up to level 65, and there will be crafting updates for Jewellers, Cooks, Woodworkers, Farmers, and Weaponsmiths. Of course, these are just a few of the highlights for the newly-titled Volume. All the current details are on the official site, so take a look, and we'll keep an eye out for more information!
