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Hero's guide to the Flaming Deeps of Moria
With the recent redesign of Lord of the Rings Online's main website in anticipation of the upcoming Mines of Moria expansion, we get treated to more than just a pretty new blue theme. We get Moria pre-order information, The Treasures of Moria contest and an expansion to the Hero's Guides started just last month.In this newest Hero's Guide, Moria's Flaming Deeps are explored and described in great detail, to give players a better idea of what they will face upon arrival. We get the backstory of how the area was settled first by Dwarves, and ultimately conquered by the Orcs. The ongoing struggle to win back this segment of the mines plays host to several exciting questlines that include rebuilding the bridges and armaments in preparation for the war with the Orcs and thinning out the Orc numbers to stop them from being a threat to the once-great Dwarven civilization. Check out the complete four-page article for more information, and look for more to come!
Turbine dev chat transcript gives more info on Moria
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: No pre-Moria equipment will be part of the Legendary Items system. After Mines of Moria, they'll "most likely" be heading south with future expansions. Although there's word of fleshing out Eriador as well. Capstone skills are used in conjunction with Legendary Traits and Trait sets to make mega powerful skills. These capstones come in three different types: solo gameplay, small fellowship and 6-man instance gameplay. You will get access to another Legendary Trait slot at level 60 Renown and Infamy will be changed to increase the amount gained in a full group and reduce the amount gained in raids. The Elves of Lothlorien will not have accessible reputation until the first book update after launch Suggested improvements to the kinship system include kinbank, plus stablemasters and crafting areas in the kinship house. The entire Book 1 of Volume 2 will act as an introduction to Legendary Items, so you will get them early on. Following the helpful dev diaries on the Hunter, Burglar and Lore-master, Turbine plans to release guides for the remaining classes from 50-60 as well. Inventory problems will be alleviated with quest tokens and key rings. Quest items will be stored in a quest journal, instead of the player's inventory. Key rings will hold important keys for certain doors. You will not need to finish Volume 1 to access Volume 2. No new hobbies releasing with Moria, but there are others in the works for future book patches.
LotRO expansion Mines of Moria coming Nov. 18
If you've been looking for an excuse to tend to your long-neglected digital pipe-weed garden, you'll have it on Nov. 18 when Lord of the Rings Online expansion The Mines of Moria arrives on shelves or on your hard drive. In addition to the titular mines, the pack also includes two new classes, ten more levels and a swan boat full of new quests.Just how the $39.99 expansion will make its way to your computer is up to you. There's an early digital upgrade and two different retail SKUs, each with their own perks and bonuses, all of which you can read about right here.
Mines of Moria gets a November 18th release date
Mines of Moria, the first expansion for Lord of the Rings Online, has been given a release date of November 18th for both the NA and EU today. That means we're only about a month away from ten new levels, two new classes, legendary weapons, angry Balrogs and the under-mountain Dwarf kingdom of Khazad-dum. Those who decide to pre-order Mines of Moria will have access to an offer of $199.99 for a lifetime subscription. Considering that Turbine has said there's going to be plenty of expansions, including another one next year, this is an incredibly valuable investment for anyone enamored with the virutal Middle-earth.Also being offered are in-game bonus items, although the list differs slightly depending on your choice between retail or digital stores. Make sure to make a wise purchase decision by checking our our exclusive developer tour of the new expansion. We've also got a fantastic video that delves ... just maybe a little too deep. Find the lists of preorder items and their differences after the cut.%Gallery-33074%
Life after 50: Progressing your Burglar, Hunter and Lore-master in Moria
Believe it or not, there's a lot more to Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria than just the Rune-keeper and the Warden. Chances are, if you already have a favorite class that you've leveled to 50, you're going to be more interested in getting that character through the mines and onto 60. Turbine realizes this, and have recently written three wonderful new Developer Diaries featuring the Burglar, the Hunter and Lore-master's roles from 50 to 60.These new Dev Diaries do more than just list new skills, they actually cover certain roles that these classes may play to use certain spells more effectively. Plus, with the introduction of trait sets (much like armor sets work now, with bonuses given to certain trait combos), the roles are much more defined for each class. Check out each of these three articles for the Burglar, Hunter and Lore-master to get yourself ready for Mines of Moria, coming very soon!
Moria and Harvestfest explored on Massively
Turbine games are down for their bi-weekly maintenance, but Massively has your back with lots of LotRO goodness. Our guide to the Fall Harvest Festival provides you with a walkthrough to gain all the seasonal items you won't see until next year (and who doesn't want that creepy bunny mask?). And if you are looking forward to the Mines of Moria expansion, we have an exclusive walkthrough of the dwarven kingdom as well as video of the new terrain. Soon the NDA will drop on the beta and Massively will have extensive guides on the new master classes, the spear-wielding Warden tank and the healing and dps machine known as the Rune-keeper, as well has walkthroughs for the opening Books of Volume 2 and many of the Moria encounters. Until then, enjoy our guides and let us know in the comments what you want to see from our Moria coverage.
Massively's exclusive Mines of Moria video tour
By this time you've scoured through our 43-image visual tour of Lord of the Rings Online's Mines of Moria, our PAX08 Moria preview gallery and our main Mines of Moria gallery, but you're ready for more! Guess what! You're in luck, because we now present to you an exclusive video of footage shot during our dev tour. This video was created by Massively's Features Editor Dan O'Halloran and showcases the expansiveness of the Mines of Moria. You'll find it just after the jump below.If you still can't get enough Moria, keep your eyes glued on Massively over the next few weeks for more information, news, in-depth guides and more! Check out the Video >>
Massively's exclusive Mines of Moria dev tour
Earlier last month, Massively was invited to get a hands-on look at Mines of Moria, the first-ever expansion for Lord of the Rings Online with Turbine's Adam Mersky and Moria Producer Mike Jablonn. During this special dev tour, we were treated to many of the features of the new environments, new creatures, certain landmarks and the Legendary Item system. We came back with loads of screenshots, video footage and an insatiable desire to speed up time until we can play this expansion on our own! As there is still no official launch date outside of "Fall 2008", we're getting a bit antsy for this game to hit store shelves. From what we've seen though, it's coming very soon.We've compiled the screenshots into an enormous 43-image gallery that also acts as a comprehensive visual tour of what we were shown of Moria. Simply start the tour by clicking on the first image in the gallery, or the link below. And when you're done, check out our video of the tour. Begin the Visual Tour >> %Gallery-33074%
Free play/bonus EXP weekend welcomes back lapsed LotRO players
If you're a former The Lord of the Rings Online subscriber who's thinking about returning to Middle-earth, or just looking for a way to kill a weekend, then you'll be interested to know that Turbine is hosting a "Welcome Back Weekend" event in the game.All former subscribers will be able to play for free between October 2nd and 6th. Additionally, everyone (old players and new alike) will receive 25% more experience during that period. This is obviously intended to re-hook veterans so they'll buy the Mines of Moria expansion when it comes out. Nothing wrong with that, we suppose.Oh, and it also uncoincidentally coincides (you see what we did there?) with the annual Fall Festival. We already asked you guys a while back what you thought of LotRO. Some of you expressed interest in returning to see what's new. Here's your chance, eh?%Gallery-32889%
LotRO's Jeffrey Steefel looks beyond Mines of Moria
By now, we all should know quite a bit about Lord of the Rings Online's newest expansion, Mines of Moria, slated for release later this year. We know about the two new classes and the new area to explore, but what about the future after Moria? This has only been touched-on previously, but in two recent interviews with Executive Producer Jeffrey Steefel, we get word of Turbine's plans with the franchise.First, Steefel mentions the fact that they're aiming to release another expansion this time next year, and that there will be several new books released between now and then. While this has been discussed before, he mentions the act that these books will all take place in and around Lothlorien. Does this mean we may see the next expansion focusing on Rohan? Oh, wouldn't that be amazing.
Mines of Moria press event reveals Balrog footage
On September 23rd, Turbine and Codemasters Online set up an exclusive private press event in London, England for predominant fansites to get a hands-on presentation of the newest expansion for Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria. This event was hosted and narrated by Executive Producer Jeffrey Steefel.One of these fansites in attendance, The Madhouse Tavern, was lucky enough to grab some shaky-cam footage of this gameplay, including the infamous Balrog. As Steefel guides the onlookers through the Balrog's cave, he mentions the fact that this is now "officially the worst beast in Middle-earth" with a whopping 513,250 hit points! The footage shows the lead-up to the monumental creature, and then a bit more as it proceeds to kick some player butt. Check out the video embedded just after the jump, and the Madhouse Tavern's complete write-up of the event at their website for more information!
LotRO: Mines of Moria screens released for Foundations of Stone
LotRO fans can rejoice in yet another collection of screenshots from the upcoming Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria expansion. These five new screenshots -- linked in a gallery below -- show creatures and environments from the Foundations of Stone area of the expansion. As depicted in a previous map of Moria we saw at PAX 2008, the Foundations of Stone area is in the southeastern-most corner of the mines themselves.Be sure to keep your eyes on Massively as we expect to release much more information on Mines of Moria as the expected release time quickly approaches.%Gallery-18340%
The Best of Massively: Our ten most important interviews
We have exciting news, dear readers. In just over a month, Massively will be one year old! We're very proud of how far we've come since last November, and we'd like to thank you for sticking with us through all these months. To celebrate our first birthday we're looking back at the most interesting stuff we've experienced so far!We're starting with our ten most important interviews. We tried to find a good balance between interviews that have insights that are still relevant today, interviews that were important for the history of our site, and interviews that were just plain awesome. We saved the coolest ones for last, so be sure and stick with us to the end!Think of it as a look back at the past year in the MMO world, if you like. Major releases, major ideas -- many of them are here. Enjoy, and be sure and tell us what you think. Click to start >> %Gallery-32260%
New Mines of Moria Warden and Rune-keeper screenshots released
As part of the continued stream of exciting information we've been getting for Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria, Turbine has recently released eight new screenshots showcasing the two new classes coming with the expansion. We have four for the Warden, and four for the Rune-keeper, all showing various action shots to get us fired up for what's to come.You may remember, courtesy of some previous articles we've written, about the functionalities of the Warden and the Rune-keeper. The Warden being the one that uses the special "gambit" skills, and the Rune-keeper being the one that uses either healing or DPS proficiencies, depending on how you'd like to play the class. Once more information is released on these classes and Moria in general, you can count on us to let you know about it!%Gallery-18340%
WAR marches into retail with 1.5 million
Mythic Entertainment has announced that 1.5 million units of Warhammer Online have been shipped to retail worldwide. The game is also EA's most pre-ordered PC title to date. It's been said these kinds of numbers would be required for the game to be considered a success. Of course, shipping 1.5 million copies to retailers and selling them are two different things. Which isn't to say we don't think the game will sell well, especially if the head start is any indication. It's just that hard numbers are still a few weeks away.With Wrath of the Lich King coming out just around the corner, we're pretty certain that there's going be a numbers battle in the minds of MMO gamers throughout the next several months. We have to admit, it's going to be a little interesting to watch the sales of both WAR, Wrath and Mines of Moria. Our hope is that they all do well, because all of them are great titles.
Mines of Moria's cat (goat?) is out of the bag
Ever since the first expansion for Lord of the Rings Online was announced, most fans have been wondering what kind of mount would be willing to traverse the immensity of Moria's underground networks. It certainly wasn't going to be horses, as eventually stated by Turbine itself. New screens from the Mines of Moria beta have surfaced showing a tester purchasing and riding around on what appears to be some kind of goat -- or ram.While the image and concept of the goat is subsequent to change -- it being a beta and all -- we have to say that we're big fans of Turbine's choice. Horses were nice and all, but give us a goat/ram any day. We're looking forward to getting our goat on later this year when Mines of Moria finally ships.[via MMeOw]
LotRO dev diary: Rune-keeper explained
We hear so much lately about the potential of the Rune-keeper to be lore-breaking. This new Lord of the Rings Online class which will be introduced with the first expansion, Mines of Moria, is rumored to be the first "real" magic-user class for the game, which many players are saying goes against everything Tolkien had ever created in his works. Well now skeptics may be pleased to learn much more about this new class, and more specifically, the fact that it is not the traditional lightning-bolt mage that they've feared.In the most recent dev diary from Turbine, Brian "Zombie Columbus" Aloisio goes into some amazing depth with his explanation of why the Rune-keeper was created, what it represents in the grand scheme of LotRO, and some of its unique game mechanics it brings to the table. He describes how this "glass cannon" class acts as a linguist to harness runes and their natural powers. He also describes the Attunement system in great depth, as well as many of the Rune-keeper's available skills. Check out the entire dev diary for more information.
Things heat up in new Mines of Moria screens
Turbine has released a new batch of screens featuring the Forges of Khazad-dum for the upcoming Lord of the Rings Online expansion Mines of Moria and they're tempting us to use the "boy are they hot" pun, because they're literally filled with lava. Come to think of it, first it was fire and now we've upgraded to lava. Even some of the Trolls (we're pretty sure they're Trolls) are lava-infused. Ah yes, we dub thee Lava Trolls! Don't get us wrong though, we love the idea of dungeons and zones full of hot, bubbling lava.Give the image above (or gallery below) a click to check out the screens and all that burning liquid. There's also a pretty cool armor set, some impressive architecture and various vanity shots of those Lava Trolls. The more we look at them, the more we're diggin' their spiky-yet-bulbous design.%Gallery-18340%
See first footage of LOTRO: Mines of Moria
We might not be playing Tubine's massively multiplayer take on Tolkien's tale anymore, but we have to admit that the recently released fly-through of expansion Mines of Moria's Flaming Deeps area looks pretty spectacular. We've lovingly nestled it after the jump so you can see for yourself.It doesn't hurt that the music makes us feel like we could punch an orc's head off with our bare hands, which, even for the beefiest Joystiq staffers, is a pretty tall order.
PvMP changes coming with LotRO: Mines of Moria
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 us 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. Check out Scott's post and let us (and him) know what you think.
