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New video explores Moria's The Flaming Deeps
Turbine has released yet another teaser trailer for their Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria expansion coming this fall, and this time it focuses on The Flaming Deeps. This area is in the southern part of Moria, and home to many of the region's scariest Trolls, Goblins and Orcs. You can download it now from Massively's sister site Big Download!Expanding upon the walkthrough information we got on this area at PAX, this video shows a bit more of what to expect from these fiery caverns. We get a look at the gorgeous Dwarven architecture, their unique lighting system and the monstrous trolls that work the forges of The Flaming Deeps. These trolls are actually chained to a series of rails through the forge area to keep them on track with their specific job duties that basically consist of carrying the heavy stuff. Be sure to check out the entire fly-through trailer below, as well as our on-going coverage of Mines of Moria.
The Daily Grind: It's expansion season!
It's expansion season in MMO-land. World of Warcraft will of course see the Wrath of the Lich King, which will add the continent of Northrend, a prestige class, and numerous enhancements. The Lord of the Rings Online will open up the Mines of Moria -- a massive dungeon environment for levels 50 and up. There will also be two new classes, and yes, numerous other enhancements.Then there's EverQuest II's The Shadow Odyssey, EverQuest's Seeds of Destruction, and Asheron's Call's just-released 100th update. If you've got long-inactive accounts with any of these games, the devs are trying to win you back! If you're still there, they're trying to keep you from leaving for Warhammer Online or from freeing yourself from the genre completely.Are any of these expansions going to do the job for you? And if so, which ones?
PAX08: Hands-on with Mines of Moria
This weekend at PAX 2008, Massively had the opportunity to be a part of the first-ever public preview of Mines of Moria with Lord of the Rings Online Executive Producer Jeffrey Steefel. During this showing, Steefel showed us many of the main features of this first expansion for LotRO, including the Legendary Weapon system, the two new classes, the vastness of the mines themselves and much more.The overall impression we got from this presentation was that this expansion is going to be epic. Just the sheer size of the world, which includes the mines themselves, more of Eregion and into Lothlorien, will be immense. This, combined with the game mechanic changes and additions to just about every aspect of gameplay, will speak volumes (pun!) about the potential of Turbine with this franchise. Follow along on our journey through Moria>>%Gallery-31017%
PAX08: Day three impressions
Day three is now behind us, marking the end of PAX 2008. Sunday showed a crowd of gamers just as strong as the first two days, and there is no doubt that the attendance numbers from this year blew away last year's figures. As far as panels for this last day, there was an interesting mix of MMO development-type panels with a particularly interesting one called "MMO and Virtual World Business Models" that we will be reviewing in more depth later. Plus, who could forget the intriguing "How to Get Your Girlfriend into Gaming" panel?So now we look forward to the future of this mega expo. If next year's PAX grows as much as the previous years have progressed, they're going to need a larger booth floor, no doubt about it. As this blogger sifts through the bags of free swag and begins the recovery process, you can look forward to more coverage of interviews with Jon Radoff of GamerDNA, Jeffrey Steefel of Turbine on Mines of Moria, Dane Caruthers of NCsoft on Tabula Rasa, Adam Powell and Aaron Matthew of Meteor Games on Twin Skies and much much more!%Gallery-30683%
The Digital Continuum: Five attention-stealing MMOs
Throughout this year there hasn't really been an MMO released that's became a stand-in for my main game, which I actually don't even have as of right now. So with the summer's end nearing, I thought a look six or so months into the future releases would be an interesting topic. I know what some people may be thinking, Age of Conan did indeed come out just as summer was starting. While Funcom's newest game did hit rather recently, it just wasn't what I was looking for in a game overall. So if you're in the same boat as me, or just want to read about some of the upcoming MMOs worth playing, feel free to click the image above to start reading.%Gallery-30721%
The Daily Grind: How's LotRO treatin' ya?
With the Age of Conan launch not far behind us, and the release dates of Warhammer Online and Wrath of the Lich King coming up soon, The Lord of the Rings Online hasn't been getting much attention as of late. That's a pity, really, since it's just hitting its stride, with the Mines of Moria expansion coming out this fall as well.Turbine has been shy about releasing subscription numbers, but an educated guess could place LotRO in the #2 spot as far as subscription-based, western MMOs go. So to give LotRO a little much-deserved attention, we decided to ask you: how's LotRO treating you these days? Turbine has had over a year to polish the game. How's it coming? And if you're a LotRO player now, will WAR or WotLK draw you away? Or do you expect Mines of Moria satisfy all your MMO cravings this year?
Turbine offers last chance at Moria beta test, new screens
The first expansion to Lord of the Rings Online, the Mines of Moria, is quickly approaching a launch-ready state. For fans of the world of Tolkien, Turbine is offering a few final chances to enter into the Moria beta test. Interested players just need to navigate to the official Moria website, to enter their names into the hat. The official release calls for players to take up the banner, and quotes LotRO executive producer Jeffrey Steefel on his enthusiasm for the new content.Said Steefel, "The Legendary Items system where players can craft unique and powerful weapons and armor that will grow in power and value is just one of the breakthrough features that will further establish The Lord of the Rings Online as one of the world's premium online games." You can find the full release below the cut, along with five new screenshots of the upcoming expansion. Also feel free to click through to our Moria gallery, which has the new screens as well as all of our previous great looks at the mine under the mountain.%Gallery-18340%
Mines of Moria pre-order now available in Europe
As announced today by Codemasters, the first Lord of the Rings Online expansion, Mines of Moria, is now available for pre-order in Europe. The website information gives us a complete run-down of what's available with this expansion and each boxed version, including the exclusive Special Edition content and special pre-order content as well. What's interesting about this is that on the Play.com site listing, it reports the release date as November 14th, which other online retailers such as Amazon UK had previously reported as well. Meanwhile, the official Codemasters online store lists the release date as only "Autumn 2008".Where's the North American pre-order information? It hasn't officially been announced yet, but expect news to surface soon. When it does, we'll let you know!
New Mines of Moria info and screenshots released
We've received quite a bit of news over the last few months from Turbine relating to the upcoming Lord of the Rings Online expansion Mines of Moria, but much of it hasn't been laid out for us in one continuous, comprehensible chunk. Over at GamesRadar, we get treated to a great 2-page article presenting all of the information we know, plus a few more details to fill in the cracks. This article explains more on Moria itself, and how it won't exactly be one giant underground cave. Plus, we get a summary of the legendary weapon system, the two new classes, an explanation of "stretching the lore" a bit for the Rune-keeper and much more.In addition to this, we were treated today to six new screenshots from Mines of Moria depicting more of the Dwarven architecture we can expect in the expansion. Check these new shots out below, as well as our complete gallery from Mines of Moria.%Gallery-18340%
LotRO: Mines of Moria screenshots from Hollin Gate
What better way to introduce players to the first screenshots for Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria than by making those screenshots of the infamous Hollin Gate, also known as the Doors of Durin. This gate is the western entrance into Moria, outlined in glowing Elvish script. If you've never read the books (shame on you!) and have only seen the movies, you may remember Hollin Gate as the place where Gandalf solved the riddle of "Speak friend and enter" to finally open the gate for the Fellowship.These screenshots, graciously given to us by Turbine, depict Hollin Gate as it will appear in the game. Be sure to check out our complete Mines of Moria gallery below for concept art, logos and more from the LotRO team as it becomes available.%Gallery-18340%
Turbine announces player gathering at PAX
Now that the Penny Arcade Expo is right around the corner, we're hearing more and more about these after parties held by game developers. First there was the news of ArenaNet's party at Gameworks Seattle, right across the street from the Washington Convention Center, and now we get news of Turbine holding a party at the same location, the night before.The Turbine party will be from 7pm - 9pm local time on Friday, August 29th, 2008. Those in attendance will include Asheron's Call Producer Crowley, LotRO Executive Producer Nigellian, LotRO: Mines of Moria Producer Eldrad, the enigmatic Marketroid, Community Team members Patience and Frelorn, and more! %Gallery-18340%
LotRO's preview server switches to temporary availability
Turbine recently announced that they're cutting back on the availability of their Lord of the Rings Online preview server, also known as Roheryn. In the past, this server has been available at all times, although its popularity peaked during the release of new content. However, since the activity quickly died down once that new content made it to the live servers, Turbine decided that running this preview server 24/7 was not the best use of their resources. From now on, Roheryn will only open when new content is available, and during special events.Unfortunately, all current installations of Roheryn will not be compatible when the new Roheryn goes live. This means you can actually uninstall everything related to the preview server now, in preparation for the new content. There are complete instructions for doing so in the official press release, as well as a simple FAQ for the process.
Turbine releases more new Mines of Moria concept art
Keeping in line with their steady stream of information on the upcoming Mines of Moria expansion for Lord of the Rings Online, Turbine has released yet another group of gorgeous concept art pieces to the public.In this group we get to see once and for all what the two new classes will look like. The Warden and the Rune-keeper, although only shown here as simply concept sketches, seem to stay on par with the looks of the original LotRO classes. We're also treated to a few environment sketches like Zirakzigil and a cave garden, some art on new creatures and the dwarven NPCs Nain and Durin VI.%Gallery-18340%
LotRO-Europe website gets a facelift
Not that there was ever anything wrong with Lord of the Rings Online Europe's website to begin with, but they've recently decided to completely revamp their site to better accommodate the new expansion and future content. Codemaster Online's new website now features a separate branch for Shadows of Angmar and one for Mines of Moria, as well as the obligatory CGI trailer, free trial info, competitions and a link to their e-shop. Separating the two volumes like this allows the company to present news, features and contests that are specific to a certain expansion, which will become more valuable as the list of expansions grows in the coming years. They also promise that the community section will benefit from the creativity of their designers soon, and will be brought in line with this new layout.
Mines of Moria cinematic trailer debuts
The first expansion to Lord of the Rings Online has gotten a cinematic trailer today via Gametrailers. If you know your Lord of the Rings, then there really isn't anything in this trailer that's going to surprise you. And while it would have been nice to have seen some of the new features, well, featured, we're happy to get something regardless. Plus, it's cool to get a taste of what we can expect once the install disc stops spinning and we log in on release day. If there's one really cool thing to be taken from this trailer, it's the revealing of the box art for the expansion towards its conclusion. The design features a certain gray wizard facing an infamously awesome Balrog, which, now that we think about it seems like a no-brainer. Hopefully, the next trailer we're all treated with will show some gameplay of either new areas or even the two classes being added to the game.
Turbine announces partnership with Warner Bros. for Mines of Moria
Turbine has just announced its partnership with Warner Bros. to distribute the Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria, the first retail expansion for the franchise. In addition to this, we get some details on what will be included with the Collector's Edition box, as well as the new Complete Edition. Turbine also states that there will be a downloadable version on their website for current subscribers, as well.If that's not enough to get you pumped, Turbine has also released a few new pieces of concept art, as we've included for you in the gallery below. Be sure to read the complete press release after the cut for detailed information on all editions of Mines of Moria and more.%Gallery-18340%
LotRO: Mines of Moria to be shown at Edinburgh Interactive Festival
Codemasters has announced that they will be attending the Edinburgh Interactive Festival from August 10th through the 12th to show off some of their upcoming titles. Their Vice President and General Manager, David Solari will be presenting Lord of the Rings Online's first expansion Mines of Moria, as well as their new sci-fi MMO Jumpgate Evolution. In addition, they'll be giving away free copies of LotRO to the first 200 people attending the presentation.This festival will also play host to such giants as Nintendo, Sony and Activision. Be sure to check out the festival's official website for more information on scheduling, attendance and a full event guide in pdf format.
LotRO weekly forum roundup gives player impressions of Book 14
In the latest forum round-up over at Ten Ton Hammer's Lord of the Rings Online division, it's no surprise that the focus is on Book 14's new content. There are gleeful praises and there are angry rants, but perhaps the most interesting is the speculation on what's to come with the expanded Critter Play feature.As one player predicts, the word is out that we may be able to play as Gandalf in Mines of Moria. Now, keep in mind that this is one player's speculation and the evidence he presents for this theory is a bit of a stretch, but wouldn't it be interesting if they were right? Imagine being Gandalf in that infamous Balrog battle scene, protecting the Fellowship from certain doom all by your lonesome. Now that's immersive game play.
LotRO's Legendary Weapon system explained
In a recent interview with Ten Ton Hammer, Lord of the Rings Online developers Aaron Campbell and Brent Schmidt answered some questions about the new content patch releasing this Tuesday. They explain a bit more about what to expect with Book 14, and ultimately with Mines of Moria, calling it "the largest single continuous underground space ever created in an online game."However, a good chunk of this interview centers around the new Legendary Weapons that we'll see with Mines of Moria. These weapons will be something like a living part of your character, almost like a companion. These items will gain experience points with you and can be upgraded by your character. Be sure to read the complete interview for more details on what will most certainly be an exciting addition to the game.
Massively's exclusive tour of LotRO Book 14
As we announced earlier, Massively recently participated in a hands-on play session for Lord of the Rings Online's newest patch, Book 14: The Ring-forges of Eregion. In this session, we were able to play through some of the exciting new content and document it for you, the faithful readers.In this five-part article, we will explore the initial storyline where the Fellowship finally leaves Rivendell for Moria, a new type of Critter Play that takes you back through history, battlefield defense instances, housing upgrades and a complete new set of screenshots for you to enjoy. Plus, if reading and galleries aren't your thing, we also grabbed some wonderful video of the experience as a brief summary, which you will find just after the jump. Follow along on our journey through the Ring-forges>>
