Standing Stone has said its MMO Lord of the Rings Online "is not going away," despite future competition from Amazon.
]]>Despite the lovely weather, some of us plan to stay inside and play games.
]]>It's the weekend. What are you going to do with it?
]]>With it being a bank holiday in the UK on Monday, many of you will be enjoying a long weekend. What better way to spend it than by playing games, amirite?
]]>What’s that? Work? It’s January already? Excuse the bleary eyes, and the inability to get up when the alarm goes off. We’re still in Christmas mode. As we bed back in to working life bringing you all the hot video game coverage and all that, we thought we’d take a few moments to scoot around the team (except for Sherif, who is still off, the lucky sod) and let you all know what we’ve been playing over the holidays.
]]>The weekend is upon us, and that means, hopefully, you will have plenty of time to play some games.
]]>The Lord of the Rings Online MMO title may be getting a far-reaching graphics update by 2022, a new presentation has suggested.
]]>Lord of the Rings Online and Dungeons & Dragons Online are now indie games, kind of.
]]>Have you have ever wanted to play a human who turns into a werebear, as they are called in D&D, or a skin-walker as they are called in Native American culture? Then Lord of the Rings Online has a new character class for you: the Beorning.
]]>It's that time of year again, when MMO developers release spooktacular updates filled with ghosts, ghouls, pumpkins, werewolves and the like. Because of this, we thought we'd provide players with a small, non-comprehensive update on the various festivities.
]]>In SuperData's latest digital games report, the firm takes a look at the subscription-based MMO market and unsurprisingly, World of Warcraft remains the top revenue earner despite the sector's loss of subscription-based players.
]]>In this highly personal treatise, Stephany explains how RPGs can be an outlet for an introverted, reticent and downright shy woman who revels in exploring digital fantasy worlds.
]]>Lord of the Rings Online players will have a new character class to play sometime this year, and the MMO's executive producer Aaron Campbell has finally spilled the Moor-boar Beer: it's the Beorning.
]]>Lord of the Rings Online Update 13:The Breaking of Isengard is on the horizon, and Turbine has released some more information on the continuation of the Epic Questline.
]]>Lord of the Rings Online players will have a new character class to choose from later this year, according to Turbine's Aaron Campbell.
]]>Lord of the Rings Online's executive producer Aaron Campbell has posted information regarding Update 13, which is coming soon.
]]>Turbine has suffered a round of layoffs, parent company Warner Bros. has confirmed to CVG.
]]>Turbine has eased fears about the future of the MMO by stating it has an agreement in place for LOTRO until 2017.
]]>Lord of the Rings Online developer Turbine has confirmed that there are no plans to add any new dungeons to the MMO, and that server merges are being halted by technical hiccups.
]]>Plenty of MMOs are hosting holiday events or other sorts of festivities between now and the new year, so instead of creating a news post for each one, I thought I would round a few up for you instead.
Get the list full of acronyms below.
]]>It's still against the terms of service to buy somebody else's maxed-out character, but Turbine will let you jump into Lord of the Rings Online at level 50 if you're willing to pony up.
]]>Lord of the Rings Online: Helm's Deep goes live today after storms on Sunday night knocked out the power and caused issues into Monday and Tuesday, delaying the expansion's release. While you wait on the download to finish you should have a look at the patch notes which will also detail the myriad of class changes which have been implemented with Helm's Deep. There's also new information on the level cap, added housing hooks and chest additions, and more. Launch trailer is below.
]]>Following some down time this weekend, the Helm's Deep expansion for Lord of the Rings has been delayed. The free-to-play MMO went down due to a power outage at its data centre, according to a Facebook post, and as a result Helm's Deep will be released on November 20, a few days late. Helm’s Deep pre-purchase offers and 100% XP boost and Bounder’s Bounty events have been extended to the same date.
]]>Warner has added F.E.A.R., Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection, Guardians of Middle Earth and its DLC, a Lord of the Rings Online: Steely Dawn Starter Pack, and the Gotham City Impostors: Professional Kit to its Humble WB Games Bundle. You will get all these games, plus the previously announced titles if you pay over the current $4.64 minimum. Those who have already purchased the bundle will get the newly added games as well. Hit up the link for more information. So far, $3,705,136 has been earned as of press time for the We Can Be Heroes charity.
]]>Now's a good time to beef up your stats in Lord of the Rings Online. The game is offering a 100% XP boost for all players in the run up to the forthcoming expansion/re-structuring Helm's Deep. The idea is to help players get to the level required for the expansion. The boost is available now through to November 17, so get grinding!
]]>The next expansion for The Lord of the Rings Online, Helm’s Deep, will launch in November, Turbine and Warner have announced. It will contain a new level cap of 95 along with some changes to skill trees and various purchase options are available for it.
]]>Lord of the Rings Online's Update 11: Treachery of the White Hand is out next week, and to get you ready to venture into the Wildermore, Turbine has released a set of shots and a video showing off the Eastern Rohan.
]]>Lord of the Rings Online developer Turbine will be taking virtual bulldozers to abandoned homes in its MMO as of Update 11.. Players who own the buildings will have two months to pay off their debts or face eviction.
]]>The Lord of the Rings Online: Helm’s Deep will launch this fall. We will get to kill a bunch of orcs and save Rohan from those Uruk-hai bastards.
]]>Lord of the Rings Online is turning six, and to celebrate, it will be handing out goodies to all of its players. Said goodies include classic festival events, fireworks, the chance to earn anniversary tokens, and other fine fare. The Anniversary Festival takes place April 16-30, and once again, some of the gifts handed out will be based on how long you have been playing the MMO. Premium and VIP players will also be eligible for additional gifts including new character portrait frames, festival clothing, and a War Steed appearance set. Hit up the game's website for more information.
]]>Big changes are coming to Lord of the Rings Online's Wardens in the imminent update. The class is undergoing such a dramatic change that Turbine has decided to implement a grace period to allow players to collect gear appropriate to the new builds. If you play or are interested in a Warden, check out this developer post detailing the changes and what you need to do about them. The update brings all sorts of changes and new content and is expected soon.
]]>The Lord of the Rings Online Update 10 is coming soon, and Jonathan Steady at Turbine has posted a Dev Diary to explain some upcoming changes to the game they haven't yet talked about, such as boss loot alterations and what's going on with armor set bonuses.
]]>The LOTRO servers are back online after a longer than planned scheduled maintenance. To compensate players for the downtime, Turbine is giving all Premium and VIP players who have logged into their account in last 30 Days - as of 6:00am EST on February 14 - 250 Turbine points. All VIP players who have logged in during the same period will also have their accounts credited one day of VIP time for each day of downtime - plus an additional day. All points and additional time will be granted automatically as soon as players log in. More information is available through the game's splash screen as you boot it up.
]]>Future plans for Lord of the Rings Online have been outlined in a new prouder's letter on the official webiste.
]]>Lord of the Rings Online: Update 9 - Against the Shadow releases today. Stephany Nunneley saddles her horse and rides forth into Middle-earth to see what's new.
]]>Lord of the Rings Online and DDO developer Turbine has hired industry veteran Ken Rolston as its director of design.
]]>Lord of the Rings Online: Riders of Rohan is the latest expansion to Turbine's MMO, and it's available from today. Check out what the pack involves below.
]]>Turbine is being sued by Ontario-based web services company Treehouse for patent infringement. The firm claims the Warner-owned studio uses its software for collecting real-time data on user choices in both D&D Online and Lord of the Rings Online.
]]>Riders of Rohan, the mounted combat expansion to Lord of the Rings Online, launches on Monday, and to celebrate the release, Turbine has sent over quite a few landscape shots. Enjoy.
]]>Riders of Rohan, the expansion for Lord of the Rings Online is out next week, and to get you a bit excited over it, a new developer diary focusing on the sountrack is available below. The music in the MMO has always been one of its strong points, and it sounds as through RoR won't be an exception. The expansion launches October 15.
]]>Lord of the Rings Online has a new developer diary out for Riders of Rohan, which takes a look at the Epic Storyline. There's information in there on how the team at Turbine brought some of the locations in the book to life, and how deep down, poor Boromir was still a good guy - he was just lusting after the One Ring like everyone else. Poor Boromir. Riders of Rohan will launch on October 15.
]]>Lord of the Rings Online: Riders of Rohan screenshots landed in our inbox this morning, and we thought we'd share them with you. Each shows new landscape creatures and troops from the three major factions that are running rampant over the plains of Rohan: the White Hand, Mordor and the Easterlings.
]]>Lord of the Rings Online's Treasure Hunt is back, so if you missed out on hugging all the Cave-claws needed on your list, you're in luck. Players will also be digging for all sorts of cosmetics, a mount, and emotes. New rewards are available this time out as well, as noted in the latest release notes. Think of it as something to keep you festive until the Haunter Burrow reopens during the Fall Festival next month. The Treasure Hunt event is on now and runs until September 23. Image courtesy of LOTRO Fashion.
]]>Lord of the Rings Online has a new Riders of Rohan developer diary available in which senior producer Aaron Campbell, executive producer Kate Paiz, and other Turbine developers discuss the new expansion which takes players into the gorgeous plains rules by the horse lords. The expansion will see the breaking up of the Fellowship, the slaying of Sean Bean, er um Boromir rather, the hill of Amon Hen, and Fangorn forest which is home to the massive tree shepherds, the Ents. Players will also be able to reach level 85 with the expansion, and shots of the new max level are below alongside screens of endgame content. Riders of Rohan will launch on October 15 and a Mac client is rumored to launch alongside the expansion.
]]>Lord of the Rings Online beta testers have revealed that Riders of Rohan, the free-to-play MMORPG's next major expansion, will launch will a full native OS-X client. Although no official announcement has been made, the lifting of the NDA on the expansion's beta testing allowed forumites to get the news out. Mac users had previously had to suffer all sorts of shenanigans to enjoy Turbine's take on the legendary fantasy world. Riders of Rohan has been delayed into October.
]]>Riders of Rohan, the upcoming expansion for The Lord of the Rings Online, has been delayed into October according to an announcement from Turbine. However, there's a silver lining to it, as you'll see below.
]]>Mounted combat is one of the holy grails of fantasy RPGs because it's so hard to pull off well. Riders of Rohan looks to do a pretty decent job, and in this developer diary, Turbine explains how it's integrated this most delightful of pursuits without disturbing Lord of the Rings Online's combat balance.
]]>Lord of the Rings Online: Riders of Rohan expansion has received a new batch of screens from developer Turbine, as well as new expansion details.
]]>Turbine has released a new video for the Riders of Rohan expansion coming to Lord of the Rings Online. It provides a look at the mounts developed for the mounted combat expansion. It's below, along with a nice set of screenshots.
]]>Warner Bros. has announced its gamescom will include two announcements regarding "new games", one of which will be a "major release". Nice. The games coming along in the firm's pack to the event will include: Batman Arkham City: Armoured Edition, Injustice: Gods Among Us, LEGO: Lord of the Rings, Lord of the Rings Online, and Guardians of Middle-Earth. gamescom takes place August 15 – 19 in Cologne, Germany. Thanks, Gamers Globe.
]]>Want to know what mounted combat will look like in Lord of the Rings Online when the Riders of Rohan expansion launches in September? Have a look at the trailer below.
]]>Turbine has released a set of screenshots showing the elite group of Warbands included with the Riders of Rohan expansion. These elite groups of mounted enemies roam the plains, traveling long distances and can quickly overcome unwary adventurers. Along with the Warbands, anyone can go against these marauders due to the new “open tapping" combat rules included in the expansion. This ensures that more than one player can get credit and experience for defeating enemies in mounted combat, even when ungrouped, encouraging cooperation towards common goals. The expansion releases on September 5.
]]>Turbine has released a set of landscape shots for its Lord of the Rings expansion, Riders of Rohan. The shots show the fields of Sutcrofts, Eastwall, the Eaves of Fanghorn, the Wold, and Entwash vale. There's also a flythrough landscape video below as well featuring music from the expansion. RoR releases in September and is available for pre-order now with added Turbine points to sweeten the deal.
]]>Turbine has released a new set of screenshots for Lord of the Rings Online showing update 7. The new content will include Methedras, the tall wintry peak which lies at the southern end of the Misty Mountains. Players will confront supernatural forces which are striving to stop Rohan and players will join forces with the Rangers as they battle the sorceress Gwyllion. The new skirmish supports twelve players, level 70-75, and offers two tiers of difficulty for those who like a bit of a challenge.
]]>New content is heading to Lord of the Rings Online with Shades of the Past, also known as Update 7. The content will include a new skirmish for levels 70-75 for all group sizes and solo players, and it will be free for VIPs. While a new skirmish is always a welcome addition, Turbine is also revamping Fornost by splitting it into four, scalable six-man fellowships for levels 30-75 and it's spit-polishing Moria as well as giving it a much-needed quest restructuring. The update should be on the Bullroarer test server soon, and the update should land in the main game sometime before June 5. Thanks, A Casual Stroll to Mordor.
]]>Turbine has announced an extension to the ongoing anniversary festivities for Lord of the Rings Online's fifth birthday. On the surface, the main draws are the fireworks, racing and bar brawls, but the celebration has also spawned a number of quests and bonuses which are well worth checking out - especially if you're returning to the MMORPG after an absence.
]]>Lord of the Rings Online officially turns five today, even though the MMO has been celebrating the fact since last week. To celebrate even further, Turbine has released a video which takes a look back over the years at the game's development, change and the various areas of exploration. The anniversary festivities can still be participated in until April 30, and the header image was captured last night during the fireworks launch quest in Bree on the Nimrodel server. There's lots and lots of fireworks this time out, and starting today, you will earn double XP on monster kills. Also, if you are running low on points, itching for the Mithril Edition of the game, or would like to win a lifetime sub, hit up GameFront to figure out how to go about this.
]]>Lord of the Rings Online is turning five next week. To celebrate the occasion, Turbine's bringing out the treats. It said today that rewards are given out on how long the player has been an active sub with the game. What they look like can be found out below the break.
]]>This new trailer gives a peek at the environments to be found in the newly-released update for Lord of the Rings Online.
]]>Gaikai has announced an agreement with Warner Bros. which incorporates playable, browser-based game demos for the Lord of the Rings Online as well as Dungeons & Dragons Online which will be the first MMOs to surface on the streaming service.
]]>The latest update for Lord of the Rings Online takes the Middle Earth MMO down the Great River. In the latest developer diary, the team takes us behind the scenes on this new zone, as well as highlighting a few extra tweaks they've dished out.
]]>Turbine has sent over a nifty breakdown of the content players will be receiving when Update 6: Shores of the Great River is released for Lord of the Rings Online.
]]>Turbine's put out the latest update on the Wargs for Lord of the Rings Online. In the latest development diary, changes for the race have now been detailed, such as stance changes depending on what type of situation the player is in and what you'd prefer. You can get the details here.
]]>Turbine has announced the Mitrhil Edition for The Lord of the Rings Online is now available through GameStop.
]]>The free to play revolution isn't killing premium subscriptions, Turbine believes, but it's forcing providers to give consumers flexibility.
]]>Turbine is planning to release a new expansion to Lord of the Rings Online this fall called Riders of Rohan, and it will add mounted combat, making it one of the few MMOs to include the mode.
]]>New, performance-enhancing premium items added to the Lord of the Rings Online store are there to help out new players, Turbine has explained.
]]>Turbine has announced that Update 5: The Prince of Rohan for The Lord of the Rings Online will launch on December 12.
]]>Turbine has released a few new screenshots from Update 5: Armies of Isengard, the December update for The Lord of the Rings Online. The epic story continues in the Rise of Isengard title update, and tasks the player with aiding aid Prince Théodred of Rohan as he and his Riders strive to thwart the evil plans of Saruman. The update will include five new Isengard instances, new raids for smaller groups, and instance finder, and lots of other updates and tweaks. Preliminary patch notes from the Bullroarer test server can be found through here. The screens below the break are from The Prince of Rohan instance.
]]>Goodies galore in shorts today, starting with an instance finder coming to Lord of the Rings Online, King of Fighters XIII DLC, Amazon sales, an indie game coming to Steam, and some interesting news out of Japan. Go ahead and hit the break.
]]>Little did you know, that all those times you looked at the clock and it was 11:11, the cosmos was preparing itself for the Dragonborn. Because the day of reckoning is now upon us, little else is happening. Regardless, there's still enough to warrant a shorts post.
]]>The shorts post is rather long today, so we're going to go ahead and race to the finish with it.
]]>Turbine is to release a Mithril Edition of Lord of the Rings Online, which looks to be a rather nice deal if you've yet to try it out. It will run you $29.99 and includes the game discs, a starter guide, keyboard map, 2,000 Turbine Points for spending in the in-game store, an exclusive Steed of the Horse-lords mount, and a quest pack covering the Trollshaws, Eregion, Moria and Lothlorien. Heck, the mount alone would cost you around $20 in the store anyway, so this is a bit of a bargain as the whole package is valued at $50. Seriously, Turbine, you're killing my bank account with all these horses.Check it out here. Thanks, Massively.
]]>In a bid to possess what little remains of the free time I devote to the game already, Turbine has launched its Rise of Isengard expansion for Lord of the Rings Online. As a matter of fact, after finally being able to get into the game yesterday after biting my nails to nubs for three hours, I played it until 2am this morning. Yes, the horses were met with a grumpy lady with buckets of oats when breakfast rolled around this morning. At least they don't hold grudges unlike human beings. You can check out the launch trailer for the expansion below, courtesy of GameFront. While you are over there, check out the site's preview of the content here.
]]>Turbine has released a new developer diary for Lord of the Rings Online, with the firm's senior producer Aaron Campbell discussing the Tower of Orthanc, and how the landscape around it has changed since Saruman starting breeding Uruk-hai. Apparently the Uruks bred by Sauron needed improvement in Saruman's eyes, and now they are an even more formidable force to the reckoned with. The dev diary discusses the past, present, and the future of the area around Isengard, and you'll be pleased to know Wormtounge shows up in this diary. Check it out below, along with the screens.
Rise of Isengard hits on September 27.
]]>Spit-balling Shorty McShort news updates to keep you in the know. Lots to read, gawp at and make fun of.
]]>Turbine has released a developer diary for Lord of the Rings Online's Rise of Isengard expansion. It has the developers chatting about what went into designing the Gap of Rohan. It is posted below along with new screenshots from the game. Honestly, I have to say, the video clips of the game in it do not do it justice. It is a rather gorgeous game.
]]>Turbine has released screenshots and a developer diary for its Lord of the Rings Online expansion, Rise of Isengard, which is scheduled for release on September 27.
]]>I'm feeling ill today and can only cope with news in teeny tiny slices. Like these.
]]>Time for a second batch of shorts to get your gamescom afternoon rolled up.
]]>Turbine has released a few new shots from LOTRO's Rise of Isengard expansion. There are six in all, and show a bit more of Orthranc, an Uruk-hai picking on a Hobbit, and Saruman of Many Colours - or as we like to call him: Saruman the Big Fat Jerk. Rise of Isengard is set to release on September 27.
]]>Turbine has sent over some Monster Play screenshots from its Rise of Isengard expansion which includes enhancements to PvP in Lord of the Rings Online. There's also a few shots of the Numenirean tower of Orthanc, the keys of which were handed over Saruman by the Steward of Gondor. Bad Beren! The update is slated for release on September 27.
]]>Time for some lovely snippets of tiny things to start your Saturday night off right. Hopefully, it will end with you completely pie-eyed.
]]>Turbine has released three new screens from LOTRO's September expansion, Rise of Isengard, and each shows off camps and a bit of the landscape of Rohan as well as Edoras, the seat of King Theoden. It's out on September 27. Muster the Rohirrim. Now is the hour. Riders of Rohan, oaths you have taken, now fulfill them all, to lord and land (insert squee noise here from the author of this post).
]]>Turbine has announced the beta for its new Lord of the Rings Online content, Rise of Isengard, will open up on July 27. The beta program is is Invite-only, and those in North America and Europe can pre-purchase Rise of Isengard to receive special benefits including preferred access to the program. More information on the beta, and pre-order offers are through the link. [pic]
]]>Turbine has releases some screens from the LotRO fall expansion, Rise of Isengard, showing off the area of Dunland located in the foothills of the southern Misty Mountains. It is infested with Dunland Clans, rugged warriors tempted by "the dark promise of power," and probably other stuff you will want to slash with your sword more than once. Rise of Isengard launches on September 27, which we think of as a very nice birthday present from Turbine. [art]
]]>It's time for your Thursday link dump, a.k.a. shorts. Head onward if you dare - it's rather large today.
]]>Get more bang for your shorts below.
]]>Bloody hell, it looks like a news aggregator threw up in here. You'd not believe how much content is through the break.
]]>Turbine has announced the launch date and pre-order details for The Lord of the Rings Online: Rise of Isengard. Look out Sauruman, here comes trouble.
]]>With Turbine taking over the reigns of the LOTRO servers in Europe, it's time for a bit of housework, thus, the account migration process has started as of today.
]]>It's Tuesday morning in your time zone, which means it's cocktail hour in mine. Enjoy these shorts while I slip off to the pub.
]]>Turbine has sent over details for Volume III, Update 3: Lost Legends of Eriador, which includes two new three-player instances and two new skirmishes, and a host of new goodies for the LOTRO Store.
]]>Some things you just cannot make up no matter how hard you try. There's a few of those in the shorts posted below.
]]>Codemasters will cease to operate Lord of the Rings Online in Europe as of June 1, with developer Turbine taking control of the game.
]]>It's time for more shorts. Get your fill below the belt-line.
]]>Below you will find your shorts for Saturday. We have no idea what happened to the pair you wore on Friday.
]]>Turbine has released a few screenshots from LOTRO's upcoming Book 3, Echoes of the Dead update, which is slated to hit next week.
]]>There's tons of little stuff hitting the Internet to browse through, but because we love you so dearly, we've done the work for you. Now, where's our thank you kiss? Ah, there it is. Good boys. You've been trained well.
]]>If we tried to write up all the little stories, all we'd do is write all day. What?
]]>
