While unable in any way to compete with the sprawling city that is World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online has found some nice success with gamers and has become a clear alternative. Turbine has announced today that they will be releasing a full-blown expansion to the MMO later in the year, entitled the Mines of Moria.

Along with the obligatory raising of the level cap from 50-60, Mines of Moria also opens up the Dwarven Capitol of Moria (or Khazad-dûm, depending on who you’re talking to). This new area will come complete with a wealth of new quests and dungeons to explore. A total of six new “books” (Lord of the Rings Online’s versions of story arc) will be available with the expansion, letting players explore more of the game’s rich story.

Two new classes, Rune-Keeper and Warden, will also be introduced to the game, the first new classes since its launch. While no information has been announced about these classes, their addition is exciting. If I had to guess, Rune-Keeper would be another magic-focused class, bringing the total in the game to two, and Warden would be a Warrior, bringing the total to four hundred.

The most exciting update for me, and the one that is making me consider going home and resubscribing to the title immediately, is the addition of Legendary Items. These will be weapons that level up and gain abilities with characters, creating more epic bonds between the two. This should go a long way to bring more customization to the game while also making it more like the novels and movies by not having heroes throw away their sword for a new one every time they kill an Orc.

Turbine has created a website where fans can begin unlocking some information about the upcoming expansion, located here. There, they can play free flash games and find out more before the game releases this fall.

The full press release, as well as some concept art from the expansion, is below. We look forward to covering more about this exciting title as it becomes available.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE™: Mines of moria™ unveiled at connect 08

Volume II of the 2007 PC Game of the Year Expected to Arrive at Retail This Fall

BIRMINGHAM, UK – March 14, 2008 - Turbine, Inc. and Codemasters Online today unveiled Volume II of The Lord of the Rings Online™, the first retail expansion for the award-winning massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG).  Announced in Birmingham, the childhood home of J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings Online™: Mines of Moria™  will expand the online world of Middle-earth to let players explore the ancient underground cities of the dwarves, battle epic characters in the depths, face off with the Watcher, be a part of the fateful release of Durin’s Bane and more! The Lord of the Rings Online expects to open Volume II of its epic story in the fall of 2008 with an increased level cap, two new classes and the introduction of a unique item advancement system.

“The Mines of Moria is one of the most epic settings in all of fantasy fiction,” said Jim Crowley, president and CEO of Turbine, Inc. “No one delivers more quality content than Turbine and with our journey into Moria, we will raise the bar even higher.  We are adding vast amounts of  content, debuting massive new environments and unveiling numerous unique feature sets, like item advancement, which will create entirely new dimensions of compelling game play and social interaction which are unique to The Lord of the Rings Online experience.” 

NEW FEATURES:

• Speak Friend, and Enter – Moria, called Khazad-dûm by the dwarves, was their capital and the grandest of cities.  This enormous underground cavern in north-western Middle-earth, comprises an immense network of tunnels, chambers, mines and huge halls that run beneath and ultimately through the Misty Mountains.  For the first time, players of The Lord of the Rings Online will enter this ancient city which has served as the foundation for the modern-day dungeon-crawling adventures to battle the hordes of goblins and the Nameless of the Deep and journey through hundreds of new quests within six new kinds of stunning environments.

• The Epic Continues! — The Mines of Moria represents the beginning of Volume II of The Lord of the Rings Online. Players can experience six new books as part of this update and participate in the release of Durin’s Bane, battle the Watcher, aid Galadriel and more!

• Increased Level Cap — Players will be able advance their characters up to level 60, gaining access to new traits, virtues, skills and class quests.  The crafting system will also expand, giving players the ability to craft even more powerful items.

• Discover Two New Classes — The Rune-keeper and the Warden, the first new classes to be introduced since the launch of the game, allow players to build exciting and powerful new characters in The Lord of the Rings Online in diverse new ways.

• Forge Legendary Items – The Mines of Moria will introduce Turbine’s new item advancement system to The Lord of the Rings Online.  Players will be able to forge weapons and class-related equipment and evolve them to build a legacy the likes of Bilbo’s Sting and Gandalf’s Glamdring. These legendary weapons will level-up along with the player, allowing customization by advancing the item’s virtues, adding runic legacies, modifying its titles and forming fables.

To celebrate this exciting news, Turbine and Codemasters also announced today that they will kick off a major promotion that invites everyone to unlock the Mines of Moria by visiting http://www.unlocktheminesofmoria.com.  Visitors can learn more about Mines of Moria and play special mini-games that will be periodically released over the coming months.  Certain players who participate can complete special deeds through game play and other means to unlock exclusive previews, assets and special in-game items that may help them when they delve into Mines of Moria this fall. The Unlock the Mines of Moria promotion is scheduled to begin at the end of this month.

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