Lord of the Rings Online
News, coverage and analysis tracking Lord of the Rings Online across the outlets.
Latest coverage
The MOP Up: Dune Awakening nets one million new players from its console launch
Funcom reported that Dune Awakening has attracted over one million new players following its console launch, with the game currently on sale on Steam. The article also rounds up other smaller MMO news, including updates for Valheim, Lord of the Rings Online, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Warhammer 40K: Darktide, and Satisfactory, alongside a cease-and-desist for a Tera Classic rogue server and new Warcraft action figures.
LOTRO Legendarium: Making friends in LOTRO’s new neighbour system
Standing Stone Games has released the new neighbour system for Lord of the Rings Online, ahead of the Wolves of Mordor expansion. This feature allows players to recruit and interact with various NPCs, engaging in daily quests and building relationships. However, the implementation is criticized for being unintuitive, lacking clear documentation, and feeling like a half-baked first pass that requires significant refinement.
WRUP: Horror movies of 2027 edition
This week's 'What Are You Playing' segment features community members discussing their gaming habits, including Pokopia, No Man's Sky, Minecraft Dungeons II, and Warframe. The discussion also touches on horror movies and Halloween costume ideas, with participants sharing their thoughts on upcoming films and dream costumes.
Lord of the Rings Online showcases the ‘alternative advancement’ system of survival instincts
The Lord of the Rings Online: Wolves of Mordor expansion introduces a new 'Survival Instincts' system, offering zone-specific skills and account-wide progression for end-game content. Standing Stone Games detailed the system in a dev blog, highlighting its potential for future growth and player choice. The Buried Treasure event is also returning for a limited time.
Dungeons and Dragons Online continues to test Update 82 with UI scaling and ‘lucky loot’
Standing Stone Games is continuing to test Update 82 for Dungeons and Dragons Online on the Lamannia server. This update includes a major balance pass, a new UI rescaling feature, and a 'lucky loot' system that enhances random drops based on player luck.
Lord of the Rings Online: Wolves of Mordor targets October 21 launch, pushes out pre-orders and neighbour system
Standing Stone Games announced that the next expansion for Lord of the Rings Online, Wolves of Mordor, is set to launch on October 21st. The expansion introduces new zones, a survival system, and were-wolves to Mordor, alongside a new neighbor system for player housing. Pre-orders are available in three editions: Standard, Collector's, and Ultimate.
Massively OP Podcast Episode 581: George McFly is your Destiny 2
The Massively OP Podcast episode 581 covers Destiny 2's resurgence, the early access launch of Monsters & Memories, and impressions of Aion 2. The hosts also discuss Dune Awakening's console release, the future of Elder Scrolls Online following layoffs, and highlight Wizard101.
MMO Week in Review: Destiny 2’s revival, Aion 2’s stress test
This week's MMO news covers Destiny 2's revival with unvaulted content, Aion 2's stress test, and Ultima Online's 29th anniversary. Dune Awakening launched on consoles, Elder Scrolls Online discussed experimental features, and Microsoft continued layoffs. World of Warcraft Forever is impressing players, while other news includes The Division 2, Marathon, Warframe, and various other MMO updates and discussions.
One Shots: The coziest bakery in all of Eorzea
This week's 'One Shots' feature highlights community screenshots from various MMOs, showcasing cozy bakeries in Final Fantasy XIV, a dramatic Flow explosion in Palia, intense combat in Darktide, a unique encounter in Lord of the Rings Online, and a humorous glitch in Skate. The column encourages readers to submit their own memorable in-game moments.
LOTRO Legendarium: Looking back at Riders of Rohan
This analysis looks back at the 2012 expansion 'Riders of Rohan' for Lord of the Rings Online, highlighting its strong promotional efforts and thematic connection to the films. While it introduced popular elements like war-steeds and expanded the game world, the feature proved divisive due to its handling and technical issues, particularly with server lag.
WRUP: A tribute to Beepalus Slimon, also known as ‘Mr. Beepy,’ because I was asked to do this edition
This week's 'What Are You Playing' feature highlights community and staff plans for the weekend, with mentions of City of Heroes, Guild Wars 2, Elite Dangerous, Lord of the Rings Online, Final Fantasy XIV, Warframe, and Diablo IV. The article also includes a humorous, albeit strained, tribute to a character named Beepalus Slimon.
Lord of the Rings Online prepares to put you in the friend zone with its Neighbour system
Standing Stone Games is detailing the new Neighbour system for Lord of the Rings Online: Wolves of Mordor, which will be implemented before the expansion's release. This system enhances the game's housing features by introducing four distinct neighbours with unique personalities and gift preferences, allowing players to build relationships and unlock special adventures.
The MOP Up: Dune Awakening posts its console server list
Dune Awakening has released a list of available Xbox and PlayStation server worlds for players to coordinate with friends before launch. This roundup also includes updates on Valorant's new game mode, PUBG's Jujutsu Kaisen collaboration, Conan Exiles' upgrade to Unreal Engine 5.8.2, and delays for Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 and MechWarrior 5.
LOTRO Legendarium: Looking back at Rise of Isengard
This retrospective looks back at Lord of the Rings Online's third expansion, Rise of Isengard, released in 2011. The expansion marked a shift towards more experimental storytelling and a free-to-play model for the MMORPG. It introduced new zones like Dunland and Isengard, pushed the level cap to 75, and featured a memorable player betrayal and escape sequence.
WRUP: The many moods of Glorngus edition
This week's 'What Are You Playing' feature sees various gaming personalities discussing their weekend plans. Andrew Ross is playing Pokopia, Brianna Royce is returning to City of Heroes, Chris Neal is considering Lord of the Rings Online and Skate, Eliot Lefebvre is focused on Final Fantasy XIV and Warframe, and Tyler Edwards is diving into Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne.
Lord of the Rings Online subscription rate hikes set to finally hit next month
Standing Stone Games will increase the subscription rates for Lord of the Rings Online's multi-month plans starting October 14th. The three-month sub will rise to $14, the six-month to $13, and the 12-month to $12, while the one-month price remains $15. Players can lock in current rates through December 31st, 2027, by subscribing before October 13th.
Perfect Ten: MMORPGs that rebranded along the way
This article explores ten Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) that underwent name changes between their development and official release. It details the original titles and the reasons for rebranding, including Lord of the Rings Online (formerly Middle-earth Online) and TERA (formerly The Exiled Realm of Arborea).
Massively OP Podcast Episode 579: BlizzCon breakdown
The Massively OP Podcast episode 579 breaks down the major announcements from BlizzCon, including World of Warcraft Forever, Wrath Remix, a StarCraft project, Diablo V, and a Warcraft III expansion. The hosts also briefly touch on news from The Lord of the Rings Online, Final Fantasy XIV, and Skate.
Lord of the Rings Online dev explains why MMOs are so much easier now: ‘The market changed’
Lord of the Rings Online Senior World Designer Matt Elliott explained that MMORPGs are easier now because the market has changed, with players having less tolerance for challenging or time-consuming experiences as gaming became more mainstream. He noted that the game's difficulty was adjusted to meet player expectations.
MMO Week in Review: Foreverrrrr
BlizzCon 2026 saw major announcements including a new open-world StarCraft shooter, Diablo V for 2029, and World of Warcraft Forever launching soon. The event also revealed World of Warcraft's next retail expansion, The Last Titan, and sparked controversy over World of Warcraft Forever's monetization. Other news included the sunsetting of Ship of Heroes, layoffs at Pantheon Rise of the Fallen, and business dealings involving ArcheAge.
