Lord of the Rings Online
News, coverage and analysis tracking Lord of the Rings Online across the outlets.
Latest coverage
LOTRO Legendarium: Four positive outcomes from the Umbar expansion trilogy
This article analyzes the positive outcomes of the Lord of the Rings Online Umbar expansion trilogy, highlighting its diverse environments, the successful reimagining of the Midsummer Festival, generally excellent storytelling despite some pacing issues, and the engaging new Mariner class. Standing Stone Games is praised for its work in bringing these southern regions to life and for the quality of its writing team.
MMO Week in Review: Guild Wars goes mobile, Bungie gets layoffs
This week's MMO news includes Guild Wars launching on mobile, Star Trek Online's new update, and Throne & Liberty's summer expansion. However, the industry also saw significant layoffs at Sony and Bungie, impacting hundreds of developers working on Destiny 2 and Marathon. Other news includes Valve's Steam Machine pricing, the ongoing Ashes of Creation lawsuit, and updates on Grand Theft Auto VI's online multiplayer.
Lord of the Rings Online tests its new PvP class and Delving of Frór open dungeon
Lord of the Rings Online's Update 49 is currently being tested on the Bullroarer server, introducing the new Angmarim Sorceress PvP class and reopening the Delving of Frór PvP dungeon with adjusted bosses and quests. The update also aims to improve relic capture, artifact capture, and player-earned infamy systems, with new equipment designed for Ettenmoors combat. Separately, Update 48.7 unlocks the third tier of the Pagru-kirít, the Garden of Corpses instance.
MMO Week in Review: ArcheAge’s revival, Guild Wars’ CCG
This week's MMO news roundup covers a variety of topics including Guild Wars receiving a CCG in China, ArcheAge's revival, and Richard Garriott's efforts to regain Ultima copyright. It also features updates on Tomo Endless Blue's Kickstarter success, Embers of the Uncrowned, and Diablo Immortal's new Warlock patch.
LOTRO Legendarium: Are there other playable races LOTRO could add?
This article discusses the potential for Standing Stone Games to add new playable races to Lord of the Rings Online, considering lore restrictions and existing race variants. It explores various options based on J.R.R. Tolkien's lore, such as the Drúedain or specific Man variants, while acknowledging the challenges and risks involved in expanding the game's roster.
The Daily Grind: Do you find it hard to play more than one class in your MMO?
This article discusses the common player experience in MMORPGs where individuals find themselves drawn to a single class, making it difficult to explore or enjoy others. It poses a question to the community about their preferences and experiences with class selection in games like Lord of the Rings Online.
Lord of the Rings Online releases a festive new ‘Garden of Corpses’ six-player dungeon
Lord of the Rings Online has released Update 48.6, introducing a new six-player dungeon called Pagru-kirít, the Garden of Corpses. The dungeon is available in Tier 2 difficulty for VIP players or those who purchase the Quest Pack: A Glorious Hunt, with Tier 3 launching soon. The game's Midsummer Festival is also ongoing, with the Farmers Faire event planned for August.
One Shots: Hangin’ with my virtual homies
This week's 'One Shots' feature highlights community screenshots from various MMOs, including Final Fantasy XIV, Guild Wars 2, Secret World, EverQuest II, and Lord of the Rings Online. Players shared unique in-game moments, from NPC group photos to holographic dragons and secret hideouts.
LOTRO Legendarium: Four quality-of-life improvements that are overdue in LOTRO
This article discusses four overdue quality-of-life improvements for Lord of the Rings Online, including account-wide virtues and reputations, automatic wardrobe collection, and clearer business models for expansions. The author suggests these changes would significantly enhance the player experience in the MMORPG.
Lord of the Rings Online welcomes back its revamped Midsummer Festival with a new horse race
Lord of the Rings Online's revamped Midsummer Festival returns, featuring a new horse race called the Shield Isles Midsummer Run on the tropical island of Zír Aktar. Players can earn Midsummer tokens, Virtue Experience Points, and the 'Sea Horse-master' title. New rewards for 2026 include the Flowering Sun cosmetic set, an elk mount, garden furniture, and an owl pet.
LOTRO Legendarium: Could LOTRO’s PvP monster classes cross over into PvE?
This opinion piece discusses the potential for Lord of the Rings Online to bring its Player versus Player 'creep' classes into the main Player versus Environment game. The author explores the design and lore challenges of such a crossover, considering the effort already invested in the new Angmarim Sorceress class for PvP.
Massively Overthinking: What’s the next best thing to your favorite MMORPG?
The Massively OP staff discusses where players might migrate if their favorite MMORPGs were to shut down. Contributors share personal experiences of losing beloved games like City of Heroes and Star Wars Galaxies, and explore whether direct replacements are sought or if players move to different genres entirely. The consensus leans towards players finding games with familiar elements rather than exact replicas, or embracing a more transient gaming experience.
Lord of the Rings Online raises progression server caps and begins new legendary reward track in today’s patch
Standing Stone Games has released a new patch for Lord of the Rings Online, increasing the level cap on Angmar and Mordor progression servers to 105. The update also introduces the 18th legendary items reward track, the seventh PvMP reward track, and includes fixes for Rivendell premium housing. Additionally, a detailed player-created map of Middle-earth has been shared, breaking down regions by level, story, and expansions.
Massively OP Podcast Episode 567: One… billion… dollars!
The Massively OP Podcast episode 567 covers Star Citizen's crowdfunding milestone, the shutdown of Destiny 2 and Closers Online, a mobile client for Guild Wars, and subscription cost increases for The Lord of the Rings Online. The hosts also discuss upcoming expansions for Dungeons & Dragons Online and Throne and Liberty, and Camelot Unchained entering early access.
One Shots: Kill all robots!
This week's 'One Shots' column highlights community screenshots from various MMOs, focusing on environmental storytelling. Featured games include Fallout 76, Final Fantasy XIV, Hytale, and Lord of the Rings Online, showcasing unique in-game art and moments.
LOTRO Legendarium: Appendix A, on Hobbits and subscription price increases
Standing Stone Games has increased the prices for multi-month subscriptions for Lord of the Rings Online, marking the first hike since the game's 2007 launch. While the one-month subscription remains unchanged, longer-term plans now offer significantly reduced savings compared to the monthly rate. This change, attributed partly to inflation and potential pressure from parent companies Daybreak Games and EG7, has caused community concern, though players with existing multi-month subscriptions can lock in old prices until the end of 2027.
WRUP: 2027 anime adaptations that will cross over with various MMORPGs edition
The Massively OP staff and community share their weekend gaming plans, with a focus on MMORPGs and other titles. Players are looking forward to titles like Pokopia, Guild Wars 2, Final Fantasy XIV, and World of Warcraft, among others. The discussion also touches on personal anecdotes and a bonus question about pet photography.
Lord of the Rings Online is hiking its multi-month subscription fees with a grace period through 2027
Lord of the Rings Online is increasing its multi-month subscription prices for the first time since its 2007 launch, with changes taking effect after June 30th. Existing subscriptions will be grandfathered in at the old rates until the end of 2027. The game will also see new content updates and its developers will attend Gen Con.
Massively Overthinking: How much effort do you put into your MMO characters’ backstories?
The Massively OP staff discusses the varying levels of effort they put into creating backstories and personalities for their MMORPG characters. While some players craft elaborate narratives, others prefer simpler concepts or let personalities emerge organically through gameplay, with some games like Palia naturally encouraging more in-depth role-playing.
Classic EverQuest has officially opened Frostreaver, the progression server you voted on
Daybreak Game Company has launched Frostreaver, a new time-locked progression server for the classic MMORPG EverQuest. This server, which players voted on, begins with the Scars of Velious expansion and progresses through all subsequent expansions to the current live version. Access to Frostreaver requires a Daybreak All Access Membership subscription.