And here they come again. The Lord of the Rings Online devs keep working hard to bring new content to the game. This time, in the Quest Notes,  the developers include a sneak peek at Volume III Book 2, a look at some new game tech and a popular feature from the Suggestions forums.  So come along with me and have a look at what they have planned for a new chapter in the Epic line.

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As has been noted here previously, one of the many changes coming to Turbine’s Lord of the Rings Online this Fall is that old instances will scale according to the level of the group. For example, the Great Barrow instance zone is currently appropriate for levels 20-30, but after the impending update it will have monsters and upgrades for every party from level 20-65. So how will the new system work? Developer Joe Barrow gives us some details in the latest Developer Diary.

Barrow explains that instead of having to create items for every level bracket in every scaling instance, these classic areas will instead adopt the Skirmish token system. All bosses in a scaled instance will drop Skirmish tokens instead of items, and the tokens can then be turned in for level-appropriate gear. Have your heart set on one of the current items? They’ll still be available via a new Classic vendor who accepts tokens.

For players who feel that “just” winning tokens is less exciting than actual items, there are a few surprises in the new scaled instances. End-bosses will drop random Legendary Items, and there is a small chance that players will see a random Tome that will permanently increase their character stats.

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Despite their recent decision to adopt a free-to-play model, Turbine remains ambitious and passionate about Lord of the Rings Online. So passionate, in fact, that they are reimagining their vision for the game, and taking a microscope to the game’s entire instancing system. Judging by the staggering amount of instanced content and handcrafted material, this undertaking is clearly not for the faint of heart. Fortunately for us, Turbine’s developer team is not afraid to get their hands dirty and dig right in to areas of the game that they feel are lacking the accessibility and quality that the players (and the team themselves) have come to expect.

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Turbine’s Lord of the Rings Online is well known for its gorgeous high resolution graphics. Today the company released a few screenshots from their upcoming patch to remind us all of just how pretty Middle Earth can be.

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Turbine has been very busy lately working on their big update to Lord of the Rings Online, due this Fall. The update will not only include a lot of new quests and content, such as the Enedwaith zone and Volume 3, Book 2 of the epic quest, but will also switch LotRO players from a monthly subscription model to a free-to-play game.

This week Turbine sent out a number of new screenshots showing the in-game icon for paid quests and the new character screens. The company previously successfully moved Dungeons & Dragons Online from a subscription to F2P model, and it will be interesting to see how smooth they can make the transition with this AAA MMO title.

The LotRO team also released a Developer Diary about Enedwaith. The Diary talks about the design decisions for the zone and how they balance the lore of Tolkien’s classic books with fresh gameplay, which one can imagine is an ongoing challenge for developers. The Diary also has a number of screenshots of new creatures and NPCs. (I would not want to encounter that Gwiber in a dark alley!)

Finally, Turbine gives a few more details of what players can expect from the Enedwaith update, including more quests and deeds than any other zone in the game, two new factions, and level-scaling added to 12 existing dungeons, making them relevant to high-level characters.

The Lord of the Rings Online team have taken a lot of flack from players for waiting so long between expansions, but it looks like the Enedwaith updates will happily contain much, much more than just a cash store.

Beta Testing is not just a way to play a game for free. It gives players a chance to get a top down look at the way that MMORPGs are made and have a hand in their development. I’ve participated in many beta tests for all sorts of different games. Often, it’s very fun and rewarding; other times it may feel as if I am playing a broken game that needs another year or two in the cooker. I’ve isolated three fun and interesting games that are entering both closed and open beta phases.

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Turbine has just announced that, come this autumn, major MMORPG Lord of the Rings Online will be free to play. The game will be demoed in its free-to-play version at this year’s E3, and players wishing to get a “sneak peak” can sign up to participate in the beta program, which begins on 16th June. This excerpt from the press release explains more:

Launching this fall across North America and Europe, with Codemasters operating the game free-to-play in Europe, LOTRO will introduce Turbine’s innovative new pricing model that allows players to download the game and play for free, purchase expansions, quest packs, items, and account services a la carte from the new LOTRO Store, or join the VIP program to get unlimited access to all of the game’s content for one low price.

Lord of the Rings Online is not the first game that Turbine has begun to operate free to play, with Dungeons & Dragons Online making a similar shift from subscription-based to free to play in September of last year. By all accounts, DDO has become more popular since the change, so this may be the beginning of a new golden age for LOTRO, provided the LOTRO Store isn’t too exorbitant. I don’t know about you, but I’m excited about the chance to return to Middle-earth without a subscription to weigh me down!

Today the battle for Mirkwood begins as the latest expansion for Lord of the Rings Online is launched, Siege of Mirkwood.  The new expansions allows players for the first to dwell into the treacherous forest of Mirkwood as they take part in the epic conclusion to Volume II of the LoTRO.  To coincide with the launch, Turbine has release a new Siege of Mirkwood trailer which you can view below.

NEW FEATURES:

• The Epic Conclusion to Volume II: Mines of Moria™ – Under the command of Celeborn and Galadriel, players will fight through vast armies of Orcs alongside the Elves of Lórien in a battle that will take them to Dol Guldur, the fortress of the Ringwraiths.  This update includes Book 9 and the Epilogue to the sweeping epic tale begun with the award-winning Mines of Moria expansion.
• Increased Level Cap — Players will be able advance their characters up to level 65, gaining access to new traits, virtues, skills and class quests.
• Join Epic Battles on Demand! – Jump into the heat of battle with the new Skirmishes feature.  Skirmishes offer endless action in repeatable, randomized instances where players can create and lead customizable soldiers into battle, training them to greater skill as they earn victories against the forces of shadow.  Answer the call of war wherever violence erupts with the new “Skirmish Join” function that lets players and their fellowships band together to fight in various locations throughout Middle-earth.
• Take up Arms! – Infiltrate the dark jails, deadly arenas and savage stables of Dol Guldur, the fortress of the Ringwraiths, and strike a blow against Sauron’s forces in new 3 and 6-player instances.  Call upon your fellows to adventure into the most deadly 12-player raid yet and face the ultimate challenge – the Nazgûl Lord!
• Major Gameplay Enhancements – Turbine continues to improve the award-winning experience of LOTRO with major improvements to the combat and Legendary Items systems.  Players will experience improved responsiveness when in the heat of battle.  Players will also be able to create and craft their own customized Second and Third Age Legendary Items from raw materials and grow their weapons’ power to level 60.  Achieve new Legacies, new titles, and a fourth Runic slot that will make Legendary Items even more unique and powerful.

Today Turbine announced the release date for Siege of Mirkwood, the second expansion for Lord of the Rings Online which is set for release on Dec 1st, 2009 for $19.99.    Along with the release date they also announced the following pre-launch offers that are posted below as well as a set of brand new screenshots to wet your appetite.

· The LOTRO Lifetime Membership is now available for $199.

· Any current or former player who renews or upgrades their subscription to any multi-month plan by October 31^st gets the Siege of Mirkwood digital expansion for FREE!

· All players can pre-order the new LOTRO Adventurer’s Pack which contains 2 character slots and one shared storage slot that allows players to share items with all of their characters on the same server for $19.99 and get the Harbinger’s Cloak which provides 8% speed boost and the Dusky Nimblefoot Goat mount for FREE!

· Starting today, existing Lifetime Members who pre-order the LOTRO Adventurer’s Pack get the Siege of Mirkwood digital expansion plus two in-game items (Harbinger’s Cloak which provides an 8% speed boost and a new mount) for FREE!

Today Turbine announced Siege of Mirkwood,  the second expansion for Lord of the Rings Online.  Looks like Turbine is following  the footsteps of Warhammer with there new “Skirmishes” feature, which sound like it’ll be PvP battlegrounds that you can join from a queue.

Siege of Mirkwood will expand the online world of Middle-earth where players will join forces to press further eastward into the dark, foreboding and treacherous forest of Mirkwood and take part in the epic conclusion to Volume II of The Lord of the Rings Online

NEW FEATURES:

• The Epic Conclusion to Volume II: Mines of Moria™ – Under the command of Celeborn and Galadriel, players will fight through vast armies of Orcs alongside the Elves of Lórien in a battle that will take them to Dol Guldur, the fortress of the Ringwraiths.  This update includes Book 9 and the Epilogue to the sweeping epic tale begun with the award-winning Mines of Moria expansion.

• Increased Level Cap — Players will be able advance their characters up to level 65, gaining access to new traits, virtues, skills and class quests.

• Answer the Call of War! – Jump into the heat of battle with the new Skirmishes feature.  Skirmishes offer endless action in repeatable, randomized instances where players can create and lead customizable soldiers into battle, training them to greater skill as they earn victories against the forces of shadow.  Answer the call of war wherever violence erupts with the new “World Join” function that lets players and their fellowships band together to fight in various locations throughout Middle-earth.

• Take up Arms! – Infiltrate the dark jails, deadly arenas and savage stables of Dol Guldur, the fortress of the Ringwraiths, and strike a blow against Sauron’s forces in new 3 and 6-player instances.  Call upon your fellows to adventure into the most deadly 12-player raid yet and face the ultimate challenge – the Nazgûl Lord!

• Major Gameplay Enhancements – Turbine continues to improve the award-winning experience of LOTRO with major improvements to the combat and Legendary Items systems.  Players will experience improved responsiveness when in the heat of battle.  Players will also be able to create and craft their own customized Second and Third Age Legendary Items from raw materials and grow their weapons’ power to level 60.  Achieve new Legacies, new titles, and a fourth Runic slot that will make Legendary Items even more unique and powerful.