User:Ravanel/Sandbox8

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The Lord of the Rings Online:
Rise of Isengard
Official logo for Rise of Isengard
Rise of Isengard
Released September 27, 2011 (release notes)
Nickname RoI
Level cap 75
Region added Dunland, Gap of Rohan, Nan Curunír
Production
First announced June 7, 2011
Pre-order period June 7 to September 27, 2011
Soundtrack Unreleased
Developer Turbine, Inc.
Expansion Chronology
The Lord of the Rings Online: Siege of Mirkwood The Lord of the Rings Online: Rise of Isengard The Lord of the Rings Online: Riders of Rohan


Lord of the Rings Online's third expansion was released on September 27, 2011. Named "Rise of Isengard", this expansion introduced the player to the rising power of the wizard Saruman. The expansion was originally sold as a web based download.

This page aims to give an overview of the release history and the main features of the expansion. A full overview of all game changes can be read in Rise of Isengard's release notes.

Purchase Information

Currently, the expansion can be bought on the Standing Stone Games website[1] or in the in-game store. The website offers two options to acquire Rise of Isengard: you can buy the base edition for $19.99, or you can buy it as part of a "quad pack" that contains the first four expansions for $39.99. In the in-game store, the expansion costs 2495 LOTRO Point . The page LOTRO Store Isengard gives an overview of the expansion content purchased.

Content

Character progression

Following the traditional formule for MMO expansions, Riders of Rohan expanded character progression by adding levels. Ten levels were added, raising the level cap from 75 to 85. Players could also make their character more powerful by acquiring new gear with higher stats and leveling up their Legendary Items with 10 additional levels. Meanwhile, stat caps remained unchanged.

Furthermore, players could improve their crafting with the addition of tier 8 crafting, named "Eastemnet". They could also increase reputation with their Crafting Guild and four new reputation factions (see also under Eastemnet region).

Story & quests

Storywise, the epic story continued with Vol. III Book 7. The first quest of this book was called Chapter 1: The Land of the Elf-queen and started with Galadriel in Lothlórien. The epic quests took the player to various towns in East Rohan, helping out the inhabitants against the growing power of the enemy. Players could also do daily quests to rebuild the destroyed town of Hytbold. Restored parts of this town would be visible to the player, using an enhanced dynamic layer system. Finally, the traveling Riders Four - already familiar to some players from the expansion's trailer - provided players with a personal view into the hardships of the Rohirrim.

Eastemnet region

The vast plains of the Wold

With the Eastemnet region, or East Rohan, Riders of Rohan added the largest amount of landscape thusfar. The region exists of six zones, each with their own map, intended for players of level 75-85. Four of these zones have their own reputation faction.

Eastemnet region
Zone Faction Player level
The Wold Men of the Wold 75-77
The East Wall - 75-76
The Norcrofts Men of the Norcrofts 78-80
The Entwash Vale Men of the Entwash Vale 79-81
The Eaves of Fangorn - 82
The Sutcrofts Men of the Sutcrofts 83-85

Mounted combat

A completely new mechanic introduced with Riders of Rohan is that of mounted combat. Horses take in an important place in Rohirric culture. The Rohirrim bred horses that descended from the famed Mearas and fought from horseback. Since Riders of Rohan, players can also learn to ride a war-steed. This allows them to swiftly cross the vast plains of Rohan and take part in Mounted Combat. Particularly tough enemies rove the plains in warbands. Some warbands can only be taken down by multiple players; some are even designed to be defeated by raid groups. Most warbands move about quickly and can form a nasty surprise to the unsuspecting questing solo player. On the other hand, they can also be hard to track down when sought after. To deal with this type of fast paced combat, open world tapping and automatic quest bestowal were introduced.

Mechanics and customization

Mounted combat is designed around the principle: the faster you ride, the stronger your abilities; however, the lower your maneuverability. The system allows for a great deal of customization. First off, each player has access to a set of class specific war-steed skills. Additionally, the player can choose between three types of steeds: Light, Medium or Heavy. Light steeds can go faster, but have little defense, while heavy steeds do not go as fast but are quite tanky. Each war-steed type has their own skill tree with three branches, containing War-steed Traits. Additionally, war-steeds are equipped with Legendary Items, called Bridles. Some Bridle Legacies are generic, others are dependent on the war-steed type. Finally, the appearance of war-steeds can be modified, using a system similar to the character's outfitting system.

The Road to Erebor instance cluster

Riders of Rohan released without any group content. At release, all expansion editions included "a future instance cluster", but it was unknown what that would entail. At the end of the year, it was revealed that the cluster would revolve around Erebor, a part of Middle-earth that was at the time not accessible by players in the open world. Thematically, this may seem an odd choice, as the region is located far away from Rohan and the Fellowship of the Ring did not travel there. The developers undoubtedly aimed to sync the release of the cluster with the popular The Hobbit trilogy by Peter Jackson, of which the first movie was released in December 2012.

A player engaged in mounted combat

The Road to Erebor instance cluster was added in two parts. The 3-man instances arrived first, as part of Update 9: Against the Shadow on 17 December 2012. The 6-man instances and 12-man raid were released almost five months after launch, on 6 March 2013 with Update 10: Against the Shadow, Part II. The instance cluster can also be bought separately in the in-game Store, allowing for players who do not own the expansion to play them.

The Road to Erebor instance cluster
Instance Designed for Released
Iorbar's Peak 3 17 December 2012
Seat of the Great Goblin 3 17 December 2012
Webs of the Scuttledells 3 17 December 2012
The Bells of Dale 6 6 March 2013
Flight to the Lonely Mountain 12 6 March 2013
The Fires of Smaug 12 6 March 2013
The Battle for Erebor 12 6 March 2013

Production and sales

January 25, 2012, Turbine officially announced the development of Riders of Rohan on their website, and - more informally - on the LOTRO forums.[2] Chance Tomas was hired to develop the official video game score. 4 June 2012, the options to pre-purchase the expansion were announced. The website Rohan.lotro.com was launched, containing information about pre-ordering and offering sneak peaks into the expansion. The website also showed a cinematic trailer that introduced The Riders Four. The News section of the main LOTRO website was updated with a FAQ. From June 5 to September 5 of that year, players could pre-order the expansion.

At the time, three expansion versions were available: a base edition for $39.99, a heroic edition for $49.99 and a legendary edition for $69.99. In addition to the expansion, players who pre-ordered gained some extra perks. The following table shows the content and pricing of each edition.[3]

For Moria

Ithildín Coin The coins automatically appeared in the inventory of every character on the account of a player who pre-ordered the special editon of The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria.

Right-click on one of the coins to begin the quest Ithildín Coin.

The other bonuses given with this pre-order special were the items Cloak of the Sunset and Cloak of Durin's Crown, and the title Moria Expeditionary.

Two pre-order versions:

  • Complete Edition (base)
  • Collector's Edition


Expansion editions

Mines of Moria was originally sold in two versions: a base version called the Complete Edition, a Special Edition with some extra goodies and the most expensive one, the Collector's Edition. The original boxes can sometimes still be found online on retailer websites. Note, however, that the product keys of the EU version (recognizable by the Codemasters label) do no longer work due to changes in ownership of the game.[4]

Mines of Moria Complete Edition
Complete Edition Special Edition Collector's Edition
The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar
The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria
3 Ithildín Coins* 3 Ithildín Coins* 3 Ithildín Coins*
Mines of Moria poster Mines of Moria poster Mines of Moria poster
Middle-Earth map Middle-Earth map Middle-Earth map
Starter Guide Starter Guide Full color Collector's Edition Starter Guide
Mines of Moria soundtrack The Lord of the Rings Online Audio Library with the Mines of Moria soundtrack
Replica of the One Ring in a bag made of velvet Gold-plated replica of the One Ring complete with chain and pouch
Replica of an Elven Cloak Clasp 22" x 22" cloth map of the Mines of Moria
60 days of playtime Community badge for the LOTRO forums
Pre-order only
Product key
Mines of Moria soundtrack
Cloak of the Sunset & Cloak of Durin's Crown
Title "Moria Expeditionary"

* The coins automatically appeared in the inventory of every character on eligible accounts. Right-clicking them begins the quest Ithildín Coin with unique selectable rewards.

See also:

Expansion editions

Riders of Rohan expansion editions
Base Heroic Legendary
Pricing
$39.99 $49.99 $69.99
Included for everyone
Future instance cluster Future instance cluster Future instance cluster
1,000 LOTRO Point  1,000 LOTRO Point  2,000 LOTRO Point 
The Steed of the Eastemnet The Steed of the Eastemnet The Steed of the Eastemnet
Hauberk of the Eastemnet Armour of the Eastemnet
Friend of the Mark Friend of the Mark Friend of the Mark
Evendim, Moria, and
Lothlórien Quest Packs		 6th Inventory Bag
Crystal of Remembrance
Exclusive Rohan Content
Pre-order only
Rohan Elite Guard Statted Cloak Rohan Elite Guard Statted Cloak Rohan Elite Guard Statted Cloak
Rohirrim Soldier on Landscape Appearance Rohirrim Soldier on Landscape Appearance Rohirrim Soldier on Landscape Appearance
The Outrider’s Token The Outrider’s Token


August 22, 2012, the NDA was lifted for beta testers and players could discuss the upcoming changes on the forums.

Originally, the release date was set on September 5. However, the expansion was released on October 15, 2012, 40 days later than originally intended. As compensation for the delay, Turbine gave players who pre-ordered the expansion a Goodie Bag and 500 Turbine Points (nowadays known as LOTRO Points). They were informed about this by e-mail.

Reception

Riders of Rohan enjoyed a positive reception among written media. Metacritic gives the expansion an 88/100.[5] IGN rated Riders of Rohan 8.3/10, stating that the expansion was "Massive, beautiful, and graced with some of the best mounted combat ever seen in an MMORPG". They considered the release as "welcome news after the disappointments of Rise of Isengard", but were concerned with the accessibility for new gamers.[6] Ten Ton Hammer gave Riders of Rohan the Best Expansion of E3 award, praising in particular the amount and quality of new landscape content, the unique mounted combat system and Chance Tomas' "epic musical score". The website did, however, express concerns regarding the Hytbold gearing system: "On the negative side, this grind for gear is a rather dissatisfying substitute for new instances or skirmishes. It can seem like a time-sink of repetitive busy-work and may not feel particularly "epic" to some players."[7]

Players, too, were happy with the large new region to explore, the beauty of Rohan and the musical score. Criticism revolved around the pricing of the expansion, the lack of new endgame group content, laggy war-steeds and the gating of the sixth inventory bag behind the legendary edition.[8] Some of these concerns were later addressed: the Erebor instance cluster was added and war-steed riding was made to run much smoother.

Gallery

Concept art for Riders of Rohan was made by Wesley Burt and others.

  • First Riders of Rohan concept art showing a member of the Mearas. This image was released as promotional material when Rohan.lotro.com went live.

    First Riders of Rohan concept art showing a member of the Mearas. This image was released as promotional material when Rohan.lotro.com went live.

  • First Riders of Rohan concept art showing a war-steed in full armour. This image was released as promotional material when Rohan.lotro.com went live.

    First Riders of Rohan concept art showing a war-steed in full armour. This image was released as promotional material when Rohan.lotro.com went live.

  • First Riders of Rohan concept art showing Rohirric armour. This image was released as promotional material when Rohan.lotro.com went live.

    First Riders of Rohan concept art showing Rohirric armour. This image was released as promotional material when Rohan.lotro.com went live.

  • A loading screen showing the LOTRO logo, concept art of a white Mearas steed and advertisement text promoting the (back then) upcoming expansion.

    Riders of Rohan promotional loading screen. This screen was shown before release to promote the upcoming expansion.

  • A splash screen showing the LOTRO logo and concept art of a battle scene with the Rohirrim (plus a hobbit and an elf) to the left and orcs riding wargs on the right, riding into each other.

    Riders of Rohan splash screen. This screen was shown when booting up the game after the expansion went live.

  • Album art for the RoR soundtrack, showing the splash screen art with the RoR logo and the text "Official video game score. Composed by Chance Thomas".

    Riders of Rohan soundtrack album art

  • Concept art of a battle scene with the Rohirrim (plus a hobbit and an elf) to the left and orcs riding wargs on the right, riding into each other.

    Riders of Rohan concept art

  • Concept art showing a female Rohirrim on a prancing white, armoured Mearas steed.

    Riders of Rohan concept art

  • Concept art showing a warg rider and a male Rohirrim rider in mounted combat on the Rohirric plains. In the background a village is seen, as well as more warg riders charging in.

    Riders of Rohan concept art

Videos

Prior to release, a great deal of video material was released. These shorts contain interviews with people who worked on Riders of Rohan and provide insight in the creative process:

References

  1. ↑ "Standing Stone Games: The Lord of the Rings Online Market: Expansion Packs" Standing Stone Games, consulted on 26 February 2020.
  2. ↑ "LOTRO Forums: Forth Eorlingas!" LOTRO.com, January 25, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Riders of Rohan pre-purchase page" LOTRO.com, archived from the original on June 7, 2012. Consulted on February 12, 2020.
  4. ↑ LOTRO Forums: Question regarding 'Mines of Moria: Complete Edition' and its contents LOTRO Forums on March 30, 2019.
  5. ↑ "The Lord of the Rings Online: Riders of Rohan" Metacritic, consulted on 26 January 2020.
  6. ↑ "Lord of the Rings Online: Riders of Rohan Review. Risky business in the Riddermark," IGN, 27 October 2012.
  7. ↑ "The Lord of the Rings Online: Riders of Rohan Review" Ten Ton Hammer, 14 October 2012.
  8. ↑ "Ten years of LOTRO: a history of virtual Middle-earth" Ravalation, 8 May 2017.


Expansions

Major Expansions: Shadows of Angmar (2007) • Mines of Moria (2008) • Siege of Mirkwood (2009) • Rise of Isengard (2011) • Riders of Rohan (2012) • Helm's Deep (2013) • Mordor (2017) • Minas Morgul (2019) • Fate of Gundabad (2021) • Corsairs of Umbar (2023)


Minor Expansions: War of Three Peaks (2020) • Before the Shadow (2022)

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