The Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO) has gotten a lot of new content since launch, but none of the free updates compared to the games first expansion MoM (Mines of Moria). This vast expansion opened up a ton of new content, dungeons, and even added two new classes to the game. MoM also introduced the second volume of the epic book quest line with the first six chapters available for players to continue the games storyline. But since MoM’s release, Turbine has added two additional Volume 2 books as free content with Book 7: The Leaves of Lorien and Book 8: Scourge of Khazad-Dûm.

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style="font-style: italic;">The Balrog of Moria met with a tragic end at the hands of Gandalf.

Mines of Moria

The Mines of Moria was the first, and currently only, expansion for LOTRO. Turbine took their time in crafting this vast expansion and introduced a host of new content with its launch, including a very unpleasant encounter with that big nasty balrog that Gandalf had it out with through a “Session Play” encounter. Travel far enough into the mine and you can see how that fight turned out, just make sure you bring a spatula to help with the balrog recovery effort.

MoM is without a doubt the biggest area Turbine has added to the game yet. Not only is it huge in its content size, but when you enter Moria you really feel like it’s the home of Durin’s folk. The artwork is well detailed, providing an immersive atmosphere for fans of Tolkien lore to enjoy, and the height of the area is massive, adding to the grand scale of the mines. However, if you don’t watch your step, you’ll be taking a swift trip into one of Moria’s vast chasms, complete with nifty little message about discovering how deep Moria is. It gives you something to read while you curse yourself on the way down.

New Classes

MoM brought many changes to the existing classes of LOTRO by adding new traits, skills, and a level increase, raising the cap to 60, but two new classes were also introduced.

• Rune-keeper: Rune-keepers are a sort of mix hybrid healer and offensive caster. As such they can provide groups with the benefit of either.
  
• Warden: The Warden is a master of spear and javelin weaponry. As they fight, this class can build up gambits that can help a fellowship and put an enemy in a hurt lock. This class is good for those preferring a more strategic melee fighter.

 

Instance Dungeons and Raids

Along with the Volume 2 epic book series, Moria introduced seven new full group instances and two small group instances as well as two new twelve man raids: the Watcher in the Water and Strange Happenings (this raid was reintroduced with Book 7). Moria also opened up the use of radiance gear that adds to your characters hope. This is actually needed for some of the raid content. Trying to march towards the Watcher without the needed radiance gear can earn you a quick death at the hands of dread.

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style="font-style: italic;">Moria provides a lot of new areas for players to explore.

Legendary Items

Another great aspect that came with MoM was the Legendary Items. These items consisted of weapons and a belt that could be leveled up. Each item needs to be identified and comes with random stats that can boost certain skills for whatever class it is intended for. Every ten levels the item gains, you can re-forge it and select to enhance its skill boosting abilities. You’re able to socket six of these to your character at any time to gain experience for them, and as they gain in power you have the option of keeping them for use or having them broken down to gain yourself some relics.

Relics are used to socket legendary items to give them a benefit of some sort. The higher the level of your item, the better the chance you’ll get something good when you break it down, so keep leveling up those junk items you never plan to use. You can also try your luck at combining relics to try and get a higher level one with better stats. However, this doesn’t always work to your favor and sometimes combining several will only get you one of the same level and possibly weaker, but you could always come out on top with a critical combine, netting yourself several higher level relics, so it’s a gamble.

There are three types of rarity for legendary items:

• Third Age: The most common and easily found items. These are found quite regularly.
• Second Age: These are a bit rarer and have much better stats than Third Age items.
• First Age: These are the hardest to find and provide the best stats.

While Legendary Items were a great addition to the game, they didn’t come without their problems. The weaponsmith crafters that I knew on my server were pretty upset about the fact that legendary weapons were so popular, so popular in fact, that crafted weapons weren’t very sought after once you broke level 50 and could begin leveling up legendary items. Luckily, at later levels, weaponsmith crafters can create legendary weapons of their own and the need for off-hand weapons is still in demand, so this helps out a bit.

Volume 2: Book 7: Leaves of Lorien

With the introduction of Book 7, Lothlorien was expanded, opening up areas further east of Nimrodel and west of the Anduin. Caras Galadhon, the main city within Lothlorien and home to Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn was added, but getting there is a bit tricky. If your reputation with the Galadhrim isn’t high enough, you aren’t getting in. Trying results in you becoming a one man dart board as the hidden elves unload on you like an army of Legolases.

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style="font-style: italic;">Lothlorien lies just beyond the eastern gate of Moria.

This update also added solo instances in Moria that are referred to as “crafting instances”, even though there is actually no crafting involved in them. These instances are part of gaining reputation with Moria’s two main factions, but they also provide you with the chance to gain crafting resources or “Lorien Leaves” as part of your reward options. These instances are repeatable daily.

Book 7 also brought a revamp to the newbie experience. Now you can avoid having to play through those same old tutorials over and over and over again each time you create a new character. As long as you have completed it on a previous character, you can skip this process either in part or in full. Quests were revamped to help make new players enjoy the game a bit more and not have to spend all their time wearing out their boot leather running back and forth between NPCs to complete Fed Ex quests.

Don’t worry, the newbie experience wasn’t the only change, the level curve was adjusted to make leveling from 1-60 a bit faster. To help make your life a little easier, Turbine also added a self resurrection option that will allow you to revive at your point of death. However, this little skill has a one hour cooldown, so use it when it counts.

Volume 2: Book 8: Scourge of Khazad-Dûm

Book 8 brought a new 12 man raid to LOTRO called Dâr Narbugud. This new raid offers six challenges for players to overcome for new high-end rewards. Three other group instances were also added with Nâla-dûm, Lumul-nar being designed for three member groups and the Halls of Crafting designed as a new 6 member dungeon. Each dungeon offers the chance for groups to take on a number of challenges, bosses, and earn some of that ever so popular phat lewt!

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style="font-style: italic;">You'll face Mazog in Book 8 as part of the epic storyline.

Book 8 also introduced a new chapter to the epic storyline and some new and long awaited features to the game, and by long awaited I mean swift travel between Tinnudir and Eavespires in Evendim. If you haven’t had the pleasure of swimming Lake Evendim a half dozen times or more times you truly can’t appreciate what a blessing this is. There was nothing worse than having to take that 15 minute swim across the lake only to realize your quest sent you right back…and then back again with a stop midway across. It was maddening.

Aside from a ton of bug fixes and game adjustments, the crafting system got a big revamp. The level requirements on many items were changed and the optional ingredient for crafting items got reworked and now there are new optional items available. Guild crafting recipes have been added to help add to the variety of items you can make.

Moria is a great expansion and added a lot to LOTRO and Book 7 and 8 built onto the epic storyline and provided several new raids and instances of their own. With all three updates the crafting system gained an extra tier and got a major revamp while the games landmass was increased by a huge amount. Now much of the LOTRO community is enjoying the new content and anxiously awaiting the next major announcement, the news of an expansion that will bring us Helms Deep.