Next LOTRO update coming in June

By Oli Welsh Published 27 May, 2009

Small-party content, crafting revamp.

Turbine has revealed in a Twitter post that it will release the next update for The Lord of the Rings Online in June. The update's full title is Volume II, Book 8: The Scourge of Khazad-Dûm.

Going by the test server patch notes, the highlights will be a new chunk of epic storyline with an emphasis on content for small parties of players, a revamp of the crafting system, and the Summer Festival.

"The plans of Gorothúl, sorcerer of Dol Guldur, begin to be made clear as ancient evils stir again in the depths of Khazad-dûm. Small fellowships must form to combat this emerging threat before the hopes of the Iron Garrison and the Elves of Lothlórien are ended by the darkness," say the notes.

For the latest on LOTRO, check out the Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria gamepage.

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About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (13) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • iokthemonkey #1 3 years ago

    Lovely.

    There are also some updates to some minor things that will be very welcome - like stacks of objects being inreased in size, which is good.

  • Krusty #2 3 years ago

    Umm, EG you forgot the biggest changes:

    - A new 12-man raid like the Rift :)
    - Barter tokens for 1st age legendary items (LIs) instead of the class/type lottery we have now.
    - Increased chance of 2nd age LI's from Lothlorien gift boxes
    - Burglar buffs :)

    Much needed changes and content!
    Can't wait...

  • HMAN #3 3 years ago

    Going off the feedback on the Bullroarer server forums it sounds like Dar Narbugud is pretty interesting. Has a high radiance requirement though so if you don't have the Watcher on farm you'll have to do the new 3 mans to get a couple of the 15 rad pieces first.
    Epic fail with the Champ nerfs. Way to rip out the heart of the class

  • iokthemonkey #4 3 years ago

    I assume they're trying to get people to play with their stances and have more people use Ardour by making Fervour less attractive.

    Champion skills that restore Morale aren't affected, though, so soloing will remain the same. It's only in groups that it becomes an issue and if you have a decent tank, it shouldn't be that big a problem. Maybe.

  • Bleh #5 3 years ago

    Can't wait, the patch note already looks promising.

  • HMAN #6 3 years ago

    @iok. Ardour is and will always remain off my hotbars until they actual make it worthwhile (no Turbine getting the 5 legacies for it to max rank shouldn't be required to make it remotely useful)
    All Champs self heals are indeed exempt from the healing reduction but as Graalx (class dev) actually said it would be too much work (read cant be bothered) to make it so health pots and food isnt effected.
    No tank in the world can keep aggro on the amount of targets a Champ can AoE. So basically we are left with stop AoEing or die. Hence the ripped the heart out of the class.
    And another fail on the Champs part is the fact they clearly don't want us having aggro in Fervour but 2 of our legendaries (Ferocious Strikes/Raging Blade) both have massive threat components. Its like they havent thought it through at all

  • iokthemonkey #7 3 years ago

    Yeah, that's very true about the AE attacks. Personally I don't use them that often in groups precisely to avoid pulling aggro from the tank or I'll try and use them sparingly. But yeah, that is a valid point.

    I think the Champion is a class Turbine don't seem to agree on. We have heavy armour but don't absorb damage well. We have AE attacks but they seem too powerful so they add all kinds of penalties. I wonder if it's a class the live team "inherited" from the original design and don't know what to do with, you know?

  • Entity #8 3 years ago

    Forgot to cancel my subscription only to recieve a mail from Paypal :(
    Suppose I should play it for longer than half an hour over a whole month.

  • hiddenranbir #9 3 years ago

    The only annoying thing is the difficulty of finding enough for the Radiance gear runs.

    I know someone that uses time cards, seems nicer than monthly sub.

    I life subbed, though. Woo!

    I think the champ changes are good. Now you can't tank AND be super DPS, which was taking away our Guardian thunder. :(

    Edited by 2 at 27/05/09 @ 11:55

  • Spekingur #10 3 years ago

    I remember when Turbine said that they wouldn't make raiding the focus of the game. Well, that didn't hold up for very long.

  • r4z0rbl4d3 #11 3 years ago

    Life sub here as well. The effort Turbine puts into the game made this the deal of the century! I love the game and love the constant, free updates!

  • HMAN #12 3 years ago

    @Spekingur - Yeah I agree one proper raid in 18 months is outrageous. WTF IS THIS SHIT

  • W0ssname #13 3 years ago

    I do a lot of crafting, so i'll be interested to see exactly how the updated crafting system works. At the moment it takes a bit of investigation to work out which professions benefit from what dropped items. Bigger item stacks is a great idea too.

    Let's just hope we don't have to wait until July to get it in Europe!