Lord of the Rings Onlineis an MMORPG set in Tolkien’s iconic high fantasy world of Middle-earth. The game primarily inhabits the same time period as Tolkein’sLord of the Ringstrilogy, including the aftermath of the downfall of Sauron. With Middle-earth being the epitome of a richly detailed high fantasy world,Lord of the Rings Onlineis a fantastic way for fans to immerse themselves within it.
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Launched back in 2007,Lord of the Rings Onlinehas seen many updates to its core content over the years. With eight main expansions and two additional mini-expansions, there’s plenty of content available to keep players entertained. But out of all these expansions, some are better received by players than others.
8Helm’s Deep
Released in 2013,Helm’s Deepwas the fifth main expansion forLord of the Rings Online. It introduced several new elements to the game, including new areas of Western Rohan to explore. But out of all of the expansions, Helm’s Deep is one that many fans agree to be the worst.
The introduction of Epic Battles complicated integral parts of the game and required players to purchaseHelm’s Deepto continue the main storyline. Prior to this, the Epic Story had been free.Helm’s Deepalso featured a complete overhaul ofthe class system. The new system had less customizability and ruined some classes entirely due to the split of class skills into different trees.
The questing inHelm’s Deepis also often criticized for being incredibly slow to progress. The expansion’s quests are much more linear and don’t allow players to jump in at different points or skip things and return later.
7Mordor
Released in 2017,Mordorwas the sixth main expansion forLord of the Rings Online.With its setting in the infamous hold of the enemy Sauron, the expansion had much anticipation to live up to.Mordorwas also released four years after its predecessor, adding to the pressure it was under.
As a result, many fans were disappointed with the expansion once it was released.The questing systemwithinMordorwas difficult and slow and lacked engaging elements to keep it interesting and fun. Despite being released afterRiders of Rohan,it did not make use of the new mounted combat system.
The landscape withinMordorwas also a drawback for several fans. Those that enjoy volcano zone levels might disagree, but the world withinMordorwas quite oppressive and, admittedly, a little ugly.
6Riders Of Rohan
Released in 2012,Riders of Rohanwas the fourth main expansion forLord of the Rings Online.Like other expansions, it introduced a range of new features and game mechanics. In April of 2022, the expansion was removed from the store due to an impending game update that made its content free.
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Before this, however,Riders of Rohanhad complicated reviews from fans. The game introduced the mounted combat mechanic, in which players could fight on horseback. It may have been revolutionary forMMOs at the time, but the feature lacked longevity and many fans felt that the novelty wore off quickly.
What earnedRiders of Rohana place aboveHelm’s DeepandMordorwas the story within the side quests and the new landscape that it introduced. Six zones within East Rohan were introduced, bringing an openness and scale that players had not experienced before.
5Siege Of Mirkwood
Released in 2009,Siege of Mirkwoodwas the second main expansion forLord of the Rings Online.As another of the expansions that would later have its content made free in an update,Siege of Mirkwoodis no longer available to buy. However, before this, it was considered a decent enough expansion on its own.
Due to having little in the way of content on offer,Seige of Mirkwood’smain selling point was its introduction of the skirmish system. This gave some much-needed fun and replayability to a relatively small expansion.
The Mirkwood landscape was also quite immersive, presenting the spooky forest atmosphere quite well. Though it only introduced one zone, it packed in a lot of variety, scenery, andstory to keep players entertained.
4Minas Morgul
Released in 2019,Minas Morgulwas the seventh main expansion forLord of the Rings Online.It was a relatively popular release due to its exploration of classicLord of the Ringslocations and characters. It alsointroduced a new raceinto the game, Stout-axe Dwarves.
The questing withinMinas Morgulwas generally well-received by fans. The expansion introduced a Shelob raid, several new Instances, and over 250 new quests to complete. That scaling of group sizes for Instances was also well-received and the progression systems also received an update.
Many fans felt thatMinas Morgultook whatMordorwas aiming to do and improved the experience greatly. The expansion featured an engaging journey through the city of the dead and even gave players a glimpse of what Mordor looked like in its heyday.
3Fate Of Gundabad
Released in 2021,Fate of Gundabadwas the eighth main expansion forLord of the Rings Online– not counting the mini-expansion before it. Fate of Gundabadwas similar to the fan-favorite expansionMines of Moria, but with a few key differences.
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The setting ofFate of Gundabadwas its main boon, as it was different enough from Moria to make it feel more unique. It wasn’t as dark as its counterpart, and the zones within it were uniquely styled and varied. The expansion took players to vast vertical caverns, crystalline caves, and even a snow-covered mountainside.
There were a few drawbacks to the title that earn it a slightly lower placing. Firstly, players needed to grind to unlock the story which was tedious for those who dislike the practice. The missions were fairly standard, if a little slow, but the new gear was disappointing for long-time players.
2Rise Of Isengard
Released in 2011,Rise of Isengardwas the third main expansion forLord of the Rings Online.Though it has since also been removed from the store in favor of an update re-releasing its content, it was still one of the most popular expansions to the game.
One of the features that setRise of Isengardto a high standard above other expansions was its introduction of a new NPC system. This system equipped NPCs with more unique items and brought some much-needed diversity andimmersion to the MMORPG.
Rise of Isengardalso introduced new cosmetics for players, changes to stat systems, new skills, and an enjoyable progression experience. It featured several memorable battle experiences, including a boss battle against Draigoch and a final battle with Saruman.
1Mines Of Moria
Released in 2008,Mines of Moriawas the first main expansion forLord of the Rings Online.To this day, it remains a fan-favorite expansion for players ofLord of the Rings Onlineand represents a nostalgic era of MMORPGs.
Mines of Moriatackled itsfamous Dwarven localewell, creating what was essentially one continuous dungeon zone. This made it one of the largest MMO underground realms at the time. Its construction required a completely new landscape design, making it an ambitious development within the genre.
Mines of Moriabrought with it three new regions, two new classes, and a whole range of new skills, traits, and virtues. It introduced the legendary item system which was considered revolutionary at the time.Mines of Moriarepresents the best thatLord of the Rings Onlineexpansions have had to offer and set a high bar for MMO expansions moving forward.
