There’s still a lot we don’t know about this expansion such as an exact release date, its name and how much it will cost, however we do have lots of more interesting things to tell you about. Apparently this will be the largest new zone which Turbine has ever been brought to the game and it will cover the east side of the map – to give you an idea of the size of the landscape we are told it will be twice the size of Moria.

When playing the expansion you will be able to visit the Amom Hen and the Eaves of Fangorn, you will also be able to take advantage of mounted combat, a raised level cap and a new war horse. The war horse is especially designed for combat, it will be able to trample down the enemy and there’s also mention of Helm’s deep, mounted Warbands and warg riders.

As you can see there’s a lot coming in the fall expansion, but that’s not all! Turbine’s executive producer, Kate Paiz, has revealed that quite a substantial update will also be coming to the game this spring. This update will bring a new region called Great River which is located just south of Lothlorien, you can find out more about new content arriving this Sprint here.

Do you like the sound of all the content which is set to arrive in 2012? What else would you like to see Turbine add to LOTRO? Let us know in the comments section below.

More About: lord of the rings, Lord of the Rings Online, TURBINE

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As Jonah Falcon over at strategyinformer.com recently noted, the special Collector’s Edition of the Lord of the Rings: War in the North game comes with a Ranger of the North Quiver Case, a War in the North art book with concept art of key characters, the beautiful environments of Middle Earth and various enemies, a copy of the game and the Inside Look: The Music of War in the North.

The Inside Look: The Music of War in the North includes interviews and footage of legendary composer Inon Zur at the E3 2011 Concert event and the Abbey Road Studios, as well as 3 tracks from the game’s soundtrack. The Collector’s Edition also comes with digital content including a War in the North Theme Pack for PS3 and a Ranger of the North Avatar for Xbox Live.

The War in the North Theme Pack comes with War in the North wallpaper, icons, fonts and more, while the Ranger of the North Avatar for Xbox Live includes the Ranger armor set, quiver, helmet and bow. Pre-orders of both the Standard and Collector’s Edition of the Lord of the Rings: War in the North game will include extra content, which as many of you will know does vary from retailer to retailer.

For example, pre-ordering the game at Best Buy will net you the Elf Theme Pack, which includes a mystical Elven sword, armor and helmet, and access to the Lothlorien Challenge Map. If on the other hand you pre-order it from Toys ‘R’ Us you will not only receive access to download parts 1 & 2 of the War in the North digital comic at launch, but also a limited edition, signed War in the North poster by Kim Lee.

Meanwhile, pre-ordering from Amazon.com will get you the Orc Champion Sword for use in-game, as well as early access to part 2 of the War in the North digital comic (which reveals the back story leading up to the game). Target on the other hand is offering their pre-order customers 3 exclusive tracks from the War in the North soundtrack, while Wal-Mart is offering the Dwarf Theme Pack.

Last but not least is GameStop, who is offering their pre-order customers the Human Theme Pack, which comes with an exclusive human sword, access to the Osgiliath Challenge Map and the armor and battle attire of the Human Ranger. Will you be pre-ordering the Lord of the Rings: War in the North game? If so, will you buy the Standard or Collector’s Edition?

More About: lord of the rings, Warner Bros. Interactive

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You can see a detailed preview of LOTRO in this article, which looks at the possibility of Lord of the Rings gaining momentum again, according to Turbine (the developer). In 2010 the third most played MMORPG was LOTRO, and like the success of free-to-play models on Facebook, this online game shows that free-to-play is the way to go for many developers. The release date for LOTRO: Rise of Isengard is Sep 27, 2011. Fans will also know that Lord of the Rings’ came to Blu-ray last week, and thanks to the large storage space on these discs, the version will be an extended directors cut with loads of extras. This is a must for anyone that has a PS3/Blu-ray player and loves the LOTR franchise.

So how far do the fans of LOTR take things? If you think you’ve seen it all then we’re about to surprise you. One fan has started a journey that will see him travel to Portland, Oregon from Bald Knob, Arkansas. The thing that’s special about this trip is he’s traveling in a box, which you can see a photo of the size below.

This is what he will take with him in his crate: one pair of tennis shoes, one pair of socks, one pair of pants and underwear, a white t-shirt, five feet of tubing, a pillow, 3 cooling fans, wet wipes, aspirin and vitamin D tablets, 4 gallons of water, 28 protein bars, and for waste there will be two custom air-sealed containment units. There is one extra thing and the main reason we wanted to feature this story, he will also have a computer with Lord of the Rings online installed and his aim is to play the game all the time he’s in the crate. You can see two videos in this article; one shows Jordan Long in the box he’s traveling in.

Do you think the right game was Lord of the Rings online?

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Haley was responsible for the animation department in the second and third installments to the fantasy series and says her inspiration for The Happy Apps came from her extensive work on the Lord of the Rings projects.

In the article at CNN.com she explains how the crew worked seven days a week for a year. She said that being seen as the ‘Mom’ of the office she noticed that people get weak and need encouragement in those straining times.

The Happy Apps which start Friday are available for $1.99 on the iPhone and iPad and use color and light therapy and a set of mood-enhancing tools. Haley says the app is most effective on the iPad. To find out more about the apps check out the link above where you will find a full article.

What do you think of The Happy App? Will you be using it to lighten your mood? Let us know how effective it was in the comments below.

More About: happy app, lord of the rings

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Not much will be lost under the free-model. But you will be limited to certain options, bag spaces, character slots, gold pieces and others bits and bobs.

If you choose the free-to-play model you can choose to purchase virtual items, expansions, races and become a ‘Premium’ member.

Other players who play the standard $15 fee will become VIP subscribers and will be eligible for a range of beneficiaries.

For those new players who wish to take a look at Lord of the Rings online, you can expect to play the game for free starting September 10, although you can expect the servers to be quite ‘full’ during those first few days.

The beta still seems to be available to play over on the LOTRO website.

Source: Geek

More About: lord of the rings

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