June 7th, 2012
Published by: VR-Zone
War-steeds are inspired not only by the Horse-lords of Rohan, but by the Mearas, noble horses of extraordinary strength and intelligence, like Shadowfax, the steed Gandalf rode into battle. The customisation options for these horses will extend beyond skills, with a variety of appearances to choose from, including additional ones from the LOTRO Store.
Turbine has opened pre-orders for the game immediately, with three versions to choose from: the Base Edition, retailing for $39.99, the Heroic Edition, retailing for $49.99, and the Legendary Edition, retailing for $69.99.
Players will also get new skills for their characters and the gameplay won't all be on horesback. New armour and gear will also be available and we can likely expect additional crafting options, if not a new tier altogether. There is no word on instances and raids, but it would be hard to imagine an expansion without them. That said, Rise of Isengard launched last year with its cluster of instances delayed by several months, so it is not entirely outside the realms of possibility.
All three versions include the Steed of Eastemnet, an exclusive Rohan horse, and the Friend of the Mark exclusive in-game title. The Heroic Edition adds the Hauberk of the Mark cosmetic piece and the Evendim, Moria and Lothlorien quest packs, which is a good deal for Premium players who are missing that content. The Legendary Edition is where it's at, however, with the long-awaited sixth inventory bag (available to purchase separately from the Store for those who buy one of the other versions), Crystal of Remembrance that adds an additional legacy to a Legendary Item, and exclusive Rohan content that will grant a unique skill for War-steeds.
An expansion would not be anything without new regions to play in and Rohan is promising to be the largest region to date, nearly twice as big as Moria, the iconic and expansive location that players still sing praises about to this day. Hundreds of new quests and dozens of new deeds will be available here. And this is only Eastern Rohan. Western Rohan will be added in future updates. It would not be a Tolkien game without some good story either, so we can expect the coninuation of the Epic Story. Players will witness the breaking of the Fellowship at Amon Hen, will forge alliances with the Ents of Fangorn, and will aid Éomer, adopted son of King ThÊoden, as he tries to protect Rohan from the forces of Sauron.
Those who pre-order any version will get immediate bonuses, including a statted Rohan Elite Guard cloak, and a Rohan Soldier appearance for Soldiers on Landscape, the recently added feature that expands Skirmish Soldiers to the wider world. The Heroic and Legendary Editions also provide the Outrider's Token, which grants +25% XP for all characters up to level 75, helping get players more quickly into the action throughout Rohan.
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