Standing Stone Games has announced the next expansion for Lord of the Rings Online. The announcement was made during “Devcom,” a precursor to Gamescom that kicks off later today. During the panel entitled “The Joys & Challenges of Bringing Middle-earth to Life in a Persistent World,” the team announced Before the Shadow, the next adventure for MMORPG players.
Before the Shadow focuses on the game’s earliest levels and provides an all-new storyline and quests for levels 1-32. Events of the mini-expansion introduce players to two new regions, Swanfleet and Cardolan. Events center on Boromir as he journeys to Rivendell ahead of the meeting that will cement the Fellowship of the Ring. Players will also experience the Nazgul search for “Baggins” in the Shire and uncover the frightening threat rising out of Mordor and from Saruman.
While the bulk of the expansion is for lower-level characters, some content is coming for higher-level players including a new six-player instance, a new Skirmish, and a Delving difficulty system that offers new rewards and challenges.
Pre-purchase of Before the Shadow is expected to begin in September and the team has plans to reveal more details about the expansion after that time.
Check out the Lord of the Rings Online official site to learn more.
