The Lord of the Rings Online: Book 12 Preview, Part Two

The folks at MMORPG.com have published the second portion of their The Lord of the Rings Online: Book 12 hands-on preview.

When I first entered the Lord of the Rings test server to take part in this guided preview, the first thing that the developers wanted to show me was The Delving of Frór, a new non-instanced dungeon that takes place right there in the middle of the Ettenmoors. For those who might not be familiar enough with the game to recognize that name, it’s the setting for Monster Play in Lord of the Rings Online.

Under three towers, players will find a dungeon space that allows them to leave the surface of the dangerous PvMP lands and head into adventure underground. The delving itself is artfully (and darkly) created and presents some pretty major challenges to players who travel into its depths. The dungeon itself was designed to be a large group instance, with two fellowships working together.

Even on its own, from what I could tell, the zone really does hold up as a dungeon on its own. Still though, there’s a catch that makes this particular area an interesting one beyond the possibility of entering another dungeon. The catch is that this is indeed a PvMP zone, and in order to access the Delving, your side must control three towers. Once this happens, the passage becomes available to you and you may descend. The fun still doesn’t stop there though. In a PvMP zone, there is always a risk that the enemies will gain control of any points that your side currently enjoys. If that happens while your fellowship is in the Delving, the opposing side gains access to the entrance and can follow you down.