The Lord of the Rings Online Community Q&A #5

Warcry has compiled a fifth list of community questions for The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar and sent them over to Turbine’s Jeff Anderson for answering.

Q: End game content usually revolves around raids. You’ve spoken of your desire in the past to satisfy multiple play styles in the end game. What is there to do at end game solo, or small group wise, when you don’t have the 8 hours to devote to a raid?

A: I have always found the notion of an ‘end-game’ in a MMORPG an oxymoron. The Lord of the Rings Online is an online world which is constantly evolving from players’ actions as well as new content updates. Consequently, we are planning to add new content, stories and adventures to the world in order to keep the game fresh.

Now, I know that I am biased, but I think most people in the industry would agree that Turbine adds more to its games post-launch than any other company out there. We’ve historically been very aggressive about adding new content whether that is with the Asheron’s Call franchise or D&D. In fact, the D&D team is proud to tell you that the game has grown over 50% in just one year! It’s amazing what they have done with that game through monthly updates. And, that traditional of content updates is something that we want to replicate in Lord of the Rings.

But new PvE content is only the start for us. You mentioned Raids and they are another good example. Players love them and we want to make sure that The Lord of the Rings Online delivers those same kind of epic confrontations. So what do you get out of raiding? Raiding is about having compelling, fun experiences and memorable moments. They allow us to create moments that you talk about with your friends for days after they happen – massive monsters, remarkable settings, and (of course!) amazing loot.