The Lord of the Rings Online Preview

IGN PC has put together their own two-page preview of The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, after spending some time in the game’s ongoing beta test.

While fighting more difficult enemies, it’s inevitable that you’ll eventually die. Shadows of Angmar handles death by resetting a player to the nearest circle of stones if killed in the overworld of Eriador, or outside the gate of an instance if you were smashing at things within. Depending on where you were killed, you may amass what is known as Dread. As Dread ranks up, you’ll see the corners of your screen start to blur and burn (with virtual flames), your minimap becomes unusable as it morphs into the Eye of Sauron, and your overall health, or hope as it’s called in game, gets docked until the Dread eventually wears off. If you die in a hopeful area like the Shire, the Dread accumulation can be counterbalanced. Within the game particular objects and enemies, like the Nazgul, spark your Dread rating to rank up if you get too close.