The Lord of the Rings Online: Siege of Mirkwood Preview and Q&A

Today we have two articles of interest for those of you anticipating the release of Turbine’s The Lord of the Rings Online: Siege of Mirkwood expansion pack.

First up is a Q&A with executive producer Jeffrey Steefel on VideoGamer.com:

VideoGamer.com: Skirmishes will provide the opportunity to revisit some areas but they will be different. Can you give me an example?

JS: The Shire is almost reminiscent of the Scourge of the Shire. Bree, you go into the town of Bree and are met by a soldier in front of the Prancing Pony, who is saying, look the whole town is under siege. Women and children have locked themselves in the Prancing Pony and people are coming to try and burn it down and you need to help us stop them. It’s dark and snowy in Bree, which it never is any other time of year there. You end up on Weathertop. You end up in other parts of the world you’ve been before. And also some places in Mirkwood.

And then we have a post-NDA preview on Ten Ton Hammer:

As an on-again, off-again player of the game, I have been impressed by just about every aspect of this expansion but the selling point really is the skirmish system. For those that remember the Lost Dungeons of Norrath in EverQuest, this has a very similar feel to it but has the benefit of time and is infinitely more accessible. One very specific aspect of the skirmishes that are a boon to all players – the solo minded player even more so – is the ability to call forth an NPC companion to help you on your way to victory. These summonable helpers are much more than token pets; they pack some firepower and can actually help turn the tide in a tough scrape. The companion mechanic is a good one and a great way to assist the soloist. It is an idea that will no doubt continue to gain traction in MMOGs and be even more widely used than it is now by games of the genre.