The Lord of the Rings Online Update 17 Released

Turbine remains devoted to the development of The Lord of the Rings Online, as indicated by the release of Update 17: The Siege of Minas Tirith, which gives us a chance to explore the White City and go toe-to-toe with the Witch King and his army. There’s a lot more to take in than Minas Tirith, though, so I’ll quote from the official patch notes:

New Region: Old Anórien
Explore the besieged city of Minas Tirith, ancient seat of the Kingdom of Gondor. Outside the fortress city, the Enemy has broken through the walls of Pelennor Field, and their forces now assemble and prepare for the assault to come. North of those broken walls, in the countryside of Talath Anor, yet more hosts of the Enemy bear down upon Gondor. It is from here that Gondor hopes and watches for the coming of the Rohirrim. And while they wait, a young lord of Caer Andros finds himself beset by fierce bearded Easterlings, known as the Suhalar.

Two New Epic Battles
Experience Sauron’s first assault on Minas Tirith through two new Epic Battles. In The Defence of Minas Tirith (solo/duo and three player), the foes make their first foray, marshalling great siege towers and the elements of fear and dread against Minas Tirith’s seemingly impenetrable walls. Then, in The Hammer of the Underworld (solo/duo and six player), fight to hold the city gates against the great siege ram Grond and the Witch-king of Angmar himself!

These Epic Battles feature thirteen exciting secondaries, including Epic Foes, with (soft) failure conditions that end only when the wave ends. Victory boxes for these battles contain roughly 50% more Supreme essences than prior Epic Battles and, for the main quests, grant three times as many Stars of Merit. With this update, Epic Battle Promotions have been raised from 236 to 256.

Epic Volume IV, Book 4: Siege of the White City
The city of Osgiliath has fallen to the enemy, and now you must flee with its defenders across the plain to Minas Tirith. Prepare for the coming siege with Gandalf the White, Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth, and Denethor, the Steward of Gondor, as the armies of Sauron move to destroy Gondor. This thirteen-chapter Epic Book is a new on-ramp to the story, so you can play through it without having played the previous Books. but it is recommended that you play the adventure to this point for maximum context.