Update 14 of Lord Of The Rings Online just went beta. With this update, LOTRO players will head to Western Gondor, and here are the maps to the new areas (NB! Possible spoilers!)
First off, two disclaimers:
1) If you want a pristine game experience with no ruined surprises about the new regions, you should probably stop reading now, if not before!
2) The in-game maps below are from the beta of Update 14, currently live on the Bullroarer test server. As such, changes may occur before the update goes live in a few weeks (no release date has been set yet). Although I’d be surprised if the maps aren’t the same come official release.
You can see larger versions of all the maps by clicking on them.
Western Gondor
It is always grand to have new lands to explore in an MMO. With update 14, LOTRO players can finally visit Gondor, the great southern kingdom of men in Middle Earth. The update will bring the western parts of Gondor, and it looks like we’ll be sticking somewhat close to the first part of Aragorn’s journey from Rohan towards Pelargir. Minas Tirith is a way off still.
Update 14 has maps to the following new areas (in addition to the overview map of the region, see above):
- Paths of the Dead
- Blackroot Vale
- Lamedon
- Havens of Belfalas, which is home to Dol Amroth
If you’d like to see where these areas are in Middle Earth, this map from Encyclopedia of Arda should help yer find yer bearings.
Map of Gondor, from Encyclopedia of Arda
Here are the individual maps.
Paths of the Dead
The Paths of the Dead is a haunted pass through the White Mountains south of Rohan.
Blackroot Vale
The Blackroot (or Morthond) river runs south from the White Mountains
Lamedon
Lamedon is a series of valleys south of the White Mountains.
Havens of Belfalas
Belfalas is a coastal region in Gondor and home to the city of Dol Amroth.
Dol Amroth
Dol Amroth is a princedom which is part of Gondor. The standard of the city of Dol Amroth was a silver swan.