Mordor or Mordon’t? Your one-stop info shop to the new expansion. Updated July 19!
Standing Stone Games just released some details about the upcoming Mordor Expansion for Lord of the Rings Online. Here are the answers to (some of) your questions.
1 Release date
The Mordor expansion currently is scheduled for release Monday July 31. However, SSG has opened up for the possibility that a delay might occur: “In the event of delay, you will receive the Mordor expansion content and items no later than August 31, 2017”.
2 Different versions and pricing
The Mordor Expansion contains the following:
- 300+ Quests
- Over a hundred new Deeds
- New Allegiance System
- New instance cluster with raid (to be released some time after the release)
There are three different digital editions of the expansion, each with different additions to the above:
The Standard Edition: $39.99/£29.99/35.99€
- Aria of the Valar – a level boost to Mordor!
The Collector’s Edition: $79.99/£59.99/75.99€ (!)
- Aria of the Valar – a level boost to Mordor!
- High Elf Race
- Character Slot
- Exclusive Alliance Cosmetics
• Exclusive armor, cloak, & kite! - Exclusive Title “Walked Into Mordor”
- Exclusive Alliance Mount
The Ultimate Fan Bundle : $129.99/£99.99/114.99€ (!!)
- Aria of the Valar – a level boost to Mordor!
- High Elf Race
- Character Slot
- Exclusive Alliance Cosmetics
• Exclusive armor, cloak, & kite! - Exclusive Mordor Cosmetics
• Exclusive armor, cloak, & eagle kite! - Exclusive Alliance Mount
- Exclusive Mordor Mount
- Two Exclusive Titles
• “Walked Into Mordor”
• “The Ultimate” - Equippable XP Accelerator for all characters!
- Exclusive Housing Teleport for all characters!
- Three Relics for all characters
- Two Essence Reclamation Scrolls for all characters!
- Ten Extra Shared Storage Slots. This means an exclusive +10 storage for those with the Ultimate Fan Bundle, in addition to the general storage cap.
- A code for a month of VIP Access. Lifers can give this code to a friend.
EU listed prices should be inclusive of VAT. There was a bug in the store that could overcharge you with VAT. If this has happened to you, contact support for a refund.
You can buy the expansion, as well as see a side-by-side comparison between the different editions, on the Mordor purchase page.
If you buy a lower-tier edition, there are currently no plans for being able to upgrade your edition of the game. You’ll need to contact account support, but “no promises”.
3 Frequently asked questions
SSG has released a page with “Frequently Asked Questions” for Mordor. Do check back from time to time, since SSG has said they might update it with more information/clarification based on player questions.
Of special note from that page:
Can I purchase the expansion with Store Points?
“Mordor expansion will be available for Store Points after Update 22 this winter. Point prices will be:
Base Edition (includes Mordor Region & Instances only): 2495 Points
High Elf: 1000 Points”
So, one thing to note is that the Base Edition you can buy with points will not contain the Aria of the Valar level 105 boost. The Aria of the Valar will cost around 6000 points once released in the store.
If I don’t pre-purchase the expansion, can I still buy the expansion bonus items at a later time?
“At this time, the Standard Edition, Collector’s Edition, and Ultimate Fan Bundle will remain available after Mordor’s launch day.
While the expansions will still be available in the LOTRO Market, please note that you will be unable to purchase the additional exclusive items through the LOTRO Store for store points.”
How do I add the expansion to my existing LOTRO account?
After purchasing the expansion, a product key code will be sent to the email address you used when completing your purchase. Log into the game and redeem your code in the LOTRO Store. You can apply your product key at any time before, during, or after Mordor launch.
Special Note: For the Ultimate Fan Bundle, you will receive a second product key code for 30 days of VIP access. VIP access begins once you redeem the VIP product key in the LOTRO Store.
4 Other questions
Answers to some other questions (based on my own understanding, and to be updated):
What are the minimum requirements to play the expansion?
They are listed at the bottom of the purchase page.
Windows:
- Operating System: Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (64bit recommended for high resolution)
- Processor: Core 2 Duo / AMD Athlon II or better
- Memory: 2GB
- Graphics: GeForce 7XXX / ATI Radeon HD 3000 series with 512MB or more of dedicated video memory
- Internet Connection: Cable/DSL or equivalent
- DirectX: DirectX 9.0c
- Disk Space: 20GB to 26GB for high resolution* (Allow for additional +3GB for international builds)
Mac Beta:
- Operating System: Mac® OS: 10.7.5 or better
- Processor: 2.0GHz Intel Core i5
- Memory: 2GB
- Hard Disk Space: 25GB of available space
- Video Card: Intel HD Graphics 3000 or better
- Sound: Integrated Sound
- Broadband Internet connection
- Keyboard and mouse
Will Lifetime subscribers have to pay for the expansion?
Yes, this is not a “quest pack”, but an “expansion”. Everyone will have to pay for it if they are to play it, similar to expansions in the past.
Will there be a physical/boxed release of the expansion?
As far as I know, the expansion will be digital/download only.
Are there more details about the different bonuses/contents in the three editions?
More details have been added during Cord’s stream Thursday 13 July and on the forums. You can see a recording of the stream here. There is also a write-up of the info from that stream on the LOTRO forums.
- The purchase page has some pictures of what I assume are the cosmetic armours and one of the mounts.
- The Aria of the Valar is a level boost to 105, usable once/for one character. Mordor’s level cap is 115, so this boost should set up a new character for the expansion, if you’d want to jump straight into it. It is essentially similar to previous Valar level boosts, but to 105 this time.
Additionally, Cordovan has released this information:
- The Housing teleportation item is a decoration that takes anyone with visitation and decoration usage permissions in a house directly to Mordor.
- The XP bonus item is an earring of your choice (might, agility, will) with stats that increase along with your level. The item provides a +25% XP gain on monster kills, drafting, and quest completions through level 105. This boost stacks with the Gift of the Hammerhand and other pocket items like the Gift of the Hornbug.
- Mount cosmetics are to be account wide and also include warsteed cosmetics
- Pre-purchase cosmetics will not be in the store, only on bundles.
Additionally, there is now more information about the pre-purchase rewards (mounts, items, cosmetic armours++) in the Mordor FAQ and on the Bullroarer forums.
If you don’t buy the expansion, which of the new features will you be able to use/play?
The level cap increase and the Epic Story are free for all.
The new crafting tier will likely be gated behind the purchase of the expansion. Reason being is that the new Crafting relates to Allegiance crafting, which is a system in Mordor. This is to be confirmed, though.
Why wasn’t the High Elf class included in the Standard Edition of the expansion?
There has been a lot of discussion on this. A lot of the hype relating to the Mordor expansion has included the High Elf class, and most I have talked to have interpreted this as the class would be a part of the base expansion.
SSG obviously disagrees, since the class is not included in the Standard Edition. To be certain to play the High Elf at launch, you have to opt for one of the pricier high-tier editions (Collector’s or Ultimate Fan Bundle). Alternatively, you can wait until the class is eventually released in the LOTRO points store and pick it up for 1000 points.
This was briefly discussed during the Cord of the Rings stream on July 13. The reason given there was that the High Elf was ‘not part of the core experience’ of Mordor. It’s more like the Beorning, which was an added class outside of expansions. Additionally, the HE class was considered ‘something a lot of people are not interested in’, which is why it was not included in the base edition.
If that’s the case, one might wonder:
- Why the class has been subject to so much hype before the expansion.
- Why SSG has spent time and resources to develop ‘something a lot of people are not interested in’
Doesn’t really make any sense at all. Additionally, the purchase page literally lists the High Elf as part of the expansion, which makes the whole thing even sillier.
Is this an expensive expansion?
Feedback on the forums/social media has been mostly negative, with a backlash against the prices. The two high-tier editions are in particular deemed to be far too expensive. Blogs on the subject include LOTRO Players, MassivelyOP and Ravalation.
You could compare to the previous expansions:
Mordor (2017)
- Standard Edition: $39.99/£29.99/35.99€
- Collector’s Edition: $79.99/£59.99/75.99€
- Ultimate Fan Bundle : $129.99/£99.99/114.99€
Helm’s Deep (2013)
- Base Edition: $39.99 /£29.99 +vat / 35.99€ +vat
- Premium Edition: $59.99 / £44.99 +vat / 53.99€ +vat
Riders of Rohan (2012)
- Base Edition: $39.99
- Heroic Edition: $49.99
- Legendary Edition: $69.99
Rise of Isengard (2011)
- Base Edition: $29.99
- Heroic Edition: $39.99
- Legendary Edition: $49.99
Siege of Mirkwood (2010)
- Standard edition: $19.99 / £14.99 / 19.99€
- There was also a Special Edition in the EU, costing £19.99 / 27.99€. This included an Adventurer’s pack (2 character slots, dosky goat mount + shared storage)
- US side was more complicated. They also had the additional Adventurer’s pack for $19.99 (which was included in the EU special edition). However, those with life subscriptions could pre-order the expansion standard edition and get the Adventurer’s pack for free. If you had or changed to a multi-month sub, you could pre-order the Adventurer’s pack and get the expansion for free. Single-month subs had to pay for both.
Mines of Moria (2008)
- Digital Upgrade: $29.99 (download only)
- Complete Edition: $39.99 (physical box including the original game, Shadow of Angmar)
- Collector’s Edition: $79.99 (physical box with Shadow of Angmar and lots of additional goodies)
Admittedly, it is hard to compare all editions directly, due to inflation, difference between physical and digital releases, difference in the content of the different editions, etc. I think it is fair to say that the pricing of the Ultimate Fan Bundle is in a league of its own, far exceeding anything we’ve seen before in LOTRO. Ultimately, though, the answer to this question boils down to whether you find the content of the different editions useful/tempting or not.
Admittedly, I am somewhat surprised that no-one yet has made any fun analogies between the pricing for Mordor and the seductive powers of the One Ring…
Which edition will a certain biscuit-eating hobbit buy?
I went with the Standard Edition. First time I haven’t gone for one of the higher tiers.
For me, the cost isn’t really a big issue as long as I have fun in-game. However, the way LOTRO is going, I have to look at the cost in relation to some critical factors for my own enjoyment:
- An increasing amount of technical issues; hitching, skipping and deteriorating performance, particularly in new regions
- SSG showing little to no willingness to support roleplaying servers
At the same time, I’d like to play through Mordor. I considered waiting to buy the expansion with Store Points when it becomes available later this winter, but figured I might as well purchase it and get going in the new lands.
5 I have another question…
Do you have more questions, things you wonder about related to Mordor, or any comments to the above? Don’t be shy to use the comment field below!
I have looked everywhere for pictures of the cosmetics/mounts for the new expansion with no luck. Has anyone found any? The price might be worth it to me if I can see the armor before buying it.
Last I heard (Thursday’s stream), they weren’t ready yet. I suppose the small pictures on the purchase page give an indication of how some of them look, but no guarantees
Thanks for the info – I didn’t listen to the whole stream on Thursday. Just parts of it.
Oh wait, here are some pictures from Bullroarer this weekend. Armour still not ready, but mounts/items are.
https://goo.gl/an8YpA
Sweet! Thanks for the link.
BTW, I have updated with the most recent information, see above. Changes are marked in blue (that colour will likely be removed in a few days, or in case of future updates)
Being a lifetimer (gonna get 2500 points between now and December for free), I am not sure if I want to buy more than the Standard Edition. Buying the Standard Edition (and possibly $60-$100 in points when it is Double Bonus Points) might be more useful. Let me break down the benefits:
High Elf Race (Not chomping at the bit to play right now when in December it is available for 1000 points)
Character Slot (I have 2 extra right now, I believe one not used…got from Mirkwood…plus I can pick up a character slot for I believe under 1000 points)
Exclusive Alliance Cosmetics (somewhat of a blah)
Exclusive Mordor Cosmetics (somewhat of a blah)
Exclusive Alliance Mount (kind of cool, but still somewhat of a blah)
Exclusive Mordor Mount (kind of cool, but still somewhat of a blah)
Two Exclusive Titles
• “Walked Into Mordor” (I like my Flighty title from falling from the top of Minas Tirith like Denethor)
• “The Ultimate” (So I can brag I paid $129 for this last expansion?)
Equippable XP Accelerator for all characters! (Maybe cool…it is jewelry that grows, but I think I have a pocket item that does the same thing from a prior expansion)
Exclusive Housing Teleport for all characters! (Maybe cool…direct port to Mordor?)
Three Relics for all characters (Depends on the relics…if they are random from level 5-9, maybe not so cool…if level 9-10 on all 3, definitely more cool)
Two Essence Reclamation Scrolls for all characters! (I need these, but if they are character bound, then not so much…I will get 2500 points between August and December and I can spend $35 for 4000 more if needed)
Ten Extra Shared Storage Slots (I can pick up in store for under 1000 points)
A code for a month of VIP Access (Since I am a lifetimer, doesn’t do my main account any good…I guess I could create another account or give it to a friend…it would be more useful if they offered the option of VIP Access or maybe 500-700 points)
Deciding on which expansion to buy isn’t necessary about cost as much as usefulness. On prior expansions, I probably did pay the extra $20 or $30 for the better expansions. Now you are talking about doubling just to get “some” extras ($40-80) and adding $50 more ($130) to get “even” more stuff. Getting the $40 base and spending $60-100 on points would net SSG about the same, but would be more useful to me.
Yeah, I decided to go for the Standard edition myself. First time I haven’t gone for one of the higher tiers, but there was just nothing in there for me that seemed worthy of the excessive price increase.
Two things that could have been mildly tempting:
* The Housing Teleport, if for no other reason as a novelty item. But as a Warden, it’s not as if I have a problem getting around in the world.
* A new mount, since I love collecting them. But I guess these will be pretty much armor-clad spiky steeds, and I prefer the simpler ones.
PS: I did a quick edit and changed the formatting of your breakdown of the contents, since there was some text missing at the end of the sentences with the code formatting.
Additionally, I suspect you will have some Ultimate Fan Edition buyers who may be willing to sell other players the housing item (roll a new char and then sell the item by being given decorating permission, then they delete their own character and it should stay). So if that’s maybe going to happen, then I should still be able to get the item buy just buying it from other people.
So.. the crazily overpriced Ultimate edition does not come with your very own Ring of Power that you can either use and become an über character or chuck in Mount Doom first chance you get?
Let’s call it the Boromir challenge smiles
But I can see that would unbalance the game beyond recognition! nods
I’d go for the More than One Ring, with mysterious powers rivalling Erebrandir’s Horseshoe.
If we have to compare it with what this one included as a physical box, it’s a clear thing SSG could have made it a bit better :)
http://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/2017/01/31/the-elder-scrolls-online-morrowind-pre-order-faq
Had they thrown in a digital soundtrack of the Mordor Music, a digital artbook, a high-quality digital Middle-Earth map etc., I’d be more tempted. Now it’s just wildly overpriced, and nothing special.
Did you play with the new High Elf race on Bullroarer by chance? Is there anything particularly interesting or compelling about them?
I just played through the intro, which felt pretty weak (for reasons outlined in my Mordor preview article). They do have a +5% Light-type Damage racial trait, which could be useful to wardens.
On the forums, the biggest discussion topic seems to be the ballerina animations, which also is in force for some special skills:
https://www.lotro.com/forums/showthread.php?655218-Ballerina-Animation&s=95a1501772d2450de646819202d3bc46&p=7737818