The Lord of the Rings Online: Rise of Isengard PC

The Lord of The Rings Online: Rise of Isengard for PC is another expansion to the popular MMORPG set in Middle-Earth – the world created by J.R.R. Tolkien. In this add-on, the story focuses on one of the most recognizable characters from both books and movies, namely Saruman the White, who is trying to take the One Ring for himself, thus he attempts to stop the Fellowship of the Ring from destroying it.

Plot

During the game, a player gets to explore new locations known from The Lord of The Rings trilogy and follow the events one might know from the books and the movies alike. On his adventure, one can visit Dunland inhabited by fierce tribes of Dunlendings, the Gap of Rohan, and the tower of Orthanc that serves as the fortress of Saruman, from which he issues orders to his minions.

Mechanics

Players can choose one of the two available paths leading to the final location, so players who have two characters do not have to repeat the same quests with each hero. One's decisions affect the environment.

The Rise of Isengard expansion introduces a multiplayer instance for up to 24 players, in which they have to defeat one of the most dangerous monsters in whole Middle-Earth – the Draigoch dragon makes for a significant challenge even for a large group of heroes. Draigoch is the largest creature ever to be featured in the history of The Lord of The Rings Online.

Technical aspects

The add-on described herein increases the level cap up to 75 and it introduces a number of minor modifications in the form of new pieces of gear, a mission pack, a set of the so-called 'deeds’, and many others. All nine character classes now exhibit new features. Developers have put a strong emphasis on the scale of the locations – players are bound to appreciate the size of Walf's Cleft war camp.

Since mid-2010, the game has switched to a free-to-play business model. This means that players can enjoy it for free, however, those who want to unlock the access to the so-called 'premium content' have to utilize the optional microtransactions system.

Last updated on 29 September 2011