The Lord of the Rings Online: Rise of Isengard Preview
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Rise of Isengard will make several key additions to The Lord of the Rings Online. The expansion includes three new regions: Dunland, Gap of Rohan, and Isengard. In addition, the level cap will be raised to 75, a new 24-player raid dungeon will be added, and the player-versus-player monster play will be opened even to free-to-play subscribers. Other changes and additions will include new crafting tiers, various class revisions, stat adjustments, and item tweaks--many of them meant to give players more chances to make meaningful customization decisions. We didn't see much gameplay during our visit, but did receive a guided tour of many of Rise of Isengard's new areas. First up was the Bonevales--a region of Dunland, and one of RoI's two new starting areas. The player's focus will be to learn of Dunland and its various peoples, many of which are succumbing to Saruman's subtle manipulations. In the Bonevales, for example, one tribe's chieftain has fallen victim to his darker side and is diminishing the morale of his followers, who are not native to the region.
