Creatures of Middle Earth: Hillmen

The Lord of the Rings Online official site has been updated with another article in their Creatures of Middle Earth series. This time the focus is on the Hillmen of Rhudaur, who have once again fallen under the power of Angmar.

In the Third Age, the Hillmen seized power in Rhudaur and forged an alliance with the realm of Angmar. Twice they invaded Arnor, and during the second war the North Kingdom was destroyed. But their victory was short-lived. Eärnur, Prince of Gondor, and the Elves of Rivendell and Linden drove the Witch-king of Angmar and his armies out of the North, laying waste to all who served Angmar.
In the years that followed, the scattered remnants of the Hillmen gradually came together in the southwest barrens of Angmar. Many foreswore their old allegiance to the ruined and evil kingdom of Angmar and took up a nomadic existence, each tribe co-existing in relative peace with one another, living simple lives as hunters and shepherds . . . until the Ring was found and Sauron stirred once more. Through oppression and subversion, many of the clans have renewed their allegiance to Angmar and its Steward, Míaran.
In J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, little is said of the Hillmen of Rhudaur beyond that they fell under the shadow of the Witch-king and allied with Angmar against Arthedain and Cardolan. In The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, many Hillmen have renewed their allegiance to Angmar, while others are exploited by the Angmarim - the Steadfast in service to the Iron Crown of Angmar, newly returned to power in Carn Dûm. Aided by a Ranger of the North, a few of the Hillmen are determined to remain free of the yoke of Angmar, biding their time, awaiting the right moment to bring Carn Dûm down around the ears of their oppressors.

Making every other fantasy game look like a cheesy Renaissance Festival

Setting an MMORPG in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth seems like a blessing and a curse: on the one hand, the meticulously constructed storylines and rich veins of lore; on the other, an ever-growing legion of critical fans who demand perfection. Mercifully, newcomers and long-time devotees alike should recognize this game as a cunningly crafted love letter to the acclaimed source material.
The realistic bent of the art direction might not have the cartoony consistency of World of Warcraft, and the system requirements might seem comparatively steep, but once you've experienced the rolling fields of Bree-land and the squat farms of The Shire, there's no going back to the low-poly angles of Azeroth's contrivances. Every storied location is brought to verdant life, rich with detailed flora, deadly fauna, and huge expanses to explore.


Lord of the Rings Online drinks deep from Tolkien's well, offering up scenes starring the likes of Elrond, Gimli, and Strider right from the beginning, whether you're Elf, Man, Dwarf, or Hobbit. Quests are plentiful to the point of overflowing, and though most follow the familiar pattern of fetching a certain number of animal parts, killing a kind of monster, or running an object from one end of the realm to the other, the story segments that pop up at regular intervals are distinctly memorable, and make players feel like a part of world events and more than just another level-grinding scrub. More importantly, the underlying threads tying adventures together are more convincing and well thought-out than in any other MMO.

Lotro:Exploring Middle Earth: the Greenway

The Lord of the Rings online official site has been update with another edition of their Exploring Middle Earth series, where they take a look at some of the interesting locations in LotRO. This time around it's the Greenway.



In the days of Elendil and his descendents, the North Road ran from Fornost down through Andrath until it became the South Road at Tharbad. From there it continued all the way to Minas Tirith in Gondor as the primary trade-route between the North and South Kingdoms. The wars with Angmar and Rhudaur that brought the North-kingdom to an end also caused trade between north and south to fail.





Disused for a thousand years, particularly north of Bree, the Greenway is overgrown with grass and is little travelled except by refugees from the war-torn south. Brigands and ruffians lie in wait alongside the ancient highway waiting to prey on the weak and unguarded. Few now dare the treacherous wilds through which the Road runs.
The Greenway is a well-known road in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. It is the one Tom Bombadil took Frodo and his companions to after their narrow escape from the barrow of the last prince of Cardolan. In The Lord of the Rings OnlineTM: Shadows of AngmarTM, many dangers lie along the Greenway, as well as many opportunities for adventure.

LOTRO Information Minister Update

After our recent commentary on the LOTRO subscribers claims, Turbine’s new head of marketing had the following statement to say in response to the MMO blogging press lies, lies and more lies!

LotRO Subscriber Numbers?

So a press release went out announcing a 7 day trial for Lord of the Rings Online:Shadows of Angmar. I sure wish there was one of those before I bought the box But anyway….I found this quote of the press release particularly interesting:
Since its launch in April, LOTRO has quickly become the second largest MMORPG with an estimated 4 million characters calling Middle-earth their home. The game continues to grow with two massive updates that have increased the world by over 20%:
First of all - 4 million characters. I’m assuming they’re not talking about unique subscribers, they’re referring to characters. I’m not sure what that might put the subscriber numbers at, but I was guessing under 1 million since there hasn’t been a press release announcing that they’ve reached the 1 million mark.
So, that brings us to my second point. Really the second largest MMORPG? How about Lineage and Lineage 2? Or Runescape? If we’re talking in sheer character numbers, I think we would have to look at games like Gaia Online, or Maple Story even. Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t know if there is 100% accuracy in that statement.
Anyway, enjoy the trial if you’re looking for a game to play. =)

Lotro: Some Creatures Screenshots

Here is some Screenshots form Lord of the Rings Online,showing some Creatures.