In the fantasy MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online players will not interfere with Frodo and the Ring in the expansion “Mordor.”
This summer, a major expansion for LOTRO, the first in years, will be released: In Mordor, the journey of the Ring comes to its end.
In an interview, the developers of The Lord of the Rings Online have now revealed how they want to handle the Ring and Mordor.
The players will not impede the destruction of the Ring, as stated. Because Frodo and Sam could only reach Mount Doom because they were working “in secret.” If there had been an army of heavily armed players nearby, Sauron would have spotted them and everything would have turned out differently. Staying true to Tolkien’s work is the top priority for The Lord of the Rings Online.
Therefore, most of the Mordor expansion will take place after “Frodo and Sam have done their thing.”
This has been known for 10 years. Since 2007, lead designer Jeff Libby has been confident about how he will portray this part of the story.
The Lord of the Rings Online tells its own stories with Mordor
The team is venturing into new territory, telling its own stories based on the situation that arose at the end of Tolkien’s work. It is clear: “Something as evil as Sauron doesn’t just go away and everything is great. Mordor is still a terrible place of evil.”
Up until now, players always had a safety net. They knew Tolkien’s heroes would pull the chestnuts out of the fire and advance the plot. With Mordor, the players will have to step into the spotlight and take responsibility themselves.
Is it going back to the Shire?
The interview also contains subtle hints about where the story could head after Mordor.
The players might then leave Mordor and hunt down servants of evil that have spread throughout the world. Thus, it is possible that they will return to a changed Shire. For in the literary original, the hobbits do not return to an idyll but to the next crisis. In the Shire, an old acquaintance rules under a new name.
The technology for a kind of phasing is present in The Lord of the Rings Online. It could really lead to a dark version of the Shire. However, the developers do not want to reveal their cards just yet. Currently, they are fully focused on the expansion.
Read more about Mordor and what The Lord of the Rings Online is planning here:
The Lord of the Rings Online: New race, nicer characters, and better housing
