The Lord of the Rings Online: Rise of Isengard
Encyclopedia
The Lord of the Rings Online: Rise of Isengard is the latest expansion pack for the MMORPG
The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar
, released on September 27, 2011. This is the third expansion pack for The Lord Of The Rings Online and, like the previous expansion, it is available as a web-based download only.
The Rise of Isengard officially brings the game's timeline to the events of The Two Towers. Players accompany the Grey Company as they ride to the aid of Aragorn, traveling through the new areas of Dunland, The Gap of Rohan, and the legendary region of Isengard
, seat of Saruman the White. New game enhancements include a level cap increase to 75, level 75 legendary items, a new crafting tier, a 24-man raid, stat cap removal and improved virtue traits. There were also several major class revisions; the minstrel and the champion classes, in particular. The Epic Story was updated with Volume 3 Book 4: The Rise of Isengard and introduced such iconic characters as Grimbold
, Théodred
, Grima Wormtongue and Saruman the White.
The expansion was first announced on November 19, 2010 and made available for pre-order June 7, 2011, when Turbine announced a release date of September 27. Various pre-order deals were made available including special in-game titles and items. The Rise of Isengard closed-beta launched on July 27 and closed several weeks before live release.
Passing into the lands of Dunland, the Rangers investigate the loyalties of the local tribes of Dunlendings. Some are fiercely loyal to Saruman, other openly oppose him and many have not yet been convinced to do either. The Falcon-clan of Tur Morva village offers the Rangers shelter in exchange for their help against Saruman
. The Rangers busy themselves with preparations for war while the player is send to scout the rest of Dunland. Finding a surprise ally in Nona, who insists that she does not need Halbarad's permission to travel over her own land, the player and the Rangers come into first contact with Rohirrim. Riders led by Grimbold
hold the Fords of Isen
against inevitable assault, while Théodred
, son of King Theoden
, leads a smaller scouting party into the lands of the Dunlendings, who have been sworn enemies of Rohan
for centuries. Returning to village of Tur Morva, the player finds a betrayal waiting for them: the clan decided that more is to be gained by siding with Saruman
than by opposing him. Grey Company is caught unprepared, many Rangers are killed and the rest captured. The player and Ranger Lothrandir are send directly to Isengard as a gift to Saruman
. Separated from the Ranger, the player is send working into the pits, observed by merciless Uruks. Using the dislike of Uruks for each other, the player fakes a total submission and is eventually allowed more freedom, as none believes him able to escape any longer. The player finds other prisoners, among them captured Rohirrim and Dunlendings - sworn enemies once, both find something in common after been made slaves to Saruman. Staging a diversion and freeing many prisoners at once, the player is able to sneak past confusion and escape Isengard. Théodred
offers Rangers Saeradan and Radanir help in rescuing their captive friends and avenging the betrayal. The player and Rohirrim storm the village of traitors and rescue many Rangers, including Halbarad and the sons of Elrond
. Yet they are still outnumbered - the leader of the traitorous clan gloats over the Rangers' weaknesses and allows them to leave, telling them to spread the tale of how the Falcon-clan beat them. Of almost 60 named Rangers barely 30 made it out alive: Halbarad takes an oath to avenge the traitors and proclaims himself in eternal debt to Théodred
, before planning the next move.
Book 5 - The Prince of Rohan
and the Siege of Mirkwood, Turbine is expected to continue to regularly release updates.
Announced features include:
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar
The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar
The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game for Microsoft Windows set in a fantasy universe based upon J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth writings...
, released on September 27, 2011. This is the third expansion pack for The Lord Of The Rings Online and, like the previous expansion, it is available as a web-based download only.
The Rise of Isengard officially brings the game's timeline to the events of The Two Towers. Players accompany the Grey Company as they ride to the aid of Aragorn, traveling through the new areas of Dunland, The Gap of Rohan, and the legendary region of Isengard
Isengard
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, Isengard , a translation of the Sindarin Angrenost, was a large fortress. Both names mean "Iron fortress" In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, Isengard , a translation of the Sindarin Angrenost, was a large fortress....
, seat of Saruman the White. New game enhancements include a level cap increase to 75, level 75 legendary items, a new crafting tier, a 24-man raid, stat cap removal and improved virtue traits. There were also several major class revisions; the minstrel and the champion classes, in particular. The Epic Story was updated with Volume 3 Book 4: The Rise of Isengard and introduced such iconic characters as Grimbold
Grimbold
Grimbold of Grimslade is a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He appears in The Two Towers and The Return of the King, the second and third volumes of the fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings as originally published...
, Théodred
Théodred
Théodred is a fictional character in The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. He is the only son and heir of King Théoden of Rohan.His mother, Elfhild, died in childbirth. Théodred grew up together with his cousin Éomer...
, Grima Wormtongue and Saruman the White.
The expansion was first announced on November 19, 2010 and made available for pre-order June 7, 2011, when Turbine announced a release date of September 27. Various pre-order deals were made available including special in-game titles and items. The Rise of Isengard closed-beta launched on July 27 and closed several weeks before live release.
Story Line
Book 4 - Rise of IsengardPassing into the lands of Dunland, the Rangers investigate the loyalties of the local tribes of Dunlendings. Some are fiercely loyal to Saruman, other openly oppose him and many have not yet been convinced to do either. The Falcon-clan of Tur Morva village offers the Rangers shelter in exchange for their help against Saruman
Saruman
Saruman the White is a fictional character and a major antagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. He is leader of the Istari, wizards sent to Middle-earth in human form by the godlike Valar to challenge Sauron, the main antagonist of the tale, but later on aims at gaining...
. The Rangers busy themselves with preparations for war while the player is send to scout the rest of Dunland. Finding a surprise ally in Nona, who insists that she does not need Halbarad's permission to travel over her own land, the player and the Rangers come into first contact with Rohirrim. Riders led by Grimbold
Grimbold
Grimbold of Grimslade is a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He appears in The Two Towers and The Return of the King, the second and third volumes of the fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings as originally published...
hold the Fords of Isen
Fords of Isen
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, the Fords of Isen were fords in the river Isen, guarded by the Rohirrim. As the only crossing of the Isen into Rohan, they were of enormous strategic importance....
against inevitable assault, while Théodred
Théodred
Théodred is a fictional character in The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. He is the only son and heir of King Théoden of Rohan.His mother, Elfhild, died in childbirth. Théodred grew up together with his cousin Éomer...
, son of King Theoden
Théoden
Théoden is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel, The Lord of the Rings. He appears as a major supporting character in The Two Towers and The Return of the King.-Appearances:...
, leads a smaller scouting party into the lands of the Dunlendings, who have been sworn enemies of Rohan
Rohan
Rohan is a realm in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy era of Middle-earth. It is a grassland which lies north of its ally Gondor and north-west of Mordor, the realm of Sauron, their enemy . It is inhabited by the Rohirrim, a people of herdsmen and farmers who are well-known for their horses and cavalry....
for centuries. Returning to village of Tur Morva, the player finds a betrayal waiting for them: the clan decided that more is to be gained by siding with Saruman
Saruman
Saruman the White is a fictional character and a major antagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. He is leader of the Istari, wizards sent to Middle-earth in human form by the godlike Valar to challenge Sauron, the main antagonist of the tale, but later on aims at gaining...
than by opposing him. Grey Company is caught unprepared, many Rangers are killed and the rest captured. The player and Ranger Lothrandir are send directly to Isengard as a gift to Saruman
Saruman
Saruman the White is a fictional character and a major antagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. He is leader of the Istari, wizards sent to Middle-earth in human form by the godlike Valar to challenge Sauron, the main antagonist of the tale, but later on aims at gaining...
. Separated from the Ranger, the player is send working into the pits, observed by merciless Uruks. Using the dislike of Uruks for each other, the player fakes a total submission and is eventually allowed more freedom, as none believes him able to escape any longer. The player finds other prisoners, among them captured Rohirrim and Dunlendings - sworn enemies once, both find something in common after been made slaves to Saruman. Staging a diversion and freeing many prisoners at once, the player is able to sneak past confusion and escape Isengard. Théodred
Théodred
Théodred is a fictional character in The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. He is the only son and heir of King Théoden of Rohan.His mother, Elfhild, died in childbirth. Théodred grew up together with his cousin Éomer...
offers Rangers Saeradan and Radanir help in rescuing their captive friends and avenging the betrayal. The player and Rohirrim storm the village of traitors and rescue many Rangers, including Halbarad and the sons of Elrond
Elrond
Elrond Half-elven is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He is introduced in The Hobbit, and plays a supporting role in The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.-Character overview:...
. Yet they are still outnumbered - the leader of the traitorous clan gloats over the Rangers' weaknesses and allows them to leave, telling them to spread the tale of how the Falcon-clan beat them. Of almost 60 named Rangers barely 30 made it out alive: Halbarad takes an oath to avenge the traitors and proclaims himself in eternal debt to Théodred
Théodred
Théodred is a fictional character in The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. He is the only son and heir of King Théoden of Rohan.His mother, Elfhild, died in childbirth. Théodred grew up together with his cousin Éomer...
, before planning the next move.
Book 5 - The Prince of Rohan
Free Updates
Like Shadows of Angmar, Mines of MoriaThe Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria
The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria is the first retail expansion pack for the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar released on November 18, 2008. It was announced on March 14, 2008 at ....
and the Siege of Mirkwood, Turbine is expected to continue to regularly release updates.
Update 5
Update 5 is currently expected to be released sometime in December 2011.Announced features include:
- A new cluster of four instances and a 12-man raid set around the area of Isengard.
- Continuation of the Epic Story in Volume 3 Book 5.
- A newly implemented Instance finder to allow players to form groups more efficiently.
- Various barter currencies will be streamlined and unified.