The Lord of the Rings Online has introduced two new servers, and they have the best, most appropriate names. The new servers are called Shadowfax and Treebeard, while developer Standing Stone Games is also rolling out new difficulty options. All of this is exclusive to VIP subscribers, so free-to-play users need to upgrade to get started.
The Shadowfax server–named after the iconic Middle-earth horse who runs like the wind–lets you level faster by offering +50% XP, legendary item XP, and mount XP, as well as +20% virtue XP. The Treebeard server–named after the very slow and deliberate Ent–is a slower-paced offering featuring -60% reduced XP.
Additionally, these new servers include a Landscape Difficulty option that allows players to choose how difficult or easy they want the experience to be. You can visit Berthdan near the Prancing Pony in West Bree to make a choice between normal and Deadly +6. The higher the difficulty, the more challenging enemies will become. You can change the difficulty level at any time by speaking with Berthdan, but there are rewards for sticking with it.
“If you begin a higher level difficulty prior to reaching level 11 and stick with a high level difficulty you will get rewarded for reaching levels 50 and 130,” developer Standing Stone Games said.
What’s more, players can earn new titles based on the new difficulty options. You’ll get two titles for hitting level 50 and 130 on Hard+ and two more if you reach the same levels on Deadly+. “You MUST activate your desired difficulty prior to reaching level 11, and maintain that difficulty or higher until you earn your title. A Deed can be found in-game to track your progress,” the developer said.
The Lord of the Rings Online has also added new “Eye of Sauron” effects that are meant to simulate the harsh reality of what happens when the great eye sees you.
“Once the Eye of Sauron is upon you, your progress will be hindered by several random effects for the next minute or so. Players will get an XP and Virtue XP boost for running on higher difficulties, starting at +10% XP up to +20% XP and +1% up to +5% Virtue XP,” Standing Stone said.
Head to the Lord of the Rings Online website to learn more.
The Lord of the Rings Online has been operating non-stop since 2007, though development changed hands from Turbine to Standing Stone Games. It was set to get a major competitor from Amazon’s own Lord of the Rings MMO, but that game was canceled.
In 2022, the parent company behind The Lord of the Rings Online revealed that the game is headed to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S in 2022 alongside a major graphics upgrade.
Check out some other recent Lord of the Rings stories in the links below:
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