As part of The Lord of the Rings Online’s 15th anniversary, developer Standing Stone Games is making the majority of the MMORPG’s existing expansion content, as well as multiple premium classes, completely free going forward.
Those now free expansions include Mines of Moria, Siege of Mirkwood, Rise of Isengard, Riders of Rohan, and Helm’s Deep. In addition, VIP subscribers will gain access to the game’s more recent Mordor, Minas Morgul, and War of the Three Peaks expansions at no additional cost.
Multiple classes, as well as the High-Elf race, are also becoming free for all players. These include the Rune-keeper, Warden, and Beorning classes. You can read more about plans for the game’s 15th anniversary here.
Alongside more content becoming available for free-to-play players at no additional cost, Standing Stone Games will be introducing a new Hobbit-themed zone, Yondershire. Described as a “sparsely populated region of moor, thicket, and fen,” Yondershire is home to Hobbits known for being recluses and troublemakers that have long squabbled with the “more comfortable parts of the Shire.”
Lord of the Rings Online was originally developed by Turbine and released in 2007 under a subscription-based model, but made the shift to free-to-play in 2010. Development shifted to Standing Stone Games (comprised of many ex-Turbine developers) in 2016, when the studio also partnered with Daybreak Games (formerly Sony Online Entertainment) as a publishing partner. In 2020, EG7 acquired Lord of the Rings Online and Daybreak for $300 million (as well as other MMOs like Dungeons & Dragons Online and EverQuest).
Since then, the game has continued to receive new content, with its most recent expansion, the Fate of Gundabad, as well as its new Brawler class, releasing late last year. There are currently plans for the game to receive visual and technical updates, as well as a current-gen console version, in order to capitalize on Amazon’s upcoming Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power show.
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