Minas Morgul Preview
I spent several hours today on the Bullroarer test server, checking out the preview of the forthcoming Minas Morgul expansion for The Lord of the Rings Online. From a lore perspective this is a great zone and it neatly fills the geographical gap between Morgul Vale in North Ithilien and Gorgoroth in Mordor. As ever the visual style and sense of continuity is very good and Standing Stone Games have gone all in on atmosphere and ambience. The new area is often dimly lit, filled with fog and Minas Morgul itself has an eerie supernatural phosphorescence. Once again, I simply contented myself with just exploring the area and did not attempt any quests (apart from one to access a new instanced area). Let us not forget that this is a preview and therefore there is always potential for change. The new areas at present appear to be relatively clear of mobs and other sundry threats, so initially navigation between stables was relatively straight forward. However, the main fortresses of Minas Morgul and Bar Nirnaeth are densely populated with robust mobs.
Yet despite the commendably brooding feel to the region, it is quite small and compact. Due to the fact that this zone is set in the Ephel Duath (Mountains of Shadow) many of the roads and trails twist and turn around the cliff face. Subsequently the Straight Stair and the Winding Stair, North of Minas Morgul, live up to their name. Torech Ungol (Shelob’s Lair) has several branching passages but the main path leads to an instance entrance. I wasn’t able to go right through the tunnel and didn’t have time to try and approach it from the Gorgoroth etrance. Minas Mogul itself, is a multi-tiered city, similar to Minas Tirith. Mercifully there are only four “circles”, each with a different supernatural theme. At the top is the Tower of the Crescent Moon, which will more than likely be home to a major instance or raid. It should also be noted that part of the new expansion, is set in the Second Age. “Mordor Besieged” takes place during the original siege of Barad-dûr by the Last Alliance. This is contained within a variation of the existing Dor Amarth map in Mordor. Accessing this area requires a quest from Gandalf and speaking with the shade of Isildur in the Gladden Fields.
I suspect that for many LOTRO players, their respective enjoyment of the pending Minas Morgul expansion will depend very much upon how they felt about Mordor. Minas Morgul looks like being an atmospheric but tough zone. Because of its canonical nature it will probably be demonstrably harder than the recent Vales of Anduin. The dour ambience may also determine people’s opinion, after the lush and verdant nature of the previous update. There’s also the issue of the cost of the new expansion. As stated earlier, the new zone seems small and “Mordor Besieged” is just a variation of a region we’ve already experienced. Although the Stout-Axe race is bundled with all of the three versions of the expansion, I think that the most expensive version doesn’t seem particularly good value for money. Let’s hope that the story line is sufficiently engaging. Mordor had numerous questionable points but its robust narrative did much to redress the balance.
In fairness, considering the lore-based confines of setting an expansion in and around Minas Morgul, one cannot expect a massive amount of ecological diversity in the new zone. We effectively have fortresses, mountain paths, web covered tunnels and foggy woodland. I also think a lot of the relative value of this expansion will lie in the instances and raids. But if you are a casual, solo PVE player then you may not experience any of this. So as I write this post, the Siege of Mirkwood expansion comes to mind, which upon its release, also felt somewhat low key in scope when compared to its predecessor, the Mines of Moria. Naturally, LOTRO players are very loyal to their MMO of choice, so I suspect this expansion will sell well. But how well it’s received is another issue altogether. I shall definitely only buy the base version of the game and I don’t think this expansion will be my first priority over November and December. I do hope that my suspicions are unfounded and Minas Morgul doesn’t turn out to be a chore similar to Mordor.
