Lord of the Rings Online Debuts New Yondershire Region And Events For 15th Anniversary

The iconic MMORPG from Standing Stone Games, Lord of the Rings Online, celebrates 15 years of service today, marking a long legacy since its launch on April 24, 2007. In addition to the festivities, Standing Stone plans to debut the new Yondershire region, coming with the first update to The Shire in years.

Players can start the anniversary celebrations by going to the Party Tree on the Hill in The Shire and taking on quests that reward anniversary tokens for event items. Then there's the new Festivity Instance, which could be a hit for competitive players, allowing them to build a massive fireworks display to earn more tokens. For the pet aficionados in LOTRO, the new cosmetic pet, Corgis, is available now for anyone who logs in during the Anniversary Event, which runs until May 11 at 3:00 a.m. ET.

While the celebration is the main appeal of this update, Yondershire is a new region that players can explore and quest within. As a land home to different breeds of the hobbit, it is a sparse environment of moor, thicket, and fen that has often been "a sanctuary for recluses and troublemakers." The upstart Lotho Sackville-Baggins has control of the region, making the zone "a hotbed of resistance against his gang of ruffians." For those on the lower end of the game, Standing Stones Games updated The Shire for the first time in years to feature content for levels 20-23.

If you want a full breakdown of the Anniversary Event, you can read the full notes on the Lord of the Rings Online site.