LotRO's 2021 Plans: New Adventures, Low-Level Zone, Gundabad Expansion

Dungeons & Dragons Online got its Producer's Letter a few weeks ago, and today it was The Lord of the Rings Online's turn. Or maybe it was also LotRO's turn a few weeks ago, since the letter reads "February 2021" but was only Tweeted out a few hours ago.

In any case, the "first big update of 2021" is coming this month, with The Wildwood of Bree-land, covering the territory between Bree-land and Evendim. This will be below-level-cap content, as two factions compete for control of the area. The Spring Festival is also on tap, as usual, but it's got a new festivity featuring Grimbeorn, and Naruhel the Red Maid will be a six-player boss returning from the Vaults.

A short time after Wildwood, players will see the debut of LotRO's "Further Adventures," quest arcs that use the Mission system to tell new stories about various characters. The first will center around Bilbo Baggins, and Standing Stone Games is open to suggestions for other characters to feature.

Summer will see Update 30: The Blood of Azog, which continues the story of the War of Three Peaks, as well as new quests, missions, and a raid in a Quest Pack free to VIPs. In the fall, the Gundabad expansion will see the light, wrapping up the story of The Legacy of Durin and the Trials of the Dwarves.

Executive Producer Rob Ciccolini also promises "a big year for our Legendary Worlds of Anor and Ithil," which will add The Wastes in April and Mordor in August, and possibly the Grey Mountains by the end of the year. PvMP play now has its own regular designer "to address many of your concerns about PvMP balance and more" and there will be a focus "to speed up LI leveling for players not at end-game" -- but no mention about replacing legendary items altogether, a frequent talking point in years past.