LOTRO's Future Includes New Raid, Mirkwood, And Erebor (And You Can Now Buy Mordor And High Elves With Points!)

The Lord of the Rings Online Executive Producer Dan "Severlin" Ciccolini has written a new producer's letter to fans, detailing the game's future plans and the fabulous Middle-earth destinations players will be traveling to in 2018.

In the post-Sauron era, the Black Book of Mordor represents Standing Stone Games' starting point for telling stories in LOTRO over the coming years. That will continue in Update 22, which sends players to Thranduil's Court, Dale, Laketown, and Erebor early next year. But before all that, we'll get the next raid, The Abyss of Mordath, where players will pursue the mad dwarf-king Váskmun Greytooth and end his quest to recover a lost dwarven ring.

Other upcoming additions include more player housing options, a new instrument (fiddle), and the continuation of avatar updates, with hobbits and dwarves getting the upgraded treatment.

Finally, remember when players were a tiny bit upset about the new high elf race not being included in the Mordor expansion? SSG promised that both the new race and the expansion as a whole would be purchasable with LOTRO Points in the future -- and the future is now! You can get both in the in-game LOTRO store. Also, there's no word on whether the proposed endgame gear in loot boxes controversy is shaping up, but the way things are going lately, SSG is sure to not screw that one up ... right?