LOTRO's Producer Letter Looks Back On 2015, Lays Out Plans For 2016

It's that time again, when MMO developers make plans for the coming year before embarking on an epic holiday vacation. The Lord of the Rings Online Executive Producer Athena "Vvyvanne" Peters penned hers earlier today, reminiscing on 2015 while looking ahead to what her team has in store for 2016.

2015's good parts were the realization of Gondor, including the cities of Osgiliath and Minas Tirith and, oddly, the server consolidation, which is rarely seen as a "good thing" in MMO-land, even though it has its benefits. The inability to transition to a new datacenter is considered the one downer for the team.

For 2016, Peters talks about the increase in the level cap to 105, a new instance cluster and 12-man raid, a new collections UI and other quality-of-life improvements, and the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, the epic battle outside the walls of Minas Tirith that (in the books and movies) sees the breaking of Sauron's army and the fall of the Witch-king. It's an exciting year, for sure, and one that Lord of the Rings fans will be eagerly looking forward to.