When The Lord of the Rings Online launched back in April of 2007, many dismissed it as little more than WoW with hobbits. Those who actually took the time to try it discovered a richly textured MMO experience that quickly distanced itself from other games on the market by focusing on the storytelling/PvE experience and catering to casual gamers. Perhaps that's why when it came time to launch the game's first expansion pack, flying in the face of the Wrath of the Lich King juggernaut might not be suicidal bravado -- it just might be a successful attempt at MMO counterprogramming. Now that the gate has opened and Moria's depths wait to be plundered, we put on our spelunking hats and decided to check out how the launch is going.
Clearing the Debris
The first and most obvious question at the launch of any major addition to an MMO is how the technology is holding up. Fortunately this is where experience wins out. While Mines of Moria is much bigger than any of Turbine's frequent content updates, the addition of two new outdoor zones as well as Moria itself has gone exceedingly well. One moment there was a gated wall between the Trollshaws and Eregion (where Moria is located) and the next moment there wasn't. In our first few hours running around Eregion doing the intro quests for entry to Moria and trying out the two new classes introduced with the expansion, we've yet to run into any sort of glitch or hiccup.
That's not to say that there haven't been problems. Players entering product codes on Turbine's registration servers have found them a bit slow (though this seems to have cleared up in the last few hours). There was also a bit of confusion regarding pre-registration, promotional and product codes in which it wasn't made clear that players needed to enter multiple codes while registering their game in order to activate their game and get their bonus items. There have also been a few in-game hiccups. The biggest issue thus far is a glitch that's keeping players from earning crafting experience, and there's a spear called "Blackfang's Demise" that seems to have completely disappeared from the game. All things considered though, the addition of Moria has gone remarkably smoothly.
New Treasures
From the first moment Mines of Moria opened, it seemed obvious that most players would make a beeline for the Hollin Gate. This, no doubt would trigger the "mass extinction events" and the competition for mobs that always mark the opening of new content. Surprisingly that hasn't happened and the reasons reflect well on Turbine's skill in putting the expansion pack together. The game offers players considerably more than just two new outdoor zones and the Mines. Mines of Moria considerably deepens and enriches the basic game experience with a number of new gameplay dynamics that offer fun in a variety of different areas.
