The Lord of the Rings: War in the North Preview

A new hands-on preview of The Lord of the Rings: War in the North has been delivered by Destructoid, and it'll likely be one of the last pre-release impression pieces we see before next week's reviews start to roll in. On loot and character progression:
Loot dropped is unique to every player, so there is never a need to race for the rare item. You can trade items amongst players or even sell them at certain "shop" locations found per level. There is no weight encumbrance to worry about, but there is a predetermined number of slots for carrying gear -- providing ample storage.

While War in the North does limit itself to just the three predetermined characters -- forgoing a character creator -- the amount of customization available should provide adequate depth to allow for the play style of choice. After leveling up during combat, I was afforded the opportunity to gander at just how the character progression system works. Typical to this sort of fare, a few points can be allocated to improve certain attributes -- i.e. strength and defense -- followed by the upgrading or purchasing of a new skill.

Each character skill tree provides three branching paths, and from what I was told, only one would be able to be fully completed by the time the campaign concludes. Fear not, those who must have the most complete and well-versed combatant, as War in the North contains a new game plus and even a new game plus plus with more challenging difficulties -- which I can attest should be a trial.