The Lord of the Rings Online: Riders of Rohan Interview

Ten Ton Hammer managed to secure an interview with Turbine's Adam Mersky and Kate Paiz about their newly announced mounted combat-adding expansion pack, The Lord of the Rings Online: Riders of Rohan, as well as what the team has planned for the game prior to the add-on's release. An excerpt:
Endgame players are already starting to sniff the air of Rohan with Rise of Isengard content. The final one-third of that expansion, from the Gravenwood to Orthanc, deals with Theodred's Riders, who have been sent to Dunland to fend off the Dunlending tribesmen and to deal with the threat of Saruman and his forces. We get to see the fabled horse-lords in action, charging into combat on their powerful steeds during the Volume III, Book 5 epic quests. This fall, we will see much more of that.

"Rohan brings to mind a couple of key things," Kate said. "First, a vast, rolling plains peopled with horses and riders racing around at high speed with very exciting combat, and we are absolutely committed to bringing that to life for our players as best we can. In the fall, we are going to be introducing the East Plains of Rohan. These are going to come down from the region of the Great River that we're introducing in the spring, and it's not going to be contiguous with the Gap of Rohan. There's going to be a space there because Rohan, as an entity, is just too big. If you look at the map, it's almost half the size of Eriador, so we're going to be breaking it into just the east section for now. It is the largest landscape we'll have ever released. It's twice the size of Moria in terms of area."

And even though the East Plains are so massive, Turbine wants to give us more yet. "In addition to the East Plains," Kate added, "we're going to be creating the eave of Fangorn. As you now, Fangorn is a very dangerous place, and not one in which you would send your key people. You won't be able to go all the way in, but there will be an edge that will be explorable. I think players are going to have a really fun time seeing the ents and the moving trees that exist there.

"Likewise, we're going to have Amon Hen, which is the spot where the fellowship broke up and where Boromir was slain."