GB Feature: The Lord of the Rings Online: Riders of Rohan Preview

Turbine was gracious enough to give us a guided tour through their Riders of Rohan expansion pack for The Lord of the Rings Online, and that's "spurred" us to offer up a two-page, hands-on preview. Here's a little taste of what to expect:
The advent of mounted combat is definitely the biggest change we'll be seeing in the long-running MMORPG. This system began its initial conception way back in 2009 according to Aaron, but because of the resources and technology available to them at the time, it wasn't something they were able to realize until now. As a system that's been requested by the playerbase for years, it only seems fitting that the Riders of Rohan expansion pack is the add-on that will be introducing it. The system we will get will revolve around three different types of steeds, each with their own version of three separate trait lines. The combination of steed type and trait line should give us plenty of options and allow for plenty of forum debates over which is best for what class. You will be able to have multiple specs available for hot swapping, and we will gain access to two such specsout of the gate and up to five others that can be purchased through the store.

While mounted, each class will have its own set of unique "Mounted Skills" that will replace your normal selection of available skills. These skills will use up a combination of power from you and your mount, as well as a new source called Fury. Fury will build up over time as you move around on your mount and will build relative to how fast you are moving. The amount of Fury you have will give you a passive bonus to certain skills, like increased damage or more healing.