The Lord of the Rings Online Volume III: Book II Preview

Ten Ton Hammer had the opportunity to check out the next content update for The Lord of the Rings Online during last week's E3, which is currently just referred to as "Volume III: Book II" until a subtitle is chosen.
The next part of the epic story picks up where Volume III: Book I The Oath of the Rangers left off. With the rangers assembled, players will be tasked with carrying a banner crafted by Arwen to Aragorn in the south and that is the focus of the next part of the storyline. The new lands in the south will be home to many tribes that Sarumon has yet to turn to his will. So players will have the chance to see the area before it has been heavily corrupted by Sarumon. This also leads to some possible changes in the future as Sarumon tightens his grip on the area and extends his influence.

There are also some new features that will be introduced with the Volume III: Book II update. Turbine Executive Producer Kate Paiz explained one of the most notable ones to us with a new system that will allow the dungeons of LotRO to scale by level. This will allow players to return to older dungeons such as The Great Barrows and experience it all over again at an appropriate level. Loot will also scale, so there should be plenty of shiny items to go around.

Another feature will involve new Session Play content that will allow players to experience the game as a Ranger and learn about Aragorn's forefathers. Previously, Rangers could only be used in PvMP, so the new Session Play missions will offer a chance to experience one of the Rangers in PvE and learn more about the lineage of one of LotRO's most notable characters.