Lord of the Rings Online is an MMORPG set in Tolkien’s iconic high fantasy world of Middle-earth. The game primarily inhabits the same time period as Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, including the aftermath of the downfall of Sauron. With Middle-earth being the epitome of a richly detailed high fantasy world, Lord of the Rings Online is a fantastic way for fans to immerse themselves within it.
Launched back in 2007, Lord of the Rings Online has seen many updates to its core content over the years. With eight main expansions and two additional mini-expansions, there’s plenty of content available to keep players entertained. But out of all these expansions, some are better received by players than others.
8 Helm’s Deep
Released in 2013, Helm’s Deep was the fifth main expansion for Lord of the Rings Online. It introduced several new elements to the game, including new areas of Western Rohan to explore. But out of all of the expansions, Helm’s Deep is one that many fans agree to be the worst.
The introduction of Epic Battles complicated integral parts of the game and required players to purchase Helm’s Deep to continue the main storyline. Prior to this, the Epic Story had been free. Helm’s Deep also featured a complete overhaul of the class system. The new system had less customizability and ruined some classes entirely due to the split of class skills into different trees.
The questing in Helm’s Deep is also often criticized for being incredibly slow to progress. The expansion’s quests are much more linear and don’t allow players to jump in at different points or skip things and return later.
7 Mordor
Released in 2017, Mordor was the sixth main expansion for Lord of the Rings Online. With its setting in the infamous hold of the enemy Sauron, the expansion had much anticipation to live up to. Mordor was also released four years after its predecessor, adding to the pressure it was under.
As a result, many fans were disappointed with the expansion once it was released. The questing system within Mordor was difficult and slow and lacked engaging elements to keep it interesting and fun. Despite being released after Riders of Rohan, it did not make use of the new mounted combat system.
The landscape within Mordor was also a drawback for several fans. Those that enjoy volcano zone levels might disagree, but the world within Mordor was quite oppressive and, admittedly, a little ugly.
6 Riders Of Rohan
Released in 2012, Riders of Rohan was the fourth main expansion for Lord of the Rings Online. Like other expansions, it introduced a range of new features and game mechanics. In April of 2022, the expansion was removed from the store due to an impending game update that made its content free.
Before this, however, Riders of Rohan had complicated reviews from fans. The game introduced the mounted combat mechanic, in which players could fight on horseback. It may have been revolutionary for MMOs at the time, but the feature lacked longevity and many fans felt that the novelty wore off quickly.
What earned Riders of Rohan a place above Helm’s Deep and Mordor was the story within the side quests and the new landscape that it introduced. Six zones within East Rohan were introduced, bringing an openness and scale that players had not experienced before.
5 Siege Of Mirkwood
Released in 2009, Siege of Mirkwood was the second main expansion for Lord of the Rings Online. As another of the expansions that would later have its content made free in an update, Siege of Mirkwood is no longer available to buy. However, before this, it was considered a decent enough expansion on its own.
Due to having little in the way of content on offer, Seige of Mirkwood’s main selling point was its introduction of the skirmish system. This gave some much-needed fun and replayability to a relatively small expansion.
The Mirkwood landscape was also quite immersive, presenting the spooky forest atmosphere quite well. Though it only introduced one zone, it packed in a lot of variety, scenery, and story to keep players entertained.
4 Minas Morgul
Released in 2019, Minas Morgul was the seventh main expansion for Lord of the Rings Online. It was a relatively popular release due to its exploration of classic Lord of the Rings locations and characters. It also introduced a new race into the game, Stout-axe Dwarves.
The questing within Minas Morgul was generally well-received by fans. The expansion introduced a Shelob raid, several new Instances, and over 250 new quests to complete. That scaling of group sizes for Instances was also well-received and the progression systems also received an update.
Many fans felt that Minas Morgul took what Mordor was aiming to do and improved the experience greatly. The expansion featured an engaging journey through the city of the dead and even gave players a glimpse of what Mordor looked like in its heyday.
3 Fate Of Gundabad
Released in 2021, Fate of Gundabad was the eighth main expansion for Lord of the Rings Online – not counting the mini-expansion before it. Fate of Gundabad was similar to the fan-favorite expansion Mines of Moria, but with a few key differences.
The setting of Fate of Gundabad was its main boon, as it was different enough from Moria to make it feel more unique. It wasn’t as dark as its counterpart, and the zones within it were uniquely styled and varied. The expansion took players to vast vertical caverns, crystalline caves, and even a snow-covered mountainside.
There were a few drawbacks to the title that earn it a slightly lower placing. Firstly, players needed to grind to unlock the story which was tedious for those who dislike the practice. The missions were fairly standard, if a little slow, but the new gear was disappointing for long-time players.
2 Rise Of Isengard
Released in 2011, Rise of Isengard was the third main expansion for Lord of the Rings Online. Though it has since also been removed from the store in favor of an update re-releasing its content, it was still one of the most popular expansions to the game.
One of the features that set Rise of Isengard to a high standard above other expansions was its introduction of a new NPC system. This system equipped NPCs with more unique items and brought some much-needed diversity and immersion to the MMORPG.
Rise of Isengard also introduced new cosmetics for players, changes to stat systems, new skills, and an enjoyable progression experience. It featured several memorable battle experiences, including a boss battle against Draigoch and a final battle with Saruman.
1 Mines Of Moria
Released in 2008, Mines of Moria was the first main expansion for Lord of the Rings Online. To this day, it remains a fan-favorite expansion for players of Lord of the Rings Online and represents a nostalgic era of MMORPGs.
Mines of Moria tackled its famous Dwarven locale well, creating what was essentially one continuous dungeon zone. This made it one of the largest MMO underground realms at the time. Its construction required a completely new landscape design, making it an ambitious development within the genre.
Mines of Moria brought with it three new regions, two new classes, and a whole range of new skills, traits, and virtues. It introduced the legendary item system which was considered revolutionary at the time. Mines of Moria represents the best that Lord of the Rings Online expansions have had to offer and set a high bar for MMO expansions moving forward.
Lord of the Rings Online is available on PC.