Anyone looking to play a massively multiplayer online RPG has plenty of options to choose from. From NCSoft's recently released Aion to Blizzard's juggernaut World of Warcraft, there are easily a dozen viable titles, each with its own draws to pull players in, and get them to part with a monthly fee. When it comes down to it, players are really choosing which world they want to play in the most, since the mechanics between most of the games are, for the most part, very similar. Because of this, Lord of the Rings Online, with roots deep in J. R. R. Tolkien's classic series, has an advantage over many others. Over the past few years, the developer has consistently supported their RPG with regular free updates, adding new content and fixing issues, and an expansion, which moved away from the Shire and Breeland for the Mines of Moria.

Now, the story continues with the Siege of Mirkwood, bringing the fellowship to, as the name implies, the massive forest that is Mirkwood. For those who don't know, Mirkwood isn't just any forest - it is the forest. If most fantasy can be traced back to Lord of the Rings, than Mirkwood is responsible for every cursed, evil woodland that adventurers have ever come across. It's massive, filled with every horror imaginable, and serves an important role in the Lord of the Rings universe. As is the case with every other area Turbine has brought over to their MMORPG, the forest is wonderfully realized. The foggy, dark forest is beautiful in its bleakness, and words can barely describe the experience of walking through it. If you're a fan of Lord of the Rings, it's everything you imagined while reading the books. Even if you haven't read the books, the fact remains: Mirkwood is simply breathtaking.



Under the hood, there have been a slew of changes to the core of the game, allowing for fluid combat by giving players the ability to interrupt auto-attack with an ability at any time. While it isn't a change most casual players will notice right away, it's something that long-time players have been asking for, and the update appears to be to the game's benefit. While on the subject of enhancements asked for by the community, mounts are now an ability instead of an inventory item, and Turbine has expanded the actions players can use while mounted. Sadly, while a new mount was added, there's still no horseback combat, but the ability to emote and accept quests without leaping from the saddle is very welcome.

In terms of content, Mirkwood comes prepared to give Lord of the Rings Online players much more to do in Middle Earth, which is the main job of an expansion, after all. New, craftable Legendary Items and hundreds of new quests await, as well as additional areas and raid instances that should help players reach the new level cap of 65. The story progresses, allowing players access to Dol Guldur to combat a number of powerful enemies including more Ring Wraiths and other powerful members of Sauron's army. However, for as large as Mirkwood is, as necessary as the upgrades are, and as great as the other additions might be, none hold a candle in terms of importance as Skirmishes.

In order to give players more replayable content, Turbine has created Skirmishes, which work a lot like instances. The difference between these and regular instanced missions is that they are completely scalable to the players' level and group size, featuring a number of elements that are randomly generated to keep things fresh. The actual areas themselves remain the same each time, with a number of different Skirmishes to choose from, but the objectives and boss encounters are different, giving great rewards for play on harder settings. Adding even more is the idea of Skirmish Soldiers, which are customizable units that players can enlist to aid in battle. After picking one from a number of different archetypes, they join in the Skirmish, and are upgraded and outfitted by earning Skirmish Marks; the currency/rewards earned in these encounters. Each player can have one out at any time, meaning the number of friendly units on the battlefield is double the number players are used to.



Beyond immediately giving players a huge amount to do, Mirkwood also opens up a fascinating future for Lord of the Rings Online. As it stands, the largest group that the game allows for end-game content is 12 players - something that is unlikely to change anytime soon. However, by giving each player a cohort that number jumps to 24, and with several classes adding summonable teammates it shouldn't be uncommon to see a 30 character group entering a Skirmish. Mix in the replayable scenarios and the fact that they don't actually need to take place within the regular story, and Turbine has effectively created a situation where players can relive the biggest battles of Lord of the Rings over and over again. Helm's Deep seems much more reasonable as a skirmish than it does a dungeon of any kind, and the system would allow for dynamic, constantly changing encounters to assure that it never becomes dull.

If you're a Lord of the Rings Online lifetime member, well, you're not reading this. Turbine has decided to reward their dedicated fanbase by giving the expansion away for free to lifetime subscribers and those who've had accounts for a number of years, so the hardcore players have access to the expansion without need to spend an additional dime. For everyone else, the $20 price tag is more than reasonable, and half the normal price of such a product. There are a number of reasons for this beyond loyalty to fans: the expansion simply isn't as large as many others. It's far bigger than a typical content update, to be sure, but it doesn't add nearly as much as 2008's Mines of Moria did.

It might not be the biggest MMORPG launch of the year, what with no new races or classes, but there's no denying the quality in The Siege of Mirkwood. It's a great addition to an already solid online experience, delivering more content for the loyal fan base and giving prospective players a great excuse to jump into Middle Earth for the first time. Skirmishes add an immense amount of replayability and pave the way for future enhancements, and while it's smaller than the average expansion, the price tag matches the size. For anyone already interested in the MMO there's no reason not to pick it up, and The Siege of Mirkwood sets up the RPG for an extremely bright future. Well, for as bright as the War of the Ring can be, at least.