Released in early January to less than glowing reviews, Lord of the Rings: Conquest, EA's latest opportunity to cash in on the Peter Jackson film franchise, is about to get its first batch of downloadable content. According to IGN, the new content will be available on February 26, and will add three new heroic characters, two brand new maps, and two new hero areas. 

Here are the details of the new additions:

CHARACTERS:

Arwen
She is the half-elven daughter of Elrond the lord of Rivendell. Her base class is a warrior and at her command are the elements. Her regular attacks are fierce as she lashes out with icy claws. Her special attacks include a whirlwind that both protects her from projectiles like a shield and will do damage to any enemy who wanders too close. Another special attack is a wall of water similar to the one she used to fight off the Nazgul to protect Frodo. She also has an ice trap that she can set, if an enemy carelessly wanders into it they will be momentarily frozen solid allowing for some devastating punishment if teamwork is used.

Boromir
He is the older brother of Faramir and the son of Denethor the last steward of Gondor. Boromir is a warrior through and through who likes to pummel his foes with his fists, kicks, and shoulder bashes. When activated, his special attacks light his sword on fire for some very punishing and ground shaking moves. For his ranged attack Boromir uses the Horn of Gondor which stuns or staggers any enemies caught in its blast and gives a buff to any friendlies nearby.

Gothmog
The strong silent type. Gothmog is one of the highest ranking officers in Sauron's army and is often seen at the front of battle. He may be crippled but his attacks pack a powerful wallop. Watch out for falling rocks when fighting against him. He has a nasty habit of attracting them and sidestepping at the last second only to spit on them. His ranged attack is the normal warrior throwing axe but if you get hit by it you'll also suffer a poison attack. He just wants to slow you down to even the playing field.

MAPS:

Amon Hen
This area of Middle earth is also known as the "hill of the eye" due to the seat of seeing statue at the top of it. Mostly made up of forest and rock statues this is where the fellowship breaks up and Boromir meets his end. In The Lord of the Rings: Conquest the player will battle for control of the forest from the seat of seeing at the top all the way to the river bank at the bottom. Lots of trees and rock statues provide cover and sneaky places to lay an ambush. Use fallen logs to quickly escape danger or to hasten to the enemies base with the one ring. The game modes on Amon Hen include Conquest, Capture the Ring, and Team Deathmatch. The heroes available are Gothmog or Lurtz for the evil side and Boromir or Arwen for the good.

Battle of the Last Alliance
This epic battle took place at the end of the Second Age of Middle-earth. The battle was so large it had many fronts including this one on the lava fields of Mordor. The good side has made its base inside a cave while the evil side has chosen to regroup underneath a lava fall. At the center of the conflict is a lava pool that requires careful navigation and a shattered citadel that provides excellent archer and ballista areas. The game modes on Last Alliance include Conquest, Capture the Ring, and Team Deathmatch. The heroes available are Gothmog or Sauron for the evil side and Arwen for the good.

HERO AREAS:

Weathertop
Battle at the summit of Weathertop, but don't get knocked off because it's a long (and fatal) way down to the ground. This arena is based on the campaign map of Weathertop. All access to the lower regions have been cut off, can you survive?

Minas Tirith
The white city is on fire and you are trapped in the main courtyard! I guess the only thing left to do is fight whoever is trapped with you. This arena is based on the lower section of the Minas Tirith campaign level. All access to the rest of the city has been blocked off.

Being a gigantic bit of a Tolkien nerd, I was excited to get the chance to play one more time through some of my favorite film memories. So excited, in fact, that I bought a copy of Conquest the day it went on sale. However, after slogging through the first four levels, my excitement quickly turned into ennui and eventually to boredom. So part of me feels like adding more content would only serve to inflame my anger for this game. But then there is the part of me that loves all things Middle Earth, who thinks the $9.99 (PSN) or 800 (XBL) isn't a ton of money. I'm conflicted. What about you?

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