If you are eager to visit some new places in the world of The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, then we would like to inform you about the Goblin-Town situated in the Misty Mountains.

However, beware that this place will not give you a warm welcome as it is inhabited by goblins who were once under the rule of the Great Goblin. Know more after the jump!

Turbine Inc. took the time and updated the lore page of the official website for the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar.

This time, the characters Bob and Nob were put in the spotlight. To know more about these fun and very hardworking hobbits, just click the "read more" link below.

 

More J.R.R. Tolkien lore heading for you in this The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar creature feature update, and this time it's about the dragon's slightly less imposing but otherwise still formidable cousin, the Salamander. Let's get up to speed with how these fire-breathing lizards came about, and how much of a threat they are in Middle-earth.

It seems, at the time when the rings of power were all the rage in Middle-earth, the bloodline of dragons had already started to flow thin, with the once-mighty brood of flying monsters of unmatched power and fury now spawning simpler and weaker breeds. From the mighty dragons of color, now rise the semi-intelligent drake, the not-so-intelligent worm, and the in-between salamander.

Also known as efts, salamanders still resemble their flying cousins, but lack the wings to take flight, nor the fearsome tail to whip it good with. Even with these disadvantages, however, the salamander is still a force to be reckoned with, having retained the dragon's trademark ability of breathing fire. Adventurers should do well to take caution while exploring remote locations, such as the untamed region of Evendim - for they may just get a faceful of Salamander breath when they least expect it.

This begs the question, however - will there still be dragons in Turbine Inc.'s The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar? Here's hoping so; after all, no MMORPG is complete without a dragon!

  
 

For those of us wondering when the legendary ring-loving, sentence-mangling hobbit will make his appearance in Turbine Inc.'s The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar, the wait is finally over. Here he is, soon to come in Book 11 in all of his bug-eyed, loin-clothed glory, with the One Ring as his precious: Gollum!

Of course, he's not yet officially declared in the game's website; neither has Turbine given any information that could clue us in on where we can track down on of J.R.R. Tolkien's more disturbing (and oddly more endearing) characters, but these screens confirm that he is a part of Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar.

We can only guess, though, just what role he plays in the grand scheme of things - is he an NPC, or an enemy? Will he trick our player characters and lead them on a wild goose chase? Only time will tell. But in the meantime, enjoy the screenshots of Gollum!

 

A new lord is in town and his name is Jim Crowley. The former COO of mobile media firm m-Qube, as well as former COO of telecommunications company Network Plus, has taken the reins as the new CEO of Turbine, the company in charge of the development of the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online.

As for the deposed king of the proverbial realm, Jeff Anderson will still be included on the Turbine board, although his exact role is still unsure. The decision for Crowley to replace Anderson was a concerted effort to expand business and explore new revenue streams.

The Lord of the Rings Online was the company's latest effort to boost its assets. Taking its fame from the highly-acclaimed series by J.R.R. Tolkien, the game follows the deep mythology and multi-faceted story behind this fantasy classic.

Also, Turbine added Craig Alexander as VP of Product Development and Walt Yarbrough as Executive Producer. Hopefully, this new corporate shuffling can step up the already considerable medals in Turbine's trophy case, which include other online games like Asheron's Call and Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach.

Codemasters' The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar is currently outselling each and every competition in all corners of the world. This, of course, can be attributed to the MMO video game's relation to the lore J.R.R. Tolkien created.

Speaking of which, we'd like to discuss for now the character of Glorfindel. To make this easier, he is actually the Elf-lord who prophesied that no man would defeat the Witch-king.

Aside from that, Glorfindel is also highly respected. He is one of the most powerful of all the Eldar of Middle-earth and counted great among the Wise. His wrath is capable of bringing terror even to the Nazgul of Sauron.

Glorfindel is also the one who pursued the Witch-king of Angmar back to Carn Dum in the days following the fall of Fornost, back when Earnur was still the prince of Gondor. Frodo Baggins also met the Elf-lord. He received Glorfindel's steed Asfaloth during his flight from the Nazgul across the Ford of Bruinen.

In the game, players will first meet him in Rivendell. However, he will be appearing once more at some unexpected moment as "an Elf-lord revealed in his wrath."

We're sure you're familiar with the five most famous Hobbits ("Hobbitses," according to Gollum) from the world of Middle Earth created by J.R.R. Tolkien. For today's introduction of the Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar characters, we meet five Hobbits who played a crucial role in destroying the One Ring.

Hobbits are basically a race of half-lings, smaller than Men, Dwarves, and Elves. They are light footed and stealthy, loyal and resistant to corruption. The first Hobbit we meet is Bilbo Baggins. He got the One Ring from Gollum and is considered the most unusual hobbit in history. He gave the ring to Frodo who was tasked to take it to its destruction in Mordor.

Frodo Baggins was characterized in his younger years as a free spirited youth, though after the events seen in the Return of the King, he became solitary and depressed.

Frodo's constant companion, Samwise Gamgee was the caretaker and gardener of Bag End (Frodo and Bilbo's home). He's loyal to his master and ever reliable. Their two other companions, Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took, or Merry and Pippin, are Frodo's cousins. The two are mostly mischievous and carefree, though they balance each other. Merry is organized and thinks first while Pippin is headstrong and a bit careless.

Anyway, you'll hopefully meet them in your own adventures in Middle Earth and Turbine Inc.'s Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar. Check out the concept art and the models so you'll know what they look like. Happy adventuring!

More character art and renders on after the jump!

 

There are a number of things that would lure an MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role playing game) player to a game. Gameplay, graphics, and community would be important, but let us not forget something else: Lore. The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar is certainly one of the MMOs that is simply bursting with it.

You've probably met the important characters and seen the important locations in Turbine and Codemasters' LotRO: Shadows of Angmar. This time, we'll take a look at the neutral home of the Hillmen, Aughaire. In J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy universe, a kingdom of men called Arnor was split in three (Arthedain, Cardolan, and Rhudaur) and was ruled by three brothers. Unfortunately, the men of Rhudaur (plus the native Hillmen) fell under the Witch-king of Angmar's spell and in effect - serving evil eye Sauron as well.

When Arthedain finally defeated the Witch-king's armies, the Hillmen broke free from the Witch-king's service and went back to being nomads. Since there are some altercation between the Hillmen tribes, they decide to create a neutral city called Aughaire. The tent colony provides neutral grounds for the tribes and also a place to trade in fur, slaves, and others. There's also a clan judge who resides there to arbitrate between rival clans.

Aughaire will prove to be a vital spot in the Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar as the evil in Carn Dum wakes up and tries to control the nomads again.

This next gameplay video for The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar is quite different from all the previous videos we've shared with you in the past. It's called Lute "Playing" and serves as a repose for your wearied and tired bodies. You might be a warrior, but even such restless souls need peace at times.

While it's good to hear that Turbine Inc. will be offering fans a free update this coming June, pardon us if we're still kind of hooked with the recent removal of the marriage feature of the game. We understand that all this talk about same-sex and even inter-species relationships can be a tumultuous topic at the least.

But the MMO video game is based on a book, an important piece of literature, for that matter from, J.R.R. Tolkien. Isn't it a disservice to the fans not letting them enjoy LotRO in its full glory just because of issues like this. Fantasy and fiction folks, that's why it's called that.

But before we continue on this lament, we give you now the gameplay video.

If you wanna find out more about the craftsmanship behind the riveting gameplay of The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, then we suggest you tap into the special Bonus DVD preview that we have here for you.

The artists at Turbine Inc. share their take on the characters personified in the game, and how they were created in the game such that it will be undeniable they are the movers and shakers of the story. Apparently, the full preview is available in the Special Edition of LOTRO. So if you really are interested, you might wanna grab a copy of that, along with the game. In the meantime, we'll cease our chitchat and let you have a look at the preview.