Welcome to another episode of QJ.NET's MMORPG Weekend Warrior! This week's top picks include recent speculation on a new MMO project that just might be under development by Blizzard. There's also the matter of a several patch updates, while a new MMORPG saddles up for a prize-laden Open Beta run. Details are available over in the full article.

And lest we forget - a happy Independence Day greetings to all our readers!

It's time for another round of "guess who" for Tolkien fans. Take a guess: who is the cousin of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins. Clue: he and his wife, Lobelia, tried to auction off Bilbo's possessions when he went off on the Quest of Erebor. You might have encountered his son and his wife on your travels through the Shire in Lord of the Rings Online. Got a name yet? Go to the full article to see if you got it right.

Pop quiz, Tolkien fans! Who was the wife of Tom Bombadil, also known as River-woman's daughter? This River-maiden is also in Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, so you might have met her on your travels as well if you play the MMO. Take a guess and head to the full article to see if you're right.

Book 12 of the Lord of the Rings Online continued the epic storyline that Turbine Inc. has weaved into the lore of Tolkien. However, the story is not yet over. Prepare for Book 13: Doom of the Last King, where the game will be introduced to the Lossoth race, an ancient enemy of Angmar. Details on this new region in the full article.

Hungry for more details about Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria, the first major expansion of the Tolkien MMO? A teaser website has just emerged where details can be obtained from mini-games. More details after the jump.

In the long and troubled history of Middle-earth, a lot of great monuments have been built, and a lot have been lost to time. Those who follow the lore of the Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar might be familiar with the High Pass, where the characters of Tolkien's "The Hobbit" once sheltered. Read about the High Pass in the full article.

Following the success of Turbine's The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar MMORPG, Tolkien Enterprises has decided to extend the license to create games based on The Lord of the Rings series until 2014. If you want to know more, be sure to head on over to the full article by clicking on the "read more" link below.

 

From bridges and encampments, we move on to the more royal part of the tour of Middle-earth, in Codemasters' The Lord of The Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar. Yes, it's the once-glorious city of Annuminas, former home of the High King Elendil and the succeeding Kings of Arnor. Gaze at its magnificence, and try to see what once was there, for now it is but an empty shell of days gone past.

While time certainly hasn't been kind to the city of Annuminas - it's a dark, desolate place where few dare to tread, and even fewer still choose to inhabit - it has a very rich history, filled with legends and myths that would spark the flame of curiosity in any adventurer.

After all, this was the place where Elendil himself ruled over the North and South Kingdoms of Men - namely Arnor and Gondor - before his rule fell apart, to be torn apart by strife and war. Treasure, not to mention challenges, could be hiding in its many halls and passageways.

Looking at how the guys over at Turbine Inc. have recreated Annuminas in the digital plains of Middle-earth, we can't help but marvel at the fact that such detail could be given to something that wasn't really described very well in Tolkien's series. Again, kudos to the developers for bringing to light yet another landmark that would have been otherwise forgotten.

 

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!

In The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, not only can we travel the lands of Middle-earth in all of its glory, but we can also retrace the steps of the legendary heroes that also began their journey as mere adventurers. In this update about Turbine Inc.'s MMORPG about the Tolkien series, we visit the isle of Tinnudir in the region of Lake Evendim, where an encampment was established by none other than Aragorn himself.

And it's not just a mere camp - just like the other setpieces of Lord of the Rings, it has an underlying history that's rife with the stuff legends are made of. Aragorn, then Chieftain of the Dunedain, first stepped into Tinnudir to recover a lost jewel known as the Silithar. He never did find the jewel again, but he left his companion Calenglad with a small party of rangers to protect the tombs of kings strewn in the island's ruins.

To this day, Calenglad and his rangers - as well as a few upstanding townfolk - guard Tinnudir and its treasures from lowly-grave robbers and their ilk. They wait patiently for Aragorn's return, knowing that he would reclaim his birthright soon enough.

Tinnudir is but one of the many locations recreated into digital perfection by the Turbine Inc. team in The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, and where players will be led to once they step into Evendim - where elven rangers lie in waiting for their help.