Hey who wants some free stuff?! Lord of the Rings Online was supposed to drop a big patch and promo yesterday, but it got delayed until the last minute. The good news is that it’s live now, and you should really log in and get those freebies for your future self. Here’s what you get:
- the new instance called The Dragon and the Storm (automatically unlocked);
- the freebie portrait frame and minipet in honor of DDO’s Year of the Dragon (use code SMAUGSSPOILS);
- the Before the Shadow mini-expansion (automatically unlocked);
- and the freebie steed – or two of ’em if you’re subbed (apply code GALADRIELSGIFT).
We’ve seen some folks – even on our own staff! – who thought that getting Before the Shadow for free was no big deal because they’re casuals or lowbies and would never get to see it, but no: In fact, Beyond the Shadow includes two newbie zones that will get you from 1 to the lower 30s pretty easily. Also it’s super pretty. And it’ll gear you up. And it gives you a pony. It’s basically ideal for the modern newbie or alt, especially if you’re tired of, you know, running pies but still want to be in the world where running pies is normal.
In addition to the new instance, the accompanying patch tweaks thread multipliers for non-tanks, fixes several issues with the Lore-master revamp, plumps up the crafting events, and fixes custom names for carry-alls.