The next expansion for the MMORG, The Lord of the Rings Online, was announced on the 1st August, via the gaming website MMORPG.The Wolves of Mordor, which will launch later in the year, appears ambitious in scope as it will include two new game systems as well as the obligatory story update. This expansion takes place in Draugardh located in the North East of Mordor, beyond the Plateau of Gorgoroth. It includes the new zones of Heledhris, Parth Rhavas and Nan Ogol. These vary environmentally ranging from the arid, volcanic and semi-tropical. Players will encounter the Daugrim in these regions, Werewolves but not in the modern sense. This is not the lycanthropy of Eastern European legends but in the established Tolkien idiom of fell spirits inhabiting the bodies of Wolves. The region also sees the return of the Woses and players can expect to encounter Elves and scouts from Gondor. As ever with LOTRO expansions, there will be new instances as well as a raid. The two new game systems included with The Wolves of Mordor appear quite intriguing. Neighbours, is an additional feature to existing player housing. NPCs visit your home(s) and players have the option of completing special Neighbour Missions with them. These advance a bespoke Neighbour reputation system, offering rewards for both the NPC and the player. How you interact with an NPC impacts upon their mood and disposition. The second system is Survival Instincts, an account-wide progression system tied for the time being to the regions in the new expansion. As you “quest” through Draugardh, you will unlock new triggered abilities, active skills, and tactical responses that “enhance” your respective class strengths. Survival Instincts are earned by building reputation with the region’s inhabitants and are organised through a new tab on the existing Trait Panel. What makes this mechanic more interesting is that they’re account-wide unlocks. The addition of two new game systems certainly makes The Wolves of Mordor standout from recent expansions. LOTRO players have been asking for the scope of the housing system to be broadened for years. Neighbours certainly appears to address these requests. Survival Instincts raises some interesting possibilities, especially with regard to account-wide unlocks and benefits. Both Guild Wars 2 and Star Trek Online have systems like these and they’re useful when creating new alts. Standing Stone Games have posted provisional notes on both these new systems with further details coming soon. It is also worth noting that the next expansion does not include an increase in the level cap and hopefully that means that the virtue trait cap will similarly remain the same. I do find the gear treadmill somewhat tiring in LOTRO, especially if you reach level cap close to the launch date of a new expansion and subsequently have to replace all you recently acquired gear. What I do find interesting about The Wolves of Mordor is that developers SSG, have chosen a less known lore reference about Sauron being “Lord of Werewolves” as the theme for the expansion. This lore comes principally from First Age material surrounding Beren and Lúthien. During that era, Sauron turned the captured Island of Tol Sirion into the evil fortress of Tol-in-Gaurhoth and apparently bred werewolves by imprisoning evil spirits within wolf-bodies. They were used as executioners and hunters. Sauron himself took the shape of a mighty wolf and it should be noted that the battering ram Grond, which was used during the assualt on Minas Tirith during the War of the Ring, was fashioned into the shape of ravening Wolf’s head. Details regarding these references can be found in The Silmarillion and The History of Middle-earth. Hence I am looking forward to the release of this new expansion as SSG have always utilised canonical lore well.