Orion has posted at the Lord of the Rings Online official forum confirming that there will be raid content. More info was released in this post.

‘Oh boy!’

It’s a catch phrase from one of my favorite TV shows of all time; Quantum Leap. Sam Beckett, the main character, would say this when he realized that he had leapt into a difficult situation. See, Sam was a time-traveler who fixed wrongs by helping people who needed the help. I kept hoping that Sam was going to leap into me and fix my little conundrum; alas.

A few months ago I penned my first Dev Diary stating that we were solo friendly (we still are), I also stated that there would be group instances (still there!) and I also said of raids, ‘At this time, the answer is no.’ (Oh boy!).

Development is mercurial; what is true one day may not necessarily be true the next. Over the past few months we have mentioned other major changes and now, I must tell you that we will have raids in Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar.

What a difference four months can make.

Great! Now the game is for hardcore raiders only, right?

No way!

The only change is that there will be raids. We’re not changing the focus of the game, nor are we making this the only avenue of an end-game or unique treasure. Treasure will still drop outside of raids that are comparable.

Okay, but that means that you’ll have to raid.

Again, no way!

Raids will be tangential to the main storylines, offer alternative game-play and be available to players who enjoy them. We are well aware that not everyone enjoys raiding and we are still dedicated to keeping the main storylines out of raids. We will not force players to raid.

I bet you need 40 to raid.

Nope.

Currently, raids are slated for twenty-four people maximums. While this number is mutable downward, there are no plans to increase that number at the top end. (With that stated, things can change; but we are all well aware of how difficult it is to organize large groups of people. There is an adage about ‘herding cats’.)

So this is your answer to Endgame.

Raids are part of the answer to endgame as they are an option. They are not the only answer. More information will be available as it is ready for dissemination.

When will we learn more about Raids?

There will be a more in-depth look at raids, including some video from our first play-through in the coming days. No guarantees, but likely within the next few weeks.


I will be monitoring this thread throughout the day and answering questions as they arrive.