Turbine and Codemasters Online Gaming announced the details of the second free content update for subscribers to The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar.

Official Press Release:

TURBINE AND CODEMASTERS ONLING GAMING UNVEIL
BOOK 10: THE CITY OF THE KINGS
FOR THE LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINETM
Major Content Update to Hit MMO to be Available on August 20th

WESTWOOD, MA. August 13, 2007. Turbine, Inc. and Codemasters Online Gaming announced the details of the second free content update for subscribers to The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar.  Book 10: The City of the Kings continues the epic story, adds over 100 new quests, implements significant enhancements to monster play and introduces the Reputation and Bartering systems.  Book 10: The City of the Kings will be available to subscribers of The Lord of the Rings Online on August 20, 2007.

"Our first update significantly expanded the world of Middle-earth with new story arcs, quests, and exciting new kinds of gameplay," said Jeffrey Anderson, president and CEO of Turbine, Inc.  "For Book 10 we continue the epic story and introduce a ton of new content, but we also are introducing legendary play, a completely new way to experience monster play that enables you to play as a powerful Ranger of the North or a terrible Troll."

Beginning August 20th, heroes can join the battle in Book 10: The City of the Kings, the second of many free updates to The Lord of the Rings Online.

NEW FEATURES:

The Epic Continues: Amarthiel, introduced in Book 9: Shores of Evendim, has reclaimed the palantir of Carn Dum and is now seeking to make Annuminas her new seat of power as she searches for her lost ring of power: Narchuil. The Dunedain stands against her as the Rangers mount a last, desperate attempt to wrest the palantir from Amarthiel. Before she can find Narchuil, a most dangerous opportunity presents itself that may give the Dunedain the advantage they need to blind the eye of Angmar.

Legendary Play: Once in the Ettenmoors, players can experience monster play in a completely new way by spending their Destiny Points to play as a powerful Ranger of the North or a terrible Troll to offer a strategic advantage to their allies in the battle for control of the Ettenmoors.

Critter Play: Friendly barnyard animals love squawking around the landscape, exploring chicken coops, hunting for worms and more! Players can now explore Middle-earth from a different and sometimes unexpected viewpoint as a chicken, the first of many new playable critters that will be added to the game in the future.

New Reputation and Bartering Systems: Book 10 introduces the Reputation and Bartering systems. The Reputation system enables players to earn positive and negative standing with different races and groups in Middle-earth based on both monster kills and quest completions. The Bartering system allows players to trade trophies earned in battle for rewards such as armor sets or mounts.

Over 100 New Quests: The story continues for players as they aid the Fellowship and encounter new adventures, new dungeons and over a dozen new monsters.

Enhanced User Interface: The game´s UI is now customizable. In addition to being able to skin your UI with a unique look, Book 10 will enable players to access sliders in their ´Options´ panel to scale the size of individual elements of the UI to their liking.

"We are working very hard to deliver the most content and best experiences to our subscribers and it is extremely satisfying to see such a large number of players embracing the game and joining us in Middle-earth," added Anderson.  "We intend to continue our long established reputation of delivering frequent and substantial updates to our players with the release of Book 11 this Fall which will offer players the opportunity to live in their very own house in Middle-earth!"

The Lord of the Rings Online delivers an interactive experience brimming with life and filled with the familiar people, places and monsters from the most beloved fantasy adventure of all time. From the quaint surroundings of the Shire to Angmar, the vile kingdom of the Witch-king, players will experience the world of Middle-earth as never before.  The Lord of the Rings Online is now available for purchase at major retailers across North America and Europe. For more information about The Lord of the Rings Online, please visit http://www.lotro.com/ or http://www.lotro-europe.com/.