16-year-old LOTRO invites you to go loot the Witch-king’s house for its anniversary

Lord of the Rings online is celebrating its 16th anniversary this year, releasing this past week update 35.1 (wow) and adding a cool new raid alongside a bunch of upgrades and gifts for players. While players long-ago plundered the Witch-king’s citadel at Angmar and deposed the wraiths dwelling there, it turns out that like every other evil in Middle-Earth they probably should have just gone and chucked everything there in a volcano for good measure.

“Gwathrenost, the Witch-king’s Citadel is a new Raid for Level 140 Players set in a re-imagined Carn Dûm! This raid will be available on Tiers 1 and 2 in the near future. Once the seat of the Witch-king of Angmar, the dread citadel of Gwathrenost casts a long shadow upon the city of Carn Dûm. All but abandoned after the Steward of Angmar was deposed, the remnants of the Iron Crown have crept forth from the shadows, seeking to master a lost artifact of the Witch-king and reclaim dominion over the realm,” says the announcement (opens in new tab).

All respect to Tolkien as usual, because I didn’t roll my eyes at any of those made up words. Every single one was cool as hell. Gwathrenost.

4otro’s 16th anniversary update also adds new customization options for people playing as humans, greatly letting you broaden what you can do in the looks department for your characters. There are now more shared options between the genders, and some textures have gotten upgrades to improve their look. There’s also a greater range of body proportions available. 

“We want to make as many players feel represented in the game as possible, and we are introducing new character creation options for your face, hair, and body,” say the developers, but noting that they have more work to do for a wider variety of options and they’ll follow up with more in the future.

Lord of the Rings Online is certainly an older MMO at this point, but it’s still going very strong. Developers Standing Stone Games have outlined a rich list of updates and additions coming this year. Amid updates to classes, crafting, and playing as monsters, they’re also running in-game events like festivals and treasure hunts. Later this year new adventures will release, along with a higher level cap, a new class, new instances, and a new raid—all alongside expansions to the game’s already-copious story.

You can read the complete release notes for Lord of the Rings Online Update 35.1 on its website (opens in new tab).