What makes this instance particularly interesting for long-time Lotro Gold fans is the camera that swings around the action and zooms in for close-ups during particularly dramatic moments. Book 14 will mark the introduction of a cinematic camera system for in-game cut-scenes that will actually take control away from the player, though this should be an optional choice on the player's part.

The effect was even more dramatic when we were shown the final confrontation between Amarthiel, Mistress of Barad Gularan and the False King of Angmar. The power struggle between these two as they fight over Mordor's third-in-command slot has been a driving force behind the player's epic quests since the game was launched. "It's really important to communicate to the players that they are not playing second fiddle to the Fellowship," Steefel says as we watch the two mortal enemies clash. "The new camera is a tool for showing that this, too, is one of the great, dramatic stories of the War of the Ring."