The Lord of the Rings: War in the North

The Lord of the Rings: War in the North is a role-playing video game developed by Snowblind Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. It is based on the events taking place in the northern regions of Middle-earth in the background of the main story of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, more specifically in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy universe. Players take control of a hero of the war, and are able to play through the game alone or co-operatively with other players.

The Mac OS X version was developed and published by Feral Interactive and released on September 18th 2013.[1]

The game features stronger graphic violence than previous Lord of the Rings games and is the first game in the series to receive an M rating from the ESRB.[4]



Gameplay


In a preview article in PlayStation Magazine, it was discussed that players will have skills that are upgradeable, characters that can be customized, and that conversations play out similarly to Mass Effect without the moral ramifications. Each character also has ranged attacks which they can use.

Farin (the dwarf champion) has a crossbow. Eradan (the human ranger) has a bow and Andriel (the female elf lore-master) can cast ranged spells at enemies. All characters also have light and heavy attacks and can roll, block and counter enemy attacks. Players can also issue orders to their AI companions if they are playing solo. There are also hubs in the game which function as points where the party may rest, accept new quests, speak to people and stock up on new supplies. Hubs are towns or villages.

Each class also has a unique ability. The dwarf for example can mine for gems which can be used for crafting purposes and he can also smash walls down where hidden treasure can be found. The game also features unlockable difficulty modes such as a nightmare difficulty. You can replay through the game and keep all your equipment and skills from the previous playthrough. Dialogue will normally present a few choices where the player can get just the facts, delve deeper into the lore or get optional side quests. The gameplay also relies upon the player working with friends (or with AI companions) to use tactics to defeat certain enemies.

Locations
Many locations that are not featured in the movies are in the game. Confirmed locations include the Ettenmoors, Fornost, Mirkwood and Mount Gundabad. Locations from the movies also appear in the game. Players can explore Bree and Rivendell and interact with the characters there which include Gandalf, Elrond, Frodo, Bilbo, Legolas, Arwen and Aragorn. Characters from the books can also be encountered to appear in the game, such as the Ranger Halbarad, Radagast, and Elrond's sons Elrohir and Elladan.

Characters
The War in The North features three playable protagonists. Each character has different classes from one another but each character's class is adaptable. You gain experience when killing enemies, and when you get enough experience, you gain a new level. You can then improve your stats (strength, will, stamina, dexterity), and use skill points to receive or upgrade special abilities. For example, Eradan is a Ranger and thus excels with the bow and sword but lacks the strength of Farin. He can be leveled up however to be an expert with two handed weapons, dual wielding, weapons and shields (tank) or the bow. Farin is an expert with melee weapons but can use ranged weapons and can be leveled up to use such. He can also be leveled up to be the tank or the damage dealer of the party. Andriel is a mage but she can wield two swords at once and level up in melee attacks, supportive magic or offensive magic.


 * Eradan is the Ranger class, he is one of the Dúnedain.
 * He is the most adaptable playable character and is adept at using any weapon. He can use a two handed sword, dual wield weapons, use a bow and a sword and shield . Eradan also has access to many stealth abilities which allow him to sneak up on enemies to attack them.


 * Andriel is the Elven Loremaster class who has been taught by Elrond. She hails from Rivendell. She uses magic as her defense and offense but can dual wield a one handed weapon with her staff which she can also use to melee attack enemies with. Her abilities include offensive spells and supportive spells but she also has melee abilities and can be leveled up to be a battlemage" if the player wishes. She also has the ability to create potions from alchemy ingredients that the player may find.
 * Farin is the Champion class, he hails from Erebor. He is best described as the warrior character but he can use a crossbow and simply focus on using it to attack enemies from afar. Out of all three characters, Farin is the most skilled in using melee weapons and he has many powerful abilities allowing him to attack multiple enemies at once. If you learn and improve the ability "War-Cry", he can be able to boost himself and his companions, as well as damaging enemies and reviving. He can also mine for gems.

Playable

 * Eradan (First appearance)
 * Farin
 * Andriel (First appearance)

Non-Playable

 * Aragorn
 * Halbarad
 * Luin (First appearance)
 * Kilaren (First appearance)
 * Silanna (First appearance)
 * Maradan (First appearance)
 * Elaran (First appearance)
 * Hador
 * Witch-king of Angmar (mentioned only)
 * Bruni (First Appearance)
 * Nordri (First Appearance)
 * Beleram (First Appearance)
 * Arwen
 * Legolas
 * Frodo Baggins
 * Gloin
 * Elladan
 * Elrohir
 * Gimli
 * Boromir
 * Bilbo Baggins
 * Radagast
 * Elrond
 * Agandaûr (First Appearance)

Creatures

 * Orc
 * Goblin
 * Eagle
 * Troll
 * Barrow-wight

Locations

 * Middle-earth
 * Bree
 * The Prancing Pony
 * Fornost
 * Sarn Ford
 * Brandywine
 * Barrow-Downs
 * Rivendell
 * Lórien
 * Shire (mentioned only)
 * Mordor (mentioned only)
 * Númenor (mentioned only)

Organizations and titles

 * Dúnedain
 * Rangers of the North
 * Cardolan (mentioned only)
 * Arthedain (mentioned only)
 * Black Riders

Miscellaneous

 * Black Breath
 * Athelas