Summary
The survival crafting genre has become one of gaming’s most popular thanks to popular titles likeMinecraftandARK: Survival Evolved, andThe Lord of the Rings: Return to Moriajoining the ranks of these gaming titans is a welcome addition. Although the survival crafting genre is populated with a wide array of titles,The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moriatakes advantage of Tolkien’s world of Middle-Earth to bring a unique twist to the genre. The result is a game with deep survival crafting mechanics that marries this popular genre with the lore potential ofThe Lord of the Ringsfranchise.
Return to Moriais set in the Fourth Age of Middle-Earth, following the defeat of Sauron and the return of Aragorn to the throne of the Reunited Kingdoms. With the Dwarf Clans of Middle-Earth scattered,Gimli Lockbearerputs forth the call for Dwarves from around the region to return and help retake Moria and restore it to the great city it once was. This premise establishes the perfect plot for a survival crafting game set inThe Lord of the Ringsuniverse, and it acts as a vehicle for many of the game’s mechanics to take center stage.
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How the Survival Crafting Mechanics Work in The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria
Fans of survival crafting games will likely be familiar with the basics ofReturn to Moriaas the game features many elements players come to expect of the genre. Mechanics like health and stamina management are present, requiring players to sleep and eat in order to restore these meters. Players will also need to collect resources to craft the tools necessary for survival, working their way upReturn to Moria’s craftingtree and crafting more complex structures to restore the lost city to its former glory.
Basic resources like stone, wood scraps, and iron ore are necessary for a variety of the useful equipment players will need as they begin to delve into thedepths of Moria. Food resources like meat that can be obtained from killing various creatures in the mines or sunions which can be found growing in cracks in the ground are necessary for cooking meals. Of course, players will need to build structures like a hearth, meal table, and forge if they are going to turn these raw resources into useful tools and consumables.
Things get a bitmore complex inReturn to Moriain some of the buffs and debuffs associated with the type of environment the player finds themselves in. Darkness plays a huge role inReturn to Moriaas it not only hinders the player’s vision but can also apply debuffs if too much time is spent in it, so it’s wise for players to check their light level via the HUD in the bottom left of the screen. Players can also receive buffs from collecting Hero’s Tokens when honoring a fallen ally and crafting them into a Memorial Flame, which can be used to gain a temporary energy buff.
These buffs and debuffs will play a key role in players' survival as the ruins of Moria are full of enemies like goblins, orcs, and other more fearsome foes that appear the deeper players delve. Players will also have to contend with random sieges that see these enemies attempt to lay waste to the base the player has built, meaning players will need to ensure their camp is well fortified, and they are appropriately armed for combat. Death can result in substantial setbacks inReturn to Moriaas players will lose itemsand return to the game’s starting point or the last bedroll they slept in, but this can be avoided if another player can revive them in time.
The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moriais available on PC. The PS5 version launches on December 5, and the Xbox Series X/S version is scheduled to release in early 2024.
The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria
WHERE TO PLAY
Reclaim the Dwarven homeland of MoriaSummoned to the Misty Mountains by Lord Gimli Lockbearer, players take control of a company of Dwarves tasked to reclaim the lost spoils from the Dwarven homeland of Moria—known as Khazad-dûm or Dwarrowdelf—in the depths below their very feet. Their quest will require fortitude, delving deep into the Mines of Moria to recover its treasures. Set in a procedurally generated Dwarven realm of Moria, no two adventures will be alike, and every expedition is traversable either solo or online with companions. Players can mine to craft greater gear and resources, but beware mining makes noise, and noise created in the quiet deep threatens to awaken the dangers below: where there’s clatter, there’s combat. Excavate the mysteries of three legendary mountains, extract precious metals, scrape to survive, and battle unspeakable forces to learn the secret of the Shadow that lurks within.
