When is The Lord of the Rings Return to Moria release date? If you’re a fan of survival games and fantasy lore, you won’t want to miss this Dwarven adventure. Based on the fantasy world created by J.R.R. Tolkien, Return to Moria follows the Dwarves as they look to reclaim their former homeland.
Explore the mines of Moria below the Misty Mountains of Middle-earth, learn to survive in rough conditions, and fight against deadly creatures along the way. From mining in the deepest caves to slaying giant orcs, here’s all the latest information for The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, including release date, trailers, gameplay, and details about the upcoming PC game‘s story.
The Lord of the Rings Return to Moria release date
The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria release date is Tuesday, October 24, 2023, and the game will be available on PC via the Epic Games Store, as well as Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. The confirmed release date was announced during Summer Game Fest 2023.
The development process was slightly delayed, as the game was originally planned for Spring 2023. Though these Lord of the Rings-related games are by different developers and publishers, this may be due to the poor reception of The Lord of the Rings: Gollum received upon launch. This was one of the subjects that came up during a chat at Gamescom with developer Free Range Games, as it discussed with us its long-term plans for the dwarf-based building game.
In amongst the fine-tuning, there was also an opportunity to conduct some beta testing, which happened behind closed doors. This test allowed a select few to experience the first third of the story and half of the square footage of the entire game. You can check out the hour-long post Return to Moria beta Q&A session about what happened during the beta and what players can look forward to.
The Lord of the Rings Return to Moria trailers
The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria announcement trailer from June 2022 takes us through the famous Doors of Durin and into the great halls of the ancient Dwarven city below, where we’ll stumble upon old buildings, narrow tunnels, and epic waterfalls. This trailer offers a first glimpse at the building and crafting system, with a rad Dwarven armor set shown at 00:42.
The most recent gameplay trailer from June 2023 gives a much better idea of the creative possibilities. You can see wooden staircases, stone towers, and a fully-furnished Dwarven home at 00:30.
The Lord of the Rings Return to Moria gameplay
As a survival game, Return to Moria’s gameplay offers a mixture of world exploration, resource management, crafting, and combat. Each new game occurs on a procedurally generated map, meaning no two adventures are the same. After customizing your Dwarven character, you may delve into the depths of Moria on your own or with a group of friends – up to eight players in total.
Once the Dwarves have set up a base, gotten some sleep, and gathered a nice stack of food, they’re free to explore or build as they see fit. The building system offers plenty of room for creativity, allowing you to create a new home from scratch or build upon existing foundations. Be careful while mining for resources, though, as mining makes noise, and noise awakens the dangers that lie beneath our Dwarven company’s feet.
Here are the enemies we expect to encounter based on what we’ve seen in the gameplay trailer:
- Orcs and Goblins: They appear to come in different shapes and sizes, with some of them larger, better equipped, or more sickly green than others. As Tolkien used the words “Orc” and “Goblin” interchangeably, with the latter referring specifically to the orcs in the Misty Mountains, both terms may also be used in the game.
- Spiders: Not quite the size of Shelob, but still uncomfortably large.
- Cave Troll: Yup, they have a cave troll.
- The Watcher in the Water: It’s not clear if this aquatic tentacle creature is the same one as the famous monster that almost took Frodo, but it certainly looks like it.
The Lord of the Rings Return to Moria story
Set in Middle-earth’s Fourth Age, the One Ring has been destroyed. The evil Lord Sauron has been defeated, and nothing is stopping our brave band of Dwarves from reclaiming their lost home under the Misty Mountains.
Moria, also known as Khazad-Dûm or Dwarrowdelf, was once the greatest Dwarven city in Middle-earth. Due to excessive mithril mining, the Dwarves awakened an immensely dangerous Balrog, whose presence made the city uninhabitable. Many, many years later, following several failed attempts, the ancient Dwarven city of Moria may finally be reclaimed.
Fans of Peter Jackson’s movie trilogy will also be excited to hear that The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is narrated by John Rhys-Davies – who those same fans will recognize as Gimli, the most famous of Dwarves.
That’s all we know about the Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria release date so far. While you’re waiting for launch day, you might want to pick a game from our list of the best fantasy games on PC. Or, if it’s the “build an epic house, survive orc attacks, and don’t starve” thing that speaks to you most, try one of the best crafting games to test your skills.
