Lord Of The Rings: Wolves Of Mordor Officially Releases October 2026

Published Oct 8, 2026, 10:32 AM EDT

James is a gaming writer from London who has spent thousands of hours exploring titles from every genre. Though he has a particular affinity for multiplayer titles like World of Warcraft, Destiny 2 and League of Legends, he has also put thousands of hours into single-player experiences, from deep RPGs to epic PC strategies. When he's not playing or writing, he can usually be found supporting his beloved Brentford FC.

The life of Sauron is arguably the most interesting and persistent narrative thread in The Lord of the Rings, and Tolkien's writings beyond that. From his early days as Morgoth's greatest servant, to his temporary fall in the Second Age, and his return, that nearly plunged the entirety of Middle-earth into darkness.

That said, many of the adaptations we have seen so far have him as more of a background figure, a looming threat spoken about in hushed whispers by those who seek to stop him. Now, though, a new release is on the way that puts the big bad at the center of the equation, and it comes from one of the best MMOs of all time.

Lord Of The Rings: Wolves Of Mordor Is Coming

As first reported by GameRant (via an MMORPG exclusive), The Lord of the Rings Online has confirmed the upcoming release of its latest DLC, The Wolves of Mordor. The update is centered on the titular region where Sauron made his home in Middle-earth, with the emphasis being placed on three new areas in the region, Heledhris, Parth Rhavas, and Nan Ogol.

If you're familiar with the lore, you'll be unsurprised to know that the expansion focuses on Sauron's time as The Lord of Werewolves (or Wolves), an honorific given to him during the First Age. He was known as the creator of Tolkien's version of the legendary animals, and he was even known to fight in his own wolf form from time to time.

From a gameplay perspective, the expansion adds a new Survival Instinct system, an account-wide progression path built specifically to track players journey in the new regions. As part of that, players will be granted new abilities, skills, and passives as they work through, rather than leveling up in the traditional format of an MMO.

The Neighbor system is also debuting this time around, and it's a bit of a Hobbit's dream, allowing players to build their relationships with NPCs, via daily interactions, quests and gifting. The expansion also comes with all of the usual new instances, for three and six players, as well as a raid (though that is launching a little later on).

Lord Of The Rings Fans Should Mark Their Calendars

There's plenty for The Lord Of The Rings fans to get excited about at the moment, between the new movie from Andy Serkis and a new open-world RPG from the team behind Kingdom Come Deliverance. We're also getting a new season of The Rings of Power very soon. Not everyone is so jazzed about that show. I don't mind it, but that's just me.

The Lord of the Rings Online: Wolves Of Mordor was previously scheduled for Fall of this year, but it now looks as if the expansion is set to go live October 2026, so really not very long to wait now. That makes it a great time to try the MMO out for the first time, particularly if you're already a fan of Tolkien's world building.

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