EA is making a Lord of the Rings mobile ‘collectible RPG’

By DeAngelo Epps Published May 9, 2022

A new Lord of the Rings game is on the way to mobile devices thanks to a new partnership between EA and Middle-Earth Enterprises, a division of The Saul Zaentz Company. The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth is a free-to-play “Collectible RPG” that EA plans to add to its live service portfolio.

Tease image from EA's upcoming LOTR mobile game. — Image used with permission by copyright holder

This new partnership comes shortly after the Lord of the Rings gaming and movie rights went on sale by Zaentz Co., the rights holder of the series. This is the first major Lord of the Rings gaming project to emerge since then.

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The title features “immersive storytelling, turn-based combat, deep collection systems, and a wide roster of characters from across the vast universe of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.” EA’s press release also states that the game is solely inspired by the depiction of Middle-earth as it’s described in the actual Lord of the Rings books by J.R.R. Tolkien.

The blog goes into detail about more things to expect from Heroes of Middle-earth like high-fidelity graphics, cinematic animations, and stylized art. However, not much has been disclosed beyond those details, with no gameplay or images of the actual game being shared.

If the word “collectible” has you nervous in the NFT era (especially after EA called them “the future of our industry“), don’t worry: EA confirmed to Digital Trends that the game will not feature NFT integration.

With rarely any hard details shared, it’s no surprise that The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth doesn’t have a release window just yet. However, EA is aiming to launch a limited best test this summer.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

De'Angelo Epps is a gaming writer passionate about the culture, communities, and industry surrounding gaming. His work ranges…

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Elden Ring: How to find and use Rune Arcs

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One way to help even the odds is by using Rune Arcs — a consumable item that lets you access Great Runes. You'll first need to unlock Great Runes to start properly using Rune Arcs, but once that's taken care of, you'll notice a big boost in your abilities.

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The best rings in Lords of the Fallen

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Magical rings are nothing new to fantasy or games, and Lords of the Fallen makes good use of these little pieces of jewelry. Unlike armor or weapons, rings are an accessory that gives you passive bonuses as long as you're wearing them. While not as immediately noticeable as other gear can be, some of these rings are quite strong and can do a lot to improve your build and playstyle. Some give straight attribute buffs, while others have more conditional effects, but with dozens to pick from and find, you'll be spoiled for choice. No matter what build you're going for, these are the best rings to bling out your character within Lords of the Fallen.
Best rings

There are well over 50 rings in Lords of the Fallen, and despite your character having 10 fingers, or at least 8 if you don't count thumbs, to wear them on, you have to choose only two at a time. Rings can be found either in chests or by beating special enemies or bosses.
Ring of Nourishment
Health is your most valuable resource in Lords of the Fallen, as is the case with all Soulslikes. You have limited healing options normally, so getting through a tough or new area can wear your character down over time as you run out of healing. The Ring of Nourishment can't replace your default healing but is a great supplement to keep you going and save a few charges. Each enemy you kill while wearing this ring will restore a bit of your health. If you play carefully and smartly, you can use it to completely undo some mistakes. This ring won't do you much good in boss fights, though.
Ring of Gnawing
For the more spell-focused builds, mana is always tough to manage. Unlike stamina, which will automatically replenish itself over time, but require you to rest at a checkpoint or use a consumable item. If you have the Ring of Gnawing, you can get a bit of mana back every time you hit an enemy with a normal attack. This is ideal for builds that spec in both strength or agility and a magic focus since you can swap back and forth as you regain and spend your mana.
Ring of Duty
This is a somewhat boring pick, but if you're a more traditional build focused on hitting things hard and fast, then the Ring of Duty is an easy one to slap on. This simply buffs both your VIT and END attributes to make you that much harder to kill.
Queen Verena II's Ring
If the Ring of Nourishment is a bit too risky for you, you can always fall back on the Queen of Verena II's Ring. This is a simple HP regen ring that slowly ticks up your health over time. If you are patient enough, you can take a break after each encounter to get back to full health before moving on, though that can be quite boring.
Ring of Bones
Lords of the Fallen breaks down your equipment load into four categories: light, medium, heavy, and overburdened. Most players will feel most comfortable at either medium or light burden levels for a more fluid feeling combat flow, but keeping yourself that light is tough without forgoing some armor or weapons. The Ring of Bones can help you sneak under these thresholds by increasing your character's maximum equip load.
Mineowner's Ring
As an alternative to the Ring of Duty, or complement to it if you wear both, the Mineowner's Ring is focused only on stamina. Not only is it a better stamina buff, but it also increases the rate your stamina recovers so you can get back on the offensive as fast as possible.