Check Out The Final World Map For The Lord Of The Rings: Return To Moria

You may have been following the development of Free Range Games’ upcoming survival base-building game, set in J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings Return To Moria, a game set in Tolkien’s iconic universe, may have caught your eye.

That wasn’t the final word. Then, Game Informer Return to Moria’s final map is the only one that we can show you in detail. There are also two other variants. In the gallery below, you’ll find the final map in English, a second in English with annotations, and a third in the Runic Alphabet language from The Lord of the Rings. 

The world map for The Lord of the Rings – Return to Moria has been revealed.

Exclusive previews of maps are included in this video. Game Informer Return to Moria art director, Michael, talks about this game, the visuals and these maps. Enjoy!

Wesley LeBlanc is the Game Informer’s Wesley LeBlancMines of Moria is a very famous place. The Mines of Moria is a well known setting, and even non-LOTR enthusiasts would recognize it from movies, memes etc. What came first, the setting of Moria or a survival-based game? What influenced the development of one? 

Bradly Fulton is the art director of Free Range Games’ The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria. 

The game was always going to be a multiplayer cooperative game, set somewhere in Middle Earth. We knew this from the start. Very quickly, we came to the idea of Dwarves as the main characters–of all the races in Tolkien’s world, they were a natural fit. Dwarves are hardy, efficient folk who pair well with an action game that focuses on mining, building and crafting. We didn’t wish to make your character feel out of place with the goofy humor that comes with any multiplayer co-op experience. The Dwarven are also known for their raucous nature, despite having a tragic past.

Moria, in the Fourth Age, immediately stood out to us as the ideal setting. The Mines of Moria can be seen as the origin of the dungeon. It was too good to miss the chance to go back to where so many of the fantasy tropes were derived from. Setting it to the Fourth Age also allows players to add to an already beloved setting. In the Appendices, we find out how Moria ends. However, everything that happens between the book events and the Appendices is a complete mystery. The Lord of the Rings Return To Moria is set in this time period, so players will not know what they may find. They can fill in the blanks with their own actions.

How was the experience of designing these maps like? On the same vein, how was it to create a video game set in this famous world? It must be both exciting and challenging to create a new game for the biggest fantasy franchise in the world. 

Fulton: The most gratifying thing about working within this universe is the way that it forms a common creative language. It can sometimes be difficult to create an original world, because the team has different perspectives that are not always in harmony. Comparatively, the team we worked with was full of creative enthusiasm from the beginning. All of them were incredibly excited to be able to create in this world, and brought their extensive knowledge with them. You don’t need to explain what a Dwarf or an Orc is – instead, you can spend that time working out the subtle differences between the Dwarven or Orcish tribes and how that might have an impact on their visual style or on the narrative.

It was the same on the map. We knew that the artist we were working with was already very knowledgeable about Middle Earth. The brief needed only to state our objectives. Our goal was for the map to appear as if it were a handmade artifact from the land that the Dwarves lived in, created with their tools and using knowledge they knew of. Our illustrator knew the location so the rest of content was a natural fit.

What is the process of procedural generation? How does the team aim to make every “run” unique and fun? 

Fulton: Moria poses some challenging technical issues as a setting for a procedural video game. The game was going to contain many unique landmarks. Many of them would be familiar for players. Tolkien hinted at other places, but did not depict them in his narrative. This was to ensure that these places were arranged according to a West-to-East order, which would fit the storyline of the game but that they weren’t so fixed that their paths would be the same each time. The task is actually more challenging than expected.

In this framework are many layers of play that come from random seeds. The order of key resources, events and challenges is never the same. Our main goal was to make sure that, even when you complete the storyline, you still have a fresh exploration experience.

We’ve seen mention of Gimli – are there any other familiar faces or names LOTR fans might recognize in the game? 

Fulton: Even before the events of the trilogy, certain members of the Fellowship were known to have ventured into the long dark of Moria. As of now, I’m only able to say that there may be some traces left behind.

Moria holds even more mysteries for the Dwarven. Balin’s doomed mission left traces in darkened halls. The story also features prominently the Durin line of kings.

Could you please tell me more about how the game works?

Fulton: Craft is a core principle of Dwarven design. We wanted to ensure that it was the players’ efforts to fashion ever-more-powerful gear that drove their success in survival, including combat. In order to achieve this, we have worked extremely hard in making the basic combat skills such as dodging an attack, blocking and charging it up feel satisfying. It is important that the fundamentals of combat, such as dodging, blocking and charging up an attack feel good. The challenge will increase, and players must think about the weapons they use, their upgrades, and other ways to overcome the various problems each new opponent presents.

Return to Moria is set in the same timeline as The Lord of the Rings.

Fulton: The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria takes place around 50 years after the events of the trilogy and the defeat of Sauron. Middle Earth, at the dawning of the Fourth Age has started to heal. But there are still dark shadows in the corners of this world.

The Lord of the Rings Return to Moria, for those who are not familiar with it, is a survival craft game that takes place in the Fourth Age of Middle-Earth. Players are sent to the Misty Mountains, where they control a company of Dwarves that is charged with recovering the treasures lost in their homeland of Moria. This realm is procedurally generated and traversable alone or online with up to eight players. 

The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria will be available on PlayStation 5 from October 24. Xbox Series X/S is expected to release sometime early in 2024. The PS5 physical version will be available in stores on December 5.