By Justin Olivetti March 13, 2024

After an extended period of testing, Lord of the Rings Online’s first big drop of 2024 is finally almost here. Update 39: Arenas of Conflict arrives today with a big focus on Corsairs of Umbar endgame instances.

The update adds two three-player dungeons, a six-player gladatorial arena, and the Depths of Mâkhda Khorbo raid. Also bundled in this plus-sized patch is an increase to legendary item ilevels, Elderslade delvings, raid-wide offensive buffs, and a whole lot of class balance changes (including plenty of DPS buffs).

There’s also more story with this release: “There’s actually a new chapter of ‘The Song of Waves and Wind’ in Update 39, so if you played that through Chapter 7 you can pick up Chapter 8 where that one ended (outside the Harbor-warden’s Tower in the Sail-haven). Chapter 8 will tell you where the raid fits into the narrative (and actually continues past it if you want to finish the new raid first).”

To make today even more interesting for LOTRO, it marks the start of the (slightly delayed) Spring Festival. This annual holiday returns with a few new rewards, including a gorgeous steed and a cute little snail for your house. Check out FibroJedi’s guide for the full run-down!