Yesterday, at the `Middle-earth: The Adventure Ahead` panel during San Diego Comic Con, a new expansion for the survival crafting game The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria was announced. This expansion, titled Durin`s Folk, is currently light on specific details. Its release is scheduled for Q4 2025. A Steam post mentions that players will “continue the fight to restore Moria with an expanded end-game story, exciting new game mechanics, plus many unrevealed secrets!”
A short teaser trailer was also unveiled, showcasing a vast empty hall and massive doors being opened by a group of dwarves. Various characters` voices are heard in the trailer, with one notably stating: “Khazad-dum is the home of Durin`s Folk.” For those less familiar with Lord of the Rings lore, Khazad-dum is another name for Moria, so it seems this end-game focused expansion truly lives up to the base game`s subtitle. Durin is also one of the seven fathers of the dwarves, the original founders of the dwarven race.
Upon its launch in 2023, Return to Moria did not receive an overwhelmingly positive reception, with critics` scores averaging 59 on Metacritic and a user score of 6.8. However, the game has recently shown improved performance on Steam, garnering very positive reviews.
The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is currently available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.