Less than a month after the launch of The Lord of the Rings Online MMO, Codemasters and Turbine are releasing the first free update to the game.

The Shores of Evendim expansion will bring fans a huge new area to explore and 60 new quests, and is available now, early May.

There are also a few major improvements to the popular music and monster play systems along with the first major raid in the game, to Helegrod to challenge the fearsome dragon Thorog.

About 100 miles north of the Shire, in northern Eriador, lies the vast region of Evendim. The region is dominated by a large lake, Nenuial, “Lake of the Twilight”. On the southern shore of the lake lies the ancient abandoned city of Annúminas, and legends of great wealth and powerful artifacts amidst the ruins of the capital are well known amongst the Free Peoples, and now these legends are beginning to attract the attention of nefarious forces lurking in Angmar.

As the Fellowship continues its preparations to leave Rivendell, Aragorn is preparing to re-forge Narsil—the sword that cut the One Ring from Sauron’s hand—into Anduril, Flame of the West. For the light to be returned to the blade, a relic must be found in the ancient tombs of Annúminas.

There are reports of an Ent roaming the forest of the Twilight Hills looking for the long-missing Entwives. He has dwelt in these hills since before the army of the last Alliance moved through to defeat Angmar and knows something of the events of that age.