Blog: Title Update 5 Preview

2025/02/21

Caution: This post may contain spoilers if you have not yet completed the main story.

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Greetings, Company of Gimli!

Jon-Paul here, Director of The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria from Free Range Games. We’ve been hard at work refining and expanding the game, and we’re excited to share a preview of Title Update 5, which is packed with new content and improvements. But before diving into what’s coming, a huge thank you to our players, especially those active in our Discord community. Your enthusiasm, feedback, and support—especially in the #ds-chat channel—have been invaluable. Speaking of which…

Dedicated Server Updates

Just last week, we released full support for dedicated servers! It’s been fantastic to see so many of you setting up servers and helping each other out. We know dedicated servers can be a technical challenge, and we appreciate everyone’s patience and collaboration.

While it’s currently available via SteamCMD, we’re still working on distributing the dedicated server executable through Steam’s drop-down tool menu. Stay tuned for updates!

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So What’s Coming in Title Update 5?

The Lord of Moria Cosmetic Skin

With Title Update 4, we introduced the cosmetic wardrobe system, allowing players to customize their dwarves’ appearance. We also launched the Rohan Pack, our first premium skin. Now, with Title Update 5, we’re adding a new reward for completing the story.

Any player who finishes the game after the update goes live—whether in sandbox or campaign mode—will now see the Lord of Moria skin in the ‘Unlockable’ tab. Players who have already beaten the story will also get it. This cosmetic is a tribute to the final cinematic and a way to showcase your triumph. Keep an eye out for previews of how it looks in game and with different tints!

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‍Free Cam Mode

We love seeing the amazing screenshots and videos created by our community, but we also know that capturing the perfect shot can be tricky - we see how you have to crop out the HUD and the Dwarf. So, we’re making it easier than ever with the introduction of Free Cam Mode.

With this new tool, players will be able to:

• Pause the game and detach the camera
• Move the camera freely around the world (within reason)
• Adjust depth of field and focal points
• Hide the UI and even the dwarf for cleaner shots

This will work seamlessly with your existing screenshot and video capture tools, making it easier to create stunning content. We’re so excited to see what you all create—expect a community contest to launch soon after the update drops!

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Farming System Improvements

Survival crafting games thrive on progression, and we know that moving from foraging to farming should feel more intuitive. We’re making several targeted changes to improve farming and make it accessible earlier in the game:

• More abundant bat droppings (yes, you read that right!) to aid early farming progression.
• Farm plots will now cost rock instead of granite, allowing players to start farming earlier.
• New farming mechanics, including:
  
  • Visible growth stages so you can track your crops’ progress. (see gif below)
  • Adjusted growth times, with some crops growing within a single in-game day.
  • Updated sound and visual effects.

We’ve got a few more surprises coming with the farming update—stay tuned for our first preview video!

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And more…

We can’t reveal everything just yet, but we do have one more thing to tease, coming alongside with this update. While we won’t spoil the surprise now, we’re dropping this small hint…

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Alongside these major additions, Title Update 5 will also bring bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements based on community feedback. We’re committed to listening, refining, and making Return to Moria the best experience possible. We’re targeting the Late March-Early April timeframe but will update you as it gets closer.

Beyond Title Update 5, we’re already planning what comes next. We can’t wait to share more with you soon. Until then—back to the mines!

Thanks for playing, and see you in Khazad-dûm!

—Jon-Paul & The Free Range Games Team

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Keep up to date with all the latest for The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, and don't miss news for the team by joining our Discord and signing up for the Forge Fire role!