Any reason why Mordor Ultimate Edition is not available for purchase anymore yet all other ones are?

[Novina]

Wanted to buy it cause i like the armor cosmetics from Ultimate Edition

Maybe bring it back for a limited time for 16th anniversary? Dont care if its full price!

[Pewpewmidget]

I want to buy it as well for the dang eagle kite and the Mordoor. The cosmetics would be a bonus.

[Novina]

I want to buy it as well for the dang eagle kite and the Mordoor. The cosmetics would be a bonus.

I did a bit of a research. Previous collector and ultimate editions where discountinued because they where promised as limited time exclusives but starting with Mordor they changed that. I still dont understand why they removed it, its easy money for them and it was discountinued waaay back in January of 2021 before i even started playing

At least bring it back as limited time offer for ppl who never got the chance to buy it because they started after it was discountinued.

[Gandolf_TheOld]

Wanted to buy it cause i like the armor cosmetics from Ultimate Edition

Have to do a bit of reading, but your answer is in the below article.

LOTRO is making tons of expansion content permanently free, adding a new Hobbit zone

A Letter from Producer Ranainia - March 2022


May be able to purchase something similar to the desired armour sets from Lelia's in Bree? Or maybe other vendors else where.

Good Luck.

[Pewpewmidget]

At least bring it back as limited time offer for ppl who never got the chance to buy it because they started after it was discountinued.

I agree whole heartedly with this. Not only were there cosmetics, a pet and a mount, there was also a +10 shared storage upgrade.
I did not have the money to spend for this back then.

[Pewpewmidget]

Have to do a bit of reading, but your answer is in the below article.

LOTRO is making tons of expansion content permanently free, adding a new Hobbit zone

A Letter from Producer Ranainia - March 2022


May be able to purchase something similar to the desired armour sets from Lelia's in Bree? Or maybe other vendors else where.

Good Luck.

Maybe quote it as well if you are going to put the effort into finding these links.

[Novina]

Have to do a bit of reading, but your answer is in the below article.

LOTRO is making tons of expansion content permanently free, adding a new Hobbit zone

A Letter from Producer Ranainia - March 2022


May be able to purchase something similar to the desired armour sets from Lelia's in Bree? Or maybe other vendors else where.

Good Luck.

There is nothing in those links that answers my question though. Mordor is not part of the free content, i can still buy standard edition of it but Collector's and Ultimate are discontinued for some reason while all other expansions still have them.

[Gandolf_TheOld]

Maybe quote it as well if you are going to put the effort into finding these links.

And deny you the opportunity to learn why something happened? Never.

Actually, there was little effort, just three words in a Google or DuckDuckGo search then selecting an article based upon its title and description. Try it, maybe learn something, research is not hard.

The three little words: “LOTRO” “expansions” “buy”

[Gandolf_TheOld]

There is nothing in those links that answers my question though. Mordor is not part of the free content, i can still buy standard edition of it but Collector's and Ultimate are discontinued for some reason while all other expansions still have them.

Mordor was released almost 6 years ago. It might be that SSG felt since the expansion release was so long ago that it was not worth it to continue to offer the more costly versions. I would also hazard a guess, that come this August or so, the Standard Edition will disappear from the store. As it might be added to the free list, but that is just a wild A** guess.

[Novina]

Mordor was released almost 6 years ago. It might be that SSG felt since the expansion release was so long ago that it was not worth it to continue to offer the more costly versions. I would also hazard a guess, that come this August or so, the Standard Edition will disappear from the store. As it might be added to the free list, but that is just a wild A** guess.

Seems silly if you ask me. Cosmetics are timeless and just in this thread you have already few ppl that would buy it and i imagine a lot more in reality. Even if expansion was free i dont see why wouldn't they offer more expensive editions for cosmetics for lowered price of the expansion if its free.

At the end of the day they are a business and they want money. Content is already there so it wouldnt cost them anything they just have to sell it.

[Arnenna]

Mordor expansion was bundled into the LOTRO Expansion Trove when they did the first round of making things free. It was part of a 6 pack of expansions. Later when they opened up everything as far as Helm's Deep for free, there was no way for players to purchase Mordor, so the standard version was made available. Not sure why it was only that version. Seems silly to me. The only thing I can think of is that Mordor Collectors/Ultimate were expansions that still offered time limited exclusives. though, given that Mordor was on site for a very long time before they removed it, that's doubtful.

[Novina]

Any chance i could get a response from SSG? For some of us cosmetics are a big deal

[WeirdJedi]

The idea of offering old cosmetics again comes up every now and then, but people here pretty much covered the reason in the thread already. While these may not directly apply to what you are asking, there are a couple of references mentioned about them in the past:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RAzcf80X3o&t=51m45s "Those were legally bound as exclusives to a certain date and time."

Some of those items we could potentially try and put in other places, but a lot of stuff is locked down to folks who were there then.

[maartena]

I cannot be 100% sure, but I do have a theory.

The "Ultimate" and "Collectors" edition of Mordor contain the "High Elf" which has now been made free to everyone. Now I do not know how the legal things work with all of that, but the product essentially contains something you can no longer buy, so the price would need to be a little less. So they may have to re-pack the expansion without the High Elf included, and subtract an appropriate amount of money from the new pack, but that may have some legal strings attached to it that I really don't know about. (NOT a lawyer, after all)

That in itself may pose another challenge (I am totally not familiar with the inner workings of the store from a technical standpoint), as it might allow people that have already bought it to now purchase the "new and improved minus the high elf" version of the expansion, perhaps thinking they don't have it and they need it.

In the case of Moria, Mirkwood, Isengard, Rohan, Helms Deep.... you cannot buy those anymore because most of its content is now free, but that also means you can never ever get the horses, the cosmetic armor, and whatever other goodies came with them at the time.

I have a feeling that the free "High Elf" throws a little bit of a technical wrench into the mix because it was included in these two versions of the Mordor expansion pack. It shouldn't, and I suppose people truly after the cosmetics only are really not going to mind paying for Mordor Ultimate anyways, and just don't get the High Elf because they already got it, but that might just be the reason.

It does beg the question though..... I understand people come back after not playing for years, and I understand people do not always have the money at times in their lives to make a purchase, and now they do..... but you had about 4 and a half years to buy the expansion.

Whatever the reason may be in the end, is there really such a high demand for it for them to re-release a new "without high elf" version of the expansion now that the high elf is free? I am not entirely sure..... It's been noted by Cordovan before that creating a store package does take some effort, so maybe it just isn't worth it.

If it is legally allowed, perhaps the best way forward would be to put some of those cosmetics in the lotro store for LP points. As someone that owns the Ultimate version I am really not going to be upset if some of the stuff now can be gotten through other means, but then.... someone else might be.

[Strider5548]

They should bring back previous collector's editions pre-Mordor. This idea that they were exclusive sounds like something that can very easily be worked around. Just create a new collector's edition that gives you more or less the same rewards.

[maartena]

A second theory I have:

Besides the "High Elf" theory listed out above, there may another reason: The "Ultimate" and "Collectors" editions of the Mordor Expansion have a 30-day VIP code with them. When first released, people with a lifetime account or an on-going VIP sub were selling those like hotcakes, for as much as 7500 gold. And people were paying it, too.

With everything up to Minas Morgul now included in VIP, that 30 day code becomes INCREDIBLY lucrative to get a pretty vast amount of gold. If Mordor Ultimate would ever go on sale, one could buy it 4 times on 4 freebie accounts, and sell the VIP code 4 times for a buckload of in-game gold.

So there might just be a reason related to that as well to not sell it any longer, because that certainly had been an issue in the past with people selling VIP codes in world chat for up to a year after Mordor was released. And they are going to want you to buy VIP with actual real cash, not buy it in-game with in-game gold.

So with the High Elf also in mind, they would have to maybe re-pack them into versions without the High Elf, and without the VIP codes. It might also just be an issue in general, as they changed store systems since the release of Mordor, and those VIP codes may no longer work.....

[maartena]

They should bring back previous collector's editions pre-Mordor. This idea that they were exclusive sounds like something that can very easily be worked around. Just create a new collector's edition that gives you more or less the same rewards.

As far as we have been told by the blue names that be in the past, if an item was mentioned as a "pre order exclusive" it can never be re-released again, but in theory they could make an item that has a different name and a (slightly) different look and then re-release it. Then it would be a different item. But I also think it would probably get confusing, and now people that had the original expansion pre-order pack now aren't getting the "new and improved" version of the pack with the "slightly different" cosmetics.

I think we leave it be. I didn't get the pre-release for Moria nor Mirkwood because I started playing in 2010. So oh well, I missed out on those, and that is just the way it is. There is plenty of stuff in the game that can no longer be gotten, and if you were there to get it..... you are in luck. If not, and you are now in FOMO mode..... well, not much you can do about it. I will never own the Moria Dormouse item, and that is just the way it is, unless it gets re-released somehow.

[Novina]

As far as we have been told by the blue names that be in the past, if an item was mentioned as a "pre order exclusive" it can never be re-released again, but in theory they could make an item that has a different name and a (slightly) different look and then re-release it. Then it would be a different item. But I also think it would probably get confusing, and now people that had the original expansion pre-order pack now aren't getting the "new and improved" version of the pack with the "slightly different" cosmetics.

I think we leave it be. I didn't get the pre-release for Moria nor Mirkwood because I started playing in 2010. So oh well, I missed out on those, and that is just the way it is. There is plenty of stuff in the game that can no longer be gotten, and if you were there to get it..... you are in luck. If not, and you are now in FOMO mode..... well, not much you can do about it. I will never own the Moria Dormouse item, and that is just the way it is, unless it gets re-released somehow.

Mordor ultimate was never preorder exclusive it was on sale for like 4 years after the release. If VIP selling and free High Elf are a problem just remove them and lower price for 20$ and problem solved. Hell they don't even need to lower price since i don't care about either of them i just want cosmetics.

[maartena]

Mordor ultimate was never preorder exclusive it was on sale for like 4 years after the release. If VIP selling and free High Elf are a problem just remove them and lower price for 20$ and problem solved. Hell they don't even need to lower price since i don't care about either of them i just want cosmetics.

Yeah that is the easy thinking: "just do this" or "just do that", but I have a feeling it isn't that easy.

For starters, they used the word "exclusive" a lot....

Here is the official page on release day, as captured by archive.org: https://web.archive.org/web/20170718...e.lotro-mordor

All of the cosmetics, steeds, and other items are listed as being "exclusive" to that exact offer. WE might think that "just remove High Elf and VIP" keeps the product the same, but from a legal standpoint it is now a different product, and they have legally broken their own terms of service. It has been confirmed before that both under US Federal law (Federal Trade Commission) and the Massachussets Commonwealth Law that a product marked "exclusive" can never be re-packaged as something else and resold again in a different manner. We might not care, most people might not care, really at the end of the day..... but it is something they could be legally held liable for.

You may also notice that the Standard version of the Mordor expansion has nothing marked exclusive. Nothing is exclusive, so it can be re-packaged and re-sold in any way, shape or form, and that is the version VIP's get as part of their VIP sub.

So we have:
- High Elf, now given out for free.
- The problem with VIP codes and them being sold for in-game currency.
- The problem with all cosmetics/pets/mounts being marked "exclusive" to that particular version.

As such, they can only resell Mordor Ultimate Bundle "as was", with the code, and with the high elf..... And the question then becomes whether they want to open a new can of worms for the maybe few dozen people that would still want to buy the Mordor ultimate bundle now, 6 years after release..... when they essentially gave all the quests and instances away for free already.

Feel free to hire a lawyer and have him explain the legal parts of it, and why it can't be so, but I think it is safe to say that if you didn't buy the expansion with the cosmetics in the roughly 5 years it was available, then you missed out on it, and now it is too late. If you disagree, like I said..... hire a lawyer, and maybe you can share his writeup after that fact to see what can be done.

[Novina]

Yeah that is the easy thinking: "just do this" or "just do that", but I have a feeling it isn't that easy.

For starters, they used the word "exclusive" a lot....

Here is the official page on release day, as captured by archive.org: https://web.archive.org/web/20170718...e.lotro-mordor

All of the cosmetics, steeds, and other items are listed as being "exclusive" to that exact offer. WE might think that "just remove High Elf and VIP" keeps the product the same, but from a legal standpoint it is now a different product, and they have legally broken their own terms of service. It has been confirmed before that both under US Federal law (Federal Trade Commission) and the Massachussets Commonwealth Law that a product marked "exclusive" can never be re-packaged as something else and resold again in a different manner. We might not care, most people might not care, really at the end of the day..... but it is something they could be legally held liable for.

You may also notice that the Standard version of the Mordor expansion has nothing marked exclusive. Nothing is exclusive, so it can be re-packaged and re-sold in any way, shape or form, and that is the version VIP's get as part of their VIP sub.

So we have:
- High Elf, now given out for free.
- The problem with VIP codes and them being sold for in-game currency.
- The problem with all cosmetics/pets/mounts being marked "exclusive" to that particular version.

As such, they can only resell Mordor Ultimate Bundle "as was", with the code, and with the high elf..... And the question then becomes whether they want to open a new can of worms for the maybe few dozen people that would still want to buy the Mordor ultimate bundle now, 6 years after release..... when they essentially gave all the quests and instances away for free already.

Feel free to hire a lawyer and have him explain the legal parts of it, and why it can't be so, but I think it is safe to say that if you didn't buy the expansion with the cosmetics in the roughly 5 years it was available, then you missed out on it, and now it is too late. If you disagree, like I said..... hire a lawyer, and maybe you can share his writeup after that fact to see what can be done.

It also says exclusive alliance mount and armor cosmetics yet theyve given it for FREE to everyone during 15th year anniversary more than a year after being discontinued from sale.

[Sil3nc3r-]

I'm not 100% sure about it, but i bought the ultimate mordor editions on a black friday sale a couple of years ago ( think it was on 95% sale or kinda that). And it may be that they announced that they are buyable for the last time.

[Novina]

I'm not 100% sure about it, but i bought the ultimate mordor editions on a black friday sale a couple of years ago ( think it was on 95% sale or kinda that). And it may be that they announced that they are buyable for the last time.

They did say that they will be taking it off after that but they never said its permanent removal. They also mentioned that cosmetics will be available in other ways but they never added them.

[Sazire]

They did say that they will be taking it off after that but they never said its permanent removal. They also mentioned that cosmetics will be available in other ways but they never added them.

Not yet, but perhaps they will do. Perhaps there will be a way to get that items later ... in a month, a year or more ... or never.

And there will always be things in an mmo, that can't be access later. So deal with it, Lotro has tons of nice equipment and you can recolor that. Instead of fighting an fight, that you probably not win, use the things, that are avaiable and change them to your best comfort.

[Novina]

Not yet, but perhaps they will do. Perhaps there will be a way to get that items later ... in a month, a year or more ... or never.

And there will always be things in an mmo, that can't be access later. So deal with it, Lotro has tons of nice equipment and you can recolor that. Instead of fighting an fight, that you probably not win, use the things, that are avaiable and change them to your best comfort.

Sorry but my life motto is to fight for things that i want. If you are someone who is fine with the things as they are thats ok but i will always fight for better be it a cosmetic in a video game or someth8ng else.

Chances are i will never get some things but that doesnt mean i should stop fighting.

[maartena]

Sorry but my life motto is to fight for things that i want. If you are someone who is fine with the things as they are thats ok but i will always fight for better be it a cosmetic in a video game or someth8ng else.

Chances are i will never get some things but that doesnt mean i should stop fighting.

I don't think this fight will come to a result on a public forum, so I would suggest the following. Take these things to a lawyer that is a member of the BAR in Massachussets:

- The contents of this link: https://web.archive.org/web/20170718...e.lotro-mordor
- The names of the exact products you are trying to acquire, and how they are obtained (Ultimate or Collector edition)
- You could take copies of all Federal Trade Commission Rules and Massachusetts Commonwealth Law (such as consumer protection laws, etc), but quite frankly, a lawyer should have ALL of that ready to go if he is a member of the state BAR association.

What this may do for you is determine whether they legally CAN sell the items you want again. As companies have all sorts of rights, they are under no obligation to actually sell a product (again) to the public if they choose not to. We the customers have no rights to demand from ANY company that a product should return to the shelves, so a lawyer won't be able to do THAT for you, but you might be able to present to SSG a case that they should be legally allowed to re-issue said "exclusive" items.

We here on forums can go back and forth on opinions on the matter, but I would think that SSG themselves has done some of the legal groundwork already based on past experiences, and as such they just don't bother re-releasing anything that is "exclusive" or "pre-order exclusive" or was a special release in one way or another, and marked as such under either federal or local commerce laws.

As such, you don't know, I do not know whether these "exclusive" items CAN be re-released if SSG chooses to, and a lawyer may have the answer to that question. Once that has been confirmed, all you can do next is ask SSG to pretty please re-release the Ultimate and Collector editions of Mordor.

All of the above is of course only a thing if there aren't any technical barriers. I know they changed the shop system right between Mordor and Minas Morgul, which is why you could purchase UPGRADES to "better" versions of an expansion from Minas Morgul forward (or was it Three Peaks?), something they were not technically able to do before, and at that time they said they wouldn't be able to change older versions of expansions in this manner, which may be related.

Anyways, with all of the above..... I wish you luck, and if you do decide to hire a lawyer, please do let us know your progress.