The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria for Xbox Series and Steam launches August 27 alongside ‘The Golden Update’

Major update adds cross-play, Sandbox Mode, and more.

The Xbox Series and Steam versions of The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria will launch on August 27 at a discounted price of $19.99 for a limited time alongside “The Golden Update” for existing platforms, publisher North Beach Games and developer Free Range Games announced.

“The Golden Update” features the following new content and improvements:

Sandbox Mode – Previously only available in beta via the Epic Games Store version of The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, the full launch of Sandbox Mode allows players across all platforms to experience independent exploration and experimentation throughout the mountain. This nonlinear mode unleashes the full potential of the procedural generation system, and the game world is generated with a wide variety of random seeds, meaning each playthrough can vary significantly in layout and difficulty. Because of its inherent unpredictability and minimal tutorials, this mode is recommended for players who are familiar with The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria or other survival games.
Cross-Play Across All Platforms – Exploring the Mines of Moria with friends just got easier! Any player on PC via Steam or Epic Games Store, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5 can now host games to be joined by any other player. Just like non-cross-play games, Steam players can host 8-player sessions, regardless of the platform the joining players are on.
New Weapons and Armor – Sandbox Mode brings with it recipes for 14 new weapons and armor including a Wolf Skin Hat, Gondorian Shield, Khazad Halberd, and Barôkamlut. Though only discoverable in Sandbox Mode, players can bring new objects into Campaign Mode as long as their Dwarf is equipped with them when transferring over.
New Building Parts and Decorations – Players can spruce up their bases with over 100 new building objects, including new cosmetic decorations such as light fixtures, rugs, banners, home furnishings, tables, and chairs.
Building Improvements – Restoring Moria is now easier than ever with the changes made to the stability system as well as improved object snapping. The miscellaneous buildings throughout Moria are now stronger than ever, expanding players’ ability to build expansive bases wherever they choose.
Single-Player Pause – To improve the solo player experience, offline players can now pause the game by hitting “escape” on PC or by opening the settings menu.
Ambient Music – Due to popular demand, there is now an ambient music soundtrack to accompany the Dwarves’ ventures through Moria.
Difficulty Settings – Players can now fine-tune the difficulty level for various aspects of the game including enemy aggression, combat, horde, siege and patrol frequency, world and mining drops, and survival.
Bug Fixes and Improvements – For more details on the various updates, fixes, multiplayer connectivity improvements, and more introduced to the game, players can visit the official website.