<P> The game was conceived as primarily a co-op from its inception, with the developers feeling that co-operation amongst traditionally antagonistic races is such a major theme in the novels, they wanted to replicate it in the game . Having experimented with two, three and four - player co-op, they ultimately decided to go with three - player, thus mirroring the classic triptych in the novels; Man (Aragorn), Elf (Legolas) and Dwarf (Gimli). Lead designer Andre Maguire explained that how players experienced co-op mode was equally as important as them simply playing it; </P> <P> The tendency is to be competitive with your allies, but we really wanted to team to feel like they were constantly working together, so incentivizing that through the XP system, and making sure that as you're upgrading your character, it's complimentary with what's going on with the other characters . That took a lot of time to get right, and we were iterating it on it right up to the end . </P> <P> However, according to Tomandl, the focus on co-op gameplay did not mean single - player mode was neglected; </P> <P> Snowblind Studios has a long history of great co-op action RPGs, and The Lord of the Rings is the perfect match for that kind of game . We want to make a game that's fun to play with your friends on the couch, so you can experience more of Middle - earth together . The co-op is a blast, and the AI allies that take over in single - player are pretty smart, so all the work we're doing to make the co-op great will directly translate to single - player as well . The story of The Lord of the Rings really emphasizes how important it is to have allies you can trust, work with, and rely on, especially during wartime . So working as part of your own fellowship helps tie the gameplay back into the overall narrative . </P>

Battle for middle earth war in the north