Though many are still picking their ways across the vast wastelands and scarred ridges of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, there are plenty who have already followed Talion's path to vengeance, and are eager for more. The developers at Monolith have that need covered, with the very first expansion coming in the form of  the 'Lord of the Hunt' DLC, now officially detailed.

Those who have already spent time getting familiar with Sauron's backyard know that it isn't just Orcs who irritate throughout Shadow of Mordor's campaign; it's the beasts that prove every bit as deadly (if not more so). A beast-focused dose of DLC was teased when Monolith first detailed the Season Pass, leaving some implications that Sauron himself would be to blame.

That seems to be the case, as the brief synopsis offered for 'Lord of the Hunt' confirms that Sauron will be taking a more personal approach to ending Talion's (and Celebrimbor's) quest:

In Lord of the Hunt, Sauron has dispatched lethal Beastmaster Warchiefs to exterminate the monsters of Mordor. Talion will join Torvin the Dwarven Hunter and use his powers of Domination to turn these menacing new beasts against the Warchiefs, proving that Mordor cannot be tamed.

Thankfully the beast-focused upgrades and challenges will also pack some narrative punch; when players aren't enjoying the view as Sauron's wildlife turns against the Orcs attempting to control them. But the additional details promise a new type of enemy players will need to defeat: the Beastmaster Warchiefs, who sound more than capable of giving players a real enemy even while atop a mounted, dominated beast. Luckily, players will have a few uprgades for their own mount as well (assuming that the more 'savage' character skin isn't all the intimidation needed):

• New Story & Lore – Discover more tales from Torvin, the Dwarven Hunter, as you work together to tame the beasts of Mordor and fight Sauron’s minions.
• New Nemeses – Face off against the Beastmaster Warchiefs, powerful new Uruks who have the ability to ride monsters and engage in perilous mounted combat.
• New Monsters – Ride into battle on the Wretched Graug to vomit toxin at your foes, stalk your enemies on the predatory Caragath and attack from the shadows or raise an all-consuming Ghul Horde.
• New Missions & Challenges – New Beast Hunting challenges and collectibles open up new trophies and achievements.
• New Epic Runes – Make your Mount unstoppable with five new epic Runes that make you the ultimate hunter.
• Test of the Wild – Test your skills against the Beastmasters and mount your trophies on the leaderboard.
• New Character Skin – Lord of the Hunt skin transform Talion into the ultimate Beastmaster.

 

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Will you be picking up the Lord of the Hunt DLC when it goes on sale "later this year"? Or did you get your money's worth from the game's core story? Hopefully Monolith will release an official date for the expansion, but we'll keep you up to date as more information arrives.

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is available now for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

Follow me on Twitter @andrew_dyce.