Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-earth II to get massive free expansion soon

Twenty years after its original release, The Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-earth II is set to receive a substantial fan-made campaign expansion. Called A Long Expected Campaign, the project is being developed as an add-on to the Age of the Ring mod and will cover the events of Peter Jackson’s entire Lord of the Rings film trilogy. The campaign begins with Gandalf’s arrival in the Shire and is planned to continue through to the final battle at the Black Gate.

A trailer from the Age of the Ring Mod Team provides an early look at the opening mission, including preparations for Bilbo’s 111th birthday and Frodo’s meeting with Gandalf. It also appears to incorporate voice clips from the films. Beyond the footage, relatively few details have been confirmed. The developers have not provided a complete mission list, although the project is intended to span the trilogy’s story and could feature locations such as Weathertop, Moria, Helm’s Deep and Minas Tirith.

The Age of the Ring mod itself is also a massive standalone expansion (meaning that players do not need to own or install the original The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II or The Rise of the Witch-king base games to play it) that adds 11 new factions, expanded gameplay mechanics and hundreds of skirmish maps to Battle for Middle-earth II. Many fans consider it to be the unofficial third entry in the series. A Long Expected Campaign is scheduled to launch as a free standalone download via ModDB on October 31, 2026. Meanwhile, two films, The Hunt for Gollum and Shadow of the Past, are currently in development, with the former due in cinemas on December 17.