# The Lord of the Rings Online Update 48 Release Notes

- Product: The Lord of the Rings Online (https://whatsnew.fyi/product/the-lord-of-the-rings-online)
- Vendor: Standing Stone Games
- Date: 2026-04-22
- Original notes: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/212500/view/523122454653043192
- Permalink: https://whatsnew.fyi/product/the-lord-of-the-rings-online/releases/2026-04-22-update-48-release-notes

What's New is an index, not a publisher: every entry below links to the vendor's own release notes, which are the authoritative source. Entries are labelled where they are hand-curated sample data, pre-releases, or drawn from a secondary source such as a developer blog.

Reuse: the summaries, labels and curation here are © What's New. Quote freely with attribution and a link back; wholesale republication of the corpus is not permitted — terms: https://whatsnew.fyi/terms. The vendors' own release notes remain their publishers'.

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- **added** — New Quintessential cosmetics available on Anniversary barter vendors
- **added** — 19-year Gift Box with new fireworks and portrait frames for players who acquired the 18-year Gift Box
- **added** — Four new Missions set in the Lone-lands and the North Downs available from the Mysterious Stranger during Anniversary Event for levels 20-160
- **added** — New Sunstone Drakeling cosmetic pet available through a special 19th Anniversary Celebration quest
- **added** — New dog and parrot cosmetic pets available to barter for Anniversary tokens
- **added** — Jerboa pet and fence housing decorations available to barter for Steel Tokens
- **added** — Nineteenth Anniversary Surprise packages that occasionally drop from monsters
- **added** — Rivendell Steadings premium housing neighbourhood opening on Thursday, April 30th
- **added** — New questing storyline A Glorious Hunt released in three parts starting at launch with subsequent parts unlocking May 6th and May 20th
- **added** — New weekly Embers for Virtue quests that reset every Thursday and allow players to turn in embers for Virtue XP
- **added** — Rowan Raspberry trader now offers Rivendell cosmetic items including avatar cosmetics, oryx cosmetic pets, and housing decorations for Figments of Splendour
- **added** — Humming Sunbird cosmetic pet added to Adventurer's and Traveller's Steel-bound lootboxes
- **added** — Forges of Imladris, Rivendell Stove, and Rivendell Kitchen Set crafting facility decorations added to lootboxes
- **added** — Replica of the Imladris Stables and Last Homely House decorations added to lootboxes
- **added** — Mushroom Hunter's Pack and Mushroom Hunter's Corgi cosmetic pet available on Rowan Raspberry for Figments of Splendour
- **changed** — Hidden Peaks cosmetic clothing and many housing decorations moved from Rowan Raspberry to the Curator
- **changed** — Newly acquired Adventurer's Steel-bound Lootbox gear for level 160 characters now scales to item level 562-564
- **removed** — Filbert Fig retired for the season

##### **Update 48 Release Notes**

Here are the Release Notes for Update 48: A Glorious Hunt, released on Wednesday, April 22, 2026.

##### **Of Special Note:**

##### **The 19th Anniversary has arrived!**

The Lord of the Rings Online is turning 19! Enjoy our Anniversary Event fun starting at 10:00 AM Eastern (-4 GMT) on Thursday, April 23rd. This year's Anniversary Event continues until 3:00 AM Eastern (-4 GMT) on Tuesday, May 12th.

[Find our guide on LOTRO.com!](https://www.lotro.com/guides/lotro-anniversary-event-guide-en)

**This year's celebration features new Missions, new rewards and more:**

- New Quintessential cosmetics on Anniversary barter vendors

- A 19-year Gift Box with new fireworks and portrait frames for players who previously acquired the 18-year Gift Box.

- The Mysterious Stranger inside the Prancing Pony has four new Missions set in the Lone-lands and the North Downs. These Missions are available to all players levels 20-160 during the festival, and all have Delvings as an option.

- Special items available just for the19th anniversary:

- We've added a special quest for our 19th Anniversary Celebration! Speak with Waldo Rumble and take part in new missions alongside existing missions and activities to obtain a new Sunstone Drakeling cosmetic pet.

- Find new dog and parrot cosmetic pets available to barter for Anniversary tokens and a jerboa pet and fence housing decorations available to barter for Steel Tokens.

- 'Nineteenth Anniversary Surprise!' packages will occasionally drop from monsters out in the world.

##### **Rivendell Housing opens on Thursday, April 30th!**

Update 48 sees the launch of our newest premium neighbourhood, the Rivendell Steadings. Nestled high in the mountains just to the west of the Vale of Imladris, players now have the opportunity to call Rivendell home! Rivendell Housing will open on the 64-bit game worlds on Thursday, April 30th, starting at Noon Eastern (-4 GMT). Additional housing neighborhoods will open automatically once enough homes in existing neighborhoods are purchased.

There are multiple ways to get to the Rivendell Steadings. The main entrance of the neighborhood is a quick walk south-west from the Rivendell stables, right before the tree bridge crossing. You can also access the neighbourhood from Bree-town via the Broker’s Office as well as from the new Rivendell Steadings Broker’s Board in Lalia’s Market.

##### **New Questing: A Glorious Hunt!**

_In the southern scrubland of Pahar Hatokáli, Shâra Mizâdi, queen of Shagâna and its environs, has pursued the villainous pretender king Bârshud across deserts, mountains and cities throughout Shagâna and Mûr Ghala. After he fled Emax Dûl, Bârshud and his sorcerous second, Sudûgul, have taken up residence south, in the Hatokáli Fells. Mizâdi and her retinue, including Numûru, Razâl and Rahâzi are fast on his heels. But like a serpent cornered, Bârshud is even more dangerous in his desperation. What fresh secrets and horrors will Mizâdi find in her hunt, buried deep beneath the Fells?_

Experience the story of Mizâdi's glorious hunt over three parts, released over time throughout the spring! Meet up with Shâra Mizâdi in Hanamíku in Pahar Hatokáli to begin your journey. The first set of quests is available with launch, and the second set of quests unlocks on Wednesday May 6th at 10am EDT. The final quests in the story unlock on May 20th. "A Glorious Hunt" is FREE to VIPs and available in the LOTRO Store.

##### **A new weekly quest to earn Virtue has arrived!**

New Embers for Virtue quests are obtained from Embers traders around Middle-earth.

- First, you will need to obtain the weekly quest "From the Ashes Comes Virtue - Weekly" that tracks your status and provides the paramount reward at the end of the week. This quest resets every Thursday allowing your to start the process over again.

- Then, bestowed by the same Embers traders that bestowed the Weekly, you can obtain the six "From the Ashes Comes Virtue - I

_[Truncated at 4000 characters — full notes: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/212500/view/523122454653043192]_