MMORPG.com managing Editor Jon Wood had a chance recently to speak with Lord of the Rings Online Executive Producer Jeffrey Steefel about the launch of the game`s first expansion, The Mines of Moria. This interview coveres everything from new features both inside and outside of the expansion, the timing of the release and more!

As many of you who haven’t been living under a rock for the past few months probably know, today marks the official launch of Turbine’s first paid expansion for its hit game, Lord of the Rings Online. The expansion, dubbed, Mines of Moria, will allow players to delve deep into the heart of the ancient Dwarf stronghold that played such a pivotal role in the books that preceded the game.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to sit down and have a conversation with Jeffrey Steefel about the launch and what players can expect from the expansion when it hits store shelves (and digital download) today:

The first question that I asked was simple: What does Mines of Moria add to Lord of the Rings Online. The answer, as you might imagine, was a little bit more complicated.

“What does it do for Lord of the Rings? What does it do for the world that we built?” Steefel responded. “It adds a lot of things, but most of all it adds Moria… We’re pretty sure it’s going to be an RPG experience for players in terms of being in a 3D environment that they have never had before.”

Read the Mines of Moria Interview.