The Battle for Helm's Deep is one of the most iconic fantasy battles ever put to paper and has inspired the imagination of generations of avid Middle-Earth fans.

Get ready to take to the ramparts because this fall Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Turbine plan to put you right in the action, with the announcement of the fifth expansion of the Tolkien inspired Free-to-Play MMORPG, The Lord of Rings Online: Helm's Deep.

So what can eager fans expect as they venture into the western plains of Rohan?

Don't look now, but Update 10 has hit Middle-earth!

Lord of the Rings Online: Against The Shadow Part Two brings with it a whole host of changes, including the usual smattering of class updates, items and combat changes of course. But the real meat of the update features the second part of the Riders of Rohan instance cluster, Road to Erebor, with four exciting new raids:

• The Bells of Dale
• Road to the Lonely Mountain
• The Fires of Smaug
• The Battle for Erebor

And what would a preview be without accompanying screenshots? Just a wall of text, that's what! Check out the impressive screens below. 

There are many glorious battles throughout the Lord of the Rings. In the closing chapters of Tolkien’s epic saga, the monumental struggles at Minas Tirith and the Black Gate of Morannon marked a shift in the tide against Sauron’s dark shadow.

But as that Third Age drew to a close, similar conflicts were unfolding across Middle Earth. It’s these skirmishes and sieges that are the focus of the tenth update for Lord of the Rings Online. Concluding the Riders of Rohan instance pack, Turbine takes us on a journey from Dale to the Lonely Mountain. 

If you're a dyed-in-the-wool Lord of the Rings Online player, you're well aware that Update 10 is just around the corner. You're also probably aware of the Lonely Mountain raids that are coming to the game, including the 6-man The Bells of Dale, the 12-man Road to the Lonely Mountain, the 12-man The Battle for Erebor and perhaps the most intriguing, the 12-man The Fires of Smaug:

For the fifth Game of Christmas how could it be any game other than the most famous gold ring of Lord of the Rings Online?

It has been a big year for LOTRO, with Riders of Rohan bringing added scope to the already impressive game.

What's this we have here? New screenshots for Lord of the Rings: Online's Update 9? Why thank you, don't mind if I do! Right here we have the Iorbars Peak, where this Frost Giant looks like he's about to stomp an egg or two. And below, behind the jump, Webs of the Scuttedells and Seat of the Great Goblin. 

With The Hobbit releasing next week, all things Tolkien are on the public consciousness. That’s all well and good in my opinion as I’m a bit of a Lord of the Rings nut.

When I was given the opportunity to take a run through some of the changes coming to Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO) with some of the charming devs at Turbine, I gladly accepted the chance to go romping through Middle Earth.

New Items: Item-wear Reduction Tome (60 min) ;  Bit of Pure Riddermark Ore ;  Low-quality Riddermark Ingot ;  Lump of Eastemnet Coal ;  Piece of Oak Bark ;  Thin Oak Board ;  Solid Oak Board ;  Reinforced Oak Board ;  Heavy Quilted Robe Recipe

New Recipes: Bit of Pure Riddermark Ore ;  Low-quality Riddermark Ingot ;  Medium-quality Riddermark Ingot ;  High-quality Riddermark Ingot ;  Piece of Oak Bark ;  Thin Oak Board ;  Solid Oak Board ;  Reinforced Oak Board

New Items: Large Eastemnet Crest ;  Superior Tools Recipe ;  High-quality Riddermark Ingot ;  Superior Eastemnet Tools Recipe ;  Superior Tools of the Eastemnet Armourer ;  Superior Tools of the Eastemnet Armsman ;  Superior Tools of the Eastemnet Explorer ;  Superior Tools of the Eastemnet Historian ;  Superior Tools of the Eastemnet Tinker ;  Superior Tools of the Eastemnet Woodsman ;  Superior Tools of the Eastemnet Yeoman ;  Medium-quality Riddermark Ingot ;  Large Eastemnet Crest Recipe ;  Eastemnet Metalsmith's Journal ;  Eastemnet Metalsmith's Journal Recipe ;  Westfold Metalsmith's Journal Recipe ;  Tools of the Eastemnet Armorer Recipe ;  Tools of the Eastemnet Armorer ;  Tools of the Eastemnet Armsman Recipe ;  Tools of the Eastemnet Armsman ;  Tools of the Eastemnet Explorer Recipe ;  Tools of the Eastemnet Explorer ;  Tools of the Eastemnet Historian Recipe ;  Tools of the Eastemnet Historian ;  Tools of the Eastemnet Tinker Recipe ;  Tools of the Eastemnet Tinker ;  Tools of the Eastemnet Woodsman Recipe ;  Tools of the Eastemnet Woodsman ;  Tools of the Eastemnet Yeoman Recipe ;  Tools of the Eastemnet Yeoman ;  Harwick Banner

New Recipes: Superior Tools ;  Superior Tools (part 2) ;  Superior Eastemnet Tools ;  Superior Eastemnet Tools (part 2) ;  Large Eastemnet Crest ;  Tools of the Eastemnet Armorer ;  Tools of the Eastemnet Armsman ;  Tools of the Eastemnet Explorer ;  Tools of the Eastemnet Historian ;  Tools of the Eastemnet Tinker ;  Tools of the Eastemnet Woodsman ;  Tools of the Eastemnet Yeoman

New Items: Fine Dwarf-make Explorer's Armour ;  Fine Explorer's Armour ;  Fine Elven Explorer's Armour

New Traits: Valour +13 ;  Valour +14 ;  Valour +15 ;  Valour +16 ;  Wisdom +13 ;  Wisdom +14 ;  Wisdom +15 ;  Wisdom +16 ;  Zeal +13 ;  Zeal +14 ;  Zeal +15 ;  Zeal +16