For those of you who'd rather be in Middle Earth on a Friday afternoon, Pandemic Studios and Electronic Arts have announced that some new downloadable content for Lord of the Rings: Conquest is now available via the Xbox LIVE Marketplace and PlayStation Network.

The new content, which is available for 800 Microsoft Points, or US$9.99 on the PlayStation network, adds a two new "full" multiplayer maps, two new Hero Arenas, and three new playable characters - Gothmog, Boromir, and Arwen.

The two new maps whicha re included in the game are playable in each of the game's multiplayer modes, with Team Deathmatch, Conquest, and Capture the Ring all available. The first new map is set in the "hot lava fields" of the "Battle of the Last Alliance", with the second map set in the "shady forests of Amon Hen".

Michael Saladino, Senior Producer at Pandemic Studios had the following to say regarding the new downloadable content:

The Lord of the Rings universe offers so much variety and depth and we wanted to pass more of this incredible experience to fans. The Heroes & Maps pack gives gamers a chance to experience even more intense battles with their friends online and explore more of Middle-earth.

More screens of the new content can be found on the mirror.
The two new Hero Arenas that are included in the pack are Minas Tirith, and Weathertop, where players "engage in intense, online battles, in a small theatre of war". These "one on one" battles will let you curse the lack of local dedicated servers for the title, with latency issues having been cited as a major drawback to the online experience of Lord of the Rings: Conquest. (Perhaps the servers are situated in the mythical Middle Earth itself?)

For those that would rather not spend money on downloadable content for the title, but would still like to take out their anger on hapless Hobbits, the previously released "Hero Arena" content pack is still available for free via the Xbox LIVE Marketplace and PlayStation Network.