If you'd been planning on spending your Wednesday afternoon in reality, instead of frolicking with the elves in The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria you may want to reconsider your decision. Turbine have just released Book 7: Leaves of Lórien for the game which adds a number of new features, while at the same time continuing the epic story of the successful MMO.

With the introduction of Book 7: Leaves of Lórien, swashbuckling adventures will be able to embark on a new 12 player raid called Strange Happenings, that occurs in in the Waterworks of Moria. New game play enhancements are also added, with daily quests, and the ability to fully explore the region of Lothlórien.

The Book 7 update is available for download from the file mirror now, the version of the file we've got is compataible with the Australian and New Zealand game client. It weighs in at some 925MB - which is unmetered data for Internode customers.

Jeffrey Steefel, Executive Producer on The Lord of the Rings Online had the following to say regarding the release of Mines of Moria and the Book 7 expansion:

The launch of our first expansion, Mines of Moria, has been a huge success and has firmly established the game as one of the premier MMOs in the world. For nearly two years LOTRO has been one of the fastest growing games in the industry and with Book 7 we continue to expand the world with the expansion of Lothlórien, the legendary home of Galadriel and the elves and the introduction of new tools and improvements based on player feedback including a new Quest Guide and an enhanced new player experience.

New features introduced by Book 7: Leaves of Lórien include (as the name suggests) several additional quests which advance the epic plot forward, along with the following:

The Epic Journey Continues – The first update to Volume II, Book 7 will take LOTRO’s unique storytelling to a new level as it introduces a new reputation faction, the reclusive elves of Lothlórien. Players will need to gain their trust in order to continue their adventure. After earning their favour, players are reunited with the Fellowship and begin a series of quests to root out the Orc influence within Moria ending with a climactic battle against the forces of Mazog and an audience with Celeborn and the Lady Galadriel back in their kingdom of Lothlórien. New 12-player Raid – Book 7 introduces Strange Happenings, a new quest arc that begins deep within the Waterworks of Moria. Players will need to team up to unravel a mystery surrounding a newly revealed source corruption in Moria, engaging in a fierce battle with another monstrous threat to Middle-earth. New Gameplay Enhancements – LOTRO continues to augment its award-winning experience for players with major improvements such as new daily solo quests for crafters that are very useful and fun and a significantly revamped new player experience for the Dwarves, Elves and Man races. Book 7 also introduces the new Quest Guide, a new set of features designed to make navigating through Middle-earth easier and more fun including display of quest locations on both the mini-map and main map. The Quest Guide will launch with the introduction of Book 7. Celebrate the Spring Festival! – The Spring Festival will return to Middle-earth at the end of March. The world will explode in celebration as the free people of Middle-earth ring in the season with special decorations, festive costumes and special quests including a challenging new hedge maze.

The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria will likely see future updates in the same spirit as today's Book 7 release - which is good news for those who'd rather spend some time away from reality in Middle Earth.