@DarthCeltics What kind of new oriental music weights on your mind?

[TesalionLortus]

Regarding a certain Southern direction in the game.. Well, I guess it's technically spoilers if you answer, but definitely makes me wonder and can't wait to hear it!

Will we hear some cool nods or rearrangement of the older Corsair battle themes? I loved those - and would love those old ones as housing music too

What kind of seafaring adventure music we're going to hear? Boats and sea, that's a whole new experience, I guess a bit like "Learning to Ride" kind of situation during Rohan when the entire new aspect opens up before you

It may be interesting to hear Corsairs and Haradrim expanded musically and I'm sure a great opportunity for DarthCeltics to play with He has only ever done just a bit for Easterlings and Chayasir in Dalelands - and I really liked those! It's definitely something new musically where we're headed and a great opportunity for not just new type of music overall but also... kind of a fresh start - since a place such as Umbar/Harad been isolated from Gondor/elves/dwarfs/hobbits for a long time, it's more of a clean slate musically, with not many existing themes that can be brought back or implemented. While I love musical call backs and new takes on existing themes associated with races, countries and places... the clean slate is very exciting in its own unique way! Like, I pretty much expected the return of dwarven themes in Gundbad or some redone Gondor tunes making appearances in relevant situations (like in Cardolan, because themed around Tharbad and Boromir) and Gondor tunes will play a part in new Gondor maps too no doubt. But Umbar? Harad? Surrounding lands? No idea! Other than some redos of old Corsair themes - can't predict nor expect anything. That's pretty refreshing

[TesalionLortus]

By the way, any music theme related to Umbar journey would be definitely off in the main menu of the game and as a standard for welcoming new players. So even worse, in a way, than some of the "too much war" complaints people have with the current theme. And Umbar music definitely needs some more oriental/different vibes, so I see no reason to do a mashup of oriental with the older Western themes for character screen, which would be even more awkward and all over the place than the current theme.

So why not take a different approach and just use that expac's score to deliver this suitable LOTRO's main theme I was talking about? So not exactly Umbar-themed but something that the game is lacking: a worthy main theme, suitable for creation screen, and somewhat neutral/adventury/suitable for any race choices as I suggested in that suggestion post. Would be pretty neat

[TesalionLortus]

Maybe not exactly Umbar vibes, but I've finished playing Kena: Bridge of Spirits and some of these chants (beginning and 5:15) strike me as something suitable for the native, nasty, sorcerous stuff out of Harad...

Btw, amazing OST from this game, created by Theophany and Rozen, two legends of Zelda remixes!