For too long, the depths of Moria have felt empty. Sure, there were orcs, goblins, and the occasional cave troll ready to destroy your pickaxe, but there were no other dwarves. Fortunately, Standing Stone Games seems to have finally listened to the complaints about the loneliness of dwarven life.
The upcoming “Durin’s Folk” expansion for The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria strongly suggests the addition of NPC characters, and honestly, it’s long overdue. The expansion was announced at San Diego Comic Con during the Middle-earth: The Adventure Ahead panel, promising to “continue the fight to restore Moria with an expanded end-game story, exciting new game mechanics, plus many unrevealed secrets!” While exact details remain hidden, the hints in the teaser trailer suggest a more lively and inhabited Khazad-dûm.
Return to Moria finally brings NPCs
The trailer, though short, says a lot. It shows a vast, empty hallway, grand and heavy with history. A huge dwarven door, covered in intricate designs, slowly opens, revealing something unknown but full of potential. Voices speak over the scene, including the bold statement: “Khazad-dûm is the home of Durin’s Folk.” That’s the important part. Khazad-dûm, for those unfamiliar with Tolkien’s world, is another name for Moria.
Durin was one of the seven original dwarves, the ancestors of the entire dwarven race. The name “Durin’s Folk” isn’t just a title—it’s a mission. It implies a focus not just on rebuilding Moria’s structures but on restoring the dwarven society that once lived there. And you can’t rebuild a society without other dwarves.
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Instead of just crafting tools and fighting monsters alone, you might meet master smiths who offer rare crafting recipes in exchange for resources. You could find loremasters who decipher ancient dwarven relics, granting powerful upgrades or revealing hidden paths. Maybe even encounter stubborn elders who resist change, needing persuasion that your vision for Moria is the right one.
NPCs would improve the game
Adding NPCs would completely change the game. The base version, while featuring solid survival crafting and a faithful recreation of Moria, often felt lonely. That isolation may have been intentional, highlighting the tragedy of the dwarves and the difficulty of reclaiming their home, but it also limited storytelling and made gameplay feel repetitive. NPCs could bring much-needed energy and purpose.
NPCs could fix one of the biggest criticisms of the base game, filling Moria’s silent halls with life and adding depth to gameplay. It would give players a real reason to rebuild—not just to survive, but to protect a community, restore a society, and fight for a future.
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Of course, this is all speculation. Standing Stone Games hasn’t revealed much about the expansion. But the hints are there. The name, the trailer’s focus on Durin’s legacy, and the promise of a richer end-game story all point toward a more alive, dynamic Moria. If “Durin’s Folk” truly brings dwarven NPCs to Khazad-dûm, it could transform Return to Moria from a good idea into a great game.
For now, we can only guess and wait. But one thing is certain: Moria needs more than miners. It needs people. It needs Durin’s Folk.
