Sadly there is no new crafting tier, but there are new recipes from the elves in Mirkwood. The new recipes have similar statistics to those available in Lothlorien but have less requirements (no Mithril flake required) and are multi not single use. The recipes also have multiple output options allowing them to be customised for different classes.
The same resources that were available throughout Moria are also available in Mirkwood with additional creatures dropping Mithril shards and all your favourate items.
Crafters can now make a special type of relic for legendary items, this goes into a fourth slot in the item. This means that the original combining system works for the previous 3 categories independently. At the top tier of crafted relics the relics will be bound (at other tiers you can sell them) thus this will require that players reach the supreme tier for crafting in at least one of their professions (all craft skills can craft the full range of relic bonuses). You may need guild kindred to make some of the relics.
Crafters can also make 3rd age and 2nd age legendary items. 3rd age items are readily found across the landscape, 2nd age items can only be crafted. To make a 2nd age items a drop is required that is normally only found in the raid instances. All found items are unbound and freely tradeable. 1st age items are currently not available, suggesting this will be part of volume 3, due next year.
Update 30/11/2009
Tags: craft, legendary, lotro, mirkwood, Siege of Mirkwood