LOTRO
LOTRO, The Lord of the Rings Online, is an MMO you can begin playing for free! I’ve been playing for a few years now. This online RPG has a lot to explore, enjoy and experience.
It features a very active player base, a positive community and extensibility through plugins. And because you can start for free, there’s no reason not to jump in and visit Middle-Earth.
Here you can find my LOTRO Guides, general blog posts and FanFiction story-writing too.
If there’s an aspect of the game you’d like to know about, or think I should write about, please let me know.
LOTRO Tale of the Shipwrecked MarinersWhen is The Tale of the Shipwrecked Mariners? The 2023 dates are: From: 14th September at 10am /servertime To: 20th September at 3am /servertime How Do I Start It...
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Playing LOTRO Sololaying LOTRO solo has been my approach to the game for as long as I've been adventuring in SSG's rendition of Middle-Earth. By that I mean that most of my questing time in The Lord of the Rings Online...
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Farmers Faire War-Steed CosmeticsWhile Farmers Faire War-Steed cosmetics may not be as numerous as those available for playable characters, LOTRO have included many options over the years. And, just because a festival is about food a...
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LOTRO Farmers Faire 2023 GuideOnce upon a time in Middle-Earth, there were two festivals, then they became one and the LOTRO Farmers Faire became one huge celebration of fishing and food! There are so many different types of ques...
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Slayer of the Misty Mountains DeedThe LOTRO Slayer of the Misty Mountains Deed takes sees you face off with wild and dangerous beasts. You're tasked with "population control" for Bears, Snow-Beasts, Wargs and Worms in an area where e...
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Unveiling the Path of VirtuesVirtues in LOTRO are a great way to customise your combat stats and adjust them to your playing style. As with real life, they reflect positive character traits that become stronger the more you work...
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The LOTRO Combe Forester EventWelcome to my LOTRO Forester Event Guide! Here, I want to give you an overview of the first crafting event in The Lord of the Rings Online, as well as help you navigate how it works. Taking place in C...
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LOTRO Trollshaws Slayer DeedMy journey to bring you deed maps has arrived with the LOTRO Slayer of the Trollshaws Deed! This beautiful, autumnal region is full of life - and a little bit of death. But mostly life! The sl...
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LOTRO Midsummer Festival 2023 GuideCelebrate the Great Wedding of Aragorn and Arwen!The LOTRO Midsummer Festival celebrates the wedding of Aragorn and Arwen, which took place some time after the overthrow of Sauron. Elessar, now finall...
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LOTRO Evendim Slayer Deed Map & GuideThis LOTRO Evendim Slayer Deed Guide and Map is the first one of the original regions I've done in a very long time. And I'm glad I did. Having been pretty ill for the last week or so, I've been able...
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10 Must-Have LOTRO Plugins and Addons for 2023While I cannot speak for other MMOs, The Lord of the Rings Online is the only one out of three that I've played that has player-created extensions. Even better, with its API, players are in fact encou...
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6 Reasons You Should Get LOTRO's Before the ShadowAt the time of writing, it has been over six months since LOTRO launched its Before the Shadow expansion. When I've not been updating festival guides, I've been covering deeds and lore from Swanfleet...
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LOTRO Myrtle Mint - Figments of SplendourIf you've landed here, you're probably aware that Myrtle Mint is active in The Lord of the Rings Online right now - or is about to be. Along with other Rotating Figments of Splendour vendors, her ware...
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LOTRO Anniversary 2023 Event GuideIt's time to celebrate Years of gaming in Middle-Earth at the LOTRO Anniversary 2023! Quests and events are being held across Middle-Earth with the main and Eriador Scavenger Hunt literally seeing pe...
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LOTRO Anniversary War-steed CosmeticsAnother birthday means we can re-look at the Anniversary War-Steed Cosmetics! For players who are in Rohan and beyond, making LOTRO outfits is not just limited to our characters. War-steeds not only e...
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LOTRO Deeds of SwanfleetThe first region in LOTRO's Before the Shadow expansion is Swanfleet. This beautiful zone combines rugged hills, Stoor villages, Orc camps and pristine farms. And that's just a hint of what you can di...
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LOTRO Deeds of CardolanTo make the most of any region of The Lord of the Rings Online, SSG gives us many deeds to complete. Very often, some of the places you need to go to complete a deed are those not contained within que...
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LOTRO Deeds for BeginnersDeeds in LOTRO are found in every region of Middle-Earth, in many instances/dungeons, skirmishes and missions. This is just to name a few for you. If you're new to The Lord of the Rings Online, then y...
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LOTRO April Fools DayAm I really writing a mini-guide at 10.45pm on the 31st March? Why yes I am, because tomorrow is April Fools Day and LOTRO have decided to run something "a bit weird"! There are a couple of titles up...
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Cardolan in Lore and LOTROCardolan in The Lord of the Rings Online is one of the two region introduced in its mini-expansion "Before the Shadow". Alongside Swanfleet, these regions became a new way to begin adventuring in L...
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The Ravaging of Cardolan DeedThe final part of the exploration deeds in LOTRO's Cardolan region is the Ravaging of Cardolan. This has a similar feel to Dwellers of Old Swanfleet in that you have to find some items.But you can...
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Spring War-Steed CosmeticsWelcome to my Spring War-Steed Cosmetics library! There's only one addiction worse than character outfits for me - and that's war-horse outfits. I'm not a decorations nut, but I do love to dress up my...
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Bee's Big Business Walk-throughAs with some other events, Spring Festival also has a Seasonal Instance. This one is called Bee's Big Business. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to defend Grimbeorn's Giant Bees as the...
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LOTRO Festival Token ExchangeHave you ever got to a point with a LOTRO event where you have way too many tokens and nothing to use them on? Or maybe there's one event you loved and banked up loads, but don't have enough tokens or...
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LOTRO Skirmish Soldier CosmeticsDescribed by the tutorial in LOTRO as "Soldiers of the Free Peoples", the NPCs that accompany you in Skirmishes are essential to your success. But this is an MMO, and we know that gear is practical, b...
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LOTRO Treasure of Cardolan DeedOur journey through the various deeds of Cardolan continues with the Treasure of Cardolan Deed.As we have already seen in the Swanfleet region of Before the Shadow, Cardolan's treasure caches are...
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LOTRO Skirmish Soldier GuideMy thanks to Eldalleth for proofing this for me.Skirmishes in The Lord of the Rings Online are akin to smaller dungeons that have specific mechanics. While many are optional, occasionally Skirmis...
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LOTRO Trophy-Hunter of Cardolan DeedThe Trophy-hunter of Cardolan Deed sees you track down wanted targets in the West and East of the region. You have to take something as proof of the deed; it could be something innocuous like a quiver...
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LOTRO Ill Omens PetsThe latest addition to my LOTRO Festival Pets database are those from Ill Omens.What is Ill Omens?It is a Skirmish-based event, in much the same way as the Treasure Bugan Event. You partake in r...
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LOTRO Inhabitants of the Vanished Realm DeedThe Inhabitants of the Vanished Realm Deed in Cardolan is the easiest one to clear in the region. That said, it is always the people that make locations interesting. All of the places you need to comp...
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LOTRO Perils of Cardolan Deed GuideIt's good to be back in the swing of guide writing again. Even in high pain, it gives me a focus. Today we're going to look at the LOTRO Perils of Cardolan Deed. Spread across the region, these locati...
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LOTRO Slayer of Cardolan Deed GuideAfter a break due to writing about Festivals, I am once again picking up my Before the Shadow series. Today we're going to look at the LOTRO Slayer of Cardolan Deed. The people of Cardolan face threat...
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Is LOTRO Worth Playing in 2023?2022 saw in the 15th Anniversary of The Lord of the Rings Online, which is one heck of an achievement. I believe I have been playing it for over six years now. Despite the potential of a rival LOTR-ba...
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LOTRO Events Schedule 2023LOTRO Events and Festivals form the backbone of community gettogethers in Middle-Earth. With seasonal events, featuring new outfit cosmetics, mounts and tons of other rewards, it's jam-packed. "Hmm, j...
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LOTRO Yule Festival War-Steed CosmeticsIt's interesting that I chose to make this separate page for LOTRO Yule Festival War-Steed Cosmetics today.Just yesterday in World Chat, a player asked if the standard Yule Mount came with all the...
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LOTRO Yule Festival 2022 GuideIt's Yule-tide: Time to honour the past and look forward to the future in Middle-Earth! Let the LOTRO Yule Festival begin! Packed with quests from helping the poor, eating competitions, snowball fight...
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LOTRO Yule Festival MountsWelcome to my library of all the LOTRO Yule Festival Mounts! I have finally documented and uploaded the details of each of them, and there are many to choose from. Some are availab...
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LOTRO Explorer of Swanfleet DeedWith the launch of Before the Shadow, LOTRO introduced two new starter regions. The first of these is Swanfleet, and with the story content come more deeds to complete. The Explorer of Swanfleet Deed...
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Trophy-Hunter of Swanfleet DeedWelcome to the final part of the Swanfleet exploration deeds in Before the Shadow! Today we'll be taking on the Trophy-hunter of Swanfleet Deed. Here, you'll be tasked with finding six named creatures...
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LOTRO Slayer of Swanfleet DeedWelcome back to Swanfleet in Before the Shadow! I'm continuing my series of posts covering the deeds in this region. Today we're homing in on the Slayer of Swanfleet Deed. Unlike original starter deed...
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LOTRO Rowan Raspberry CosmeticsRowan Raspberry is one of the Rotating Figments of Splendour Vendors in LOTRO. Such tradespeople sell cosmetic items for - guess what - Figments! But each has their own unique set of outfits, pets, d...
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LOTRO Treasure of Swanfleet DeedWelcome to what I believe is the hardest of all the LOTRO Swanfleet exploration deeds: the Treasure of Swanfleet Deed. It took myself and Eldalleth quite a long time in beta and shortly after launch t...
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LOTRO The Many Folk of the GlanduinWelcome to my first proper Before the Shadow Guide: The Many Folk of the Glanduin Deed. As with my other exploration deeds, I've provided information and a map to help you. But because Swanfleet and...
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LOTRO Perils of Swanfleet Deed GuideYou do not need to quest long in Before the Shadow to know that difficulty and dangers lurk in the picturesque surrounding landscape. The Perils of Swanfleet Deed sees you going from North to South an...
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LOTRO Dwellers of Old Swanfleet DeedThe Dwellers of Old Swanfleet Deed in LOTRO is an exploration deed worthy of the name. Instead of mapping key locations within the region, you need to find specific items which are spread throughout t...
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LOTRO Lower Body and Feet CosmeticsDue to the way LOTRO design many of their armour sets, lower body and feet cosmetics are not as common. It is especially true for your character's legs. This is because, often, tunics and breastplates...
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How to Start a New Character in Before the ShadowAt the time of writing this, LOTRO's Before the Shadow expansion is near its launch date! There are various changes coming in at the same time so that players of all levels have new things to explore....
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LOTRO Shoulder CosmeticsUnlike other gear slots, LOTRO Shoulder Cosmetics are much smaller in number . However that does not mean you have few choices. Take a look, and see which shoulder coverings best suit your next LOTRO...
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LOTRO Back CosmeticsIf you're looking for those ideal LOTRO Back Cosmetics but don't know where to look, then here's a starting place for you. Here are all the cloaks, backpacks and other items that go into your back gea...
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LOTRO Hand CosmeticsAs part of my site reorganisation and streamlining, I present LOTRO Hand Cosmetics! Here you'll find all the gloves, gauntlets and bracers you can acquire from LOTRO Events and Festivals. When I say "...
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