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.
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... Read More →
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... Read More →
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... Read More →
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... Read More →
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... Read More →
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... Read More →
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... Read More →
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... Read More →
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... Read More →
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... Read More →
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... Read More →
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... Read More →
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... Read More →
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... Read More →
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... Read More →
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... Read More →
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... Read More →
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... Read More →
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... Read More →
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... Read More →
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... Read More →
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... Read More →
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... Read More →
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... Read More →
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... Read More →
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.... Read More →
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... Read More →
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... Read More →
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 "... Read More →
LOTRO Explorer of the Lone-lands DeedThe Explorer of the Lone-Lands Deed is a so-called 'meta-deed', one that completes after finishing sub-deeds. It is divided into four distinct sections, one of which should be left until you are eithe... Read More →
LOTRO Upper Body CosmeticsHey again, my site cleanup is still ongoing and so I now present to you LOTRO Upper Body Cosmetics! Currently, this relates to those from festivals and events. If you're looking for cosmetics from par... Read More →
LOTRO Head CosmeticsHi LOTROfamily! In an attempt to feel - and maybe look - organised, I am in the process of cleaning up my URL structure. Part of this is deleting all the "tags" that give little value. Instead, where... Read More →
Before the Shadow Ultimate Fan Bundle Unboxed!With the latest expansion of The Lord of the Rings Online being released in early November 2022, it's time to have a look at the LOTRO Before the Shadow Ultimate Fan Bundle! Let's unbox it all and let... Read More →
LOTRO Beorning GuideBeornings in Tolkien's Middle-Earth are a race of skin-changers based in the Vales of Anduin. Beorn's home features as a stop-off point for the Dwarves and Bilbo on their journey to the Lonely Mountai... Read More →
LOTRO MissionsThe Lord of the Rings Online has many different features and aspects that enable you to vary your experience of the game so you can enjoy it your way. One of those features is LOTRO Missions. Availabl... Read More →
LOTRO Baggins Birthday EventEvery September, LOTRO takes time to celebrate Baggins' Birthday, especially on the 22nd of the month. To anyone familiar with the lore of The Lord of the Rings will know that Bilbo and his nephew Fro... Read More →
LOTRO The Further Adventures of Bilbo BagginsThe Further Adventures of Bilbo Baggins is a series of story-driven missions in LOTRO. Beginning in Rivendell and reaching its climax in the Misty Mountains, your task is to figure out where Bilbo is... Read More →
LOTRO Fat Mayor QuestOne of the most confusing LOTRO Farmers Faire quests for newer players is Fat Mayor. This is The Shire. Food is part of the culture, and possibly the identity, of any Hobbit. And Mayor Will Whitford l... Read More →
LOTRO Crafting GuideThe Lord of the Rings Online has many features and ways you can spend your time while in Middle-Earth. One of the most understated, yet satisfying things you can do is to take up crafting. As well as... Read More →
LOTRO Fall Festival MountsWhether you use the term Fall or Harvestmath to describe the LOTRO Fall Festival, or even if you see it as a Halloween event, there are a ton of Fall Festival Mounts for you to choose from.It's due to... Read More →
LOTRO Before the ShadowI wanted to chat with you about the upcoming Before the Shadow content in LOTRO. This is going to be the latest "mini expansion" released by SSG and open to lower levels. Sometimes, when you've been p... Read More →
7 Reasons to Enjoy Elladan and Elrohir's MissionsI had debated how best to approach part two of my Further Adventures of Elladan and Elrohir posts. While part of me wanted to detail each of the quests, I've always maintained that this site is not a... Read More →
LOTRO PointsAs with many MMOs, The Lord of the Rings Online has what many refer to as a "money store". While accessible in-game, it is the place where you can choose to buy optional items or more content with rea... Read More →
LOTRO Further Adventures of Elladan and ElrohirThe Further Adventures of Elladan and Elrohir are the latest addition to LOTRO's Further Adventures missions. While the previous ones focussed on the famous Bilbo Baggins, these follow the two sons of... Read More →
LOTRO Farmers Faire 2022 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... Read More →
LOTRO MountsAs I've been having issues with the "category" page for my LOTRO Mounts database, it turned out to be easier to just create a page that looks like a category one. Here are the various events and f... Read More →
How to Rename Pets in LOTROIn your searches here and in World Chat I sometimes see this question: How do I rename pets? This is because your cute ball of fur or feathers comes with a default name. Cosmetics Pets in LOTRO are ma... Read More →
LOTRO Pets from Festivals and EventsWelcome to my latest work-in-progress Events project - the LOTRO Pets library! From kites to beavers, donkeys to blood crabbain, finding the perfect friend to join you on your adventures is just a... Read More →
LOTRO Farmers Faire MountsIt seems like Farmers Faire has been going on for most of the time LOTRO has been running! This means there are loads of Farmers Faire Mounts for you to choose from.As you browse this list, you'll... Read More →
LOTRO Treasure Bugan EventThe LOTRO Treasure Bugan Event is an unusual one compared to the others in the Events Calendar. Instead of a 'centre' or 'base camp' for earning tokens, this one is based around running scalable (read... Read More →