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 you have a peek in to see if that is the package for you. I’ve marked which features apply to which package in most cases to help you out, too. This guide is mostly done at last so, enjoy!
Starting Comments
Image Quality/Load Speed
Usually I compromise image quality to gain load speed. While I have compressed the images slightly, I’ve not gone as far as I would normally. The reason is that some people may or may not choose to pay real money based on what they see in this Ultimate Fan Bundle review. Therefore, I’ve kept the picture quality high so you can make informed judgements either way. Until tech evolves again in a way to use higher-quality images on faster connections, I apologise if load time is slower here than my other content.
Disclaimers
LOTRO gave me a Code for the Before the Shadow Ultimate Fan Bundle for free.
There was no expectation or inference from them that I should, or would, publicise it in anyway.
There were absolutely no conditions on my receiving of it.
I am reporting on it, with the occasional opinion. You are responsible with your money. Hopefully.
I guess that’s clear enough? Onto the interesting stuff then!
And there is more! So, in one sense, a better question would be what’s not in the Ultimate Fan Bundle, because there’s a bit of everything packed into the small 32×32 icons! So let’s get into it.
Before you open your boxes and ask Where are my Before the Shadow Mounts that I paid for?, the answer is that they are…wait for it… in your Mounts Panel! You don’t need to click anything to activate or “learn” them as you do with pets.
Elk of Flowing Silver
Ultimate
Elk of Flowing Silver
The Elk can breathe freely and seems protected but not restricted.
This beautiful Elk looks wild, but not too wild, tame but not too tame. The barding seems to give a feeling of natural wood and silvery-white silk. Even the nose covering appears protective, but not restrictive, though it is held onto the caparison with two draped sashes.
Elk of Flowing Silver from the Back
The Flowing Silver Elk has this running effect behind it.
I don’t think the decor is overdone at all. More is not better, especially where mounts are concerned (at least in my opinion). The Elk of Flowing Silver also has this subtle, shiny effect when moving. I’ll try to get a better shot later.
The Valiant Steed of the Dúnedain is a mid-grey horse (or pony), with what appears to be a combination of both metal and leather armour plates. As with the Valiant Armour of the Dúnedain, your mount has a “real” metal helm. Plate armour covers the back of the neck hiding the horse’s mane with a bit of extra support on the rump and chest. This Before the Shadow mount has no separate saddle, as you just sit on an area of leather “plates”. Finally, it has no fancy tail, maybe a testament to the fact that many Dúnedain had been in the wilds.
The Ultimate Fan Bundle contains two unique – and I mean, totally unique, cosmetic armour sets. One is a very shiny Elven-inspired outfit while the other is a lightly-armoured one.
I am aware I’ve mostly only shown female ‘Big People’ here. I wanted to get something out for you all. I have started on other races/body shapes, so will release these soonish.
Cosmetic Armour of Flowing Silver
Ultimate
Health Warning: don’t look at this in broad daylight – it’s very reflective! The Armour of Flowing Silver is a combination of – I think – metal plate and cloth. As with other Elven sets, there is a nod towards nature; either leaves themselves, or the veins found on leaves are used, but in a tasteful way.The only other thing I’ll give an opinion on is I think the helm is weird. The plate on the cheekbones and across the nose are great, but the spikes upward seem a bit more Angmar-inspired than Elven. But maybe I’m missing some lore in terms of how the Eldar dressed, or something?
Helm of Flowing Silver
Helm of Flowing Silver
Note: the Hooded Cloak will hide this helm.
Pauldrons of Flowing Silver
Pauldrons of Flowing Silver (shoulder pad view)
Pauldrons of Flowing Silver (Front View)
I’ve not had ideal light to take all my shots by – and it’s rained twice (in-game). This is the best I can do for now!
Cloak of Flowing Silver
Hooded Cloak of Flowing Silver
Cloak of Flowing Silver
I realise these thumbnails look identical – click/tap each to view the full-length versions, please! Note: using the hooded version will hide the Helm of Flowing Silver
Chestplate of Flowing Silver
Chestplate of Flowing Silver
Gloves of Flowing Silver
Gloves of Flowing Silver (Race of Man/Beorning)
Boots of Flowing Silver
Boots of Flowing Silver
How Well Do These Dye?
I need to experiment on all pieces, but from my initial quick tests, the plate metal bits do not dye. I’ll provide screenshots soon.
Valiant Armour of the Dúnedain
UltimateCollectors
Valiant Helm of the Dúnedain
Valiant Helm of the Dúnedain
Valiant Pauldrons of the Dúnedain
Valiant Pauldrons of the Dúnedain
Valiant Cloak of the Dúnedain
Valiant Cloak of the Dúnedain
Valiant Chestplate of the Dúnedain
Valiant Chestplate of the Dúnedain
Valiant Gloves of the Dúnedain
Valiant Gloves of the Dúnedain
Valiant Boots of the Dúnedain
Valiant Boots of the Dúnedain
Because only the left knee is weak. Though, the chestplate does extend more over your right knee.
How Well Do These Dye?
I’ll provide shots soon, but the only bits that dye are where you can see red. Bits like the cloak’s trim, the pauldrons’ fabric, that kind of thing.
Inline with the “Flowing Silver” cosmetics and mount, the Weapon Aura of Elvan Blessings is a bright, glistening aura for your weapons and shields. Especially clear on the shield in the video (on the right or below), is the beautiful “flowing” effect. There are also bonus sparkles, as seen on the mount when it’s in motion.
For auras to show, equip a ‘blank’ in the equipment/gear panel. They do not appear to work if an actual aura is in the gear and a different one in the outfit slot.
These are Pocket slot items and have different effects. Only people who purchase the Before the Shadow Ultimate Fan Bundle are granted these stones.
What is the Difference?
Characteristics shared by both stones are:
Both have Scaled Combat Stats for the ‘core’ values of Might, Agility, Vitality, Will and Fate.
Both grant 10% Landscape Token bonus for regions up to Western Gondor (L100 Quests).
Both are Bound to Account. In one sense it does not matter as all your characters on that account will receive them. But if a character loses theirs, they can share with another character. The normal Tortoise Stones are bound to character, not account.
The difference is the Flowing Silver Stone of the Tortoise also disables XP gain, in the same way that the normal Stone of the Tortoise Does.
A “Housing Teleporter”: I’m not sure what that is…considering we already have “Return to” for both standard and Premium properties like the Rohan Housing but the FAQ references Caras Gelebren Mural Alcove.
Monster Skins…sounds gross but I guess it’s for PvMP rather than a Task Board!
As always, there are three levels of packages available. It’s up to you which Before the Shadow edition you want. However, just an FYI, that the following items get delivered once BtS is launched:
The expansion story and quests: in case that needed saying…
Additional Character Slot (Ultimate/Collectors)
10 × Shared Storage Space (Ultimate)
The Mysterious “Housing Teleporter”: no doubt it’s been announced someplace and I’ve missed it.
TL;DR Is the Before the Shadow Ultimate Fan Bundle Worth It?
That is a question only you can answer! I’m not completely copping out. LOTRO have put a lot into this bundle, but I think the number of items and bonuses given for each tier is representative of the proportional increase in price.Had SSG not given me a code for a LOTRO Before the Shadow Ultimate Fan Bundle, my choice would have been based on our family’s financial situation, rather than what I thought I was happy to buy into.After all the above, my favourites are the Weapon Aura and the new Tortoise Stone, which may not be what SSG would anticipate! Anyway, whichever you go for – even if that’s the basic package – remember “basic” includes two new regions and a shedload of new storywriting and world exploring. I’m looking forward to it!
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This Before the Shadow mount has no separate saddle, as you just sit on an area of leather “plates”. Finally, it has no fancy tail, maybe a testament to the fact that many Dúnedain had been in the wilds. 
Before the Shadow
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