The List

Highlights: Fanrel travels through Entwash Vale and Eaves of Fangorn

March 16th - March 20th

March 16th Throne of the Dread: So we spent a good couple of hours trying to get through the Fire & Shadow boss and couldn't quite get a grasp of what needed to be done. We were pretty much calling it quits until we grabbed quite a few other players in the world. One guy was from Spain, Crazykev. It might have been 4am his time but he wanted to get this done. He called everyone together and told us to get on the giant rock. I couldn't figure out what he was talking about. I realized he must have meant the giant dead troll near the entrance. I held tight with the rest of the group until the tank died and then I jumped in to hold. Instead of trying to disperse the damage, healing through the damage was key. We must have played until 1am between the disconnects and short breaks. At least we will know what to do for next time.

Riders of Rohan

War-steeds are the gimmick of the Riders of Rohan expansion. The developers were pretty funny when coming to the Q&A of the expansion pack. They go into details of pony-size horses for hobbits & dwarves and the original Turbine price tag associated with all the content. Everyone's experience with a war-steed will be different. You can choose from three types of traits (Light, Medium, Heavy), three types of bridles (that summons that specific horse) containing legacies towards those traits (Light, Medium, Heavy) that can be from three different types (3rd age, 2nd age, 1st age), with three different trait trees (Red Dawn, Rohirrim, Riddermark), that also can be switched in battle (Red Dawn, Rohrrim, Riddermark), and with skills associated with your class. This means that while a captain might have a few strong melee strikes, a hunter will have several long-ranged arrow abilities.

Open-Tapping was one of the new things associated with mounted combat. As the developers put it: You must make a contribution by doing damage to the creature or healed someone who has done damage to the creature. This also opened the way for other mechanics: Remote Looting, Pending Loot, Automatic Quest Bestowal, Remote Quest Advancement.

Entwash Vale

The stories here in Entwash Vale is pretty lacking. You have two different places - Eaworth and Thornhope. I felt like I was going to the store and picking out a giant shopping list of items. Not just that but pretty much the entire landscape can be summed up by the two location deeds: Chambers of Byrgenstow and Nurseries of the Wyrmdelf. So let's get right down to it.

Eaworth had me doing:

Reassure the People
Get Ale for the Guards
Arm the guards
- By crafting spears
  - By collecting ore
    - to craft arrow-heads
  - And collecting branches
    - to craft poles
- Use workstation

Looking from the top of the mountain isn't so bad once you kill the big drake.

Break up a Kid's Fight (Instance: Troubled Friendship)
- By finding out where his wooden sword went
  - By finding out where it was burried
    - Which was dug up by a dog
      - That was killed by an orc-rider
        That was slaughtered by a drake

Fight! Fight! Figh- I mean... break it up!

Help prepare for the siege
- Kill Aurochs
  - collect hide
    - To make blankets
      - Collect Sewing Needles
      - Collect Spools of Thread
      - Use Workstation
  - collect ivory
    - to make horns
      - Collect metal fastenings
      - Collect pieces of leather
      - Use Workstation
  - collect meat
    - To make meat-pies
      - Collect sacks of flower
      - Collect sacks of vegetables
      - Use Oven

Pedwin! So that's where you've been hiding! Got a spot for me too?

There are a couple things worth noting. The drakes will actually fall down from the sky. It is really cool. The Reeve of Eaworth is actually Horn's father. They get in such a disagreement that Nona gets up and leaves. You also learn more about Horn's sister Ingyth and how she still doesn't know about Prince Théodred's death. Her father knows it will break her heart since she was betrothed to him. This all happens in Volume 3 Book 8 Chapter 12 Instance: Homecoming.

You can see the icycles of Wildermore if you look real carefully.

Thornhope list became almost impossible to keep track of.

Find Thane Béortnoth
- Search for Helvorlim, the hearloom sword of Béortnoth's family
- Attend to the survivors
  - Find Léofrun's doll, Bote
  - Kill Grish, Bidroi, Rûkaz
  - Collect Frána's pillow, cloak, and robe
  - Collect Wulfrad's coffer, seal, and ring
  - Collect the son's blanket, daughter's dress, and husband's sickle
  - Defeat Matumkâr
  - Defeat Bûrzthrâng

Did I get everyone? I'm only going in one more time.

I will also say that it was rather neat to see Éomer's Vengeance with the pile of orcs. You also get to see the mysterious stranger again. Oh, is that Shadowfax?

Eaves of Fangorn

Eaves of Fangorn is probably the first time you actually encounter the wrath of the ents. Sure, you encounter ents briefly in Nan Curunír, Fangorn's Edge, Brown Lands, and Limlight Gorge. Then you enter Eaves of Fangorn. The story here is sad, really sad. Some of the stories can be revisited through the Reflecting Pool. Others are simply to kill anything evil in the forest - orcs, bats, roots, spiders. Crossing the southern border will actually get you to Derndingle, or Quickbeam's area.