The Steed of the Warden

Far along the borders of the Wild, protecting civilized lands from harm are the prepared Warden. For generations they have been held with high admiration for their swift call to action and their steadfast resolve in protecting the inhabitance of Middle-earth. The Steed of the Warden is outfitted with the bare needs of a patroller. It’s lightly armored in key areas, with enough space for javelins, shields, and provisions.

This steed has 250 health and allows you to travel 68% faster than running on foot, making it faster and stronger than many other mounts! Once purchased this skill can be found in the Mounts area of the Skill panel. When you purchase this Premium Mount, you will also be granted a set of War-steed cosmetics inspired by the Travel Mount.

The Steed of the Warden seems to have ambushed us, as it is available in the LOTRO Store despite not having an official announcement. Here are some photos for those curious.

 

 

The travel mount is a blonde sorrel steed with silver plate armor and gold trim, as well as a few green tassles. True its description, it is fairly minimal. The saddle blanket is green and red, with the saddle itself being trimmed in gold, with silver leg guards. The gear includes a small red warden’s shield with a stylized spear pattern on it (which appears on other parts of the armor), and closer inspection of the items appear to show that it includes items you might expect for a traveling soldier and scout: a black saddlebag for gear, a bundle of sticks for a campfire, a cast iron pan for meals and a spyglass.

There does not seem to be any major changes between the travel steed and the war steed appearance. However, there are a few points that I’d like to call to your attention:

• There is a color difference in the armor between the travel mount and the war steed cosmetic. Although the the travel mount’s armor is silver, the war steed’s armor is olive or ranger green. Matching the color on the war steed will require the purchase of a color pack from the LOTRO Store.
• The rider’s leg guards currently clip through your character’s legs. This occurs on both variations of the mount.
• The leg guards for the steed may be crooked. Although having inward facing guards is not entirely unheard of, it seems somewhat off when comparing it to every other mount that has been released. I am not certain if this was intentional.
• The description made me curious when it mentioned “enough space for javelins, shields and provisions,” so I decided to test something. Alas, when geared up with an equipped spear and javelin, there will still be clipping into the body of your steed. Poor Horse.
• Finally, the green tassels on the horse do not dye.

 

This post was originally written and published by Atheron.