Hobbit Run Guidelines

At the time of this writing, Sapience’s “Take the Hobbits to Isengard!” challenge has been completed on nine servers, with twenty more left to go (twenty-one if Bullroarer makes it on the schedule). Having gone over the archived recordings of almost all of the runs, I thought it might be helpful to have a list of things to keep in mind for upcoming runs.

• No cloaks, no mounts.

This is stressed every time, and every time it seems to be ignored by a good chunk of people participating. Cloaks and mounts put additional strain on the server resources, as it has to animate all of that extra stuff, and contributes to lag. If someone really insists on keeping mount and/or cloak for whatever reason, they should be among the first to keep in mind the next tip, which is:

• No clumping!

Whenever you have a big group of people in a small space, there’s going to be lag. The larger the group (especially if they’ve ignored tip #1), the greater the lag. Obviously, it’s bound to happen in Bree as people gather outside of the Prancing Pony, but once the hobbit is on the move, spreading out is a must. Large groups gathered around the hobbit will slow things down, particularly at border areas when the game is trying to load new regions.

• Make sure the leader knows the route.

Practice runs can probably help with this, but the best times have been turned in by servers where the leader not only knew where to go, but anticipates obstacles that might interfere with his follower. Which brings me to the next point:

• Make sure the leader keeps track of the hobbit “package”.

One of the things that made the Crickhollow run so successful was that the leader would actually turn around and run backwards in places to make sure that his package didn’t get caught up on (or fall off of) anything. Having someone run alongside who can update the leader is also an idea, since running backwards tends to slow your speed. This not only saves time, it also saves the poor hobbit’s face.

• Speed buffs: out-of-combat versus in-combat.

Keep in mind that most speed buffs are only good for out-of-combat movement, and plan accordingly. Separate groups can help with this: if you have a group designated to scout/clear the path ahead, your hobbit-escort group can proceed full speed ahead. If using a Hunter for the speed boost, make sure that person stays in range of both the hobbit and the leader (I recommend against the Hunter being the leader unless they are paying very close attention to the above point).

• Shield-type buffs in problem areas:

Several classes have “bubbles” of protection that can be cast, but be mindful of cooldown on such skills. Be aware of where the problem areas are (borders between regions, everywhere in Dunland, etc.) and plan ahead to make the most of these bonuses. If you have multiple people who can use a type of buff, coordinate beforehand to stagger them so that one is ready to go when the existing one ends.

• Only one hobbit must get to Isengard.

Sure, it’s fun to have other hobbits along, but at the end of the timer only one hobbit’s run time actually counts. Consider having additional hobbits as part of other groups running along (take one ahead to scout the territory, maybe, or on the sides to draw mobs, perhaps).

• Have backup ready to go.

No one really wants to see the hobbit meet his untimely end along the way, but in the event that it happens, be sure to have a group waiting in the wings back in Bree so that the run can be picked up smoothly. Evernight did this, which is why it’s currently the leader of servers that have had to do a restart.

 

I’m sure there are some other tips that I’ve missed, but these are the points that I’ve noticed consistently after watching seven of the nine completed runs. Of course, the #1 rule is: have fun!