Well, this one’s a bit boring. There are only 2 proper stables in the Lone Lands and one campsite – usable only during certain quests. At any rate, I bring you the return of the travel routes diagrams! In case you were wondering, the Lone Lands is for Leveling from about 20-30. Click on the picture below for a larger image...

Another great find by Contains Moderate Peril: an image on the unofficial LOTRO forums referencing items that would automatically level characters all the way to level 50, effectively skipping all original Shadows of Angmar leveling areas. There is some speculation in the post about whether these items are to be used on test severs only or if they are a glimpse...

The 2013 Farmer’s Faire is now live, and as promised, bounders tokens are now easier to come by. In fact, you get a bag just for showing up and talking to the first NPC! Sapience posted a short but sweet update in the forums: The Farmer’s Faire is here! So there you have it. Here is a link to Casually Strolling Through MMO’s 2013...

In case you’re wondering “is it just me?” The answer is no, it’s everyone. The LOTRO servers have been unavailable for new logins since about 3:30pm server time yesterday afternoon. I first noticed (stuck at the launcher message: installing pre-reqs) as I was trying to pop on to take a quick break from outside work yesterday…as...

Bria – ‘Tis I, your brother Borowolf! Although you were quite young when I departed for Minis Tirith, I remember fondly your love for the outdoors and especially for the sparse beauty that could be found in the nooks and crannies of South Gondor. I hope your memories of me are equally good. Braxwolf has departed for the Shire, a lush land populated entirely...

If you’ve been “bounding” around Middle-Earth, wondering why you haven’t seen any of these bounders tokens that all of the hobbits are buzzing about, you weren’t alone! Players questioning the drop rate of the bounders tokens were awarded with this forum post by developer Amlug: Thanks for the feedback on the bounty event so far!...

A few months back, I posted an article called Can Mounted Combat Lag Be Fixed? in which I took what I know about Internet traffic flows and tried to make a guess as to the likelihood of this critical gameplay mechanic improving in the near future. Using the diagram below, I postulated that if the problem existed in the client code, or at the server, then the...

By now you’re probably aware of the dev chat from yesterday regarding the upcoming Helm’s Deep class changes. After the results were posted, I combed through the answers to try and separate the “wheat from the chaff” (so to speak) or the good, new, solid information from the non-answers or fluff. I was happy to see that they shared so...

This stable route diagram shows the 3rd of the three starter areas.  Bree-land and The Shire have also been documented to this point. Click on the picture below for a larger image.   — Braxwolf can be found on Twitter at @Braxwolf or on Windfola, disappearing in one place and re-appearing in another

Now you can deliver your mail and pies more efficiently! Click on the picture for a larger image. — Braxwolf can be found on Twitter at @Braxwolf or on Windfola, running around the party tree

This is the first of a series I’m doing on travel in LOTRO. I plan to diagram all of the stable routes for the different zones, starting with Bree-land. Click on the image below for a larger diagram: — Braxwolf can be found on Twitter at @Braxwolf or on Windfola, staring at various stable masters

So, you’ve decided to play a hunter. Great choice! You’ve read all the beginner guides, chosen your race, and have started pew-pewing your way through Middle-Earth. The hunter is a fairly easy class to learn, but there are subtleties in the early levels that are very easy to miss. Maybe it’s because you’re so good at killing things fast, or that...

Dearest Bria – A few days past, I found myself wandering in the realm of Land-Roval, which I’m guessing must be elvish for “Land of Ten Thousand Minstrels” because that is approximately the number of these folk who I encountered in my travel. It was a familiar place, and I found myself navigating the terrain quite easily. However, some things struck me as quite...

Dearest Bria – Today, I will present to you a brief summation of my adventuring since I’ve moved to the west. First of all, my appearance has changed slightly since we last broke bread together. My long dark locks were getting in the way of my archery, so I’ve embraced a new style. I wear a ponytail, now. Ponytails are cool. In fact, so much has...

  When the latest “Twenty Questions” was released by Turbine, I noticed a large part of the community focusing on the question about LOTR licensing. Perhaps it’s my background, but I was drawn to a different question, the one about game performance issues: Q13: I wish I knew the real reason for the lags and if and when you are going to eliminate them. I...

  Dearest Bria – In your last letter, you inquired about the things that I have learned in my travels. I’m glad you asked! One of the things that takes a great amount of time away from my adventuring is the honing of my forestry and woodworking skills. Of course, the scrounging of wood scraps for both fire and weaponry was a necessity on my long journey to...

  Dearest Bria – It gladdens me to hear of your survival of the onslaught of our village! Our brother, Borowolf, was likewise encouraged by the news. He gave me a bear-hug that nearly splintered the arrows in my quiver! We agreed to split a keg of Dwarven ale to celebrate our family’s good fortune, a celebration from which Borowolf has yet to regain his...