Quest:Instance: The Unmarked Trail

Instance: The Unmarked Trail
Level	40
Type	Solo or Fellowship
Starts with	Legolas
Starts at	The Guest Rooms
Start Region	Rivendell
Map Ref	[30.7S, 6.2W]
Quest Group	Vol. I. Book 4
Reflecting Pool	Trollshaws Reflecting Pool

Quest Chain

Previous: Volume I, Book 3 Previous: Before the Shadow, Book 3 Volume I, Book 4: Chasing Shadows [37] Foreword: The Troubles of Rivendell [37] Chapter 1: Where is the Horse and the Rider? [38] Chapter 2: The Missing Rider - Solo-only or Fellowship [37] Chapter 3: The Wisdom of Lord Glorfindel [37] Chapter 4: Regaining the Trail [38] Chapter 5: Hiding in the Dark - Solo-only or Fellowship [39] Chapter 6: The Knowledge of the Onodrim [40] Chapter 7: The Aid of Mirkwood [40] Chapter 8: The Unmarked Trail - Solo-only or Fellowship [40] Instance: The Unmarked Trail - Solo-only or Fellowship [40] Chapter 9: Hasten Their Departure Next: Volume I, Book 5

Walkthrough & Notes

NOTE: This quest is meant for a fellowship. If you choose to undertake this quest solo you will receive an inspiration bonus, but the challenge will be great. After entering the instance and speaking to Legolas, you will have to fight through several groups of wood-trolls, fen-crawlers and corrupted roots. (These creatures are all extra susceptible to fire damage.) Upon killing the last mob in any group, Legolas will immediately run ahead to aggro whatever comes next. This is normally not a problem due to his high morale (14k) and the inspiration boost. With full health, Legolas is not in danger unless he has more than three mobs attacking him, so the player can usually allow Legolas to keep fighting 1-3 mobs while the player gets aggro on the rest. While fighting the wood-trolls, Legolas frequently runs around the immediate area, presumably to prevent the trolls from using a knockback skill. This can make fighting difficult for a melee player, and annoying for a ranged player, when the mob follows him around the terrain and behind trees. If he does this, it's simpler to let him take care of that mob by himself, and simply focus on the other mobs until he gets back. Halfway through the instance, Legolas will discover an Elite Master wood-troll, Caller of the Bog. This mob has 23k hit points but is not any more vicious than a standard wood-troll. Once his morale is down to about 15k, he will cease to be attackable, and will summon about a dozen Corrupted Undergrowth roots. Once all the roots are killed, Caller of the Bog will attack again. This process is repeated once his morale gets down around 10k; after the second round of roots, he can be finished off. If a situation arises where Legolas' morale gets down to, or below, 50%, the player should attempt to get aggro on as many mobs as possible, but leave one mob to aggro Legolas and keep him distracted from the other mobs. (In a very desperate situation, the player may be able to "train" the mobs around the area to keep them off Legolas while he finishes the one he's working on - but remember that Wood-trolls can, and frequently do, use stun skills, so this tactic is less likely to work if there are any trolls in the group the player deals with.) Once the group has been reduced to two mobs, the player can pull aggro on both remaining mobs. As long as the player's health is 50% or higher, it is recommended that the player switch to auto-attack only, or use skills that cause a small amount of damage, but which slow, mez, stun, or interrupt the mob. The goal is to keep Legolas engaged and prevent him from moving on to the next group of mobs, and keep the mob from doing too much damage, so that Legolas can partially heal back up before it's time to move on. At the end of the instance, you will find a Nazgûl talking to the Nemesis level wood-troll Taushakh, who has 30k morale. You will see a short scene, then fight Taushakh to finish the instance. Like the others, he is relatively straightforward. However, note that (like other trolls) he has a knockback skill, which he will use on you, then run after you to continue fighting, which results in the fight moving farther and farther away from the starting location. If the fight moves too far from where it began, Taushakh will reset, running back to the start point, regaining ALL of his morale, and applying the skill Hardened Bark. Since Legolas is still in the area, Thaushakh will instantly re-aggro and the fight will start all over again, without giving Legolas and the player a chance to rest and heal up. Therefore, if knocked back, try to return to the location where the fight started.

Rewards
None, but the main quest.

Quest Text

Bestowal dialogue The Unmarked Trail "An ancient evil, a corruption of the very nature of Middle-earth, threatens to spread its vile poison throughout the Trollshaws. This evil must be thwarted before it can be brought to bear against the hidden vale of Rivendell." Background Legolas has led the way deep into the Gladdalf, a remote corner of the Trollshaws, on the trail of the Wood-trolls. Objective 1 Talk to Legolas Legolas is following a mysterious trail into the Gladdalf. You and Legolas of Mirkwood have followed the signs of the Wood-trolls through the wilderness of the Trollshaws. Legolas: 'These tracks are unusual, <name>. That they are the prints of wood-trolls cannot be denied, but they are too large even for those of their kind that walk occasionally within southern Mirkwood. 'Let us move into the Gladdalf, but cautiously. We are certain to find the trolls within. 'Stay alert! The wood-trolls will not have become organized enough to exert their influence without help, and there is still a Nazgûk somewhere in these lands.' Objective 2 Follow Legolas Talk to Legolas Legolas is threatened by attacking wood-trolls in the Gladdalf. You and Legolas of Mirkwood have followed the signs of the Wood-trolls through the wilderness of the Trollshaws. Legolas: 'The earth groans beneath the tread of evil, <name>. There are Wood-trolls near.' Objective 3 Aid Legolas Legolas is following a mysterious trail into the Gladdalf. You and Legolas of Mirkwood have followed the signs of the Wood-trolls through the wilderness of the Trollshaws. Legolas says, "These are unusually large tracks...." Legolas says, "I have read the signs alright, my friend! Look east. Wood-trolls!" Legolas says, "More are approaching from the west. Be ready!" Legolas says, "Well-fought, my friend! Let us gather our strength and press onward!" Legolas: 'I am ready to proceed as well. The Gladdalf was a place of peace in earlier days, but now it is a den of evil, and I will be glad to leave it.' Legolas says, "The larger Wood-troll tracks lead to the west. Let us go!" Legolas says, "Did you hear that?" Legolas says, "Look! The fen-crawlers rise up against us!" Legolas says, "That is not the end of the creatures, friend. More are upon us!" Legolas says, "Look to the north! More fen-crawlers!" Legolas says, "Some foul beast sends these fen-crawlers against us!" Objective 4 Talk to Legolas Legolas is threatened by droves of corrupted fen-crawlers in the Gladdalf. You and Legolas of Mirkwood have followed the signs of the Wood-trolls through the wilderness of the Trollshaws. Legolas: 'Come now...some beast calls the fen-crawlers. We must put an end to this creature if we are to continue following the tracks through Gladdalf.' Legolas says, "Come now, up to the north." Legolas says, "Careful now, be on your guard!" Legolas says, "More foes are ahead!" Legolas says, "Look, our foe lies ahead!" Legolas says, "Good, now spare a few moments and rest, for the way ahead is fraught with worse perils." Objective 5 Aid Legolas Legolas has followed a mysterious trail onto an earthen rise surrounded by water in the centre of the Gladdalf. You and Legolas the Elf have followed the signs of the Wood-trolls through the wilderness of the Trollshaws. Legolas: 'I knew the moment you defeated the Caller of the Bog, <name>, for his command over the creatures of the fen suddenly abated. 'There is something still within the Gladdalf, for the evil that corrupts this place did not vanish with your defeat of the wood-troll that opposed us. 'There is something else behind this woe.' Legolas says, "The trail continues down to the east. Come!" Legolas says, "The way ahead is barred by the trees and roots! We must defeat them!" Legolas says, "Come now, I feel our final foe lies ahead!" Legolas says, "A deep uneasiness lies about this place." Nazgûl says, "Never forget your new master. Pain comes to those who do." Taushakh says, "Taushakh will remember." Nazgûl says, "Then prove your loyalty to the Great Eye! Deal with these foes, Taushakh." Nazgûl says, "I leave them to you." Taushakh says, "Attack now earth-foes in the name of the Great Eye" Taushakh says, "Taushakh will not fall so easily!" Legolas says, "Well done! Thanks to your aid, Taushakh's service to Mordor was short indeed!" Objective 6 Talk to Legolas Legolas is waiting to speak with you. You and Legolas of Mirkwood have followed the signs of the Wood-trolls through the wilderness of the Trollshaws. Legolas: 'The Nazgûl vanished from my view, but he did not immediately depart. Legend tells that one of the Ringwraiths was an Easterling king who had great skill in tracking and stealth...only the dread that lay heavily upon my heart told of his presence. That now is gone, but the memory is black. 'It is good that you defeated Taushakh, for the Nazgûl had given him some power with which to rally the Wood-trolls. In great numbers, they migh have threatened Imladris itself! Individually, they are much less of a threat. 'We should return, <name>. The Gladdalf grows cold and sad.' Legolas: 'If you are ready to return to Imladris, I will go with you. We must report what has happened here, though the news be grim.'