User:Freepy/WIP
Work In Progress 1: guides
Introduction
Hello and welcome to my completionist guide to Eriador zones! In this guide you will find all sorts of tips and hints from a veteran LotRO-player to succeed in this undertaking. I currently have a character called Vek, who is a level 67 Dwarf Rune-keeper in the middle of Moria somewhere. He has completed every single thing that one can do in Eriador! He has done all quests and deeds (even hidden ones!) in every zone. Originally from Snowbourn, he has moved to the Laurelin server where my main has been for years.
Anyway, I will attempt to guide you through some simple and some more difficult stuff that you will encounter in your travels through Eriador. Since we're doing a completionist character, it is very important to keep an eye out for anything interesting! Some parts of the journey will be very hard indeed, so I can advise having a character for fun besides your completionist one.
I don't really have any information for you regarding Race-Class combinations. I think you should just play whatever you like, though you might want to take into account that you CANNOT die until level 20 to complete the hidden deed The Undying. Survivability in earlier levels is key here, and it might take several characters to complete this. General experience with LotRO is of course also very helpful. I will try to mark dangerous questlines whenever I can.
Let's start off, shall we?
Tutorial Instance
Every race has their own introductory tutorial area which is meant to explain some of the game's mechanics and to put you into Middle-earth with your character. It also introduces you to some of the original game's main characters and storyline. This instance is very linear and easy to complete, so there is no real challenge here.
Note: you can skip the tutorial instance and the introductory zone when talking to the very first person you meet, but that will leave you in the real world in a slightly under-geared and under-levelled state. I would advise against it since it is VERY DANGEROUS!
- The Elves start in a besieged Edhelion, where they will help defeat Skorgrím Dourhand at the cost of a friend's life...
- The Dwarves start near the Silver Deep mines, where Gandalf and Gimli guide them to a terrible discovery...
- Men will begin their journey imprisoned with Aragorn, and find that a local band of brigands has been in contact with the Enemy...
- Though you'd expect Hobbits to have a somewhat calmer introduction into the world, their first encounter will involve finding Frodo Baggins and fleeing for an approaching Nazgûl...
- Beornings find themselves in the quiet Vales of Anduin, but even Meadhollow is now threatened by the Enemy...
Instance quests for reference:
- [1] Instance: Into the Silver Deep (Dwarf intro)
- [1] Instance: The Refuge of Edhelion (Elf intro)
Introductory Zones
Here follows a description of where you will end up after the tutorial instance. This is still an instanced version of the real world, meant to guide you though some more game mechanics as well as to ease you into the world some more. There is one main questline marked by the prefix 'Intro:', though there are some side quests of note. Since we're being completionist, I will list them all below. The best way of handling these quests is by trying to get the ones that are roughly in the same region.
The introductory zones are shared for Elves and Dwarves in an instanced Thorin's Gate, and by Men and Hobbits in an instanced Archet. After completing all quests you will be able to do a finishing instance, giving some more story and setting you up for entrance into the real world. There are no completable deeds in here, so don't worry about those.
Make sure you don't die in here, 007...
Thorin's Gate
Both Elves and Dwarves start here near the Refuge of Edhelion, a ruined version of the Edhelion you may remember, since it has fallen after the attack in the tutorial instance. Start your quests by speaking with Nos Grimsong, who is standing in front of you. You'll start mucking about near Edhelion before being sent towards Silver Deep, where Skorgríms body presumably fell down into. Here, you'll find that his body is not there anymore and that red flowers bloom where is body supposedly was.
Following a trail of red flowers, you'll find yourself in The Berghold, which is close to Skorgríms Tomb. There, you will pay some honours to Skorgríms Shrine and get sent to Frerin's Court, where a proper quest hub opens up. All class trainers are here, and you will learn some new skills here. Plenty of side-quests to do here, so get working on those before moving on to ensure that you've done everything. You'll meet the Dwalin from The Hobbit, who has left the Lonely Mountain and decided to live in the Blue Mountains after his adventures in the Battle of the Five Armies. He is very concerned because many of his fellow dwarves have fallen ill. He is suspicious of the Dourhands, and sends you to investigate the source of the disease.
You'll find that you might be able to cure the disease by collecting some medicinal herbs in a (dangerous) cave. Here, you encounter a ghost telling you that the Dourhand dwarves are teaming up with some rather odd-looking gaunt-man named Ivar the Blood-hand to resurrect Skorgrím Dourhand! Dwalin will encompany you to Skorgríms Tomb to disrupt the ritual.
Main questline:
Category:Introduction Quests - Honing Your Skills
- [3] Intro: Where Skorgrím Fell
- [3] Intro: Where Skorgrím Sleeps
- [4] Intro: The Footprints of Blood
- [4] Intro: Gormr, Steward of the Hall
- [4] Intro: Shrine to the Fallen King
- [5] Intro: An Uneasy Feeling
- [5] Intro: A Plague at Thorin's Gate
- [5] Intro: A Putrid Spring
- [5] Intro: Medicine of the Elves (Potentially dangerous. Mobs are not aggressive.)
- [5] Intro: To Evade the Impending Doom
- [5] Intro: Skorgrím's Tomb (DON'T ENTER THIS UNLESS EVERYTHING IS DONE)
Optional quests:
* Only available once per server per account
Archet
Both Men and Hobbits start here near Celandine Brandybuck in the village of Archet. Speak with her to get started. She is standing in front of you.
Main questline:
Category:Introduction Quests - Honing Your Skills
- [3] Intro: Remedy of the Old Kings
- [3] Intro: The Interrogation
- [3] Intro: Siege to the South
- [4] Intro: A Plea for Aid
- [4] Intro: The Exiled Hunter
- [5] Intro: Into the Shadow (Potentially dangerous. Mobs are not aggressive.)
- [5] Intro: A Slender Hope
- [5] Intro: The Storm is Upon Us (DON'T ENTER THIS UNLESS EVERYTHING IS DONE)
Optional quests:
- [4] Sweet Bilberry Tea
- [4] A Gift for Amdir
- [4] A Very Empty Belly
- [4] The Courageous Farmhands
- [5] A Little Extra Never Hurts -- Part 1*
* Only available once per server per account
Starting Zones
Now for the real deal! You've been transported into the real world, with real and dangerous mobs. There is still a main questline to follow, but plenty of side-quests besides. The good news is that you will out-level content quite rapidly since you're doing every possible quest you encounter.
Armour Icons
Below you can see a list of lone item icons, grouped up by instance cluster. The icons are from Category:Item Icons.
These icon names are now obsolete as they have been transferred to generic names. They have been 'de-wikified' to eliminate red links. Noddi (talk) 03:19, 9 November 2017 (UTC)
Light Armour
The following is from Classic (Scaling) Instances:
| Helegrod (Scaling) | Annúminas (Scaling) | Player versus Monster Player (PvMP) |
|---|---|---|
| File:Beast-master Leggings (Level 65)-icon.png Helegrod Light Leggings 1 | File:Leggings of the Seven Stars (Level 55)-icon.png Annúminas Light Leggings 1 | File:PvMP Lore-master Legs (U6)-icon.png PvMP Light Leggings 1 |
| File:Silver-voice Leggings (Level 65)-icon.png Helegrod Light Leggings 2 | File:Leggings of the Seven Stars (Level 65)-icon.png Annúminas Light Leggings 2 | File:PvMP Minstrel Legs (U6)-icon.png PvMP Light Leggings 2 |
| File:Trousers of the Learned (Level 65)-icon.png Helegrod Light Leggings 3 | File:PvMP Rune-keeper Legs (U6)-icon.png PvMP Light Leggings 3 |
The following is from Expansion Instance Clusters:
| Mines of Moria | Siege of Mirkwood | Rise of Isengard | Riders of Rohan | Helm's Deep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Moria Light Leggings 1 (rare)-icon.png Moria Light Leggings 1 | File:Lore-keeper's Trousers-icon.png Mirkwood Light Leggings 1 | File:Isengard Light Leggings (rare)-icon.png Isengard Light Leggings 1 | File:Erebor Loremaster Legs-icon.png Rohan Light Leggings 1 | |
| File:Trousers of the Lady's Wisdom-icon.png Moria Light Leggings 2 | File:Runemaker's Trousers-icon.png Mirkwood Light Leggings 2 | File:Draigoch Light Leggings-icon.png Isengard Light Leggings 2 | File:Erebor Minstrel Legs-icon.png Rohan Light Leggings 2 | |
| File:Word-smith's Trousers-icon.png Moria Light Leggings 3 | File:Lore-master's Isengard Leggings (Incomparable)-icon.png Isengard Light Leggings 3 | File:Erebor Rune-keeper Legs-icon.png Rohan Light Leggings 3 | ||
| File:Minstrel's Isengard Leggings (incomparable)-icon.png Isengard Light Leggings 4 | ||||
| File:Rune-keeper's Isengard Leggings (incomparable)-icon.png Isengard Light Leggings 5 |
Medium Armour
The following icons are one-offs of classic content:
| Helegrod (Scaling) | Annúminas (Scaling) | Player versus Monster Player (PvMP) |
|---|---|---|
| File:Helegrod Medium Leggings 1-icon.png Helegrod Medium Leggings 1 | File:Annúminas Medium Leggings 1-icon.png Annúminas Medium Leggings 1 | File:PvMP Medium Leggings 1-icon.png PvMP Medium Leggings 1 |
| File:Helegrod Medium Leggings 2-icon.png Helegrod Medium Leggings 2 | File:Annúminas Medium Leggings 2-icon.png Annúminas Medium Leggings 2 | File:PvMP Medium Leggings 2-icon.png PvMP Medium Leggings 2 |
| File:PvMP Medium Leggings 3-icon.png PvMP Medium Leggings 3 | ||
| File:PvMP Medium Leggings 4-icon.png PvMP Medium Leggings 4 | ||
| File:PvMP Medium Leggings 5-icon.png PvMP Medium Leggings 5 |
The following icons are one-offs of expansion instance clusters:
| Mines of Moria | Siege of Mirkwood | Rise of Isengard | Riders of Rohan | Helm's Deep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Moria Medium Leggings 1-icon.png Moria Medium Leggings 1 | File:Mirkwood Medium Leggings 1-icon.png Mirkwood Medium Leggings 1 | File:Isengard Medium Leggings 1-icon.png Isengard Medium Leggings 1 | File:Rohan Medium Leggings 1-icon.png Rohan Medium Leggings 1 | |
| File:Moria Medium Leggings 2-icon.png Moria Medium Leggings 2 | File:Mirkwood Medium Leggings 2-icon.png Mirkwood Medium Leggings 2 | File:Isengard Medium Leggings 2-icon.png Isengard Medium Leggings 2 | File:Rohan Medium Leggings 2-icon.png Rohan Medium Leggings 2 | |
| File:Mirkwood Medium Leggings 3-icon.png Mirkwood Medium Leggings 3 | File:Isengard Medium Leggings 3-icon.png Isengard Medium Leggings 3 | File:Rohan Medium Leggings 3-icon.png Rohan Medium Leggings 3 | ||
| File:Mirkwood Medium Leggings 4-icon.png Mirkwood Medium Leggings 4 | File:Isengard Medium Leggings 4-icon.png Isengard Medium Leggings 4 | File:Rohan Medium Leggings 4-icon.png Rohan Medium Leggings 4 | ||
| File:Mirkwood Medium Leggings 5-icon.png Mirkwood Medium Leggings 5 |
Heavy Armour
The following icons are one-offs of classic content:
| Helegrod (Scaling) | Annúminas (Scaling) | Player versus Monster Player (PvMP) |
|---|---|---|
| File:Helegrod Heavy Leggings 1-icon.png Helegrod Heavy Leggings 1 | File:Annúminas Heavy Leggings 1-icon.png Annúminas Heavy Leggings 1 | File:PvMP Heavy Leggings 1-icon.png PvMP Heavy Leggings 1 |
| File:Helegrod Heavy Leggings 2-icon.png Helegrod Heavy Leggings 2 | File:Annúminas Heavy Leggings 2-icon.png Annúminas Heavy Leggings 2 | File:PvMP Heavy Leggings 2-icon.png PvMP Heavy Leggings 2 |
| File:Helegrod Heavy Leggings 3-icon.png Helegrod Heavy Leggings 3 | File:PvMP Heavy Leggings 3-icon.png PvMP Heavy Leggings 3 | |
| File:Helegrod Heavy Leggings 4-icon.png Helegrod Heavy Leggings 4 | File:PvMP Heavy Leggings 4-icon.png PvMP Heavy Leggings 4 |
The following icons are one-offs of expansion instance clusters:
| Mines of Moria | Siege of Mirkwood | Rise of Isengard | Riders of Rohan | Helm's Deep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Moria Heavy Leggings 1-icon.png Moria Heavy Leggings 1 | File:Mirkwood Heavy Leggings 1-icon.png Mirkwood Heavy Leggings 1 | File:Isengard Heavy Leggings 1-icon.png Isengard Heavy Leggings 1 | File:Rohan Heavy Leggings 1-icon.png Rohan Heavy Leggings 1 | |
| File:Moria Heavy Leggings 2-icon.png Moria Heavy Leggings 2 | File:Mirkwood Heavy Leggings 2-icon.png Mirkwood Heavy Leggings 2 | File:Isengard Heavy Leggings 2-icon.png Isengard Heavy Leggings 2 | File:Rohan Heavy Leggings 2-icon.png Rohan Heavy Leggings 2 | |
| File:Moria Heavy Leggings 3-icon.png Moria Heavy Leggings 3 | File:Mirkwood Heavy Leggings 3-icon.png Mirkwood Heavy Leggings 3 | File:Isengard Heavy Leggings 3-icon.png Isengard Heavy Leggings 3 | ||
| File:Moria Heavy Leggings 4-icon.png Moria Heavy Leggings 4 | File:Mirkwood Heavy Leggings 4-icon.png Mirkwood Heavy Leggings 4 | File:Isengard Heavy Leggings 4-icon.png Isengard Heavy Leggings 4 |