Turbine's posted a closer look at one of the creatures that players can encounter in Lord of the Rings Online, Baugarch:
Wandering through the Chetwood and the Blackwold camp is a vile Warg that came with Éogan out of the North. Many an unwary woodsman has vanished in the Chetwood, taken by the evil Baugarch. Learn more about this terror in this week's content update!
Follow through to read more about this beast that terrorizes young players!
Turbine's turned their attention to one of the more infamous characters in Middle-earth's history, Gollum:
The tale of Gollum is sad and complicated. A poor creature named Sméagol enslaved and isolated by The One Ring; he was twisted in both mind and body. Learn more about the famous and complicated creature named Gollum.
You can read more after the jump!
Bree-town bully Bill Ferny is the subject of the latest lorebook update at the LotRO site.
Every town has its ruffians and rogues - bad apples, so to say. Bree-town has more than its fair share, but none with more of an ill name than Bill Ferny. Bill is known for his foul disposition, his rotten manners, and his ill treatment of both animals and people alike. Some believe he even has ties to the bands of brigands roaming the countryside beyond the town...
In recent days, unsavoury travellers have been seen passing in and out of Bill's home, beyond the Woodworker's Gate in Bree. He also takes long strolls outside the town walls late at night, with no word as to where he goes. His foul and secretive ways have caused the Bree-folk to shun him, leaving him free to do whatever mischief he desires.
Readers of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings will recognize Ferny as the scoundrel who sells Bill the Pony to Strider and the hobbits before they leave Bree, and who consorts with Saruman's brigands, helping them in their planned depredations in Bree-land and the Shire.
Sounds like someone to either: a) avoid; or b) beat the snot out of.
Turbine let us know about some upcoming downtime:
The LOTRO game servers will be restarted on Monday, May 19 at 10:00AM Eastern (-4 GMT). We expect the servers to be back up by 10:30AM. Thanks for your patience, and we'll see you back in the game following the restart!
The latest "Point of Interest" (POI) posted in the official Lorebook is Gammy Bogg's Farm:
Many farmsteads lie on the outskirts of the village of Staddle, but none are as oft-visited as Gammy Boggs' farm. Gammy holds the unofficial but influential office of Town Gossip. If anyone wants news of the current happenings in Staddle, to Gammy's farm they go. Gammy also has some of the finest pipe-weed land in Staddle. Too old to raise a crop herself, she allows others to tend her fields . . . for a modest share of their profits, of course. Gammy Boggs and her farm were created by the developers of The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™. Players will encounter Gammy and her farm early in the game, and she'll waste no time putting idle hands to work!
If you don't like working, stay away from Gammy!
The official lorebook at LotRO has been updated with a look at NPC dwarven characters Dori, Nori, and Ori.
Dori and his brothers, Nori and Ori, were among the thirteen companions of the great Thorin Oakenshield on the Quest of Erebor. Dori was often responsible on that journey for keeping an eye out for the Company's burglar, the hobbit Bilbo Baggins. He proved quite dissatisfied with the task, but nonetheless tried his best.
Now he acts as an emissary to the dwarf-mines of Othrikar in the North Downs, investigating the troubles that have kept the mine unprofitable. His grumpy demeanour hides a keen wit that will no doubt uncover the dangers in the North . . . or get him into trouble himself.
Dori appeared first in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, prominently complaining throughout the book about having to carry Bilbo Baggins throughout various dangers (eventually dropping him in Goblin-town, leading to Bilbo's discovery of Gollum's Cave.) Players in LOTRO will meet and interact with Dori, both on and off the battlefield.
Nice to see the 'big boys' make it into the game. Cheers!
Turbine updated Book 13 with a patch today, fixing various things that had slipped through the cracks, and changing one feature that had a lot of players up in arms:
Fix for the horse whistle. There will now be two shorter and cleaner whistles only heard on the client-side. No more hearing entire groups whistle for their trusty steeds!
You can read the entire list of updates after the jump!
Turbine's published another biography of one of the popular characters of both Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, Dori:
Of the thirteen companions of the great Thorin Oakenshield, Dori was often responsible for keeping an eye out for the Company's burglar, the hobbit Bilbo Baggins. Now Dori acts as an emissary to the dwarf-mines of Othrikar in the North Downs.
You can read more about him after the jump, or at Turbine's Lorebook entry.
Turbine announced the next in their series of web-based mini-games, in anticipation of the upcoming expansion, Mines of Moria:
Turbine, Inc. and Codemasters Online today announced the launch of Swig and Toss, the second mini-game on www.unlocktheminesofmoria.com. Registered participants can challenge themselves and their friends to earn special deeds that unlock unique rewards including exclusive videos, images, and in-game items that will aid them on their journey when The Lord of the Rings Online™: Mines of Moria launches this fall.
Swig and Toss is an axe throwing competition with a bit of drinking and wagering to make things more interesting! In this 10-round game, players try to keep a steady aim while attempting to hit a target with their axe. Hit the mark and win! Miss and hear the Dwarves around you scoff at your lack of skill.
Between rounds, players can take a few swigs from their mug to help quench their thirst. This will help boost their confidence and loosen their pocket strings, increasing the amount they can wager.
Swig and Toss is available today at www.unlocktheminesofmoria.com. Registration is free!
Axes and beer - what could be better?
Turbine posted an announcement that the game servers will be restarted tomorrow:
The LOTRO game servers will be brought down for a restart on Thursday, May 8 from 9:00AM - 10:00AM Eastern (-4 GMT)* in preparation for Welcome Back Weekend. Thanks for your patience, and we'll have the servers back online as soon as possible!
* And as always, apologies to our Oceanic players for hitting their prime time!
