Yule Festival 2020

I wasn't planning on taking part in the Yule Festival this year - I've done the event many times before. But ... I saw the new outfit and it was "Ooh, nice. My characters would like that." 

Mynaruun wearing the Poinsettia Crown, Cloak of Flurries and the Gala-worthy Gown

There's only a few more days of the Festival to go, so my characters each did the 10 activities and earned at least 35 tokens so they could each buy one piece of the costume for my newest character Mynaruun, a level 9 rune-keeper who didn't have an outfit yet and was wearing mismatched, ugly, quest rewards. Now she looks pretty. 

My lore-master (not Myndariel, another one called Myndibeth) has done the Yule Festival before and had enough tokens left over from last time to buy a festive mount. She also bought the Vestments of the Northern Sky to make a new outfit.

Ice Flower Steed

Mynaruun would really like the Yule Gala Steed to go with her outfit, but I don't know if she can get enough tokens in the next few days to buy it during this festival. Plus, she's on my free-to-play account and she doesn't have riding unlocked yet (I make it a rule they have to get to level 20 and earn the LOTRO points themselves before they can ride). Can I get her to level 20 and earn the mount before the end of the Yule Festival? 

* UPDATE * Mission accomplished!

Yule Gala Steed

Mynaruun did the Yule daily quests each day and quested through Ered Luin and Bree-land and is now the proud snowflake queen. Cold as ice indeed! Maybe I should try and get her a frosty pet?

OK, I admit it, I got sucked into the icy vortex of festival deeds and quests and collecting rewards. It was fun and now I'm really looking forward to playing LOTRO in 2021. 

I wish you all a wonderful and happy new year and may you stay safe and well in Middle Earth and real life!

My Favourite Plugins for LOTRO

I'm so happy! I've been using the Steamplay version of LOTRO and I've been missing TitanBar, but I finally found out how to install my favourite mods/addons/plugins ... whatever you want to call them. It was easy using PlayOnLinux (Documents/The Lord of the Rings Online/plugins), but for the Linux Steam version, there's a bit more navigating through the .steam subdirectories (I'll be making a symlink so I can find it more easily in future).

I found an article on Reddit which was very helpful: How to use Plugins/Skins in LOTRO on Linux using Steam Proton

Installing Plugins

 

LOTRO Interface - for all your LOTRO plugins and skins

So, you can download plugins for LOTRO from LOTRO Interface. They come as a zip file which needs to be extracted into the LOTRO "plugins" folder. If the folder doesn't exist, you can create it, but it must be in the right location for LOTRO to find it. The plugins folder location differs depending on what flavour of LOTRO you are using:

Windows: C:\Users\username\Documents\The Lord of the Rings Online\Plugins

Mac: ~/Documents/The Lord of the Rings Online/Plugins

Linux (PlayOnLinux/Wine): ~/Documents/The Lord of the Rings Online/plugins

Linux (Steamplay): ~/.steam/steam/steamapps/compatdata/212500/pfx/dosdevices/c:/users/steamuser/My Documents/The Lord of the Rings Online/plugins

(Note: the Steam AppID for LOTRO is 212500).

 

Graphical modifications or "skins" (such as new backgrounds for UI menus and windows or resizing the dressing room) can also be downloaded from the LOTRO Interface and installed in a folder called "ui". So instead of Documents/The Lord of the Rings Online/plugins, skins go in Documents/The Lord of the Rings Online/ui. Again, you can create this folder if it doesn't exist, just make sure you put it in the right place.

Once you have installed your plugins or skins, you can start LOTRO and open the Plugin Manager from the menu (the Chevron or up arrow next to the action bar at the bottom of the screen). There, you can choose to load plugins on demand or automatically (auto-load) for all characters on that server or just specific characters. Maybe you only need a DPS meter (Combat Analysis) on your raider, or only your minstrel needs to use Songbook, but everyone can use Titanbar. 

Trouble-shooting

If your plugins are not showing up in the available options in the Plugin Manager:

• Make sure you have installed them into the right place. 
• Make sure you install the whole plugin folder and not just the subfolders. For example, when you download Titanbar and extract it, you get a folder called "HabnaPlugins" and then there is a folder called "Titanbar" inside that, along with some other important files that LOTRO needs. If you only installed the "Titanbar" folder, the plugin wouldn't work. 
• Check if they have any file dependencies (most LOTRO plugins are stand-alone and don't), and if they do, check the instructions on how and where to install them.
  

 

Recommended Plugins

• LOTRO Plugin Compendium - I haven't used it, but a lot of people recommend it as an easy way to manage your plugins and keep them up to date. 
• TitanBar - a bar to display information at a glance like the in-game time of day, real-time clock, currencies (including LOTRO Points), reputation/renown, equipment damage, and also check what your character and alts have in their bank, inventory, wallet etc.
  
• MoorMap - originally just provided extra information on locations and NPCs in the Etenmoors, but now available for all zones and lets you make notes on the map and can even track resource nodes etc.
• Waypoint - provides an arrow above your character's head showing which direction and how far to go to reach a specific location. Can work with other plugins such as MoorMap or Reminders. 
  
• CombatAnalysis - a comprehensive DPS meter and combat log parser.
  
• Skill Timer - keep track of DoTs and other skill cooldowns.
  
• Songbook2 Legendary Edition - an updated version of the original Songbook, this helps you to load ABC music files for your character to play on their instruments in-game. Can also help with syncing music for a band.
• Reminders - a ToDo list for all your characters, reminding you about crafting cooldowns, raid locks, daily/weekly quests, ingredient crates, auctions and your own notes (like "Update the Kin message of the day").
• Item Treasury - an in-game database of items with lots of uses, including checking stats on gear, searching for items to use in a cosmetic outfit or finding the perfect housing decoration. 

Recommended Skins

There is only one skins compilation I would recommend: JRR Skins Collection. This is found in the LOTRO Compilations section (not the Stand-Alone Plugins section like the above plugins) of LOTRO Interface. It contains so many options that you probably won't need anything else to customise your UI to your heart's content. It provides instructions for installation and setup and screenshots of some of the different themes available.

I hope this helps. You can play LOTRO without any plugins or skins and it has some very good built-in customisation options for changing the UI layout, but sometimes extra tools or changing how something looks to suit you or your computer screen can make the difference between a good gaming experience or a great one.

Installing LOTRO in Linux with Steam (2020)

I've been having a few minor issues launching LOTRO in Linux with PlayOnLinux and instead of reinstalling through POL I thought I would try using Steam instead. Proton is really good and a lot of Windows games just work out of the box with it.

LOTRO was so easy to install, set-up and start playing via Steam.

1. Open Steam. In your Steam Settings, make sure that "Enable Steam Play for supported titles" is ticked.
   
2. Find The Lord of the Rings Online. Select "Play Game". It will be added to your library.
3. From your library page for LOTRO click the "Manage" button on the right hand side. Select "Properties".
4. Near the bottom of the Properties window is an option to "Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool". Make sure this is ticked and from the drop-down box, select the most recent version of Proton (I'm using Proton 5.13-2 at the moment). Close the properties window.
   
5. Download and install the game. The launcher will open and there will be lots of updates to complete. It will also ask if you want to install the high resolution graphics (I said yes). Installing and updating the game took me between 15-30 minutes (I went AFK for a quick meal, came back and it was ready to go).
   
6. Finally the launcher will show the login window. Login. Accept the Terms of Service.
   
7. Play LOTRO.

Once in-game, you may want to go to Options and click the "Detect Optimal Settings" and Accept. My frame-rate went from 10 fps to 60 fps instantly.

Note that the LOTRO Store still opens in an external browser and not in-game unfortunately.

Enable Steam Play in Steam settings

The "Manage" button looks like a cog

Use latest Proton as Steam Play compatibility tool

Optional high resolution graphics download

LOTRO launcher login screen

Play!

LOTRO store opens in external browser

Scenic Tour: Iron Hills

Myndariel got the quest from Erebor to go to the Iron Hills and she has loved her short time there (from level 115 to level 117). It's not the most beautiful zone - I think "rugged charm" might be more appropriate - but it's got a great story and lots of Ironfold mining opportunities. It was also really nice to get some gear upgrades without essence slots.

The dwarven town of Járnfast has been damaged by an earthquake

Utterby has been invaded by Easterlings

Myndariel in disguise to help Tuhâl rescue some refugees

Scenic Tour: Eryn Lasgalen and the Dale-lands

Myndariel couldn't wait to leave Mordor and enter the beautiful lands of Eryn Lasgalen and the Dale-lands in Northern Mirkwood. The region is also known as the Strongholds of the North. It's a really interesting place with Men, Elves and Dwarves all living in close proximity and they each have their own history and problems to deal with.

The Elves of Felegoth

Loeglond

The entrance to Felegoth

Eryn Lasgalen

King Thranduil dwells in the isolated caverns of Felegoth, deep within the forest of Eryn Lasgalen (formerly known as Mirkwood). Raft-elves live in Loeglond and want more trade with outsiders.

The Men of Dale

Laketown

Dale

Laketown seems to be a magnet for trouble, with a murder mystery to solve. Dale is filled with refugees fleeing from the Jangovar.

Dwarves of Erebor

Erebor

The dwarves love a good treasure hunt and the Secret Stone is a worthy challenge. The Stout-axe dwarves of Mordor are looking for a new home and it seems a good time to celebrate and strengthen dwarven alliances.

Long Time No See

It's been a long time (2 years) since I've played LOTRO regularly but I've got that itch again. I've mostly been playing Rimworld (including creating my own hobbit shire, elven villages in the mallorn woods and dwarven mead-halls, thanks to the Lord of the Rims mods) and Elder Scrolls Online (which, like LOTRO, has a rich lore). The main reason I stopped playing LOTRO was because I was so frustrated with Mordor. Maybe now I've had a long holiday it won't be so bad. Maybe there have been improvements - so far it seems a lot has changed in game. I've got a lot to catch up on and I'm excited to experience the new stories beyond Mordor - for example, I just saw Myndariel has an invitation in her mailbox to attend Aragorn and Arwen's wedding!

So I just wanted to say, "Hi! I'm back." I look forward to exploring more of Middle Earth and updating some old articles and writing some new ones soon. Thanks to everyone who has visited or commented on my website - I really appreciate your support and hope you have a great time playing LOTRO.