Quick Update

Bingo Boffin

I've added some more items to the Bingo Boffin and Housing Decorations page. There is still quite a lot more to collect but at least now thanks to Update 18.2, we have more places in our houses to display the decorations!

I plan to finish the Ballad of Bingo Boffin soon, as I believe the last quest in the story, chapter 52, is due out this week. It's been a great journey and the rewards have been awesome. Definitely worth giving it a try if you haven't already.

Level 105 Gear

I found a couple of good guides for level 105 gear. My characters still aren't level 105 and haven't done any of the new group instances yet, but it's always good to know what options will be available when you get there.

Ozraid has an article called Update 18 Armour Guide: Level 105 which explains the various level 105 armour sets and how to get them from instances, and a similar article called Update 18 Jewellery Guide: Level 105.

For Level 105 Essences, Dadi's Lotro Guides has an article called U18: 105 Essence Guide with information about how to get the recipes by completing instances and what you need to craft the essences.

The Department of Strategery also has an article on Level 105 gear (Update 18: New armour sets, instance jewellery, essences and featured instances), with screenshots taken during beta testing.

These articles don't mention the gear from the new raid (they were written before Update 18.2), but if you're looking to gear up to storm the Throne of the Dread Terror, they might be helpful.

I'm still hoping they bring out some crafted level 105 gear, and perhaps some gear with stats instead of essence slots from a faction quartermaster. Options are good.

Scenic Tour: Far Anorien

The new zone has a similar climate and architecture to Gondor and Old Anórien. In Taur Drúadan I found my normal horse was more useful than the war-steed because of its extra maneuverability in narrow spaces - the area is heavily forested and quite mountainous. The main road also leads right through enemy encampments, and many of the quests involve traveling back and forth across the region.

Taur Drúadan

There is only one stable-master in Taur Drúadan, at the War-stead of the King's Men - I hope they add one near Drû Bhûta, as these are the two main quest hubs.

The Drúadain/Wose are a new race, associated with the Púkel-men statues seen in West Rohan near Dunharrow. If I understand it correctly, they call themselves the Drúadain, but the Rohirrim call them the Wose. In any case, they like to laugh, play drums and have unique marriage ceremonies!

Drû Bhûta - a Wose village

The Beacon Hills is a welcome change after the wilderness - more open, rolling foothills, but also more mounted orcs. The hills look out over wetlands along the River Entwash. In the west is West Rohan, to the north is the Falls of Rauros and East Rohan, and in the distance to the north-east is the Dead Marshes.

The Beacon Hills

Looking towards the Dead Marshes

The main settlement is Ost Rimmon, which seems cluttered and poorly laid out at the base of Min-rimmon, one of the seven Northern beacon-hills in Gondor.  

Ost Rimmon

I feel like I've been ripped off with the Far Anórien region pack. It was so much more expensive than other region packs and has so little to offer. The instances and a promise of a raid do not justify the high price either. We finally get a level cap increase after several years at level 100, and it wasn't worth it. There's nothing new and exciting to look forward to at level 105. Farming instances for essences and essence gear? No thanks. The debacle with the level 101+ legendary items that are not supposed to be any better than level 100 items hasn't helped either but rather caused confusion and disillusionment with the legendary item progression system.

I can only wait for them to add more content in future updates, but in the meantime I'm going back to leveling lower level characters through zones that are overflowing with content and lore and interesting things to do and see and collect compared to Far Anórien.