Hi. Just a quick note to mention that I have been spring cleaning (it's summer here, so maybe I'm late or really, really early) and condensed the list of guides on the right hand side but the guides are all still available! There's even a few new ones added recently.
I now have a Class Guides section that has links to my guides and other community guides for each class.
All the crafting guides are now in the Crafting Guides section, so if you want information about farming, scholars, how many ore you'll need to process to reach Master Anórien Prospector, or galleries of armour and weapons that can be crafted, this is the place to look.
I hope this makes the site a little more streamlined and easy to navigate. Thanks for visiting and for your feedback.
Wednesday, 1 February 2017
Wednesday, 25 January 2017
Work in Progress
While Myndariel relaxes in the gardens of North Ithilien, I have been playing a few other characters.
My second Beorning has just got her starter legendary weapon and is eager to head into Moria. I think she expects it will be a nice cosy cave to hibernate in after questing in the cold Misty Mountains and Forochel.
My minstrel has finally left Moria and is trying to earn the respect of her distant kin in Lothlórien. She's not fond of the "run to the orc camps and back" over and over again, but she thinks her instruments sound purer and more poetic in the Golden Woods. Or maybe everything just seems brighter and better in the sunlight.
My little hunter-scholar has been out and about hunting for artifacts and recording how many and where she found them. Her results so far are shown in the Scholar Artifacts page. It's a work in progress and it means exploring pretty much all of Middle Earth, but she's enjoying it, even if there are a lot of giants involved (some of the best places for T4 and T5 artifacts are in Giant Valley and Giant Halls respectively). She's found a few treasure caches along the way too which is a nice bonus.
My free-to-play characters are feeling the TP (or I guess LP for LOTRO Points now) grind to unlock more content. My captain has quested through the Lone-lands and done the Epic Quest in North Downs but isn't high enough level to do the Epic Quest in the Trollshaws, so she will have to go back and do slayer deeds etc. in the starting zones. Or I could start a new character on another server, do the Ered Luin deeds which are fairly quick and easy, delete them and rinse and repeat. It's going to be a looong journey.
My characters on Arkenstone are all in one kin, and when I was visiting my house there the other day I noticed the kin house next door was up for sale - in fact the neighbourhood was looking rather empty (I hope my former neighbours found nice new homes in Cape of Belfalas). I hadn't planned on getting a kin house, but what an opportunity! So now my kin have a mission to collect more housing decorations. I guess Bingo Boffin adventures, and Hytbold, Dol Amroth and Minas Tirith dailies are on the schedule for the foreseeble future ...
My second Beorning has just got her starter legendary weapon and is eager to head into Moria. I think she expects it will be a nice cosy cave to hibernate in after questing in the cold Misty Mountains and Forochel.
My minstrel has finally left Moria and is trying to earn the respect of her distant kin in Lothlórien. She's not fond of the "run to the orc camps and back" over and over again, but she thinks her instruments sound purer and more poetic in the Golden Woods. Or maybe everything just seems brighter and better in the sunlight.
My little hunter-scholar has been out and about hunting for artifacts and recording how many and where she found them. Her results so far are shown in the Scholar Artifacts page. It's a work in progress and it means exploring pretty much all of Middle Earth, but she's enjoying it, even if there are a lot of giants involved (some of the best places for T4 and T5 artifacts are in Giant Valley and Giant Halls respectively). She's found a few treasure caches along the way too which is a nice bonus.
My free-to-play characters are feeling the TP (or I guess LP for LOTRO Points now) grind to unlock more content. My captain has quested through the Lone-lands and done the Epic Quest in North Downs but isn't high enough level to do the Epic Quest in the Trollshaws, so she will have to go back and do slayer deeds etc. in the starting zones. Or I could start a new character on another server, do the Ered Luin deeds which are fairly quick and easy, delete them and rinse and repeat. It's going to be a looong journey.
My characters on Arkenstone are all in one kin, and when I was visiting my house there the other day I noticed the kin house next door was up for sale - in fact the neighbourhood was looking rather empty (I hope my former neighbours found nice new homes in Cape of Belfalas). I hadn't planned on getting a kin house, but what an opportunity! So now my kin have a mission to collect more housing decorations. I guess Bingo Boffin adventures, and Hytbold, Dol Amroth and Minas Tirith dailies are on the schedule for the foreseeble future ...
Monday, 2 January 2017
Level 105 Gear - Update 19
I previously looked at the different sets of armour available at level 100, so now that I've reached the new level cap of 105, we will look at the new options available. Ozraid has covered some of the sets that were available from instances in update 18, so I will mainly cover the gear from North Ithilien and other sources.
For more information, see Ozraid's guide.
Gear from Osgiliath instances scale up to level 105. These are trait tree specific (3 sets per class), have set bonuses and do not have essences.
Gear from Pelennor instances scale up to level 105. These are class specific (1 set per class), have set bonuses and 4 essence slots.
Gear from Featured Instances scale up to level 105 and are also known as Recollection armour sets. These are class specific (1 set per class), have set bonuses and 2 essence slots.
Throne of the Dread Terror is a 12-man raid at level 105. Armour and Jewellery tokens can be exchanged for gear at the Master of Battle Lore (Pelennor Rewards Vendor) or their associates (Sage for light armour, Scout for medium armour, Warrior for heavy armour). Armour is trait tree specific (3 sets per class), have set bonuses and 4 essence slots. Jewellery is divided into will/agility/might categories and T1 jewellery has 2 essence slots while T2 jewellery has 3 essence slots. T1 gear is prefixed with "Lesser" and T2 gear is prefixed with "Greater".
You can also get level 105 class-specific items (such as a legendary lute for minstrels) with 1 essence slot, and off-hand items.
The T2 gear can be upgraded at the Herb-master in North Ithilien to "Supreme" gear.
Some of the Epic Quests in Volume 4, Book 7 offer level 105 essence gear (chest and cloaks) and North Ithilien essence boxes. Quests in North Ithilien also offer typically ilvl 222, 2-slot essence gear.
Flowers can be picked all over North Ithilien to obtain phials of extracts that can be exchanged for gear at the Herbalist. The armour has 4 essence slots and jewellery has 3 essence slots and they are fairly easy to get (but getting the necessary essences may take some time). Note that medium armour comes with vitality, not agility or might. Legendary rings can be bartered from the Herb-master.
Tier 8 North Ithilien essences can be obtained through epic quests, normal quests and by turning in four Ithilien Essence Fragments obtained from repeatable quests to the Herb-master. These essences can also be used to create Wild Essences through crafting professions, which can then be exchanged at the Herb-master for more powerful Ithilien-infused Essences.
You can get level 105 jewellery (no essence slots) from participating in epic battles such as The Defence of Minas Tirith, but the Stars of Merit vendors currently only offer level 95 or 100 jewellery.
Skirmish Camps offer level 105 (ilvl 213) armour, off-hands and jewellery (Pelennor Guardsman's set) with no essence slots for marks and medallions.
Unfortunately, crafters cannot make level 105 gear currently, only the wild essences, but there has been talk of a possible crafting update in the future.
And of course there are the usual random world drops that can be obtained and sold on the auction house. I have noticed that there doesn't seem to be much level 105 gear available on the auction house, but what is for sale is fairly cheap.
Instances
For more information, see Ozraid's guide.
Gear from Osgiliath instances scale up to level 105. These are trait tree specific (3 sets per class), have set bonuses and do not have essences.
Gear from Pelennor instances scale up to level 105. These are class specific (1 set per class), have set bonuses and 4 essence slots.
Gear from Featured Instances scale up to level 105 and are also known as Recollection armour sets. These are class specific (1 set per class), have set bonuses and 2 essence slots.
Raids
Throne of the Dread Terror is a 12-man raid at level 105. Armour and Jewellery tokens can be exchanged for gear at the Master of Battle Lore (Pelennor Rewards Vendor) or their associates (Sage for light armour, Scout for medium armour, Warrior for heavy armour). Armour is trait tree specific (3 sets per class), have set bonuses and 4 essence slots. Jewellery is divided into will/agility/might categories and T1 jewellery has 2 essence slots while T2 jewellery has 3 essence slots. T1 gear is prefixed with "Lesser" and T2 gear is prefixed with "Greater".
You can also get level 105 class-specific items (such as a legendary lute for minstrels) with 1 essence slot, and off-hand items.
The T2 gear can be upgraded at the Herb-master in North Ithilien to "Supreme" gear.
Questing in North Ithilien
Some of the Epic Quests in Volume 4, Book 7 offer level 105 essence gear (chest and cloaks) and North Ithilien essence boxes. Quests in North Ithilien also offer typically ilvl 222, 2-slot essence gear.
North Ithilien Flora Bartering System
Flowers can be picked all over North Ithilien to obtain phials of extracts that can be exchanged for gear at the Herbalist. The armour has 4 essence slots and jewellery has 3 essence slots and they are fairly easy to get (but getting the necessary essences may take some time). Note that medium armour comes with vitality, not agility or might. Legendary rings can be bartered from the Herb-master.
Tier 8 North Ithilien essences can be obtained through epic quests, normal quests and by turning in four Ithilien Essence Fragments obtained from repeatable quests to the Herb-master. These essences can also be used to create Wild Essences through crafting professions, which can then be exchanged at the Herb-master for more powerful Ithilien-infused Essences.
| ilvl 246 Ithilien Armour | Light | Medium | Heavy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Head | 4 Essences 652 Armour 90 Will 442 Morale | 4 Essences 968 Armour 90 Vitality 422 Morale | 4 Essences 1254 Armour 90 Might 442 Morale |
| Shoulders | 4 Essences 652 Armour 90 Will 442 Morale | 4 Essences 968 Armour 90 Vitality 422 Morale | 4 Essences 1254 Armour 90 Might 442 Morale |
| Chest | 4 Essences 2169 Armour 90 Will 442 Morale | 4 Essences 3220 Armour 90 Vitality 422 Morale | 4 Essences 4174 Armour 90 Might 442 Morale |
| Hands | 4 Essences 1054 Armour 90 Will 442 Morale | 4 Essences 1610 Armour 90 Vitality 422 Morale | 4 Essences 2087 Armour 90 Might 442 Morale |
| Legs | 4 Essences 1808 Armour 90 Will 442 Morale | 4 Essences 2683 Armour 90 Vitality 422 Morale | 4 Essences 3478 Armour 90 Might 442 Morale |
| Feet | 4 Essences 869 Armour 90 Will 442 Morale | 4 Essences 968 Armour 90 Vitality 422 Morale | 4 Essences 1673 Armour 90 Might 442 Morale |
| Appearance |  |  |  |
| ilvl 246 Ithilien Jewellery | Will | Agility | Might |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earring | 3 Essences 225 Will 589 Morale | 3 Essences 225 Agility 589 Morale | 3 Essences 225 Might 589 Morale |
| Necklace | 3 Essences 225 Will 589 Morale | 3 Essences 225 Agility 589 Morale | 3 Essences 225 Might 589 Morale |
| Bracelet | 3 Essences 225 Will 589 Morale | 3 Essences 225 Agility 589 Morale | 3 Essences 225 Might 589 Morale |
| Ring | 3 Essences 225 Will 589 Morale | 3 Essences 225 Agility 589 Morale | 3 Essences 225 Might 589 Morale |
| ilvl 258 Ithilien Jewellery | Will | Agility | Might |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legendary Ring | 3 Essences 237 Will 1401 Morale | 3 Essences 237 Agility 1401 Morale | 3 Essences 237 Might 1401 Morale |
Throne of the Dread Terror raid gear upgrades
T2 raid gear can be upgraded at the Herb-master (see the raid section above).Epic/Big Battles
You can get level 105 jewellery (no essence slots) from participating in epic battles such as The Defence of Minas Tirith, but the Stars of Merit vendors currently only offer level 95 or 100 jewellery.
Skirmish Camps
Skirmish Camps offer level 105 (ilvl 213) armour, off-hands and jewellery (Pelennor Guardsman's set) with no essence slots for marks and medallions.
Crafting
Unfortunately, crafters cannot make level 105 gear currently, only the wild essences, but there has been talk of a possible crafting update in the future.
World Drops and the Auction House
And of course there are the usual random world drops that can be obtained and sold on the auction house. I have noticed that there doesn't seem to be much level 105 gear available on the auction house, but what is for sale is fairly cheap.
Sunday, 1 January 2017
Myndariel's Journey to North Ithilien
Myndariel has been questing through Central and Eastern Gondor this week and finally reached level 105. She really enjoyed the quests, especially helping Nimithil in Ost Anglebed and the Five Sisters of the rivers. Unfortunately, she has done bits and pieces of quests here and there throughout Gondor and Anórien which has kind-of spoilt the flow, like skipping pages in a book then going back to them later.
I also got caught up with the epic quest line (spoiler alert) - wow! - doing all the quests for the preparation of Minas Tirith's defenses, then going and recalling scouts from Talath Anor and gaining the Rohirrim safe passage to Pelennor Fields, then the epic battle itself and finally the aftermath and recruiting soldiers to support Aragorn - it took several hours but they were awesome hours that flew by with a sense of wonder and urgency - like when you get to the best part of the book and you just can't put it down; you can't wait to turn the page and find out what happens next.
Finally, I travelled through Osgiliath and into North Ithilien and was instantly impressed with the beauty of the zone. The ruins are picturesque, it's wonderful to see blue sky and I love finding flowers to pick all over the place. I have yet to find out how to get the new gear, but I look forward to finding out and exploring and questing through the region more.
Happy New Year and may 2017 be a great year to enjoy Lord of the Rings.
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| The pretty Mere of Gilrain in Central Gondor Roamingstar, Maiden of Gilrain, protects these waters |
 |
| Found this random sandcastle on a sandbar near some marooned corsairs I guess they were bored - or plotting to destroy more cities |
I also got caught up with the epic quest line (spoiler alert) - wow! - doing all the quests for the preparation of Minas Tirith's defenses, then going and recalling scouts from Talath Anor and gaining the Rohirrim safe passage to Pelennor Fields, then the epic battle itself and finally the aftermath and recruiting soldiers to support Aragorn - it took several hours but they were awesome hours that flew by with a sense of wonder and urgency - like when you get to the best part of the book and you just can't put it down; you can't wait to turn the page and find out what happens next.
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| Escorting the Rohirrim |
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| The Rohirrim arrive in time |
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| The battle at Pelennor Fields |
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| Éowyn confronts the Nazgûl |
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| Golodir's vengeance |
 |
| Aragorn banishes Gothmog |
 |
| Minas Tirith survives |
Finally, I travelled through Osgiliath and into North Ithilien and was instantly impressed with the beauty of the zone. The ruins are picturesque, it's wonderful to see blue sky and I love finding flowers to pick all over the place. I have yet to find out how to get the new gear, but I look forward to finding out and exploring and questing through the region more.
 |
| North Ithilien at night |
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| Aelin Veren |
Happy New Year and may 2017 be a great year to enjoy Lord of the Rings.
Tuesday, 20 December 2016
Update 19.2, Yule Festival and the future of LOTRO
News
It's a big day for LOTRO - update 19.2 has launched along with the Yule Festival and then we find out that LOTRO is no longer to be operated by Turbine and instead now belongs to Standing Stone Games, a new indie game developer, and will be published by Daybreak Games.
Already changes have begun when I logged in just a short while ago - there was the Daybreak Games End User Agreement to accept, the Standing Stones Games splash screen when the game loads and Turbine Points have already been renamed LOTRO Points in the in-game store.
From what I've seen so far, most people seem to be surprised but optimistic that this is good news for the future of LOTRO. I hope so too. Quite a few questions have already been answered in a FAQ that confirms the current development team are still working on LOTRO, that the license for the LOTRO IP (which was due to expire in 2017) has been updated and that game accounts and privileges such as lifetime memberships etc. will remain the same.
Update 19.2 won't affect me much - it mostly relates to additions to North Ithilien, premium housing, PvMP and some general bug fixes. Hunters are getting some significant changes (Blood Arrow becomes a general hunter ability available at level 40 with a self-heal effect) so trait trees have been reset. And the Yule Festival has launched with some new mounts and cosmetic items. I can't wait to see the reindeer-like mount!
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| Update (Dec 22): Steed of Winter's Light |
My Adventures in Middle Earth
I've been pottering around on my free-to-play (F2P) account lately, finally having enough Points to remove the gold cap so I don't keep getting reminder messages and so my characters can get faction mounts and buy things from the auction house if they want. Now I just need to get riding abilities for my new characters and then I can start working towards unlocking extra zones. Plenty for them to do at the moment and I do enjoy the low level zones the most.
I've been playing LOTRO via Linux Mint and levelling up a couple of new characters on a new server - my original F2P characters were excited for Spring Festival and got some nice cosmetic outfits and mounts and now my new Linux-only F2P characters are looking forward to Yule Festival for their turn to get some nice things. I do get lower frame rates and more stuttering effects in Linux, but it's mostly working quite well. It will be interesting to see if there are any changes in its performance or to the launcher and compatibility with Wine with Standing Stone Games taking over.
Myndariel is still neglected and waiting to continue her journey to North Ithilien. I think I shall have to set a goal to motivate me - to get her there by New Year's Day. That means my Linux characters have a few days to enjoy the Yule Festival then Myndariel must make a move towards Mordor! You know what? The next couple of weeks in LOTRO should be a lot of fun!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
To everyone out there, I hope you have a wonderful and safe Christmas and all the best wishes for the New Year.
Thursday, 17 November 2016
Installing LOTRO in Linux Mint
I've been having a break from LOTRO for the last few months because I've been addicted to World of Warcraft: Legion and Path of Exile: Atlas of Worlds. I know Update 19 came out with a new zone, North Ithilien, and Myndariel is looking forward to visiting there but she still needs to get to level 105.
However, I finally got fed up with Windows 10 on my laptop. So I copied all my important data to an external hard drive and completely replaced Windows 10 with Linux Mint 17.3.
After getting it set up so I could continue my work, I decided to have another try at getting my favourite games to work as well. I have previously tried to get LOTRO to work in Ubuntu on another computer by following several guides and forum posts, but with no success. Path of Exile (PoE) and World of Warcraft (WoW) installed easily in Linux Mint with PlayOnLinux, and finally I got LOTRO working too - just in time for server maintenance!
There are lots of guides out there on installing LOTRO in Linux - some say use PyLOTRO, or Windows Steam via Wine, or straight Wine, or Crossover or PlayOnLinux. There are also confusing lists of libraries that are recommended as necessary to make it work. Some of these guides may be out of date, but also different methods may work for different people or different computer set-ups.
Note: Wine is a program that lets you run Windows programs in Linux. There are lots of different versions, with some designed to work with specific programs, while others are called "staging" versions which include bug fixes or experimental features not available in the stable versions.
Here's what worked for me:
1. Download the game installer lotrolive.exe from the LOTRO website (select the PC Download).
2. [Install PlayOnLinux from the Software Manager if not already available.] Open PlayOnLinux.
3. To check what Wine versions you have available, select the Tools menu and click on Manage Wine versions. The left side of the pop-up window will show the available versions and the right side shows installed versions. I found version 1.9.18-staging worked for several games including LOTRO, so to install it, select it from the list on the left side and then click the little > button in the middle of the window.
*Update: Wine version 1.9.24 also works with LOTRO Update 19*
4. Select "Install a Program". From the PlayOnLinux install menu, select "Install a non-listed program". This will start a Manual Installation wizard.
5. PlayOnLinux informs you that they cannot guarantee the application you are installing will work. Click Next. Select "Install a program in a new virtual drive" and click Next.
6. Give your virtual drive a name - e.g. lotro.
7. It then asks what would you like to do before installation. This is where we get to configure Wine and install any extra libraries needed. Every time I tried installing LOTRO with extra libraries it didn't work, so I decided not to install any libraries at this stage. You can change Wine settings or add extra libraries later if necessary (select the game from the PlayOnLinux window and click Configure). Select the options relating to Wine then click Next.
8. It will ask you which version of Wine to use. Select the version that we installed earlier. Then it says it is creating the virtual drive and opens a Wine configuration panel.
9. In the Applications tab, set the Windows Version to Windows XP or Windows 7. *Update: I initially set up LOTRO using Windows XP, but have changed Wine to use Windows 7 and it works fine too.*
I left the Libraries alone so there were no existing overrides listed.
In the Graphics tab, make sure "Allow the window manager to control the window" is ticked. This lets LOTRO change the window according to your in-game settings. I've seen some people recommend choosing the "emulate a virtual desktop" and matching it to your screen resolution, but this didn't work for me - I ended up with the LOTRO client running in a window even though I had set it to run as fullscreen and the bottom of the client was getting cut off so I couldn't click on some buttons (like the Continue or Exit buttons during the character creation process). Associated with this, ticking "Automatically capture the mouse in full-screen windows" caused my mouse to get stuck within the boundaries of the client screen so I couldn't click to close the program. I used another computer and found out that Alt+F2 opens a terminal and typing "xkill" then clicking the window to be closed will terminate the (misbehaving) program. So I don't recommend capturing the mouse. As for "Allow the window manager to decorate the windows" - this seemed to put a plain blue background behind the client when it was in windowed mode. Optional.
None of the other tabs should need modifications, but maybe check the Audio tab and confirm the sound is working. If it's not working, maybe try installing or adjusting Pavucontrol (PulseAudio Volume Control) and/or Gnome-alsamixer (ALSA sound mixer for Gnome).
When you're finished with the Wine configuration, click Apply then OK.
10. Next it asks you for the installer. Click the Browse button and locate the lotrolive.exe file downloaded earlier then click Next. This will start the installer. Note that the installer installs necessary libraries such as DirectX 9 as part of this process. Let it install files according to the default installation so they go into your Wine virtual drive. Agree to the terms and conditions.
At the end of the setup it offers you the chance to "Launch The Lord of the Rings Online". Deselect this, then press Finish.
11. Return to the PlayOnLinux manual installation wizard and it asks you to create a shortcut. Select TurbineLauncher.exe then click Next. It then asks you for a name for the shortcut - I chose "LOTRO" rather than the default "TurbineLauncher" that appeared. Click Next. It asks if you want to make another shortcut - select "I don't want to make another shortcut" then click Next.
12. The PlayOnLinux manual installation wizard should have closed and you should now have a shortcut to LOTRO on the desktop.
Now you can either (I tested both these methods and now have LOTRO working on a laptop and a desktop PC both running Linux Mint 17.3):
- click the shortcut on the desktop to launch the client (or Run from the PlayOnLinux window), install the Akamai service then download the ~ 16GB game,
- or if you have a working version of the game, you can merge the full The Lord of the Rings Online folder (shown below as having 85 items) with The Lord of the Rings Online folder created by the lotrolive.exe installer (shown below as having 30 items) in the virtual drive to save some time and internet bandwidth. If it brings up a pop-up window regarding individual files with the same name, mark the box "Apply this action to all files" and click Skip to keep the existing files from the installer. Once the folder merge is complete, click the shortcut on the desktop or the Run button in the PlayOnLinux window. There may be some additional files to download to get the game up-to-date.
Here's the path to the folder if you called your virtual drive "lotro": [home]/PlayOnLinux's virtual drives/lotro/drive_c/Program Files/Turbine/The Lord of the Rings Online.
Performance-wise, the frame rate is lower than in Windows but from what I understand, that is to be expected with games running through Wine. I noticed a similar decrease in FPS with WoW and PoE. I could probably decrease the graphics quality a bit and perhaps tweak some other settings to try and optimise performance a bit better, but at least it is playable.
By the way, screenshots, user preferences (e.g. keymapping) and plugins are stored in [home]/Documents/The Lord of The Rings Online.
I hope this helps some people who want to play LOTRO in Linux. I'm very much a noob - I've tried Linux many times but had problems and couldn't find a solution so gave up and went back to Windows. Linux Mint does seem to be more user-friendly though so here's hoping I can stick with it this time.
And maybe I'll even play Myndariel some more. She really should catch up with the Epic Quests and fully explore Gondor before Mordor is fully released.
However, I finally got fed up with Windows 10 on my laptop. So I copied all my important data to an external hard drive and completely replaced Windows 10 with Linux Mint 17.3.
After getting it set up so I could continue my work, I decided to have another try at getting my favourite games to work as well. I have previously tried to get LOTRO to work in Ubuntu on another computer by following several guides and forum posts, but with no success. Path of Exile (PoE) and World of Warcraft (WoW) installed easily in Linux Mint with PlayOnLinux, and finally I got LOTRO working too - just in time for server maintenance!
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| Finally got LOTRO working on a laptop in time for server maintenance |
Installing LOTRO with PlayOnLinux
There are lots of guides out there on installing LOTRO in Linux - some say use PyLOTRO, or Windows Steam via Wine, or straight Wine, or Crossover or PlayOnLinux. There are also confusing lists of libraries that are recommended as necessary to make it work. Some of these guides may be out of date, but also different methods may work for different people or different computer set-ups.
Note: Wine is a program that lets you run Windows programs in Linux. There are lots of different versions, with some designed to work with specific programs, while others are called "staging" versions which include bug fixes or experimental features not available in the stable versions.
Here's what worked for me:
1. Download the game installer lotrolive.exe from the LOTRO website (select the PC Download).
 |
| Download installer from LOTRO website |
2. [Install PlayOnLinux from the Software Manager if not already available.] Open PlayOnLinux.
3. To check what Wine versions you have available, select the Tools menu and click on Manage Wine versions. The left side of the pop-up window will show the available versions and the right side shows installed versions. I found version 1.9.18-staging worked for several games including LOTRO, so to install it, select it from the list on the left side and then click the little > button in the middle of the window.
*Update: Wine version 1.9.24 also works with LOTRO Update 19*
4. Select "Install a Program". From the PlayOnLinux install menu, select "Install a non-listed program". This will start a Manual Installation wizard.
 |
| PlayOnLinux Install Menu |
5. PlayOnLinux informs you that they cannot guarantee the application you are installing will work. Click Next. Select "Install a program in a new virtual drive" and click Next.
6. Give your virtual drive a name - e.g. lotro.
7. It then asks what would you like to do before installation. This is where we get to configure Wine and install any extra libraries needed. Every time I tried installing LOTRO with extra libraries it didn't work, so I decided not to install any libraries at this stage. You can change Wine settings or add extra libraries later if necessary (select the game from the PlayOnLinux window and click Configure). Select the options relating to Wine then click Next.
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| Some pre-installation configuration options |
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| Wine configuration panel |
I left the Libraries alone so there were no existing overrides listed.
In the Graphics tab, make sure "Allow the window manager to control the window" is ticked. This lets LOTRO change the window according to your in-game settings. I've seen some people recommend choosing the "emulate a virtual desktop" and matching it to your screen resolution, but this didn't work for me - I ended up with the LOTRO client running in a window even though I had set it to run as fullscreen and the bottom of the client was getting cut off so I couldn't click on some buttons (like the Continue or Exit buttons during the character creation process). Associated with this, ticking "Automatically capture the mouse in full-screen windows" caused my mouse to get stuck within the boundaries of the client screen so I couldn't click to close the program. I used another computer and found out that Alt+F2 opens a terminal and typing "xkill" then clicking the window to be closed will terminate the (misbehaving) program. So I don't recommend capturing the mouse. As for "Allow the window manager to decorate the windows" - this seemed to put a plain blue background behind the client when it was in windowed mode. Optional.
 |
| Wine configuration - graphics settings |
When you're finished with the Wine configuration, click Apply then OK.
10. Next it asks you for the installer. Click the Browse button and locate the lotrolive.exe file downloaded earlier then click Next. This will start the installer. Note that the installer installs necessary libraries such as DirectX 9 as part of this process. Let it install files according to the default installation so they go into your Wine virtual drive. Agree to the terms and conditions.
At the end of the setup it offers you the chance to "Launch The Lord of the Rings Online". Deselect this, then press Finish.
 |
| Don't launch LOTRO from here |
12. The PlayOnLinux manual installation wizard should have closed and you should now have a shortcut to LOTRO on the desktop.
Now you can either (I tested both these methods and now have LOTRO working on a laptop and a desktop PC both running Linux Mint 17.3):
- click the shortcut on the desktop to launch the client (or Run from the PlayOnLinux window), install the Akamai service then download the ~ 16GB game,
- or if you have a working version of the game, you can merge the full The Lord of the Rings Online folder (shown below as having 85 items) with The Lord of the Rings Online folder created by the lotrolive.exe installer (shown below as having 30 items) in the virtual drive to save some time and internet bandwidth. If it brings up a pop-up window regarding individual files with the same name, mark the box "Apply this action to all files" and click Skip to keep the existing files from the installer. Once the folder merge is complete, click the shortcut on the desktop or the Run button in the PlayOnLinux window. There may be some additional files to download to get the game up-to-date.
Here's the path to the folder if you called your virtual drive "lotro": [home]/PlayOnLinux's virtual drives/lotro/drive_c/Program Files/Turbine/The Lord of the Rings Online.
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| Merging the full game folder with the original game folder from the installer |
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| A few last-minute files to download |
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| Myndariel in Minas Tirith (via Linux Mint on the PC) |
Performance-wise, the frame rate is lower than in Windows but from what I understand, that is to be expected with games running through Wine. I noticed a similar decrease in FPS with WoW and PoE. I could probably decrease the graphics quality a bit and perhaps tweak some other settings to try and optimise performance a bit better, but at least it is playable.
By the way, screenshots, user preferences (e.g. keymapping) and plugins are stored in [home]/Documents/The Lord of The Rings Online.
I hope this helps some people who want to play LOTRO in Linux. I'm very much a noob - I've tried Linux many times but had problems and couldn't find a solution so gave up and went back to Windows. Linux Mint does seem to be more user-friendly though so here's hoping I can stick with it this time.
And maybe I'll even play Myndariel some more. She really should catch up with the Epic Quests and fully explore Gondor before Mordor is fully released.
Saturday, 27 August 2016
The Ballad of Bingo Boffin Part 5
Bingo's journey continues from Wildermore. See the guide to The Ballad of Bingo Boffin for his earlier adventures.
The group heads into West Rohan and visits the town of Oserley. The people are on edge and have also felt that sense of dread and being watched. Egwylf suggests leaving the town by a goat track so that it will be harder for any potential pursuers to follow.
You leave Oserley during a storm, but a Nazgûl spots Bingo and mistakes him for the Ringbearer. You and Egwylf drive the Nazgûl away with fire while Bingo escapes. But now where has Bingo gone?
You search for him across West Rohan, all the way to Woodhurst. There, Egwylf says she will help you find Bingo but then she is leaving to help the people of Rohan.
Bingo is happy to see you and is proud of Willem Whisker for tracking him down. Bingo used to think horses were scary, but not anymore - now he knows there are terrible winged creatures to be afraid of instead!
Bingo is sad to see her go, but he is now craving a good meal. He doesn't want to go to Helm's Deep because he understands they have to ration food during a war, so he suggests heading to the first village they find.
The first village we find is Marton, but it has been destroyed by orcs. Bingo loses his appetite and decides helping any survivors is more important. He finds a woman who has lost her home and promises that we will take her to Grimslade - it should be safer there. On arrival, Bingo is invited for supper at the Mead Hall. It has been a long day and he is grateful for the respite. Seeing Marton in ruins quite upset him and makes him worry about the safety of the Shire. Is it time to go home?
Bingo decides to make the area safer for Willem Whisker and his family, by eliminating some orcs and collecting some food and shelter for them. Then it is time for another farewell.
In Galtrev you meet Humfrey Rumming and he has just been providing treasure maps to Theodore and Haley, the treasure hunters from the Lone Lands. They mentioned to Humfrey how you were good at solving riddles, so he gives you a riddle and if you can solve it, you should find Theodore and Haley.
Haley is pleased to see you and Bingo and says they have had a fairly uneventful trip - Theodore doesn't quite see it that way. He finally realised that the necklace you offered him in Eregion was real and not a fake, and now he claims it has cursed them with ill fortune: they have had terrible weather, he twisted his ankle, every treasure chest they found has been empty, the treasure maps Humfrey sold them were useless and now you are here (again). Theodore is so frustrated that he is ready to turn around and head north.
Haley doesn't mind if they travel north if they can join us for a while and Bingo would be glad of the company.
Bingo says we should go save Theodore before he gets himself in trouble. "No dragon will stand in our way!"
We escape the dragon's lair and Bingo suggests we go to the village of Llanuch in Enedwaith. Theodore is happy - now that he has got rid of the Rothstone, his fortune is changing - he now knows what good friends he has and he survived his encounter with a dragon. Bingo has had enough of dragons - the only kind of dragons he likes are the ones that offer refreshments such as The Green Dragon in Bywater.
The hobbits of Maur Tulhau in the Gloomglens think Bingo looks strange for a hobbit, but they offer their adventurous cousin from the north a Welcoming Feast of the Stoors - apparently it can last up to a week!
The tea finally helps and Bingo feels ready to have a little more food before they leave - just kidding!
Haley asks them to let us through; they demand money and Theodore's hat. Bingo speaks up and tells them they can't have Theodore's hat, then tells them about his journey and how he has seen much more dangerous creatures than them and we are more dangerous than we look so they shouldn't mess with us. Some of the brigands are impressed that we saw a dragon and start having second thoughts. Eventually, Bingo talks them into going back to a peaceful life of farming instead of risking their lives as brigands.
The former brigands even leave the treasure chest of coins behind for Bingo and thank him for talking sense into them.
The road north leads us into Bree-land. Theodore and Haley say farewell - they are retiring from treasure hunting but would be keen to join Bingo on any future adventures - just expect to find them someplace dangerous!
Bingo is embarrassed that he forgot to return the library book before embarking on his journey, so he asks that you return the book for him, and donate the brigand's treasure to the library to pay the fine and help with upkeep and maintenance of the library - he only asks that they keep a copy of his book in the library when he has finished writing it. The librarian is delighted and looks forward to encouraging a love of books throughout the neighbourhood.
You return to Boffin Manor and Bingo asks you to help clear away the cobwebs that have invaded his home while he was away.
Inside, they mix and mingle and several hobbits get ideas about going off on adventures themselves! Bingo takes you aside and thanks you for being such a loyal friend and keeping him company on his journey. Finally, Bingo has found the Perfect Recipe, so it's time to eat!
Thus ends Bingo Boffin's adventure. I hope you enjoyed it and have many wonderful adventures in Middle Earth of your own!
Chapter 41: Mistaken Identity (level 90)
Bingo is ready to leave the cold Wildermore region and suggests you meet up with him and Egwylf on the road to Entwash Vale. When you arrive, Egwylf experiences a sense of dread. You look around and see something high in the sky, but it quickly disappears. You mention it to Bingo and he wonders if it might be Landroval, one of the Great Eagles, but if so, why didn't it come to say hello?The group heads into West Rohan and visits the town of Oserley. The people are on edge and have also felt that sense of dread and being watched. Egwylf suggests leaving the town by a goat track so that it will be harder for any potential pursuers to follow.
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| The Nazgûl thinks all hobbits look the same |
You leave Oserley during a storm, but a Nazgûl spots Bingo and mistakes him for the Ringbearer. You and Egwylf drive the Nazgûl away with fire while Bingo escapes. But now where has Bingo gone?
You search for him across West Rohan, all the way to Woodhurst. There, Egwylf says she will help you find Bingo but then she is leaving to help the people of Rohan.
Chapter 42: A Horse in a Haystack (level 92)
You return the site of the Nazgul attack and find pony tracks heading west. On the road to Brockbridge you meet Humfrey Rumming - he is on his way to the Gap of Rohan to sell his wares and yes, he did see a pony heading west but didn't pay much attention. You find some muddled pony prints near Woodhurst and Willem Whisker runs off towards Gapholt. |
| Tanglemane has found an apple tree |
Bingo is happy to see you and is proud of Willem Whisker for tracking him down. Bingo used to think horses were scary, but not anymore - now he knows there are terrible winged creatures to be afraid of instead!
Chapter 43: Thoughts of Home (level 93)
Egwylf says goodbye at the entrance to Helm's Deep. She wants to warn Erkenbrand about the Blood Eye cultists and she is sure Bingo will be safe with you and Willem Whisker and Tanglemane.Bingo is sad to see her go, but he is now craving a good meal. He doesn't want to go to Helm's Deep because he understands they have to ration food during a war, so he suggests heading to the first village they find.
The first village we find is Marton, but it has been destroyed by orcs. Bingo loses his appetite and decides helping any survivors is more important. He finds a woman who has lost her home and promises that we will take her to Grimslade - it should be safer there. On arrival, Bingo is invited for supper at the Mead Hall. It has been a long day and he is grateful for the respite. Seeing Marton in ruins quite upset him and makes him worry about the safety of the Shire. Is it time to go home?
Chapter 44: Willem Whisker and the Wide World (level 93)
Bingo doesn't know what to do next and he is worried that Willem Whisker doesn't seem himself either. He asks you to talk to Willem, but when you do, the lynx runs outside. Bingo says you have to follow him. Willem Whisker leads you all the way through the Gap of Rohan to Dunbog in Dunland! You find him with some other lynx under a tree in the middle of the swamp. |
| Willem Whisker is reunited with his family |
Bingo decides to make the area safer for Willem Whisker and his family, by eliminating some orcs and collecting some food and shelter for them. Then it is time for another farewell.
Chapter 45: A String of Ill Fortune (level 93)
We head off to the nearby town of Avardin and Bingo plans to do some writing, but he keeps getting distracted - he misses Willem Whisker. So he suggests we head to Galtrev to learn more about Dunland.In Galtrev you meet Humfrey Rumming and he has just been providing treasure maps to Theodore and Haley, the treasure hunters from the Lone Lands. They mentioned to Humfrey how you were good at solving riddles, so he gives you a riddle and if you can solve it, you should find Theodore and Haley.
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| Riddle solved |
Haley is pleased to see you and Bingo and says they have had a fairly uneventful trip - Theodore doesn't quite see it that way. He finally realised that the necklace you offered him in Eregion was real and not a fake, and now he claims it has cursed them with ill fortune: they have had terrible weather, he twisted his ankle, every treasure chest they found has been empty, the treasure maps Humfrey sold them were useless and now you are here (again). Theodore is so frustrated that he is ready to turn around and head north.
Haley doesn't mind if they travel north if they can join us for a while and Bingo would be glad of the company.
Chapter 46: Treasure Lost, Treasure Found (level 93)
Bingo has learned there are several tribes in Dunland that do not get along, and Bingo wants to try and help. We head back to Galtrev to start the journey, but Theodore disappears. After looking all around town, Haley notices the necklace you gave her, the Rothstone, is missing too. Theodore has stolen it! Humfrey Rummings thinks he might be taking it to one of the spots marked on the treasure maps Humfrey gave him - a dragon's lair in Thrór's Coomb.Bingo says we should go save Theodore before he gets himself in trouble. "No dragon will stand in our way!"
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| Don't wake the dragon |
We escape the dragon's lair and Bingo suggests we go to the village of Llanuch in Enedwaith. Theodore is happy - now that he has got rid of the Rothstone, his fortune is changing - he now knows what good friends he has and he survived his encounter with a dragon. Bingo has had enough of dragons - the only kind of dragons he likes are the ones that offer refreshments such as The Green Dragon in Bywater.
Chapter 47: Full Course, Of Course! (level 93)
One of the local people from Llanuch asked Bingo why he left the Gloomglens. Bingo has never been to the Gloomglens so the villager laughs and says he must have knocked his head and forgotten. Bingo doesn't appreciate being reminded of his forgetfulness after his adventure in Moria, but if there are other hobbits in the Gloomglens he would like to go there and visit.The hobbits of Maur Tulhau in the Gloomglens think Bingo looks strange for a hobbit, but they offer their adventurous cousin from the north a Welcoming Feast of the Stoors - apparently it can last up to a week!
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| Maur Tulhau - home of the Stoor hobbits |
Chapter 48: Homesick and Just Sick (level 93)
Bingo has thoroughly enjoyed the Welcoming Feast but he may have over-indulged a little and made himself sick. The local healer says she can make a cup of tea for Bingo to help, but she is almost out of tea leaves so you will need to fetch some for her.The tea finally helps and Bingo feels ready to have a little more food before they leave - just kidding!
Chapter 49: Through the Blockade (level 93)
Before Bingo leaves the hobbit village, they warn him of orcs on the road north. Haley and Theodore have also seen the orcs and kept well clear of the blockade they set up at the King's Way Gate. However, when we arrive, the orcs are gone and brigands from Bree have taken over the blockade. |
| Brigands at the blockade |
Haley asks them to let us through; they demand money and Theodore's hat. Bingo speaks up and tells them they can't have Theodore's hat, then tells them about his journey and how he has seen much more dangerous creatures than them and we are more dangerous than we look so they shouldn't mess with us. Some of the brigands are impressed that we saw a dragon and start having second thoughts. Eventually, Bingo talks them into going back to a peaceful life of farming instead of risking their lives as brigands.
The former brigands even leave the treasure chest of coins behind for Bingo and thank him for talking sense into them.
The road north leads us into Bree-land. Theodore and Haley say farewell - they are retiring from treasure hunting but would be keen to join Bingo on any future adventures - just expect to find them someplace dangerous!
Chapter 50: Bingo Returns Home (level 93)
Bingo is looking forward to going home but is also planning more adventures - there are so many places he still hasn't seen. Outside his home in Michel Delving, Bingo is greeted by a grumpy Myrtle Boggs who claims that his absence had cast a poor light on the neighbourhood - "a neighbourhood needs neighbours" - and caused many rumours. Bingo is happy to know she cares; he'll try to make it up to her. There is also an overdue library book notice stuck to the front door.Bingo is embarrassed that he forgot to return the library book before embarking on his journey, so he asks that you return the book for him, and donate the brigand's treasure to the library to pay the fine and help with upkeep and maintenance of the library - he only asks that they keep a copy of his book in the library when he has finished writing it. The librarian is delighted and looks forward to encouraging a love of books throughout the neighbourhood.
You return to Boffin Manor and Bingo asks you to help clear away the cobwebs that have invaded his home while he was away.
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| Boffin Manor with cobwebs |
Chapter 51: Hand-written, Hand-delivered (level 93)
His home seems large and empty now and Bingo can already feel that sense of loneliness creeping in. He misses his friends, so he will organise a dinner party and invite both old and new friends to come. He has hand-written the invitations and suggests you ask Bert Bartleby where some of the guests can be found, and the invitations you can't deliver should be taken to the postmaster and the Quick Post will sort it out.Chapter 52: The Perfect Recipe (level 93)
The day of the dinner party is here and Bingo is glad to have help with last-minute preparations. He asks you to greet the guests outside as they arrive. |
| The guests arrive |
Inside, they mix and mingle and several hobbits get ideas about going off on adventures themselves! Bingo takes you aside and thanks you for being such a loyal friend and keeping him company on his journey. Finally, Bingo has found the Perfect Recipe, so it's time to eat!
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| The End of the Ballad of Bingo Boffin |
Thus ends Bingo Boffin's adventure. I hope you enjoyed it and have many wonderful adventures in Middle Earth of your own!
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