Monday 27 October 2014

Instances: Great Barrow Cluster

The Great Barrow, also known as Othrongroth, is located in the Southern Barrow-downs in Bree-land. It was once an important burial-ground protected by the Dúnedain of Cardolan but a plague wiped out many of its protectors and the Witch-king of Angmar seized the opportunity to fill it with their minions, with Sambrog as its chief wight.

Entrance to the Great Barrow

The instances here must be completed in order to unlock the next one.

The Maze - 6 person instance

Two paths lead from the entrance to the first boss, the Barrow-wight Caller, who waits at the bottom of the stairs. Clear out the minions by pulling them up the stairs (will reset the boss). The Caller summons several wights who should be dealt with first. When he reaches 20% morale, the boss summons barrow-crawlers who do a knock-back (don't be near the stairs) or burst into poison clouds (difficult to avoid, so may require lots of healing).

The Barrow-wight Caller's room
After a bit more maze (turn left at intersections), Gaerdring and Gaerthel wait at the bottom of another set of stairs. Gaerdring attacks first and summons minions until he dies, then Gaerthel joins the fight.

Gaerdring and Gaerthel's room

Thadúr - 6 person instance

The show starts when the wights at the top of the stairs to the left of the hall entrance has been defeated, but it's better to clear the room first. The wights may cast a stun or apply disease debuffs. Thadúr challenges you to defeat barrow-lights quickly, first 1, then 2, then 3, then 4 (pull them to the middle and AOE, the timer starts from when the first barrow-light is killed).

Hall of the barrow-lights and wights
After defeating the lights, a green glowing tunnel opens on the right side of the hall leading down to a watery room where Thadúr waits. He becomes invincible after each time he loses 25% morale and summons minions which must be defeated to make the boss vulnerable again.

Thadur's room

Sambrog - 6 person instance

In the first room, wights appear upon reaching the top of the stairs across from the entrance. Go through the tunnels and open the Skull Door (requires a Skull Key from completing the first two instances). Clear more tunnels and caverns and finally reach Sambrog's brightly lit room. As you approach, he extinguishes the lamps. The fight with him is fairly easy - stay out of the purple stuff on the ground and kill the fell-spirits that channel green beams of healing at him.

Sambrog's room

Friday 24 October 2014

Adventures of Floid and Dewitt

Floid the Mighty Steed and Dewitt the Explorer are a pair of NPCs that can be found in some remote and scenic locations throughout Middle Earth. There are two exploration deeds related to finding them in all their hiding spots.


The Adventures of Floid and Dewitt

Finding Floid and Dewitt in the following locations grants the title "the Wanderer":

Dunland - looking out over the Dunbog (accessed via a secret passage hidden behind some foliage in the tunnel to the Pristine Glade)
Enedwaith - keeping an eye on the giants of Thrór's Coomb
Evendim - admiring Annúminas from an island SW of Tyl Ruinen
Lone-lands - watching from Weather-top
Lothlorien - overlooking the Celebrant and the Golden Forest
Mirkwood - gazing at the grim Ashenslades, SE of Garmadh-maudhûl
Moria - contemplating the tall sculpture north of Jazârgund

The Adventures of Floid and Dewitt: Part Deux

Finding Floid and Dewitt in the following locations grants the title "the Vagabond":

East Rohan - with a great view of the Argonath
Eregion - from the top of the Redhorn Pass
Forochel - a cold cliff north of Barad Gaurhoth overlooking the bay
The Great River - admiring the Cuthstan from Aster Hill
Misty Mountains - a snowstorm's coming to Goblintown (follow the path to the Black Crack, about halfway is a ledge with 3 rocks and a short tree; hug the cliff to reach another ledge with a fallen tree pointing towards a lower ledge with a big rock - mount-up and jump down!)
Trollshaws - watching over the Bruinen valley from the High Moors
Wildermore - looking across the lake from the frozen waterfall towards distant Forlaw

Tuesday 14 October 2014

Instances: Mirobel Cluster

The Library of Tham Mírdain across the Glanduin River
The School of Tham Mírdain up on the hill

Located in Mirobel, a region in the south-west of Eregion, Tham Mírdain translates as the "Hall of the Jewelsmiths" and is also known as the Ring-forges of Eregion where Celebrimbor and Annatar (Sauron) forged the rings of power in the Second Age. Amarthiel planned to reforge the ring Narchuil here. Her minions are now searching the library for the secrets of ring-lore, while Saruman's minions search the school.

These instances are fairly quick and easy, but still interesting. Soloable at level 100 (as a lore-master, I used my sabre-tooth cat for the trash mobs and let my bear tank the bosses).

The Library at Tham Mírdain - 3 person instance

The Library held ancient lore from the Second Age. It withstood an attack by Sauron against Eregion, but Elrond moved many of the surviving books to Rivendell for safe-keeping.

Ancient books

Clear out the bottom floor of the library, then head upstairs and clear out the two wings, each with a boss. The final boss will then be waiting downstairs in the courtyard. The pale-folk tend to apply lots of poison debuffs. Challenge mode is to not kill the birds in the courtyard before defeating Chieftain Gûrsh.

Central courtyard

The School at Tham Mírdain - 3 person instance

The School was a highly regarded place of learning amongst the Noldor elves in the Second Age, but is now a ruin.

The courtyard

Clear around the edge of the courtyard then move through the middle to defeat Llygad the Blade and his allies. Upstairs Chief Warrior Thurgtârk and his allies guard the door to the classroom. Commander Târsh hides behind a class full of Dunlendings and orcs who have set books on fire (the challenge mode is to extinguish the books before they burn completely). Take out small groups at a time to get to him.

The classroom

Thursday 9 October 2014

Scenic Tour: Enedwaith

Myndariel is finally questing through Enedwaith, helping out the Grey Company and slowly earning the trust and respect of the Algraig. There are some fun little discovery deeds (hobbit lamp-posts, dwarf markers, little wonders, the fishing hole) and a variety of landscapes and ruins to explore. One of my favourite places was finding the settlement of Maur Tulhau tucked away in a valley and overshadowed by huge rock formations.

Maur Tulhau - a hobbit village
Two other major landmarks include Lhanuch, the main town with a crafting hall, and Harndirion, an encampment at the base of a ruined watchtower with class trainers and class-specific (but not class-restricted) armour sets.

Looking across Enedwaith: Lhanuch (cluster of huts in the middle) and Harndirion (tower on the distant hill)
Nár's Peak is home to an ancient dwarven library, Zudrugund, built into the sides of the Misty Mountains, overlooking Thrór's Coomb. The librarians are concerned about the giants and gwiber (dragons) in the valley and the mysterious Nár has uncanny insight into the secret plans of the Grey Company.

Zudrugund
The southern region of Enedwaith is oppressed by creatures of evil.The Lich Bluffs were once a revered burial ground for the people who had died in various wars throughout the ages but now there are wights and Oathbreakers amongst the barrows, while the Mournshaws is a dreary wooded valley haunted by the mysterious Wild Huntsman and fell spirits.

Lich Bluffs
Mournshaws

Enedwaith is also the location to two level 75+ raid instances: Draigoch's Lair in Thrór's Coomb and Ost Dunhoth in the Lich Bluffs.