LOTRO: The Angle of Mitheithel Preview Update
Yesterday, Standing Stone Games made Bullroarer Update 32 - Beta #5 available on their test server and invited player feedback. This latest preview of the next content update for the MMORPG, The Lord of the Rings Online, focuses mainly upon The Legendary Item Reward Track. When the revised LI system was released last October as part of the expansion Fate of Gundabad, it was not fully integrated into the game. Existing LI rewards were not replaced with new ones and no decision had been made regarding potential compensation for obsolete LI related items. There were also outstanding changes to the user interface for the LI system. These are now being addressed in Update 32. The current build, Beta #5, also has some minor updates to the new zone, The Angle of Mitheithel. As ever with anything on the Bullroarer test server, it is subject to change and may be different in the final live release.
Yesterday, Standing Stone Games made Bullroarer Update 32 - Beta #5 available on their test server and invited player feedback. This latest preview of the next content update for the MMORPG, The Lord of the Rings Online, focuses mainly upon The Legendary Item Reward Track. When the revised LI system was released last October as part of the expansion Fate of Gundabad, it was not fully integrated into the game. Existing LI rewards were not replaced with new ones and no decision had been made regarding potential compensation for obsolete LI related items. There were also outstanding changes to the user interface for the LI system. These are now being addressed in Update 32. The current build, Beta #5, also has some minor updates to the new zone, The Angle of Mitheithel. As ever with anything on the Bullroarer test server, it is subject to change and may be different in the final live release.
Beta #5 now features a new map for The Angle of Mitheithel as well as a revised map of the Trollshaws. In this test build, animals have been added to the region and there are boars, wolves and crows of a comparable level. There are now three additional stable-masters at the following locations; Gaerond, Tham Lumren and Tornhad. Gaerond is a camp to the Northern opening of The Angle of Mitheithel. Tham Lumren is a ruined Elven settlement to the West of the zone on the borders of Eregion and Tornhad is a village of men to the South of the region. Furthermore, two additional stable-masters have been added to the existing Trollshaw map. These are at The Last Bridge and directly outside The Last Homely House. The entire Trollshaw stable list has been updated to reflect these changes.
In my previous post I thought that a log bridge and a settlement that I saw was the existing route from Trollshaw to Eregion. However, in this test build, the landscape has changed further and the log bridge made from a large fallen tree appears to be the entrance to the Elven settlement of Thamren. I confirmed this by travelling to Gwingris and looking out West over The Angle of Mitheithel. You can clearly discern three of these sorts of bridges (see the gallery of pictures at the end of this post for details). Now there is a map available, I believe that The Angle of Mitheithel is a smaller zone than the Wildwood region that was added to Bree-land last year. In the middle of the new zone is a deserted Hobbit settlement called The Warrens of Tun Melen. I suspect this may be an instance or a quest hub. Similarly there is also a farmer’s cottage to the Northwest of the region which may also be a quest hub.
LOTRO: The Angle of Mitheithel Preview
Yesterday, Standing Stone Games made Bullroarer Update 32 - Beta #4 available on their test server. Unlike the previous three test builds, this one allows players to visit the new area coming in Update 32 to the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online. According to SSG “The Angle of Mitheithel stretches south from the Trollshaws to the junction of the Bruinen and Mitheithel rivers. It is a wild land of rocky hills and deep pine-woods, and a graveyard of ancient kingdoms. The ruins of Elves and Men alike crumble among the trees, and the Rangers steal through the shadows of the trees, ever watchful, carrying out secret assignments as the north grows more dangerous by the day. The Angle of Mitheithel will be for levels 40 to 45”. This is a very early build and as a result, there are no mobs at present in the new zone, nor have any new maps or stables been added to the game at present.
Yesterday, Standing Stone Games made Bullroarer Update 32 - Beta #4 available on their test server. Unlike the previous three test builds, this one allows players to visit the new area coming in Update 32 to the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online. According to SSG “The Angle of Mitheithel stretches south from the Trollshaws to the junction of the Bruinen and Mitheithel rivers. It is a wild land of rocky hills and deep pine-woods, and a graveyard of ancient kingdoms. The ruins of Elves and Men alike crumble among the trees, and the Rangers steal through the shadows of the trees, ever watchful, carrying out secret assignments as the north grows more dangerous by the day. The Angle of Mitheithel will be for levels 40 to 45”. This is a very early build and as a result, there are no mobs at present in the new zone, nor have any new maps or stables been added to the game at present.
The Angle of Mitheithel utilises that same visual aesthetic last seen in the Wells of Langflood. It is a zone swathed in mist and it does lend an air of mystery to the dense pine-woods and rocky bluffs. There is a steep path to the East of the zone which leads down into a valley directly below Gwingris in Eregion. You can clearly see the fallen tree bridge that links Eregion and Trollshaw. The zone is hemmed in by high cliffs and several swift flowing rivers. As mentioned by Standing Stone Games in their press release, there are both Elven ruins as well as deserted settlements from the former kingdom of Arnor. There is also a small village populated by Rangers which will no doubt be a quest hub. At the entrance to the new zone, just south of the Last Bridge in Trollshaw, there is a camp with Elladan as an NPC.
Aesthetically speaking the new zone is pleasing to the eye and has a suitable ambience. As this is a new addition to an established part of SSG’s virtual Middle-earth, it uses art assets and textures already seen in Trollshaw and the borders of the Lone-lands. So don’t expect any surprises in The Angle of Mitheithel, other than the topographical design. Beyond this, at present there is precious little to report about the new zone as much of its resources have not yet been added to the game. However, I do like the fact that SSG is not solely focused on creating endgame content and it is pleasing to see material added to LOTRO for levelling players. The Wildwood addition to Bree-land was most welcome. Hopefully The Angle of Mitheithel will be equally well received. In the meantime, here is a gallery of pictures taken from Bullroarer Update 32 - Beta #4.
