Sometimes it’s tough to take some time off and just enjoy the view from your backyard.

But tonight, that’s exactly what Mirthwyn did.

Being at 60 sometimes leaves me feeling restless.  I’ll log in, and just stand around wondering, “Where should I go?  What should I do?”  Sometimes I’ll head to Lothlorien and grind more rep.  I’d like to see what’s in one of those hunter boxes sometime soon.

But sometimes, with the help of my kin, I find some direction.  We run the Turtle every Tuesday and Thursday night.  Last Thursday, I was in an unsuccessful group and I couldn’t help but blame myself.  My virtues aren’t maxed, it must be my fault.  I use a third-age bow, it must be my fault.  I use 3 pieces of the pathfinder set armor, not the radiance armor.  My fault?

Nah, that’s a stupid way to think!  We brought him down last night, my first time ever, and it was great!  It was also close.  We only had one heavy armor wearer (our uber-captain Nandir), and something like 5 hunters.  We bounced aggro to and fro as needed and really, I think we did pretty well considering how squishy we were on the whole.  He wiped about half of us when we got him down to 2,000.  Decent loot, too; my middling roll got me a tier five relic thing, which combined with a little relic forging, got me a very nice tier 6 setting.

After the turtle, many people were eager to do something else.  So we took on the Battle for Lorien.  I’d never done this before and boy, was I nervous.  The idea of having three separate locations (e.g. places I could not be at all times, and therefore not have control) was a little anxiety-inducing, but with our fine leadership we beat back the orcs and destroyed the idols with time to spare and no deaths.

It’s challenges like this that make me feel I have interesting and fun things to do even at 60.  I still have a long laundry list of things I need to do, like 2.5.5 and 2.8.3, run Hall of Mirrors three more times, and make some money so I can get my crafting up to level.  But in the meantime, it’s cool to participate in these adventures I’d only seen from the sidelines before and succeed.

[This is a tongue-in-cheek sort of rant about a funny NPC conversation between two elves in this spot where you have to meditate for a quest line.]

In the effort to win the trust of the Elves of Lothlorien [read: to go from acquaintance to friend status ], I found myself running Mirthwyn all over the beautiful golden woods of Lorien: killing lizards, patrolling the shoreline, singing to trees.  Yessireebob, I sang to a couple trees and doggone it if they didn’t like it!

Anyway, another task was to really explore the old places of Lorien, the ancient circles and quiet places where the contemplative elves do their… well… contemplating!  I drew near the first area, and sat down to meditate.

And not a second went by before one of the elves sitting there ever-so-snootily said something like, “Oh, now strangers come to meditate in our places” or something equally snotty.  Really?  Shall I rattle off all the work I’ve been doing for you people?   All the orcs I’ve felled?  All the arrows I’ve delivered?  How much creepishly vague “orc filth” I have personally scooped and risked my life and limb to burn in the orcs own fires? How many times I’ve run on my trusty steed from one corner of the wood to another, from Echad Andestel to the shores of the Anduin?

I sang to your trees!  To your TREES, for heaven’s sake!

Shall I tell you how many sneaky lynxes have jumped me, or how many ill-tempered boars have gored me?  You people wouldn’t even be having that festival down at the vineyards without me, because I harvested and crushed your grapes, and hunted for your food, and lit all the lamps along the path there! I’m also apparently the new Lothlorien Floral Delivery Service, serving all (and I really mean all) of Lothlorien since, oh, about five minutes ago!

I’ve got stags, eyas, and hawks threatening me at every turn.  I can’t walk two feet in any populated area without meeting someone who has a favor to ask me.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy helping out, but here I am, in this lovely glade, looking for some peace and quite, and seriously, I’m trying to meditate!

Just kidding, this is just the beginning!  Mirthwyn is the big 6-0!  It took the better part of four months, with some crafting and RP mixed in.  I’m very happy and excited to journey further in this stage of the game, into the instances and into Lothlorien, and wherever else the road will take me.  It was a quest mode run through Grand Stair that boosted me from 58 well into 59.   I wish I had remembered to take a screen shot of it, because now I don’t really recall where I was or what quest I had turned in (or maybe it was a creature I killed?) that put me over to 60, but in the grand scheme, it doesn’t really matter.  Being in places and doing things I had only read about other people doing is really quite a thrill.

In other news, I finished last night just 200 rep points shy of acquaintance standing with the Galadhrim, so I’ll soon be granted access by the overzealous Lothlorien archers, hopefully.

I also finally finished A Shot in the Dark, with my last two pages dropping after a few runs through Donnvail in Angmar.  I can’t tell you how sheepish I’ve felt in the instances I’ve run with kinfolk when they’d ask, “Hey, we could use a fear, Mirth, you got Bard’s Arrow?”  Fail.  So it’s great to be done with my books so far and have a great addition to my hunter arsenal.

What I’m really lacking currently is my deeds.  I grinded out Valour in the Trollshaws and killed countless worms, and I know there’s more deed grinding in my future if I really want to be all that I can be at the level cap, which I’d really like to do!  It’s not so bad when you have some company, which I did for much of it, but still… it’s hard to get motivated to kill 240 of something.

Anyway, that’s all the news that fit to print right now… I must say I have really been enjoying reading the my.lotro blogs lately.  Sometimes I wish I had something funnier or more interesting to say because I feel like I read so much funny and interesting stuff!  Keep up the good work, bloggers!

I got my first piece of radiance gear last night in the Grand Stair - my Boots of the Great Bow.  I thought I might cry as I traded in my coin.  Being two levels away from the level cap, and getting this high-end gear… I know I say it all the time, but I’ve never had a character in any MMO at the level cap.  This is all totally new for me.  My kin is the absolute best.  I’ve run three of the Moria instances with them so far, and in each case, the leader always explains everything: what the strategy will be, what each person will be doing and standing, and wow, does that take a lot of the pressure off! 

One thing I think is funny is the way the NPCs give out quests for the instances.  Last night, I was just running around solo, questing around in the Redhorn Lodes when someone from the kin sent a tell asking if I wanted to run Grand Stairs.  I knew that’s where the radiance boots dropped, and as they are the only radiance piece equippable at 58, I responded, “Sure!”

Thankfully, at that moment, I killed some white hand emissary to get Mazog’s note, which I guess opens up all the instance quests to you.  So I hurried back to turn it in and try to pick up some Grand Stair quests.  I knew we’d be going in hard mode specifically to get the boots, but I knew there was a kill quest somewhere, and managed to get it.

So, in looking for more quests, I talk to a bunch of these dwarves, and all of the quests have the same language: “Help [so-and-so] defeat [some kind of mobs] in the Grand Stair.”  OK, but that isn’t the actual quest.  You have to talk to the same guy and then he has like 8 different things for you to do?  It’s like, can’t you just give it to me all in one order, so I don’t have to make space in my already bursting quest log for the 10 quests that will fulfill your general help quest?  Gah.

In the end, of course, it didn’t matter, since we ran the abbreviated version to get the boots (and we ended up running it twice, as it was).

But I couldn’t help but look at my quest log and think, “Dwarf!  Put all of your demands into one quest!!”

I started in Moria, oh, maybe two weeks ago.  After a brilliant instance with the Watcher that left my hands shaking with excitement and anxiety and altogether wanting more, I entered the Doors of Durin, and it’s been magic ever since.

Why?  Because there is always, always, more to do, more fun to be had, more things and places to find, and more evil things to kill in Moria.  And I, for one, love it.

Part of it has been a confidence building exercise.  Before I even got to Moria, I would hear about Moria.  It became this invisible juggernaut, representing a slogfest through a depressing darkness in the grind to level 60.  (Maybe I was only listening to people who hate Moria?)  When I first crossed Durin’s Threshold, I thought to myself, “Gosh, I really hope I can cut it in here.”  I really wanted to be able to be self-sufficient and complete things on my own, because while I have a very good in-game friend who has become my go-to quest partner, there really isn’t a feeling as good as when you challenge yourself and accomplish some cool things solo.

Part of it has been the whole legendary item system.  While I fully acknowledge that the system is far from perfect, I can see what they were trying to do with it, and I can’t help but like it.  Always being on the lookout for the perfect bow/sword/spear/insert-your-weapon-of-choice-here; customizing and leveling it until it’s become an absolute beast (or, as beastly as you can get it at the time); and giving it a name, making it your very own.

Part of it has been the sweet, sweet loot.  Seriously, I cannot believe how much coin I make in just a few hours play in Moria.  All that vendor trash adds up to quite a lot.  I recently bought a bunch of pages from “The Way of the Hunter” because I was lazy and I wanted that trait, gosh darn it.  It set me back several gold, as you can imagine.  I’ve recouped half of it already.

Part of it has been the fairly steady leveling from the quests, seeing myself progress, and catching up level-wise with the rest of my kinship.  When I joined, I was one of the only lowbies where the lowbie was my main and not an alt.  My kin is generous and helpful; they’d craft things for me, armor and bows and such.  But at the end of the day, what they wanted to do was take out the Turtle, run instances, and get the level 60s their radiance gear, and who could blame them?

And that leads to the next part of it: getting to run a hard mode instance (Fil Gashan) with my kin.  It. Was. Awesome.  There are no other words to describe the challenge and excitement and sheer accomplishment of it.  I made it here!  I know how to play my class!  I can run in strength stance and not draw aggro!  I can follow directions! ;)  And now I’ve got a set of orc armor I can throw on and run around in!

There are definitely times when I get frustrated.  I am directionally challenged most of the time, because not only are you dealing with your cardinal directions in Moria, but also various levels, and that screws me up a lot.  The Epic book quests sometimes annoy me because of the distances you have to traverse to get to where the quest objectives are.  (Although sometimes you can circumvent them, like when I had to find the bottom of the well.  Um, I jumped.  I died.  I knew I was going to die.  But I found it, nevertheless!)

Mirthwyn is at 58 as of last night.  I can use my new second-age spear that a kinsman so kindly gifted to me, and I’m probably a good third of the way to 59.  I find I like leveling a lot, because I really want to run more instances with my kin, but I also like reading the quest dialogues, hearing the Russian-esque sounding dwarves talk about selling goblin-head trophies, and watching dudes in dresses have slapfights in the 21st Hall.

There’s so much to see and do in Moria - and the best part is, when you think you’re getting to the end, there is always more!

I’m interrupting my regularly scheduled programming to bring you the compelling story of a halfling hunter and her travels around Middle-earth.

She is a hobbit called Briarflower.  For a variety of reasons, she has started a long walk throughout Middle-earth, documenting her journey with pictures and commentary along the way.

It is such a wonderful story, insightful and fun to read, and just plain inspiring.  Why?  Because we play and exist in a world that lends itself not only to leveling, advancement, and achievement, but also the quiet introspection and discovery of this amazing game world’s little particulars, particulars that make this game so infinitely playable and ever new in so many ways.

I hope you will check out Briarflower’s story, found here, and follow along as she makes her way through Eriador.  I have enjoyed it very much already, and I hope you will, too.  Things like this are what makes LotRO truly great.

… I should get to 60 before the summer is out.  Well, one can dream.

I went from level 40 to 48 in the month of June.  I think that’s fairly good progress.  I’ll be happy if I hit 60 sometime in the late summer/early fall.  Really, I’ll be happy to hit 60 whenever it happens!  I feel a little strange, but also excited, about having a character at the level cap.  I think it’s mostly because I’ve never had a character at the level cap.  I was an altaholic in my first few months in this game, unable to commit to any one character.  When I created Mirthwyn, everything changed - I absolutely love this toon.  Before I started playing LOTRO, I played WoW, and suffered the same altaholicism (is that even a word?  IT IS NOW!).  I left the game for LOTRO before getting my WoW main to the end.  I also found that the idea of WoW endgame intimidated me a lot.  I kind of didn’t even want to get there. 

But I feel like there is so much in LOTRO to build the confidence.  The places you go, the things you do… it makes me feel, at least, that there isn’t anything I can’t handle once I get there.  It helps that I’m also in a kinship that I absolutely love, and I think it will be really fun to raid with these folks.

And then I think to myself, “Raid?  What are you saying!?”  I guess I’ve always had a bit of social anxiety when it comes to being in a group.  I’m afraid of being the one who makes a deadly mistake and causes the wipe.  I know it’s sort of silly to feel this way, since probably most people, if not everyone, has caused a wipe at some point in their gaming career.  Plus, sometimes it’s the only way we really learn how to play our class, by committing a really foolhardy mistake.

But in any case, my advancement in this game never ceases to amaze me, for some reason.  Maybe it’s because when I started playing MMO’s, I started just for the heck of it - a totally casual thing, and at the time, something to take my mind off of studying for the bar exam.  I used play as a reward for hours of good studying.  I didn’t expect to succeed or be good.  I did find that I enjoyed it a lot.  But I always associated MMO’s with hardcore gamers, people who were just good at them, as if they had some innate talent or ability to play.  I know now that isn’t true.  Gaming is just like anything else.  There’s a learning curve, and once you have some experience, you can really grow a lot, and become great at what you do.

I still have moments when I don’t remember to use some of my class/race abilities.  But I’ve yet to cause a full fellowship wipe (if memory serves).  I hope to keep playing and learning and get Mirthwyn to the endgame stuff, because it’s a whole new world once you get there, from what I understand, and I’m finding myself really excited to experience it for the first time.

It’s funny; in a recent forum post, one of the developers posed the question, “Which areas are your most favorite and least favorite, and why?”  Many people responded that their least favorite was Angmar, mostly because of its desolate and depressing landscape and creepy music (and were quick to follow up with, “But don’t change it, that’s how it’s supposed to be!).

Well, after questing around in Angmar, getting the full Fem armor set, and gaining at least two levels from the quests there, I can say with confidence, in the parlance of our times, that I.  Heart.  Angmar.

This place is fantastic!  And here, now, I will tell you why:

1.  This may sound trite, but the soft-spoken accents of the NPCs in Aughaire.  I adore them, and the way they call me Southron. 

2.  The rich history of the people, and all the interesting things they have to tell you.  The lore behind the quests is really interesting and you really feel like you’ve been accepted into a distinct tribe of individuals who have struggled but stuck it out in what has become an ugly and inhospitable place.

3.  The idea of one’s Fem.  I like feeling like I have this great responsibility to prove my worth.  It also goes along with Mirthwyn’s character development (as she recently found out her family is Dunedain, but was disgraced long ago through no fault of their own, she has to prove herself worthy of her own bloodline as well).

4.  There is a great balance of group and solo quests.  The solo quests are challenging, but very doable.  The group ones are just plain fun.  And the quest XP is absolutely killer.  Going from my early 40s up to 45 has made my head spin (although I wasn’t in Angmar the whole time, I was definitely there a good chunk of it).

5.  The Fem armor set.  I was running with Garb of the Woods from questing in the Trollshaws, and admittedly, the Woodlands Jacket and Shoulders of the Woods armor values are higher, but the stats breakdown on the Fem armor is better.  My morale, power, and ranged critical are all higher with Fem (due to agility and vitality stats, among others), and for right now, that’s pretty much the most important stuff for this leveling hunter.

5.  The landscape is just plain cool.  Seeing the ruins, the places where the orcs have taken over - you really get a sense of the how the evil there twisted and ruined the land.  Frankly, it makes me feel like a badass beacon of light when I’m out slaying bad things.

6.  The last two pages I needed from The Way of the Hunter dropped off mobs here - which means Angmar gave me my first ever legendary trait.  I’m loving on Angmar extra special muchly because of this, as well.

So, next time you have occasion to go to West Angmar, make the most of it and look on the bright side!  It has so much to offer beyond that depressing skyline!

Dearest Father,

Forgive me the long passage of time since last I wrote.  The days and nights are long on the road, but do not fear.  I am quite hale and have been eating plenty.  I call the vale of Imladris home these days, where I have lent my aid to the people and elves here and in the wilds of the Trollshaws.  There has been much to do, as everywhere.  I keep my ears to wind to hear all I can of what is happening in Dale.  The rumors have not been good, but your recent correspondence gives me hope, and I trust you are both well.

I have also taken a great deal of time to reflect on your letter.  It has thoroughly opened and my eyes, and explained much.  I am glad to know, finally, the heritage of my family and the nature of the blood that runs in my veins.  And I know why you kept the secret for so long.  Our ancestor, long ago, was accused of a crime he did not commit, trumped up by the men falling to corruption in that kingdom.  He came to live out the rest of his days in peace and in solitude, but he was ever a wanted man.  He could not be safe unless he left his name and his past behind him.  That included taking a new name, and establishing himself as a common man of Dale, and setting his family there.  This is much to mull over, and I understand why you could not tell me until now.

But my heart is light, dear Father, that I have proved my worth to you that I may receive this powerful knowledge. You should know that I have sought to ally myself with the Rangers of Esteldin, some of our last remaining brothers, whom I now call friends, and also the Elves of Rivendell, to forge the friendship of those with whom we share a common bond.  I will do all I must to regain the honor of our true family name, Edledhas, if there is honor to be had for a family called “exiled.”  I believe there may be, yet.

Please continue to call me Mirthwyn, or Mirth, as you always have.  My true and given name, Maennas, still sounds so strange to these ears unaccustomed to responding to it.  In time, however, I feel I will treasure the name, as I treasure the task of learning about the history of our family.  As I am in Imladris, there is no better place to complete it!

In the coming days, I will have reason to travel to Aughaire, in Angmar.  Do not be alarmed.  There is a good-sized outpost of men there, and I have fallen into a group of kin with whom I frequently travel.  We are a hearty band, indeed, and have done much to advance the cause of the free people.

I hope my travels will lead me to Dale, soon.  Until then, I am,

Your loving daughter,

Mirthwyn