Saturday, January 4, 2014

Sentinel of the Golden Wood - Aldebaraan of Gladden



Until I resumed leveling my Warden, I hadn't set foot in Lothlórien in over a year. Due to the epic quest chain from the mail that leads into Rohan, I had to visit the lovely Galadriel. On the way back from Stangard, I began to remember the changes made to the reputation requirements just to enter the Golden Wood. At one time, you had to reach acquaintance to pass the first border. With the release of U7 and Great River, that reputation requirement was removed. That's when my knowledge of the lore kicked in, followed shortly by the voice of the role-player within, and I thought "With all these people and other foul creatures passing though the Golden Wood unobstructed, the Galadhrim could probably use another hand!" And that's how this particular outfit began. I logged to an Elven character and put my nose to the grindstone.




Although the Galadhrim found scattered across the old reputation borders wore grey to blend with the trees and stones, I thought a more colorful and practical approach would be more efficient. I felt that by matching the flora and foliage as well as the color of the tree bark, I'd have more of a scout able to camouflage himself on the move. By sticking with olive and gold, I felt like I could successfully accomplish that...even if it meant wearing somewhat heavier armor. Instead of finding an environment to suit my outfit like I usually do, this time I was finding an outfit to suit my environment.

Above right: New Hunter animations feel unnatural. What's the point of aiming if you've got your bow pointing down?

Given that the Mirrormere was a short distance away, I felt the obligation to don the Hauberk of the Mirrormere. Even them, I still had another obligatory piece to wear as well--the Cloak of the Mallorn. How could I not, since this is where the Mallorn tress are found! Surprisingly, those two pieces provided a very solid base for this outfit, as they already blended in with the surroundings. From there, it was only a matter of finding the remaining pieces that matched the silver and gold shades of the hauberk. Luckily, I already owned them...and it finally gave me a chance to put the T8 Wildermore Pauldrons to use!


Shoulders: Potent Wildermore Pauldrons of Battle (Olive, T8 Wildermore Metalsmith recipe)
Back: Cloak of the Mallorn (Olive, LOTRO Store)
Chest: Hauberk of the Mirrormere (Olive, LOTRO Store or Lockbox reward)
Hands: Ceremonial High-protector's Gloves (Olive, Helegrod Guardian cosmetic skirmish vendor)
Feet:  Ceremonial War-captain's Boots (Olive, Helegrod Captain cosmetic skirmish vendor)

2 comments:

  1. I love the story you told through your pictures. He looks very ready to help out the Galadhrim. A nicely matched outfit with symbolic pieces. Well done :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Devonna! It's not often I have the chance to use the environment or lore to my advantage...and when I do, it makes everything in the screenshots feel much more special. At least it does to me :)

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