Crimson Sands

Recently, I rolled a fresh Warden. With the smoother performance of the 64-bit servers and a noticeable reduction in skill lag, this class is once again, at least to me, viable to play. There is an upcoming Rift of Nûrz Ghâshu raid on June 1st for Perwethien's birthday celebration and I'll be bringing a red line Warden to the event! This event will be run on the Peregrin server on-level with a group of level 50 players. At the time of writing this, there are some spots still open. The group is looking for a second  tank and three DPS. Hopefully we'll get it filled by then!

Shameless announcements and plugins aside, this is the new outfit I designed for my baby Warden. She's not a high enough level to survive a trip to Umbar, so I used my high level one as my screenshot model. I must say the latest patron set has some absolutely gorgeous rewards, from the airy, flowing, and lavish robe to the serpentine spear and exotic aura. All of the pieces from the coffer, except the robe, have a ton of cosmetic potential. The robe, as wonderful as it is, is very billowy in the chest area, making it clip with most shoulder pieces. And then there's the price point, 7995 LP, for the top tier coffer. A bit high, but I had enough saved from previous months subbing to afford the splurge.

I'll be honest. The spear and aura are what initially got my attention. Spears in LOTRO rarely get any attention, considering how they can't be used cosmetically when a spear isn't equipped as an active weapon. Even though they're one-handed weapons, they don't share the same animations as swords, hammers, axes, clubs, and daggers. And the bleed passive isn't as attractive as passive boost to parry, crit, or slow an opponent, making them even less common. But my Wardens have always used spears, with the rare exception for specific blog outfits.

Head: Worn Hood (Burgundy, reward from the Beorning intro)*

Shoulders: Shoulder-guards of Illumination (Burgundy,  Anniversary Festival barter reward)

Back: Cloak of the Sands (Burgundy, reward from the Patron's Luxuriant Coffer of the Sands)

Chest: Robe of the Sands (White, reward from the Patron's Luxuriant Coffer of the Sands)

Hands: Dunland Caretaker's Patched Bracers (Burgundy, reward from the quest To Lhan Colvarn)**

Feet: Boots of Illumination (Burgundy, Anniversary Festival barter reward)

Weapon: Ceremonial Spear of the Sands (reward from any tier of the Patron's Coffer of the Sands)

Shield: Forged Bright Umbari Aegis (Crafted from the Forged Reinforced Umbari Aegis recipe)

Aura: Weapon Aura of the Sands (reward from the Patron Coffer of the Sand - Enhanced or Luxuriant tier)

*For males, Radagast's Hood from the Beorning intro quests will have this appearance.

** There are multiple ways to obtain Dunland skins. Please refer to Devonna's guide over at The LOTRO Stylist

Simple Fashion - Robes, Pt. 2

When I was blogging prior to 2021, I was obsessed with filling every outfit slot. If something was missing, I felt naked or that an outfit felt incomplete despite it looking fully functional. Sometimes I had an actual theme for my character's appearance, but most of the time I shoehorned circlets (still obsessed to this day) and cloaks when they weren't actually necessary. Since my return, I've been leaning towards simpler outfits. This would be the third "Simple Fashion" entry in four months, as opposed to six entries between 2012 and 2021.

The downside to this particular posting category is that I burn through outfits at a rapid pace. Personally, as much as I've love making these, I've never felt the need to give each one their own blog entry with lengthy exposition or pictures from multiple angles. These outfits these have always been intended as quick ideas to inspire the community. 

Anyway, after ten and a half years, enjoy the second set of "Simple Fashion" robes!

Head: Fine Elven Circlet (Default, Anniversary Festival barter reward)

Shoulders: Disused Mantle of the Dunland Soothsayer (White, reward from the quest Mean, Old Big Bloodtusk)*

Chest: Robe of Leisure (Dark mossy green, LOTRO Store)

Feet: Westemnet Campaign Shoes of Fate (Dark mossy green, crafted from the Westemnet Campaign Shoes tailor recipe)

Shoulders: Elven Outrider's Shoulder Guards (Washed, crafted from the T3 tailor Outrider's Shoulder Guards recipe)

Chest: Vestments of the Northern Sky (Black, Yule Festival barter reward)

Hands: Dunland Caretaker's Patched Bracers (White, reward from the quest To Lhan Colvarn)* 

Feet: Embroidered Shoes of the Dunland Healer (White, reward from the quest Missing Persons)*

Head: Circlet of Adamant (Evendim blue, LOTRO Store)

Shoulders: Rivetted Camail of Mordor's Bane (Gold, bartered from the High Enchanter in Mordor)

Chest: Lesser Mark of the West Robe (Evendim blue, bartered from the Novice's Quartermaster in Harndirion)

Feet: Rugged Shoes of Mordro's Bane (Evendim blue, bartered from the High Enchanter in Mordor)

*Nearly all Dunland cosmetics can be obtained from multiple quests. Refer to Devonna's guide over at The LOTRO Stylist for alternative methods.

Ocean's Whisper

I apologize for the delay between blog entries. It took approximately three weeks in March to transfer from Gladden to Peregrin. And I've also been incredibly busy outside of LOTRO, including but no limited to, picking up a second job. I hope nobody thought I stepped down from blogging again. I haven't run out of outfits I'd like to share yet!

This week's elven outfit is inspired by a few things. The first being the shoreline. While Packing up my island kinhouse, I would often find myself staring, peacefully, at both the ocean horizon and the mainland. Second, the yearning to return to Valinor the elves experience, which I often equate to a beckoning whisper carried on the wind that only they can hear. Lastly, I had been skimming through the Tolkien Companion at the time, reading about Mithlond, Círdan, the Teleri, and the grey ships.

In the end, I find myself with what could be called an elven mariner's outfit. Wouldn't quite consider this my take on one of the Teleri. Just an ocean-inspired ensemble.

Echoes of Eventide

Eventide, a poetic word to describe the time of day between late afternoon and evening. In this case, specifically, sunset.

With the exception of the cloak and circlet, this is the first time I've used many of these pieces. I had purchased the Ultimate Edition of Before the Shadow before I left LOTRO in early 2022. Two cosmetic sets came with the top tier package, the Valiant Armour of the Dúnedain and the Armour of Flowing Silver. I didn't have the chance to experiment with those sets back then, nor was I able to explore the alternative leveling path through Cardolan and Swanfleet. I've been prioritizing this blog and uploading new outfits over experiencing the new story, but I hope to create a new character and adventure through the new intro zones.

Simple Fashion - Dresses, Part 3

Honestly, I'm surprised that I never posted another installment for dresses before leaving in 2021, especially under the Simple Fashion tag. For those of you new to Material Middle-earth, my Simple Fashion category is designed for mostly minimalist outfits using as few cosmetics as possible. Most will use two or three pieces and, on the rare occasion, four. In addition to dresses, I've tackled hauberks, tunics, and robes. To find all of those easily, either click the Simple Fashion tag at the bottom of this entry or follow this convenient link here, covering everything created under this umbrella category over the years.

Without further ado, here are three dresses.

 

Head: Circlet of Fresh-picked Flowers (Turquoise, Farmers Faire barter reward)

Shoulders: Ascot Scarf  (White, Farmers Faire barter reward)

Chest: Picnic Dress (Turquoise, Summer Festival barter reward)