This particular ensemble has been sitting in Outfit 7 since the Isengard instance cluster was released in 2011. I don't know why I never posted this and neither do I know why I let this use up valuable outfitting space for an extended period of time. Either way, I needed to rotate it out of my wardrobe and get this robe combination preserved on my blog. Makaia from Style of Middle-earth (stop by and say hello to her!) had gotten a sneak peak of this before it disappeared into the recesses of my cosmetic vault. Sometimes, I wish there had been an eighth outfit option...or the thirty-nine RIFT has! I had grown reattached to this for the short time I was actively using it.
Despite how seemingly outdated the Orthanc gear is, those pieces have had, and still do, amazing cosmetic potential. Unlike most robes found throughout LOTRO, the T1 and T2 robes have an amazing battle-ready feel. By going to the Ox-clan camp in northeastern Nan Curunir, you can barter for some amazing pieces with marks and medallions. Anyway, considering the battle-ready appearance, I thought it would be a good idea to accessorize the Robe of Resolve with similarly colored medium and heavy armor. Ost Dunhoth, the previous raid cluster at the time, was still fresh on my mind. I had completed the raid once or twice when the cap was 65, but I never used any of the gear I obtained cosmetically on my champ. That's how the shoulders came to be. The medium gauntlets were taken from the Draigoch sets for two reasons--they had mustard-gold accents and rose precisely elbow-high, covering the forearm the robe leaves exposed. I wish I could remember more of the specifics, but like I said, this outfit has been around since 2011 and my memory is a bit foggy!
If you're familiar with the gated-off ruins to the west of Galtrev, that was where I had taken these pictures. I have a friend who shamelessly seamwalks (essentially exploring outside the map's boundaries) that offered to summon me on his cappy. I was last here in March, slightly after updating my game to the high resolution client. Since then, according to my friend, the way up there has been blocked off by invisible walls. Long before that, you could get up here after being punted by spear-wielding half-orc NPCs...but that method was blocked too. I honestly wonder why such places were coded into the game, but never actually used. They do make great screenshot backgrounds, however!
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| A decent landscape screenshot, featuring the reddish Bonevales treeline to the northeast. |
Shoulders: Lesser Blade of the West Shoulder Guards (Ered luin blue, Ost Dunhoth Champion armor, bartered at Harndirion)
Back: Ceremonial Wig-feld (Ered luin blue, LOTRO Store or lootbox reward)
Chest: Robe of Resolve (Indigo, T1 ToO armor, skin available from any light armor class vendor at Ox-clan Camp)
Hands: Gloves of the Tireless Sentinel (Indigo, Adventurer's Quartermaster in Galtrev)
Feet: Embroidered Shoes of the Dunland Healer (Indigo, Dunland quest reward)
very elegant combo of pieces and colours, your minstrel looks pretty and tough! the cosmetics from orthanc (and OD) are evergreens, ever versatile and beautiful :D I wonder why they blocked entrance to the ruins you showed here... they appear to be gondor fashion, I loved that they put gondorian ruins in enedwaith, and surely adding this one in Dunland would have enriched the landscape as well. also lore wise they would have fit in :/
ReplyDeleteThank you, Gloredh! It would have been great to see these ruins integrated into the game's lore instead of making them seem solely like a decorative stage prop. There's a lot of art in there reminiscent of Amon Hen, possibly making this some sort of testing ground for Rohan and Gondor's art. Lore-wise, I don't think too many people know that Enedwaith and Dunland were technically part of Gondor. Between the line of Gondorian kings ending, though I can't recall if that was with Eärnur or Ondoher, and the Great Plague, the Dunlendings ceased being subjects of the realm. That would have fun to introduce to the game :)
DeleteThat first shot is magical. As if she's pulling a spell out of thin air. The classic robe looks robust and like heavy velvet in this combination. Very elegant.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Hymne! Call of Eärendil is a wonderful skill visually...it wasn't until recently that I took the time to watch the frames of the animation so closely. I'll have to see what other magical things I can do with it :)
DeleteI do remember this outfit very well - it is one of my favorite combinations of yours! I absolutely adore the colors, it gives off such a regal feel.
ReplyDeleteI've always been a sucker for royal blue-ish (sometimes purple) and gold combinations. Ered luin blue works wonders sometimes! I'm glad you like this, Makaia :)
DeleteI have outfits like this that have been taking up a cosmetic outfit slot for longer than I can remember. Thank you for sharing it with us before you retired it :)
ReplyDeleteAnytime! It's a tough decision rotating out something that I've grown very much attached to over the years. It's always those "what ifs" that make it difficult replacing older outfits with new ones.
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