Martial Weapons Master

Orange. When have I ever made an orange outfit? I've only done it once for a seasonal harvest outfit. Otherwise, it's been a color I've avoided. But why did I decide to use it again? I've been obsessed with the Winged Blade, is one of the few purely cosmetic greatswords found in LOTRO. I've had trouble incorporating into an already existing outfit. Nothing seemed to work. Instead, I used my High Elf Captain--as I've been doing lately--to make an outfit that revolved around the sword, using the colors and designs in the hilt, pommel, and guard as a base.

Great Axe Skins Collection

I'll admit that I've never gone out of my way to collect great axes (or greataxes, for an alternative spelling--but LOTRO uses the two word alternative). Almost all of my characters in LOTRO use setups revolving around sword and board, dual wielding, and the occasional halberd or great sword. As such, my collection is very limited and sits under a layer of dust in storage. With the aid of the plugin ItemTreasury, I scanned the database to see if I'd missed anything worthwhile...and I did. I discovered some very beautiful or unique skins that aren't accessible, which I've included at the very end. Similar to my post on great swords regarding one-handed swords, several great axes share appearances with one-handed axes, just on a larger scale.

A special note--Beornings have a slightly reduced pool of LIs than other classes. I don't know the reasons why, but it might be due to their late introduction to game. This applies especially to Second Age and First Age weaponry that drops on the landscape or in instances, even though they can cosmetically use them. However, the crafted and bartered LIs remain unaffected. This just means you'll need to do some extra farming for certain ones.

As usual, I'll share what I've collected here. If you see a skin here that's obtainable elsewhere, please let me know in the comments.

 Forged Steel Headsman's Axe of Combat - Output of the Forged Steel Headsman's Axe recipe

Simple Fashion - Dresses Pt. 2

Finally, I've gotten back to my Simple Fashion theme! It's only taken three and a half years. I've hinted it a couple of times between this blog, Facebook, and Twitter since last year, but I wasn't sure if I'd ever actively make any headway. "Simple Fashion," for those seeing this tag/theme for the first time, means precisely that. Three or four, max, pieces were used in each of these outfits. Also, these particular entries have served a secondary purpose in the past--which I hope will continue to hold true--and that's to revitalize cosmetics often forgotten, underutilized, or overlooked.

To see the work I've previously completed under this theme, click on the Simple Fashion tag at the bottom of the post or simply (no pun intended) click here.

Head: Fancy Plumed Hat (Ashenslades green, LOTRO Store)
Shoulders: Shoulders of the Eorlingas (Default, Rise of Isengard Heroic or Legendary edition pre-order bonus)
Chest: Farmer's Fancy Dress (Shire peach, Farmers Faire token reward)

Axe Skins Collection, Pt. 2

Here's the second installment of my axe collection, with an emphasis on some of LOTRO's more exotic and unique skins.

Standard disclaimer--this is not a complete collection of LOTRO's axes. Rather, it's what I have stashed away. If you know other places these skins listed appear, please let me know in the comments.

 Deadly Axe of the Rider - Output of the Axe of the Rider recipe

Axe Skins Collection, Pt. 1

Here's an interesting fact. Did you know that most of LOTRO's axes, at least those created prior to Legendary Items, have very little variation in design? Slight differences can be found, but it's sometimes tough to identify them. It boils down to blade size and shape, the length of the axe, the curvature of the grip, and the curvature of the pommel. Rarely, it's a matter of scale. To avoid the appearance of repetition, I've decided to group these pre-Moria axes together and list them first for easy comparison and differentiation. (In addition to being craftable, these early axe skins are commonly seen from the starter zones through Enedwaith as creature drops.)

This is part one of my collection. As usual, this is not a full library of LOTRO's axes and if you see a skin here that's obtainable in any other way mentioned, please leave a message in the comments.

 Bright Steel Axe - Crafted from the recipe of the same name

Bow Skins Collection, Pt. 2

As the title says, this is a continuation of my bow collection. And as usual, beneath each one will be a description of that skin and how it can be obtained. Enjoy!

Neldil - Reward from the quest Master of Maethad Smooth Lebethron Bow - Crafted from the recipe of the same name

Potent Bow of the Deep - Crafted output from the Bow of the Deep recipe Ornate Fangorn Bow of Strength - Crafted output from the Fangorn Bow recipe Reforged Hunter's Bow of the Second Age, level 95 - Crafted from the recipe of the same name

Reforged Hunter's Bow of the Second Age, level 60 - Crafted from the recipe of the same name

Graceful Blade

Outfitting the graceful Gwaimallin, my High Elf, has been quite a challenge. Almost all of her outfits have taken a different approach. Versus piecing together clothing from various sources and the then selecting the appropriate weapon, I've been selecting the weapon first and trying to base the outfit around it. It hasn't been as successful as I hoped. Versus creating a matching style, I've found myself simply using the colors found in that weapon and hoped a random clothing combination would work.

I was surprised how wonderful this outfit looked, drawing upon a unique blend of LOTRO's more recent cosmetics. At least I felt it was befitting of a High Elf. It looked light and graceful. Ceremonial yet practical. But at the same time, I couldn't tell if it was a perfect fit for her, the weapon, or both. In a way, the weapon-centric outfitting method became the inspiration for my Cosmetic Weapons Project.

That being said, I do apologize for the lack of actual outfit posts. I decided to make my project a priority, given the size and scope of it. Once the first wave ends, which will be in a few weeks with two-handed axes, outfits will once again have the spotlight. In the meantime, I hope everybody that's been reading the content here, at Material Middle-earth, has also been enjoying the massive library of weapon skins. It's been my goal to complete it by the end of the calendar year, providing those playing LOTRO with an even greater ability to enhance their character's appearance.

Shoulder: Shoulders of the Westfold (Default, Rise of Isengard legendary pre-order package)
Chest: Robe of Anorien Mercy (Turquoise, reward from 4.4.7 - A Long Siege)
Hands: Dextrous Gages of the Last Alliance (Rust, High-enchanter ash barter in Mordor)
Feet: Lithe Boots of the Last Alliance (Rust, High-enchanter ash barter in Mordor)

Weapon: Hill-defender (Rare drop from Azgoth in Carn Dûm)