Yule Festival 2014 Cosmetic Rewards and Steed

I was going to wait until the start of the Yule Festival to post this year's new cosmetic rewards, but as pictures are popping up all over the LOTRO forums and Twitter, I'll post them now. Please bear in mind that these screenshots are from Bullroarer as well as the currency costs listed below. Once this festival goes live, I can confirm the token costs.

I do have a bit of good news regarding these new barter additions. Unlike most cosmetics from the past two years' festivals, the cosmetics are neither overdone in terms of design and nor are they the same reskinned robe we've been seeing since the Summer Festival of 2013. It's about time, I say! On top of it, the new robe includes two different skins--a knee-length one for females and an ankle-length one for males. It's based on another unique cosmetic recently posted here. Even though it is reskinned, I'm overjoyed a different model was used! Even the steed caparison has a unique skin!

The Yule Festival runs from December 16, 2014 to January 15, 2015 this winter season.

As usual, to the left of each individual cosmetic is a version dyed evendim blue to demonstrate dye application.

Robe of Winter Winds - 35 Festival Tokens (female appearance)

My Cosmetic Adventures Away From LOTRO Pt. 2

For those of you that had been following Material Middle-earth last year in September, you may recall a similarly titled post. In that particular entry, I explored other games and their cosmetic systems while taking a break from LOTRO. Whereas I talked about RIFT, Neverwinter, and World of Warcraft last year, I'll be taking you through Guild Wars 2, The Elder Scrolls Online, and Star Trek Online this year. If you've never played any of these games or are merely curious how cosmetics and/or character customization are handled elsewhere, I encourage you to read this.

Please keep in mind this entry is image heavy, with pictures taken on maximum settings for each game. If you have a slower running computer, I'd suggest clicking on the post title that way this entry loads by itself. Especially while this is the featured content.

Don't worry...I'll be back to LOTRO outfits on Saturday. This is a once a year post.

Guild Wars 2

I started playing this when Update 13 was released for LOTRO. I turned my attention to Guild Wars 2, taking in the bright colors and diverse landscapes, immersing myself fully in a strange new world to avoid LOTRO's agonizing grind. It didn't take long to discover the cosmetic opportunities this game offered. (Is it sad I initially judge games on that criteria?) Guild Wars 2 offers a total of 403 dyes for customizing your outfits! And you know what's even better? Once you unlock a dye, it becomes account bound and has an UNLIMITED number of uses. Having this sheer number of colors allows you to have bold and bright, neutral, earthy, and even completely pastel outfits. If you direct your gaze to the picture below, you'll get see the range of colors offered.

The color customization panel found in the Hero (character) Menu.

Even though that on the left panel is showing the nearly completed set of common colors, there are still divisions for starter colors, uncommon colors, and rare colors. Looking at the equipment panel in the center, you'll also notice that anywhere from 1 to 4 areas can be dyed on each piece. As far as I know, very few skins have undyeable areas. By the way, you can change colors anytime, anywhere.

How do you collect dyes? It's actually simple. You can spend laurels, an in-game currency earned by completing your account-wide dailies, at vendors for unidentified dyes. You can purchase them from the Black Lion Trading Post (auction house, essentially) for copper, silver, and gold. You can earn them from level up rewards. You can also buy unidentified dyes from the Gem Store, which periodically appear there. Anything you have will automatically be added to your Hero Menu.

Cosmetic Guide to Dol Amroth Class Armor

Multiple players have been asking on the forums and in world/glff chat where else they can obtain the Dol Amroth class armor skins that came with the release of U14. As a result, I picked up this project in the hopes of creating some sort of guide. Here, I'll list as best as possible the alternative methods to collecting these armor skins. Because this post is strictly for skins, I won't be including dye colors. I'll admit there are some pieces that I don't know. I never bothered to get one of each class to level 95 or subbed long enough to have the entire cosmetic library at my fingertips. However, I'll do my best. Just to warn you, you will see *multiple* pieces listed that share the same skins. 

If you see a piece that's incorrect or an alternative item with the same skin, please leave a comment below.

And by the way, only half of these sets are cosmetically original. I know my blogs and outfits well enough to know some of these have been lifted from other sites and slightly altered, whether it's by dye color or a single piece. If that is the case, I will provide links to the original creators and the specific outfits beneath each set to give credit where it is due.

Hunter ("Of the Liberator" set)

Head: Helm of the Shadow-walker (Barad Guldur level 65 medium armor from skirm camp)
Shoulders: Treasure Hunter's Shoulder Guards (T6 Tailor light armor recipe, or its level 54 or 58 crafted equivalent)
Chest: Battle Armour of the Mark (T8 Metalsmith recipe, guilded or RoR landscape barter)
Hands: Eastemnet Battle Gauntlets (T8 Metalsmith recipe, level 80)
Feet: Woodland Ranger’s Boots (Volume 3 Wildermore Interludes)

OUTFIT ADAPTED from The Starry Mantle by the designers.

Dyeable Erebor Armor Sets...And It's About Time!

Much to my surprise this morning, I discovered accidentally that the Erebor armor sets are one hundred percent dyeable with the release of Update 14. I was in the middle of making outfits, testing out orange on some chest pieces, when I mistakenly clicked on an Erebor chest piece. A million red flags rose in my head and I dropped what I was doing to fly to the nearest skirmish camp. Every piece on every set dyes the selected color. I'm praying that this is no mistake and that these sets will permanently stay like this. However, the "In Defense of Erebor" deeds still gate them. (Honestly, I would have preferred ceremonial sets to avoid this requirement. I've only done the deed on one character.)

For those of you unable to log into LOTRO today, I'll provide some fabulous screenshots. Keep in mind that I'm dyeing these sets in the most contrasting way possible to show which areas will change color in relation to the original. To the left is the original color of any given set and to the right is the newly dyed version. The matching class will be listed beneath the appropriate picture.

*THIS POST IS IMAGE HEAVY. PLEASE CLICK THE "READ MORE" LINK AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST TO SEE EVERYTHING*

Heavy Armor Sets

Captain

Dol Amroth Armor Sets - "Essence" Gear Preview

Good morning everybody! I haven't been to bed yet, but I wanted to get some screenshots of the upcoming level 100 gear from Dol Amroth on the blog for you. Keep in mind that this is only Beta Build 2 for Update 14. As it stands, there several few things you'll need to know about the sets I'm posting:

1) As of 6/27/2014, the sets have been named Light Nadhin, Medium Nadhin, and Heavy Nadhin.
2) Right now, these are the skins for the level 100 essence (slottable) gear. Don't know about essences yet? Follow the link provided.
3) As of 6/27/2014, these CAN be dyed. (Woohoo!)
4) The head, shoulders, and boots cost 10 Silver Tokens of Dol Amroth and 10 Golden Tokens of Dol Amroth apiece. The chest, legs, and hands cost 20 Silver Tokens of Dol Amroth and 20 Golden Tokens of Dol Amroth apiece.

I do not know if we'll be getting new skins for the class specific gear, but they're currently using the same undyeable skins as the Erebor armor sets. I suspect that this will not change. However, enjoy the screenshots!

Light Nadhin set

What!? A New Dye Color?

Whenever there's new content for LOTRO, I like to take some time and test it on Bullroarer. As U13 has public patch notes on the forums, I can share some pictures and information. There is one thing I'm notorious for when it comes to testing--I usually get bored after a while and start making outfits with an inexhaustible supply of marks, medallions, seals, and mithril coins. I was starting to do just that when I saw in the dressing room...

...A NEW DYE!!! *squeals*

This dye is called steel blue. I've decided to take some pictures for the community, illustrating our new color. Don't mind these outfits and if they look kinda funky...I just took clothing already in my mini's outfit slots and dyed them. You've got a variety of pieces here to capture the range of tones. Some with pure white bases, other with muted bases, and then one that reveals the gradation of the new color. More often than not, you'll be seeing more steel than you will blue. Just wanted to warn you! : )

The photos on the left are dyed grey, the photos in the center are dyed steel blue, and the photos on the right are dyed navy. This is done in order to help everybody distinguish between these similar colors. I've chosen not to include black for comparison because all the gear featured below dyes a true black. Beta details for the recipe itself are at the bottom of the post.

Example of a piece that has a greyish base color

Helm's Deep Cosmetics Part 2: Crafted Armor

Now that the NDA has been lifted, I can share these crafted armor sets with all of you!

In each set, you'll have views from the front, side and back. At the far right of each set, you'll be able to see what areas change color when dyed. For the sake of viewing ease, I've chosen a bright red. Beneath each picture is the name of the set, what armor class it belongs to, and the level to equip it.

Enjoy!

Westemnet Campaign Armor (crafted light set, level 90)

My Cosmetic Adventures Away From LOTRO

Greetings everybody! I remebered saying in a previous post, that I've been dabbling in other games like Neverwinter, World of Warcraft, Star Trek Online, Marvel Heroes, and Rift while on a semi-break from LOTRO. I had a bit of an idea. This post is going about cosmetics, but this contains little directly regarding LOTRO. This will probably be the only post of its kind, but it'll give me a chance to talk about the cosmetic and outfitting systems of a handful of other games from a cosmetic blogger's perspective.

You see, I can't resist a good outfit no matter the game I'm playing and I enjoy seeing what I can do elsewhere with my background as a outfitter. I'll be talking a little about RIFT, Neverwinter, and World of Warcraft and reflecting on LOTRO in the process. You learn about dye systems, the pros and cons of taking  screenshots, and the acquisition of cosmetic gear. For clarity's sake, I cranked the graphics as high as my computer would let me.

 I hope you'll enjoy this minor excursion while I work on future LOTRO ensembles!

RIFT

Left to right: Krysanthe, mage; Asphodella, rogue; Aerthain, warrior

One of my greatest pleasures since June has been exploring the landscape in RIFT. I have been absolutely impressed by the design of the world and the cosmetic versatility of many pieces of gear. The designers have certainly performed above and beyond my expectations with the details of every piece on an engine intended for gameplay over graphics. Clipping is virtually nonexistent. Each and every piece fits your race and gender perfectly, as if they were specifically tailored to that model. (If only LOTRO could get that right!) The RIFT Store offers prepackaged outfits, usually in the form of cosmetic end-game armor bundles, both PvE and PvP, and expansion specific sets! Both sexes can strip down to undies and wear festival-earned bathing suits if so desired. Have I mentioned that there is no level requirement to cosmetically slot a piece of gear?

The wardrobe system is very simple and is comparable to LOTRO. Just access your wardrobe and drop the piece into its respective space. Feel free to toggle on and off each piece as you see fit. RIFT features twenty possible wardrobe combinations per character, unlike LOTRO's seven. You can purchase each set with either game money or Store currency and the cost incrementally increases with each purchased.

Oddly enough, this is one of those games where your gender affects how your outfit appears. Unfortunately, I'm very on the fence about this. Unlike LOTRO, the appearance of your characters--females especially--lean towards the more mature, fan-servicey side of the spectrum. Most chest pieces will give you a wonderful helping of cleavage from a variety of perspectives and most leggings will give you an eyeful of her thighs. Even full-plate emphasizes your female character's chest no matter the race, constantly shoving her gender in your face. On occasion, you'll be dealing with the aggravating cleavage wedge. Male characters, however don't have to deal with this issue. This is my only gripe about the cosmetic system for RIFT. You will not find hypersexualized characters in LOTRO, for which I am eternally grateful.

Helm's Deep Cosmetics Part 1: Pre-order Goodies

The pre-order expansion information for Helm's Deep has been released. Naturally, since this is a cosmetic blog, I'll be bringing the skinny on the cosmetic portions of these packages. It's expected to go live on November 18, 2013 and provide the following bonuses:

Update 11 - Wildermore Cosmetic Preview

Today, I discovered that Update 11 was on Bullroarer. Naturally, I wanted to get the scoop on upcoming cosmetics...and to my surprise, there is quite a bit to experiment with! Leave it to me to forego actually gearing up my toons. I haven't seen everything yet, as I haven't worked on the new reputation for crafting. I'll share with everybody what I've encountered so far.

Armor Sets

I have to say these three new sets make me feel like Forochel meets Rohan. After all, the Wildermore is mainly a snowy region! These three featured armor sets might not have their names set in stone quite yet, after all this is the first build. From top to bottom, in this section, you have the Heavy Wildermore Set, the Medium Wildermore Set, and the Light Wildermore Set. From left to right, for each respective set, is the default color scheme followed by a dyed version. 

Feel free to click on each of these for a larger image!

Barad Guldur Armor Sets - New and Old

Courtesy of Bullroarer, I have screenshots of the new level 85 Barad Guldur armor sets available at your local skirmish camp. I found it surprising that the new end-game gear is available without any special prerequisites, such as Dark Emblems from the actual raid. They'll be sitting here alongside the 65 6-piece sets at the Classic skirmish vendor. Make sure to click each picture for an enlarged version.  With the number of pictures here, I didn't want to make this post too long. Two sections here -- the 85 and 65 armor.

Level 85 Sets

(Heavy, Medium, Light from left to right)

The latest BG armor doesn't quite feature new skins. In fact, only the coloration appears to be different. If you notice closely, provided you are already familiar with the 65 BG armor, each set is a mish-mash of the original pieces from its respective classes. A helmet from one set here, leggings from another, and so on. The heavy set is for Champ, Guards, and Cappies. The medium set is for Hunters, Wardens, and Burglars. The light set is for Minstrels, Lore-masters, and Rune-keepers. Each class does have its own statted gear though! As for the dyable portions of this armor, only the silver-grey areas can be recolored.

Each piece costs 1554 Marks and 538 Medallions

   

Riders of Rohan - Cosmetic Preview

Yes! *does a happy dance* The NDA has been lifted from the Riders of Rohan Beta! Which means...

It's time to unveil a sampling of the cosmetics (some shields included) from the RoR Expansion to whet your appetites! I spent a few dedicated days collecting the recipes for these sets. They do look lovely for the most part, though it seems some of the pieces have a black base for their color, which will make for some creative mixing and matching. Some pieces are also undyable, most likely due to missing codes. If it changes, that'll be when the expansion goes live. I hope you enjoy what's featured here! There will be no more chitchat from me...just an onslaught of pictures :D

Bear in mind that the names of the armor may not be set in stone just yet! I'll make notes if they do change...and I'll add more screenies if I have the chance to spend more time in the Beta :)

If you're interested in seeing some beautiful pics and outfits for the War-steeds, please check out Hymne's post on Cosmetic LOTRO!

Crafted Light Armor

Riders of Rohan - Eastemnet Pre-Order Items

For a while, I've known that I was going to purchase the Riders of Rohan pre-order package. I assumed there would be special mounts and/or cosmetic items, like every previous expansion. What kind of items and how'd they look, I had no idea...until now. To recieve all the cosmetics, you need to buy the Legendary Edition. The Heroic Edition only contains the Hauberk and steed:

Everything cosmetic related:

The Steed of the Eastemnet

An exclusive Rohirrim Mount available immediately with matching War-steed appearance available when Riders of Rohan launches

Armour of the Eastemnet

An exclusive full set of Rohirrim cosmetic armour

6th Inventory Bag

An inventory bag that grants 15 additional storage slots (More space to hold cosmetics!)

For those of you interested in seeing what each package has in terms of the non-cosmetic features and a comparison breakdown, please visit Riders of Rohan pre-order site for details. Make sure to click the Compare Editions button!

 The Steed of the Eastemnet

For a while, I've wanted an armoured mount. Honestly, I've been too lazy to grind out those Orthanc sigils for the Isengard War-Steed. I'd have to say that this mount looks awesome. Riding into combat on the war-steed version when Rohan is active will going to provide an epicness no other mount has been able to deliver! Congrats to the person that designed the barding for this exclusive steed! Sadly, there's only one skin for this steed...unlike Rise of Isengard, you don't have three skins to choose from.

Maybe we can petition Turbine to add weapons to the mount as well!