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

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.

Lavender Resolve

“She danced along the edges of life, like lavender in the wind, delicate yet resilient.” – Unknown

Lavender. The least used color in my shared storage. Why use it now? I've used rose, purple, violet, indigo, and shire plum on multiple occasions, but I've only ever used lavender one other time. That and...I hade sixty-something vials collecting dust. While I was mixing and matching the pieces seen here, I had a flashback to a particular heavy armor outfit from Cosmetic LOTRO called "The Rose." I've wished the community embraced purples and pinks. In a game where colors have primarily been masculine, earthen tones, I've believed there's always been potential for softer, more feminine colors to be used in a way that preserves strength, authority, and resiliency.

Shadow of the Vale

 

Between 2012 and 2021, I've uploaded over 200 outfits to Material Middle-earth. I'm still astonished by that number. It wasn't always a labor of love. Not all of these outfits came together easily or naturally. There were some that were a genuine struggle that took days or even weeks to feel like they were complete. And there were some, though not very many, that never felt worth uploading.

This particular appearance was one of them. I don't know why—in fact, I don't remember why—I left this one in a folder labeled "Unfinished Ideas" in 2020. In that folder, there are screenshots of outfits that never made it beyond the in-game dressing room panel. Perhaps it took the full three year absence to appreciate the unique blend of contrasting styles and armor types seen here.

His & Hers - Riverside Attire

It's been about seven years since I last wrote an entry for a His & Hers set. Perhaps I should have explored that theme more often. Over the years, festivals have offered tunic and dress pairs (sometimes robe and dress) with similar designs. And on the rare occasion, reputation factions have done the same. It's a wonderful thing to have that kind of flexibility in clothing styles. Quite often in the past I've looked at a cosmetic reward, loved the colors and design, and said to myself "It's too bad there isn't a dress alternative, because it would look lovely!"

During the Black Friday sales, I cashed in what LP I had left and purchased the Superior River Hobbit Bundle at a remarkable 75% discount. Aside of housing items, they contained a jacket, dress, and an assortment of other cosmetic pieces for the newest playable race, the River Hobbit. I may not have shown all of the coffer's pieces in these outfits, but the dress and jacket look amazing on all races.

Shoulders: Wildermore Shoulderpads of Tactics (White, crafted from the Wildermore Shoulderpads reputation recipe)*

Chest: Dress of the River-folk (Burgundy, Superior River Hobbit Bundle)

Feet: Westemnet Campaign Shoes of Fate (Burgundy, crafted from the Westemnet Campaign Shoes recipe)

*The Tailor's Guild also offers this recipe, allowing the player to bypass the Wildermore reputation requirement.

Back: Snow-strider's Mantle (Olive, Yule Festival barter reward)

Shoulders: Shoulderpads of the Osgiliath Bowmaster (Grey, Ruined City T2 Hunter class set)**
Chest: Jerkin and Trousers of the River-folk (Burgundy, Superior River Hobbit Bundle)
Feet: Westemnet Campaign Shoes of Fate (Burgundy, crafted from the Westemnet Campaign Shoes recipe)

**Wardens and Burglars can also win this skin from the Osgiliath Ruins Armour box. Must run at level 100 or higher for chance to drop.

Springtime Symphony

Another year has come and go in LOTRO. Not only does the Spring Festival herald the return of warm weather and fragrant flowers, it also heralds the coming of both LOTRO's fourteenth and Material Middle-earth's ninth anniversaries. It's hard to believe both this game and blog has been running for that long. Time is incredibly short this month, and odds are I won't have my usual anniversary post. In lieu of that, I've put together three outfits, each of which use at least one bartered piece obtained from the Spring Festival. Some of the pieces seen here, like the Naruhel cosmetics, are new while others, like the Simbelmynë cosmetics, are nearly a decade old.

This first outfit used the newest addition to the Spring Festival vendors. Not only does it use the aforementioned Naruhel cosmetics, specifically the vines covering the arms and shoulders, it also uses a dress worn by Goldberry and the various River-maidens encountered throughout the story. Though not the most original skins in the game, in a sense because they're pre-existing assets, it's amazing that we've been seeing NPC clothing converted into player clothing (my fingers are crossed for Glathlírel's armor)! I hope the trend continues. Anyway, between the dress and vines, it was possible to create a nature-centric outfit combining the essences of earth and water. And the Groom's Myrtle Circlet was thrown in for good measure.

Head: Groom's Myrtle Circlet (Autumn leaf, Midsummer Festival barter reward)

Shoulders: Naruhel's Shawl (Default, Spring Festival Festivity Token barter reward)

Back: Cloak of the Autumn Traveler (Rohan green, Fall Festival barter reward)

Chest: Short-sleeved Dress of the Spring Maid (Rohan green, Spring Festival barter reward)

Hands: Vines of Naruhel (Default, Spring Festival Festivity Token barter reward)

Autumn Leaf Fashion

I need to put it out there that if I missed LOTRO's Fall Festival--my favorite one by the way--I might have quit LOTRO permanently. As most of my readers and Twitter followers know, this has been a rough year investing in LOTRO. It's been one thing after another, all in rapid succession. A pandemic that forced me into 60+ hour work weeks from April to September. (I had one afternoon of playtime this past July, and that was it.) I came back to an unstable game, due to a combination of issues with SSG's service provider and their server infrastructure. Once the connection issues stabilized early October, my PC monitor died. I replaced it, only to have my PC's motherboard and processor kick the proverbial bucket nearly a week later. I had no choice but to rebuild my PC, which took approximately three weeks. 

Although these circumstances have been out of my control, I feel terrible leaving this blog all but abandoned this year. To make up for lost time, I'll be sharing three new outfits, each featuring a new cosmetic from the 2020 Fall Festival. Golden leaf motifs and tattered, perhaps more accurate to say leafy, fabric are the core components of this year's theme. Between the Leaf-turner cosmetics, which are somewhat reminiscent of pre-Isengard elven design, the spookier looking Autumn Sage ones, I'd say SSG has captured the festival's essence. I haven't been this impressed with the seasonal fall designs since 2018!

Head: Woodland Crown (Default, Yule Festival token barter reward)
Shoulders: Fur Mantle (Orange, Yule Festival token barter reward)
Chest: Vestments of the Autumn Sage (White, Fall Festival token barter reward)
Feet: Embroidered Shoes of the Dunland Healer (Rust, reward from Missing Persons)**

Weapon: Smooth Holly Staff (From the T6 Woodworker Holly Staff recipe)

Middle-earth Midsummer

Greetings! Between a lack of time, a serious burn out, and adjusting to a global pandemic, I've fallen behind in all of my MMOs, missing updates and events. I don't know when I'll be ready to return to online gaming, but I did have a chance to explore LOTRO's Midsummer Festival, which coincides with Aragorn and Arwen's wedding, for a single day. Between a generous Twitter follower and kinnies who sent me gift boxes and a brief time spent collecting tokens around Minas Tirith, I acquired the latest cosmetics.

Sadly, I don't and probably won't have the time for tinkering with the Groom's Tunic and the Bridal Veil. However, I did have the chance to make three new appearances with the festival's new dresses. Inspiration struck hard and fast, taking no more than an hour to build, dye, and take quick pictures. I loved how billowy these dresses were, especially on a human female!

I'm not sure when I'll have the opportunity to post new content again, but I hope you enjoy this latest entry!

Head: Circlet of Osgiliath's Fury (White, Osgiliath Dome Armour box from T2 Dome of Stars)**
Shoulders: Embroidered Mantle of the Pathfinder's Artifice (Ered luin blue, T11 Tailor recipe bartered from the Gorgoroth reputation vendor)
Chest: Arwen's Dinner Dress (Sea blue, Midsummer Festival token barter reward)

**This circlet skin can be obtained by any light armor class. Dome must be run on T2 at a minimum of level 50 and any boss can drop this box.

Elite Rider

I apologize for the absence. Most of January and the first week of February weren't kind to me. Having the flu, combined with a case of the stomach flu, left me hospitalized briefly and unable to do very much. Recovery has been slow, but my health has returned to normal. And I'm grateful for that. However, this means I've fallen behind in many aspects of my life, especially this blog. I've run out of scheduled outfits and have had little time for LOTRO. And despite the constant distractions and scramble to catch up, I found time to log into LOTRO and collect the new VIP cosmetic set, the Armour of the Elite Rider. These cosmetics are available to any player on any server so long as he/she is VIP and logs into the game by March 12, 2020.

Pastel Brilliance

My, it's been a long time since I've uploaded an actual outfit. The summer kept me unusually busy, preventing me from investing any quality time in LOTRO and leaving me a backlog of outfits. However, it gave me the chance to gradually complete the Cosmetic Weapons Project. I haven't anticipated giving it any major updates in the future, except for new crafting recipes or when new vendors with swords and shields are added. It took over a year to add 1000+ images to that database! I'm glad it's finished, but there was an unforseen cost. I've almost used all of my free storage on Blogspot. That means I'll be cutting down on outfit images, starting today. I've even considered removing some from earlier entries as well, just to extend the life of Material Middle-earth.

Storage issues aside, there have been a handful updates to LOTRO in my absence. I've barely started Vales of Anduin and I very much need to complete it. Since the number of Embers rewarded from Skarhald dailies were reduced, I'll need the Vales dailies to supplement them. I often convert those extra Embers to Figments for cosmetics and housing items. And that brings me to the next topic. The Curator NPC. With the end of the Summer Festival, that particular vendor vanished. I was saddened to hear that, as I was still collecting those items. I wish that SSG had announced the Curator was a seasonal NPC months earlier...or at least from the very start. But now we have Rowan Raspberry...and new cosmetics to collect!

Simple Fashion - Hauberks, Part 2

The Simple Fashion series has returned this week with three classic hauberks. It's been years since I've seen these used in LOTRO. And it's been years since I've used these as well. Actually, I don't think I've ever used the Hauberk of Rhûn before. That particular cosmetic has collected dust since I purchased it back in 2012, not knowing what to do with it. I bought it with the intention of using it someday, but I'd never have expected it would take six years for that to happen!

Anyway, I've decided to keep this week's blog entry short and sweet. Enjoy the outfits below!

Legion of Thrang - Draig-lûth Forgemaster

This will be most likely my final Thrang-themed outfit. Like I described in my previous entry, the limited pool of cosmetics that work with these glowing and sparking weapons made outfitting truly a struggle. This particular look of a Draig-lûth (Dragon-clan) Forgemaster took almost a week. I'm highly satisfied with how far I've been able to explore using these weapon skins. In fact, I wasn't expecting to make more than one, but I think we all know how I get when new shinies are dangled in my face! Of all the Thrang outfits, I'd declare this one to be my favorite...although I've swapped out the two-handed axe for the two-handed sword at this point. As fun as it was the use the axe, it didn't glow as much as the sword! (That and my Champ's LIs are swords!)

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)

Traveling in Luxury

Now here's an old outfit. This was the very first for my Beorning. Just like the last post featuring this character, I wasn't quite sure at the time what her clothing style would be. I just wanted to get her out of her intro clothing as soon as possible. It's been some time since taking these pictures and I believe that I've already cycled out this outfit. I think it looked lovely...but it just wasn't her style. However, almost any character could wear this somewhat decorative, yet casual traveler's attire.

Dauntless Champion

If you've been following my Twitter account in recent weeks, you may have seen the first image entered in one of the many screenshot contests held by LOTRO Family. For those on Twitter, it was a sneak peek of this combat-oriented outfit. Now I've been able to publish it here for everybody to see. I actually had this outfit tucked away for a while. Until Vol. 4, Book 8 and The Wastes had been released, I couldn't find a location that felt appropriate. By appropriate, I mean perfect. Any of the Pelennor instances could have done, but the Battle of the Morannon space was exactly what I needed.

Sentinel of the Tomb Hills

My Beorning has certainly come to wear the most atypical of outfits since I made her. At first, I wasn't sure what her particular style would be. Whatever new combination of clothing I liked I had her wear. Long before I stuck to leathery wildnerness-themed gear, I tried hauberks, robes, heavy armor, and dresses. This particular ensemble was one of the earliest she'd worn...and one I hadn't replaced yet. Considering this used a combination of pieces scattered across Eriador, I wasn't exactly sure what image this would portray.

Ithil-watcher

Sometimes, I feel like I'm always playing catch up in the LOTRO cosmetics blogosphere. Taking that extended break from game content from the release of U14 (Western Gondor) until U18 (The Battle of Pelennor Fields) due to feeling burned out, I missed out on the opportunity to tinker with the newest cosmetic skins as they were released. I missed out on the Osgilliath sets while that content was relevant (I rarely see the cluster run anymore), the Morgul-crest bartered Faramir sets, and, by the time I caught up story-wise, the Pelennor and Throne sets. I had logged in for that long stretch of time only to make outfits. It's only now, after a significant amount of effort, that I've gotten around to showcasing some of the spectacularly designed U19 gear from the North Ithilien/post-Pelennor quests.

Tribal

With the release of Mordor on Wednesday, Aug 2, I considered uploading some of the combat outfits I would be taking through the Morannon. However, a lack of time for taking and editing screenshots combined with heavy questing and exploration prevented me from doing that. As much as I wanted to show my newest creations, I decided to keep my scheduled outfits as they were. As a result, my Beorning has taken the spotlight with another tribal-themed outfit.

Uch-lûth Skirmisher

I've been wanting to take pictures of my Beorning's outfits for a very long time. Before I could do that, I made myself a promise first. That promise was to get her to Dunland. This outfit, even though it was assembled mid-2016, I had a particular place in mind to model it. That would be Barnavon in Carreglyn, however she was thirty levels too low at the time. I've put in a significant amount of work with my Beorning since my return and it's been wonderful experiencing landscape content and exploring locations I seldom have reason to visit.

Of Anniversaries and the Ithilien Spring

Seldom do I get overly excited about my character's attire. I've been in cosmetic overdrive since I returned to LOTRO. In such overdrive that, in fact, I've had dreams about what my characters could wear. Moments I've been at my job mentally piecing various skins together and dyeing them. I guess that having worked with the cosmetics from LOTRO for so long that I don't even need to be logged in anymore to do this. Once I envisioned this, I wrote each of the pieces down, and sat down at my PC the first chance I had. I've been waiting for an opportunity to use those North Ithilien cosmetics!

When was the last time I devoted an entire entry to a dress? And when was the last time I jumped into a Spring theme? I wanted greens, whites, yellows, pinks, flowers...anything that captured the heart and soul of the warming, sunny weather and the flowers beginning to bloom.