So finally a new outfit again! I’ve been trough many ups and downs in terms of inspiration, mixing and matching stuff but never quite happy enough to post. There comes a time in outfitting when you have “been there, done that” and get bored easily with cosmetics and armour that have already used up their newness.
Since the launch of Update 14, the Swan theme has taken over by storm. In Dol Amroth the Swan Knight NPC’s are wearing their Swan uniforms, and it looks like quite of lot of player characters have joined their ranks as well, featuring (parts) of the new Nadhin armour line. The Nadhin armour is available from the quartermasters, but it also drops as Bind on Equip armour, thus making it possible to find pieces on the Auction House as well starting at level 50.

Some mighty fine outfit bloggers have been posting very inspiring Swan-themed outfits that I recommend looking at as well:  Shiny Steel Plate by Lotro Stylist, Alph and Mithlond Border Guard by Wandering Around Arda.
I have chosen the Black Swan theme for my elf. Unfortunately the black swans in the game are currently bugged, featuring a black neck and white body, so I couldn’t take screenshots accompanied by actual black swans. However, some day the bug will probably be fixed and I will have unique screenies of bicolored swans!

Head: Far-arrow’s Helm, steel blue dye (Classic Vendor, Barad Guldur 65 medium)
Shoulders: Heavy Nadhin Shoulders, steel blue dye (Dol Amroth, quartermaster, or drop)
Chest: Ceremonial Reinforced Threkkappi Guard, steel blue dye (Lalia’s Market)
Hands: The Beast-keeper’s Gloves, steel blue dye (Isengard Ox-clan Merchant Camp, Lore-master 75)
Legs: Ceremonial Reinforced Threkkappi Leggings, steel blue dye (Lalia’s Market)
Feet: Boots of the Shadow-walker, steel blue dye (Classic Vendor, Barad Guldur 65 medium)
Back: Cloak of the Raven, steel blue dye (Autumn Festival Cosmetic)

For me the time of stealth has passed. I will ride east by the swiftest way, and I will take the Paths of the Dead.

The Lord of the Rings, Book V, Chapter 2

Since the release of Helm’s Deep, almost a year ago now, I have “changed main character”. For the first time since I started playing Lotro 7 years ago, I abandoned my beloved Elf minstrel Hymne in favour of an alt character. I think it all happened when trait trees changed the way I used to play my minstrel, making her so much less versatile and fun, and the lack of new instance clusters which made grouping less interesting. I was never a “top player”, but I did enjoy healing raids, groups and instances for the fun of discovering new content and fighting new enemies. I was never into it to obtain whatever is the best gear out there, so just grinding the same instances over and over again was never appealing to me. All this led to no longer wanting to play my minstrel as a main character. As a result, my woman lore-master Scrye was the first one to level in Helm’s Deep and my hobbit burglar Mayrose the second one. Hymne only came in third. My lore-master is the only one at level 100 currently, working on the dailies in Dol Amroth. Of course, my blogger name will always be Hymne, but the minstrel character tied to that name, is no longer where she used to be in order of importance.

My female race of man characters have always been my favorites when it comes to outfitting. They are easy to dress as most armour models fit reasonably well. I lament the change they made to their posture, but I live with it.
For my lore-master I’ve tried several ways to combine the Nadhin medium head piece, which gives her a bit of an Easterling appearance. I found that these Dunland quest reward pieces made a good match! I did not use any shoulder piece in order to flaunt the nice drapey shape of the head piece.

Head: Medium Nadhin Mask, steel blue dye (Dol Amroth quartermaster or lvl 50+ boe drop)
Chest: Clanweave Robe, steel blue dye (Dunland quest reward, light armour)
Legs: Clanweave Leggings, steel blue dye (Dunland quest reward, light armour)
Hands: Ceremonial Gloves of the Graven Word, steel blue dye (Skirmish Cosmetics vendor, Rift light)
Shoes: Dungeon-crawler’s Boots, steel blue dye (Burglar trainer, Ost Ghalad Mirkwood)

There is absolutely nothing to this outfit other than that I wanted to make a really practical yet very elegant travel ensemble for one of my female characters. I only insisted on using Walnut Brown as a dye color, because so far that color was sorely lacking in my outfits. I love the warm, dark chocolate color of this dye, and am still grateful it was added to my scholar’s crafting skills.

The leggings used in this outfit are an old pair of the Burglar’s Rift armor set (now also available from the Cosmetics Vendor), that have retained their cosmetic value over the years. Combined with more up-to-date items, I still love them. Incidentally Devonna from Lotro Stylist has used those same leggings on her male hobbit, with a different pair of boots creating a very unique combination. The Lotro Stylist has been actively posting some new outfits lately, so if you haven’t visited for a while, I absolutely encourage you to do so. Her outfit ideas and wonderful pictures are a “must see” for any cosmetics lover.
The quiver in this outfit is a rare find these days. It used to be a craft-able tailoring recipe that would drop from boxes during the Spring Festival, but since they changed the type of boxes, this recipe is no longer on the loot list. So only few old-school tailors on the server may be able to make this quiver. Ask for it in your /world channel if you’re looking for one.

Chest: Disused Robe of the Dunland Soothsayer, walnut brown dye (Dunland quest reward, or Galtrev Rohirrim Quartermaster).
Hands: Voice of the West Gloves, walnut brown dye (Harndirion Enedwaith vendor)
Legs: Ceremonial Thrill-seeker’s Leggings, walnut brown dye (Skirmish Camp Cosmetics vendor, Rift burglar set)
Feet: Eastemnet Skirmish Boots, walnut brown dye (T8 medium tailoring recipe)
Back: Fine Quiver, walnut brown dye (crafted cosmetic, tailoring recipe no longer available in game)

Yet another Swan-outfit, this time inspired by the Lothlórien Swan theme. Lothlórien is the most enchanting and alluring area in Lotro’s Middle-earth. The design and lighting of this magical place, as well as the music, genuinely capture the solemn spirit of the elves. Using some of the swan pieces from the Dol Amroth armour sets, I tried to reflect that feeling in an outfit.

The Light Nadhin Hood has a bit of a translucent quality to it, which makes the colors appear very soft and gentle when dyed. The same is true for the matching Light Nadhin shoulders, but I decided not to use those here and go with the heavy set in stead, to emphasize the swan theme. The hood leaves the neckline open, which is an uncommon feature for Lotro hoods, yet very desirable because it’s so elegant with robes.

“…sailing proudly down the stream toward them, they saw a swan of great size. The water rippled on either side of the white breast beneath its curving neck. Its beak shone like burnished gold, and its eyes glinted like jet set in yellow stones; its huge white wings were half lifted. A music came down the river as it drew nearer; and suddenly they perceived that it was a ship, wrought and carved with elven-skill in the likeness of a bird.”

Head: Light Nadhin Hood, sea blue dye (BoE drop or Dol Amroth Light Armour barter)
Shoulders: Heavy Nadhin Shoulders, sea blue dye (BoE drop or Dol Amroth Heavy Armour Barter)
Chest: Robe of the Lady’s Wisdom, white dye (Lore-master Lothlórien lvl 60 raid armour)
Hands: Leather Bracers of the Gentle Stag, sea blue dye (Dunland quest reward, light armour)
Feet: Shoes of the Lady’s Wisdom, white dye (Lore-master Lothlórien lvl60 raid armour)

Robe of Bounty – 25 tokens

Cloak of Bounty – 35 tokens, Hooded Cloak of Bounty – 35 tokens

Steed of Bounty** – 120 tokens, Caparison of Bounty – 120 tokens
**this Steed’s skin is actually dappled grey when you barter for it and use it on your character. It’s not sorrel like displayed at the Hengstacer’s Farm.

The Corsair theme around the Bay of Belfalas inspired me to create a bit of a pirate outfit for my little burglar. The shirt comes from Lalia’s Market and is the dye-able version of the hunter armour set from the Ox-clan Camp in Isengard. Unfortunately with update 14 the barters at the Ox-clan Camp closed their doors to cross-class bartering, so if you want the original from that set, you need to bring a hunter there to barter for it. I think the ceremonial version from Lalia is better anyway, as the small white lines can be dyed and made to match the rest of the outfit.

In my opinion the cosmetic side of Lotro has been remarkably downgraded over the past year. Lalia seems to have abandoned her establishment completely as she has had the same items on sale for over 9 months now. Festivals have offered us nothing but the same old robes and tablecloth horses for over a year. This side of the game experience has not received any love lately and of course that saddens me greatly. I have absolutely no idea if or when this will improve, but I hope by continuing to post my outfits, it will at least inspire other players to continue to voice their interest in the cosmetic system as well.

Head: Elegant Plumed Hat, red dye (Lotro store cosmetic)
Chest: Ceremonial Shirt of the Faron, umber dye (Lalia’s Market cosmetic)
Hands: Fingerless gloves, black dye (Yule Festival cosmetic)
Legs: Tavol-socas, black dye (Isengard instance cluster boe drop)

Autumn is the official hunting season, but in Lotro I am basically hunting year round. I suppose it’s permanently open season for orcs, goblins and other creeps. So here’s my first Autumn outfit. I’m hoping to get to do another one over the next week, as I have a short break from work and a bit more time to play Lotro.
The good news from the forums is that Update 15 is getting close, and has launched into beta today, so anyone curious to find out about the rugged looks and new play style of the Beorning class can now find out on Bullroarer. If you can’t or won’t play on Bullroarer, I’m sure there will be plenty of pictures and comments published on the forums soon to take a look at if you’re curious.

Last week I was interviewed by a player from Imladris who is conducting a survey about the use of cosmetics in mmo’s. It was fun to do, but so much to tell and so little time to tell it all! The cosmetic system in Lotro is so unique and well developed over the years, that I can hardly believe I started out collecting cosmetics years ago with a “White Ceremonial Dress” as the highlight of my collection. It turns out I now have 4 alt characters with full vault storage exclusively dedicated to storing cosmetics and armour pieces, not to mention all the bound to character pieces that my main characters store in their vaults. I don’t even use half of it!
I would like to give a shout out to Nathrien from Material Middle-earth who created a really nice Elven hauberk outfit using the Light Nadhin Shoulders, creating a surprisingly nice new look. Very lovely combination!

Head: Harvest-brew Hat, yellow dye (Fall Festival cosmetic)
Shoulders: Ceremonial Shoulders of the Seven Stars, yellow dye (Skirmish Camp cosmetics vendor)
Chest: Ceremonial Thunderstruck Shirt, yellow dye (Lalia’s Market, also available as PvMP armour)
Hands: Beast-keeper’s Gloves, yellow (Ox-clan Camp, Lore-master armour)
Legs: Ceremonial Town-saver’s Leggings, ranger green dye (Skirmish Camp cosmetics vendor)
Feet: Ceremonial Shoes of the Seven Stars, ranger green dye (Skirmish Camp cosmetics vendor)
Back: Fancy Quiver, yellow dye (Outfitter in Trestlebridge)

Robe of the Autumn Sun – 24 tokens

Cloak and Hooded Cloak of the Autumn Sun – 24 tokens

Steed of the Autumn Sun – 60 tokens
Caparison of the Autumn Sun – 60 tokens

It took me a while but I did start a Beorning! To be honest I am not looking foward to level up yet another character, so my guess is that she will remain in the lower levels, but I was curious enough about this new class to start playing. More importantly, I was very curious about their appearance, both male and female, and their wardrobe.
The Beorning has a race of man appearance, with some modifications. There are different hairstyles that are not available to other races, different eye colors and of course the facial paint. Hair and facial paint designs and colors can be changed again at the barber if needed, but just like with other races the eye color stays. I chose a very light green for my Beorning which looks quite savage or at least very foreign.

After the starter instance (which is terribly short), you end up with two different sets of Beorning armor. These sets are the only typical Beorning sets that I have found in terms of unique appearance. So if you ever start a Beorning, keep these sets in your inventory.
I just love the bare legs with the tunic, or should I say bear legs? The bare legs will carry over to other races as well, so you can use this tunic through the wardrobe and have your hobbit with bare legs! The top bracers carry over as well. Unfortunately the two sets have been mixed up, so if you want this particular shoulder appearance for a hobbit, you need to use the shoulders from the first set and vice versa. This is a bug and may be fixed in the future.

Shoulders: Grimbeorn’s Shoulders, sienna dye (Beorning starter instance reward)
Chest: Langhár’s Tunic and Waistcoat, sienna dye (Beorning starter instance reward)
Hands: Snow-dusted Travelling Gloves, sienna dye (Yule Festival reward)
Feet: Snow-beast Boots, sienna dye (Yule Festival reward)

Continuing my fetish for long robes on male characters, I have dressed my male lore-master in the same robe that appears in my Yule Cheer post. Just like the crafted Westemnet robe from my previous post, this robe too has a different appearance for male and female characters and dyes well in solid colours, including white. Solid white dye channels used to be a rare feature in the earlier days of Lotro armour, but has become more common the last few years.

I don’t often use hooded cloaks for my characters, but make an exception for this one, the Cold Well Cloak. Originally this cloak appeared as a promotional item in a game magazine, and not many players had access to it, least of all the European players. I am glad that Lalia’s Market is now selling this cloak for a limited time. It can be dyed (unlike the original), and looks great in many colours. The design is reminiscent of other cloaks from the Moria expansion.

Shoulders: Arrow of the West Shoulder Guards, turquoise dye (Harndirion barter, hunter armour)
Chest: Jacket of Lies, white dye (Epic Vol.III, Bk.11 reward, medium armour)
Hands: Snow-dusted Travelling Gloves, turquoise dye (Yule Festival reward)
Feet: Dwarf Steel Shoes level 5, turquoise dye (Thorin’s Hall Heavy Armour Smith)
Back: Cer. Cloak of the Cold Well, umber dye (Lalia’s Market, limited edition)

It seems that many of my fellow Lotro bloggers and players are currently in a state of Lotro fatigue, and have put the game on hold, or their blogs on hold. Even the forums have been relatively quiet lately. Much of what used to be a bustling community seems to have come to a pause, as if everyone is holding their breath and waiting for what is to come.
My own gaming activities have slowed somewhat, but only slightly. I am trying to get my third character to 95 now, and finding time to play with lower level alts as well. This game is so huge and beautiful, that I will always find a place to enjoy myself as I have alts at all levels in all regions. Nevertheless the quieting down of the creative buzz within the community does not pass unnoticed.
However unsettling this all may seem, I think it is actually a good and much needed thing. With the latest reduction of staff at Turbine and Aaron “Rowan” Campbell having taken back the Helm (pun intended), interactions between Turbine and the player community seem to have become more intimate and personal. I enjoyed myself a lot at our server’s “take the Hobbit to Isengard” event and I think the life-stream talks are doing the community a lot of good. I could focus on all the things that I feel sad and angry about regarding Lotro but instead I rather choose to focus on that which I enjoy. So there, another outfit, as outfitting is still my passion. And there are still pieces around that I have never used in an outfit, just waiting to find the right match.

The chest piece in this outfit is originally a PvMP armour piece, only available if you have enough commendations. Lalia’s Market is also stocking this as a cosmetic currently, but may rotate it out of stock again by next update.
Update 13 will bring us a new dye colour: Steel Blue. It’s gated behind a reputation grind so it will be a while before I can get my hands on that one, but that’s good motivation to do the grind! I am also curious about the finalized update to the avatar appearances, and curious what my characters will look like after the update. As far as I’m concerned, male elves can’t get any worse, so any remodeling is an improvement in my opinion. However I am well aware that many disagree with that, and I also respect that, so I can only hope that the overhaul will not make too many players unhappy. I am certainly looking forward to taking some shots with the updated models.
Last but not least I would like to point out a great outfit video that my fellow blogster Cithryth made. She makes incredible outfits and showing these off in video format is really awesome.
Check it out on YouTube: http://youtu.be/CY-hFpCobTw

Shoulders: Songmaster’s Shoulders, black dye (Ost Galadh, Minstrel trainer).
Chest: Ceremonial Jacket of the Unseen, black dye (Lalia’s Market)
Hands: West-land Gloves, black dye (T4 heavy crafted)
Feet: Songmaster’s Shoes, black dye (Ost Galadh, Minstrel Trainer)

Shoulders and Boots are also available as Lothlórien Minstrel Raid Armour pieces, and sometimes as cosmetic pieces at Lalia’s Market or on the Mannequins.

I know that in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere it’s still snowing, and Winter doesn’t seem to want to end, but where I live in Europe, I haven’t seen even so much as one snowflake this season. The temperatures have been really mild and Spring is already starting. So forgive me for not being inspired to do another Winter outfit, as I’d rather look forward to the coming season.
I’ve been questing through Western Rohan and finished the Helm’s Deep expansion on two of my characters. I’m taking it slow and really enjoying the incredible design that has gone into the landscape. In my opinion this region looks far superior to Eastern Rohan and I really wish my characters could purchase a house in Aldburg.
I have envied the dresses of the women of Rohan since I first laid eyes on them. Yes I want dresses like that, with long wide sleeves, velvet textures and decorative belts, but unfortunately players cannot have those. NPC’s always seem to know where to get the nice stuff and keep it out of my reach. However I decided to get creative and come up with a couple of dress outfits that would not look out of place in Rohan. So rather than this post being about one single outfit, it features a few different Rohirric style dress options.

Chest: Farmer’s Fancy Dress, grey dye (Farmer’s Faire cosmetic)
Shoulders: Combat Pauldrons of Éomer, turquoise dye (Medium Armour T8 Tailoring recipe)

Chest: Ceremonial Dress*, black dye (Lalia’s Market) *the ones from the Summer Festival cannot be dyed
Shoulders: Shoulders of the Helmingas, (RoI expansion cosmetic)
Head: Circlet of Men*, red dye (Lottery reward) *the one from gift boxes cannot be dyed

Chest: Common Long-sleeved Dress, walnut brown dye (Outfitter Bree)
Shoulders: Gwir-palvais, walnut brown dye (Light Armour boe drop from Isengard instance cluster)

Chest: Innkeeper’s Dress, gold dye (Lotro Store cosmetic)
Back: Woodland Ranger’s Cloak, orange dye (Epic Vol.III, Interludes cosmetic reward)

Long-sleeved Summer Dress, grey dye (Summer Festival cosmetic)
Shoulders: Combat Pauldrons of Éomer, orange dye (Medium Armour T8 Tailoring recipe)
Head: Worn Ranger’s Hood, grey dye (Epic Vol.III Bk.5 reward)

Hurray it’s snowing!
Winter is here, although here in Europe I have not seen any snow yet. Many people are busy with preparations for the December month, including myself. Even LOTRO is preparing for winter and has released the Yule Festival on the Bullroarer server for testing. This allows us a sneakpeak into what is to come for the holidays and to my delight there will finally be a change of cosmetic design. This is for the first time since Summer 2013 that we’re going to see something other than the bathrobe cosmetic! The design is based on a Rise of Isengard quest reward armour piece. Click here for a preview if you’re curious.

My dwarf winter outfit for this year makes use of a piece from the Beorning starter instance. The two sets of armour that you get from this starter instance are the only Beorning pieces with a unique appearance available in the entire game. Their appearances are mixed up, so will look different depending on the race and gender you equip it on. It’s a real shame that these designs are all there is for the new class, but obviously LOTRO is working with a lot less resources available than a few years ago, so this is all we get for now.
The pieces work well on other races too, and this hat looks particularly nice on a dwarf.
The backpack in this outfit originally comes from a Yule Festival gift box, but I think these days it drops from Anniversary gift boxes. The gloves are also available as a cosmetic from the reputation barter in Wildermore.

Head: Worn Hood, steel blue dye (Beorning starter instance armour)
Shoulders: Grimbeorn’s Shoulders, steel blue dye (Beorning starter instance armour)
Chest: Hauberk of the Eagle’s Crest, steel blue dye (Lotro Store cosmetic)
Hands: Mitts of the Encroaching Winter, steel blue dye (light armour quest reward Vol.III, Bk.10)
Feet: Ceremonial Leijona Boots, steel blue dye (Forochel tailoring recipe)
Back: Dwarf-make Prospector’s Pack, steel blue dye (Anniversary gift box)

As LOTRO has been taking it slow regarding expansions, we don’t get to see a lot of new armour designs anymore. I fondly remember the days of the Rise of Isengard expansion, where every quest would reward an awesome new piece of armour. I would choose my rewards based on looks, as stats never matter that much or can be obtained by using crafted armour. Cosmetics are permanent and sometimes only available from quests.
The Helms Deep expansion did come with a few new appearances. This chest piece can be picked up as a reward from several quests in West Rohan.
I am obviously enjoying myself making winter outfits, and my little hobbit burglar is my favorite dress up character. No matter what she wears, she always looks adorable with a very high squee factor. I made her a winter outfit to match her Rohan war-steed. Perhaps the pieces used in this outfit are not that new or special, but they sure look comfy and warm.

I have made a few changes to the blog in the way previews for festival cosmetics are posted. They no longer appear as blog posts, but are now separate pages available through the side menu. When a festival is running I will place a direct image link in the side bar for easy access. You can currently preview the Yule Festival cosmetics and mount, as it has been released on Bullroarer.

Head: Iornaith’s Ward, walnut dye (light armour quest reward)
Shoulders: Westfold Campaign Shoulder Pads, walnut dye (Tailoring Tier 7 recipe)
Chest: Hauberk of Flattery, white dye (heavy armour, Vol.III, Bk.11 quest reward)
Hands: Mitts of the Encroaching Winter, walnut dye (light armour, Vol.III, Bk.10 quest reward)
Feet: Ajokoira Shoes, walnut dye (Tailoring Tier 5 recipe, Forochel)

War-steed:
Caparison of West Rohan, white dye (random drop from West Rohan Warbands)
Hide: chestnut dye
Tail, manes: white dye

The title for this outfit is taken from a song by Sarah McLachlan, singing about being alone on a winter’s night and longing for her loved one. The mood perfectly describes the loneliness one feels when traversing the Misty Mountains in Lotro. In the past people have complained that areas were unrealistic and non-immersive due to the large amount of players running around, but I assure you that going back to those older areas today, the absence of player life makes one feel totally “there”. If you are an explorer type like me, hitting the “slow walk” button and climbing up and down the dwindling High Passes is almost creepy! The sight of a campfire fills you with a sense of relief.

This the first time I have used the Light Nadhin Robe in an outfit. I always thought it was a rather boring robe with limited dye options. Dyed in a lighter color and combined with these crafted fur pauldrons that form a matching and complementary layer on the right shoulder, I found a way to make it work. The Mammutti cloak in this outfit can be obtained in Forochel at Kindred standing with the Lossoth. However only the original version can be dyed, the ceremonial version which is also for sale, cannot be dyed. As far as I know this is true for all ceremonial Lossoth cloaks.
The harp is the only one of its kind with this particular appearance. It is a reward from the epic quest line that takes one through Wildermore. It has no battle stats and is intended for musical purposes only.
I have petitioned the Lotro Store Quartermaster to release the store exclusive Winter Cloaks for sale again this winter. He responded that he will look into it, so keep an eye out on the store in case you want those.

Chest: Light Nadhin Robe, rust dye (world drop or Dol Amroth quartermaster)
Shoulders: Calenard War Pauldrons, indigo dye (Tier 7 metalsmithing recipe, heavy armour)
Hands: Ceremonial Gloves of the Graven Word, indigo dye (skirmish camp cosmetics vendor, Rift)
Feet: Skirmish Boots of the Mark, white dye (Tier 8 tailoring recipe, medium armour)
Back: Cloak of the Mammutti, indigo dye (Forochel reputation vendor)
Instrument: Gléowine’s Harp, reward from Vol.III Bk.10 quest

I wish all of you readers and followers of this blog a very Merry Christmas. May your home be filled with love, peace, and joy and may these blessings follow you throughout the New Year.

Head: Bud-helm, forest green dye (Isengard instance BoE drop, light armour)
Shoulders: Gwir-palvais, red dye (Isengard instance BoE drop, light armour)
Chest: Jacket of the Sun-lands, forest green dye (world drop level 50, medium armour)
Hands: Cadarn-durnvol, red dye (Isengard instance BoE drop, light armour)
Legs: Luc-socas, forest green dye (Isengard quest reward and instance drop, heavy armor)
Feet: Assault Shoes of the Deep, red dye (Tier 9 tailoring recipe, light armour)
Back: Sturdy Quiver, forest green dye (Anniversary gift box item)

Right hand: Wood-lily (quest reward Vol.III, Bk.10)
Left hand: Bunch of Holly (Yule festival item)

Legendary Outfit

When I posted my last outfit in december 2014, I didn’t think I would ever be returning to this blog. I was still creating lots of outfits in Lotro, amassing a crazy amount of items in storage, but I kept it all to myself. Actually making screenshots and posting them to my blog felt like a chore. I started to play more irregularly and didn’t completely keep pace with all the updates. At some point I stopped doing instances and only played the festivals, so I just left it at that. Until today!

I started on Ithil this week and cannot believe how inspired I am to actually play Lotro again! On the Legendary the feeling is so different! So many people online, such a good economy for the low levels, and no cheating with a rich uncle toon. Everything has to be self-earned again, and that my friends, is extremely satisfying. I am even happy to walk around in noob clothes! For a minute I thought I would miss the hundreds of cosmetic items that I have amassed on my classic server, but I now have 320 empty cosmetic slots waiting to be filled again! It is a very odd feeling, but I am thrilled with the anticipation of conquering it all once more. It feels light, rather than the heaviness of the grinds and chores that the endgame had become for me.

Because it is not possible to transfer anything from the Classic server to the Legendary server, I find myself with quite a narrow selection of items. I browse the AH for stuff to fill up those empty wardrobe slots and visit Outfitters all over the world for a decent hauberk. It is fun! All this inspired me to revive this blog a bit, and to create a series of outfits specifically for the Legendary servers.

Legendary Outfits
My series of Legendary Outfits will only showcase items that are accessible to everyone on the Legendary servers. This includes the Lotro Store, however I will try to limit usage of the store to a minimum and create outfits with items and colours that are available in game. Some favorite old-timers from the store will be inevitable and I will gradually purchase those on the Legendary server as well. Even though I personally have access to all my pre-order items, I am not including those either in this series, because they are no longer obtainable for everyone.

For this Legendary Outfit you will need:
– wardrobe slots
– access to the High Elf race, and create a light armour character (you can leave the starter armour in the wardrobe and delete the character later if you want)
– navy & sienna dye

I don’t know how far my Legendary journey will take me, but let’s enjoy the ride while it lasts!

Chest: Blacksmith’s Apron, navy dye (any outfitter)
Shoulders: Time-worn Shoulders, sienna dye (high elf intro-instance, light armour)
Head: Plumed Hat, default (hobbit/man intro-instance, light armour)
Instrument: Student’s Fiddle, bard

More information on these items: https://lotro-wiki.com

Legendary Outfit

Well, the hunt for vintage cosmetic items is really on now! Today my little minstrel on Ithil made it to level 20 which means… Rivendell! Rivendell has a number of Armour Smiths and a Cosmetics vendor that sell pretty items that I have always adored. So as soon as my character made it to 20 I visited Gandalf in the Prancing Pony who gave me a quest and teleported me to Rivendell. I cancelled the quest so I can continue to use that shortcut until my character actually makes it to Rivendell herself; but for now the quest + milestone to get back home will do fine.

I splurged on some items (because believe me, when you barely have one gold to your name, buying a cosmetic item for 12 silver feels like a splurge) and used them to complement the starter instance outfit for my high elf huntress.
I see many players on Ithil using their pre-order cosmetic sets or simply wearing their armour (which never even matches in colour, much less in style), but so much more is possible. By simply replacing a few items in a pre-order set, one can already create a unique look.

Legendary Outfits
My series of Legendary Outfits aims to showcase items that are accessible to everyone on the Legendary servers. This includes the Lotro Store, however I will try to limit usage of the store to a minimum and create outfits with items and colours that are available in game. Some favorite old-timers from the store will be inevitable and I will gradually purchase those on the Legendary server as well. Even though I personally have access to all my pre-order items, I am not including those in this series, because they are no longer obtainable for everyone.

For this Legendary Outfit you will need:
– wardrobe slots
– access to the High Elf race, and create a light armour character and a medium armour character (you can leave their starter armour in the wardrobe and delete the characters later if you want)
– be level 20 or have a friend with access to Rivendell to do the purchase for you
– rust & sienna dye

Chest: Time-worn Reinforced Coat, rust dye (high elf intro-instance, medium armour)
Shoulders: Time-worn Shoulders, sienna dye (high elf intro-instance, light armour)
Hands: Time-worn Bracers, no dye (high-elf intro-instance, medium armour)
Feet: Elven Steel Boots, sienna dye (heavy armour smith, Rivendell)
Back: Fine Elven Quiver, sienna dye (outfitter, Rivendell)

It’s been a while since Update 23 was released and I have by no means finished all the quests as a result of playing on the legendary server. But as much fun playing on the legendary is, I never intended to stop playing on my regular server because that is where my collection of cosmetics resides, and I am not giving that up for anything! At least not permanently. So while working on the outfits for the Legendary Outfit series, I am also going to share some outfits that I use on my regular server.

The cosmetic aspect of Update 23 is awesome. There is a considerable amount of cosmetics to barter for and the quest rewards and crafted gear are also very beautiful. Unlike the previous Doomfold crafting tier, the Ironfold crafting tier really has some gems. Too bad that all the recipes are barter recipes again. The good old days where you would just get your basic recipes and then go barter for the teal versions are over. Now even the basic recipes have to be purchased with local currency, so you cannot acquire them without doing the quests. The also require rare items to craft. This in itself is fine, except I would have liked some basic recipes that I could use just for the looks. Now crafting a cosmetic is quite expensive. However that doesn’t stop me of course, so here’s an outfit using a crafted light chest-piece. It dyes very well in all colors, including white, but I chose Belegaer blue for this one.

Head: Eastemnet Campaign Circlet, walnut dye (crafted T8)
Shoulders: Light Shoulders of the Grey Mountain Stalwart, Belegaer blue dye (Adventurer’s Quartermaster, Skarháld)
Chest: Waistcoat of Stonehelm, Belegaer blue dye (crafted T12, barter recipe)
Hands: Heavy Gauntlets of the Grey Mountain Stalwart, Belegaer blue dye (Adventurer’s Quartermaster, Skarháld)
Feet: Gardening Boots, walnut dye (Farmers Faire cosmetic)

More information on these items: https://lotro-wiki.com