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Lord of the Rings Online's Weatherstock returns this weekend
Weatherstock, the annual player-run music festival in Lord of the Rings Online, will be returning for its sixth appearance this weekend. This year there will be two elements of the festival. The first is the Weatherstock Concert Series, which features longer sets leading up to the battle of the bands, i.e., Weatherstock itself. Ten player groups will perform for the crowd and compete against each other at the summit of Weathertop. Last year there were over 700 players in attendance. Weatherstock VI will take place on the Landroval server this Saturday afternoon, June 14th. The Weatherstock schedule is up, as is a FAQ and a Twitter feed for important updates.
LotRO musicians prepare for Weatherstock 2011
With summer almost upon us, the fair free folk of Middle-earth are gearing up for the largest player-organized in-game event of the year: Weatherstock 2011! Lord of the Rings Online adventurers from around the world will flock to the summit of Weathertop in the Lone-lands on the Landroval server to hear nine excellent outfits perform in an epic Battle of the Bands. A Casual Stroll to Mordor has all of the essential details for this event, which runs from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday, June 18th. Among those contributing to the concert are The Green Hill Music Society, The Breakfast Club, and The Blackheart Pirates. Each band will perform a trio of songs (plus a possible encore) in an effort to take home one of three awards. Weatherstock is made possible by LotRO's unique music system, which allows players to compose and perform songs with a variety of instruments. This is always a fun event, and the LotRO Lorebook has additional information for those attending (hint: turn off names!). Mark this on your calendar so that you don't miss the excellent tunes!
The Road to Mordor: Rating Eriador
Lately I've been playing world traveler with my level 43 Lore-master as he's bouncing all over Middle-earth in what used to be the high-level zones of the game: Trollshaws, Angmar, Forochel, Misty Mountains, and Eregion. Once again, I'm struck by just how cohesive this place feels -- it's not a collection of Sonic the Hedgehog-themed areas (Green Zone 1, Lava Zone 4, etc.) but a world that connects together in a tangible, real way. Even though it's fiction. Until November 2008, Eriador was the only place in Middle-earth that we could explore, and although some criticized Lord of the Rings Online for not shipping with, well, every locale in J.R.R. Tolkien's imaginarium open for business, it was a smart decision. The devs could take this section of the world and focus on building depth and detail instead of spreading it thin, like butter scraped over too much bread. As a result, Eriador remains a wonderful starting point -- not to mention the bulk of any current player's journey -- and many of us have grown attached to these familiar sights and sounds as a result. Today I'd like to take a brief overview of all of Eriador's zones (we'll leave Rhovanion for another day) and rate them from best to worst in terms of zone design, questing, and that slippery cool-factor that's hard to define. Where would I suggest a summer vacation home and where would be an ideal spot for a penal colony? Hit the jump and let's run it down.
One Shots: Old friends in new lands
Good friends turn any good MMO into a great MMO. Of course, when you start out with a game like Lord of the Rings Online, which features deep lore and interesting visuals, adding friends is a combination that's hard to beat. That's why we weren't surprised to read what Tom M. had to say about his experience with the game. He writes in: "A couple of friends and I took a break from our harsh regimen of orc-slaying to admire the view from Weathertop at the end of a long day's work. For us, at least, the recent switch to F2P is working -- two of us have subbed already, and one more is about to." Find something worth sharing on your recent adventures? Just in the mood to show off what you've been up to? All you have to do is email your screenshot in to us at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the game it's from, and a quick note about what we're seeing. We'll post it out here and give you credit for sending it in! Couldn't be easier. %Gallery-85937%
The Road to Mordor: Old school hobbits
(Screenshot courtesy of Lord of the Rhymes) Over the past couple weeks Lord of the Rings Online players' eyes have turned to the future, and this column with it. After all, with the beta for LotRO F2P edition in full swing and the recent news from E3 about this fall's offerings, it's kind of hard not to be focused on what's ahead. However, I was tickled by a LotRO forum thread this week that looked back, not forward. It's one of those nostalgia threads that tend to pop up in a forum of any game more than a few years old, a place for veterans to reminisce about the olden days (whether good or bad). It's also an excellent chance for newbies to learn a bit more about the history of the game -- and perhaps thank their lucky stars they didn't have to walk uphill through three-foot snow with a Balrog on their tail just to log in to the servers every day. The thread certainly makes for good readin', but I wanted to comment on a few specific examples of how the game's changed, and how it was back when we were in school. Old school, that is. Hit the jump, and we'll travel to the past in our hobbit tub time machine!
Weatherstock '10 takes the stage in LotRO this Saturday
You know how your hippie relatives are forever bragging about how they went to Woodstock during the Summer of Free Love, and how your generation will never experience something that historical and muddy? Well, now you can get all up in their faces and say, "Yeah, but were you at Weatherstock in Lord of the Rings Online, dealing with lag and hobbits underfoot? I thought not!" Weatherstock has become a tradition on the US Landroval server, a yearly gathering of bands and music lovers at the summit of Weathertop (aka Amon Sul) in the Lone-lands. Where once Frodo and Aragorn fought off the Nazgûl, these grounds now will be covered in song and spirits. Organized by the Lonely Mountain Band kinship, Weatherstock will feature three hours of music as 10 bands face off to win prizes. However, only one group will be chosen by the crowd and declared the best. The player-run event is very organized, with "Freakout Zones" and cheap goodies available. If you play on another server and want to check Weatherstock out, lowbie characters will be protected by event security, who are tasked with beating down enemy mobs on the road to the summit. You can surf the crowd at Weatherstock on Saturday, June 12th, 7pm EST on the Landroval server.
The Road to Mordor: Forum diving
[Special note: Obviously, the news that LotRO is going free-to-play hit after this article was already written, so stay tuned as we dissect what it means for existing and potential new customers next week!] Lately, it feels like we're in a holding pattern for Lord of the Rings Online. The last major content patch, Volume III: Book 1, is fading into distant memory, and we're pushing into summer without definite news of the next update -- or better yet, the next expansion. Players are also nervous about any changes or new directions the game may take after the recent acquisition of Turbine by Warner Bros., and the silence certainly doesn't help any. However, there's always hope in the darkest places of Middle-earth, and the same can be said for the game itself. The Summer Festival should be around the corner, and as for new news, Sapience handed out a bit of vague encouragement on the forums: "You guys know we're preparing an announcement. I can't give you a specific date as to when we'll make it, but I can say I just ran into Adam Mersky coming out of an E3 planning meeting and he was pretty stoked!" While we continue the wait for the next step forward for LotRO, I thought it'd be a good idea to head over to the official forums and do a little diving for some of the more interesting topics and discussions bouncing around the LotRO community today.
One Shots: A ways from Weathertop
While it is true that Lord of the Rings Online doesn't look quite as lush in DX9, it's still a good-looking game. More importantly, making the graphics more accessible means that more people get to experience the beauty of The Lord of the Rings Online; Middle-earth in MMO format! Today's One Shots entry from Jason shows off one of the more important areas for lore at a nice distance. He writes in to tell us a bit more: This shot is of Weathertop located in the Lone Lands. This was my second time through the area and though I was aware that Weathertop was in the Lone Lands I hadn't seen it from afar. I just had to take a screenshot for you guys. (This is the place where Frodo is stabbed by one of the ring wraiths.)DX9, DX10 - it makes no difference to us. We just love to see where you're spending your MMO time. So gather up your tired, your... wait, wrong speech... your interesting, your funny, and email them to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a brief description. We'll post them here, pin it on you, and add it to our desktop wallpaper collection gallery.%Gallery-9798%
The hero's guide to the Lone-Lands of Lord of the Rings
Codemasters has released another entry in their "hero's guide" series of articles for The Lord of the Rings Online, this one centering on the Lone-Lands, home of Weathertop and many other dangerous locales.The Lone-Lands are marked by the ruins of ancient kingdoms, each once part of the human kingdom of Arnor before shattering apart and going their own ways. Those ways ended up leading to war, with the kingdom of Rhudaur siding with the minions of the witch king in order to conquer the other two kingdoms. It was in these battles that the watch post of Weathertop fell, as it sat right on the borders between each of the three kingdoms.For all the tasty goodies and lore-related treats about the Lone-Lands, check out the full guide located over at LotRO Europe.
One Shots: Weathertop at dusk
This location is loved by many Lord of the Rings Online players as being one of the many interesting settings of lore. Indeed, we've gotten several screenshots from readers of this location over the history of One Shots. That said, we haven't gotten an image showing it in the distance at dusk like this until this one which was sent in to us by Chris H. What location would it be? It's Weathertop, the location that once held the Tower of Amon Sûl - an interesting place from lore - and apparently a reader favorite!Have you found a location important to the lore of your game? If so, why not email us a screenshot of it and tell us a bit about why it's important to you? Even if you'd rather not extol its virtues, we'd still love your images. Just email them to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name and the game/location the image is from. We'll post it out here and give you the credit.%Gallery-9798%
One Shots: Defending Weathertop
Hooray! More combat shots are coming in from various readers, showing off just what's going on in their gaming worlds. Today's screenshot comes to us from Wookadan from the Meneldor server in Lord of the Rings Online. He described this shot as "Defending Weathertop" which he says is a screen he took whole he was fighting the troll atop of Weathertop. Screens like this really show off some of the cool-looking effects that Turbine has put into this game, as well as the great detail on monsters. Do you have some screenshots of monster-slaying (or player-slaying) in your favorite MMO? If so, gather them up, pop them into a mail with a quick description, and send them to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com. Your deeds of derring-do could be spotlighted next!%Gallery-9798%
One Shots: Retaking Weathertop
Braego sends us this shot of his fellowship -- Jeshorin, Zevon, Iniki, and Deykafin -- attempting to retake Weathertop from the Orcs in Lord of the Rings Online. The instance, we understand, is no cake-walk, and this charming Troll, released when you get the final Orc low on health, is what awaits you at the end. (Though the quest is listed as level 20, we can't recommend you try it until your group is closer to the mid-20s!)Snapped any good screenshots recently? Send them to us so we can feature your screenshot and story for tomorrow's One Shots! It's easy to participate -- just send your screenshots and stories to oneshots@massively.com. %Gallery-9798%
One Shots: Weathertop
If you're familiar with the stories or the movies that Lord of the Rings Online is based on, you may know this location. This screenshot brings us to the peak of Weathertop, which you will know if you've any experience with The Lord of the Rings in any media. But for those in the audience who still aren't sure what I'm talking about, I'll explain with a quote from The Fellowship of the Ring:It is a hill, just to the north of the Road, about half way from here to Rivendell. It commands a wide view all round; and there we shall have a chance to look about us.Being that one of my favorite aspects of LotRO is the fact that I can adventure through well-known places from the story makes this shot meaningful to any versed in LotR-lore. But perhaps you have a screenshot of your own that you think expresses a unique or memorable moment in your favorite MMO? Send them to us with a description (including game name and location) and you may see it posted here for tomorrow's One Shots.%Gallery-9798%
