Hytbold
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From warhorses to hobby horses: A ride through LotRO's Rohan
I have to admit, every bit of news for Lord of the Rings Online: Riders of Rohan that has come out has been a little stab in my heart. Is the news that bad? On the contrary, it is too good! But because of my notorious uber-casual gaming style, I had little hope of seeing the content anytime before the 2016 presidential elections; stalled in my low 60s, I am ineligible to participate in LotRO's upcoming content. Suddenly, all of my time spent wandering the beauty of Middle-earth, playing music, visiting player-run events, and participating in festivals seemed a less-than-ideal way to spend my time. But then fate intervened: I received an invitation to get a first-hand look at Riders of Rohan with a tour guided by Senior Designer Joe Barry and Senior Producer Aaron Campbell. Knowing that participating would be a double-edged sword (getting a taste only to know I couldn't have more), I still jumped at the chance. I'll just deal with the disappointment later, I thought. For a brief time, I got to immerse myself in Rohan and get a look at what awaits players when the expansion launches on October 15th. And between rebuilding an entire town, hobby horse races, and riding warsteeds, I am psyched-up to actually level and take part in all that RoR will offer.%Gallery-158706%
LotRO's Habitat for Hobbanity is its new endgame [Updated]
Lord of the Rings Online has a brand-new endgame activity coming with next month's Riders of Rohan, and it's called "Hytbold." Senior Designer Joe Barry penned a dev diary to explain just how and why Hytbold won't be like anything players have seen before. Hytbold is the name of a burned-out village that adventurers will rebuild and restock. Through the use of instances, open tapping, remote looting, and phasing, LotRO will allow each player fix the town up and get it back into shape over time. Players have over 150 repairs to make to over 24 buildings in the town, which is accomplished through daily quests, participating in mounted combat, and even fishing. The rewards for coming to the aid of Hytbold are significant. Turbine's prepared to hand out class and trait-specific armor sets that are comparable to raid gear, a big ending to the region's story, and the honor of being named a Thane of Rohan. The best part of this is that players can rebuild the entire town solo if need be, although there are grouping options as well. [Update: The team also released a big batch of Riders of Rohan enemy screenshots today; we've included them within our LotRO gallery after the break.]
