The cool thing about the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar from Turbine is the appearance of several NPCs that have direct relations to the events that transpired in the movies and the books. Take, for example, the case of the ranger Amdir. Know his story after the jump!

In Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, you'll find a lot of familiar faces from both the movies and the books. However, rack your brains if you remember this guy: Harry Goatleaf. Head over to the full article to see if you have the right answer.

Othrongroth and the Dead Spire aren't the only dangerous places in the Lord of the Rings Online's Barrow-downs. Another treacherous place is the Haudh Iarchith. Even pronouncing it correctly sounds dangerous. Read more about Haudh Iarchith in the full article.

As most players would attest, housing is one of the more highly-anticipated features in Turbine Inc.'s and Codemasters' The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar expansion Book 11.

Community Manager Vanessa Price (aka Saffron) said that "due to the high level of interest" the community has shown, the developers have decided to add more Housing Brokers to help players find and purchase new property.

True enough, two new additional Housing Brokers have been added in each of the different neighborhoods making it much easier for players to purchase their own houses. For example, players based in the Bree-land Homesteads will find their new Brokers outside of The Comb, the Wattle Inn in Combe, and in the center of Staddle. Here are the locations of the other Housing Brokers as separated by homesteads:

• Shire Homesteads: Post Office in Waymeet, center of Tuckborough
• Falathorn Homesteads in the Elvish lands of Ered Luin: near the docks in Celondim, near the Scholar's Enclave in Duillond
• Thorin's Hall Homesteads in the Dwarvish lands of Ered Luin: the courtyards of both Noglond and Gondamon

Players who want to buy houses through these new brokers may have to act fast since Price mentioned that the additional Housing Brokers are temporary and could be removed at any time.

It's The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar lore update time once more, and it's about one of the NPCs you'll be coming face to face with in the digitized realms of Middle-Earth. Meet Barliman Butterbur, the proprietor of The Prancing Pony inn of the town of Bree!

Players and fans of both the movie and the books will recognize The Prancing Pony as the first place where Frodo and his companions felt the ever-present danger of the Nazgul, as well as where they first met up with Strider.

It's here where players seeking refreshment can seek out Butterbur, who not only sells the finest wines and ales this side of Middle-earth, but also traveling rations and healing salves. Talk to him a bit longer, and he may just introduce you to the legendary Strider himself, as well as give you a few tasks to do.

Kudos to the Codemasters team for making sure that the Lord of The Rings experience is as detailed and as colorful as the books themselves. Updates as we get them!

 

Players currently trekking the massive world of Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar and taking the scenic route should definitely make it a point to stop by Staddle, a small quaint town nestled securely amongst the rolling hillocks of Bree-hill, a little out of the way from the town of Bree itself.

The locals aren't too friendly, but you can't blame them - brigands have been stepping up their attacks on villages their size, and Staddle is no exception to that. Although, if you prove yourself trustworthy not just with your bow or sword, but with courage and overall heroism, then you've found a home away from home, as the villagers are more than happy for another able-bodied adventurer strong enough to fight off the occassional brigand attack.

Certainly glad that the people over at Codemasters are making sure to give Tolkien's world the digital treatment it deserves. Check back here for more updates regarding Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar!

The summer solstice is about to take place. The event means different things for the different races in Middle-earth, and in The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, there's no excuse for you to not take part in the festivities. Time to do the happy Hobbit dance!

Events in the game are scheduled on June 20 all the way up to the 10th of July. The different races will have different kinds of festivals:

• Humans' Summerdays at the Bree-fields Festival Grounds
• Hobbits' Lithe Festival at the Party Tree
• Dwarves' Summerfest at Thorin's Halls
• Elves' Festival of Enedhin at Duillond

But no matter who you are, there'll be special quests, rare items, lots of drinking, and dancing. You can even visit the other areas even if you aren't of that race. You can meet up with a Dance Leader and learn some moves or maybe even participate at the Inn League (drink all you can!) which makes college frat boy parties look tame as having tea with the queen.

There's also going to be some "Hobnanigans" event over at the Bree-fields Festival Grounds. Codemasters didn't reveal any further details about this Hobnanigans celebration, aside from the fact that it involved chickens (huh?!). Regardless, we'll keep you posted on the specifics as they come along.

An MMORPG title like The Lord of the Rings: The Shadows of Angmar would probably not be as fun as it is if all it featured was endless days of grinding, grinding and more grinding. To give players a few ideas on how to spend their non-questing days in the game, the official LotRO website has released a short list of possible activities to keep the player occupied.

Those who like to take a quick puff can engage in some pipe-weed smoking. The highest-quality pipe-weed can be used to show off at the local tavern with elaborate and beautiful smoke effects. Different pipe-weed varieties are grown by members of the Farmer Profession. You might want to try the craft out yourself or befriend a local farmer. The auctions are also a good place to look for supplies.

For a more action-oriented pastime, players can also join in a game of tag. For the classic version of the game, see Tad Hollyway (25.6S, 50.9W) in the ruins southeast of the Bree festival grounds. If you're in the mood for a "Freeze Tag" version of the game, the man to see is Biddy Dogwort. He can be found in the ruins just southeast of Tad (26.1S, 49.7W).

These two are just the tip of the iceberg. You can also choose to regale your companions with your musical stylings or join in a pie-eating contest. For more, click on the "read" link below.

For most people, playing online - be it via Xbox Live or an MMO - usually means competitive play. And what best embraces competitive play than PvP? Well though that might be the case, Turbine's Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar (LotRO) is setting itself up for something different.

Player vs Player gameplay usually brings out issues of class balance as in the World of Warcraft. LotRO however gives players a different experience all together through Player vs Player controlled Monster Play. Basically, players have the option of going to the other side and play one of four playable monsters: spider, warg, orc, and Uruk-hai. Tobold shares his experience playing as a spider on his blog.

First he travels to Bree, clicked on the Fel Scrying Pool, and was given a choice between starting monster play or exchanging destiny points for a temporary buff. Temporary buffs include more xp, morale and power, and faster regeneration. Monster play gives players a chance to control level 50 monster of choice. They can't level up but players can increase their monster's stats and abilities through destiny points.

Destiny points are monster play rewards for quests like killing mobs or NPC guards. Players can also raid castles that are defended by NPC guards - Tobold notes that this is the best way to get destiny points or rather gives the most points. LotRO's PvP zone, the Ettenmoors would most likely be the best place to monster play especially when the game goes live with players playing normal characters and monsters going against each other.

Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar would be giving a new player experience, though whether Monster Play will get a positive welcome remains to be seen. Well, for those players who like PvP, there are other MMOs that cater to that need like the upcoming Fury from Auran.

Reminiscent of the World of Warcraft professions, we have The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar (LOTRO) vocations which will allow characters to craft their own items. Everyone knows if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself, so we here at QJ have a basic guide for beginners to help them choose the right vocation for them.

After picking your vocation, it's time to find a provisioner for any of your professions to purchase the necessary items required by your profession. It should not be too hard to find provisioners as they are usually near the Master or Mistress of Apprentices. Some of the rarer items can only be gotten by questing or trading with other players.

You earn experience points for a profession by crafting, however, to reach the next level you will have to do crafting quests. Once you reach Master (the highest you can go) you can use the Mastery Options to give you greater chances of hitting a "Critical Success" in your work. Good luck and happy crafting.

If you want to know more, click on the "Full Article" link below.