Anniversary scavenger hunt guide – year 11

Just when you thought they were done, they throw you one more, and these may be some of the most difficult and most widespread hunts we’ve seen. This set takes us back to many of the locations that Gollum visited on his journeys. We also take a round trip tour of the ruins of Middle-earth and have a cryptic epic entish poem to decipher.

As this is the second year the anniversary scavenger hunt is offered, all of the previous ten years are already available. No waiting around for one a week like last year. The devs have even said that the scavenger hunt portion of the festival will remain available for some time after the main anniversary festival to give people time to finish it off. And while the meta-riddle (paper scraps) does not continue with year 11, we still get some rewards to revel in for our efforts.

Solution to the Secret Stones

From March 21, 2018, a hidden chapter to the dwarven saga in the Lord of the Rings Online was revealed. Unlike the majority of the quests in this MMO, the players are not led to the reward with giant arrows and colorful trackers, but instead must rely on their riddle-solving abilities and knowledge of the game and its lore. The emergence of this special event spawned a mad dash to the solution and it’s final reward, a mountable goat “clad in the raiment of Erebor’s royal guard.”

What follows is a walkthrough and chronicle of the event; spoiler mode is activated to its fullest. While the guide will lead you to completion, there are some details that are missing such as how one clue leads to the next. If you understand why, please comment and it will be added to the guide.

Anniversary scavenger hunt guide – paper scrap riddle and final rewards

It’s over! Or is it? Remember those pesky scraps of paper cluttering up your inventory as a ‘reward’ for each week? Eagle-eyed players quickly discovered that each scrap has a unique message and would eventually point to the final reward. As year 10 came and went, the riddle was solved but not without mild frustration. But never fear, this guide is here for you, though if you’re avoiding spoilers, look away now.

Anniversary scavenger hunt guide – year 10

This is it, everyone. The last set of scavenger hunt quests. After ten weeks, we get to follow in Bilbo’s footsteps, defeat treacherous beasts and end it all with a pub crawl. And if you’ve saved those scraps of paper and you’re crafty enough, you might finally be able to decipher the riddle and score yourself an extra housing item.

Anniversary scavenger hunt guide – year 9

Eight down, two to go. Year nine of LOTRO’s grand scavenger hunt features highlights from the elusive wizard Gandalf’s story stretching from the Shire to Minas Tirith. But tramping through Middle-earth shouldn’t be anything new to you at this point. You’ll also plow through enemies in landscape “group” content, at least it was designed to be difficult when the level cap was much lower. And finally, you’ll be hunting for easter eggs placed by developers, many of whom have long since departed from the game, I’m sure.

Unlocking the Inn of the Forsaken and the Halls of Night

I sneakily published a video the week before detailing how to unlock the Inn of the Forsaken instance and this week I present to you unlocking the Halls of Night. Both instances were released as stand-alone purchases in the LOTRO store (free for VIPs) in 2011 with update 3. My, how time flies. If you still haven’t bothered unlocking the instances or the knowledge has been lost to the ravages of time, look no further than these videos.

Anniversary scavenger hunt guide – year 8

We’re nearing the conclusion of this wild ride. After year 8, only two weeks before the big finale. This year we have Gimli’s tales, visiting tombs of Middle-Earth and another set of instances to reminisce on. That leads me to wonder, if the series of “Tales” quests takes us through everyone in the Fellowship and only Gandalf is left, who will be featured in year 10?

Anniversary scavenger hunt guide – year 7

This week’s quests may be the most intensive yet. We are tasked with following in Legolas’ footsteps through Epic Battles, pestering raid bosses with emotes and traveling to battlefields across Middle-earth in search of remembrances. Let’s just hope the rewards are worth it.

How to get to the Dead Marshes

If you’ve ever glanced at world chat and seen a listless newb asking how to get to the Dead Marshes, you’ve probably brushed them off because it’s just so darn complicated to explain. I mean, I’m sure it seemed like a good idea at the time to put the entrance in an unmarked cave in Western Gondor, but the game has moved on and people don’t have time to figure things out for themselves anymore, dag nabbit! Anyways, now you can link them this simple video showing the path to the Dead Marshes or take the time to write it all out. Your choice.

Anniversary scavenger hunt guide – year 6

Year 6 of the scavenger hunt is here! We’re more than halfway to finding out the mystery of the scraps of paper. Till then, just reserve 10 inventory spots on each character to hold them. This week we’ll travel in the footsteps of Pippin, go on a tavern crawl in Rhovanion and /pat furry creatures all along the way.