Lord Of The Rings Online: Beta Journal WarCry Edition

One of our contributors, mattllow, was able to take a few moments and write a bit about his adventures in Middle-earth. Here is his journal:

So I've read several beta journals about classes and game play, starting areas, and combat, but this is The Lord of the Rings, and I wanted to see how well they captured the iconic areas of Middle-earth. Now I'm no Lore Master, but I have read the books several times, including the unfinished tales. I am the first to admit I am humbled by some of the true Lore Masters that haunt the LOTRO boards. So I am sure I will not be as harsh as some others, but I do have a good understanding of the setting. With that said, as soon as I had a feel for the game, I grabbed my book and ran to one of the most iconic The Lord of the Rings settings to see how well they did, "The Prancing Pony!"

I ran to Bree quickly and began my hunt for the most popular inn in LOTR. After running down a few streets I saw a sign, "a large signboard: a fat white pony reared up on its hind legs." There is was, exactly as described in the book, you couldn't miss it. I stood before 'The Prancing Pony'!

I walked around the building, and as the book reads: "Even from the outside the inn looked a pleasant house to familiar eyes. It had a front on the road, and two wings running back on land partly cut out of the lower slopes of the hill, so that at the rear the second-floor windows were level with the ground." It was there, the sloping roof, the friendly house looking building, there were 2 doors, one on each side, with the back door being a round hobbit shaped door. It was better than I imagined as I ran inside!

Standing behind the bar I found old Barliman Butterbur, "a short fat man with a bald head and a red face. He had a white apron on". He was taken right off the pages and put there before me. I saw Nob ("a cheery-looking hobbit") and Bob walking around in the back. I was there in the day time, so the Inn was not full. There was a nice little parlour perfect for secret hobbit meetings, a nice big open room for patrons to gather and talk, a room or two made special for hobbits. It was all there! And while Strider wasn't in the main hall (apparently Frodo wasn't coming by that day) he was there. In a small side room he stood, looking every bit the "strange-looking weather-beaten man". After talking to him for a bit, I decided to help him out with a few problems he was having, he asked me if I would....

Now I wouldn't want to ruin it for you, so I'll end it there, suffice it to say Turbine has done a truly incredible job with The Lord of the Rings Online, spending a lot of time of the small details to make the land, quests, and iconic settings truly feel like Middle-earth!