I wish all of you a

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

May these days bring you joy and fun, with family and friends, online or in the real world. Thank you for sticking with me on my blog for so long, I really appreciate all your comments, tweets and our fun interactions. Happy Yuletide!

Head: Wintry Yule Cap, red dye (drop from Sack of Presents Yule Festival reward)
Shoulders: Shoulders of the Westfold, default dye (Rise of Isengard pre-order cosmetic)
Chest: Cel-crus, Rivendell green dye (Isengard instance BoE drop, light armour)
Legs: Westernesse Protector’s Leggings, Rivendell green dye (crafted T5, leather armour)
Hands: Cadarn-durnvol, white dye (Isengard instance BoE drop, light armour)
Feet: Ajokoira Shoes, red dye (Forochel recipe crafted T5, light armour or cosmetic)
Back: Wintry Yule Backpack, default dye (Yule Festival barter reward)

Like many of you who are serious Festival fans and participants, I finished my Tier 3 Yule Festival deed a few days ago. In a previous post I had stated my reservations about the huge grind required for the War-steed Appearance traits, and now that I have completed it I can recount my experience. I have completed the deed on 4 of my characters, a 5th is still in progress. The festival has been extended until January 3rd allowing for two extra days to complete the deed, so I might even be able to complete my 5th character as well. To be fair, I think the amount of quests (120 total) required for this deed is very reasonable and commensurate with the reward. What makes it hard is the time limit in which the deed needs to be completed, especially considering the Christmas Holiday. Personally, I do not enjoy this kind of time pressure at all. I think the duration of this festival is way too short for casual players with a normal and healthy family life. I managed to do it, but it required me to arrange my real life schedule around my game, rather than the other way around. That is not the way I like to consume my game time. To sum up my opinion: the requirements of 120 quests is fine, the available time in which to do it is not.
I know there are Festival Tickets available for reset quests, but I leave those out of the equation as I would never consider buying them.

The good news is that I now have these beautiful Wintry Yule War-steed cosmetics and I think they are absolutely gorgeous! My main character Hymne (minstrel) has clad her golden steed in these garments and they look stunning. My little hobbit Mayrose (burglar) has dyed hers in yellow and that looks amazing as well. You can check out that appearance on warsteeds.com. It’s a shame the tail on the ponies is currently bugged and doesn’t dye. Just like war-steed leggings cannot be dyed black nor white. Please /bug any anomalies that you encounter as the bugs seem to be different depending on race and gender even.
If you are interested in war-steed appearances you may want to take advantage of this weekend’s Class Mount sale, as a few selected steeds got a 25% discount.
Another bit of cosmetic news, as some of you have already noticed, the mannequins that stand near the various armour vendors are wearing new outfits since Update 9. Two of those outfits were assembled by me. Mind you that these outfits were combined out of already existing lotro store items, as such was Turbine’s requirement when they asked me to redesign them. What is more interesting though (from a cosmetics point of view) is that the other two mannequins are currently wearing Northmen Armour (hunter and champion). These are highly sought after pieces, so you may want to consider purchasing those in the store rather than grinding out the medallions of the Northmen needed to purchase those pieces.
I suspect that this post is my last 2012 outfit. I’m looking forward to making some more in 2013!

Chest: Gossamer Dress, gold dye (skirmish cosmetic)
Back: Hooded Cloak of the Dove, gold dye (lotro store cosmetic)
Shoulders: Shoulders of the Wall-warden level 65, gold dye (skirmish camp Classic vendor)

War-steed:
Wintry Yule Halter, gold
Wintry Yule Caparison, gold
Wintry Yule Leggings, gold
Wintry Yule Saddle
Mane/tail: tan
Hide: bay

It seems like ages ago now, but back in October my blog was part of the Charity Auctions organized by Casual Stroll to Mordor. The first auction was won by Tuiliel and her outfit “Lady of Streams” was posted shortly after. The second auction was won by Tiny, a female Elf Minstrel on Elendilmir. I started working on those outfits too but unfortunately the player was out of the country and would have no internet access until January. So I decided to wait until the player returned home and would be able to fire up Lotro once again to try out the outfits.
Tiny confessed to having a fancy for large brimmed hats, and would usually be dressed in hauberks or dresses. Favorite colors were green and purple, and no hoods please! The rest was basically up to me.

Without access to Lotro it was hard to check for availability of items in vault and wardrobe, so I concentrated on items that are relatively easy to access, especially at level cap. The cloak that I used in this outfit, was a unique item at the time when I took these screenshots, and available only from The Great River area as a quest reward. To my delight a cloak with the same appearance now also drops as a BoE item in the new Webs of the Scuttledells instance, so you will be able to find it on the Auction House as Spider-silk Cloak as well. I hope this outfit serves as an inspiration to enjoy playing Lotro again!
Just for the fun of it I made a second outfit for Tiny as well, with a very elvish appearance and definitely no brimmed hat!

Head: Plumed Hat, umber dye (world drop or crafted T6 light armour as Master’s Hat)
Shoulders: Padded Shoulder Pads of the Wold, yellow dye (Rohan quest reward or barter, light armour)
Chest: Robe of the Seven Stars, umber dye (cosmetics vendor Skirmish camp)
Hands: Hale-glofas, yellow dye (Rohan quest reward or barter, light armour)
Feet: Reclaimed Nobleman’s Shoes, umber dye (Great River quest reward, light)
Back: Cloak of the Unwelcome Guest, umber dye (Great River quest reward, light)

This second outfit for Tiny came together after Update 9, as a result of the Barad Guldur armor becoming available at the Skirmish camp. I don’t know of many serious outfitters who are not delighted with these additions, because many pieces of these level 65 armor sets are must-haves, or at least desirable items. One of those must-haves are the level 65 Loremaster’s shoulders. These are so unique and beautiful that they are a wonderful addition to any wardrobe, and can be worn with dresses, armor and robes alike. For this outfit I chose a classic Mirkwood look with crafted pieces, and only those shoulders as a finishing touch, and no cloak as to make it stand out more.

Except for the shoulders, the entire ensemble is made with crafted items. However these are crafted with Mirkwood recipes so you need a Tailor with Friend standing in Mirkwood to craft them. The recipes can be bought in Ost Galadh, and once learned are not forgotten again. At level 65 this armor set was very common, but these days the items are rare. I still like them for their natural look and leather-like base color and they are an excellent match to any other item from the Barad Guldur sets that you may want to combine with.

Head: Tawarwaith Helmet, ranger green dye (crafted T6 Mirkwood recipe, light armour)
Chest: Golden Host Coat, ranger green dye (crafted T6 Mirkwood recipe, medium armour)
Shoulders: Lore-keeper’s Shoulders, rust dye (skirmish camp Classic vendor, level 65 Barad Guldur set)
Legs: Golden Host Leggings, ranger green dye (crafted T6 Mirkwood recipe, medium armour)
Hands: Golden Host Gloves, ranger green dye (crafted T6 Mirkwood recipe, medium armour)
Feet: Tawarwaith Shoes, ranger green dye (crafted T6 Mirkwood recipe, light armour)

Finally time to make myself another outfit! It’s noticeable that I haven’t been playing many instances or raids lately, because my medallion pool is swiftly shrinking to an all time low, and there’s still so many fantastic Dol Guldur pieces that I would like to add to my collection! I do hope the level 65 pieces will get converted to cosmetics some time soon, so we can get them a bit cheaper, because I cannot keep up with everything I want this way!
For those who are still after some Ost Dunhoth pieces but have a hard time gathering the Medallions of the Northmen, the good news is that by next update these pieces can be obtained with regular medallions too. I have no idea what they will cost, but Bullroarer will be up soon so we can check. I assume the prices will be in the same range as the Dol Guldur level 65 pieces. And in case you are really running low on medallions too, the Lotro store has two of the Ost Dunhoth sets available from the Mannequins.
The cloak in this outfit used to be different. Ever since the release of the Annúminas cluster in 2007, its color was chartreuse and only the tiny branches and leaves were dyeable. It was a unique and beautiful color. Last year this suddenly changed where the branches and leaves became the undyeable part and the cloak itself will now change color. Personally I still feel sad that this was changed. I /bugged it, but apparently it’s working as intended because it was never changed back to its original state.

The best news of the week comes from the Twitter devchat: as per next update we will get a *free* toggle to opt out of forced emotes! (Yes, free, as in not in the Lotro store but available to everyone!). Now I know this is a very touchy topic on the Lotro forums, but I myself am incredibly relieved that this is finally being implemented. I was never very vocal about it, but I absolutely hate forced emotes. I don’t use them on other people and I don’t appreciate people using them on me either. The fact that this feature will be offered free of charge just gained Turbine a boost in +rep from my perspective, especially because lately every feature seems to come with a price attached.
Another thing coming by next Update are the new armor sets! No doubt it will require some grinding and raiding to obtain them, but at least it’s something new to look forward to and work towards. I really hope they look good and don’t suffer from clipping and deformations!

Chest: Blade of the West Breastplate, Evendim blue dye (barter Harndirion, champion)
Shoulders: Shoulders of the Hopeful Melody, Evendim blue dye (Skirmish camp Classic vendor, Dol Guldur level 65 minstrel)
Legs: Blade of the West Leggings, Evendim blue dye (barter Harndirion, champion)
Hands: Gloves of the Quiet Knife, Evendim blue dye (barter Ox-clan Camp, burglar)
Feet: Reclaimed Nobleman’s Shoes, Evendim blue dye (Great River quest reward, medium)
Back: Cloak of the Seven Stars, Evendim blue dye (Skirmish camp Cosmetics and Classic vendor, Annuminas light set)

So when Ketani mentioned on Twitter last week that there was a new store exclusive Steed available in the Lotro store with actual silver colored armor, I knew my champion berserker would finally have his own “class steed”. I never bought him the champion steed because it’s just not my taste. I was always hoping for something more heavily armored, and it finally arrived! Just like any other store exclusive steed (or reputation steed for that matter), it comes with certain drawbacks. For starters it has an undyeable olive colored blanket . Now I know for a fact that every player who rides a war-steed and has ever purchased some gear color packs absolutely hates this. Just as much as undyeable parts of an outfit are an insult to a carefully color coordinated look. Well, maybe you can live with it if you adore olive, but… to me it’s an eyesore. However there are too many eyesores in the world of Lotro cosmetics to even bother anymore, so I got my steed and got him as close to looking good as I could. My champion has only limited access to war-steed colors as in my opinion they’re still way overpriced and I only bought him two packs when they were on sale last year.
The saddle that is included in this set looks really cool, however, it is as flawed as it is cool because when my champ sits on it, the high front part cuts through his abdomen. So I decided to use the regular black saddle and have him sit more comfortably.
Despite all these discouraging issues, he turned out looking great and I’m very happy with my purchase and pleased with the end result of his looks.
The Steed of the Khundolar is currently for sale for a limited time until February 28, 2013.

The outfit pieces that I used all come from the Steely Dawn Steam deal that was on a 50% sale last December. Minus the chest piece which is an Isengard quest reward that I still treasure as one of the better chest pieces in game. The matching detail is the color of the sleeves, which are an undyeable…. olive.

Head: Helm of the Steely Dawn, cannot be dyed
Shoulders: Shoulders of the Steely Dawn, cannot be dyed
Chest: Hyrde-Bréost, black dye (Isengard landscape quest reward, heavy armour)
Hands: Gauntletsof the Steely Dawn, cannot be dyed
Feet: Bootsof the Steely Dawn, cannot be dyed

War-steed:
Khundolar Halter – grey
Khundolar Caparison – grey
Khundolar Leggings – grey
Plain Black Saddle
Hide: grey
Tail: white

I was actually going to do a low-level outfit for my hobbit warden, until I saw this week’s sale being announced and noticed that the War-steed colour and equipment dyes are on sale! As you may know I find the base price of the war-steed cosmetic features way too high (especially since these prices are per character) and refuse to buy them at full price, so whenever they are on sale, I am interested. My lore-master’s steed got a colour make-over and a new combined outfit. For the outfit itself I used yellow dye which is one of the few free colours, but more important than equipment colours are the hide colours, as the dull default grey of the skin is just unbearable. Being able to change hide and mane colour of your steed makes a lot of difference to the visual enjoyment of the game.
I may purchase some accessories too later this week, if my TP funds allow me to.

Now something needs to be said about the Robe of Eomer that is used in this outfit. It is one of several crafted Tier 8 items that are affected by deformations. The severity of the deformation depends on the race and gender that you are using the item on. This Robe for example cannot be used on female elves for it makes their arms look like spaghetti and their chest like a deflated balloon. The same is true for the medium and heavy crafted chest pieces. Many of the Tier 8 items are terribly deformed on certain races. This robe has a slightly weird look on Race of Man females as well, the shoulders look too square for my taste, but that may just be the design of the robe itself and not a deformity. I have bugged the deformities in game and I know many other players have as well, but so far nothing has been changed about their appearance. It’s a real shame because of all armour pieces that came out of the Rohan expansion, the crafted pieces are the best looking, but unfortunately often unusable as cosmetics. Maybe if we continue to bug these items, some day they will be corrected.

Head: Quilted Hat, yellow dye (crafted Tier 2, light armour)
Chest: Spirited Assault Robe of Éomer, yellow dye (crafted Tier 8, light armour)
Hands: Fingerless Gloves, yellow dye (Yule Festival reward, cosmetic)
Feet: Potent Skirmish Boots of the Mark, white dye (crafted Tier 8, medium armour)

War-steed:
Lore-master’s Caparison – yellow
Lore-master’s Leggings – yellow
Hide – copper
Tail – flaxen chestnut
Accessory – Steed of Night
Light Saddle of the Wold

So it’s Fashion Week, and I have the honor of hosting Coupon Codes for two free dye colors at the Lotro Store! You can find these codes in the left side bar of this blog. To help you get inspired I will post two outfits during Fashion Week using these colors as their main theme.
My favorite dye color is black. Black is always stylish and black evens out all wishy washy background colours that we sometimes find on armour, so it’s both beautiful and useful. Since it’s Fashion Week, looking fancy is way more important than the practical aspects of your outfit, so a huntress in a robe is just perfect for the occasion!

The hat and shoulders are part of the Ost Dunhoth Minstrel set, which can be bought with medallions at Harndirion or can be purchased as cosmetics from the Mannequins for the duration of this patch (10). If you are like me you probably received a load of Mithril Coins with the conversion of Festival Tickets and Travel Writs, so if you’re wondering what to do with those, grabbing some of those Mannequin sets might be a good idea.
I hope you all participate in the Fashion Screenshot Contest this week because I count on you to give us a really hard time judging all the entries for the Fashionista’s Choice Award!

Head: Voice of the West Hat, black dye (Ost Dunhoth Minstrel set or cosmetic)
Shoulders: Voice of the West Shoulders, orange dye (Ost Dunhoth Minstrel set or cosmetic)
Chest: Runemaker’s Armour, black dye (Barad Guldur Runekeeper’s set level 65, Classic Vendor)
Hands: Fingerless Gloves, black dye (Yule Festival cosmetic)
Feet: Reclaimed Nobleman’s Shoes, black dye (Great River quest reward, light)
Back: Fancy Quiver, black dye (Trestlebridge outfitter cosmetic)

The Lady of the Lake is the mysterious ruler of Avalon in the Arthurian legend. There are several related characters in the role which include giving King Arthur his sword Excalibur, enchanting Merlin, and raising Lancelot after the death of his father.
Nenuial or Lake Evendim to me is always reminiscent of Avalon somehow, even though it’s from a different world and a different legend.
Not motivated to do any raiding or end game content at the moment, I started a new character and thought she was perfect to model as the Lady of the Lake!

In Lotro fashion I often find that the rule “less is more” is true. There are many cool shoulders, cloaks and helmets to add to an outfit, but sometimes you just have to allow the simplicity of a gown speak for itself. This particular dress is only available at the reputation vendor in Thangulhad, and can be purchased at kindred standing with the Elves of Mirkwood. There is a long sleeved version available from the barter as well (which is also sold in the Lotro store), but the sleeveless version is more appropriate when going for a swim. I fell in love with the Barad Guldur runekeeper headpiece, and just these two simple pieces together made the perfect outfit for my Lady of Avalon.

Head: Runemaker’s Hat, sea blue dye (Classic vendor, Barad Guldur light armour Runekeeper)
Chest: Elegant Elven Dress, sea blue dye (Reputation vendor Thangulhad, Mirkwood)

Players have addressed me with questions regarding the mannequin outfits which I would like to answer in this post, hoping to clarify some issues that players seem to be concerned about.

1. Why did the mannequin outfit prices go up from 20mc to 50mc?
Answer: my best guess is that the original price of 20mc was incorrect. Mannequin outfits used to cost 775TP before update 9, which is closer to 50mc than to 20mc. In my opinion, the price of 20mc for an entire outfit was too low compared to other outfits in the store.

2. Can I still buy the outfit that was on the mannequins before this update?
Answer: No you cannot. I have no idea how often or even if these outfits will rotate at all, but don’t expect it to return to the mannequins any time soon. However there are other ways to obtain the same pieces, so ask around on the cosmetics forum.

3. I want the Armour of the West set, can I buy it in the store?
Answer: Not currently, but perhaps some day the “of the West” armor sets will be sold in the store for a limited time just like the Rift and Helegrod sets are. However if you have enough medallions and can make it to Harndirion in Enedwaith (which is even possible as a chicken!), you can purchase the regular Lesser Armour of the West pieces from the vendor there and share them with your other characters through the wardrobe system. You DO NOT need to be the exact class nor a minimum level to buy these pieces, any character can purchase these.

4. Is Cosmetic Lotro the only one designing mannequin outfits?
Answer: Obviously not, as many sets that are on the mannequins are just the regular, pre-designed sets and some ensembles that were combined by the Turbine team. I have submitted a few outfits to Turbine, based on what players had asked for in the poll on this blog. My aim is to get as many rare, obsolete or hard to acquire items on there as possible, specifically the old PvMP items and unique cloaks. I have also suggested on several occasions to simply put the original complete armour sets on the mannequins, which I hope they will take to heart and do in the future.

5. Can I submit my own outfit for the mannequins?
Answer: I don’t see why not, but I have no idea if Turbine will accept such submissions. If you are interested in sending in your ideas, please contact a member of the community team through the forum.

I hope these answers are helpful, if you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to ask on the comment section of this post.
As for myself, I am very pleased with my new mannequin outfit, as I have obtained an obsolete Rune-keeper robe that is no longer available through any other means in game. This is true for all items in that particular outfit (displayed on a hobbit mannequin), which is a blend of Rune-keeper items and the very desirable Minstrel shoulders, so in my opinion well worth the purchase. I love to put thick robes on my super skinny Rune-keeper as it gives her a bit of shape and makes her look more normal. On top of that, the base color of this robe is a perfect match to the base color of the Rune-keeper steed caparison which is on sale this week.
I’m always happy to promote cosmetic and fluff items in the store as I’m always hoping that the revenue from those items keeps this game going, rather than items that improve your character or item stats. I’m really looking forward to loads of more fluff items coming our way with the 6th Anniversary festival that will start this week!
Just a friendly reminder to the rune-keepers: you can use ANY rune-satchel cosmetically, including those above your level, legendary and even unidentified, provided you have the Wardrobe feature and a free slot to put it in. So check the Auction House for something more attractive than the extremely dull level 85 ones that are around. I do not recommend buying the ones from the Lotro store as those cannot be dyed.

Shoulders: Lesser Arrow of the West Shoulder Guards, white dye (Harndirion barter or mannequin cosmetic)
Chest: Cer. Robe of the Word-crafter, white dye (mannequin cosmetic)
Hands: Cer. Gloves of the Word-crafter, white dye (mannequin cosmetic)
Feet: Cer. Shoes of the Word-crafter, white dye (mannequin cosmetic)
Satchel: Master’s Rune-satchel of Dagor, white dye

Just when I think I’m done posting for a while because there’s not enough time in the day, I get distracted by this awesome Spring Festival war-steed Caparison that is just begging me to be used in a screenshot. This most outrageous neon-green color has me completely fascinated, so here it is. The dawn gave me just enough time to capture a few worthwhile screenshots of my latest dark and mysterious night elf outfit.

There’s no shot of the backside of the outfit unfortunately, but this unique top, which is now for sale at Lalia’s Market in Bree, has a beautiful back, so I didn’t cover it up with a cloak. If you love the Annúminas cosmetics, this top makes a great addition to the Seven Stars set. I first saw this top during the Dressage daily in Harwick but had not seen it before and had no idea where to get it. I’m so glad it’s now available as a cosmetic!
The head piece however is no longer available in game, as it belongs to the obsolete PvMP Hunter’s armour set. I hope those sets will show up at Lalia’s too some day!

Head: Helm of the Hawk-eye, black dye (Hunter PvMP set, no longer available)
Shoulders: Shoulders of the Wall-warden, black dye (Warden BG level 65 set, Classic Vendor)
Chest: Jacket of the Woods, black dye (Lalia’s Market, cosmetic)
Hands: Gauntlets of the Hidden Paths, black dye (Great River quest reward, heavy)
Legs: Leggings of the Seven Stars, black dye (Annuminas Light Set, Cosmetics Vendor)
Feet: Boots of the Shadow-walker, black dye (Burglar BG level 65 set, Classic Vendor + Lalia’s Market)

War-steed: black hide & mane, tail
Caparison: Spring Lissuin Caparison, black
No saddle, halter or leggings. Elves ride bareback!

The good part of the Summer Festival in my opinion is that Turbine has offered us an enjoyable festival without too much of a steep grind to obtain our items. Just like the Spring Festival, the amount of tokens needed for a horse or the (war-steed) cosmetics is well within reason. This makes it fun for me to participate with all my characters without feeling like I’m doing something I should not be doing. So far 3 of my characters have obtained the horse.
Unfortunately I’m not very excited about the matching cosmetics. There is no dress in the new set, which is a disappointment if you like the girly stuff, and the old world design that is used for the robe is well… old. I would have loved to have seen this rising sun design on one of the longer Dunland model robes. The war-steed cosmetic consists of only one piece, the caparison. There is no matching saddle, leggings or halter. This is in line with the looks of the regular horse version.
So for my matching war-steed outfit I decided to use a classic dress, and I’ll just store that robe for colder days in Autumn. The war-steed caparison dyes well in all colors, although in my opinion not all colors are a good match to the greenish hemline. Fortunately the old Rohan pre-order war-steed cosmetics come in handy now if you wish to use additional gear, as their color green is an exact match to the hemline.

Chest: Innkeeper’s Dress (olive dye), Lotro Store cosmetic
Head: Harvest-brew Circlet (no dye), Fall Fesitval cosmetic
Hand: Foxglove, reward from Epic Vol.III, Book 10, Ch.15, hand item

War-steed:
Caparison of the Midsummer (sienna dye)
Rohirrim Elite Leggings (no dye), Rohan pre-order item
Rohirrim Elite Tail (copper), Rohan pre-order item
Hide (dark chestnut)

I know that it’s not at all lore-appropriate to run around Middle-earth looking like a Musketeer, but since I am a hopeless romantic I just had to make my own Comte d’Artagnan. I originally made my male Champion to sort of look like Aragorn, but ever since I created him some four years ago I have used him to look like more or less any attractive man that I could think of. I’m convinced that many male MMO players create female toons to look at something pleasing as well, non?
I was never able to create the perfect Musketeer-look but accidentally found the new Tier 8 Wildermore crafted heavy armour to be a very good match to an old cloak he had in his vault, and I was pleased enough with the end result to post it to my blog.

My summer holiday has started and rather than sitting outside in the sun I find myself drawn to outfitting again. Some bad habits never go away I guess, ha ha. I may be posting a few more in the next few weeks!

Chest: Potent Wildermore Armour (Ered Luin Blue dye) – crafted T8 Wildermore heavy armour
Head: Elegant Plumed Hat (Ered Luin Blue dye) – Lotro store cosmetic
Shoulders: Storyteller’s Furlined Mantle (Ered Luin Blue dye) – Dunland quest reward
Hands: Eastemnet Skirmish Gauntlets (Ered Luin Blue dye) – crafted T8 medium armour
Feet: Disused Boots of the Dunland Soothsayer (Ered Luin Blue dye) – Dunland quest reward
Back: Cloak of the Stronghold (Ered Luin Blue dye) – drop from Igash, Grand Stairs Moria

Well there’s not much news to report about Lotro lately, so I really have no idea what we can expect in terms of (pre-order) outfits and the Helms Deep expansion looks. I must admit I am rather curious and getting a little impatient. Meanwhile I am keeping myself busy with other things, dressing up my alts or even playing a level or two. So here’s my hunter in a new outfit.

In addition I would like to point you to a very nice post about Wardrobe Management by The Starry Mantle. In case you are wondering how to hold on to all those precious outfits and armour pieces, this guide provides plenty of useful tips!

Head: Lesser Arrow of the West Helmet, burgundy dye (Harndirion Barter Hunter Set)
Shoulders: Lesser Arrow of the West Shoulder Guards, burgundy dye (Harndirion Barter Hunter Set)
Chest: Far-arrow’s Jacket, white dye (Classic Vendor BG 65 Hunter set)
Legs: Far-arrow’s Leggins, white dye (Classic Vendor BG 65 Hunter set)
Hands: Far-arrow’s Gauntlets, burgundy dye (Classic Vendor BG 65 Hunter set)
Feet: Far-arrow’s Boots, burgundy dye (Classic Vendor BG 65 Hunter set)
Back: Swan-cloak, burgundy dye (Lotro store cosmetic)

I think the regular Steed of Plenty is incredibly dull, but fortunately its caparison dyes very nicely so I decided to spice up its colours a bit on my warsteed to make it look more bountiful. The 120 tokens are not hard to accumulate, with only a couple of hours play you should be able to get this, which I think is wonderful as I can get it on all my warsteed riding characters.
In my view the robe is best used without any shoulder pads or hoods. It is very decorative and those decorations are covered up by most accessories.

It’s unfortunate that for the second year in a row Turbine is doing back to back festivals in summer again. While there is a very long and boring span between Yule and Anniversary, and months go by without any festivals, now we are getting them too soon too often again. Since Anniversary we got Spring festival, Treasure Hunt, Summer Festival, Farmer’s Faire, and the tale of the Shipwrecked Mariner already around the corner and a month after that Autumn Fest is already due. Not to mention the launch of the new expansion and all those Bounder’s Tokens that still need to be collected for Michel Delving. Too much to do in too little time!

Head: Tactical Eastemnet Campaign Circlet, black dye (crafted T8 light armour)
Chest: Robe of Plenty, crimson dye (Farmer’s Faire cosmetic)
Hands: The Beast-keeper’s Gloves, cannot be dyed (Ox-clan camp Loremaster armour)
Feet: Gardening Boots, black dye (Farmer’s Faire cosmetic

Mount:
Caparison of Plenty, crimson (Farmer’s Faire reward)
Halter of the Minstrel, crimson
Leggings of the Minstrel, crimson
Plain Saddle
Hide & Tail, black

My home server Snowbourn finished the Bounder’s Bounty yesterday! Congratulations to all who participated and worked hard to donate those tokens! There was a celebration at the statue when the boon appeared, people were dancing, playing music and lighting fireworks. Even on a non-role-playing server there was a real party!
My hobbit is now the proud owner of a Steed of Michel Delving (which includes the war-steed cosmetic set) and wears the Bountiful Bounder’s title. The matching war-steed cosmetics cannot be dyed which is always disappointing, but its colours are really lovely so I won’t hold too much of a grudge over this one.

However, I do not understand why some of the more prominent items like the pre-order cosmetics in all expansions, cannot be dyed. Items that cannot be dyed instantly lose about 90% of their potential cosmetic value. Those items quickly end up collecting dust in my vault because I simply refuse to let my characters wear the same uniform as everyone else.
Who knows, I might still pre-order some time next month, but it will not be for the cosmetics. I just want to experience Helms Deep and continue playing my story in Middle-earth. Naked if I have to!

Head: Voice of the West Hat, rust dye (Harndirion barter, minstrel set)
Shoulders: Supple Wildermore Shoulders, olive dye (crafted T8 tailoring guild recipe)
Chest: Innkeeper’s Dress, burgundy dye (lotro store cosmetic)

War-steed:
Caparison of Michel Delving – cannot be dyed (Bounder’s Bounty Vendor)
Leggings of Michel Delving – cannot be dyed (Bounder’s Bounty Vendor)
Saddle of Michel Delving – (Bounder’s Bounty Vendor)
Rohirrim Elite Tail – (Riders of Rohan war-steed cosmetic)
Hide – black chestnut
Tail & Manes – sorrel

“Nooooooooooo!”

“Foundered off the coast of Barandalf and no one around to help…”

“And those bandits on the other shore are crawling all over the place wrecking my kegs!”

“This looks bad. Really really bad…”

“Thankfully one of the kegs survived the wreck!”

“There’s nothing that a proper dwarven ale cannot solve!”

Enjoy your own Tale of the Shipwrecked Mariner and make sure to get your Pirate Outfit!

Head: Feathered Felt Hat, default dye (Lotro store cosmetic)
Shoulders: Supple Wildermore Shoulderpads, white dye (crafted light armour T8 tailoring recipe)
Chest: Supple Wildermore Robe, white dye (crafted light armour T8 tailoring recipe)
Hands: Fingerless Gloves, umber dye (Yule Festival cosmetic)
Feet: Padded Shoes, umber dye (light armour vendor Bree)

Yesterday was one of those days that I felt really nostalgic about Lotro and wanted to make (yet another) ranger outfit. I know ranger outfits are a bit redundant as there are already thousands of ranger outfits out there, but I really wanted my champion to look the part. My champ is the last of my four endlevel characters that has yet to hit level 85, and I want to get him there before Helm’s Deep launches. But in order to get me motivated to level him, he really needed a new look. So here it is, very classic ranger, and I love how it turned out. He’s questing around Ethengels now and this is just the perfect outfit for it. Ready for the last few miles in East Rohan!

By the way, don’t try this outfit on your female characters. The appearance of this chestpiece on female characters is, (just like almost every other crafted T8 chestpiece), bugged and your female legs will look like overcooked spaghetti.
Meanwhile keep an eye on the Lotteries, as the Helm’s Deep Premium Edition can be won today and every now and again.

Head: Woodland Ranger’s Hood, ranger green dye (cosmetic reward Vol.III, Bk11)
Shoulders: Fine Grey Company Wrap, ranger green dye (cosmetic reward Vol.III, Bk.5)
Chest: Combat Armour of Éomer, ranger green dye (crafted T8, medium armour)
Hands: Battered Dunlending Gauntlets, ranger green dye (quest reward Isengard, heavy armour)
Feet: Woodland Ranger’s Boots, ranger green dye (cosmetic reward Vol.III, Bk11)
Back: Campaign Backpack, ranger green (lotro store cosmetic)

“On all her breezes borne,
Earth yields no scents like those;
But he that dares not grasp the thorn
Should never crave the rose.”
― Anne Brontë

I was finally bold enough to make a rose coloured outfit! I’m so proud, ha ha. I have always pretty much avoided rose dye. I think it makes most armour look like Barbie clothes and I’m not playing Hello Kitty but Lotro. Actually my female characters all wear mostly earthen colours like umber, sienna, black and olive. Sometimes I will throw in a little red or blue but I usually avoid the brighter colours like sea blue, purple and rose. Nevertheless I love it when I see players that use those colours in very original ways, it’s just not so much my style, at least it wasn’t until I saw Nathrien’s rose outfit and thought it was brilliant. It inspired me to come up with a rose coloured outfit of my own. So here’s the result: tough girls wear pink!

The shoulders in this outfit can only be obtained by Minstrels at the Minstrel class trainer in Moria, so even though these are cosmetically one of the best items in the game, they cannot be obtained by all classes. I hope that Lalia will some day soon add these to her collection at Lalia’s Market, so everyone can enjoy the cosmetic benefits of this wonderful accessory. As an alternative there are light armour shoulders in the Hobbit presents with the same design. You can try to roll for those on a light armour character, however that particular model has a dark background colour.
All other pieces can be obtained by all classes and used in the wardrobe. So even if your character is a Loremaster, you can still purchase the Guardian items in Galtrev or the Warden leggings in Enedwaith. If you want to know more about how to purchase items that are not for your class, check out my cross class bartering guide.
The leggings can be obtained at Lalia’s too as part of a full cosmetic set: Windsinger.

Head: Westfold Campaign Helm, violet dye (crafted light armour T7 recipe)
Shoulders: Shoulders of the Mighty Verse, white dye (Minstrel, Watcher raid armour, Moria)
Chest: Chestplate of the Indomitable Protector, rose dye (Guardian, raid armour, Galtrev)
Hands: Gauntlets of the Indomitable Protector, rose dye (Guardian raid armour, Galtrev)
Legs: Defender of the West Leggings, rose dye (Warden raid armour, Harndirion)
Feet: Cry of the West Boots, rose dye (Captain raid armour, Harndirion)

Of all the seasonal outfits that I have created since starting this blog in early 2011, Autumn outfits are probably the most prominent. It is my favorite season of the year, and the Trollshaws have exactly what it takes to get in the mood. So for this year I had to stop by the area and create one more Autumn outfit yet again.

The Harvestmath Festival should be starting by the end of this month. I’m eagerly checking the calendar every day, but so far have not found the dates on there. The Festival will give us all a chance to grind some extra Bounder’s Tokens for (an extra) Steed of Michel Delving. Today’s patch changed the dye pattern on the War-steed Cosmetics of this Steed and made the trimmings able to be dyed. I love it when Turbine makes positive cosmetic changes like that!!

Head: Fine Grey Company Hood, black dye (cosmetic reward from Vol.III, Bk. 5)
Shouders: Shoulders of the Wall-warden, orange dye (skirmish Classic vendor, warden DG set level 65)
Chest: Jacket of the Clever Conselor, black dye (Galtrev, Rune-keeper raid armour)
Hands: Cer. Gloves of the Cabeddan, gold dye (cosmetic from Lalia’s market) *the non-ceremonial version from the Ox-clan camp cannot be dyed*
Legs: Cer. Doom-hunter’s Leggings, black dye (skirmish Cosmetics vendor, hunter Rift set)
Feet: Worn Ranger’s Boots, black dye (cosmetic reward from Vol.III, Bk 5)
Back: Wrap of the Turning Leaves, black dye (cosmetic from Harvestmath Festival)