Explore Middle-Earth (56k warning!)

[Dorf 15]

Hello long time lurker here, who really likes exploring outside the playable area in Lotro™. I decided to make an account here because this thread would most likely get deleted in the official forums.

 

For me exploring is the only remotely fun content left in Lotro after six years, so i decided to share some screenshots from my adventures.

Explorers:

 

Red Dawn in Western Rohan:

 

Beyond Gap of Rohan:

Beyond Dunbog:

 

 

Hyped Super Secret High Tech Sprites walking through solid objects:

I have alot of other screenshots of other areas too, some from South Downs, outside of Misty Mountains, Lost temple and more, though it is going to take a some time to sort all the screenshots out.

[nosam9 211]

Very cool. Nice thread.

[Luinomiel 3]

Nice to meet you and great pics. I look forward to seeing some more

[Doro 785]

I love all these sorts of things. It would be great if they could just open up the entire world, without anything but landscape for exploration.

[Anglion 10]

Welcome to the forums!

Since i started playing LOTRO in April 2007 i have been doing the same thing as you I visited majority of the off map places and you mentioned most of them.

I used to spend literally days to execute just one jump which would allow me to off the map. I have not been playing LOTRO much recently so did not have the time to go off map in Rohan like you did. Thanks for the ss, but especially thanks for not putting the "first jump" details with your ss. Now i know there are some places off map i have not visited and it is much more interesting than doing the actual content.

I just have one question: is it really explorable there or you just hit the usual invisible wall very close to the initial jump or close to the "border" of the map?

I'm asking because that is exactly what they have introduced in the old places you could visit (in Eriador for example). In Lone Lands they made it so bad that at some point when you enter the typical area of "unassigned:fix me", you are beeing teleported to Bree so imagine how frustraded you can be after trying to make the jump (the two jumps in LL now are in other places, though it may be possible to execute the old OG jump with a war steed maybe?).

Anyway, make sure your forum name here is different to your in game name or Sapience will get you banned for sure

[Dorf 15]

 

On 29.7.2013 at 5:16 PM, Anglion said:

I just have one question: is it really explorable there or you just hit the usual invisible wall very close to the initial jump or close to the "border" of the map?

 

 

 

Hardly anything is explorable anymore, usually there are invisible walls or the zone changes to "Bree-Land Unexplored Territory" and this happens:

 

 

Now here are some screenshots from South Downs.

South Downs West Side:

 

South Downs East Side:

 

[mtones 45]

Wow, very nice! That campsite is awesome! It would be a really fun place to cook and have a huge rp party, hehe. I will have to take a buddy of mine and go find it

[Ardraug 103]

Careful. The reason Turbine states for not wanting people off-map is that "characters may literally fall off the map and end up unrecoverable" (speaks volumes of their backup tools and how well they can move stuff around in their own game, if that's the case).

True or not, that opens the way for so many underhanded bans and deletions.................. just sayin', make a scratch alt if you must.

[mtones 45]

Careful. The reason Turbine states for not wanting people off-map is that "characters may literally fall off the map and end up unrecoverable" (speaks volumes of their backup tools and how well they can move stuff around in their own game, if that's the case).

True or not, that opens the way for so many underhanded bans and deletions.................. just sayin', make a scratch alt if you must.

Hehe - thanks for the advice. I have a few "off map" adventures of my own under my hat with my buddy in question, and thus far we haven't had any issues, but I don't ever take my capped characters out for this since I wouldn't risk getting them lost forever.

[Dorf 15]

 

On 30.7.2013 at 5:51 PM, Ardraug said:

Careful. The reason Turbine states for not wanting people off-map is that "characters may literally fall off the map and end up unrecoverable" (speaks volumes of their backup tools and how well they can move stuff around in their own game, if that's the case).

 

True or not, that opens the way for so many underhanded bans and deletions.................. just sayin', make a scratch alt if you must.

 

 

Been there done that:

I travelled from Misty Mountains past Enedwaidth's south western invisible walls underground. After being afk for about 40mins Lotro was in login screen and when I logged in the character was back on solid ground in Misty Mountains.

 

It is possible to replicate this same issue in playable areas too with Warsteed:

 

When you are riding warsteed and it starts to rubberbending just start smashing your jump key, it will result in

A ) Death by misadventure

B ) falling through the ground to the abyss where you can meet Morgoth

[Dorf 15]

Misty Mountains:

[Dorf 15]

Mirkwood:

[Dorf 15]

Trollshaws:

 

 

Lost Temple:

 

Rivendell Valley:

[Dorf 15]

I have finally reached the Gulf of Lhûn and the (non-existent) Grey Havens.

Location on map in-game map & Middle-Earth map:

 

Gulf of Lhûn & supposed location of Grey Havens:

 

Some Ered Luin shots:

 

I feel the warp overtaking... me it is a good pain:

[Dorf 15]

Some random shots:

[Ardraug 103]

That Gray Havens.... the landscape modelling looks like it WAS gonna be made at some point =(

[Dorf 15]

Heres something interesting:

Old speculative development map for Lotro:

http://www.visionsofthering.com/expac_timeline.shtml

Didn't Turbine promise to deliver a new landmass every 3 months?

Here are some old screenshots, trailers, and previews of Middle Earth Online & Lotro:

http://www.rpgamer.com/games/other/pc/middleearth/middleearth.html

[Anglion 10]

Dorf, the screenshots from Trollshaws and Ered Luin...did you do that recently or long time ago?

[Dorf 15]

Dorf, the screenshots from Trollshaws and Ered Luin...did you do that recently or long time ago?

Recently.

[LordVorontur 185]

That person behind Visions of the Ring had not much right in his speculation past Moria.

Far too positive. It was never realistic.

[Crow 11]

That Gray Havens.... the landscape modelling looks like it WAS gonna be made at some point =(

In Ered Luin map even now there are "doors" to Grey Havens and Northern Ered Luin. Some of such regions would be really nice refreshment at least for me, but as it is not mainstream, it will probably not happen. Landscapes in LOTRO are nice, and not all of them really should be filled with quests or full of mobs. There was this forest-lake area in good old Bree land...

[Brrokk 63]

Impressive exploring by Dorf!

I've sometimes gazed longingly through the gate in Ered Luin up a sloping path on the West side of the vale. I would also like to at least see the landscape even if there were no quests or mobs.

If I had my way I'd place an elf town at Grey Havens, with a few vendor NPCs offering unique cosmetic items and no stable routes there. Oh, and make the whole region one where mounts can't be used like an indoor one, just for people like me who would be prepared to walk it. Not going to happen I know: the "unique" items would be in the Store a couple of months later, called by different names.

[Dorf 15]

Today i have finaly seen what is in the eastern side of Tower Hills.

There are hills but there are no towers.

Two Great Dwarves meet:

 

Tower Hills western side:

[Dorf 15]

Here is a glimpse of Tower Hills east side:

Sadly the east side and the hobbit village there are not accessible anymore, you can only climb the hills in west side of Shire and have a sneak peek of Tower Hills from there.

[Dorf 15]

Dunland-Enedwaith Border: