LOTRO: Cardolan and Swanfleet Preview
The Bullroarer test server for the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online, recently had a three day preview for Update 34: Before the Shadow. Beta #1 provided an opportunity to explore the new regions of Cardolan and Swanfleet, as well as the new tutorial which starts in the village of Mossward. I shall write a separate article about the latter as it merits more than just a cursory paragraph. This post however, is specifically about the new zones themselves. The test held between Wednesday 19th and Friday 21st October, presented a fairly complete version of Cardolan and Swanfleet, which provide level 1- 32 content. The “mob” density was somewhat low in open areas. However, as this was a beta test there is scope that this will change in the final live release on Wednesday 9th November.
Perhaps the most significant aspect of the addition of Cardolan and Swanfleet is the way these new zones fit so well into the existing LOTRO world map. The new zones fill in a major geographical gap in Middle-earth and link The Shire, Bree, The Lone-lands, The Angle of Mitheithel, Eregion and Enedwaith seamlessly. As a result, the Lonelands, Eregion and Enedwaith maps have now been updated and reflect the new visual style that has been established in recent years. Overall, there is little left of Eridor now that isn’t included in the MMO. The two regions of Lindon and the Grey Havens being the most prominent locations that remain outstanding. It will be interesting to see if these areas feature in any future updates.
Players can enter Cardolan, the first of the two new zones, via the South Farthing in The Shire. This leads to Sarn Ford. Alternatively, access can be gained via the Andrath Gate in Southern Bree. This will take the player to Southern Andrath. There is also a road South from Lone-lands which passes Minas Eriol. There is also access from The Angle of Mitheithel and the Southern Trollshaws. Cardolan has five areas. The first is Ruddymore which extends from Sarn Ford on the borders of The Shire, Eastward to the town of Herne. This area is filled with Ruffians and the environment is similar to that of The Iron Hill, with a lock of dark brown rock formation. To the North of Ruddymore lies the area of Tyrn Gorthad. This is filled with Cardolan ruins, the most substantive of which is Dol Ernil on the borders of the Old Forest. The area is home to Wights and Gaunt men and is in a similar idiom to the North Downs.
The next area is Andrath. The Northern hills in this location afford views of Bree-land Homesteads, Midgewater Marshes and Weathertop (depending on your draw distance setting). Moving to the East, Cardolan is separated from the Lone-land by the South Downs. There are two remote farming communities, Scurloc and Hove, which are similar to those we see around Bree. The Barrow of Gond Orchal and the Cardolan ruins of Haudh Nirui are home to Wights and Orcs respectively. Travelling further East to the borders of The Angle of Mitheithel, there is Amon Firn. This area is filled with both Wights and Spirits and overlooks the river Hoarwell. At the heart of the Cardolan map is the decaying fortress of Caranost. Orc infest the Western side. Rangers and Elves have an enclave on the East side. I suspect that due to the size of Caranost it may be the epicentre of several major quests or instances. The area of Sedgemead lies to the South East of Cardolan, along the banks of the river Greyflood. It is wild and overgrown with flowering plants and bushes (Like Ithilien).The ruins of Nimbarth and the Nagenstones are found here. The latter being a former Elven settlement
Herne is a major settlement of Men and main quest hub that lies on The Greenway road that runs diagonally through Cardolan. It seems to be the equivalent of Combe. The Crossway House Inn is a prominent feature and the architecture in Herne is once again similar to Bree. The road South out of the town leads to an area marked on the map as Minhiriath but you cannot access it due to an invisible barrier in ruins. To the East of Minhiriath there is the Cardolan ruins of Gaervarad and a stronghold of ruffians. The Greenway runs down to the Greyflood and the expansive ruins of Tharbad. There is an encampment here of Rangers and Elves but Tharbad itself is a major enemy stronghold. The bridges across the river are broken but there is a ford across the Greyflood into the neighbouring zone of Swanfleet.
Upon crossing the Greyflood you find The Old South Road, which spans the zone from the West to the East of Swanfleet. Mossward is the first settlement you encounter and it is a small town like Archet. This is the new starter area featured in the new tutorial included in Update 34: Before the Shadow. To the North of the town are the fens and wetlands of Wadewater. So named as the water levels are navigable by foot or on horse. This is filled with water fowl, insects and Bog Lurkers. The area is reminiscent of Enedwaith and features the village of Lhan Garan which is similar to Galtrev. Nearby are the Elven ruins of Caras Gelebren. The road East leads to Echad Mirobel in Eregion. Western Eregion lies North of Caras Gelebren and is adjacent to The Angle of Mitheithel, so shares a similar environment. Tham Lasgol and Thamn Celechir are additional Elven ruins populated by Wood Trolls and Huorns.
Perhaps the most entertaining area in Swanfleet is the Stoor-vales. This area includes three settlements quite close to each other. Glen Helyg, Clegur and Lintrev are Stoor villages set among the hills away from The Old South Road and hidden from prying eyes. Aesthetically, they are similar to Maur Talhau in Enedwaith, which they link to. Hobbit settlements have a tendency to be whimsical areas and these are no different. They also provide the practical benefits of being a major crafting hub. With regard to The Old South Road, this leads to Gloomglens and Windfells in Enedwaith. It should be noted that despite its substantive in-game map appearance, Swanfleet is another region where a lot of the terrain is inaccessible and the player is funnelled to specific areas. In reality it is not a big and open zone as Cardolan. However, it does have an immersive environment.
To conclude, Cardolan and Swanfleet provide a great sense of in-game continuity. There are lots of repeated assets from other locations, but that makes perfect sense when you consider that the new zones have borders with six other existing regions. I would like to draw special attention to the ambient music for Cardolan and Swanfleet, composed by Bill Champagne. It is very appropriate and memorable. Whatever criticisms you may raise against LOTRO, its musical score is not one of them. It remains the one to beat within the MMO genre. Overall, Cardolan and Swanfleet offer an interesting addition to LOTRO, filling in a long time gap in SSG’s virtual Middle-earth. Having a new tutorial set in these zones makes creating new alts a far more appealing prospect.
In addition to the pictures in this post, here is a link to a gallery of screenshots via Google Photos. All are available at the original screen resolution of 1920 x 1200.
