LOTRO: Bullroarer Update 33 - Yondershire Beta #1
The first preview of Update 33 for the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online has been available on the Bullroarer test server for the last three days. The update features the new region of Yondershire which connects the North-west of The Shire with Ered Luin. Yondershire has a challenge level 20-23 and continues with Standing Stone Games recent trend of not just adding level cap content to the game. Yondershire can be reached by travelling West out of Little Delving or North-west out of Needlehole through Rushock Gate. Alternatively, if you are travelling South-east out of Ered Luin then follow the Eastway. If returning from Evendim, travel South-west out of Oatbarton through Bullroarer's Sward. At present a map of the new zone is not available in the current test build. However it is not too difficult to get orientated, due to the way Yondershire neatly fills the gap between The Shire and Ered Luin.
The terrain is very similar to the more temperate Westerly part of Ered Luin and there are also some similarities with The Lone-lands. There are four Hobbit settlements in Yondershire. Nobottle and Tighfield are farming communities set among well tilled fields. Gamwich and Long Cleeve are located within wooded areas. Willows groves and streams also feature in the zone. So far the flora and fauna is comparable to The Shire with Bears, Wolves, Shrews and Flies. Yondershire also features both Arnorian and Elvish ruins, populated by Ruffians or Goblins. There are also roaming bands of Boggarts. Several ruins cannot be directly accessed in this build but this may well change in the future. Yondershire is a large zone which maintains a sense of continuity with The Shire but also manages to feel more rustic and remote. I suspect this is SSG’s intention.
As ever, although I am content to visit new regions that are coming to live servers, I tend not to play any of the associated quests. Hence I cannot comment much on the playable content of Yondershire. However, judging by the amount of domesticated livestock there is roaming around I suspect that there may well be some lighthearted quests involving rounding up various animals. It should be noted that Bingo Boffin offers a quest as you enter Yondershire from Needlehole which appears to send the player straight to Nobottle. Whether this is the start of another adventure for him remains to be seen. So far Yondershire appears to be an large and interesting zone that fits perfectly between the existing regions of Ered Luin and The Shire. Not a bad achievement when you consider that SSG are trying to seamlessly dovetail new material into content that is 15 years old.
