Complete List of Lotro's Storylines & Loose Ends That Need to Be Tied Up... Eventually

[shoreless]

Gandalf's intern

Actually lol’d. it’s funny because it’s true!!

Anyways I logged on to the forums today expecting to find a landfill fire (don’t worry, I did) but lo! I also find this amazing thread.

I’m 80% here for the lore, but I’ve gotten real lazy about reading the quest text of late. So thank you for reminding me about all the excellent stories that are still floating all around us!! Especially interesting was how I totally forgot about Gun Ain. Let’s hope for a big call back. Who am I kidding? This is LOTRO. We have call backs a decade in the making.

Nothing to add here. I just love this thread.

[Witch0King]

meanwhile the Iron Garrison is making slow advances but still destined to fail eventually... Gundabad is a rapid war-effort advance though its large halls and all-out-war between many factions with Durin as the main mythology figure behind the content. The two are very different worlds... very hard to compare... and that's what I love about it!

It surprised me how big a part the Iron Garrison played in Gundabad. And I quite enjoyed it, because I wasn't expecting it and it really carries on the story from Moria too. I hope to see more of those characters in the future

[Mithithil]

No spoilers but in kin chat over the weekend there's an Orc whose story has raised our interest and sympathy, we'd like to follow that further.

[TesalionLortus]

Updated the list, I'm glad Gundabad had such a satisfying, bombastic ending, especially in relation to dwarves, but it still feels like there are even more loose ends left now... in particular everything relating to Angmar's presence in that entire content which I hope will be worth the wait and fully explored in the future

Btw, am I the only one who thought Car Bronach got bad treatment? Don't take me wrong, I thought it was very unique region with interesting atmosphere but I mean, the flow of the story and questing and end game... kind of meh and very frustrating even though promising. First it was delayed, apparently, which left me hanging on that juicy Brathar's scheming and his lieutenant escape from shackles. Then I went back and to my surprise the quests were there (released with Hrimil raid probably?), supposed to be done before one proceeds with the rest of Gundabad content. So on one hand, having already beaten Gundabad, it felt more like an intro to some future content - but even then it managed to remain dissatisfying/unexplained with everything relating to previously introduced Brathar Crack-helm's plan, mystery and significance. On the other hand... one is supposed to do it before the end game content of Gundabad sooo... I know LOTRO's crafty "loose ends" as future gateways to future plots can be a pain in the XXX sometimes with lots of wait time and I usually don't mind when things flow naturally but here it was just... idk, I thought it was really messy... and frustration felt can be even greater now while questing though Gundabad and then finding out none of this is mentioned ever again, and no Fell-graver in sight after the finale at the peak cementing the frustration now... At least before I had that "Brathar is planning something, Angmarim are holed up in the Spire, surely there is more to come" but NOW we have like... what? Almost everyone powerful/relevant to the "loose ends" in question taken care of and dropped dead (in the Spire/at the peak), Brathar miscalculating/loosing support from his own (maybe? but uncertain) and no indication whether there is more to come here. Turned out... well, frustrating

[Tirian-Hammerfist]

Updated the list, I'm glad Gundabad had such a satisfying, bombastic ending, especially in relation to dwarves, but it still feels like there are even more loose ends left now... in particular everything relating to Angmar's presence in that entire content which I hope will be worth the wait and fully explored in the future

Btw, am I the only one who thought Car Bronach got bad treatment? Don't take me wrong, I thought it was very unique region with interesting atmosphere but I mean, the flow of the story and questing and end game... kind of meh and very frustrating even though promising. First it was delayed, apparently, which left me hanging on that juicy Brathar's scheming and his lieutenant escape from shackles. Then I went back and to my surprise the quests were there (released with Hrimil raid probably?), supposed to be done before one proceeds with the rest of Gundabad content. So on one hand, having already beaten Gundabad, it felt more like an intro to some future content - but even then it managed to remain dissatisfying/unexplained with everything relating to previously introduced Brathar Crack-helm's plan, mystery and significance. On the other hand... one is supposed to do it before the end game content of Gundabad sooo... I know LOTRO's crafty "loose ends" as future gateways to future plots can be a pain in the XXX sometimes with lots of wait time and I usually don't mind when things flow naturally but here it was just... idk, I thought it was really messy... and frustration felt can be even greater now while questing though Gundabad and then finding out none of this is mentioned ever again, and no Fell-graver in sight after the finale at the peak cementing the frustration now... At least before I had that "Brathar is planning something, Angmarim are holed up in the Spire, surely there is more to come" but NOW we have like... what? Almost everyone powerful/relevant to the "loose ends" in question taken care of and dropped dead (in the Spire/at the peak), Brathar miscalculating/loosing support from his own (maybe? but uncertain) and no indication whether there is more to come here. Turned out... well, frustrating

You certainly weren’t the only one to notice the issues with this quest line - I made a thread a little while back about it (although only one person chimed in to agree).

Car Bronach’s quests were hugely disappointing, and I definitely feel it needs another look.

https://forums.lotro.com/forums/show...ht=Car+Bronach

[Gwinthilnel]

There's a nasty earthquake or two, and orcs are coming back again as I recall, and suddenly every settlement and a lot of characters are lost in the process. In the matter of a single, short instance, they nullified that entire expansion and left it near worthless in terms of story progression. You get what, a warning that there are bad news coming from Moria, your character get there and everything is just lost.. They could have made a story around this, but instead they relegated it to the allegiance story-lines that were quite the step down from the epics in my opinion. All you were doing throughout that Moria expansion was establish small footholds across Moria, and eliminate threats that were said to be some of the worst of that world. They should really have taken their time with it, especially if we can spend so much time watching the stout-axe make nice with the Longbeards for the past year or two.

I know this was a post from awhile ago, but I just wanted to say that I literally cried during this instance in the Allegiance questline. It was frustrating and very tragic; I've done the Moria expansion several times and have come to care about the characters we meet and help there. Now all of a sudden they are dead or captured, and we can't do anything to help? I was so angry about it (and still am to some degree). I hope something comes of this and more will be explained, but the thought of all those dwarves and some Elves dying just makes me so sad

[Anglion1]

I know this was a post from awhile ago, but I just wanted to say that I literally cried during this instance in the Allegiance questline. It was frustrating and very tragic; I've done the Moria expansion several times and have come to care about the characters we meet and help there. Now all of a sudden they are dead or captured, and we can't do anything to help? I was so angry about it (and still am to some degree). I hope something comes of this and more will be explained, but the thought of all those dwarves and some Elves dying just makes me so sad

You cried about a digital world in a video game? Really?

[gildhur]

You cried about a digital world in a video game? Really?

You've never cried watching a movie, reading a book, listening to a song? What's the difference?

[Gwinthilnel]

You cried about a digital world in a video game? Really?

I'm one of those people who gets sappy over sad movies and books, and I tend to get very invested in them. So yeah, I did, and I'm not ashamed of it. I feel like LOTRO must have done a good job if they can make me feel so engaged in the storylines and characters. I wasn't sobbing or anything, just a little teary-eyed.

[Hydranova]

I have one to add- Sagrog redemption arc?

In Abyss of Mordath, you don't kill Sagrog but rather bludgeon him back into his right sense of mind (apparently this guy is just that existentially beefy- did he get reforged into a bootleg Maiar?). He finds clarity of mind, tells you who he is, laments his failure, and leaves you in peace to....where? WHERE?! Where does FREAKIN' SAURON'S JAIL WARDEN RAID BOSS just wander off to? Like, I imagine he's non-hostile to the Free Peoples now- like, what does he do? Does he just give into despair, or (the more radical option), does this guy go about doing good because it's the right thing to do? It's not even like it's curtains for him necessarily- The Green Lady tried to heal Karazgar who's still mentally hostile and ran away, and this is the guy that (if I read the wiki correctly) one guy ponders there might be redemption for him. Heck the Valar offered Sauron a measure of mercy to him if he submitted to trial.

I just hope that if Sagrog does show up again, he doesn't get the stereotypical "redemption nerf"- at least until he's back in sound mind and body. I'm a fan of "former bad guy tries to do good but for various reasons has nothing else but his bad-guy-tools/methods to use, so they use what they got" plots.

[TesalionLortus]

I have one to add- Sagrog redemption arc?

I just hope that if Sagrog does show up again, he doesn't get the stereotypical "redemption nerf"- at least until he's back in sound mind and body. I'm a fan of "former bad guy tries to do good but for various reasons has nothing else but his bad-guy-tools/methods to use, so they use what they got" plots.

I've seen it only once on YouTube and never played the raid, although my impression was he was already somewhere between life and death and the player only heals his "soul" before he moves on? So not 'leaving' as in leaving but dying, "moving on" in an elven sort of way ??? Though now that you mention it I wouldn't be so sure anymore. Then STILL - my bet would be this is considered finished and he's 100% dead since the wiki says High-elfs witnessed the vision of Thelaron=Sagrog (in relation to Fell-graver) in Gundabad epics

I guess we may eventually get "former bad guy is still such a baddie but kind of honorable one at times, he enjoys our company facing off against bigger baddies and considers retirement from all of this" with Karazgar. Maybe. There is evidently something up with him. But yeah the "former bad guy tries to do good but for various reasons has nothing else but his bad-guy-tools/methods to use, so they use what they got" plot would have been cool to see as well! There was also the "corrupted to the end but in his last breath does something good for various, mixed reasons" with Mordirith, so already done, one would expect we'll be seeing different ones in future stories if suitable

[TesalionLortus]

I've recently polished it up a bit and made the entire list even more clear, with new stuff added.

[Alenari]

Matriarch of Nurn may be a Gurzyul, Mothgorod or Nulbanath.

[Alenari]

Lhaereth is very intresting character. She reminds me Elizabeth from American Horror story.


Also, Lhaereth reminds me Ershkigal from Mesopotamian mythology.

[DavidmeetHal]

I'm one of those people who gets sappy over sad movies and books, and I tend to get very invested in them. So yeah, I did, and I'm not ashamed of it. I feel like LOTRO must have done a good job if they can make me feel so engaged in the storylines and characters. I wasn't sobbing or anything, just a little teary-eyed.

I got misty eyed when Forlong, near death told Aragorn to tell Vanyalos that he loved her, and Aragorn told him that she knew a thousand times over.

So yeah, I teared up over a video game.


Oh, and don't get me started on FF7 when Sephiroth killed Aerith! FF7=Final Fantasy 7.

[TesalionLortus]

Matriarch of Nurn may be a Gurzyul, Mothgorod or Nulbanath.

I'm actually hoping another of the Gurzyul turns out to be a woman yeah and unlike Urudani who apparently managed to keep "the looks" (before she got turned into full-on creature of flame, that is) this Gurzyul woman would be more like the men we saw, ageless but scarred/mauled somehow, already starting to show their age because of all the battles fought and well... dark daddy being a dark daddy, dark daddy has his needs and outbursts of rage...

That being said, true, Matriarch of Nurn may turn out to be a Gurzyul title like the other ones (Pale Herald, Captain of the Pit etc) but their titles we had before were never really tied to specific governorship, so hmm, I would still put my bet on something to do with the orcs (a chief female amongst orcs???) or Nurnoths (something like Matriarch "of the Slaves" maybe, responsible for the workforce, in that context - and if a Gurzyul was specifically tied to workforce in their title that kinda... doesn't sound like an impressive title? all the other ones would have a laugh at them probably lol).

[TesalionLortus]

I revamped the information here a bit. In particular, everything relating to Car Bronach and new Angmar plots, plus figured out new things I missed before! This is really such an intriguing plot that has only been confusingly hinted at, in particular around a certain relic, and I love the "bad guys worry about their significant others too" angle.

[Gwinthilnel]

I revamped the information here a bit. In particular, everything relating to Car Bronach and new Angmar plots, plus figured out new things I missed before! This is really such an intriguing plot that has only been confusingly hinted at, in particular around a certain relic, and I love the "bad guys worry about their significant others too" angle.

Thanks for keeping this updated! So much we don't know and so many loose ends. The question is, do the devs have the time and staff to dedicate to tying any of them up? The last 2 quest packs (Yondershire and the Angle) and now Before the Shadow, all take place earlier on in the story. I wonder if their focus is going to continue to be filling in the map, rather than moving forward in time? They likely are delaying the Scouring of the Shire as long as possible because it signals the potential of the game wrapping up, but I think there is a lot to explore further to the east in Rhun/Harad/etc. When is Aragorn going to show up and try to do some negotiating/writing some treaties with these former enemies?

Curious to see what's next!

[TesalionLortus]

The question is, do the devs have the time and staff to dedicate to tying any of them up?

I wonder if their focus is going to continue to be filling in the map, rather than moving forward in time? They likely are delaying the Scouring of the Shire as long as possible because it signals the potential of the game wrapping up, but I think there is a lot to explore further to the east in Rhun/Harad/etc.

Well yeah, I would like them to focus on stories that seem relevant. So not just relevant *because they exist so they can pick one of them* - but relevant in the grand scheme of things, taking into account the scale of threat and believable character motivations. Don't mind occasional lower lvl stories though, since it happens earlier in the continuity, so it's all fine. But, say, if my player character (and surely others who were informed of it or witnessed these things themselves) knows about the Gurzyul, Drugoth returned to life, Angmarim schemes still so close to Eriador, Borangos, the devastation in Rhun, you name it... and then he is send off on some errand to solve trivial matters and nothing to do with these things but in completely opposite direction, for example... then that's immersion breaking, to say the least. Makes everyone look like they're idiots and my character as well! Attend Théoden funeral or take a short trip to escort Frodo back to Eriador (while discussing with Gandalf/Aragorn etc) would be fine but some kind of giant detour the size of Gundabad expansion for no big reason would be scales off.

When is Aragorn going to show up and try to do some negotiating/writing some treaties with these former enemies?

The way I see this, he already tried with Harad and managed only with *a clan of* Far Harad (with a bad incident nonetheless but seems like it worked). But with the Kingdom of the Black Serpent or Rhun I don't think he even needs to do that right now, when there are still other issues and Mordor to tackle. But he should be fine taking it slow - since both Rhun and Harad (and Umbar) were dealt massive blows, it's not like they can send new armies any moment now and try again. It's how unofficial cease fire works. You too proud to go and ask for peace, which is the case evidently with Near Harad and probably Rhun here - and if Aragorn sends envoys, during the crisis and internal struggles these kingdoms face now, that doesn't make much sense and doesn't serve any purpose at all. He already has an unofficial ceasefire and peace for at least some years to come assured.

[TesalionLortus]

Small update for Before the Shadow

[Arnand_the_Fox]

So do you think the new Carn Dum instance cluster will resolve the Gundabad/Angmar plot threads?

[TesalionLortus]

So do you think the new Carn Dum instance cluster will resolve the Gundabad/Angmar plot threads?

I have no idea and if it does, then that's disappointing I guess? Given how these were really strong, intriguing plot points not given as much of justice in Gundabad + these plot threads had potential to maybe build up towards the gap and around Forodwaith. The idea of having all these names mentioned being just instance bosses now and given the Firehorns treatment... meh. I mean, with Firehorns it was okay since they weren't as engaging, but Angmarim being Angmarim and even more crazy than usual could even tie to things like Throkhar potentially. Mordorrim wanna fall in line and control things, the Angmarim... wanna create chaos and creepy things under evil entities LOL. The entire "ravage Arnor for no other purpose but to destroy" kinda really is in their psyche

Unless it's just like a "logistical true Carn Dum fall that never was" (with some of the names dropped dead and matter of the stone solved, which was clearly taken to Carn Dum for some purpose) being shown now (rather than immediately after Mordirth's final fall) and then they scatter into these Western reaches maybe, to be continued. That could work too, I guess.

[elianidd2]

I want to know who/what is Magoldir.. how he shows up out of nowhere in the past here and there and nobody knows who he is or where he came from has always been very intriguing.

[TesalionLortus]

I want to know who/what is Magoldir.. how he shows up out of nowhere in the past here and there and nobody knows who he is or where he came from has always been very intriguing.

He kinda was, but I think he was supposed to be an elf who took part in the Last Alliance and a friend of Voin who tragically died, nothing more to it

[RiverBirch]

The big question about Magoldir that must be answered -- why is he the only elf in thousands of years to have a 5 o'clock shadow??

MoL, we demand an answer!! Or maybe I should be yelling at the art department...