Hidden Nuggets we see all the time...

[Witchdoctor]

On the small Island when you swim from Tinundir to the lady of the Lake there is right next to a bush a Small sand Castle.

I had to go look for it! And I found it. This game rocks.

My apologies if the image size hurts dial-up users!

Screenie here!

[Berephon]

I recall there being a mission in the North Downs i believe where you have to talk to an NPC named "Curanir" i kinda chuckled and wondered if this was Sauroman in diguise because "Curanir" is what elves call Sauroman in the same way as Gandalf is refered as "Mithrandir"

Actually, in doing a little research (doing a complete search of our game database), there is no Curanir, which is not a legitimate Sindarin compound to begin with. There *is* a Corunir in Angmar, which means "Cunning Man" or "Wily Man".

[Berephon]

I'll say it again . . . this thread is a real feel-good thread for me, and I'm sure the rest of the team. It shows that our efforts were not wasted.

[Silverlocket]

Here's a quote from the book when Aragorn and the hobbits are about to cross the Last Bridge :


And guess what item is used to create hope token? That's right, beryls.

Outstanding, Rhorzhan!

[Witchdoctor]

I'll say it again . . . this thread is a real feel-good thread for me, and I'm sure the rest of the team. It shows that our efforts were not wasted.

No, they were most definitely not wasted.

I, for one, truly enjoy the game.

I took my mother (a Tolkein fiend, herself, and the one responsible for introducing me to the books) on a virtual tour a week ago. Showed her Weathertop, the members of the Fellowship, and some other sites. She, too, was most impressed.

/Salute!

[Aesir]

Actually, in doing a little research (doing a complete search of our game database), there is no Curanir, which is not a legitimate Sindarin compound to begin with. There *is* a Corunir in Angmar, which means "Cunning Man" or "Wily Man".

Encyclopedia of Arda has an entry for Curunir.
http://www.encyclopedia-of-arda.com/c/curunir.html

Is there a material difference between Corunir and Curinir as far as the translation? (I use the Arda reference for convenience, but it isn't primary source, so maybe there is an error with that entry.)

Only reason I recalled this was that I thought "cunning" was applied to Saruman using the more negative connotation (e.g., guile, wily, deceptive) and thought that was a very cool and clever detail.

Tangent question about Enc. of Arda - is it still in the works for integration with the Lorebook (and thus, being accessible from within the game client at some point in the future)?

[Xeroproject]

Here's a quote from the book when Aragorn and the hobbits are about to cross the Last Bridge :


And guess what item is used to create hope token? That's right, beryls.

There's also a guardian pocket item called Mellonor's Elf-stone which looks like a polished beryl and improves your fate I thought that was fitting

[Cinder00]

The Tower Hills. Where the three white tower still stand to watch over the lands, and to the far west. Legend has it that one of the King's seeing stones was held there, and the stone is one that is unaccounted for.

This is true, but for the sake of lore i had to put in that this particular Palantir is accounted for, at least partially. It is known that the elves have taken it, and are in possession of it during the war of the ring. During this time it is most likely being held in the elven refuge and port, the Grey Havens. This stone was not connected in power to the other seeing stones, and so Sauron could not corrupt its users. It was used only to peer west, towards the undying lands. Apparently it was taken there on the same boat that carried Frodo, Bilbo, and the others at the end of the Return of the King.

[AmbushMartyr]

I saw a stone pillar floating 300ft in the air above a few pines in the middle of Ered Luin, forgot the town, its popular and dwarves run it, it seems.

Just for kicks i was waiting on a friend, and looking at the landscape and decided to stare at the sun to see if it would blind my character, low and behold a stone pillar floating atop the trees by 2-300ft! I was like *Bug*!

I /bugged it but never returned to see if it had gotten fixed. Anyway, is that part of the lore?

[AUGpimp706]

First I am confused to why people would think that if they "saw" a beacon that it was in the Gondor-Rohan chain. That would be pointless to have any beacon in Eriador, that would be like going around your elbow to get to your butt.

Second, if this topic is based on things from the lore and seeing it in the game, then the beacons weren't in the lore. If you remember when Gondor or Rohan needed aid they didn't light beacons and it go across the White Mountains, they sent a rider with a Red Arrow on it. So those are two reasons why beacons wouldn't be in here, one because it wouldn't be logical and two because it doesn't tie in with lore, just the movies.

Edited: added "going" before the word "around"

[Hothgaren]

Actually AUG, the beacons ARE, in fact, in the book. As Gandalf and Pippin are passing through the land of Anorien on their way to Minas Tirith, Pippin spies a fire alight atop the peak of Amon Din. Gandalf spurs Shadowfax forward saying "The beacons of Gondor are alight, calling for aid. War is kindled." (yes, I do have the book open in front of me, heh.) They were simply lit much earlier in the book and the red arrow was used to supplement their call for aid (which Jackson left out of the movie, as the whole "beacon lighting" thing was much more dramatic the way they used it).

You (and the other poster who commented) are of course correct that these could not be those same beacons at all, however.

[Serin36]

I saw a stone pillar floating 300ft in the air above a few pines in the middle of Ered Luin, forgot the town, its popular and dwarves run it, it seems.

Just for kicks i was waiting on a friend, and looking at the landscape and decided to stare at the sun to see if it would blind my character, low and behold a stone pillar floating atop the trees by 2-300ft! I was like *Bug*!

I /bugged it but never returned to see if it had gotten fixed. Anyway, is that part of the lore?

I bugged that, too; I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to be there. It looks like one of the ordinary stone markers you see down the length of the road.

As to nuggets, I'll say this: I'm very impressed that the ancient Arnorian roads, hobbit-made cobble-ways, Dwarf roads, Elven ways, and Human pavement all look appropriate, and are aged where they should be. Roads are one of a civilizations most telling characteristics, this game nailed it.

[AmbushMartyr]

I wasnt sure about the stone marker in the air, I dont know lore at all for LOTR (except by the movies) so I thought I would throw that in there cause I thought maybe it had some strange significance to it. Why does everyone find the cool stuff, and I end up finding bugs?

PS Witchdoctor, nice pic but man resizing it woulda faired better here. Gimp,Photoshop,MS Paint would do. Or crop the most important part (the sandcastle) and post. But like i said no offense its just Im scrolling across my screen as if it were super triple X widescreen edition!

[Witchdoctor]

PS Witchdoctor, nice pic but man resizing it woulda faired better here. Gimp,Photoshop,MS Paint would do. Or crop the most important part (the sandcastle) and post. But like i said no offense its just Im scrolling across my screen as if it were super triple X widescreen edition!

Sorry!

I'll make it a link, instead.

[Drolio]

It's a simple one, but I really like how if your weapon does extra damage to a type of monster, it will glow when those monsters are near you, kind of like Sting glowing around orcs.

Also, here's some links to cool threads from the Postcards from Middle Earth section:

Straight from the Books Part I: The Prancing Pony
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?t=66835

Straight from the Books Part II: Weathertop
http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?t=77907

[atteSmythe]

It's a simple one, but I really like how if your weapon does extra damage to a type of monster, it will glow when those monsters are near you, kind of like Sting glowing around orcs.

I've never seen this effect, though I've only had low-level bane weapons...

[CDawg]

Just get a weapon with 'light' damage. It will glow every few seconds with a light effect running down the weapon, and when you are moving the light effect will trail out behind you!

[atteSmythe]

Just get a weapon with 'light' damage. It will glow every few seconds with a light effect running down the weapon, and when you are moving the light effect will trail out behind you!

That's a different effect. I have two L35 Fire weapons that spark at the tip with regularity. The specific effect I'm looking for is the 'proximity to <creature type>' glow.

[djheydt]

I haven't rolled a Dwarf in a long time (since closed beta) but I recall when you started as Dwarf you were dropped into The game not far from Gandalf and a dwarf (perhaps Gloin?)

No, that's not Gloin; Gloin is in front of you and tells you to go find Gimli.

The Dwarf with whom Gandalf is arguing is THORIN OAKENSHIELD. The Dwarf newbie instance begins in TA 2941, just as the Elf instance begins a few centuries earlier, with the fall of Edhelion. The Man and Hobbit instances begin in 3018, as is appropriate for those whose lifespans are shorter.

Back in alpha, I had just made my first Dwarf and I saw those two and stopped short. "That's Thorin Oakenshield! But he's DEAD!"

It was good to see him, briefly.

Note also, how Gloin ages between the time you see him in Thorin's Gate and when you see him again in the Misty Mountains: his beard has grown longer, and whiter.

[djheydt]

I noticed something a while back during one of my search-that-unused-corner-of Middle-Earth forays that may be a real hidden nugget. I have yet to figure out who it is supposed to be and I'll keep my guesses to myself for the time being. Perhaps one of you can solve it. I do have a few screenshots but can't get them posted at the moment (I'm not on the computer where they are stored). I'll try my best to get them on here unless someone beats me to it.

When you go through the ruins of the Refuge of Edhelion, you'll find a little-visited valley. The road leads to a locked gate that presumably will eventually open to Northern Ered Luin (Lindon). On the left as you head towards the gate is the door to Skorgim's Tomb.

I looked around this valley for any nodes thinking that I might have found a good spot to gather tier 1 resources (there is none ) and slaughtered a few helpless critters for the hides. As I worked my way back to the Refuge, I spotted something on the southern cliff wall that looked out of place. As I got closer, it didn't fade into the rock surface (so it wasn't just the way the textures looked from a distance). There, about half-way up the wall, was the outline of a man's head in profile. It is quite distinct but to see it you must be either north or northeast of it. I couldn't see it from the west as I entered the valley.

Go take a look. Maybe someone will recognize the profile and solve this.

I went and looked, and I couldn't see a darned thing. Could you, at your leisure, go back there and find it again, and then post the ;loc of where you're standing when you can see it?

[MMOWarrior]

I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned.. or I missed it...

The quest series starting near Oakbarton (at the Glass Blowers) involving the Inklings..

that one really touched me!

Olyfer - Burglar 'n' Tinkerer Extraordinaire!
Olric - Guardian of Rohan, Defender of Middle Earth
Also found lurking in the Shadows - ShadowHeal / ShadowWeb

[karakedi]

I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned.. or I missed it...

The quest series starting near Oakbarton (at the Glass Blowers) involving the Inklings..

that one really touched me!

Olyfer - Burglar 'n' Tinkerer Extraordinaire!
Olric - Guardian of Rohan, Defender of Middle Earth
Also found lurking in the Shadows - ShadowHeal / ShadowWeb

It was mentioned, and here it is:

http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?t=80048&page=6

[Theftwind]

Although not a nugget from the books but something that made the wife and I both amazed at how much detail went into the game I would like to mention the Dourhands in Kheledeul (excuse my spelling...at work at present)

During the Instance for the Quest "Rescue by Monlight" where you rescue the Elf from the boat, the direct route is across the docks to the boat. However, we decided to swim the channel to the boat. While in the water the Dourhands were heard to yell out something akin to "Beware, they come by water" "Someone is splashing about in the water boys" and so forth.

It truly brought a smile to our faces and a bit more excitement to the Quest.

[Carfilhiot]

You see Gandalf telling Thorin he'll get a "burglar" for the quest they're on in the dwarf intro.

The problem with this is that by the time Gandalf met Thorin at his hall, he already had a burglar, namely Bilbo. The intro dialog here suggests that Thorin wanted a burglar, when in fact Gandalf had to persuade the dwarves to accept one. It was a nice idea, but they messed it up a bit.

[Dukayn_]

While not lore-related, I like the fact that certain NPCs that you help out with quests will comment to you.

The one that made me take notice first was the poor guard at Trestlebridge who got booted out of the guard because of some orc trickery. Once it all got cleared up and he was let back on the guard, he now thanks me for getting his job back whenever I run past him.

A nice touch I thought, and it assuages the useless feeling you can sometimes experience where you realise that the NPC is forever going to be losing and regaining his job until the end of days - at least for me he's still on the guard, regardless of the fact he's still unemployed to those new to the area.