It’s been almost 48 hours. It wasn’t even supposed to be 24 hours!!!! *sighs.* I get that switching data processors or whatever Standing Stone Games is currently doing must be a pretty big deal or whatever, and that patience is a virtue and what not, but I want my LOTRO back!!! There’s only so much arranging I can do in a day, and after arranging Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” for a 12 person acapella group and finishing nearly half of “Paparazzi,” I’m starting to go crazy. It doesn’t help that every time I checked LOTRO twitter they were pushing back the timeline for bringing the worlds back online…

First it was supposed to be up and running again yesterday at 2 am. Then 5 am. Then 11 am. Then 5 pm. Then 2 am today. Now 2 pm…I mean I get that things like this can take some time, but patience is not my strong suit.

Well since I can’t play music in game (not that I’ve ever tried tbh…it’s definitely something I should look into) I guess I’m stuck with the real thing. On the bright side, I’ve been able to polish my solo for our upcoming concert and today I finally discovered my “mixed” voice register. If that even is a thing…I’m still not really sold on the idea. One way or the other, though, I did figure out a way to sing higher notes reliably without straining or flipping to head voice so that’s cool. Of course I had to do a bunch of weird vocal exercises to finally find it which I’m pretty sure my poor sweet dog mistook for a panic attack – at any rate she seemed very concerned about me.

I suppose I could use all that reserved LOTRO time to catch up on sleep while this whole thing plays out…at least these past couple days have been a good reminder of not to take the small things we love so much for granted. I mean it’s just a game – I don’t need it for survival or comfort, and I can find other ways to amuse myself (I mean real life people are a thing too, I guess) but it is nice to just take stock and give thanks for the small things that make life better.

It makes me think back to when my main was just another level 52 champion struggling to get through Volume 1 in Angmar, reduced to using Blue Line to survive and convinced that I was stuck in the most horrible place LOTRO could devise…Back when I had him wearing all green, before I even knew about cosmetic outfits or wardrobe space…If only I knew then what I know now…I would have tried to appreciated every agonizing moment. I might have even taken my time through Mordor on the second, even third time around…

I can even look back fondly on that time when my LM and her horse fell through the ground and just kept falling…

I’m definitely not thinking about how this all could have been avoided if SSG hadn’t tried to improve things. You know, if we’d all just accepted the crappy data processors we had. I did. But I’m not thinking about that. I’m giving thanks.

I’m not going crazy. I’m fine without Lotro. Life goes on. I have other hobbies. I can find meaning in life without those pretty pixels. Just because I’m singing “neh, neh, neh, neh, neh” over and over and over doesn’t mean I’m losing it. It’s for a purpose. Really.

How much longer was that wait supposed to be?

On days like today, when I’m having a really hard time eating, working, sleeping, even just existing, it’s important to take stock and remember what I do have to live for – even if it’s the small things.

Like, for example, leveling up my warden. I REALLY want to get another character a war steed, and he’s not going to level himself up to 75 on his own. I’m serious. There have been times in the past couple weeks where this is literally the ONLY thing I can think of as wanting at the time. So much so that I even considered buying an aria or a different level advancement just so I could get there. But if I do that, then isn’t my purpose gone? Last time I blogged about my warden he was level 22. Now he’s level 58. This all happened in the course of a few days, and even though it was a VIP appreciation weekend with boosted XP, that’s still A LOT of time to spend on the computer. And normally no, I would not recommend playing a game that much in one sitting nor would I actually do it myself, but here’s the big catch: I got through those days.

Between napping, leveling, and taking every chance I got to look at the auto-generated war steeds in Bree and Rohan, I got through those few days. LOTRO might not cure sadness or depression, but it does give me an escape – some other purpose – and maybe most importantly, a feeling of progress.

I’ve grown up in a rather conservative home – my parents were not – and ARE NOT – gamers. They saw me spending time playing on the computer as bad and unproductive, and that rubbed off on me. I’ll be the first to admit that I have my issues, but this one probably cuts to the core of a lot of my insecurities: I viewed one of the few things I could actually do to feel better as a sign of laziness and defeat. So…basically…I felt bad about feeling better?

But it’s not like I’m neglecting daily duties to play on my computer. If reading helps you, then read. If playing music helps you, then play music (which I often do – I play piano, guitar, sing, and create and record arrangments for my acapella group). Do I wish I was doing something more with my life right now? But a really wise mentor once told me: If we could do better, we would (and no it wasn’t Gandalf lol). Although now would be a relevant time to mention a quote of his. When Frodo is telling him how he wishes the trials of the ring didn’t have to happen during his lifetime, Gandalf responds: “so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” – Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring.

So what am I trying to say? Basically, I love LOTRO. I love being a nerdy computer gamer who wants to ride horses around in a digital landscape and wear leather armor and shoot orcs. Because sometimes, that’s a hell of a ton better than real life, and in the moments when I really feel trapped, I can log onto my computer and explore new worlds and be new people and try new things. I get to stand right beside my favorite book characters and witness epic battles and play an important part in making history. When I play this game, I MATTER. And maybe this sounds stupid, but when life just outright sucks you have to find SOMETHING to keep you going, whether it’s a video game or an upcoming vacation or the promise of change or whatever.. As long as you find that thing and it HELPS, does it really matter where or how you find your meaning?

Basically what I’m saying is that life has pretty much sucked lately, but thanks to LOTRO it hasn’t sucked as much as it could have and I’m still functioning. It gives me something to look forward to in the tough times; it gives me a reason – no matter how small – to ride out the storm.

Just the other day, for example, after waking up hungry at 11:30 pm because I had given up on trying to force feed myself dinner at 7 and simply gone to bed, I made myself some oatmeal and logged onto LOTRO. And what do I find? A band. Like, an actual, proper band parked right outside the Auction House in South Bree playing A-Ha’s “Take on me.” No joke. It was incredible. And I don’t normally play this game with the sound on, but one of the band members was posting lyrics to the local chat. So I turned on the in game sound. I asked them if it was oldies night and they said they would take requests so I asked if they knew any Queen and they just started playing Bohemian Rhapsody. I gave them a shout out in world chat. My champ applauded and danced, cheering whenever they finished a song. It was so bizarre and amazing and in that moment I just loved everything. Of course, the guy then started becoming racist toward a certain ethnicity (which I will NOT mention) and misogynistic which, as a female gamer, I do NOT appreciate, so I promptly left because I refuse to engage people online. Quick sidebar, I think it’s really funny how people assume gender based on your toon when you could be literally anyone behind that computer screen. Maybe it’s because we as humans just love to fit people into properly sized boxes all the time and tend to freak out if we can’t. All I know is, I’m treated differently depending on which gender my current toon prescribes to. Surprisingly I’ve generally been treated more respectfully when playing as a female, which I find odd considering in real life we women are much more prone to harassment. In LOTRO it seems to have (so far) been the opposite. Other people tend to be MUCH more confrontational with me when they think I’m a guy and seem to adopt a relaxed, dare I say it, obnoxious? attitude. The band guy, for instance, obviously thought of me as an ally and kept calling me “dude” and “bro” despite the fact that I totally did NOT approve of what he was saying and told him as much. I left before he could start insulting me (I have a no-engagement policy when it comes to trolls), but I did log off my main and onto a female toon just to see what he was doing when my watchful “male” gaze had disappeared. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately? I’m honestly not sure which would have been better…) nothing changed – he remained a jerk – but while I was toon hopping someone else gave him a proper scolding which I greatly appreciated. Pretty sure he didn’t get it though…Not sure an RPG is the best platform for social commentary…

Anyways, after leaving the quickly escalating performance, I found ANOTHER band in Bree, which was more of a medieval ensemble – and that was cool too. I just love those small in game interactions where you acknowledge other players or see something else going on in game that you’ve never seen before. Like once, I was leaving the Vault in West Bree and I caught a role play conversation going on over the “say” chat. A level 5 female human and a level 105 (or something) male elf were role playing right outside the gates of Bree, conversing as their characters and even addressing the guard at the gate. So what did I do? I naturally put my human champion into “stealth” mode, switched to a dark outfit (lol no I didn’t I was already wearing black – but I did put a hood on) and ran behind some buildings where I “couldn’t be seen.” As they walked to the Prancing Pony – and I do mean walked –like actually walked – I followed via rooftops and read their conversations. I mean, if it was private I suppose they would have used IM. But it was funny! And it was also so refreshing to see these two players interacting with this virtual world in a way that I had never seen before. I’m sure there are lots of people who role play on LOTRO, but I’d never actually seen it happen. It was just super cool! And I felt a little cool myself because I felt like I became part of their story. I even snuck into the Prancing Pony via the hobbit door on the north side to keep hearing their story. I eventually got bored and logged off to go to bed, but the point is I got to experience something completely new and fun just through my computer screen. And yes, maybe it was a little rude of me to “eavesdrop,” but I honestly just became invested in their story and wanted to know what was happening! I’m a curious person! You can’t just say you’re going on some secret quest and then not tell me what it is! I gotsta know!!

So here’s to the little things in life that keep us going, like finding a near-identical horse in Rohan while hunting war bands or running across a band with an unfortunately misguided leader who plays beautiful music through a computer screen. Things like leveling up a character or grinding to get a new cosmetic jacket that you’ve wanted for literally YEARS (see my post – the Triumphant lol) or even just getting a new hide pattern for one of your horses. Even things as small as /bowing to another character in game when you’ve briefly worked together to kill Grimbark in Agamaur or waving at a kinny when you pass them in Bree. Things like pretty horses and epic weapons and intriguing stories and inspiring characters. I don’t know who at Turbine or Standing Stone Games or Warner Brothers or Tolkien or WHATEVER deserves my thanks, but whoever you are – I appreciate you and what you have done for me and many other gamers. And when the world (or world chat)’s got you down, maybe take a break. Change the filters on your chat settings. Unplug from the madness. Because all that bluster about whether or not pit-bulls are aggressive (Seriously guys? They’re dogs. They’re flipping adorable dogs get over yourselves) or whether Trump is ruining our country or saving it (no comment) isn’t really where the action is happening anyways. Go see a band. Go ride a horse. Go run through some red water. It’s probably not gonna hurt you. And if it does, you won’t be killed – just temporarily defeated. And there’s always a rez spot not too far away where you can start again.

So I know LOTRO servers haven’t even been down 24 hours…but it’s too long. Today was my first real chance in a few days – well…maybe 2 days – to spend some quality time on the game. I suffer from anxiety and depression and lately the latter has been so bad that all I’ve wanted to do is sleep so I’ve been napping a lot. I’ve been feeling a bit better today but alas LOTRO is down for the time being, so I’ve spent most of the day arranging and recording music (another hobby of mine – don’t ask).

But there’s only so much acapella you can take in one day, and I NEED my LOTRO dose, so I’ve decided to post about some of my favorite war steed outfits. I currently have an ongoing power point that I add to every time I make another war steed outfit I like. So I’m going to post a few of my favorites – they’ll be featuring my main champ mostly since he’s the only toon I really spend LPs on for war steed armor.

You’ve seen this one before, but it’s a definitely a favorite of mine. It took me a while to finally buy the Kingstead war steed armor because I’m not a big fan of the halter. Luckily though, I’d already earned the West Rohan set through war bands, and on a whim I bought the Kingstead set and found that it paired really nicely with the West Rohan halter (If you didn’t know about this lovely set, it is available IN GAME as rewards for defeating war bands in West Rohan. If you’re looking for a “battle ready” set but don’t want to spend any LPs or real life money on cosmetics, this is a great alternative).

The only drawback is that the different pieces dye differently, so you might have to play around with colors to find a good match. Here’s the set in blue: I don’t have access to LOTRO right now so I can’t definitively say which hues I used, but I do know I used a couple different ones:

Head: Halter of West Rohan
Body: Kingstead Caparison
Saddle: Kingstead Saddle
Legs: Leggings of Dol Baran 

The Esgaroth Set is also a must have in my opinion – while it is a bit unfortunate that you can’t dye the fabric anything other than the default purple, You can dye the leather straps and barding, which – even undyed – cuts a very striking figure. It’s just such a nice set. I personally think it looks best when dyed black, but you can draw your own opinions!

Head: Head-Piece of the Northern Herald (white)
Body: Esgaroth Caparison (black)
Saddle: Dol Baran Saddle
Legs: Esgaroth Leggings (black)

This is a fun one for winter – I combined the items on a whim but I really like the outcome, especially when paired with feathered legs to give the appearance of a draft horse. All items in this outfit were gained through festivals – although going forward they will probably only be available through mithril coins at festivals (I think you can barter a set with festival tokens for two years before it’s retired to mithril).

Head: Wintry Yule Halter (default/white)
Body: Caparison of the Elder Autumn (white)
Saddle: Wintry Yule Saddle
Legs: Leggings of the Gloaming Autumn (black)
Tail: Tail of the Gloaming Autumn (black)

This caparison used to be available for barter via farmer’s faire tokens, but I purchased it with mithril coins. One thing I love about it is how well it dyes – in any color really. I paired it with the dol baran leggings (a favorite of mine) because they dye very similarly, but it’s really a very versatile item. You can use it for wintry looks, for travel looks, etc. It also pairs nice with a bunch of different headpieces, which makes it great for generating new outfits.

In conclusion, save up those Mithril Coins for next time Farmer’s Faire comes around!!!!

The Marauder’s Set is very similar to the Dagorlad set – indeed, if I’m not mistaken. There is one big difference though: The Dagorlad set is available for 1995 LPs all the time in the LOTRO store (sometimes on sale for 1495) and the Marauder’s set only becomes available for limited periods throughout the year (995 LPs though), and only for a week or two. The Dagorlad set also comes with a regular mount, whereas the Marauder’s set is strictly war steed armor. Initially I told myself I could only get one of them, as they are so similar, but then Christmas came around, the Marauder’s set became available, and my resolve broke down.

I’ve paired both of these caparisons with the Osigliath Saddle (available through lootboxes or for barter with Traveler’s quartermaster) and the Head-Piece of the Northern Herald (a favorite of mine, and so far the only halter in gmae that looks like a proper bridle).

The Rhun war steed set was actually the first war steed set I ever purchased from the store. I’d been VIP a few months, and war steed cosmetics went on sale, so after lots of debate I decided on the Rhun Set. I was immediately disappointed that the saddle pad and neck piece always remained orange when the rest of the set was dyed, but I’ve come to appreciate it’s unique appearance (orange is not a color my champion often wears lol). I was even more pleasantly surprised when I bought the Dagorlad set for Christmas and found that the two sets paired quite well together. This set looks good against a black horse hide, but I ultimately decided that blue roan was the best match. After all, blue and orange are opposites on the color scheme.

Head: Halter of Rhun (default)
Body: Caparison of Rhun (default)
Saddle: Osgiliath Saddle
Legs: Dagorlad Leggings (default)
Gear: Dagorlad Gear

This one also pairs nicely with some other pieces:

You’ve seen this one too – but I really like it as a practical adventuring set.

Head: Guardian's Halter (white)
Body: Burglar's Caparison (white)
Saddle: Basic Black Saddle
Legs: Dol Baran Leggings (default)
Gear: Hunter's Gear

Here’s an outfit I think looks really nice for “ceremonial,” “showy” purposes. Admittedly the chicken on the horse’s chest looks a little odd, but the colors pair very well!

Head: Captain's Halter
Chest: Caparison of Plenty

I absolutely LOVE this one, especially when it’s on a black steed. It took me awhile to get the Citadel Guard set because parts of it don’t dye and always stay black, but I’m so glad did. Not only does it give you an armor piece to put over the rear of your horse, but the halter pairs well with A TON of stuff.

Head: Halter of the Citadel Guard (black)
Body: Heavy Caparison of the Norcrofts (black)
Saddle: Saddle of the Citadel Guard
Legs: Dagorlad Leggings (white)
Gear: Gear of the Citadel Guard

Here’s the outfit on my white steed:

It also looks pretty good with the Caparison of Thorin’s Hall (black)

And the Kingstead Caparison (black)

And the Marauder’s Caparison:

Speaking of the Heavy Norcroft’s Set, the caparison is another one that pairs really well with other items. It’s not a ton different from the regular light set, but I think it’s worth it.

The Sea-ward caparison (1st available anniversary 2018) is another great battle caparison. I personally don’t really like the Sea-Ward halter (it’s got this weird plume thing) but luckily there are a bunch of other options:

The Captain’s halter is another one that pairs well with a lot of stuff:

Well. This was a long post. Maybe the servers will be back up by now?

So It finally occurred to me that maybe I should introduce the models I’m using and their accompanying steeds. Almost everyone has been featured already, but just in case anyone was curious on the details, here they are!

#1 – my champ and my main! Leveled all the way to level cap without any boosts and without VIP (back when level cap was 115 – then I broke down cause I didn’t want to do the trek again lol) That’s right, this guy has been hardened by having to adventure Middle Earth the hard way – without swift travel! He is a man of Gondor, and his go to style is leather jerkins and gambesons, with the occasional jacket of fine material and, when the need arises, plate armor and chainmail. Though an experienced warrior and formidable fighter, he prefers to wear medium armor as he is often on the road, off to help the helpless! You’ll most often see him in darker shades of blue, grey, green, and black.

He is an unashamed horse-lover, and prides himself on his three steeds:

So IRL I’m a bit obsessed with horses, and since I spend the most time and effort on my champ, I splurge a bit on war steed cosmetics. I mean, all of my toons get to have their own custom horse, but my champ has three….and the most store bought barding 🙂

#2 – My Lore Master! This elvish sorcerer (don’t @ me Lore masters use magic and I will fight you!) loves her animals and has a particular soft spot for her avian friends. Originally rolled on a French server so I could practice the language, she was recreated on my Main’s server when I finally joined a kin. So yes, in case you are wondering, there are two versions of her. One at cap and another stuck probably for good at level 50. She likes long robes and coats that come down to just below the knees. Having faced many foes throughout her adventures, she has learned to set aside the stylish gown for the more practical and battle-ready hauberk. She likes to wear combinations of black and white, but she doesn’t shy away from the occasional pop of color. After all, she does have some flashy feathered friends to compete with!

#3 – My hunter! I have to admit, I got really bored with playing the hunter at low levels. But then, on a whim, I got an aria of the valar (treat your self!) and upgraded him to level 105 baby!! And in case you were wondering, he became a lot more fun to play and I got him to level cap within a week. As a hunter, this toon prefers to stay out of the direct fray and so prefers to wear light jackets in green tones for camouflage rather than more restrictive leather or plate. He’s not the best fighter, but his aim is true and his arrow swift!

#4 – My Rune Keeper! Also started on that same French server with my Lore Master, she is now thriving with the rest of my toons. Barely in her teens when I re-rolled her on the North American server, she now is almost level 80 and is the proud owner of her own war steed. In terms of fashion, she prefers light, shorter tunics that allow her to swiftly and nimbly run through forests, mountains, and marshes alike. Light on her toes and always ready to cast some lightning, she gravitates toward lighter colors like white, grey, gold, and light blue.

#5 – the second champ! So this guy was really just an afterthought at first. When I bought the Mordor expansion it came with an Aria of the Valar, and I had no idea what to use it on. I actually like leveling up toons – if the class isn’t interesting enough to play all the way to level cap then it’s probably just not the class for me (excusing my hunter – who I ariad because I really wanted another character at cap). Also at this time I was getting more into cosmetics, and wanted to get the dunland armor pieces again (I hadn’t saved them on my main). So I decided to make a champ, and use the aria on him. I knew I liked the champ class since I’d already gotten one of them to level cap, and I knew that I would be familiar with the class mechanics so questing would be easy. He was mainly just a toon to store stuff on and quest for overleveled cosmetic pieces I wanted. His name was just a variant of my hunter’s name, and I gave him no war steed cosmetics. He simply existed.

Now I’m pleased to say that with the recent sale of LPs, he has been given a new unique name and has been gifted with not one, but TWO war steeds! (It was only gonna be one but I couldn’t decide between the two so…oops 🙂 He still hasn’t really gotten his own fashion sense yet, but that will come. For now he’s kind of copying my main, but with more browns and greys than blacks and blues. His time will come tho 🙂 He is officially a member of my fellowship now, not merely an alt for storage.

#6 – My Minstrel!! Another toon re-rolled from the French server, though this one hasn’t leveled very far since then. She’s only level 13 right now, though after my warden she will be the next to travel Middle Earth! I’d never thought about this before, but she could definitely be my second champ’s sister if I had a mind to give them a back story. They’ve got the same hair and eye color, after all. Her style is probably going to be more casual than my RK’s or my LM’s – she’ll get to wear the nice jacket every so often but will probably stick to more muted colors and less intricate apparel. I guess you could say I’m going for a more “peasant” vibe with her, but it’s too early on to make that call for sure. War Steeds aren’t even on my mind yet for her, but I’m thinking maybe she can make use of the appaloosa coat that you can earn in East Rohan? Who knows? Adventures lie in wait!

#7 – My warden!!!! I’m so excited about this guy. I don’t know why it took me so long to finally roll a toon from this class, but I am seriously loving the play style. Gambits are really fun to learn, and getting into the fray reminds me of all the good times I had on my champ. All the other toons I’ve leveled up besides my main have been more ranged classes, and I gotta say I’ve missed the action. He’s also a red head!! I don’t really know what inspired me, but he’s a character. Red is also his trademark color, which is fun since that’s a dye I haven’t really used much before. Well, burgundy and crimson, to be more exact. Still not the biggest fan of bright red. Anyways, I’m looking forward to leveling him up, and I already know what his war steed is gonna be – a red roan 🙂 Fitting, right? Will be posting updates on this guy as we make our way to Rohan together.

#8 – My Beorning. I’m gonna be honest, she’s only level 8. I played her for about 5 minutes and put her gear into the wardrobe…Not sure how much she’s ever going to level up. I haven’t really given her enough of a chance to decide whether I find the Beorning class fun or not…I didn’t really get great vibes off of it when I first started, but level 1 is VERY different than level 100, so we’ll see! At any rate, she’s at the bottom of the list for questing priorities. Which is kind of a shame, cause she’s so freakin’ beautiful!!!!

So full disclosure, this post is really just an opportunity for me to showcase some of my favorite battle outfits for War Horses. Yes – you heard right – It’s all about the horses this time!

Head: Halter of the Citadel Guard (white)
Body: Kingstead Caparison (black)
Saddle: Saddle of the Reminiscing Dragon
Legs: Dagorlad Leggings (default)
Gear: Accessory of the Citadel Guard
Coat/Tail = solid warsteed (white)

Head: Halter of the Citadel Guard (default/black)
Body: Heavy Caparison of the Norcrofts (black)
Saddle: Saddle of the Citadel Guard
Legs: Dagorlad Leggings (white)
Gear: Accessory of the Citadel Guard
Coat: Solid Warsteed (black)
Tail: Tail of the Gloaming Autumn (black)

Head: Halter of West Rohan (black)
Body: Caparison of West Rohan (black)
Saddle: Saddle of the Reminiscing Dragon
Legs: Dagorlad Leggings (white)
Coat: Dappled Warsteed (sooty)
Tail: Tail of the Gloaming Autumn (black)