The Lord Of The Rings Online Introduces A Hobby Worthy Of The Shire: Birding

Today, Standing Stone Games dropped Lord of the Rings Online’s Update 41, bringing to the MMORPG something that every hobbit is going to love, and maybe everyone else too. It seems like a very hobbit activity. The update has introduced the new hobby of birding. Now players can track birds through Middle-earth and earn rewards for doing so.

To take up the hobby, players will need to visit a Hobby Master. They’ll be armed with a Birdwatcher’s Kit and the ability “Spot Bird” and be able to begin their quest of locating birds while exploring. Use the ability to initiate a thirty-second channeling, during which three birdwatching execution chances will be available. Once a bird is discovered it will be entered into the Birding Collections Panel.

Of course, Birding isn’t the only thing that dropped with the update. There’s also the kickoff of the Hard Tack Crafting event (tomorrow). The cooperative event focuses on Prospecting and Cooking and can be completed by crafters and non-crafters. Participating in the event earns players ribbons that can be exchanged for rewards.

Lore-master fans will be interested to know that the class is getting a big update as well. This is intended to better differentiate the roles of the three different trait specializations. The full rundown is available in the patch notes.

FYI for you VIPs in LOTRO, too. The Before the Shadow expansion is now free as part of your subscription.