In Buckland, not far to the north of Brandy Hall in the hills rising away from the path of the Brandywine, travelers will come upon Crickhollow, an often-visited retreat for those Hobbits who wish to spend a few days away from their daily routine, or simply rest and eat more peacefully than they are used to resting and eating at home. Those who live near Crickhollow are pleasant enough folk, though generally they like to be left alone to their peace and quiet.

Many of the old-timers in the area tell stories of travelers who have ventured beyond the High Hay and into the Old Forest beyond, many of whom never returned to tell the conclusion of their tales. In these days of the growing darkness in the north, many indeed have been the strangers who have ridden into the region to ask questions, though none can, or will, say what specifically these dark figures pursue.

Crickhollow plays a significant role early in the journey of Frodo Baggins and his companions in The Lord of the Rings. It is here that Frodo buys his house after leaving Bag End, not with the intention to stay in Crickhollow, but with the goal of diverting would-be pursuers from his trail. Adventurers familiar with the tale will no doubt want to seek out Frodo’s home, though the locals may tell the travelers that, although the home of Mr. Baggins is filled with his many possessions, he has not been seen in these parts since the day he first arrived. Most doubt he has closed himself in his new residence and believe he has gone off on some personal quest, perhaps to locate his old uncle Bilbo who disappeared so many years ago.

The village of Bywater is located In the Westfarthing of the Shire. As its name suggests, it lies along the banks of the Bywater Pool, a widening of the river Water. This river runs from the North Moors, through nearby Hobbiton to the northwest, and on through Bywater to eventually join the Brandywine to the east. A tranquil village, Bywater is perhaps best known for The Green Dragon Inn, a friendly place renowned for great drink, local gossip, and lively conversations with folks from around the Shire. Bywater’s post office is one of the busiest in the region, Hobbits being quite fond of sending presents to one another for birthdays, holidays, or just about any other time that seems fit for gift-giving or celebration – which is most days on the calendar.

Bywater is mentioned in the pages of both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Working from these brief descriptions, the Turbine development team set out to bring life to this lesser-known region of the Shire by creating dwellings and social areas in a style similar to that found in Hobbiton and other nearby areas, while adding elements unique to a region so close to the water’s edge. The land of Bywater has been designed with a great deal of greenery, including gardens, trees, finely tended lawns, and other areas of natural beauty and color. Surely this will be a pleasant place to explore and spend time with friends, before heading off into the dangers that await in regions just beyond the boundaries of the Shire.

In the Eastfarthing of the Shire, adventurers will discover the River Baranduin, commonly referred to as the “Brandywine” by Hobbit-folk, flowing out from the Hills of Evendim far to the north. One of the often-used crossings of this large and slow-moving river is The Bucklebury Ferry, located in the eastern lands of the Shire, connecting The Marish on the western banks to Buckland on the eastern side. The Bucklebury Ferry is a simple arrangement of wooden landings (one on either side) and a small boat running between the two. In these dark days, however, the boat has gone missing, perhaps pulled from the water to protect against intruders, or simply abandoned to drift down the Brandywine to places unknown. Travelers in this land may need to find a more suitable place to ford the broad waters or consider heading to the Brandywine Bridge (also known as the Bridge of Stonebows), not far upriver to the north.

Designing the Bucklebury Ferry and other familiar landmarks along Frodo’s journey is one of the most exciting, and daunting, challenges for the Turbine design team. Following the path of the hobbits out of the Shire, and indeed the entire route of the Fellowship of the Ring, will no doubt be a fan-favorite in LOTRO, so special care has been taken to ensure accuracy at every step along the way. From the whitewashed stones lining the road leading to the Ferry, to the twinkling lights of Brandy Hall on the far banks, this crossing, from the initial conceptual drawings, through to its final modeling in 3D for the game, has been designed to be as true as possible to the location as described in the source material. Players may want to follow the lead of Frodo and his companions and remember that this location provides an excellent opportunity to leave pursuing Black Riders behind.

The Bridge of Stonebows, as the Brandywine Bridge was once called, was built originally by the Men of Arnor as a causeway across the Barandúin River on the Great East Road. When the founders of the Shire were granted their land by the king of Arthedain, the price was simple: to maintain and care for the Bridge so that travel into the West would never be impeded. The Hobbits of the Shire performed their duty, even long after the North-kingdom failed, and maintained the great stone bridge, denying none passage, Man, Elf, or Dwarf. Though the river’s name was changed to the Brandywine and the bridge itself became the Brandywine Bridge, the Hobbits of the Shire continue to care for and keep watch on the Bridge.

As trouble brews in the Shire, gates with locks are installed into the great archways and Shirriffs posted at either end. While the Shire-folk have always been distrustful of “Outsiders,” the increased traffic of rough Men and other folk have forced them to be on guard against encroaching dangers from beyond their borders. Fortunately, the trouble the Land of the Halflings has seen thus far is but a trifle in comparison to the shadows growing outside.

The Brandywine Bridge is a prominent landmark of the Shire drawn straight from the pages of The Lord of the Rings. It is the means by which the Ringwraiths leave the Shire to assault Frodo Baggins’ home at Crickhollow in Buckland, and it is where Frodo and his companions are “arrested” by Shirriffs at the command of the mysterious Sharkey as they return from the Quest of the Ring. It is certain that famous landmarks such as this will play a major role in LOTRO as The Shadows of Angmar unfold.

Bamfurlong is the home of old Farmer Maggot, one of the most respected – though unusual – inhabitants of the Eastfarthing in the Shire. Maggot’s sprawling and fertile farm is located in the Marish, an area known for its bogs and marshes, to which Maggot owes much of his success in farming (particularly of that delicacy adored by all hobbits: Mushrooms!).

Above the lane known as Bagshot Row in Hobbiton, adventurers will find the former dwelling of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, known as Bag End. An unassuming Hobbit hole, if slightly better appointed than most, Bag End is a series of rooms and corridors build into Hobbiton Hill and entered through a simple, circular wooden door. However, it is not so much the dwelling itself that is of such great interest, but the tales of its inhabitants and what occurred within that are the makings of many a Hobbit legend. This is the gathering place of Thorin and Company, the dwarves that adventured to Lonely Mountain to slay the dragon Smaug and reclaim their ancestral home beneath Erebor. It is said that Bilbo Baggins himself went along on that journey and brought back untold riches from the dragon’s hoard, but few believe that the treasure actually exists (and even fewer believe that old Bilbo had a hand in the slaying of anything, much less a dragon). The Wizard Gandalf was often seen entering Bag End to visit Bilbo, and later his cousin and heir Frodo, but on what business, none could say. With Frodo now moved to Buckland, to live amongst his Brandybuck relations, Lobelia and Lotho Sackville-Baggins – as unpleasant a couple of Hobbits as you are likely to meet – now live within. The once well-tended gardens and warm lights of Bag End are not as merry as they once were; yet the dwelling remains a favoured topic amongst the Hobbits of the Shire and probably will for generations to come.

Of the Shire landmarks likely to be visited first by players of The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, the home of Bilbo and Frodo is likely one of the foremost. Much was written about the dwelling and the surrounding garden, hills and countryside in Professor Tolkien’s works (including both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit), so great care was taken to thoroughly research the source material and existing maps when conceptualizing Bilbo’s home, and then modelling it for the game. No doubt players will want to pay a visit to this particular Hobbit hole, but as the days since Frodo’s departure grow darker, adventurers can expect a far different welcome from the less trustworthy, and certainly less friendly, residents that now call Bag End home.

There are more threats in the cliffs and crags of the North Downs than Orcs and evil Men. Many creatures that walk on four legs, both natural and evil, stalk prey in the hills and fields of the North Downs.

In the crags of Nan Amlug, lynx dwell in great numbers. While these mountain cats are mere beasts, with no care for the wars of Men and Orcs, they can still be extremely dangerous. They are able to move about nearly unseen, silently creeping towards their prey, springing upon the unwary with vicious precision. The miners of Othrikar, the dwarf-mines of Nan Amlug, must keep a constant vigil as they journey to and from their tunnels.

At the northern end of the Greenway, beyond the lonely town of Trestlebridge, and in southern reaches of Annundir, packs of wolves roam in search of easy prey. Unlike lynx, wolves are not mere beasts. They are highly intelligent and cunning, but worse yet, they are servants of the Enemy, corrupt and evil. From these hounds of evil were bred the fiercest of their kind, the Wargs. It is said that there was a time as well when fell-spirits were cast into wolves, creating a breed of Werewolves.

Of all the four-legged creatures which stalk the western North Downs, the Barghests of the Fields of Fornost are the worst. Evil hounds akin to the Werewolves, they are terrible creatures possessed of a fell-spirit. They are rarely seen anywhere but ancient fields of battle and burial grounds, haunting the grassy knolls where the dead lay.

Statues throughout Middle-earth are not always what they seem. The very stone of some statues hold the trapped spirit of malice within, crafted by the Dark Lord long ago with skilled workmanship and dark ritual. These ominous statues act as sentries and alarms within the realm of Angmar and throughout the lands corrupted by the shadow. Within many of the ruins throughout Eriador and Arnor, in lands once controlled by the darkness of Mordor’s reach, these watchers remain, ever-vigilant even after centuries of abandonment.

Inspired by the Two Watchers at Cirith Ungol in The Return of the King, watcher statues can be found throughout LOTRO. Cautious adventurers will be wary of any statue, for there is little outward difference between a Watching Stone and common statues found throughout the ruins of Angmar.

The terrifying Warg of Middle-earth is the most vile and corrupt breed of the wolves found in the wilds of Eriador. Wargs are the dark spawn of an ancient evil, creatures which now relentlessly pursue the Free Peoples of Middle-earth. Wargs are occasionally found hunting on their own, though they prefer to hunt in packs. In the lands beyond Eriador, they even wilfully act as mounts in the service of the evil goblins and Orcs of the lands.

The great howl of the Warg can be heard for many miles, though their language is understood by few. Larger and more intelligent than the average wolf and able to attack with great swiftness, they are known for their cunning cruelty.

Throughout the bogs and marshes and even the wooded Wilderlands of Middle-earth there are many varieties of biting and buzzing insects, from the harvest-flies of the Shire to the greater sickle-flies of the Midgewater Marshes and the Bruinen vile-flies of the Trollshaws. Most of these creatures are little more than disgusting nuisances, but some varieties are known to carry debilitating diseases. A single bite can make a brave adventurer easy prey for larger and more dangerous predators.