If you’ve chosen a Human or Hobbit character, your starting location would be Archet, a small village in Bree-land that’s north of Bree. Take note that Archet isn’t the setting of your instanced tutorial. Archet is where you would land after you finish your tutorial.

Why pursue the Archet intro missions
Archet and the intro missions within it would span your character’s first few levels (1-5). After finishing the final mission in this village (The Assault on Archet, an instanced quest), you wouldn’t be able to come back for the other intro missions, which are good for several level increases. If there’s one thing you must know about The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar and other current MMORPGs, leveling up by fighting monsters takes a much longer time that completing missions because the experience points given in finishing quests are much more rewarding.

Overview on Archet and surrounding areas
Let’s get this straight: Archet is the name of the village and the region surrounding it. Lately, the place has been plagued by a band of thugs that call themselves Blackwolds. The Archet village is located in the northwestern corner of the region, and contains all the class trainers you’ll need, several non-player characters that provide quests, and merchants for buying and selling equipment.

The other points of interest in the region include:

Browne’s Folly
Once you exit the Archet village, you’ll see Elven ruins further ahead of you. This place is called Browne’s Folly, and is located at the very center of the region. The place is generally safe to visit, save for a few non-aggressive wolves that you may choose to attack. Within Browne’s Folly grows Kingsfoil or Athelas plants.

Hunting Lodge
If you go eastward from the village Archet, you’ll run into a hunting lodge surrounded by a small lake. You won’t be able to go directly east from the village during the intro missions because of a wall surrounding Archet, so you’ll have to follow the path outside the village that bends leftward. Directly in front of this lodge (across the lake and the path) lie some ruins full of poisonous spiders that won’t attack unless struck.

Sprigley’s Farm
If you go further south from Browne’s Folly, you’ll eventually reach Sprigley’s Farm. You’ll be visiting this location during a couple of intro missions. At the west of Sprigley’s Farm is a ridge with ancient structures.

Blackwold’s Roost
This area is located directly east of Browne’s Folly. There will be an intro quest that will ask you to visit this place, but beware of the Blackwold brigands and their nasty pets that respawn often within its ancient walls. You won’t get credit for visiting Blackwold’s Roost while doing the intro missions.

Sheep Farm
This place is on the map, but like a couple of places in Archet, it isn’t explicitly named. Still, a newbie that intends to finish all the quests needs to know the sheep farm and distinguish it from Sprigley’s Farm, which is located at the southern end of the region. The sheep farm is located a few meters south of Archet village, near the spawn point.

Intro Quests
After getting a brief overview on the area, it’s time to know your intro quests, the best source of your experience points when starting out. When you end your instanced tutorial, your Hobbit or Human character will end up in Archet village.

Intro: Amdir’s Request
The first NPC you speak to will be different depending on your race, but the task will be the same: speak to Amdir, the hooded ranger that’s sitting on the ground and against a post somewhere north of The Mad Badger Inn. The giver of your quest has a Ring icon on top of his or her head.

The monetary rewards are meager (40cp), but the selectable rewards are good for newbies (Cloth Gloves or Leather Gauntlets). There is no prerequisite for Amdir’s Request.

Note: According to Tolkien lore, Amdir was slain during the Second Age’s Battle of Dagorlad. It’s strange to see him in LOTRO, whose events transpired during the end of the Third Age. The difference between these ages is over 3,000 years.

Intro: Captain Brackenbrook

Amdir will ask you to speak to Captain Brackenbrook, who’s located in The Mad Badger Inn. Its entrance is through the door on top of the staircase that’s facing east. Enter the inn, go through the hallway, and you’ll find the white-haired captain beside the fireplace. Brackenbrook will then send you back to Amdir, where the quest ends

You’ll get 50cp for your efforts, but no other goodies. Prerequisite for this quest is Intro: Amdir’s Request.

Intro: Honing Your Skills
Amdir will ask you to find and speak with your class trainer. Finding the trainers during the introduction is easy because they’re just in Archet village. Just run south and turn west before reaching the village entrance. Keep running until you see a group of people in front of a building with one of them having an icon on his or her head. This would be your class trainer. Speak to the trainer, train for new skills (don’t forget to check both Passive and Active), and place them in your Quickslot at the bottom-center of the user interface. Speak with the trainer again, and then return to Amdir.

You’ll earn 20cp. The prerequisite for this quest is Intro: Captain Brackenbrook.

Intro: Seeing to the Defense
Again, Amdir sends you to speak to someone. This time, it’s Dirk Mudbrick, a guard posted at the sheep farm outside Archet. Once you go to the sheep farm and speak to Mudbrick, he’ll ask you to slay six wolves found between the Archet village entrance and Browne’s Folly. Always remember to loot the bodies for any salvageable goodies that you can exchange for cash in Archet. After getting six wolves, return to Mudbrick for your rewards.

You’ll be happy to hear that the rewards are 50cp and a couple of selectable items (Quilted Trousers or Leather Leggings). The prerequisite for this quest is Intro: Honing Your Skills.

Intro: Remedy of the Old Kings
You’ll notice by this time that Celandine Brandybuck, the hobbit beside Amdir the ranger, has a Ring icon on top of her head. This means she has a job for you. By the time the Ring icon shows, you would be around level 3 already and ready to venture deeper into the region. Celandine is asking you to look for Kingsfoil leaves to treat Amdir’s wounds. As I mentioned above, Kingsfoil can be found in the vicinity of Browne’s Folly, which is in the heart of the region. When you’ve gathered four leaves, return to Celandine to end the quest.

The rewards are even better this time: 80cp and two bottles of Lesser Essence of Athelas (for lack of a better term, healing potions). The prerequisite for this quest is Intro: Honing Your Skills.

Intro: The Spies
After slaying six wolves and getting your rewards, speaking to Dirk Mudbrick would bring you to this quest. Dirk is now telling you to defeat a Blackwold Spy and search him for Blackwold orders. You see, Blackwold Spies aren’t exactly as numerous as the wolves that are scattered across the region. This type of enemy wanders alone, so they’re trickier to find. Just run south of the sheep farm and past the sheep pen. Beyond the slope is a small pond. Look to the west of the pond and you’ll find a spy crouching behind a tree. There’s no special technique to take this guy down. You would still get aggro even if you try to walk behind him, so just rush the spy and use all your offensive skills. If you’re a Burglar, you can use Sneak (you’ll get this at level 4) and creep silently behind a spy. When you’re close enough, deliver a Surprise Strike to inflict a large amount of damage.

Once you’ve killed the spy, search the body and get the Blackwold orders. Run back to Dirk, show him the orders, and he’ll tell you to take them to Captain Brackenbrook. This means you have to return to Archet village, enter The Mad Badger, and speak with the good captain. The quest ends when you speak with Brackenbrook.

Ending the quest means you get 80cp and selectable rewards (Padded Vest or Leather Shirt). The requirement for this quest is Intro: Seeing to the Defense.

Intro: The Captain’s Son
Your last conversation with Captain Brackenbrook will lead to this next quest. The captain wants you to speak to his son Jon, who’s hanging out inside the Hunting Lodge east of Archet village. It’s quite simple—no creatures to hunt or villains to defeat. When you get to the Hunting Lodge, enter the house; go past the seated Hunter cleaning his sword, through the hallway, and into a room with a fireplace. The longish-haired man standing behind the huge stuffed bear is Jon Brackenbrook.

Speaking with the captain’s son will yield you 40cp and selectable rewards (Padded Shoes or Leather Boots). The prerequisite of this quest is Intro: The Spies.

Beyond the Bulwarks
While you’re in Archet, speaking with Constable Thistlewood would be a good idea because he has a quest for you. Thistlewood is the bearded fellow with grayish hair standing beside a watcher practicing his archery. Of course, it would also help if you press N to toggle the names or just see if the person has a ring on his head or not. Found near the Archet village entrance, the constable is asking if you could talk with Cal Sprigley, they owner of (you guessed it) Sprigley’s Farm. If you’ve forgotten, Sprigley’s Farm is found south of Browne’s Folly or east of the Combe gate. Sprigley will send you back to the constable for another quest.

The rewards are meager—just 20cp. Still, you’ll learn where to find other quests in the region. More importantly, it’s a very easy source of experience points. The requirement for this quest is Intro: Remedy of the Old Kings.

The Quartermaster
This quest is easy money and experience, so you don’t want to miss it. Just talk to Constable Thistlewood near the Archet gate. He will then tell you to speak with Peg Pruner, the village’s provisioner who’s found on the northern end of the town square. Peg is the dark-haired woman standing behind the wooden desk near the well.

You’ll get 40cp for your trouble, and some experience points, of course. Pruner will still give you this quest even if you didn’t get it from Constable Thistlewood. The prerequisite for this quest is Intro: Remedy of the Old Kings.

The Jailor
You must speak with Constable Thistlewood for this one. The constable wants you to talk to Jailor Ned Pruner inside the Archet Jail. Ned Pruner is the blond-haired guy that will greet you when you get inside Archet Jail, and he has something to ask you. You’ll get 40cp and some easy experience. Ned Pruner will still give you this quest even if you didn’t get it from Constable Thistlewood. The requirement for this quest is Intro: Remedy of the Old Kings.

The Prisoner
Speaking of Ned Pruner, the Jailor will ask you to pick several bilberries. Why? Apparently, Ned needs to question a prisoner and the only way to get what he wants is if he feeds said inmate good food. The berries are found in bushes around the Hunting Lodge, which is east of the Archet village. You’ll know the bushes when you see them because they’re flashing. You need to harvest four bushes to finish the quest.

It just so happens that a separate quest requires you to hunt some boars, which are found in the same area (the Hunting Lodge). It would be wise to get the Fresh Supplies quest from Peg Pruner before running off to get the berries. The rewards are more generous this time: 80cp and two Lesser Celebrant Salves (it increases your Power). The prerequisite for The Prisoner quest is Intro: Remedy of the Old Kings.

Fresh Supplies
As I mentioned in the quest above this one, Peg Pruner has a quest for you. She wants you to collect six slabs of boar meat. The boars can be found wandering around the Hunting Lodge, so it’s good to pursue this mission when you’ve also gotten The Prisoner quest. When you have all six slabs, return to Archet village and talk to Peg.

You’ll get 80cp, five simple rations, and selectable rewards (Cloth Shoulder Pads or Leather Shoulder Pads). You’ll soon discover that eating these rations will increase your Morale’s regeneration rate while resting.

Stolen Treasures
Aside from the other Hunting Lodge quests, I’m sure you would have noticed the two people standing outside the small house. The woman is named Ann Granger, and she’ll ask you to retrieve her satchel from Blackwold’s Roost, which is found east of Browne’s Folly. According to Ann, the satchel was stolen from her.

Beware of running around Blackwold’s Roost. The brigands and doggies here are numerous and respawn often. The satchel can be found on one of the wooden crates at the bottom of the only staircase in Blackwold’s Roost. To make your search easier, enter the brigands’ base through the southeastern side. If you’re a Burglar and close to level 4, make sure you get the Stealth skill before venturing into this place. Of course, you need to stay out of your enemies’ sight. If you’re not a Burglar, then try to pull patrolling brigands only when they’re alone or at considerable distance from a second foe. If you rush headlong to the wooden crate, you’ll have at least three enemies on your tail, and it’s not easy shaking them off. Even Champions run the risk of getting killed if they’re not careful so tread lightly.

The risks may be great for this mission, but the rewards are pretty good for newbies. You’ll get 1sp, 20cp, and selectable rewards (Spiked Wooden Mace or Granger’s Axe).

Spiders at the Walls
Atli Spider-Bane is the other person standing outside the Hunting Lodge. He’s the white-haired dwarf standing at the end of the small staircase outside the cabin. Atli wants you to look for a hunter somewhere in the ruins overlooking the Hunting Lodge. The place is crawling with huge spiders. You have to kill five of these buggers and find the missing hunter.

After killing five spiders, you can choose to ignore the rest of the arachnids, since they won’t attack unless provoked. The spiders may respawn often, but the experience points that they give isn’t substantial as finishing the quest, so unless you want to keep grinding, just walk further into the ruins. You’ll encounter the corpse of the missing hunter up ahead. It’s covered with webs. Just search the corpse and get his axe.

Returning to Atli and speaking with him will result in 1sp, 20cp, and selectable rewards (Longsword, Wooden Staff, or Atli’s Shield). The prerequisite for this mission is Intro: The Captain’s Son.

Intro: The Blackwold’s Roost
As you may have learned earlier, Jon Brackenbrook is located in the Hunting Lodge. Speaking with him while pursuing Intro: The Captain’s Son will finish that quest. Talking with Jon will get you this new quest. To make the most of your trip to the Blackwold’s Roost, it’s best that you pursue this mission in conjunction with Stolen Treasures.

Jon Brackenbrook will tell you to defeat six of the Blackwolds in and around their lair. Remember: don’t take on more than one Blackwold if it can be helped. Try to pull a patrolling brigand when he or she is alone. If you’ve managed to get the attention of more than one brigand, fall back and use chokepoints. If you’re a Champion, you can attack more than one enemy at once, but you have to keep both enemies in melee range. The Blackwolds have ranged attacks so if you’ve accrued aggro, stay close to your attacker. Just make sure you don’t attract the attention of any more.

Once you’re done, head back to the Hunting Lodge and speak with Jon inside. He’ll reward you with 1sp, 20cp, and selectable rewards (Cloth Hat or Leather Helmet). The prerequisite for this mission is Intro: The Captain’s Son.

Old Bloodtusk
Speaking to Cal Sprigley at Sprigley’s Farm south of Browne’s Folly would lead to this quest. Chances are, the Beyond the Bulwarks mission would be the reason you’d talk to Sprigley in the first place, but Old Bloodtusk is the quest that the farm owner would give you. You see, Cal Sprigley is having some problems with a boar named Bloodtusk. As you’ve figured out by now, you’ll be sent to dispatch this boar, and it’s no ordinary hog.

Old Bloodtusk is somewhere near the river west of Blackwold’s Roost, in front of an old, ugly tree. You can’t miss him. If the boar isn’t there, just stick around—he’ll respawn soon enough. Just be careful and look around before attacking Bloodtusk because Blackwolds have a nasty tendency of walking near the old tree. If you happen to be fighting Old Bloodtusk while a brigand finds his way to where you are, you’ll have an extra fight on your hands.

Bloodtusk is bigger and tougher than your average boar, so use all your offensive skills against him whenever they’re recharged. If you’re a bit low on Morale, try to run away. Just make sure you don’t run into a Blackwold. Old Bloodtusk doesn’t have ranged attacks, and the distance could buy you some time so that you can regenerate some hit points. After you’ve dispatched the pig, search the carcass then return to Sprigley.

You’ll be happy to receive 1sp, 60cp, and selectable rewards (Longsword, Two-Handed Sword, Worn Dagger, Stick Shortbow, or Wooden Staff) for this encounter. The prerequisite for the Old Bloodtusk quest is Intro: Remedy of the Old Kings.

Intro: The Assault on Archet
Before embarking on this mission, make sure you’ve completed all that’s listed above. Once you start the Assault on Archet, there is no turning back. You won’t be able to pursue the other missions afterwards, and it’s a huge waste of experience points. Remember that if you can help it, rest when you’re low on Morale or Power because you’ll be using them up often in this instanced quest.

When you’ve finished Jon’s assault on Blackwold’s Roost and have returned to him, another Ring icon will be shown on the NPC’s head. Brackenbrook will give you the same warning as above. Once you say yes, the instanced mission will load and you’ll be someplace else. It’s still in the Archet region, but not inside the Hunting Lodge. You’re on the road to the Archet village. Once you’ve arrived, you’ll see Jon and a Hunter further ahead.

Run past Jon (the Hunter will get hit by arrows as you approach), and you’ll encounter a Blackwold and a Blackwold Striker. If you think you can handle them simultaneously, go for it. If not, wait till they separate then strike one at a time.

After this encounter, you’ll observe that two more Blackwolds stand by an arched entryway to your left up ahead, while a Blackwold Striker stands beside a wall in front of them. Before you attack, wait until you’re fully charged in Morale and Power. If it can be helped, try pulling so that you don’t have to face all at the same time. Since the Blackwold Striker is alone and is in considerable distance from the other two, attack her first. The other two guarding the arched entryway are still good for the experience, so attack them too.

You won’t be able to get through the entryway because it’s blocked by a portcullis, so the only way is behind the wall that the Blackwold Striker was crouching next to. As you go past the wall, you’ll see an encounter between two Blackwolds and a Brood Watcher spider. As you run at them, the spider will be slain and the Blackwolds will attack you. Dispatch these as well.

More encounters up ahead: a couple of Chetwood Spinners (yes, it’s another type of spider) are fighting a Blackwold and Blackwold Striker. Like the previous encounter, the spiders will fall and you’ll have to fight the brigands.

As you run ahead, you’ll see two more Blackwolds against another pair of Chetwood Spinners. This time, it’s the Blackwolds that get thrashed and you’ll combat the two arachnids.

The last encounter before Archet village puts a lone Blackwold against two Chetwood Spinners. The Blackwold falls and the two arachnids turn to attack you. Dispatch your enemies and turn the bend to see a scary sight.

Archet Burns
Walking ahead will show you Archet village burning. Some of the people you know are dead, while the remaining that live battle with Blackwolds. Run inside and see Calder Cob and another prisoner attack a man lying on the ground. Get close enough and the duo would go after you. Try to get the prisoner first, he’s an easy kill. Cob is a little tougher, but you’ll beat him eventually. After you’ve taken care of the two, you’ll see a Ring icon on top of the man previously attacked by Calder Cob. You’ll notice that it’s Ned Pruner.

Ned Pruner will tell you to talk to Amdir. Once you accept, a scripted event will occur: Peg Pruner will open the locked door and enter to see Ned. Go through the door that she used, and you’ll be attacked by a couple of Blackwolds. Take care of the brigands and walk westward to see Amdir sitting beside a house. Speak with the ranger and he’ll tell you to put out the fire by drawing water from the well behind you. Run to the well, double click on it to get the water, and run back towards Amdir. The fire you must put out is the huge one behind him. Walk closer to the fire, and you’ll automatically douse the flames.

The Final Confrontation
Amdir will finally stand up and run through the entryway where the fire used to be, and into the town square. Follow closely and watch the scripted sequence between Amdir and Éogan, a servant of Angmar. Amdir will attack Éogan, but would fail because he’s still weak. Éogan commands a brigand to attack you, and while this is happening, you’ll see Amdir run through the flames in pursuit of Blackwolds. You’ll have to fight two more brigands and a Blackwold Striker. The Striker will attack you with an arrow from a staircase, so run to her and attack. As the Blackwold Striker is about to expire, Éogan will join the fight.

Éogan is a tough enemy to beat so you should be ready to use all your offensive skills against him. Ready your Lesser Essence of Athelas just in case Éogan gets the upper hand because he can inflict a lot of damage. Éogan also has a lot of hit points, so expect your fight to be longer than the rest. When you’ve finally beaten Éogan and his comrades, talk to Mundo Sackville-Baggins, the male hobbit near the staircase. He’s the one holding his head with both hands.

Mundo will then tell you to speak with Celandine Brandybuck. As you approach the female hobbit, Éogan would surprisingly get up and leave with the last of the Blackwolds. Speaking to Celandine would cause the game to load and bring you out of the instanced quest, signifying the end of the introduction quests.

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