Three and a Half Days

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Three-and-a-half days! Yep - almost exactly three-and-a-half days to power level Sarharien from L65 to L75.  Started at about 2pm on Monday (patch day), and ended Friday morning at 1:58am!  :D  So here's a little preview of my journey...

***SPOILER ALERT***

Just so we're clear... ;)

As soon as my client was patched on Monday, I headed into Moria, Lothlorien, Enedwaith and Mirkwood to turn in my 50 quests that I had banked prior to launch.  It got me all the way to 1/2 a bar from L66!  :D  Here I am riding through Mirkwood after RoI - it is now INCREDIBLE there - they've updated the lighting, and ambience, and it feels so creepy and dark out there at night now.  Fun stuff!

Got the orders from Nar's Peak to head south into Dunland...

I took the roads to the west entrance of Dunland...

...and here I am!  First NPC quest in Dunland!  :) So exciting!

Off to kill a bunch of wolves for the local clan.  Something about them eating up all the cows and chickens.

Turning in my first quest, I leveled up to 66!  YAY!

Turbine has really done an amazing job - everything has a great look and is very polished.  Chatting here with the clan leader who is all sad.

Some pretty epic scenery views all over Dunland.  Here I am looking south into the center of Dunland at some tower that's been erected there.

One of the forests in Dunland - such detail!

Uh oh!  RED MOB!  Battling an orc that was L69 or something... but I killed him.

The new cosmetic choices and options with RoI are incredible.  Here I am in red (of course), standing with one of the hill chieftans.

I must have offended him though, because he assigned me to Christmas Tree duty.  Carting this stupid Charlie Brown tree all over the town.

New mobs abound all over the place.  These Avancs are a cross between worms and alligators.  Pretty cool looking, almost dinosaur-like!

One of the many underground areas that has been released.  Here I am in one of the prison systems during the epic storyline.  Great details down here.

I found the most amazing cow ever!  The "Dun Bull" label is for a mob in the background.  This pretty lady is just all moo and beautiful!  Like my acid-wash jeans?  :D

Battling with Damodred in one of the Dunland towns.  The first few days have been crazy with a big competition for repeating mobs like wolves, orcs, boars, dunfolk.  But people for the most part make do, or partner up for kill credit.  :D I only steal mobs now and then, usually from people I know that I'm teasing...

We meet a lot of interesting characters, many being influenced or working for Sauruman, like this pasty faced fellow.

The Dun Bog is awesome.  Creepy, stinky (what, didn't RoI come with a 4D option for you?) and really well done.

Riding thru Dunland past a big bull...

Here I am battling one of the boss Avancs in Dunland.  He looks all cute and spikey!

Only took me 10 minutes of hunter-tracking and running around this big rock in search of this idiot boss mob, before I realized he was way up ONTOP of the rock.  >.<

After killing him, I was just so captivated by the view!  Look at that sky... so amazing.

Ended up attending an auction with Sauruman.  He brought his big brutes, and well - got his way with the locals.

Here I am looking down into Wolf's Cleft.  It's an area currently 'locked' from being able to visit, except as part of the epic storyline.

Yay, 69!

The Pristine Glade out in the Dun Bog is amazing.  It's a whole separate area behind a portal/cave entrance, and it's just beautiful inside.

The amount of active NPCs that are running around and participating in storyline quests is amazing.  Here we have about a hundred NPCs gathering for a meeting with the chief.  I didn't realize he was going to put me on the spot, or I would have showered...

This is the start of the Wolf's Cleft quest.  You get to pick 4 NPCs to travel/battle with you... they follow around like 4 skirmish soldiers... you need them.

The battle inside is epic - its huge and amazing and full of fire and mobs.

They just keep coming and coming, and things keep burning and burning...

Here I am at the final boss (57K) and his two trolls that join in with the fun.  I died the first time not realizing how the mechanics worked, and after that, came back and let my NPCs start most of the fighting before I kicked into high gear.  Such a fun instance though!

Here I am questing through the Bonevales.  Another great area and hidden agents on cliffs and overhangs that aren't always obvious!

Killing a few mobs in the Bonevales and turning in a bunch of quests has me bumping up to level 70.

Most things off in the Gap are still very orange to me, but in this quest, I have a travelling NPC companion that comes and whacks them with me!

The locals seem to be a bit pissed of with me.  Something about all the cows and boars I've been killing.  Suffice to say, they're not happy to see me most days...

The gates of Isengard!  I help escort a ranger in to talk with Saurumon, who keeps messing with his head and we end up getting captured!

Me and my new levelling buddy - a pissed off white-hand orc with nothing better to do than complain that I run to fast (Sarspeed) and that someone seems to have left me fully equipped with my weapons.  :)

We're in the depths and factory part under Isengard. Another great area that Turbine has crafted and brought to life!

My new look - acid wash jeans and my prison-issue shirt.  Some idiot whacked me on the back with white paint - I've been told there's a hand print on the back, but I can't get the darn thing off to check!

Sauruman and I have a chat.  He's got pretty-glowing robes of colour, but frankly bored me to death.

So I left - but took a parting postcard shot of his tower.

Now I've got to run about figuring a way out of this place... uh oh...

Session Play!  I suddenly find myself hunched over, stinky, and playing Grima Wormtongue.  Ewww.  An amazing job at the pre-destruction Isengard scenery though.

Another view of Isengard, but this time when the trees and beauty was still surrounding it.

Toa, Erlilda, Viduo, Meldreth and I group up with Doomsie to celebrate her achieving 69.  It's quite a party in Galtrev!  Toa just can't stand still... ever... seriously.  :D

Level 71!

This epic instance with Theodred was amazing.  His armor is incredibly detailed and looks awesome.

This is the end of Book 4.  We quest through 30 chapters only to be turned back by the hoards of these Dun-idiots.  Gah!  We'll be BACK!!!

After finishing the epics I continued to grab quests all over the place... another pretty shot of who knows where - but I love the Joshua trees.

PURPLE FLOWERS!  The views out to the east in the Gap of Rohan are amazing.

And LOOK at the detailing of the Rohhirim camps out here!?!?!  Aren't those tents amazing?  I would LOVE to have one of those available as a housing item.  They are awesome-sauce-supreme!  I want the red and yellow one please!

Levelling up to 72!

Sarharien takes a brief momentary pause in her red dress in a field of lilacs.  Only to get pounced by a couple war dogs...

This is The Pit - the underground one, not the arena one.  This place is INCREDIBLE!  Amazing details and about 250,000 XP worth of quests with a little "break out the prisoners" storyline to go with it.  Yes, there are significant problems with the suspended walkways and other ground glitches, but after 2 hours of grinding in here, I came out complete and pleased that I stuck with it and refused to get (too) frustrated.

Another view just before I fall.... into Isengard.  ROFL.  Like I said, the place needs work, but it looks amazing.

"Did someone call for pizza delivery?"  Crap - an inbound Nazgul and rider is never a good omen.

We had just finished defending this hilltop from the invaders, and I was about to go drag bodies over for burial when this Nazgul showed up.  He stayed long enough to 'absorb' the dead, and then left.  COOL!   No clean up for Sar!

I catch an intimate moment with my questing 'buddy'.  Shhh.  He has a girlfriend already, and I'm way too old for him, but it was a cute picture that happend when he lagged out.  ;)  I couldn't resist.

Here I am questing in one of the underground cave systems in the eastern Gap of Rohan.

Yay!  Hitting 73 on Wednesday

Another quest has me escorting one of Theodred's Riders to the gates of Isengard to talk with Saurumon.  Those two trolls are 750,000 morale each, and are huge.  Clearly we're not getting in this way.

Then I meet an Ent with a cute butt, and he shows me a way through the sewers.  The downfall of every castle, fortress, and boss headquarters always seems to be a sewer entrance.  Damn that infernal plumbing!

In-combat in the ring of Isengard.

Questing buddies Acidor and Toa are with me as we kill mobs and watch Toa level up to 72.

Some of The Last Company pose for a photo in Galtrev.  Yeah, I'm the rebel in red.  ;)  Like any other colour would do for me?  Nice flex there Acid.  Nice.

More tasks, quests and grinding out with the Riders and I achieve level 74 on Thursday early morning.

Time to do some crafting!  I had a lot of wood and hides stored up.  Managed to craft myself a nice guild L75 club to use later this week.

Questing in another underground region in the Gap.  I can't remember where this was, but it was great.

I had to find and rescue a fellow maiden in distress.  Sadly she needs some help in the cosmetic department, but I won't hold it against her for now...

Daddy always warned me about glowing eyes.  "Honey, it doesn't matter how big and hot they look, if the guy's eyes are glowing, please don't date him."  Good advice, Dad.  I gave this guy a wide berth as he came in to lay destruction on the boss I had just battled.  He's kinda creepy.

Here we are - the happy-go-lucky-Pit-Battle-PUG-crew.  Clearly this is not something to attempt before L75 with a really well balanced and strong group.  We had our butts handed to us on a platter, a number of times...

...and finally after running out of the arena to stop the madness, we get three huge DRAGONS chasing other members of the party through the middle of town.  That's me, inconspicuously alive at left.  Then I died from someone still inside the arena oneshotting me from range.  Ouch.  >.<

What pretty flowers!  Poppies I think... oh wait, CRAP!  This mammoth boar was 'hiding' in the lake.  Remind me not to swim.

Ta-da!  Spent the last half of Thursday grinding deeds, tasks and mobs until FINALLY, at 1:58am Friday morning, I achieve Level 75!  :)  I think I need some sleep... seriously.  >.<  So fun.  So awesome.  :D

Love and hugs to all my fellow Dwarrowdelfians,

Sarharien -- Bowchick of Red and Collector of Shoes

Kierraen -- Minstrel of Delightful Octaves of Pain
Niphredila -- Warden of Gleeful Green Giggles