This is Why I Love Having Kids

Okay, so it’s not the reason. This, however, is one of the great side-effects of having children, which results in limited playing time.

It means I can get excited about Enedwaith, and yet I don’t have to wait around for it. (See how I did that? I took a common issue of many gamers, and I turned it around. Made it a positive.) I still have so much left to do in Mirkwood, not to mention a few items on my personal checklists for Lothlorien and Moria. Heck, I’ve still got a few deeds left in Eriador. In other words, I’m not lacking for things to do.

A few things I’m really excited about for Enedwaith:

• Dunland – or at least the first parts of Dunland. This has always been a people and realm in which I’ve been keenly interested, and yet it is not covered much by Tolkien (at least, not as far as my fairly extensive reading).
• Welsh Themes – aside from the “distinct biomes” and “new art”, the new architecture and mob themes are looking great. The Dunlending mobs and NPCs look particularly good.
• Lich Bluffs – of all the areas of Enedwaith that the Developer Diary detailed, this one is the most intriguing. I loved the Barrow-Downs, Great Barrows, and Haudh Iarchith. This promises more of that type of adventure.
• Exploration – for someone who loves exploration, the addition of a new zone is only a good thing. Having a zone that covers so many distinct and differentiated areas so close together? Wow.
• SHADOW-GOATS!

Enough said...

Add into this the revised instances from the original areas, including “new rewards available at higher levels”, an Instance Join mechanic that would seem to work like Skirmish Join (immediate and from anywhere!), and a new Epic Book and you’ve got an update that brings us back to the glory of Evendim and Forochel. I don’t know if it’s the merger with Warner Brothers, or just the fact that it’s been so long since a major update, but Turbine seems to be hitting their stride again.

Oh, and here’s another reason to love having kids: