In Update 2: Echoes of the Dead, Evendim was revamp and reorganized. I ran a few quests in this area on my Lore-Master, Elahedor, ages ago. I spent way too much time in the North Downs, attempting to complete every quest there; thus, I missed a lot of other zones.
However, the good thing about LoTRO is that you can go back to lower-level zones and complete the quests there. Unfortunately, you don't get any experience, although you will get all the other rewards. I ran the quests there mostly to get kindred with the Wardens and purchase the reputation horse.
While I was running these quests, Turbine formally moved Oatbarton and Dwalling into the Evendim Zone (previously, they were part of The Shire). Both were minor quest hubs. The major quests hubs in Evendim were Tinnidur, Ost Forod, and Annuminas, with other minor hubs at Tal Ruinen, The Eavespires, and Men Erain. Annuminas, however, was designed as an end-game area for the original Shadows of Angmar expansion; thus, players had to return to the zone long after completing the area.
After Update 2, Oatbarton, Dwalling, Tinnidur, Ost Forod, Tal Ruinen, and The Eavespires remained mostly unchanged. A new quest hub was created at the High King's Crossing Bridge, a group of NPCs were placed on Rantost, and more NPCs were added to Men Erain.
I ran my Guardian, Pentalidor, through this area. He was approximately level 29.5 when I started.
One of the major changes is that you receive bronze and silver anorian coins as quest rewards. These coins can be bartered for a pretty decent armour set (tailored to your class). However, I found that by the time I leveled enough to purchase a piece in the set, the crafted items were much better, even with the bonus for the set. The only piece you can't get with the coins is the helm, which are earned from others quest within Annuminas.
Oatbarton
You start the zone in Oatbarton at around level 30. Previously, there wasn't much going on here: there were a only a couple of quest chains. In Update 2, North Cotton Farm was added to the game; NCF exists in two version: a public version and an instanced version. You won't be able to do the instanced version until level 65. The public version offers a series of on-level quests, most of which involves helping to prepare for a festival.
Dwalling
After completing the quests in Oatbarton, you'll move on to Dwalling, were things are a bit more serious. The town has been taken over by brigands, and goblins have encamped nearby. The poor the denizens of Dwalling have either run away or moved into a house on the outskirts of the town. Most of the quests involve dealing with the brigands and the goblins. Ultimately, you'll deal with the chief brigand and move on from Dwalling.
High King's Crossing
The next stop is the High King's Crossing bridge. Most of the quests here deal with the creatures and brigands roaming the Barandalf (the banks of the Brandywine). Most of these quests were previously granted in Tinnidur, and required a lot of back-and-forth travel. Be careful to not travel too far west, though; the quests and MoBs along The Way of Kings are intended for higher levels.
Tinnidur
After dealing with the brigands and beasts in the Barandalf, you'll move on to Tinnidur, the main hub in the zone. Most of the quests in this area involve dealing with even more brigands and beasts in the Parth Aduial region, but you'll also quest out to Rantost, an island of brigands, as well as Tal Ruinen, the island of the salamanders. There's also a side-quest to a single Warden encamped along the eastern road, near the gates to the North Downs.
A boat route has been added between Tinnidur and the island of Rantost, making travel much easier. Also, a group of three Wardens now are available. The Rantost chain ends with an instance in which you help deal with the brigand's counterattack after the Wardens have invaded the island and pushed out the brigands. This instance was previously a fellowship quest, but it now a solo quest. It's very similar to the Siege of Gondamon skirmish.
One of the main annoyances in the game is quest chains, which involve a lot of back-and-forth travel between the quest-giver and the place where the quest takes place. Quite often, you have to fight your way to the location, fight your way through the location, and fight your way back out. Multiple times.
To alleviate this issue, one NPC, Orchalwe, gives you a journal. Reading the journal initiates the first quest in the chain, and each time you complete a link, you re-read the journal to pick up the next link. When you finish the chain, you return to Orchalwe and pick up your reward. Orchalwe makes a return appearance in Annuminas.
You'll have to return to Tinnidur several times to advance your reputation, pick up additional quests, and visit your class trainer. Once you've completed the primary quests in the zone, you'll move on to Ost Forod.
Ost Forod
Ost Forod is populated by a group of unfriendly folk - they are almost brigand-like, though they don't attack. You'll be greeted by insults every time you enter the city. Again, most of the quests offered here are dealing with creatures and brigands; however, you'll now also have to deal with goblins.
One of the first things you'll notice in Ost Forod is a series of Wanted Posters. If you so choose, read the poster, speak with the indicated NPC and go defeat the creature.
Almost nothing has changed in Ost Forod.
Tal Ruinen
The island of the salamanders is pretty much the same, though a boat keeper has been added.
The Eavespires
Once you complete Ost Forod, you'll return to Tinnidur and pick up a quest taking you to The Eavespires, where you'll get your first glimpse of an Ent. Most of the quests in this area revolve around Guaradians, the evil wolf-men who have come out of Forochel. You'll also deal with giants, bears, and wood trolls.
The Ent, Longbough, will eventually give you a quest to deal with a corrupted tree, Heart-Rot, and an evil huorn, Twisted Heart. This instance previously required a fellowship, but it is now soloable. The mechanics of the boss fight were not very clear, but you'll be lead into a cavern, fighting Twisted Heart and the roots of Heart-Rot. Once you defeat the roots, you have to run back up to the surface and fight the tree (let Longbough tank the huorn) until it goes dormant; run back down to help with more roots. Rinse and repeat until the Heart-Rot and Twisted Heart are defeated.
Once you complete the quests in The Eavespires, you'll be asked to return to Tinnidur and report in.
At this point, you'll be asked to go see the Blue Maid, an female elf who lives in a cave. She'll test your loyalty with a few quests before she feels you show her the respect she deserves. At that point, she will open the Tomb of Elendil. This instance requires a fellowship. The quests in this chain still require a lot of travel. You have to go to The Eavespires, Ost Forod, and Rantost. The quest directions aren't very clear (I had to rely on the quest tracker on the map). I think some of this could be streamlined a bit, with the statue pieces that you collect placed either on Tal Ruinen or spread along the western shores of the lake - or even in the Guaradian camps.
Previously, the Tomb of Eledndil quest acted essentially as the end game for the landscape portion of the zone, but now you'll be moving toward Annuminas.
Men Erain
The first stop on your way into Annuminas is Men Erain, an island near the High King's Crossing bridge. Most of the quests here involve the brigands encamped among the tombs of the Numenorian Kings and on the slopes above the tombs. A lot of work has been done in this area, and many of the tombs can now be entered as part of quests.
Annuminas
Finally, you'll move into Annuminas, whose level has been dropped to around 40 (Pentalidor is now level 42, and most of the MoBs are dark blue, indicated that they are one level below him).
A really neat quest-granting mechanic has been added here. Instead of dealing with NPCs, you'll get a quest to help Orchalwe with two main quests. You'll also be given a "smoke signal", which allows you to call Orchalwe to your side; he'll aid in your fights, heal you, and - as you move around the city - give you quests. Once you complete the task, you can basic turn right around to complete it and obtain the rewards.
Conclusion
Overall, the zone is much more linear as you move from one hub to the other, and the quests are fun and interesting.
The quests in the Lighthouse, given in High King's Crossing, are quite challenging, mostly because of the density of MoBs and because there are a couple of signatures pathing around the ruins. However, I didn't find many of the other quests as challenging. It took me a few minutes to figure out the mechanics of the Twisted Heart instance, but when I did, it wasn't particularly challenging. Longbough is quite tough, and there's little danger of him being defeated.
On the other hand, I found Annuminas to be extremely frustrating. Basically, only the level of the MoBs were lowered, but the density hasn't changed. As a result, you are frequently fighting 3 - 5 guys at a time. Many still cast fear on you, which hits your survivability. Also, you have no control over Orchalwe at all. I was fighting a group in the courtyard area, and one of the archers moved away so that he could use his bow. Unfortunately, he positioned himself right next to another group. Orchalwe decided to attack him, and, of course, aggroed that group. Similarly, in the upper reaches of the city, I was attacked by an archer and a swordsman near an area where troll pathed, but I had no way to call Orchalwe to me and avoid aggroing the troll.
After much frustration, I finally decided to leave the city for awhile. Later, I took Elahedor in for a look. It appears that the gates to the bridge are now permanently open (before, each of the control points had to be in friendly hands before the gate opened). However, there are four guards at the gate, and a Seeress paths through the group. On the other end, there are multiple trolls pathing around, along with multiple groups of 3-5 Angaram. There's no doubt in my mind that the city is not truly soloable.
To be truly solable, the city still needs some tweaks. Some of the groups should be thinned out a bit, and the pathers should be moved or made static. There's still a 18K elite MoB in Tirband (one of the leaders), and he pretty much requires a fellowship to take down. Also, the MoBs respawn quite quickly - in the courtyard, where Valtair hangs out and where you have to put a banner on a monument for Orchalwe, you literally have to fight your way in, through, and out of the area. Also, be careful to clear the first level of all three groups of Angaram and Trolls. It seems like aggroing Valtair will aggro everything in the area (either than, or Orchalwe aggroed these groups).
By the way, Siridan (another leader) is still missing in action, and his camp doesn't seem to flip back to his control. This is a known issue; a GM can spawn Siridan in his alternate camp if need be. He's in the lower level, Gwaelband.
On the positive side, leveling in the area is quite fast. I took Pentalidor from level 29.5 to 42 in just a few days. I'm not sure the devs considered Tasks in the leveling plan, so I probably leveled quite a bit faster than intended.
Overall, with the exception of Annuminas, I rather enjoyed my time in the zone.
However, the good thing about LoTRO is that you can go back to lower-level zones and complete the quests there. Unfortunately, you don't get any experience, although you will get all the other rewards. I ran the quests there mostly to get kindred with the Wardens and purchase the reputation horse.
While I was running these quests, Turbine formally moved Oatbarton and Dwalling into the Evendim Zone (previously, they were part of The Shire). Both were minor quest hubs. The major quests hubs in Evendim were Tinnidur, Ost Forod, and Annuminas, with other minor hubs at Tal Ruinen, The Eavespires, and Men Erain. Annuminas, however, was designed as an end-game area for the original Shadows of Angmar expansion; thus, players had to return to the zone long after completing the area.
After Update 2, Oatbarton, Dwalling, Tinnidur, Ost Forod, Tal Ruinen, and The Eavespires remained mostly unchanged. A new quest hub was created at the High King's Crossing Bridge, a group of NPCs were placed on Rantost, and more NPCs were added to Men Erain.
I ran my Guardian, Pentalidor, through this area. He was approximately level 29.5 when I started.
One of the major changes is that you receive bronze and silver anorian coins as quest rewards. These coins can be bartered for a pretty decent armour set (tailored to your class). However, I found that by the time I leveled enough to purchase a piece in the set, the crafted items were much better, even with the bonus for the set. The only piece you can't get with the coins is the helm, which are earned from others quest within Annuminas.
Oatbarton
You start the zone in Oatbarton at around level 30. Previously, there wasn't much going on here: there were a only a couple of quest chains. In Update 2, North Cotton Farm was added to the game; NCF exists in two version: a public version and an instanced version. You won't be able to do the instanced version until level 65. The public version offers a series of on-level quests, most of which involves helping to prepare for a festival.
Dwalling
After completing the quests in Oatbarton, you'll move on to Dwalling, were things are a bit more serious. The town has been taken over by brigands, and goblins have encamped nearby. The poor the denizens of Dwalling have either run away or moved into a house on the outskirts of the town. Most of the quests involve dealing with the brigands and the goblins. Ultimately, you'll deal with the chief brigand and move on from Dwalling.
High King's Crossing
The next stop is the High King's Crossing bridge. Most of the quests here deal with the creatures and brigands roaming the Barandalf (the banks of the Brandywine). Most of these quests were previously granted in Tinnidur, and required a lot of back-and-forth travel. Be careful to not travel too far west, though; the quests and MoBs along The Way of Kings are intended for higher levels.
Tinnidur
After dealing with the brigands and beasts in the Barandalf, you'll move on to Tinnidur, the main hub in the zone. Most of the quests in this area involve dealing with even more brigands and beasts in the Parth Aduial region, but you'll also quest out to Rantost, an island of brigands, as well as Tal Ruinen, the island of the salamanders. There's also a side-quest to a single Warden encamped along the eastern road, near the gates to the North Downs.
A boat route has been added between Tinnidur and the island of Rantost, making travel much easier. Also, a group of three Wardens now are available. The Rantost chain ends with an instance in which you help deal with the brigand's counterattack after the Wardens have invaded the island and pushed out the brigands. This instance was previously a fellowship quest, but it now a solo quest. It's very similar to the Siege of Gondamon skirmish.
One of the main annoyances in the game is quest chains, which involve a lot of back-and-forth travel between the quest-giver and the place where the quest takes place. Quite often, you have to fight your way to the location, fight your way through the location, and fight your way back out. Multiple times.
To alleviate this issue, one NPC, Orchalwe, gives you a journal. Reading the journal initiates the first quest in the chain, and each time you complete a link, you re-read the journal to pick up the next link. When you finish the chain, you return to Orchalwe and pick up your reward. Orchalwe makes a return appearance in Annuminas.
You'll have to return to Tinnidur several times to advance your reputation, pick up additional quests, and visit your class trainer. Once you've completed the primary quests in the zone, you'll move on to Ost Forod.
Ost Forod
Ost Forod is populated by a group of unfriendly folk - they are almost brigand-like, though they don't attack. You'll be greeted by insults every time you enter the city. Again, most of the quests offered here are dealing with creatures and brigands; however, you'll now also have to deal with goblins.
One of the first things you'll notice in Ost Forod is a series of Wanted Posters. If you so choose, read the poster, speak with the indicated NPC and go defeat the creature.
Almost nothing has changed in Ost Forod.
Tal Ruinen
The island of the salamanders is pretty much the same, though a boat keeper has been added.
The Eavespires
Once you complete Ost Forod, you'll return to Tinnidur and pick up a quest taking you to The Eavespires, where you'll get your first glimpse of an Ent. Most of the quests in this area revolve around Guaradians, the evil wolf-men who have come out of Forochel. You'll also deal with giants, bears, and wood trolls.
The Ent, Longbough, will eventually give you a quest to deal with a corrupted tree, Heart-Rot, and an evil huorn, Twisted Heart. This instance previously required a fellowship, but it is now soloable. The mechanics of the boss fight were not very clear, but you'll be lead into a cavern, fighting Twisted Heart and the roots of Heart-Rot. Once you defeat the roots, you have to run back up to the surface and fight the tree (let Longbough tank the huorn) until it goes dormant; run back down to help with more roots. Rinse and repeat until the Heart-Rot and Twisted Heart are defeated.
Once you complete the quests in The Eavespires, you'll be asked to return to Tinnidur and report in.
At this point, you'll be asked to go see the Blue Maid, an female elf who lives in a cave. She'll test your loyalty with a few quests before she feels you show her the respect she deserves. At that point, she will open the Tomb of Elendil. This instance requires a fellowship. The quests in this chain still require a lot of travel. You have to go to The Eavespires, Ost Forod, and Rantost. The quest directions aren't very clear (I had to rely on the quest tracker on the map). I think some of this could be streamlined a bit, with the statue pieces that you collect placed either on Tal Ruinen or spread along the western shores of the lake - or even in the Guaradian camps.
Previously, the Tomb of Eledndil quest acted essentially as the end game for the landscape portion of the zone, but now you'll be moving toward Annuminas.
Men Erain
The first stop on your way into Annuminas is Men Erain, an island near the High King's Crossing bridge. Most of the quests here involve the brigands encamped among the tombs of the Numenorian Kings and on the slopes above the tombs. A lot of work has been done in this area, and many of the tombs can now be entered as part of quests.
Annuminas
Finally, you'll move into Annuminas, whose level has been dropped to around 40 (Pentalidor is now level 42, and most of the MoBs are dark blue, indicated that they are one level below him).
A really neat quest-granting mechanic has been added here. Instead of dealing with NPCs, you'll get a quest to help Orchalwe with two main quests. You'll also be given a "smoke signal", which allows you to call Orchalwe to your side; he'll aid in your fights, heal you, and - as you move around the city - give you quests. Once you complete the task, you can basic turn right around to complete it and obtain the rewards.
Conclusion
Overall, the zone is much more linear as you move from one hub to the other, and the quests are fun and interesting.
The quests in the Lighthouse, given in High King's Crossing, are quite challenging, mostly because of the density of MoBs and because there are a couple of signatures pathing around the ruins. However, I didn't find many of the other quests as challenging. It took me a few minutes to figure out the mechanics of the Twisted Heart instance, but when I did, it wasn't particularly challenging. Longbough is quite tough, and there's little danger of him being defeated.
On the other hand, I found Annuminas to be extremely frustrating. Basically, only the level of the MoBs were lowered, but the density hasn't changed. As a result, you are frequently fighting 3 - 5 guys at a time. Many still cast fear on you, which hits your survivability. Also, you have no control over Orchalwe at all. I was fighting a group in the courtyard area, and one of the archers moved away so that he could use his bow. Unfortunately, he positioned himself right next to another group. Orchalwe decided to attack him, and, of course, aggroed that group. Similarly, in the upper reaches of the city, I was attacked by an archer and a swordsman near an area where troll pathed, but I had no way to call Orchalwe to me and avoid aggroing the troll.
After much frustration, I finally decided to leave the city for awhile. Later, I took Elahedor in for a look. It appears that the gates to the bridge are now permanently open (before, each of the control points had to be in friendly hands before the gate opened). However, there are four guards at the gate, and a Seeress paths through the group. On the other end, there are multiple trolls pathing around, along with multiple groups of 3-5 Angaram. There's no doubt in my mind that the city is not truly soloable.
To be truly solable, the city still needs some tweaks. Some of the groups should be thinned out a bit, and the pathers should be moved or made static. There's still a 18K elite MoB in Tirband (one of the leaders), and he pretty much requires a fellowship to take down. Also, the MoBs respawn quite quickly - in the courtyard, where Valtair hangs out and where you have to put a banner on a monument for Orchalwe, you literally have to fight your way in, through, and out of the area. Also, be careful to clear the first level of all three groups of Angaram and Trolls. It seems like aggroing Valtair will aggro everything in the area (either than, or Orchalwe aggroed these groups).
By the way, Siridan (another leader) is still missing in action, and his camp doesn't seem to flip back to his control. This is a known issue; a GM can spawn Siridan in his alternate camp if need be. He's in the lower level, Gwaelband.
On the positive side, leveling in the area is quite fast. I took Pentalidor from level 29.5 to 42 in just a few days. I'm not sure the devs considered Tasks in the leveling plan, so I probably leveled quite a bit faster than intended.
Overall, with the exception of Annuminas, I rather enjoyed my time in the zone.
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