The Barrow Downs is a strange place. Not strange scenically, except in that it's actually quite tranquil looking on a clear day. Not strange in its denizens, although it is certainly the most fantastical region in the early game, with wights and spirits and twisted troll-like creatures lurking in the dark places.
It's strange because it feels like an endgame zone, despite being somewhere you pass through within the first 20 levels or so. The repeatable quests, mini-dungeons and named boss hunts all seem to be designed with the intent that this is somewhere you'll come back to again and again, even though if you're following the epic story it can be a once and done trip.
It's the barrows themselves that are the real standout feature of this area. Not only is there a lot of them, but each is unique – not just in layout but in appearance and atmosphere as well, and that in itself is amazing.
All MMOs reuse environments – albeit some more than others – and LOTRO is no exception to that rule, but my first few delves into the barrows, when I realised that they were distinct from one another, really impressed me. It still does, because it shows that the dev team put in the extra work to make this area something special.
It deserves to be. A lot of Shadow of Angmar – the original launch zones – are in areas that we don't see in the books, and of those we do see, seeing as SoA stops short of Moria, the Barrow Downs is undoubtedly the area most suited to classic rpg adventuring – delving into dark places underground and fighting the monsters that dwell therein.
So perhaps it isn't so strange that Turbine lavished so much attention on this area. It makes for a terrific finale to Bree-lands as a whole, but it also stands as a showpiece of what LOTRO can do so well – expanding on the world we know from the books and offering new opportunities for action and adventure, while remaining true to the lore of Middle-Earth.
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