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Hello and welcome. For this video assignment, I'll be taking my level 33 Dwarf Rune-Keeper
Skodgar Firebelly through the solo Retake Weathertop quest. As I've previously done
it before on my own, I'll be restarting the quest via the Reflecting Pool in Ost Guruth.
This particular quest takes place after Frodo and company have their encounter with the
Naz'ghul in Amon Sul. In the wake of their passing, orcs from the south have fortrified
the area in an attempt to establish a presence in the North. Our quest is to remove the orcs
from the hill and retake Weathertop. We are accompanied on our quest by the ranger Candaith,
whose presence bears a passing resemblance to Strider accompanying Frodo and the Hobbits
on their own journey to the top.
We are immediately beset by orcs as soon as we begin our quest. Unlike the novel and film
which emphasized a need for stealth and caution, our approach in the game is much more on the
loud and violent side.
One will notice immediately that despite it being daylight out when I entered the Reflecting
Pool, the quest takes place at night. There is no reason why we cannot remove the orcs
during the day, but by placing the quest at night, the designers bring the experience
of the instance closer to that of both the novel and the film.
In this part, I light a bonfire to attract the attention of some orcs up on the hill.
Throughout the rest of the instance, we will come across torches and bonfires which we
may light to help split groups of orcs into more manageable sizes. The use of fire in
the game is a surprisingly poignant twist from the novel and the film, where the use
of fire was discouraged in fear it would attract attention to the party. It is ironic then
that now, fire becomes our ally, and attracting the enemy to us is exactly what we want.
We have reached a point where Candaith splits off from me and we will continue our journeys
separately until we reach the summit. This is similar to the film where Strider leaves
the hobbits to scout, only to return at the last moment to save them from the Naz'ghul
attack. For newer players, the idea of proceeding alone on the quest would seem daunting, and
there is a strong desire to reunite with Candaith as soon as possible. This is something which
the Hobbits must have also felt when Strider left them to their own.
Although this is somewhat a limitation of the game itself, it's also interesting to
point out that in all our dialogue with Candaith, we do not have any option of refusing him.
Much like the hobbits had to rely on Strider to carry them through their journey, I must
rely on Candaith to continue mine. If I choose not to talk to him, I cannot carry on with
the quest.
As we continue on our journey to the top, one should take notice that the path to the
top is quite wide, wide enough to contain several tents full of orcs with space to spare.
This is opposed to what was depicted in the film and inferred from the novel, where the
path to the top was narrow and steep. This is likely a concession by the game designers
in order to ensure the gamespace was large enough for the player to not have to struggle
with tight spaces while fighting.
I have just defeated the first boss of the encounter and am now lighting another torch
in order to carry on forward. Once again, we see the use of fire here as a boon rather
than something to be avoided, as without the fire we cannot carry on with our quest.
As we near the top, we finally reunite with Candaith, who has been badly wounded and can
no longer assist us in the quest. It is a striking role reversal from the novel and
film, where it is the ranger who stops the threat at Amon Sul.
The top is revealed to us and our quarry revealed -- the Uruk-hai leader, Rigul. One will immediately
realize that the top of Amon Sul is depicted much like it was in the film -- with broken
stonework formed in a circular pattern, with no light to be found except from that of the
moon. There is a great sense of dread, and new players may be intimidated by what they
find here. Thankfully, I am grossly overleveled for this instance, and have no problems in
that regard.
As we watch the discussion, we see that Rigul intends to light a large bonfire in the center,
most likely to signal other orcs in the surrounding areas that they have successfully taken Amon
Sul. Fire has gone from being a foe in the novels and films, to a friend through our
journey to the top, and finally back to a foe as we move into the final encounter.
The fight with Rigul is probably the first fight which new players have to deal with
multiple adds and summons. As he gets low on health, Rigul will summon additional orcs
who emerge from the shadows, and eventually the troll Olog-snaga. For new players, seeing
an angry troll wielding a flaming club barreling down on them is probably almost as frightening
as seeing a Ring Wraith, especially when having to deal with a mob of angry orcs alongside
it. I know I certainly was surprised and terrified the first time I ran this encounter.
That brings us to the end of the quest. Thanks for watching and hope to see you in game.