Standing Stone Games’The Lord of the Rings Onlineis still active and thriving, almost two decades after the MMO first released. Today, there’s an increased focus on concurrent player numbers and how ‘viable’ a multiplayer game is even before release. It can almost feel like everyone is fighting an uphill battle against the dreaded “dead on arrival” label.
A game as old as LOTR Online still maintaining a dedicated player base and still being actively updated by its developer is a refreshing sight in an industry where online games can arrive, rise, and then shut down forever, all within a couple of years.
An example of LOTR Online’s active community is an annual event held by Twitch streamerBurkeBlack, entitled the ‘Great Hobbit Run’ (nice spot,GamesRadar+).
The concept behind the Great Hobbit Run is simple; just as Frodo and Sam did, a group of hobbits must walk from Bilbo’s house in the Shire all the way to Mount Doom. Naturally, a successful journey ends in a hobbit casting themselves into the flames, just as Elrond and Gandalf envisioned, probably.
This year’s iteration of the event was the third annual Great Hobbit Run, following two unsuccessful attempts in previous years. The hobbits used in this event are fresh creations, and, since no quests are completed during this journey, the hobbits remain severely underlevelled throughout.
A certain doomed Gondorian once said, “One does not simply walk into Mordor,” and, evidently, he was correct, as the pack of hobbits faltered in previous years while en route to their destination.
However, this year was different. After reaching the fiery pits of Mount Doom, the party took up King Théoden’s famous rallying cry, screaming “Death!” as a few dozen hobbits leapt into the flames, sending everyone on a one-way trip back to their spawn point in Rivendell.
Although the hobbits were successful, this may not be the end of the Great Hobbit Run: “Thank you to the helpers and everyone that joined this year, but sadly, I forgot the ring back at the Shire, so we’ll try again next year!“wrote BlackBurke in a post.
Hobbits must seem of little importance to most, but a group of hairy-footed heroes just proved what they’re capable of.
