Defending the Free Peoples from the dangers of Middle-earth is hard work, and sometimes an adventurer needs to stop to relax and enjoy a quiet moment away from trouble and turmoil. Hobbies are a great way to unwind in Middle-earth!
A Hobby is an activity that you may choose to participate in for fun or for profit! Similar to LOTRO's crafting professions, a hobby allows players to experience more of the world of Middle-earth and interact with it in new and exciting ways. To take up a Hobby in LOTRO, you’ll need to visit a Hobby Master to train in a hobby. They can be found in the following locations:
- Bree-town in the Scholar's Stair Archives
- Michel Delving at the Bird and Baby Inn
- Ered Luin in Thorin's Halls
- Rivendell in the Hall of Fire
Once you’ve trained in your hobby, you’re ready to get started! The more time you spend on your hobby, the better you will become at it. You can track your skill with your hobby in your character sheet under the Hobby tab, where you will be shown a bar of progress indicating how skilled you are with your hobby. Take it at your own pace, and enjoy the fun of your character’s new found hobby!
Fishing
LOTRO currently features fishing as a hobby. What better way to relax and enjoy the world of Middle-earth than by finding a nice spot along the bank of a river, casting your line into the water nearby, and basking in the glory of the day while trying to nab a prize-winning fish – or perhaps your next meal!
If you’re interested in fishing, stop by a Hobby Master to take up angling! Once you’ve trained with a Hobby Master and received your first fishing pole, it’s time to head out and get fishing! Getting started is as easy as finding the nearest pond, lake, or stream. That's right friends - you can fish wherever you'd like in Middle-earth at any fishing proficiency level (proficiency is your skill in fishing). However, keep in mind that some types of fish cannot be found in all locations - you will need to do a bit of exploration to catch'em all!
Once you've found your special fishing spot, it's as easy as casting your line, patiently waiting for a nibble on the hook, and reeling in your catch! At first, any fish you catch will increase your proficiency; however, as you become a more experienced angler you will find that only appropriately-challenging catches will improve your skill.
Advanced Fishing
Once you've mastered the fundamentals of fishing, you may wish to gain an advantage over your aquatic prey through the use of bait. The various fishing suppliers found throughout Middle-earth can provide you with bait such as Nightcrawlers, Leeches, and Red Wigglers - for a small price, of course! Bait will increase your chances of catching fish for a small amount of time.
Advanced fisherman should be on the lookout for fish that can be used in Cooking recipes, as well as special fish that can be brought to the Fishing Taxidermist for mounting on plaques that can be placed in your house. What better way to demonstrate your fishing mastery than to show off your prize catches! Fish that can be used in recipes will have a green icon background. Fish listed as “barter” items can be taken to the Taxidermist for mounting. Once you’ve mounted your fish, it’s ready for display on the interior walls of your house! Remember that some fish are larger than others, and it’s possible to catch small and large fish for trophies.
There are also titles to be earned though achieving certain fishing proficiency milestones, as well as fishing-related quests and deeds, such as the Summer Festival fishing derby!
So grab or craft a fishing pole, relax down by the shores of the water, and enjoy a day of fishing in Middle-earth!
For all things fishing check out this Community Created Guide: The Angler's Guide to Fishing in LOTRO!
