Wonderful Places in LOTRO's Middle Earth: maart 2014

Tier 8 and Tier 9 artifacts in Rohan

Rohan is the place to be to search for tier 8 and tier 9 scholar artifacts. This huge region is devided in an eastern part - East Rohan or Eastemnet - and a western part, West Rohan or Westemnet. Both parts of Rohan are divided in several areas:

Eastemnet (East Rohan) - Tier 8: Ornate Caches
1. The Wold (start area for lvl 74-77)
2. The East Wall (lvl 75-78 area)
3. Norcrofts (lvl 78-80 area)
4. Entwash Vale (lvl 79-81 area)
5. Eaves of Fangorn (lvl 81-83 area)
6. Sutcrofts (lvl 83-85 area)
7. Wildermore (lvl 84-85 area)

Westemnet (West Rohan) - Tier 9: Adorned Chests
1. Kingstead (start area lvl 84-87)
2. Eastfold (lvl 86-88)
4. Broadacres (lvl 89-91)
3. Stonedeans (lvl 90-93)
5. Westfold lvl 93-95)

Tier 8 - Eastemnet - Ornate Caches

Ornate caches can be found in East Rohan and these wooden boxes contains 2 types of raw material:

- Scrap of Rohirric Text
- Piece of Sealed Wax.

Sometimes, especially in heavy ornate caches, you can find the very rare Tarnished Crest of Rohan. However, it is stated that this is a very rare drop from scholar artifacts, much rarer than the droprate from wood and ore...

The East Wall and The Wold have the best spots for scholar artifacts in Eastern Rohan, and they can be found in ruins (look careful at the map for these places!) and in orc camps. In all other regions in Eastern Rohan scholar stuff seems to be rare. Outside the Wold and the East Wall I have found only 4 places until now with ornate caches. These places are located in orc camps or dungeons - even instances - , guarded by many orcs or undead.

Norcrofts & Entwash Vale
For the Norcrofts and Entwash Vale I have constructed two maps with the places I know, but maybe there are some more to find. However, none of the locations in these areas has an easy access to loot the scholar artifacts. In conclusion I can advise you to concentrate your search for caches not in the Norcrofts or the Entwash Vale, but in the Wold and in the Eastwall region. These regions are far more profitablye than the Norcrofts and the Entwash Vale. However, if you like some orc or undead fights when searching for artifacts, maybe these regions will still wet your appetite.

Norcrofts
In the Norcrofts there are just a few locations with adorned caches. They are both located in uruk-hai warcamps.

Kufuzg
Kufuzg is a big warcamp, with a seemingly impenetrable stockade. The entrance is at the far south, near the mountain ridge, at 52.0S, 52.5W. Uruks are everywhere here, and you will have a hard time to locate the 2 caches in the camp. One cache was an adorned one, and I have marked the location on the map with a blue margin (like all my maps, adorned chests are marked by a fat margin).

Nink-hai War Camp
The other orc-camp is a special breed of uruk-hai, the Nink-hai. This cam is located at 55.6S, 55.1W. There are many Nink-hai.here, so be prepared for some heavy fights before you reach the caches. You can find only one or two caches in the camp. On my first round I noted two in my diary, and at my second search I found only one.

Minas Rant and abandoned farmsteads
Rather surprisingly, there are no artifacts in the ruin of Minas Rant. The abandoned farmsteads are also depleted of caches.

Caches in the Norcrofts are scarce and heavy guarded

Entwash Vale

Maustaz
The heavy guarded orc-camp of Maustaz (49.1S, 62.7W) contains only 2 caches, one in the north (behind the stockade, near a watchtower) and one in the south.

Wódfen
The Wódfen is a marh and you can find at least one cache here. The spawnpoint can differ, it can be north - between some dead aurochs - or more to the south. This caches lies in the vicinity of the Byrgenstow dungeon, its entrance is just north of the dead aurochs (see the description below)

Thornhope and Thrug-nur
In the far northwest, near Fangorn, there is a burn village, Thornhope. I only found one cache here, that one can spawn at another place too. The same holds true for the orc camp adjacent to Fangorn, whit the strange name of Thrug-nur. Both places are heavy guarded by orcs, and - since there is only 1 chase at both places - only interesting for a scholar who want to do the quests here.

All ornate caches in the Entwash Vale are heavy guarded

Byrgenstow dungeon
Near the Wódfen lies the Byrgenstow dungeon, which is an undead-infested maze. If you enter the dungeon you can find at least three caches, which can respawn at different places when looted. There are many Draugar (special undeads) here, but also some pop-up quests and a deed to find some numbered chambers. It is wise to use the map below, since you can be hopelessly lost in this maze... There are two levels in the maze, an upper part and a lower part. On your in-game map (press M key on your keyboard) you will see the dungeon as a split system, with the upper level to the left, and the lower level to the right. Both parts seem separated, but are in reality one dungeon. On the map below the connection between both parts is visualized by blue, purple and red lines. The locations of the caches are marked with red dots, but they can differ when they are looted.

The undead-infested maze of Byrgenstow

The Wold

The Wold is at high level (80+) a pretty easy area to look for ornate caches.

Easy picking in the nameless ruins
A fairly easy to-loot-spot, with 4, caches can be found in a ruined tower in the far north of the Wold. It lies just south of Ost Celebranth, across the river and over the bridge (turn left when entering East Rohan from the Great River).
Another very easy spot is a nameless ruin in the far south, with 3 caches inside. There are no monsters here, but you have to travel a lot to find this secret place.

Easy pickings in nameless ruins in The Wold

Seething Mire

Somewhat more dangerous areas are the ruins in the Seething Mire [37.9S, 54.3W] with lots of salamanders. There are some quests here, so you can combine your search for ornate caches here.

South Undeep
Another dangerous spot is the South Undeep, an easterlings camp in the middle of the Anduin at [34.9S, 47.9W]. You can reach the middle camp when you follow the duckboards. At the eastern side of the river, is another easterling camp, with another ornate cache.

Undead caves at Dwolung Hole and Wódscrafen
Dwolung Hole at 40.7S, 54.5W and Wódscrafen 42.5S, 49.4 W, are caves with many nasty undeads, called Draugs. When you enter these caves you can found 3 ornate caches, but you have to slay many, many Draugs to reach them...

Big orc camps: Joshkni-Orda and Nîn-stazg
The big orc-camp at Joshkni-Orda (41.8S, 47.7W) is an interesting spot for combining quests and looking for ornate chests. Together with the ruined tower in the north, Joshkni-Orda is the most rewarding spot for scholar artifacts in The Wold.
Nîn-stazg (47.0S, 46.9W) is not a very rich place for the scholar, since I found only 3 caches here. However, one of them was an adorned cache (marked by a blue circle). Nîn-stazg lies to the far south-east, adhacent to the Anduin. You can reach it by travelling to Floodwend, and then head to the riverbank. Don't try to reach it from Sarn Gebir, since thar road has a dead end in the mountains (and it is a long long way back ...).

Small orc camps: Eastmund's Lair and Olgakósh
Small orc camps can be found north of the Seething Mire, which is Eastmund's Lair [36.1S, 56.0W], at Olghakósh and at Nin-stazg. You will find only one ore two ornate caches here, and it is up to you if you want to loot these sparse trunks with some Rohirric texts. Killing orcs will also result in some drops of Rohirric texts. So, if you want to enlarge your scholar stuff, you have to choose the aggressive way here.

The Wold is one of the richest areas for ornate Caches in Eastemnet

East Wall

Orc camp near the Argonath [49.5S, 47.6W]
Three chests can be found here, but the camp is heavily infested with ranged orcs (skirmishers) and close combat orcs (mordor orcs). They will be not a great problem, unless you run around with your horse. Stand still and kill them one for one, the ranged ones first, because they can do a lot of accumulated damage. If you are in a hurry, or don't want to kill a lot of orcs, you can skip this place and travel south. Most other places in The East Wall are much easier to loot then this one, with a meager reward of 3 chests...

Ruined tower, south of the Argonath [54.9S, 49.8W]
A relatively easy place to look for artifacts. Just some orcs, who can be easily subdued. The tower can be seen east of the road, but at first sight the radar will show you nothing. Just ride somewhat closer and you will discover 2-3 ornate chests around the old walls of the tower .

Ruins near Tol Brandir [59.0S, 47.5]
Just before the Rauros and with a beautiful view of Tol Brandir, there is a ruin with some orcs and three ornate chests. Its an easy spot to loot some 3-6 Rohirric texts.

Road to Amon Hen and Hissing Pit
Along the road to Amon Hen, near the Hissing Pit, there are 6 ornate chests. Two can be found at 58.0S, 50.4W and 58.0S, 50.4W. It is a quiet place with some scattered orcs which can be easily avoided. Four in a row can be found near the rock wall of 58.4S, 50.2W and two near the ruined tower of 58.8S, 49.9W. All these chests are a relatively easy loot for a shrewd scholar.

Amon Hen
Somewhat more difficult are the ruins of Amon Hen, just at the top of the stairs. I have found 4 chests around a stair to the top of Amon Hen, near 61.2S, 46.6W. One chest can even be found at the kings chair, at the highest point of Amon Hen. Sitting in the chair you will have a beautiful view into the lands to come...
In the orc camp-stockade adjacent and below (west) Amon Hen, 2 more chests can be found.

Sutcrofts Barricade
At the road from Parth Galen to Walstow, in the Sutcrofts, lies a heavy guarded orc camp: Sutcrofts Barricade [ 60.9S, 53.6W]. The barricades block the road from the sutcrofts to the Eastwall, so the best way is to enter it from Parth Galen in the East Wall. There are only two chests here, near the barricade. If you like battling orcs, than this is the place for you! I even managed, by jumping on a warhorse, to enter the camp from the Sutcrofts. You have to jump first on the rocks, and after that you can jump over the barricade.

The East Wall: a good starter region for scholar artifacts in east Rohan

Sutcrofts no scholar artifacts!

Until now I didn't find any locations of scholar artifacts in the Suthcrofts. Although I am pretty sure that it is an empty place for scholar nodes, inform me if you find any location in this area.

Wildermore

Wildermore is the snowy region in East Rohan. It is situated north of the Entwash vale and the Norcrofts, and west of The Wold. You can enter this cold and white region by climbing one of the three small mountain paths in the neighboring zones. The mountain path from the Entwash Vale is pretty safe, but entering from the Norcrofts is - for a low level like lvl. 80 - somewhat more difficult. Many Uruks are guarding the Norcrofts trail winding into the Wildermore. If you enter the Wildermore from the Wold, its a safe route also (although a stray-orc may follow you). If you are on horse its no problem at all: keep running until your enemies getting bored and tired by following you.

I found a lot of scholar nodes in this fantastic region and they seem to be concentrated in the southern part of Wildermore. Almost all farms in the Fallows, the southeastern part of Wildermore, contain 2 or 3 caches. Of course they are mostly guarded by orcs, which is pretty usual if you search for scholar artifacts. West from the Eastern Ice-spires you can find several spots with 2-3 Ornate caches, like the Western Ices-spires, the village of Dunfast, and the small orc camps along the road from Dunfast to Cerdic's Camp.

Try Writhendons Tomb also, inside you can find 2-3 caches, tight together. For people who like blurred visions, just go to the Western Ice-spires. The air is so cold here - because of the high elevation - that your eyes will be frozen in minutes. A nice experience for polar enthusiasts....

At level 85 i think this is definitely the best region to look for ornate caches in Eastern Rohan. If you are somewhat lower in level, its rather dangerous and maybe its wise to loot the caches in the East Wall region, around Lake Nen Hithoel. If you don't like snow or the atmosphere of Forochel - Wildermore feels exactly the same as this polar region - go to the East Wall for your scholar stuff...

The Wildermore is the best zone for Ornate Caches in East Rohan!

Tier 9 - Westemnet - Adorned Chests

Tier 9 Artifacts are Adorned chests, and they can be found in all regions of Westemnet. All these tier 9 chests contains Tattered Rohirric Parchments as raw material. The easiest locations to look out for Adorned Chests are situated in Kingstead and situated in Kingstead and the Eastfold. Most locations are guarded by a single orc or wild animal. More dangerous places can be found in the orc camps of Broadacres, Stonedeans and the Westfold. If you like some fights and some nice orc-loot, these regions are the most interesting for the danger seeking scholars.

Kingstead

Kingstead is the first region of West Rohan which you will normally enter, especially when you are starting your quests here. The Entwade is the starting location of all quests in West Rohan and is also a ideal station to begin your search for Adorned Chests.
Most locations are relatively easy to farm, only at Bosa's Farm you will encounter some pestering orcs. There are 4 locations of chests here, one along the road and the 3 others in the burned fields.
South of Bosa's farm is an abandoned orc-camp, with one chest. More to the west, around 56.9S and 70.5W, there are 3 locations between the stony hills.

chest in the stony hills

Near Folcbur's Homestead there are 2 other chests to be found. One chest can be found around or in the mill.

Folcbur's Homestead

When you cross the river to Eastfold, you will find one chest in front of the mill of Pendlac's Farm. That chest will respawn relatively fast on the same spot, or some meters north of it.

Pendlac's Farm

If you follow the road further to the Eastfold, you will see a nameless ruin along the east side of the road. It's situated in a wooded area near the river. Actually, this spot is already in the Eastfold. Like all other artifact locations in Kingstead, both chests in the ruin are easy to loot.
When you are done here, just follow the road into the Eastfold and you will find two other spots with easy loot.

.

Kingstead is one of the easiest regions of West Rohan to look for Tier 9 artifacts

Eastfold

The Eastfold is the region south of Kingstead and east of Kingstead. It is one of the easiest areas for farming Adorned Chests, although the distribution of the artifacts is quite rare. There are two nameless ruins in the north and the east, which both contains 2 Adorned Chests.

Quite surprisingly is the location of 2 chests at the ruins directly north of the gate of Aldburg. All the locations with Adorned chests in the Eastfold are not guarded by much orcs, although occasionally some beasts may attack you. If you don't like endless fights with orcs, maybe these 3 places are interesting to circle around, since they have respawned every time when you reach the required spot.

Adorned chests in the Eastfold are quite rare, but very easy to farm!

Broadacres

Broadacres is the northern part of West Rohan. There seems to be only two locations with scholar artifacts. Both in are located in the west of the Broadacres and relatively rich in artifacts nodes. If you want some orc and halforc-fights and some nice loot to, just head for Bradh-dorám or Torsbury.

Torsbury is a big old ruin with a burned Rohirrim settlement in the centre. There are lots of level 89-90 half-orcs here and also some dunledings (lvl 89). The chest locations in the camp are mostlybe guarded by sigs, like Dunlending captains (26.5K morale), Drustan (a named lvl 89 Dunlending, 26.5K morale with a lvl 88 halforc guard), Brin (a named lvl 89 Dunlending, 26.5K morale with a lvl 88 halforc warrior guard), Urig (a named lvl 89 Dunlending, 26.5K morale with a lvl 90 halforc warrior guard) and Thauk (a named lvl 89 halforc, 26.3K morale. I found two heavy Adorned chests here (I marked these with red circles), but it's probably pure chance and there is no guarantee that they will respawn after they are looted...

Bardh-dorám is a burned Rohirrim settlement with lots of lvl 90-91 Half-orcs and lvl 89-90 Uruk-hai warriors and even some sig Uruk-hai Captainw. As in Torsbury, the chests are guarded here by sigs, like a Half-orc captain (lvl 91, 28.3K morale) accompanied by half-orc archers. Near the mill there is also a Uruh-hai captain (lvl 89 sig, 26.5K morale), guarded by 2 uruk-hai warriors. I found 2 chests there (1 inside the mill). Like in Torsbury, I found also some Heavy adorned chests (3 in total, marked on the map by red circles).

Expect some fights when you are looking for artifacts in the Broadacres

Stonedeans

Stonedeans is a remote region of West Rohan, and situated in the northwest. This region is a bit remote to visit and the best chance to farm a lot of artifacts is by fighting your way through the orc and troll camp of Madh-fushaum.

Most of the adorned chests can be found in the big orc camp of Madh-fushaum, in the south. The camp is populated with lvl 92 orcs, some signature Uruk-hai Sentries (lvl 92, 29K morale) and several elite master White Hand Trolls (lvl 92, 147.7K morale). At the west entrance (54.7S, 79.4W) there are many Dunlending warriors and Uruk-hai warriors, and 1 chest to be found. Two chests are located near siege towers at 55.1S, 79.1W and loosely guarded by Uruk-hai warriors. They can be easily slain. In the tent at 54.8S, 78.9W an interesting duscussion between Grima Wormtongue and an uruk-noss can be watched.
The north entrance is also loosely guarded, but 3 Elite Master trolls can be a very nasty surprise when you wan to get the 2 chest at this spot.

The other spots with Adorned chests are scattered throughout Stonedeans, and they can be found near Flodgeheld, Woodhurst and south of Brockbridge.

Near Woodhurst, around a small lake, there is a somewhat hidden settlement of lvl 61 Dunlending Ruffians; they live in wooden houses at the lake. At 47.9S, 80.1W , I found 1 adorned chest between a cattail vegetation bordering the lakeshore.

Directly south of Brockbridge there is a small Dunlendings camp with 6-8 lvl 92 dunleding warriors (51.7S, 77.8W). You can find only 1 ornate chest here. Depending on the spawning point, it is guarded by a signature White Hand (orc) Messenger of lvl 92 (29.5K morale), a lvl 92 Dunlending warrior, or a elite master orc, named Nágas (lvl 92, 147.7K morale). You can lure him out of the camp and slay him slowly riding and attacking on a warhorse.

Flodgeheld is a burned farm with a wooden tower in fire, at 53.6S, 80.8W you will find 1 Adorned chest, which is not guarded (although a lvl 92 Stonedeans Stalker may occasionally wandering here).

At 53.6S and 76.8W you will find a burning farm with 1 adorned chest next to a barn. There can be 1 Stonedeans Stalker here (lvl 91 wolf), which can be easily slain.
At 55.9S, 76.2W there is a burned farm with 2 chest locations: one near the barn and another in a burning field. The farm will give you also a pop-up quest, to slay six Gríma's bodyguards (lvl 92 white hand orcs). After you slay them, you may have a funny encounter with Gríma Wormtongue (lvl 92 elite, 65.8K morale, he resides at 56.1S, 75.9W).
Near 53.3S, 78.2W there are two chests in a crude circle of rocky stones. One or two wolves resides here, but they are easy to slay.

Surprisingling, no chests where to be found in the heavy orc guarded camp of Mate Isernore, at 50.1S, 82.W. Probably these foul orcs have looted all the chests with valuable artifacts.

Some locations are easy to loot, but beware the trolls in the orccamp of Madh-fushaum!

Westfold

Westfold is the southest part of West Rohan. It's the region with the famous Helm's deep in the southwest.

Adorned Chest's can be mostly found in the northwestern part, in the burned ruins and fields of Marton. Its a dangerous place with lvl 94 orc signature captains and mounted signature raiders (30-31k morale), lots of lvl 93-94 orcs & uruk-hai, and even some wandering lvl 94 warg pac-masters which are always accompanied by a howling warg ally.

To the west of the burned remains of Marton lies the Staging Camp. This is also a heavily guarded uruk-hai camp with lots of lvl 94 uruks and some lvl 94 sig uruk captains (32k morale). This big camp lies within a natural circle of rocky hills, which can be entered at 58.8S, 90.6W, 57.7S, 89.0W or 57.1S, 89.7W. Although there are many enemies here, this camp is interesting to loot, especially since slaying uruks will also add to the Westemnet Uruk Slayer deed (+1 compassion).

Atop of a rocky hill, at the Ford of Isen, I found two chests in a lvl 94 Dunlending camp, near 55.3S, 89.0W. The uphill path to enter this camp lies directly east near the Isen and is situated at 55.4S, 895W. Slaying Dunledings will also add to the Westemnet Dunledings Slayer deed (+1 compassion).

Another uruk camp with adorned chests is Lufût-mos, which lies also east of the Fords of Isen (in the upper northwest corner of Westfold). The entrance to Lufút-mos can be found at 54.4S, 88.9W, where a winding path goes uphill to the camp. You can also entered the camp at the back, by travelling through the woods and enter it at 53.9S, 88.2W. There are many uruks in the camp, which add nicely to the Westemnet Uruk Slayer deed (+1 compassion).

Although to be expected, I didn't find any chests in the troll camp of Shatorthum at 53.8W, 87.1S. The same holds true for Helm's Deep.

Finally, an interesting location lies East of Grimslade. There are 4 chests to be found in the adjacent half-orc stockades of Fushum Raus. To find these camps, just head to the east when you leave Grimslade. First, slay some grouped half-orc scouts (they will come with 3 together), pass them and look for a camp with wooden palisades and a wooden watch tower near 62.7S, 80.8W. This is the first half-orc camp of Fushum Raus. Enter the camp and head for the next gate in the palisades, there you will find your first chest. If you follow your way inside, you will encounter 3 other Adorned chests in the camps. The half-orcs at this location are level 93-94 (15k morale), with some wandering lvl 94 signature captains (31.3k morale).

Adorned chests in the Westfold can be mostly found in the NW-part

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