Today saw the launch of the

Lord of the Ring Online's 2011 Fall Festival, also
known as Harvestmath. The Haunted
Burrow, a new feature introduced at last

year's Harvestmath Festival just after F2P went live, makes
its triumphant return, with the same 7 quests, daily lootable
chests and madcap zaniness as last year. And with the Haunted
Burrow comes the Skeleton Painted Steed, a rare drop from one of
the chests inside the trap-filled maze. And, like last year, it's
very rare, so don't give up if you don't get it within the first
day or so. Last year, I got mine on the very last day on the
festival, on the very last of my 12 or so toons that was able to
enter the burrow.

There are the same "festival standard" events that have been
around since the beginning: item-collecting in each of the racial
starting areas (apples in the Shire, pumpkins in Bree, geodes in
Thorin's Hall, scrolls in Duillond), the unrelenting
power-struggle between the venerated Inn League and the Dwarven
upstart Ale Association, dancing instruction, and horse races. And
for those Farmers who planted a mushroom during the Spring
Festival, the mushroom is now ready to harvest in the tent near
the Party Tree in Hobbiton. Also returning this year are the Troves

and Trickeries events in Thorin's Hall, Duillond,
Hobbiton and Bree-town. This mini-event requires the player to
find 4 NPCs and use the proper /emote at them before time runs
out. To help you out, here's a quick guide:

Hobbiton

• Farmer near Ted Sandyman's place - /shiver
• Fisherman on the pier behind the Ivy Bush - /tantrum
• Hobbit lady in the gazebo up the hill from the Ivy Bush -
  /burp
• Hobbit on the stone fence near Lobelia Sackville-Baggins, up
  hill from the Party Tree - /pick

Thorin's Hall

• Labourer in hallway outside the tavern - /whistle
• Dwarf in crafting hall by Weaponsmith's Guild - /drink
• Dwarf by the Champion and Guardian trainers - /mock
• Dwarf by the northwesternmost forge in the crafting area -
  /flex

Duillond

• Elf by the far tower overlooking the river - /look
• Guardsman up in the vendors area - /hail
• Musician near the stable - /dance
• Elf in the cooking area - /eat

Bree-town

• Sleeping man in alley near Stone Quarter - /scold
• Guy dancing on his elevated porch in Beggar's Alley - /crazy
• Lady by Auction House - /no
• Lady on her porch near Prancing Pony - /whippitydo

The events aren't new, but some of the rewards are. In addition
to the usual assortment of pranks, housing items, masks and the
lovely Cloak of Falling Leaves from last year, there are two new
cloaks, a new tunic for the fellas and gown for the dames, 4 new
maps for your house (and for the Cartographer deed), and a new
horse to be won at the races. This year's new mount, the Autumnfest
Steed, wears barding that matches the look of some of
the new character cosmetics.

alt="LotRO Harvestmath Festival - cosmetic - Tunic of Autumn Nights" />

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/198514" alt="LotRO Harvestmath Festival - cosmetic - Cloak of Autumn Nights" />

alt="LotRO Harvestmath Festival - cosmetic - Wrap of the Turning Leaves" />

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/198516" alt="LotRO Harvestmath Festival - cosmetic - Gown of Autum Nights" />

alt="LotRO Harvestmath Festival - mount - Autumnfest Steed" />

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/198518" alt="LotRO Harvestmath Festival - mount - Autumnfest Steed" />

And, while not directly related to the festival, there's another
new horse for sale from the LotRO store: the awesome Painted
Skeleton Steed: Glowing Green. This is a
store-exclusive mount with 250 morale and +68% run speed, and it
does indeed glow in the dark, making it at least triple the
awesome and worth every one of the 1995 Turbine Points it costs to
buy it.

alt="LotRO Harvestmath Festival - mount - Painted Skeleton Steed: Glowing Green" />

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/198520" alt="LotRO Harvestmath Festival - mount - Painted Skeleton Steed: Glowing Green" />

The festival came as part of a package with the first Rise of
Isengard patch, which fixes a number of nasty bugs and glitches
that shipped with Dunland. The Patch Notes can be found at Update

4, Rise of Isngard, Patch 1, Official. Some particular
highlights:

• Landscape treasure containers are returned to Dunland.
• Greater Scrolls of Delving added as a quest reward for Volume
  III Book 4
• All classes except Hunters have received some minor tweaks or
  fixes
• Creeps get amped up for PvMP - all Creep damage is increased
  20 - 30%
• Pit of Iron gets an attitude adjustment, fixing the broken
  pathing on platforms - mentioned in LotRO's
  Rise of Isengard: The Road to Level 75, Last Stretch
• It's now possible to complete the quest-completion deeds in
  Dunland
• Superior Third Marks have been rendered useless.

• Previously that thing you were looking for was
  always found in the last place you looked. This has now been
  randomized.

The 2011 Harvestmath Festival runs until November 7.