By Kyle Horner

OCT. 22ND – NOV. 2ND: REBUILDING HYTBOLD

 As the saying goes, "If it weren't for my horse, I'd have never spent that year rebuilding Hytbold."

That's the saying, right?

All jokes aside, I've been spending a lot of time running around Eastern Rohan in an effort to rebuild and restore the crisp blackened town of Hytbold. But first, let's rewind a little.

When I reached level 84, a mail notification appeared. I checked the mailbox, found and retrieved a letter, and opened it. A quest appeared in familiar white text on blue; I was to journey to Hytbold and join the rebuilding effort.

Hytbold, I was informed, suffered a vicious invasion of Orc forces; the town played an important role in Rohan's eastern defense, and its current state was a husk of smoldering cinders. Its people were displaced, and the rest of Rohan had become more vulnerable.

My mission was thus, clear: to Hytbold.


When I arrived at Hytbold I found that, sure enough, the entire town was burnt to a smoldering husk:
 

 

I met the fellow who sent me the letter, Edgal:
 

Edgal had just a couple quests to rebuild Hytbold:

I learned that Rebuilding Hytbold Quests required a specific number of Hytbold Tokens to fulfill; Hytbold Tokens are earned by completing various Daily Quests scattered throughout the reaches of eastern Rohan.

Another NPC near Edgal offered me a quest showing exactly where each of those Daily Quests are located, and it turns out they're all found in the main settlements throughout eastern Rohan: The town of Harwick, in The Wold; the town of Cliving, in the Norcrofts; the town of Eaworth, in the Entwash Vale; and the fishing town of Snowbourn, in the Sutcrofts. Each Daily Quest rewards 5 Hytbold Tokens, but here's the catch: only 5 Daily Quests can be completed each day—they are, after all, Daily Quests.

So I can earn 25 Hytbold Tokens per day, which can be earned through a very large variety of Daily Quests found throughout eastern Rohan. My morning routine at Turbine has become to play through my Daily Rebuilding Hytbold quests in the morning, usually with a couple other random players. (Thanks, new Open Tapping system!)

And what kinds of Daily Quests are we talking about?

Well, for starters, fighting Trolls in underground libraries:
 

And also battles with armies of Mounted Orcs in the Norcrofts:

Or, when I was feeling a little less bombastic, War-steed speed trails in the Norcrofts:


After a gallop through woods and hills, I felt like another deadly war front; this time in The Wold, against Evil Men from The East:


After gathering some Hytbold Tokens, I was able to rebuild the Smithy. Here's the Smithy before:
 

And here's the Smithy after rebuilding:

 

I also brought back some townspeople and lighting, because Hytbold was just too lonely a place for my liking.

 

I also rebuilt the Armoury:
 

Most importantly, however, I started work on rebuilding the Mead Hall:

 
Even with the exterior repairs, the Mead Hall's interior was a crispy mess:

 

 

By spending a total of 10 Hytbold Tokens I repaired a significant portion of the Mead Hall's interior and returned much—but not all—of its former luster:

 

 

And, last but not least, I restored the stables and unlocked the Hytbold travel point:

After about three days of effort, Hytbold is beginning to look somewhat like a town again. There is much yet to accomplish, such as further restoration of the the Smithy, Armoury, and Stables—not to mention the tents and housing for Hytbold's people. I know equipment rewards wait in the distance, but for now I'm enjoying the steady pace of rebuilding Hytbold. Soon this town with be a thriving bastion of civilization and the Free People's might!