Yondershire was a new region added in 2022 and is the first expansion of the Shire since LOTRO’s launch. With rolling hills, Hobbit-hole villages nestled in the woods and ancient ruins, SSG have packed a lot into one region. And it is beautiful. Here’s my How to Get Started Guide, so you can go ahead and get exploring. Let’s do that now!
How Do I Get the Quest Pack?
There are two main ways – and a third.
Become/Remain VIP
First up, if you’re VIP, you get this region free while you are still subscribed.
A quirk in how the LOTRO store operates is that you can’t buy the expansion/quest pack while you’re VIP if you’re considering stopping that subscription. You have to wait until your account is actually not VIP to do so.
If you’re currently Free-to-Play, or Premium then have a look at the various packages available and see if one suits you.
This ↑ is not an affiliate link. I don’t know who signs up, and there’s no “referral scheme”. The button’s just there in case you’re interested. Nothing more!
LOTRO Points
The quest pack is priced at 
995 LOTRO Points. This means you’ll need two of the lowest-priced bundles of points loading into your account first.
After that, just search the LOTRO Store for “yondershire” et voilà you can purchase from there.
Of course, if you already have enough then just purchase it the same as any other item in the store.
Earn It For Free
With LOTRO, you have a method to obtain content for free through the deed system.
Many deeds across Middle-Earth grant
LP. Here are some examples:But there are many more: browse the guides I have made so far under LOTRO Deeds Guides.
So, you can enjoy playing LOTRO elsewhere and in doing so, unlock content from the LOTRO Store. This is how I managed it in my first few years of playing the game.
How Do I Start Yondershire?
Getting started is pretty straightforward!
Minimum Level
As far as I can see, the only requirement is to be Level 20, or able to pick up Level 20 quests. This may be around L18 or 19. And, of course, to have access to the questpack with one of the methods above.
Where is the Starter Quest?
You can pick up the quest To Yondershire from Bounder Chubb at Needlehole. He can be found at 28.2S, 75.8W.
Bingo Boffin is Back!
Further up that road you’ll also find Bingo Boffin (26.7S, 77.6W) to start his quest chain.
To Yondershire (Quest)
Your introductory quest has you find two key NPCs in different towns: Salga Greengrass in Nobottle and Frothard Took in Tighfield.
You do not need to complete this quest straight away. I started in Nobottle, then did sidequests there until they were sending me further afield. Or you can choose to complete this and then do whatever quests you feel like. Play your way!
The Yonder-Watch Reputation
In this region you have a different faction to earn reputation with – the Yonder-Watch.
Earning Reputation
The vast majority of reputation points come from quests with some you can earn through completing deeds. The quests grant generous amounts of rep – even the simplest ones give you 700 points.
Barter Currency
Both quests and deeds in Yondershire grant 
Copper Bounder’s Coins.
These can be exchanged at the reputation vendors, who can be found in all the major villages/towns in this region:
- Nobottle
- Tighfield
- Gamwich
- Long Cleave
Token Limit
You can find the Copper Bounder’s Coins in the Landscape section of your Wallet. And there is a maximum of 500 Coins you can hold.
What About Tasks?
There are no task boards in Yondershire. Task-worthy items gathered in this region may be used at Task Boards in Bree-land or the Lone-Lands, depending on the item.
Reputation Rewards
As usual, there are a lot of rewards available, and are reputation locked. Most of the items available are housing decorations. So, for those, head to Déco du Milieu’s Decorations page
for the area!
The rest are:
- Return to/Muster at/Guide to Nobottle: × 10
- Mathoms × 5: × 5
Tome of the White Goose: × 40- You can also exchange Mathoms × 5 to receive × 2
Sadly there are no Hobbity cosmetics to barter for. There is also no mount neither for barter nor when completing deeds, like when I finished all the Wildwood of Bree-land deeds.
Deeds for Copper Bounder’s Coins
You can earn Copper Bounder’s Coins via deeds. These can be found in the Shire tab of your Deed Log. Additionally, if you have not completed the LOTRO Shire Slayer Deed, at least some of those enemies are also present in Yondershire and progress that deed. This is because folk here refer to the other part as “Shire Proper”. So far I have spotted the following deeds progress:
Now I’ve completed most of the area, there are no slugs, so that Shire deed cannot be progressed here.
Get Out There and Explore!
I’ve put the screenshots on a separate tab here, so that you can choose whether or not to load them. It’s just one way I try to keep these guides loading as quickly as possible!
My Personal Impressions
One of the first thoughts I had, even when it was on Bullroarer (Beta), is that the whole area is just full of life! Hobbits near their farms, plenty of non-enemy creatures and the taverns are packed. So much here could be used to improve other regions too, even if they had to be made as graphics settings; the same way that grass quantity is scalable, so too could “Volume of non-aggressive wildlife”.
The terrain is varied and often untamed and it’s refreshing to see Hobbits living in the wood. I’m taking my time to read all the quest text, because some of the little stories are really lovely. I’m glad to have started this region – and I’ve bought it on my second account ready for me to Duoquest / Dualbox it.
TL;DR Getting Started Beyond the Shire!
If you’re looking for some lower-level content, or just new content, then give Yondershire some of your time. Even if you’re overlevelled, there is plenty to enjoy. Head to Needlehole, speak with Bounder Chubb and start your journey!
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