LOTRO Summer Fest Returns Through August 6

It must be nice to be an adventurer in Middle Earth this time of year. Nothing but feasts, dancing, contests and general merriment. Hey, wait, isn’t there supposed to be some kind of war going on and a ring or something?

I suppose the fight against the forces of Sauron can wait for a few weeks. Summer Fest is back in “Lord of the Rings Online” through August 6, bringing with it all kinds of fun activities for men, elves, hobbits, and possibly even dwarves.

The festivities include things like keg races, an eating contest (between hobbits, naturally), horse races, fishing challenges, scavenger hunts and more. Oh, and there’s dancing, which probably entails something more than just typing “/dance” since there are dance masters ready to teach players throughout Eriador.

And there is a war after all, though no one seems likely to wind up dead because of it. The Ale Association and the Inn League are at odds, and players can complete tasks to increase their reputation with one side while losing favor with the other. There could be adult beverages involved, at least of the virtual variety.

Of course you’re not going to merely be participating for bragging rights. The special summer quests will yield tokens that can be used on a variety of seasonal goodies, including cloaks, robes and mounts. Because being seen in your fall cloak during the summer is just so gauche.

Well, I’m sold. “LOTRO” is free-to-play, so all it takes is a download to get in on the summer festival fun, going on now through August 6.