In several locations around Eriador, you will find outfitter-NPC’s offering a selection of specialty cosmetics. Outfitters only sell cosmetics, and their stock comprises of a number of basic cosmetic items that are shared by all outfitters around Middle Earth. In addition to their common inventory, each of them sells a few unique cosmetic items that are specific to their region.
Outfitter cosmetics are the easiest and most accessible option for players to enhance their looks, yet some real treasures can be found among these items that are often overlooked. Outfitter cosmetics are very cheap as they cost no more than a few coins; hauberks being the most expensive item for 19,32 silver.
For Fashion Week, I have brought a visit to all eight outfitters in Middle Earth, to check out their specialty items. Outfitter cosmetics do not bind to character, so you can share them with other characters, or sell them at the auction house.
In Michel Delving you will find Buttercup Grubb, who will sell you four different specialty cosmetics. These choice items were obviously designed for the more fanciful hobbit, but a select group of fashion conscious customers from Bree make the journey to Michel Delving just to get their hands on these as well. Of special note is the elegant Prospector’s Pack, that can be dyed to match any outfit in any colour.
From left to right:
Long Fancy Robe, dyed red
Fancy Shirt and Pants, dyed Ered Luin blue
Shirriff’s Hauberk, dyed Rivendell green
Sturdy Prospector’s Pack, dyed Rivendell green
A bit further up in the Shire we find Ernald Boffin in the Golden Perch in Stock selling his wares to the bounders. His items are perfect for active hobbits, seeking a comfortable and practical outfit, but the size of this unique hauberk seems to stretch to fit any race or body shape. The beautiful Sturdy Woodcutter’s Pack bears the marks of useage, which makes it even more attractive.
From left to right:
Bounder’s Hauberk, dyed sienna
Sturdy Woodcutter’s Pack, dyed black
In Celondim we encounter a more refined selection of cosmetics. These items were made by elven hands and feature soft fabrics and exotic designs for a more sophisticated taste.
From left to right:
Elven Hauberk, dyed Ered Luin blue
Elven Tunic and Pants, dyed Ered Luin blue
Long Elven Robe, dyed Ered Luin blue
Boltr at Thorin’s Hall must have gotten the inspiration for his designs from precious gems and valuable stones, as the prints on his fabrics are rather remarkable. Wearing these outfits is not for the faint of heart and requires some courage, but the results can be astonishing when combined with the right colours.
From left to right:
Dwarf-make hauberk, dyed black
Dwarf-make Shirt and Pants, dyed black
Long Dwarf-make Robe, dyed Ered Luin blue
In Bree we find outfits that will please both the adventurer as well as the partygoer. Travellers from all regions flock to the establishment of Dot Leafbottom to obtain one of her quality items. She is most famous for her beautiful, well made linen and leather boots. These boots come with the highest recommendations, as for the price of only 1 silver, you can go for another hundred miles. You may notice that some of these same boot designs are also for sale in the Lotro store for a lot of TP. It goes without saying that you should avoid those foreign counterfeits at all cost.
From left to right:
Fine Shirt and Pants, dyed sea blue
Long Ranger’s Robe, dyed turquoise
Leather Hauberk, dyed black
From left to right:
Soft Stitched Boots, dyed black
Padded Leather Boots, dyed black
Light Buckled Boots, dyed black
From left to right:
Soft Leather Boots, dyed black
Glossy Leather Boots, dyed black
In Trestlebridge we find a surprisingly beautiful specialty item: the Fancy Quiver. Even if you have no clue how to wield a bow, this item is worth the investment of 6 silver coins just to show off. It stands out in any colour and matches as well with sturdy hauberks as with luxurious dresses. Percy Chesham sells the same boots from the outfitter in Bree, and doesn’t even get a mark up on the bargain price of 1 silver per pair.
From left to right:
Watcher’s Hauberk, dyed black
Fancy Quiver, dyed black
The dwarves take their outfit endeavours very seriously, even in an outpost like Othrikar. The unique hauberk and beautiful quiver with golden trimmings that Hatt has for sale, are well worth the long trip from Esteldin.
From left to right:
Dwarf-make Chain Hauberk, dyed black
Sturdy Dwarf-make Quiver, dyed black
The last outfitter on this tour resides on the Market of Rivendell. Hammadelen sells a hauberk that reminds us of the Golden Tree and a beautiful all purpose elven quiver that matches well with any elven outfit, especially the elvish outfits from Celondim.
From left to right:
Elven Scale Hauberk, dyed Ered Luin blue
Fine Elven Quiver, dyed Ered Luin blue
Here ends the visit to the outfitters of Middle Earth. Unfortunately there aren’t any other ones, as Turbine never added any more to the game. Of course there are many other ways to obtain cosmetics but shopping at the outfitter is cheap, easy and fun!
February 16, 2012 at 8:09 am
I just wish the Elven Quiver wasn’t so big and bulky looking… the size loses all the elegance that it should have but doesn’t.
February 16, 2012 at 9:06 am
Agreed; for some reason the Elven Quiver looks better on male characters and doesn’t scale down for the smaller build of female characters.
February 16, 2012 at 9:28 am
Eleven Quiver is great if you use a crossbow. The LI crossbows are huge and make the smaller quivers hard to see.
February 16, 2012 at 9:56 pm
I have a friend who uses the Elven quiver on his female… RuneKeeper. I laugh all day long about it but he maintains he uses them as toothpicks lol.
February 16, 2012 at 8:30 am
very nice summary! i wanted to do something like that for both outfitters and light/medium/heavy armoursmiths, but i was too lazy… maybe you gave me the right kick
February 16, 2012 at 8:35 am
I couldn’t cram it all into one post, but I’ll be visiting the armoursmiths next!
February 16, 2012 at 9:37 am
I agree on the size of the elven quiver. Thanks for this thread as I tend to forget about these jewels. Some of my alts have dressed up nicely using these ready mades and frankly, all the fancy dancy stuff is getting a bit old. A visit to these vendors is just the right ticket
February 16, 2012 at 9:46 am
Very nice guide! It helps to see some of these items on different races and with dye colors that make them look a little more reasonable. (I’ve never been brave enough to try the dwarf ones!) Your writing style makes me smile.
February 16, 2012 at 9:50 am
Awesome, thanks for doing this.
I know that throughout the years these items would be bought by players and then placed in the AH for significantly more money and most of them sold. It’d be good for more people to be aware of what’s out there from NPCs for comparatively little money.
February 16, 2012 at 10:43 am
What’s under the fine elven quiver in the last picture? I don’t remember seeing anything on someone’s back like that…
February 16, 2012 at 11:42 am
That looks like the back of the dress from this recent blog post:
http://cosmeticlotro.wordpress.com/2012/02/10/black-pearl/#more-3042
February 16, 2012 at 11:42 am
To me the elven quiver could do with a few more arrows. I think all the quivers have around five arrows in them but the opening of the elven one makes it look pretty empty.
February 16, 2012 at 12:01 pm
Wow, it’s amazing what a little dye will do! Very nice! I’ve looked at the outfitter gear and have always thought it was kind of meh. I guess I don’t have that eye for dye..
February 16, 2012 at 12:49 pm
Great article, I must say I love the Thorin’s Hall and Othrikar hauberks, I also love the Sturdy Dwarf-make quiver.
February 16, 2012 at 3:26 pm
Great post!
February 16, 2012 at 4:41 pm
Thank you so much for compiling all, of this, Hymne!
It’s wonderful to have it all in one place, and the added touch of dying them (and telling us what color it’s been changed to) so we can see what part is actually customizable is wonderful.
I agree with the others, I tend to avoid the bigger quivers, especially the elven variety. The large, flat shape is so unattractive, and the OCD spacing of the arrows looks ridiculous to me. Unfortunately there seem to be far more of them in the game than the smaller, round quivers.
February 16, 2012 at 10:53 pm
I love this article, it’s well written and goes a long way to prevent me from spending TP on items I can easily get in-game.
February 17, 2012 at 12:45 am
Cool outfit ideas!
February 19, 2012 at 10:32 am
This is a nice and helpful idea!
I really wish something like this could be more readily seen by newbies.
You can go daily into the auction house and find these posted from 50 silver to 100 silver, which is silly considering you can step out the door, and walk over to the next shop and buy them from 6 silver to 12 silver.
Alas, PT Barnum was correct in saying; There’s a sucker born every minute.
Meaning, that gullibility can happen to us all if we are not informed.
This is great information and a great way to help the new folk to lotro “Survive” without being taken by the auctioneers!