| “ | Of this kind (Northmen) were the peoples of the upper vales of Anduin: the Beornings, and the Woodmen of Western Mirkwood; and further north and east the Men of the Long Lake and of Dale. | ” |
–The Return of the King, Appendix F | ||
The Vales of Anduin are the vales surrounding the great river Anduin. They can be found between the Misty Mountains and the forest of Mirkwood and are inhabited by the generic animals and Gundabad Orcs. The vales are plains dotted with spruce, chestnut, larch, birch, and oak trees, and boulders of varying size are also scattered around the landscape. It is also a reasonably good place for a base on a multiplayer server due to its resources and lack of NPCs.
The Vales of Anduin are surrounding the "Great River", Anduin, which flows down from the Grey Mountains to the Mouths of Anduin, and to the Sea. The only crossings of it are at the Old Ford and the Ford of Carrock in the Vales, which are controlled by the Beornings, and at Cair Andros, Osgiliath, and Pelargir in the south, which are barely held by Gondor against the onslaught of Mordor.
In the future, Beornings and the Woodmen of Mirkwood may inhabit this land.
Upon entering this biome, the player earns the achievement "The Great River".
Sub-Biomes
Anduin Hills
The Anduin hills surround the normal Vales of Anduin. They are simply a more mountainous region of the main biome, and have slightly duller grass.
Field of Celebrant
The Field of Celebrant was the site of a great battle, where the ancestors of the Rohirrim saved Gondor from a defeat. The biome has lighter grass, like Lothlórien, and has a vast amount of flowers. This part is guarded.
Biome Variants
- Flowers - A version of the biome with an abundance of flowers.
- Forest - A more forested version of the biome.
- Steppe - A very flat version of the biome.
- Barren steppe - A steppe, but with no trees. Structures generate here very commonly.
- Hills - A hillier version of the biome.
- Mountain - A mountain that rises from the surrounding terrain.
- Light forest - A lightly forested version of the biome.
- Dense oak forest - A densely forested version of the biome with large oak trees and patches of podzol covering the forest floor.
- Dead forest - A version of the biome forested with dead trees.
- Dense birch forest - A forest of densely clustered birch trees.
- Forest hills - A forested version of the hill variant.
- Aspen forest - A forest dominated with aspen trees.
- Birch forest - A forest dominated with birch trees.
- Beech forest - A forest dominated with beech trees.
- Larch forest - A forest dominated with larch trees.
- Pine forest - A forest dominated with pine trees. In Anduin hills only.
Structures
An old photograph of the vales of Anduin.
There are two structures that spawn in the vales, alongside abandoned structures, which spawn very common here:
- Gundabad Orc camps - Camps for Gundabad Orcs, which spawn randomly throughout the vale. Chieftains can be found here.
- Ruined houses - Burnt down houses that contain chests, furnaces, and crafting tables.
Mobs
Mobs that spawn here are the Orcs and Wargs of Gundabad and one may very rarely encounter wardens, who patrol these lands individually or in teams of up to three units.
- Gundabad Orcs - Orcs from Mount Gundabad in the Misty Mountains allied only to themselves.
- Gundabad Orc archers - Gundabad Orcs who use bows and arrows.
- Gundabad Wargs (can be ridden) - Wargs (giant wolves) allied with the Gundabad Orcs.
- Gundabad Orc chieftains - Leaders of the Gundabad Orcs, from whom you can hire all of the above.
- Galadhrim wardens - A special class of Galadhrim, who guard the borders of the lands of Lothlórien. They are clad in Galadhrim Cloaks, which make them almost invisible whilst fighting enemies and to the unfriendly eye.
Vegetation
The Vales of Anduin consists mostly of plains with trees and boulders, but the woodlands contain spruce, birch, and oak trees. With the Beta 20.2, the vast plains have been broken up with clusters of randomly generated trees and boulders. This makes the land more interesting and produces a greater level of realism.
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Vales of Anduin
Anduin Hills •
Gladden Fields •
Vales of Anduin
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