Volume V Epic Quests Guide: The Great Wedding
Welcome to our Volume V Epic Quests Guide for The Lord of the Rings Online! This guide contains an overview of the book quests in LOTRO, as well as a comprehensive walkthrough of every Volume V quest! While these book quests can be completed at any time, The Great Wedding goes hand-in-hand with the Midsummer Festival. This guide is a part of our Midsummer guides series!
Volume V Overview – The Great Wedding
Volume V brings a new age to LOTRO’s Middle Earth. The War of the Ring is over, the Dark Lord has been defeated, and peace is spreading through Middle-earth. Unlike the combat-heavy chapters of previous volumes, this storyline is a joyous celebration centered entirely around the Great Wedding of King Aragorn II Elessar and Arwen Undómiel.
This questline is relatively short, consisting of a single book — Book 1: A Time of Celebration. Still, it is packed with heartwarming moments, beloved characters, and rich lore. What sets it apart from other book quests in LOTRO is that you can complete it at any level 10 or above — the quests scale to your character’s level! So, whether you are a high-level hero returning from the frozen mountains in the north, seeking respite from the deserts of Harad, or a lower-level adventurer partaking in the Midsummer festivities, here is everything you need to know to complete this historic piece of The Lord of the Rings.
Getting Started: A Time of Celebration
Because the wedding coincides with the Midsummer Festival, Volume V takes place entirely within the instanced Midsummer version of Minas Tirith. To begin the Epic Story, you must travel to the Throne Room of Minas Tirith (Midsummer) and speak with King Elessar.
- Reaching the Throne: From the Minas Tirith (Midsummer) entrance, find the First/Workers’ Tier Stable-master, and take a quick ride directly to the Sixth/High Stables Tier. This takes you to the tunnel leading directly to the Citadel ramp. Following that ramp, you will be atop the Citadel. The throne room is a quick walk away, located in the Tower of Ecthelion (22.4N, 56.0W). Inside the Tower, keep heading straight until you meet Aragorn!
Level Requirements: You do not need to have finished Volume IV or later story quests to start this quest! Book 1 is available to any character level 10 and above, automatically scaling to your current level so everyone can experience the wedding.
The Eight Chapters of the Great Wedding
Book 1 features eight chapters that walk you through the wedding preparations and ceremony. Holster your weapons and prepare for diplomacy, celebration, and reuniting with old friends!
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Chapters 1-3 | Preparations: Focus on the preparations. You will help nobles plan the event, consult experts, and even assist Gandalf with his famous fireworks.
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Chapters 4-6 | Towards the Wedding: The anticipation builds as vows are written, speeches are drafted, and whispers of unrest are settled. Finally, you will witness the arrival of the Evenstar in Gondor as Arwen makes her journey south.
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Chapter 7 | A Wedding at Midsummer: The crowning moment of the Epic. You will enter the instanced wedding ceremony, watch the cinematic marriage of Aragorn and Arwen, and celebrate with the surviving members of the Fellowship.
- Chapter 8 | The Wedding Banquet: The resolution of the Great Wedding inside the grand feast-hall of Merethrond. You can continue the Banquet festivities during the Midsummer festival!
Essential Tips for the Epic Quests
Since the entirety of the Volume V storyline requires you to run errands across the seven tiers of Minas Tirith, navigating the city efficiently is the key to completing the Epic smoothly.
Navigating the White City & Improving Performance
Unlocking the fast-travel Stable routes in all City tiers will save you hours of running back and forth while completing the Epic chapters. Additionally, lowering select graphics settings, such as Object Draw Distance and Player Crowd Quality, can help improve your performance and increase FPS in Minas Tirith. For more details on these, check out our complete Minas Tirith guide!
Finding the Fellowship
Throughout the story, you will be sent to speak with various members of the Fellowship and other dignitaries. Keep a close eye on your minimap rings, as characters like Elrond, Glorfindel, and the Hobbits are tucked away in gardens, guesthouses, and courtyards across the different city elevations.
Banquet Unlocks
Completing the Epic Story is not just about experiencing the lore — it is required to unlock some of the best Midsummer festival activities. If you reach the Citadel and cannot find the daily banquet quests inside Merethrond, it is because they are locked behind the Epic Story. You must complete Chapter 7: A Wedding at Midsummer to access Toldir and the Great Banquet dailies. These can be a great source of Midsummer Festival Tokens!
Volume V Epic Rewards
Volume V Book 1 is a relatively short, narrative experience. Reflecting the celebratory nature of the story, the rewards focus largely on cosmetics. By completing the entire book, you will get a Wine Table housing decoration and Gondorian Steed (and War-steed) appearance, as well as character XP and Legendary Item XP (if your character has started that system).
Volume V Book 1 Quest Walkthroughs
Book 1, Chapter 1: A Real Adventure
This quest chain contains a fun throwback. Assuming you made it through (and remember) the East Wall region of Eastern Rohan.
Aragorn, King Elessar, is within the Tower of Ecthelion in the Seventh Tier/Citadel of Minas Tirith (Midsummer). The closest Stable ride destination is the High Stables on the Sixth Tier. From the High Stables you’ll want to head southward through the tunnel and take the first right/hairpin turn you see when you come out. This is the ramp that will take you to the Citadel. The door to the Tower of Ecthelion is on the west side of the courtyard, rendered unmissable by the swan wing architecture, braziers, blue roses, and general size. At (22.6N, 56.3W), if you still need it. Aragorn is all the way at the back of this rather long room.
Rodwen is nearby, on the steps leading up to the throne.
Then Rodwen is outside, and hard to find. You’ll want to turn left when you exit the Tower of Ecthelion until you turn a corner. In this spot, looking west, you should see the door to the High Guesthouse. It has banners and lanterns overhead, then a white flower garland hanging low and straight across the path in. Go towards that door, whose coordinates are (22.6N, 56.1W) if that helps, bit do not go inside. Instead, turn left and go down the very well-hidden pathway lined with planters and leading to stairs that go up on the wall. Rodwen is on the wall right at the top of these steps.
Book 1, Chapter 2: Experts on the Subject
Helpful Hobbits are a good sort of folk to have around, but the less helpful sort can admittedly be more fun.
Rodwen is at her secret meeting-place on top of the wall at (22.6N, 56.3W).
Isteron and his moustache are in the Citadel courtyard just south of the central fountain at (22.3N, 55.9W).
The helpful hobbits are also in the Citadel courtyard, just west and a little south of Isteron, in the clearing just past the leftmost of the statues flanking the door to the Tower of Ecthelion. (22.2N, 56.1W)
The potentially less-helpful Merry and Pippin are up the path that is behind and to the right of Sam and Frodo. The base of the stairs has a long, low garland of pink flowers. At the top of the stairs, turn left and walk along the wall. It’s a little ways to walk around the wall, but they’re there at (22.1N, 55.8W).
To get to the ramp, reenter the Citadel courtyard and head to its northeast corner. The top of the ramp is at (22.5N, 55.7W). Then follow it down to the bottom, where a pile of blue things lies conspicuously just across the road.
Legolas and Cúfaron are both surveying the vast array of blue.
Book 1, Chapter 3: A Little Wizard-Magic
What’s a wedding without some form of pyrotechnics?
Cúfaron is at the bottom of the ramp to the Seventh Tier/The Citadel, south of the tunnel/Neath of the Sixth/Masters’ Tier at (22.0N, 55.6W).
Mithrandir is on the south side of the Sixth/Masters’ Tier, at the top of the ramp leading into it from the Fifth/Sages’ Tier at (21.9N, 56.0S).
The High Guesthouse is in the Seventh Tier/The Citadel. The door is on the northeast edge of the courtyard, beneath a couple banners and marked by a low white flower-garland, at (22.6N, 56.1W).
Gandalf’s Room is on the second floor. If you take the stairs to the left as you enter, the room is the first one you come to on the back wall (easy to see on the map as it’s the only room extended from the square common room).
Book 1, Chapter 4: Vows, Speeches, and Oaths
Some dwarves are known to smith words as well as metal. Especially after a bit of ale for inspiration.
Mithrandir is on the south side of the Sixth/Masters’ Tier, at the top of the ramp leading into it from the Fifth/Sages’ Tier at (21.9N, 56.0S).
The Splintered Shield is on the southern side of the Second/Soldiers’ Tier at (20.6N, 55.6W). Gimli is at a table on the first floor straight ahead from the entrance.
The tavern proprietor Degilion is behind the bar against the back wall of the common room.
Book 1, Chapter 5: A Whisper of Unrest
I think this is more of a scribble of unrest, myself.
The Splintered Shield is on the southern side of the Second/Soldiers’ Tier at (20.6N, 55.6W). Gimli is at a table on the first floor straight ahead from the entrance.
The tavern proprietor Degilion is behind the bar against the back wall of the common room. The random Gondorians to question are near Gimli, staring rather awkwardly at him and Drafli.
Mithrandir is on the south side of the Sixth/Masters’ Tier, at the top of the ramp leading into it from the Fifth/Sages’ Tier at (21.9N, 56.0S).
King Elessar is within the Tower of Ecthelion in the Seventh Tier/Citadel of Minas Tirith (Midsummer). The door is on the west side of the courtyard at (22.6N, 56.3W).
Book 1, Chapter 6: The Evenstar in Gondor
I’m feeling minutely like a butler, but to a king. “<name>, could you get the door? Yes, that door, the one to the entire city.”
King Elessar is within the Tower of Ecthelion in the Seventh Tier/Citadel of Minas Tirith (Midsummer). The door is on the west side of the courtyard at (22.6N, 56.3W).
Húrin the Tall is just inside the main gates on the First/Workers’ Tier at (22.4N, 56.3W).
The rest of the wedding party is outside the gates a distance, on the left fork of the road leading out of the city. They are all grouped between (22.5N, 52.9W) and (22.5N, 52.8W).
Book 1, Chapter 7: A Wedding at Midsummer
This is a long instance, but you get a horsey and plenty of warm fuzzy feelings inside.
Arwen is outside the front gates of Minas Tirith (Midsummer) at (22.5N, 52.8W).
Aragorn, King Elessar is waiting nearby, having finally bestirred himself from his throne room. (22.4N, 52.9W)
Instance: “A Wedding at Midsummer”
This instance has a bit of standing around, waiting for the ceremonies to move along. Rather like a typical wedding. But here’s the overall flow with down times:
- Head down the aisle to the front and talk to the groom.
- Then get to your spot just at the base of the main platform next to the hobbits.
- Wait for about 1 minute, 50 seconds.
- Use the “mourn” emote (type /mourn, click on the green emote icon next to the objective in your quest tracker, or right click it in the collections panel).
- Wait about 7 minutes and 15 seconds.
- Use the “cheer” emote (type /mourn, click on the green emote icon next to the objective in your quest tracker, or right click it in the collections panel).
- Wait about 4 minutes for the ceremony to conclude.
- Enjoy fireworks if desired.
- Talk with King Elessar to leave the instance.
The instance will put you out standing in front of Rodwen, who is in the Citadel courtyard, vaguely close to the entrance of Merethrond at ((22.5N, 55.9W).
Book 1, Chapter 8: The Wedding Banquet
Any Hobbit’s favorite part of a wedding!
Rodwen is in the Citadel courtyard, vaguely close to the entrance of Merethrond at ((22.5N, 55.9W).
The entrance to Merethrond is behind the black pillars behind Rodwen, up in the middle of the small porch there, at (22.7N, 55.9W).
Merethien is on the second floor of Merethrond, sitting at one of the back tables next to one of the two large hearths, the one to the left if you’re looking out from the main table.
Despite the quest guidance’s suggestion, talking to her at this point will start, not conclude, the instance “The Wedding Banquet”.
Instance: “The Wedding Banquet”
- Talk again to Merethien, who will lead you to Merry and Pippin.
- Wait for 1 minute, 45 seconds for Merry and Pippin to finish talking and lead you across the room to Beregond.
- Wait 1 minute and 10 seconds, then head down the table to Thrymm, Imrahil, and Lothíriel.
- Wait 1 minute, 45 seconds for Thrymm, Imrahil, and Lothíriel to chat.
- The wine steward is downstairs. The stairs to the lower level are to either side of the main table.
- Then you head outside through the nearby doors, helpfully pointed out by the wine steward.
- Wait 1 minute for the crowd outside to finish drinking.
- Once you are done outside, head inside and speak to the wine steward again.
- Head upstairs to meet King Elessar and Queen Arwen at the top of the stairs on the right side as you enter the hall.
- Faramir is at the very end of the main table.
- Wait 1 minute and 35 seconds for Faramir and the Hobbits to converse, then talk to Sam.
- Once the commotion breaks out, the action by Elessar and Arwen starts immediately should play out for another 2 minutes and 15 seconds.
- Once the action is done, you should be able to talk to Elessar to leave the instance.
The instance will put you out in the Tower of Ecthelion, where the King and Queen wait to speak with you.
Mithrandir is outside the Tower of Ecthelion, to the left as you come out, at (22.5N. 56.0W).
