~ Festival Horse Races ~
There are four seasons, right? That means four Festivals and... eight horse races? Yep, it's true. There are 2 racetracks in Middle Earth: one is in the Shire right before the entrance to the Shire Homesteads (it actually shows up on the map).
The second racetrack is in the Northern Bree Fields - it's south east of Hengstacer Farms/The Horsefields. It is marked on the map - indirectly- by some festival tents. The Bree racetrack wraps around the Bree-Land festival area and has high hedges around a lot of the track.
What goes on?
There is an NPC near the finish/starting line that you talk to. They instruct you to get on one of the Festival Racehorses, and run the course in the allotted time. The racehorses run at 200% speed, and you have a minute or two to run the actual race.
It's a very simple system. Maneuver the course, going over or around obstacles and passing through the fence post checkpoints. Do all of this as fast as you can! You can earn either Festival Tokens, or a Race Token. You need a Race Token to purchase a Festival Steed :)
It's a very simple system. Maneuver the course, going over or around obstacles and passing through the fence post checkpoints. Do all of this as fast as you can! You can earn either Festival Tokens, or a Race Token. You need a Race Token to purchase a Festival Steed :)
The Obstacles
There are multiple obstacles in each racetrack and the specific layout varies between the two racetracks. So, I'll explain each of the obstacles you will encounter as well as some strategies.
General Tips:
*Practice on one of your normal 62 or 68% speed horses first before you actually run the race. Really get the feel of the track. Remember, Practice Makes Perfect!
*Try and have as little lag as possible. You have more control and miss less obstacles!
General Tips:
*Practice on one of your normal 62 or 68% speed horses first before you actually run the race. Really get the feel of the track. Remember, Practice Makes Perfect!
*Try and have as little lag as possible. You have more control and miss less obstacles!
Water Obstacle
This is quite possibly the most difficult of all the obstacles you will encounter. You can take the bridge and get a temporary speed boost, or you can go through the water and get a temporary speed slow. The bridge definitely takes practice and it's helpful to have minimal lag while going over them. Generally you want to find the simplest path that YOU can handle for these.
Tips:
*Use the bridge.
*On a normal horse of yours, practice going on the bridge at a walk first. Then speed up.
Tips:
*Use the bridge.
*On a normal horse of yours, practice going on the bridge at a walk first. Then speed up.
Logs
The very easiest obstacle. Simply run through the logs! Did I really have to put this up...
This obstacle is only at the Shire Racetrack, and isn't on the Bree track. But, the Bree track isn't missing much.
This obstacle is only at the Shire Racetrack, and isn't on the Bree track. But, the Bree track isn't missing much.
Fallen Tree
A tree fell across the path, or split. You actually have two options here and what one you use depends on your "riding" skills. You can either jump over the tree on the far left side or you can do what most people do and just run straight past it on the far right, running along the inside of the fence. Very easy.
Tip: Run around it on the far right side between the tree and the fence!
Tip: Run around it on the far right side between the tree and the fence!