Lord of the Rings Online now lets you follow in Bilbo's hairy footsteps by buying up property and retiring to an iconic city

While World of Warcraft is still struggling to wrap its head around player housing, ageing MMORPG Lord of the Rings Online – a game I convinced myself had released a Witch King expansion alongside WoW’s own Lich King DLC all those years ago – is finally letting players buy up real estate in one of its most idyllic settings.

On April 30, the adventurers of Lord of the Rings Online will finally be able to retire to Rivendell, the glistening city of the elves, where Bilbo decided to live out the rest of his days after nearly dying several times. Fair play to the guy, I can imagine the afternoon tea there is divine. Do you think he took a shine to their silverware? Lobelia Sackville-Baggins is seething.

Assuming you’re playing on the 64-bit servers, expect a bit of a race to ensue when the doors to the Rivendell Steadings finally open “at noon eastern.” Even if you’re not at the front of the queue, it doesn’t sound like there’s much to worry about. According to the announcement, “additional housing neighborhoods will open automatically once enough homes in existing neighborhoods are purchased.” I can think of at least one other MMO that could have used a feature like that a while back.

Worried about how you’ll find your way back to your gorgeous new abode after a night downing fine Dorwinion wine? Even if you’re simply sipping miruvor on a sunny afternoon and don’t know how to get to the realtor, the announcement post attempts to guide you in the right direction.

Turns out there are multiple ways to get to the Rivendell Steadings, with the main way being “a quick walk south-west from the Rivendell stables, right before the tree bridge crossing.” Another route is from the Bree-town Broker’s Office. Head to the Steadings Broker Board in Lalia’s Market to grab a plot.

The opening of Rivendell’s real estate market is being used to mark the game’s 19th anniversary. With what’s going on around there right now, who knows what the house prices will be like ahead of the game’s 20th birthday. And what might the developers be saving for that gracious day? Hopefully, an upscaled UI of sorts. That’s all the Steam comments are talking about. “Riven-who? My buttons are blurry!”

Alongside the release of the Rivendell housing area, you can log in now to access new missions at the Prancing Pony. Rewards like firework-packed gift boxes and other goodies are available until May 12. Click that announcement link to see the lot. Maybe I’ll see you there. It’s about time I give this one a proper go.