In any game like LOTRO, grinding monsters and NPCs for their money and drops is probably the simplest way to accumulate cash though it can be so tedious many players ignore it and instead illegally buy their gold from shady online stores, focus solely on playing the auction house (which is not necessarily a bad strategy) or they just get used to being poor.

While LOTRO is definitely a game that does not reward grinding, it also does not penalize you for it, either. And while grinding for experience points is largely useless, I’ve found that grinding for gold is a really good way to make some relatively quick cash without having to stress your brain cells. There are other and even better ways to make gold in LOTRO (selling ore comes to mind), but for a quick infusion of cash I’d say grinding is the way to go.

My favorite monsters to grind for gold once I hit around level 30-33 are by far the Rauta-Lehma of Nan Amlug East in the North Downs.

Sure, there are probably some mobs with better drops, especially as you move away from the low-30s in your leveling, but so far I have found none that go down so easy for the amount they do drop. Grinding trolls is a very lucrative hobby, but also a very difficult one that requires a lot of downtime. Grinding Rauta-Lehma is far, far easier.

• Rauta-Lehma Warrior
• Rauta-Lehma Fighter
• Rauta-Lehma Hunter
• Rauta-lehma Tracker

While I believe there are more types, these are the basic mobs you will be fighting. They wander all over Nan Amlug East, but you will find the best concentrations of them in their camps to the east of the road that runs from Dol Dinen to Angmar.

Also, don’t forget that one of the most important parts of grinding in any MMORPG, but especially LOTRO, is that you must hang on to the “vendor trash” – those items which are completely useless but NPC vendors will buy from you. This is where the bulk of your gold will come from regardless of what you choose to farm for gold. So have plenty of bag space when you set out and come back when your bags fill up.

This is an exploration quest which will take you on a tour of the North Downs around Esteldin. You will need to click five founding stones scattered around the map.

To start this quest, visit the tower located in the northeast corner of Esteldin. Inside the door (a small instance) you will see the a book Of Arthedain and its Settlements. Click the book to start the quest then speak to Istuienn who, as luck would have it, is standing right outside the door of the tower.

You will next need to find and click the Stone of Dolindir (9.6S, 42.1W) located within Esteldin. This is in the middle of the area near the class trainers and stable. After clicking the stone return to Istuienn.

Now you must find and click the remaining four stones:

• Stone of Henneth Rhun 11.2S, 52.0W
• Stone of Duintham 9.4S, 47.7W
• Stone of Carnoglin 7.3S, 46.8W
• Stone of Ost Ardulin 15.2S, 43.2W

After you have clicked all four of these stones, return to Istuienn for the last time to receive your experience points and Taringor.