Return to Moria EP3 – The First Descent: Steel Tools, Bear Panic and Base Building

Originally streamed in early exploration sessions of The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria. By the end of this episode we had working steel tools, a suspiciously improved base, and a growing sense that we might actually survive down here.

We opened the session in a surprisingly calm place.

No goblins.
No wolves.
No catastrophic falling incidents.

Just two dwarves standing in their slightly cluttered underground base, contemplating the forge.

“Back in the game.”

“Hello.”

Tel was already planning the day’s logistics.

Which is good.

Because if left to my own devices, I would probably have immediately wandered into a bear again.

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Becoming Proper Dwarves

By this point the rhythm of Return to Moria had started to settle in.

Mine.
Smelt.
Upgrade.
Try not to die.

We were now at the stage where the game begins unlocking the more interesting tools and systems.

Workbench upgrades.
Better food.
Steel tools.

All the good stuff.

Tel, naturally, had a plan.

“The steel pickaxe is where we are ultimately going for.”

Meanwhile my personal development plan was slightly different.

“Today I need to learn not to die quite as crazily as I did.”

Technically speaking, I still hadn’t died.

Which felt like a win.

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Singing While Mining

Mining in Moria apparently triggers an ancient dwarven instinct.

At some point we both started singing while digging.

“Hang that tail with a copper nail.”

“Yeah, we are dwarves.”

It felt appropriate.

Also, if you’re going to spend large amounts of time smashing rock with a pickaxe, you may as well lean into the vibe.

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My Ranger Identity Crisis

Despite being in a dwarven survival game, I discovered that my brain still insists on being a ranger.

This came up during a discussion about animals in games.

In the original EverQuest, I used to refuse to kill certain creatures.

Bears.
Various woodland things.
Creatures that felt morally complicated.

Fast forward to Moria.

I was now hunting deer for hide.

And at one point I had to admit:

“I am no longer an ethical ranger.”

Character development.

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The Bear Situation

At some point during a resource run we encountered the bear again.

My reaction was immediate.

“It’s the bear. It’s the bear. It’s the bear.”

“I’m running. I’m running.”

Tel remained completely calm.

“You really don’t need to be that dramatic about a bear behind you.”

This may technically be true.

But it felt dramatic at the time.

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The Great House Expansion Incident

Our base was starting to feel a little cramped.

Which meant it was time to expand the house.

Tel began building.

I began helping.

This was where things became… architecturally experimental.

At one point Tel politely observed:

“Your building technique looks… um.”

“I’m just redoing it.”

“Did I say anything? I just said it looks interesting.”

She then clarified.

“It doesn’t. It looks ridiculous.”

In my defence:

• The snapping system is confusing.
• The wall absolutely was there a second ago.
• Something dive-bombed us halfway through construction.

Still.

Eventually, through teamwork and mild structural chaos, we reached an important milestone.

“We now have a fully enclosed building.”

Progress.

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The Moment We Started Feeling Competent

By the end of the session we had quietly achieved quite a lot.

Steel pickaxes.
Steel hammer.
Backpacks.
Improved food.
Better storage.

We were also beginning to understand the map and the rhythm of the caves.

More importantly, we unlocked the next stage of exploration.

New passages.

New resources.

And a noise mechanic that warns you when you’re about to attract very unpleasant attention.

Which felt ominous.

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The Lost First Descent

There was just one small problem.

Across the first three episodes we discovered there were various capture issues affecting the recordings.

Video glitches.

Audio inconsistencies.

The kind of technical gremlins that lurk in the deep places of OBS.

So rather than patching together a messy series, we made a decision.

We would restart the run.

The same characters, maybe.
The same adventure, unlikely.
But now with everything working properly… perhaps.

Which honestly felt appropriate.

Because by the end of this episode we finally understood the game well enough to start again properly.

Steel tools in hand.

A slightly questionable house behind us.

And at least one bear somewhere nearby waiting to cause problems.

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Next time:
The real Second Descent begins.