Return to Moria EP2 – First Descent: forward bases, mushroom logistics, and our first proper Orc horde

Session 2 – we put on our first proper armour, establish a forward base in the mines, I continue behaving like a Hobbit with a pickaxe, and Moria casually reveals it can do horde combat too.

We began the stream with that classic co-op survival moment:

“What were we doing again?”

Tel remembered.

Armour. Resources. Food. Progress the quest.

I remembered something else.

Mushrooms.

Obviously.

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Iron Hills armour – clink clink confidence

We started by putting on our first proper set of Iron Hills armour.

This is the moment a survival game changes slightly.

You’re still vulnerable, still under-equipped, but psychologically something shifts once you’re walking around sounding like a saucepan drawer.

Every movement:

clink clink clink

I said at one point:

“I love the noise of the armour.”

It’s oddly satisfying. Heavy, deliberate, dwarven.

You feel less like a panicked explorer and more like someone who belongs underground.

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The forward base – temporary homes are the best homes

Our next objective was pushing deeper into the mines.

Which of course meant stopping halfway to build a new base.

Because this is what you do in survival games.

You find a corner.

You put down walls.

You drop a chest.

You add a bedroll.

You cook meat.

You declare it civilisation.

Tel, gently:

“Don’t get too attached… this is continually going to happen”

There is something oddly comforting about building small temporary homes in dangerous places.

A wall.
A chest.
A cooking fire.
A table.

Cosy chaos management.

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The dynamic – quest dwarf vs mushroom dwarf

By Session 2 our roles are becoming clear.

Tel:

Quest progress
Combat readiness
Knows where we’re going
Knows where we should be going

Me:

“Ooooh what’s over here”
Collects every mushroom
Investigates walls
Starts digging things that look diggable

At one point Tel tried to move us onward.

Reader, I was picking mushrooms.

Again.

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Mining – apparently my ancestral calling

The mining in this game is surprisingly relaxing.

You dig.
You chant.
You collect ore.
You repeat.

There’s even a singing mechanic that buffs harvesting speed, which delighted me far more than expected.

At one point I said:

“I feel like I’m a proper dwarf.”

Then followed it up with:

“I feel like my ancestors who were miners in the Midlands would be proud.”

Tel found this extremely funny.

I maintain the connection.

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Wildlife update – wolves yes, bear absolutely not

Session 2 also introduced the local wildlife.

Wolves appeared frequently.

Goblin camps were cleared.

We encountered goblin-men, which are larger and far less polite.

And then there was the bear.

Me:

“Can we get him?”

Tel:

“Uh he might be a little bit too strong for us right now.”

Reader, this was the correct call.

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The forge – things suddenly become dramatic

Eventually we reached what was very clearly a Very Important Location.

Large structure.

Strange mechanisms.

Ancient dwarven machinery.

This meant one thing:

Something dramatic was about to happen.

We collected gears.
Slotted them into place.
Did some emergency construction.
Solved a slightly chaotic logistics puzzle involving throwing and carrying.

Then the forge lit.

Flames burst to life.

The entire chamber glowed.

It was genuinely beautiful.

Me:

“Oh. That’s beautiful.”

And then the Orcs arrived.

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Our first horde – excuse me there are a lot of them

Lighting the forge triggered our first proper horde event.

Suddenly the pleasant mining expedition turned into:

Defend yourselves.

Orcs started pouring in.

Quite a lot of them.

At one point I said:

“Oh my god, they’re just coming and coming and coming.”

Tel remained calm and tactical.

I remained enthusiastic and slightly alarmed.

But we held.

We fought them off.

And when the last Orc dropped the overall mood was less heroic victory and more:

“That was a bit exciting.”

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Co-op survival – the important bit is the rhythm

The thing I’m enjoying most about this game so far is the rhythm.

Explore.

Mine.

Cook.

Build.

Repair.

Fight something.

Return home.

Sort the storage.

Sleep.

Repeat.

It never feels rushed or punishing. Just steadily adventurous.

Even the danger fits neatly into the routine.

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End of session – organised, fed, and still alive

By the end of Session 2 we had:

• a forward base in the mines
• repaired armour and tools
• the great forge unlocked
• survived our first Orc horde
• begun moving towards steel upgrades
• confirmed I will collect every mushroom in Middle-earth

Tel also informed me I had become “a bit blatted” during the fight, which I feel is a harsh but accurate assessment.

But we were alive.

Fed.

Organised.

And ready to go deeper.

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If you’d like to descend further into Moria with us, the video’s above.

Bring a torch.

And maybe don’t fight the bear.