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Chapter Nine begins the climax ofThe Lord Of The Rings: Gollum. Back in the halls of the Elven-King, you’ll have to find secrets hidden from even the most astute elves and put them to use. You’ll revisit some old locations, plus a large new area at the Midsummer Festival.
Related:The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum - Chapter Eight Walkthrough
The game’s challenge ramps up toward the end, so if you need a hand this guide has all the best routes through the chapter laid out for your. Puzzle solutions, stealth paths, and more await you below. Not everything is obvious from this point forward, so be sure to keep this guide open nearby as you play!
How To Solve The Riddlemaster’s Mirror Puzzle
Back in Mell’s cell,take the fish left for you by the Cruel Elfand the egg on the table. Go outside and upstairs tospeak with Neldis, the cook.She’ll send you up to the garden to look for light stones.
Climb to the top of the garden, using the same route from earlier, and collect the first stone. You’ll overhear a conversation between Thranduil and the guards.Listen in,then return to the main garden area andpick the larial growing behind the bench.
Talk to the guards near the fire and tell them you’re ready to go.Follow them to the Elven-King’s gardens. Enter the tower when they open the door and leave through the back door, thenturn around and climb up the wall.The route is the same as when you used it to escape back in Chapter Seven. At the top,pick the mistletoe with the swarm of truthlings around it.
You’ll automatically travel to the Riddlemaster’s Chamber. Go to the bedroom andexamine the mirrorin the far corner, by the window. It will show the room behind you, with some changes;turn the disc on the table to your left upside-down, then ensure thatthe candle by the fountainand the oneabove the windoware lit, while the third is out.
When everything is correct,examine the mirror againand it will reveal a secret passage. Go inside and follow the hallway, then examine the strange marble in the fountain below. After the cutscene,go back upstairsand use the fountain in the bedroom to talk to Mell,
How To Climb The King’s Oak
Leave the house andgive the two stones to Neldis.You can also go to Mell’s cell and pick up another fish that’s been left for you. Put the lights in the dim lanterns when Neldis asks you to do so, then step into the circle of lamps.
When you’re ready to go,speak to Neldis againto go to the festival at the King’s Oak. Once there, go straight ahead and cross the bridge to the right.Speak to the elves on the bench, then return to Neldis.
In the far left corner of the festival ground is a small green hut, with the Wooden Fork collectible inside.
Use the Smeagol response to get Neldis to talk to the elves by the tree, thenfollow her.When the elves leave,go through the tunnel they were blocking.Inside,climb the wallto reach a scaffold on the outside of the tree; above you and to the right will be a ledge that you’re able to use to continue climbing.
Go up and to the left until you come to a wooden path. At the fork,go leftto collect the Garland there, then return andtake the right-hand path.Be careful of the well-hidden drop just past the fork; it will take you back to the bottom of the tree, forcing you toclimb up again.
Look for a ledge in the trunk of the tree when you reach the end of the path, and continue climbing upward. Turn right andjump to the platform on the next branch over, then again to a third platform. Walk out onto the large branch that’s bare of bark, then turn around; you’llsee the next set of ledges above you.
Climb up, jumping backward at the top to a platform that will let you jump to another bare branch, which in turn will help you reach the next platform,above you and to the right.Follow the path andgo left at the fork.
Jump along the bare branches counter-clockwise, being careful not to fall - you may’t grab hold of any ledges here. When Gollum reminds himself to be careful,take a running jumpoff the end of the branch to reach the next one. After the long jump,take the wooden platform on the left,near the trunk, to continue.
Follow the branches clockwise to reach a set of four consecutive swing bars; use them to cross the gap, then examine Gwendil’s carving on the right to trigger a cutscene.
Related:The Lord Of The Rings: History Of The Elves
How To Escape The Orcs
Use the hole in the path from before (directly behid you) to quickly get back to the bottom of the tree. There’s an armored orc just outside, so stay quiet!Crawl into the flowers on the left, being careful of the orc with a lantern nearby.
When the lantern orc isn’t looking,cross the pathand pick up the pile of stones there. Throw one at the lantern on the ground to the left to put it out. When the coast is clear,cross the path againto the extinguished lantern and hide in the flowers just past it.
Crawl to the right,through the narrow passages. A few orcs with lanterns are patrolling here, but if you stay in the flowers and move carefully you can evade them. You may even be able to catch one or two alone and kill them.
The exit of the passage is watched by an armored orc;throw a rock at the metal sphere next to himand sneak past while he’s distracted. There’s a ladder just past him that leads into the trees above.
When you’re up on the branch,crawl to the end and look to the left.You’ll see a ledge on the branch of the next tree over that you’re able to hang from. Jump to it and climb up, then use the new branch to leap to theclimbable trunkto the right.
Follow the branches to a small path on the cliffside and follow it clockwise to leave the area and end the chapter.
