One of the weirdest MMORPG stories of 2022 was the saga of Lord of the Rings Online’s pet rock, a giant boulder a developer had unintentionally plopped in the middle of the road in Bree-land. It became a meme within hours after players discovered it; they named it Dwayne Johnson, held parties and music performances on top of it, went on pilgrimages to visit it… it was a whole thing. There was even a petition begging Standing Stone Games to keep the rock, but apparently it was blocking the horse routes through the Greenway, so a few weeks later, the studio took it out again, promising to provide “a way for players to remember this particular bug in the near future.”
Well, it’s been 78 days since the removal patch, so you can decide for yourself whether this consititutes the “near future,” but regardless, it’s apparently coming in the next patch, which is currently on the Bullroarer server. The addition was noticed by LOTRO player Buttertart, who noted that a “Memorial Great Greenway Rock” has been added in the upcoming patch as a decoration that’ll fit in housing yard slots. Looking forward to the housing neighborhoods where every yard has one of these!
#Bullroarer preview – For those of us who are still pining for our pet rock, comfort is close at hand! Seems a bit trickier to climb, but otherwise just as lovely ❤️ Enormous yard slot. #RIPDwayne #lotro #lotrofamily pic.twitter.com/Armjvoct4k
— Buttertart (@foxiesoxie) February 16, 2023
