User blog:Glflegolas/Region Spotlight -- Issue 32 -- February 13, 2019

Why hello there.

It's been a while since I've done this, but with a rather messy winter storm bearing down on my house, I figured why not do this since I really don't have anything else to do.

The region I have chosen to feature today is actually more of a region variant than a true region. It's rather wet, and is the kind of location where people like to build cottages in real life. That's right, it's a lake.

Where are they?
Lakes and ponds can be found as uncommon variants of most regions of Middle-earth. The exact location of each lake/pond depends on the world seed, and varies depending on the world, although fixed lakes are found near Esgaroth, north of the Shire, and scattered along the Anduin.

Lakes can be differentiated into actual lakes, which are their own variant, and ponds, which are generated in most regions if the ground level falls below y=63; there are no separate pond generated structures as seen in Vanilla Minecraft.

What do you like about this region?
It looks darn cool. Doesn't it? A lake is beautiful to look at, especially when there are islands in it, and if you're spending the night nearby, having a large body of water on one side is always a good idea, as it makes it very difficult to be attacked from that side. Finally, who wouldn't want a quick swim after a hard day's travel?

Any advice for travellers?
If I were you, I would recommend bringing a boat if you're planning to explore a lake of significant size, since swimming around a lake will take a considerably long time. If you're planning to spend the night near a lake, consider bringing a fishing rod, since what's tastier for supper than some freshly caught lake fish? (Sorry, vegans!) For those who build a house near a lake, why not build a dock?