Tales of the Shire Has Left One Big Question Hanging Prior…

Tales of the Shire still has quite a few of its gameplay features left in the dark. The upcoming indie simulation game based on the Tolkien Verse went into its early access period back in Fall 2024 and has had its release date pushed back multiple times. Tales of the Shire is now set to release on July 29, but it seems as though play testers and critics only got to scratch the surface of the game during its limited release. Developers Weta Workshop have had months to add new gameplay to Tales of the Shire, increasing this theory.

Currently, features like farming, fishing, cooking, and gathering have been confirmed for Tales of the Shire. Developers have also revealed other features in interviews that players were unable to test out during early access. Even design items in Tales of the Shire have been confirmed to be incredibly integral to the game’s experience, with furniture aligned with the game’s setting of the Shire. Tales of the Shire’s premise is similar to plenty of other IP-based simulation games, with players creating their own Hobbit avatar before being plopped down into Middle-earth. This starting point of gameplay had not been uncovered to the public much prior to Tales of the Shire’s release, leaving questions about avatar creation and clothing hanging in the air.

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By Megan Lorich

What Clothing Is Available in Tales of the Shire?

Avatar creation has been explicitly confirmed, with masculine and feminine body types available. Based on promotional images for Tales of the Shire, a variety of hairstyles and outfits have been created for players to pick and choose from. Most of the outfits that have been displayed are fairly similar. Flowy pants and skirts, floral patterns, colors that range from earthy and neutral to pastel. The vibes of the Shire are fairly easy to place, leaving a lack of variety for players to choose from, at least based on what has been revealed.

Sure, Hobbits wear comfy clothing and Tales of the Shire falls directly under the category of a cozy game, but that doesn’t mean that all players will strictly want to wear the same style of clothing. Perhaps Weta Workshop will bend the rules slightly for Tales of the Shire, allowing for more variety in its wardrobe. In fact, there are a few different sources of inspiration Tales of the Shire could draw from.

How Tales of the Shire Can Diversify Players' Wardrobes

Tales of the Shire is set between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. With this information in mind, it wouldn’t be surprising to see elves and dwarves make appearances in Tales of the Shire. These elves and dwarves may be original NPCs for Tales of the Shire, but their addition could easily justify clothing inspired by elves and dwarves for Hobbit avatars in the game. Designed to fit Hobbits, these fashionable pieces could feature silk textures, glitter, and silver, for elven-inspired pieces, whereas dwarvish-inspired clothing could include furs, darker tones of grey, black, and navy, and maybe even armor.

Holiday exclusive pieces could also diversify clothing options in Tales of the Shire. There are several holidays that Hobbits canonically celebrate, which could easily correlate with real-world holidays, like Christmas. A harvest festival event could be an excuse for not just fall-toned items, but for Halloween costumes. The possibilities are endless, even if these items will ultimately have to fit on a Hobbit-sized body. Hopefully, these pieces will not only suit the Hobbits that inhabit the Shire, but will also be appreciated by players giving Tales of the Shire a shot.

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