If Tales of the Shire is a Hit, A Sequel Would Have the…

Tales of the Shire has an inherently strong premise. Traditional cozy life-sim gameplay mechanics like fishing, gardening, foraging, and cooking all fit the life of a Hobbit perfectly, and based on the pre-release trailers, it seems as though developer Weta Workshop is making the most out of Tales of the Shire's eponymous setting as well.

Set in the Third Age, reportedly between the events of The Hobbit and Fellowship of the Ring, Tales of the Shire takes place in the calm before the storm. The dark forces of Mordor are growing in power, but that's far away from the idyllic fields and rivers of Bywater. But if Tales of the Shire ever gets a sequel, a later setting could be just as cozy, albeit in a different way.

Tales of the Shire NPC Wish List

Tales of the Shire is set during the Third Age of Middle-earth, and that leaves the door wide open for a range of big Lord of the Rings cameos.

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By Cameron Swan

A Sequel to Tales of the Shire Already Has The Perfect Possible Setting

A Tales of the Shire Sequel Set in The Fourth Age Could Be Great

The Fourth Age of Middle-earth begins pretty much as soon as The Lord of the Rings ends, with Frodo, Gandalf, and Bilbo heading off to the Undying Lands while Samwise returns home to the Shire. When the Fourth Age begins, the world is still very much reeling from the War of the Ring. The kingdoms of men have been decimated, thrones are changing hands, the elves are leaving Middle-earth, and even the Shire is recovering from Saruman's brief but brutal rule over it.

The Hobbit village of Bywater – where Tales of the Shire is set – is in ruins by the end of the Third Age, with it being the site of the final battle of the War of the Ring, where Saruman is finally killed at the hands of Grima Wormtongue. If Tales of the Shire ever receives a sequel, it would make a lot of sense for it to be set right at the start of the Fourth Age, where players need to rebuild their destroyed home of Bywater, and restore light to a world that was just plunged into darkness.

A New Setting Could Give Tales of the Shire More Room To Expand

A Tales of the Shire sequel set in the Fourth Age would also have the opportunity to expand further afield. Along with the ability to explore and rebuild more of the Shire than just Bywater, a Tales of the Shire sequel could let players journey to other iconic Lord of the Rings locations.

On the frontlines of the war, Rohan and Gondor suffered the worst of Sauron's evil. These kingdoms would need all the help they could get to restore villages back to their former glory, and that's where Tales of the Shire 2's player-character could come in. These new settings would pave the way for some new character cameos, including the new kings of Rohan and Gondor, Eomer and Aragorn, along with any other returning Lord of the Rings characters who may be lending a hand in the clean-up process.

Once unlocked, players could then swap between these locations at will, establishing homes in the Shire, Rohan, and Gondor simultaneously. Each area would also provide unique resources that could be used to craft new customization items that could be used across all three homes. This setting might initially be a tad darker than Tales of the Shire's Third Age setting, but the process of gradually restoring a world piece-by-piece could be very satisfying and cozy in its own regard.

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