 General
Information
Unless you are kindred with the Inn League, Festival Races are the only
way to obtain a race token to barter for a Festival Horse or Pony.
They are held ONLY during one of the four festivals throughout the year:
Spring, Lithe, Harvestmath and Yule.
The races are timed and thus you compete against the clock and not other
riders. The clock starts the moment you mount one of the racehorses
at the starting gate and ends when the timer expires. You must pass
through each of the ten gates before the timer expires. The starting
gate is also the finishing line! If you finish the race before the
timer expires, you win!
These races seem very difficult at first, but once you get used to them,
you will breeze through them like a true champion!
You have to have earned the riding skill in
order to obtain and run the race quests!
Obstacles
There are three types of obstacles you will encounter during the race:
* Fences are basic fences dissecting the track and require
you to simply jump over them.
* Carts/trees are basic obstacles placed in the track which
require you to either jump over, or ride around them.
* Sludge ponds are indeed the special obstacles in the races.
They are nasty accumulations of sticky mire that you must either ride through
or jump over using the rickety bridges.
There are two gates in the sludge ponds, the bridge gate and the water
gate. The bridge gate offers a nice speed buff, the water gate however
slaps you with a brutal speed debuff. You need to pass one of these
gates in order to continue the race.
Keep in mind: If you attempt to take the bridge,
and miss or fall off, you will need to pass through the water gate in order
for the race to continue!
Tips
Do not despair if you mess up a jump, or have to take the water gate.
The races are tricky, but do allow a bit for error. Never despair,
keep on pushing even if you make an error or two. The race isn't
over till the horse nays in the stall!
Winning the Race
Should you win the race, you are given a choice of one race token (to
barter for a horse) or three festival tokens. You only need one race
token per horse! The race quest is repeatable each hour until you
complete it, then it becomes a daily. There are two separate race
quests at each of the below tracks.
The
Breeland "Tricky"
The Breeland Race Track is wrapped around the Breeland Festival Grounds,
just south of Hengstacer Farms!
I call this race the Breeland Tricky because it is indeed a bit
tricky. The fence jumps are high, the carts cannot be jumped over,
and the bridges are difficult to approach.
Take the quest from Sally Threshing and mount either a horse or pony
when you are ready. Feel free to run the course a few times to get
used to it but remember that the race horses go much faster than any other
steed in the game!
Mount the race horse/pony at the starting gate, the timer starts
and you are off!
The first section is a couple of downhill jumps, you will get a lot
of airtime during this section. Cutting it as close to the inside
hedge as possible could save you a second or two.
The first sludge pond is the easier of the two. Approach is on
the left and requires a careful right turn before the jump. Easy
to miss or fall off indeed, but if you do, be sure to go through the water
gate on the left before continuing.
Fence obstacles. A series of simple fence jumps.
Cart obstacles. A series of carts requiring you to zig-zag between
them.
The second sludge pond is a difficult one in which the approach is on
the right and up a small stone ramp. If you are speed buffed from
the first sludge pond, you will approach this bridge at mach 1 making it
very difficult to execute that immediate right turn at the top without
falling off. Again, if you do fall off or miss the jump, be sure
to run through the water gate on the left before continuing.
Fence obstacles. Another series of fence jumps.
Home stretch. Sprint to the starting gate!
Congratulations, you have finished the Breeland 'Tricky'!!!
The
Michel Delving "Sneaky"
The Michel Delving race track is tucked in a valley south of Michel Delving.
I call this race the Michel Delving Sneaky because they offer
you ways to 'sneak' around some obstacles. Hobbits are awesome.. hehe
Take the quest from Carl Proudfoot and mount either a horse
or pony when you are ready. Feel free to run the course a few times
to get used to it but remember that the race horses go much faster than
any other steed in the game!
The first section is a sludge pond. The approach is from the right
and is not a difficult jump. If you fall off or miss, be sure to
take the water gate to the left before continuing.
Fence obstacles. These can be a bit tricky actually, as while
the fences are low (hobbits), they are also closely spaced, making jumps
at full speed impossible. Approaching at a slight angle, or slightly
slowing your speed will allow a smooth execution.
Cart obstacles. A series of carts on the track requiring you to
zig-zag around them, OR, if you are good at jumping, you can jump over
the limbers (shafts) either saving or costing you a couple of seconds.
Tree obstacle. A tree has fallen on the track. You can either
jump over it on the left or ride around it on the right.
More fence obstacles. Short and narrow as before.
Second sludge pond. The approach is on the left. Not a bad
jump. Again, if you fall off or miss the bridge, be sure to go through
the water gate on the right before continuing.
Bridge and home stretch. Nice downhill jump towards the stone
bridge where you will get a lot of airtime, then sprint to the starting
gate. Be sure to pass through the starting gate as it is also the
finishing line!
Congratulations! You have completed the Michel Delving 'Sneaky'!!!
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