One Mythical Lord of the Rings Character Is a Shoo-In for Tales of the Shire

Private Division and Weta Workshop’s Tales of the Shire is bound to make waves in the cozy life sim genre in one way or another, simply due to its premise. Set in J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings universe, Tales of the Shire will see players living out their cozy lives as Hobbits, with plenty of familiar life sim features at their disposal. Based on what has been revealed so far, players will be able to decorate and live in their very own Hobbit hole, forage the surrounding woods for ingredients, fish in the nearby river, and cook plenty of tasty meals using the ingredients they gather.

In addition to Tales of the Shire‘s numerous cozy features, Weta Workshop has also confirmed that players will get to meet iconic characters from The Lord of the Rings as they play through the game. It’s unclear which characters will make it into the game, but some are more likely than others to make an appearance. One such character seems like a shoo-in for an appearance in Tales of the Shire and has appeared in the books but never in the films, which means many casual Lord of the Rings fans may not even be aware of his existence.

Tom Bombadil Seems Likely to Make an Appearance in Tales of the Shire

Tom Bombadil Is One of The Lord of the Rings’ Most Peculiar Characters

When it comes to The Lord of the Rings‘ most enigmatic characters, none quite hold a candle to Tom Bombadil. He is such a strange and peculiar character, in fact, that some have believed him to be more of a spirit than a person. As “the oldest in existence,” some claim Tom to be immortal and very powerful, especially considering he is impervious to the powers of the One Ring. In the books, Tom is even able to see Frodo while he is wearing the One Ring. He is known by other iconic figures, like Gandalf and Elrond, as one of the most powerful beings in Middle-earth.

Tom Bombadil’s Home Puts Him Close to Tales of the Shire’s Bywater

While some might expect more famous characters like Gandalf to appear in Tales of the Shire, Tom Bombadil’s home puts him in a position that makes more sense for him to appear in the game. In the Third Age of Middle-earth, Tom resided in the valley of the River Withywindle, deep in The Old Forest. As it turns out, this puts Tom east of Tales of the Shire‘s Bywater, where players will be spending most of the time in the game. As such, it seems likely that players could run into him at some point.

Given that foraging is one of Tales of the Shire‘s main activities, players could potentially be visiting The Old Forest in search of ingredients for their culinary dishes. If they do, there’s little reason why they wouldn’t run into Tom at some point. That being said, The Old Forest is far east of Bywater and therefore can hardly compete with the forests of The Green Hills Country, which are immediately south of Bywater. It seems more likely that players will be visiting these woods rather than The Old Forest.

Weta Workshop has not confirmed which iconic Lord of the Rings characters players will be encountering in Tales of the Shire, but Tom Bombadil seems likely, even with his home being a good distance from Bywater. This would be a great chance for Lord of the Rings fans, hardcore and casual alike, to meet the peculiar character who was sidelined in Peter Jackson’s films and experience him in a way they couldn’t have even if he was included.