The Minstrel
This is a guide to the Minstrel class in Lord of the Rings Online. The Minstrel is the classic Bard style class.
You can play a Minstrel as a Man, Elf, Dwarf, or Hobbit. The Minstrel can solo fairly well but as we all know ranged DPS is the primary solo characteristic and the Minstrel is obviously lacking in this area. The Minstrel has great group buffs and heals and some debuffs as well. Following the new chain skill ideas we are seeing in the third generation MMORPG's the Minstrel can chain songs in order to get some great effects. As you would guess the Minstrel can play the widest variety of instruments. The Minstrel can wear light and medium armor with medium shields and can use daggers, one handed swords, maces, and one handed clubs.
Skills
- Raise the Spirit: The Minstrel's words of encouragement renew the morale of a companion.
- Clarion of the Valar: Calling upon the name of the Valar can send evil foes fleeing in terror for a short time.
- Tale of Heroism: Increases the Will and Fate of the Minstrel's fellowship.
- Inspire Fellows: Words of encouragement renew the morale of the Minstrel's fellowship and increase its vigour.
- Soothing Song: Decreases the Minstrel's threat in the eyes of her enemy target and all adjacent enemies.
- Noble Cause: The next three Herald's Strikes that the Minstrel executes do extra damage and return part of that as morale to her group.
- Song of Distraction: A song that can make the Minstrel's target become drowsy and not detect players until they are much closer than normal. This does not work against monsters already engaged in combat.
- Song of the Dead: This song causes undead to freeze in fear.
- Herald's Strike: A melee attack that does extra damage.
Class Specific Abilities and Traits
- Life-singer: The Power costs for the Minstrel's morale-renewing skills are reduced.
- Harmonious Melody: The Minstrel has a longer window of opportunity in which to perform her next tier of Ballads.
The Lore Master
This is a guide to the Lore Master class in Lord of the Rings Online. As a crowd control and buffer/de-buffer class the Lore Master is pretty hawt. This class's versatility is pretty unique to all of MMORPG gaming.
The Lore Master is the main buffer/de-buffer and also the best crowd control class in the game!?@ I haven't seen another class in any of the games I have played that combined these skillsets. You usually have a crowd controlling nuker of some kind....or maybe a CC summoner.....but a CC buffer? Pretty cool. To top it off the Lore Master has a pretty effective heal. Lore Masters wear light armor and use staves.
Skills
- Raven-lore: An understanding of the speech of ravens allows the Lore-master to call upon one.
- Beacon of Hope: Transfers morale to an ally or pet.
- Blinding Flash: A blinding flash accompanied by a loud crack and the smell of gunpowder causes the target to stop all action. Any damage caused to the target will break its stupor.
- Cracked Earth: The ground cracks beneath a target's feet, doing damage and hampering their movement.
- Burning Embers: Red-hot embers swirl around the target, causing damage over time.
- Gust of Wind: Air swirls around the target, kicking up debris and other objects that can cause damage to enemies.
- Leech craft: Removes wounds suffered by the target.
- Share the Power: Transfers a portion of the Lore-master's power to the target.
- Inner Flame: Self power to morale transfer.
Class Specific Abilities and Traits
- Dúnadan-learning: The Lore-master's knowledge of the lore of the Dúnedain grants bonuses to his Signs of Vigilance and Righteousness.
- Master of Beasts: The Lore-master's knowledge of the Signs of Animals gives him greater control over them.
The Hunter
This is a guide to the hunter class in Lord of the Rings Online. This class definitely follows the classic ranger type tradition with long range bow skills, snares, and traps.
One of the coolest things about the Hunter class is that they have a group speed buff similar to the Bard buff in Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. As long as the Hunter stays still he can use the innovative LOTRO aiming focus system to charge up the focus and use special shots. Hunters can also use skills and abilities before entering combat that charge focus. Another cool aspect of the hunter is that he can carry consumables to do special bow shots like flameshot. The Hunter and Champion are the best DPS classes in the game with the differences being pretty obvious. Hunters can wear light and medium armor and use bows and certain melee weapons. The Hunter can also unlock the ability to dual wield at a certain level which is pretty unique.
Skills
- Quick Shot: Allows the Hunter to nock and loose an arrow quickly.
- Set Trap: The Hunter's survival skills enable him to lay traps to ensnare enemies.
- Purge Poison: The Hunter's survival lore allows him to use naturally-occurring medicines to purge poisons from an ally.
- Barbed Arrow: The Hunter's arrow causes a wound that bleeds and slightly slows movement speed.
- Swift Bow: Loose two missiles in rapid succession.
- Rain of Arrows: The Hunter rains five arrows down upon his enemies, allowing him to hit multiple targets.
- Scourging Blow: This attack wounds the Hunter's foe, dealing additional damage if the enemy is suffering from Barbed Arrow, but stops the bleeding.
- Blindside: Divert an enemy's attention with a single melee strike and follow it with a single bow attack at close range.
- Low Cut: The Hunter makes a low cut in front of himself which can temporarily slow the movement speed of up to two enemies.
Class Specific Abilities and Traits
- True Shot: The Hunter's Penetrating Shot pierces more deeply through an enemy's armour, ignoring more of the armour's damage mitigation.
- Hail of Arrows: The Hunter has a greater chance of landing Critical Hits with his Rain of Arrows.
The Guardian
This is guide to the Guardian class in Lord of the Rings Online. The Guardian is the premier tank class in LOTRO and as far as a PVE tank goes (and I went through about a 4 year tank stint) it looks great to me.
The Guardian has a few of the cool chain style attacks that we are seeing a lot of in the third generation MMORPG's gameplay. They get a window of opportunity to do things like a shield swipe after a successful block. Chain skills are a great addition to the genre as it takes away from the monotonous grind of spamming the same buttons over and over. Guardians can use almost any weapon except for staves and they can wear heavy armor and use heavy shields (the skillset and abilities are tailored around shield usage so you definitely want to use a shield). The Guardian has a ton of basic tank style skills and abilities, if you want to play a tank then this is most definitely your best choice.
Skills
- Challenge: The Guardian knows how to goad his enemies into attacking, leaving his allies free to maneuver.
- Shield Swipe: After successfully blocking an enemy's blow, the Guardian may attack with both weapon and shield.
- Bash: After a successful Shield Swipe against an enemy, the Guardian may bash it again with his shield, possibly stunning it.
- Vexing Blow: The Guardian is capable of drawing an enemy's attention to himself with this attack.
- Protection: When wielding a shield, the Guardian may protect one of his allies, improving his ally's defense and allowing the Guardian to react to attacks made against him.
- Stamp: Enables the Guardian to break his enemy's concentration, interrupting its actions.
- Deep Breath: The Guardian is able to gather his wits and prepare his attacks more quickly than normal.
- Guardian's Pledge: The Guardian's great skill enables him to strengthen his defenses for a short time.
- Guardian's Defense: The Guardian focuses his defenses on blocking attacks.
Class Specific Abilities and Traits
- Guardian's Ward: Guardian's Ward increases the Guardian's natural damage mitigation. All of his special attacks also more strongly direct his enemy's ire towards him.
- Selfless Defense: The Guardian's Protection skill makes his target less threatening, while drawing the enemy's ire towards him. All of his special attacks also more strongly direct his enemy's ire towards him.
The Champion
This is a guide to the Champion class in Lord of the Rings Online. The Champion is a pretty hot DPS class so check this one out if you are into damage dealers.
The Champion is both a single target and area DPS or DD damage class. The champion also has some pretty good defense abilities as well. With the ability to dual wield and wear heavy armor and use light shields the Champion is a versatile damage dealer that can also off tank (or backup tank). The Champion can wear light, medium, and heavy armor and light shields as well as use most one handed weapons in dual wielding, two handed weapons, and bows.
Skills
- Wild Attack: A damaging attack. This increases fervor, allowing the use of other Champion skills.
- Flurry: An attack that increases the Champion's attack speed and fervor.
- Blade Storm: A 360-degree area-of-effect attack.
- Champion's Challenge: A taunting cry that forces the target to face and attack the Champion.
- Savage Strikes: A double attack.
- Blade Wall: A frontal area-of-effect attack.
- Bracing Attack: An attack which allows the Champion to brace herself against counterattack, increasing her morale by a small amount.
- Battle-frenzy: Instantly increases Fervour.
- Dire Need: Transfers half the Champion's morale to power.
Class Specific Abilities and Traits
- Call of the Wild: The Champion's Wild Attack generates additional threat and she gains a small amount of natural armour.
- At the Ready: The Champion's base block rate is increased and she gains a small amount of natural armour.
The Captain
This is a guide to the Captain Class in Lord of the Rings Online. The Captain is a group buffer of sorts check this one out.
The Captain class has group/ally/fellowship buffs and area of effect (AOE or AE) debuffs. Captains can use light, medium, and heavy armor and 1 and 2 handed weapons. The captain can solo pretty well but it is obvious that he can't utilize all of his skills without a group. The Captain's herald (pet) is has a fellowship buff as well.Â
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SkillsÂ
- Rallying Cry: When the Captain's enemy is defeated, her cry boosts her fellowship's morale.
- War-cry: When the Captain's enemy is defeated, she lets out a cry which rallies her nearby companions to attack with greater speed and determination.
- Command: Make Haste: Inspires the Captain's fellowship to greater haste, both in and out of battle.
- Defensive Strike: The Captain attacks defensively, causing light damage but recovering quickly to protect herself from returned attacks.
- Enraged Shout: A fearsome shout which strikes terror into the hearts of enemies and puts the Captain into a battle-readied state.
- Pressing Attack: Allows the Captain to swing twice at her enemy, inflicting medium damage.
- Routing Cry: When an enemy is defeated, the Captain lets out a fearsome Cry which slightly demoralizes all other foes nearby.
- In Harm's Way: The Captain puts herself in harm's way to defend nearby companions, taking all damage dealt to them upon her.
- Intimidating Shout: A Shout which threatens the enemy, increasing the chance that it will attack the Captain.
Class Specific Traits and Abilities
- Captain's Valour: The Captain's Banner of War evokes greater effects upon her allies.
- Captain's Hope: The Captain's Banner of Hope evokes greater effects upon her allies.
The Burglar
This is a guide to the burglar class in Lord of the Rings Online. Love the name, about time someone called it what it really is. This class isn't your typical DPS assassin or stealth class.
The burglar is a stealth and misdirection class. This class is playable by the Man and Hobbit races. This is of course the stealth/assassin class in LOTRO, so for those used to playing daggers and sneaks this is your bag.
The primary function of the burglar class is to steal the ability for mobs to due heavy damage and remain at full health. Burglars have the some of the old abilities associated with dagger/stealth/assassin classes such as stuns and trips from behind. The Burglar is a support and debuffer class....this is where he differs from a lot of the traditional heavy damage dealing stealth classes.
Skills
- Sneak: Allows the Burglar to move about unseen, though there is a chance of detection.
- Surprise Strike: An attack in which the Burglar inflicts more damage when attacking from behind or while sneaking.
- Burglar's Advantage: Execute another attack after a critical hit, inflicting more damage when the Burglar attacks from behind.
- Diversion: When in stealth, the Burglar can divert an enemy's attention away from himself for a short time.
- Trip: Knock an opponent down, opening up a conjunction opportunity if the Burglar is in a fellowship. Only usable while sneaking.
- Cunning Attack: The Burglar's formidable cunning allows a darting attack which continues to deal damage after he strikes, dealing even more damage if the attack is made while sneaking.
- Exploit Opening: Stun a target, opening up a conjunction opportunity if the Burglar is in a fellowship.
- Riddle: The Burglar is capable of posing riddles to enemies which may momentarily distract them, dazing them for 30 seconds or until damaged. Will not work on Beasts, Insects, or Creatures of Nature.
- Addle: Confuse an enemy so thoroughly he fails any inductions in progress, and any subsequent inductions for a short time take much longer to execute.
Class Specific Traits and Abilities
- Hidden Danger: The Burglar's attacks while using Stealth are far more accurate, reducing the chances that he may miss or that his enemy may somehow avoid them.
- Footpad: The Burglar's ability to move about with Stealth has developed beyond his natural aptitude.
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