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Welcome to Ledes' LotRO Guide.

Hello. My name is Ledes, and I play on the Windfola server on LotRO. I've been playing for 5 years now and I like to think of myself as being rather experienced. I haven't mastered every crafting profession in this game, or hit the highest level possible on every class, but I still would like to try to give advice to the new players in this game.

I have made a few short tutorials on this website to explain how the game works. This game is rather unique from other MMORPGs, and can be a bit hard to understand at times. I made a lot of mistakes with my characters because I didn't know how to play that well and didn't understand most of the game. I'm making a guide so that, hopefully, you will understand the game better than I did.

Topics covered in this guide:

Classes and races
Skirmishes
Crafting
The burglar class
Trait system

Click on one of the pages below to view these topics.

First Look at LotRO

This post talks about how LotRO first looks.

When you first step into LotRO, you notice right away how great the graphics are. They are very realistic to the point where you can see every little flower, blade of grass and leaf (that is, if you have your settings turned up). The game includes many features, such as huge PvP battles that often involve big groups and voice communication, a trait system that sets your character apart from others, a music system that lets players generate their own music, a unique crafting system, and lots more. This game mostly takes place around the time of The Fellowship of the Ring, and the player starting out trying to find Frodo in the Shire, progressing to fight Nazgul and many other creatures from The Lord of the Rings trilogy. This game has amazing gameplay, and I absolutely love it and would recommend it to any Lord of the Rings fan.

Classes and Races

In LotRO there are 9 classes and 4 races. Not every race has the ability to play every class, and some races are better at playing as a certain class when compared to other races.

Races

Dwarf: Dwarves have high regeneration in combat, high might, high health, low agility, low fate, and reduced regeneration out of combat.

Elf: Elves have high agility, high resistance to diseases, low fate, low health, and low health regeneration while in combat.

Hobbit: Hobbits have high fear resistance, high health, high health regeneration when out of combat, high shadow defence, and low might.

Man: Men have high might, high incoming healing rating, high fate, and low will.

Classes

Burglar: You can play this class as either Man or Hobbit. Burglars start out using light armor, but at level 10 can use medium armor. Burglars have the ability to dual-wield at level 10, but can never use a 2-hand weapon. This class is high melee dps.

Captain: You can play this class only as a Man. Captains start out using medium armor, but at level 20 can use heavy armor. Captains use either a two-hand weapon or a one-hand weapon with a light shield (but to use a shield they must be level 20 or higher). They are the only class that can use halberds. This class provides small heals, buffs the group and is medium melee dps.

Champion: You can play this class as Man, Elf or Dwarf. Champions start out using medium armor, but at level 20 can use heavy armor. Champions can either use a two-hand weapon or dual wield one-hand weapons. Champions used to be able to use light shields and heavy shields (with a trait), but this feature was removed with the release of the expansion pack Rise of Isengard. This class is high melee dps and has lots of area-of-effect attacks.

Guardian: You can play this class as any of the four races. Guardians start out using medium armor and a light shield, but at level 15 can use heavy armor and heavy shields. Guardians either use a two-hand weapon or one-hand weapon with a heavy shield. This class is primarily a tank class, but can provide some melee DPS.

Hunter: You can play this class as any of the four races. Hunters start out using light armor, but at level 10 can use medium armor. Hunters use a one-hand weapon, and at level 10 can dual-wield one-hand weapons. Hunters also use bows. A notable thing about hunters is that they get to "port" to big places (like Bree, for example) and take their fellowship with them. This class is high range DPS.

Lore-master: You can play this class as either Man or Elf. Lore-masters always use light armor. They use a staff, but with a legendary trait that you can equip as early as level 41, you can also wield a sword in your off-hand slot. Lore-masters get pets such as a raven, bear, and lynx. This class is high tactical (spell) DPS.

Minstrel: You can play this class as all races. They use light armor, but at level 30 they can get a class trait to use medium armor. Minstrels use a one-hand weapon and can equip a light shield at level 20. This class is medium-high tactical (spell) DPS, buffs the group and high healing.

Rune-keeper: You can play this class as either Elf or Dwarf. This class is only playable with the Mines of Moria expansion pack, or the class purchased from the LotRO store. They only use light armor. They have a special weapon called a Rune-stone and can not use any other weapons. This class is very high tactical (spell) DPS (probably the highest DPS in my opinion) and can heal, but uses heal-over-time instead of one big instant heal.

Warden: You can play this class as Man, Hobbit or Elf. This class is only playable with the Mines of Moria expansion pack, or the class purchased from the LotRO store. They use Medium armor and Warden's shields (which are better than light shields, but not as good as heavy shields). They use a one-hand weapon and a warden's shield. This is a unique class and uses something called a gambit to either do lots of damage, cause lots of threat, or heal themselves (and occasionally other fellowship members). This class is a tank and can self-heal effectively.

Trait System

Traits are a way to make your character unique from others in the game. For example, if you wanted to be a tank, you would probably want some traits equipped to reduce your incoming damage, increase your maximum health, and add some extra defensive bonuses like armor value. The certain bonuses that you equip make your character different than other characters. Traits are acquired from killing a certain number of a certain kind of creature in a particular area, such as Bree-Land or the Shire. Most of the time you would use the Virtue category to boost specific stats, add some extra health or gain resistance to enemy attacks. Once you earn these traits, you equip them at a NPC called a bard. Virtues are one of four categories that will be covered in this post.

Virtues

The first category that will be covered are called Virtues. Virtues are traits that are obtained by specific deeds, which often consist of either finding areas or killing enemies. For example, you can get a virtue called Empathy that gives extra armor value, increases the stat Fate, and gives you resistance to fear. There are similar traits that instead increase your maximum health, power/mana, give resistance bonuses and increase stats.

Race Traits

Another category that will be covered are called Race traits. If you're the race of man (for example) then you would have 9 different man-specific traits that you can acquire. One that is acquirable at level 35 is called Strength of Morale. For this trait, you have to kill a certain number of Hillmen (Not in a certain zone, they can be killed anywhere) and then you get a skill that first needs to be equipped as a trait for your reward.

Class Traits

Yet another category that will be covered are called Class traits, which you get from completing class-specific quests or deeds that are unlocked at certain levels. For example, if I was a level 20 warden and I wanted to get a trait that increased my chances of blocking enemy attacks, then I would look in my deed log to see if I had any deeds to complete that would give me extra block rating. If I found one that increases my chance of blocking, then I would look at the objective(s), and it would tell me what I need to do. It would say I need 500 blocks (for example) in order to increase my block rating by 192. Once I get these 500 blocks, I can equip this class trait.

Legendary Traits

The last type of traits that I am going to cover are called Legendary traits. You can start acquiring some of your legendary traits at level 39. You can start gaining these traits from books that you buy from your class trainer. You can buy the books at any time, but you can't use them to get your legendary traits until you are level 39. Once you've found a book, you have to find 8 missing pages for the book, and then you receive a legendary trait as a reward. These pages are hard to come across, but most traits are well worth the time that was put in to find the pages.

Picture of the trait interface in LotRO

Crafting

Crafting in LotRO

In LotRO, a player doesn't just pick a single crafting profession (like mining, tailoring, ect). Instead of picking a single profession, they pick a vocation. Vocations consist of 3 professions. Most of the vocations will have one "gathering" profession and two crafting professions. Below is a list of vocations and professions.

Vocations

Armourer: Prospector, Metalsmith, Tailor

Armsman: Prospector, Weaponsmith, Woodworker

Explorer: Forester, Prospector, Tailor

Historian: Farmer, Scholar, Weaponsmith

Tinker: Prospector, Jeweller, Cook

Woodsman: Forester, Farmer, Woodworker

Yeoman: Farmer, Tailor, Cook

Roles

Cook: A cook makes food that can increase regeneration of health and power. A cook can also make foods that boost a certain stat temporarily. In addition, cooks make strings for minstrels that temporarily decrease their healing threat. A cook can either gather their own materials on the ground or get the materials from using the farming profession.

Farmer: A farmer grows materials used by cooks. A farmer needs seeds to grow the materials, which can be bought at vendors or be picked up. As well as making items for cooking, a farmer can make pipe-weed, which can be used by lore-masters for resurrection spells, or can be used as something to smoke.

Forester: A forester gathers wood placed around the world. They can treat it, which is needed for woodworkers to make components for woodworking. They also treat hides that can be used by tailors to make armor.

Jeweller: A jeweller creates pieces of jewellery that can increase a stat or multiple stats. They also make class-slot items for champions, make rune-stones for rune-keepers, and make hope tokens.

Metalsmith: A metalsmith makes heavy armor and crafting tools. Materials are gathered from Prospectors, Tailors, and occasionally Jewellers.

Prospector: A prospector gets materials from mines. They smelt the ore into ingots, which are used by Armourers, Weaponsmiths, and Jewellers.

Scholar: A scholar deciphers lore found around ruins. They can make scrolls that temporarily increase attack and/or defence, potions that give power and health, and make fire and light oils used by hunters and wardens. They also make dyes. In addition, they make scrolls that increase a chance to make a critical item while crafting.

Tailor: A tailor makes light and medium armor. Light armor requires an extra material, which does not cost much and can be bought at a vendor. Medium armor only requires treated hides from foresters and the occasional gem from a jeweller.

Weaponsmith: A weaponsmith crafts weapons, such as axes, maces, and swords. They also make burglar tricks, hunter traps, and shield spikes for guardians and wardens.

Woodworker: A woodworker makes wooden bows and crossbows in addition to making wooden weapons like spears, javelins, and hammers. They require treated wood from foresters.

First View of Crafting Window

Crafting Window - Showing an item

Music System

The Music system in LotRO allows players to play instruments and create their own music. In this music system, there are two ways to play music. The first way is called free play. In free play you can use the numbers 1 - 8 on your keyboard to play music (you can also bind keys if you want to play more than one octave). The other way to play music (which doesn't have a name, that I know of anyways) lets you play music that's simply a text file. This also lets you synchronize your music with other players.

Within the music system, there are nine instruments that a player can play. Most of them are only available to the Minstrel class; however, the minstrel can teach other classes how to play any instrument. The nine instruments are Cowbell, Clarinet, Lute, Flute, Harp, Horn, Drum, Theorbo, and Bagpipes.

Here's an example of a text file that you would use in LotRO, by simply doing /music than /play (file name) with an instrument equipped.

To play this song, you would simply copy and paste the text into notepad, then save it in your My Documents/LotRO/Music folder. After you've saved the file, go into the game and type /music then type /play (file name). Below is an example of two of my characters playing syncronized music together.

Music in LotRO: Welcome to the Jungle by Guns N' Roses

Videos

Music in LotRO: Welcome to the Jungle by Guns N' Roses

More videos will be added in the future.