Learning LOTRO: Lesson Forty-Eight - Class Poll Discussed

 

In this series, I talk about various aspects of The Lord of the Rings Online. This series is meant for newcomers, but may also help veteran players find more to love about the game.

In February of 2020, I decided I needed to infuse some Lord of the Rings Online content into my blog because it's been my primary MMO for 8 years and there isn't a game I know better. Since the endgame content, raids, trait trees, and annual events all had plenty of coverage, I thought it would be good to get back to basics for the ever-present crop of new players that give the game a try and are left to fend for themselves in a sea of information. I put out a poll asking people to rank their favorite to least favorite classes and said I would cover them in whatever order resulted. As I'm wrapping up a full year of Learning LOTRO, I thought it was a good time to finally discuss those poll results and how it helped to shape the series.

Learning LOTRO: Lesson Forty - Warden Class

 

In this series, I talk about various aspects of The Lord of the Rings Online. This series is meant for newcomers, but may also help veteran players find more to love about the game.

It's time for the tenth and final class-focused entry in the series! Today we get to talk about the Warden class! (Finally. Sorry for such a lengthy delay, friends.) Available to elves, men and hobbits, this class is based on Haldir, the marchwarden of Lothlórien, and his brothers Rúmil and Orophin. I had to, of course, end the class entries as I had begun them -- as an elf. This class was introduced with the Mines of Moria expansion, and otherwise costs 795 Points in the LOTRO Store, even for VIPs.

This class is labeled as Advanced with good reason! If you are not the sort of gamer who enjoys stringing combos together and remembering what those combos do in the middle of combat -- or often several actions in advance -- then this is not a class for you. It's noted in the LOTRO wiki that "the Warden's gameplay mechanics owe a debt to Tekken as much as to any Elf-lord." 

Per the established method, the theme this time was "grey" and "space," so I used Welsh to come up with Serenniwil, or literally "star fog." Don't look at me like that. I think it works just fine!

The following is a basic summary of the creation process and some of the things you'll encounter when you start out in LOTRO with a Warden and/or Elf.

Learning LOTRO: Lesson Thirty-Six - Champion Class

 

In this series, I talk about various aspects of The Lord of the Rings Online. This series is meant for newcomers, but may also help veteran players find more to love about the game.

It's time for the ninth class-focused entry in the series! Today we get to talk about the Champion class! Available to all races except hobbits, this class is based on Gimli, whose skill in arms matched the bow-skills of Legolas. It seemed fitting, then, that I should play this class as a dwarf -- and introduce the secondary playable dwarf race, the Stout-Axe. This race was introduced in 2019 with the Minas Morgul expansion. Like the High Elf and Beorning, it is available for purchase from the LOTRO Store for 1,000 LOTRO Points or as part of the Minas Morgul expansion.

It wasn't until the Champion before this one that I finally found my groove with the class and began to enjoy it, so the highest level I have reached with one is only 77. However, it is one of the easier classes to play and remarkably sturdy, making it an excellent choice for new players.

Per the established method, the theme this time was "gold" and "volcano," so I used Welsh to come up with Lafahaur, or literally "gold lava." This seemed like a perfect name for a dwarf who has fled from servitude in Mordor!

The following is a basic summary of the creation process and some of the things you'll encounter when you start out in LOTRO with a Champion and/or Stout-Axe Dwarf.

Learning LOTRO: Lesson Twenty-Eight - Captain Class

In this series, I talk about various aspects of The Lord of the Rings Online. This series is meant for newcomers, but may also help veteran players find more to love about the game.

It's time for the seventh class-focused entry in the series! Today we get to talk about the Captain class! For several years, the only race that was able to play this class was Man -- until the Mordor expansion in 2017. With that expansion, we were gifted with a new playable race: the High Elf. The High Elf has the capacity to be a Captain also, and a graceful one at that. So today we will also get our first look in the series at the High Elf race (which must be purchased either as part of the Mordor expansion or from the LOTRO store for 1000 Points).

This is only my third Captain, but I still feel confident in my ability to discuss it. It is a pet class like the Lore-master, but instead of creatures a Captain can summon heralds. (We'll talk about those later on in the entry, so be sure to read to the end!)

Per the established method, the theme this time was "red" and "sky," so I used Welsh to come up with Tanllyd, or literally "fiery." Being a High Elf from the Second Age, she is familiar with war and was one of those who brought it directly to Sauron's doorstep!

The following is a basic summary of the creation process and some of the things you'll encounter when you start out in LOTRO with a Captain and/or High Elf.

Learning LOTRO: Lesson Twenty-Seven - Minstrel Class Quests

In this series, I talk about various aspects of The Lord of the Rings Online. This series is meant for newcomers, but may also help veteran players find more to love about the game.

It's time for us to check back in with our fifth character, the suave Toneirin. Our floral-clad and debonair musician has grown up a bit and has had to face the Minstrel Class Quests. These quests rely on the unique talents of the Minstrel Class and put every Minstrel to the test!

Learning LOTRO: Lesson Sixteen - Burglar Class

In this series, I talk about various aspects of The Lord of the Rings Online. This series is meant for newcomers, but may also help veteran players find more to love about the game.

It's 24 hours late, but now it's time for the fourth class-focused entry in the series! Today we get to talk about the Burglar class! The race for this character means a slightly different intro experience, but mostly the same as the last one -- so I can focus more on the class features. Spoiler, though: I don't really care for this class... but I'm going to do my best to treat it fairly!

The burglar class is restricted to Hobbit, Man, and Stout-Axe. Since I've been trying to cover the accessible-to-anyone races first, and having just covered Man in the last class entry, this left me with the perfect choice of Hobbit. The color/theme supplied by my BFF and husband was "black" and "desert," so I bent my Welsh to the task and came up with Ducras, loosely meaning "arid black." (Look, I know it's not perfect, but it sounds like an okay hobbit name. Which surname do you think suits that kind of name? Comment if you have an opinion!)







So with that out of the way, the following is a basic summary of the creation process and some of the things you'll encounter when you start out in LOTRO with a Burglar.

Learning LOTRO: Lesson Three - Character Building

In this new series, I talk about various aspects of The Lord of the Rings Online. This series is meant for newcomers, but may also help veteran players find more to love about the game.

Whether it's your first character in LOTRO (or an MMO in general) or your twenty-fifth, you always have to make choices about your character. Some people do as little as possible while others spend hours customizing every slider and color to perfection. This entry is not going to guide you through what choices you ought to make -- but it may help you get a feel for how to build a character you connect with and enjoy being represented by in-game.