If you have had any experience with LOTRO at all, you’ve surely run into a Champion of some sort. We are often viewed as the nuttiest of classes as we are understood to die too much or pull too much aggro, but these are signs of inexperience in a Champion. Playing this class is similar to the game Othello, it takes a minute to learn to play and it may take forever to master. I’m writing this to shed some light on what may be the most misunderstood class in LOTRO.

The General Roles:

Champions are commonly brought into fellowships to fulfill a DPS spot or even sometimes simply for their ability to interrupt. A well-played champion is a boon to any fellowship, a versatile warrior in the sense of off-tanking and aggro management. I find the most fulfilling role to be that of the “utility” champion, rounding out the focus of my character and bringing to the group as much as I can.

Focus and Stances:

Champions have various stances to accompany the various roles that they can play in a group. It is quite common for a champion to focus solely on one of the roles and build his character’s stats to fulfill that single role better, I’ll cover the various roles and which stats are crucial respectively.

DPS, the most common of all champ roles in PvE, has a high focus on dealing out as much damage as is possible in a constant fashion. Some champions accomplish this through the use of slow hard-hitting weapons while others may use quick accurate weapons to produce a stream. For those interested in this role Might and Agility are key to build for optimizing DPS. DPS champs are often found in Fervour, or Controlled Burn for bosses.

Survival champs are more commonly found in the Ettenmoors and in end-game raids. These champions are characterized by their high morale and raised B/P/E rates. It is more likely to see champs of this orientation to don a shield and to run without stance, with Ardour, or, when tanking, in Glory. The main focus, I feel, for this type would be Agility and Vitality. Damage for this champion comes from being in the fight longer, more of a slow burn than a wildfire if you will.

The “utility” champion is one of a build somewhere between the Survival and DPS types. Adjusting with the needs of the battle, a champ of this type would be seen switching stances more than once in a long fight and may switch out weapons or gear. This playstyle, I feel, is more diverse and requires more of the user. The focus for this build is as much of a balance in the Might, Agility, and Vitality as possible.

How Damage is Dealt:

A champion knows that more hits equals more damage, and so those wishing to better themselves are always looking for a way to sneak in extra hits. Auto-attacks in this case are your friend, the ~2 seconds between Auto-attacks is all the time a champion should need to show off his skills, this timing is crucial as it promotes combo DPS. Essentially a champion’s attack pattern should resemble this: Auto-attack, wild attack, auto-attack, swift strike, auto-attack, brutal strikes….. or something akin to that. This is often called a DPS rotation and it may vary from champion to champion, mine changes based on a number of things including weapon type and how much aggro I feel I should be generating.

DW vs 2h
It is a common debate among champions whether it is better for DPS to wield two weapons or to swing one big one. I feel it is a matter of comfort and preference, but as a warning the play-style is different for each. Personally, I prefer to dual wield but I do carry my two-hander with me at all times.

Mistakes and Misconceptions:

I must say that I feel a little bad every time I hear someone say something about champions in general that is in error. Champions are seen as the dummy class, the class that you simply hack-and-slash your way to end-game with. This is possible to do with any class, champions just happen to be better at farming a level or two below themselves. The difference between an inexperienced champion and one with experience is night and day.

Champions feel that it is their job to produce big numbers, I feel that this is simply testosterone-driven competition to compete with the numbers of hunters. The idea behind the class is constant DPS, not big numbers, and sure big numbers are nice for soloing but in groups DPS is supplemental to the group, not standalone.

Champion Tanking:

What is a tank?

Well, if you are to be a tank, I suppose you should know what the position entails. A tank, in short, is a set target for NPCs so as to minimize the number of targets the Minstrel must heal. Gaining and holding aggro is more important than damage in this respect, and more often than not, champions confuse the roles. The idea behind tanking effectively is to maintain group aggro while not taking a severe beating(your minstrels will thank me).

The setup:

For the tank role, I highly recommend traiting and slotting your heavy shield(as well as all of your other “green” traits). It would probably be better to focus on equipping armor pieces that have a B/P/E bonus or a heal, should you have to choose go with the former. The stats I would focus on building for this role are Vitality and Agility, avoiding damage with higher evade rates and mitigating more non-common damage is quite helpful, and I would recommend going for as high a morale setup as you can. As for your weapon, I use an Ornate Black Ash Spear as it has a parry buff, an ICPR buff, and is quite fast, I recommend anything with a parry buff that you are comfortable with the timing of(though a slow hard hitting weapon seems silly to me). If you slot no other “green” class traits, slot the heavy shield and Call of the Wild, and for legendaries I recommend equipping both Raging Blades and Ferocious Strikes. Also, make sure you have learned and have slotted both Champion’s Challenge and Rising Ire, you’ll need them.

The Method:

Well, for starters, any champion that intends to tank should be in Glory, extra threat generation for everything you do is rather nice. The opening move here should usually be your Champion’s Challenge, this will give you ample time to start building your threat. Once in melee range, if it is possible, position your enemy between yourself and the rest of your fellowship, this minimizes the damage they take and maximizes the damage they can do.

Much like dishing out DPS, Tanking uses a skill rotation, and as such building fervour pips should be done through the use of Wild Attack and Blade-wall. Once available Raging Blades should be the first of your legendaries to pop off, and once the cycle is completed repeat it but alternate Raging Blades and Ferocious Strikes.

Threat Management:

As a champion is it harder to maintain aggro than it would be if you were a guardian, most classes will not be able to pull aggro from you but you must be wary of other DPS classes. It is important to instruct the rest of your group on how you intend to be tanking, that means to tell hunters to be in endurance and tell other champions to use Ebbing Ire on you after going through their skill rotation once or twice. Other than the initial pull, Champion’s Challenge should be reserved for mobs that find their way to the Minstrel, since you are getting more Minstrel love than most Guardians whilst tanking, its important to take care of them. While you are tanking, since you are facing the group aren’t you, it would be quite beneficial to use Rising Ire on the second most threatening person(usually a hunter) but if no other DPS class is in the group the Minstrel should be the prime target.

The Purpose:

I feel that it is important for every champion to know how to tank, even should they never have to apply these skills. I chose this as the first of my lessons as Champions are known for pulling aggro from guardians, and by placing yourself in the shoes of one you will develop a second nature for how aggro works in-game. Threat management is a higher level skill in terms of champion ability but at this point it is important to note how you can still dish out the damage and let the tank do his job.

DPS is an acronym for damage-per-second, which in turn is an average amount of damage done per unit of time. This average can be reached in one of two ways, large numbers with lower frequency or smaller numbers with higher frequency. What I aim to do in this article is tell you how you can optimize this number and maybe even a few ways that you can improve upon it.

DPS is the mainstay of the champion, the arguement over the DPS dispute between champs and hunters can be explained through a further application of the two methods above. A hunter has the capability of putting out higher numbers but cannot maintain consistency for extended periods of time, this is opposite of the champion who is built to have power left over when everyone else tires out. Fervour is the sole reason behind the longevity of a champion’s DPS, it allows us to increase damage output and maintain it through boosting base damage and in-combat power regen, ICPR.

Champion DPS:

DPS Rotation:

Damage is optimized in the form of skill combos a champion uses through the course of the fight. In order to form these combos a champion must time his skills to work with his auto-attacks to promote as constant a stream of damage as he/she can. The general idea behind these combos is to build fervour pips, then use the higher damage skills, and do it all over again. The rotation is slightly different between dual wielding and using a two-hander.

DW:
Dual wielding is something that every champ should be familiar with. One weapon in each hand with an attack speed that is the average of the two weapons. Heavy hitting main hand with a slightly faster off-hand is the usual way to go for a dual wielding champion. The damage rotations of DWing focus on skills that utilize both weapons such as Wild Attack, Blade-wall, and Relentless Strike. Flurry can be used to speed up the rhythm of the rotation but generally I find it to have diminishing returns with faster weaponry. The pattern I suggest for DWing is auto-attack, wild attack, auto-attack, traited blade-wall, auto-attack, relentless strike…. rinse and repeat.

2-hander:
Using a two hander is a lot like swinging a really big stick, if we could use clubs then we really would be swinging big sticks…. anyway, you hit hard but it feels kinda sluggish. Flurry comes into play a lot more with a 2-hander than when DWing. Building fervour with a 2-hander can be done the same way as with DWing but usually champions opt to use Swift Strike rather than Wild Attack to build fervour when 2h-ing. Due to the recovery time of swift strike I recommend using a traited blade-wall in rotation, it is faster than wild attack and hits more than one thing(unless you’re near mezzed targets, then use WA). In the way of striking it is better to opt for built in combo moves like Brutal Strikes and Savage Strikes if you prefer(got an idea that I will come back to later). The rhythm is AA, Swift, AA, Blade, AA, Brutal.

Ferocious Strikes is a great move to substitute in in either method of attack. Class traits have a great way to add onto the amount of damage a champion can do. Deadly Strikes adds 25% more damage to critical hits of Strike skills, Deep Strikes adds a bleed on critical hits of Strike skills, and Vicious Strikes adds 4% to the critical chance of Strike skills, these traits can add to the damage output of a champion. Other traits will help with the generation of fervour pips which will allow for damaging skills to be accessed faster. As with all things involving champions it is best to find out what works best for you.

AOE Damage:

Area-of-effect skills are another thing that champions are renowned for. Effectively killing multiple targets at the same speed is what separates the champion from the other classes in LOTRO. To effectively use AOEs you must know three things:

1) The range of the attack
2) The number of targets you can hit
3) Your ability to handle all of the targets that you attack.

It is not uncommon for a champion to forget about these things and often reaches behind his/her capability. Effectively knowing the range of your attacks and the targets can place you far ahead of other champs in terms of group dynamics. Breaking mezzes is probably the top reason most champions are deemed unfit for end-game raids, by knowing your range and attack limit you can AOE effectively even when there is a mezzed mob in the area.

The AOE of a champion differs from most AOEs in game because a champion’s AOE is based on the location of the Champion and not the target. With a few steps to the side, or back, a champion can pull his/herself out of range of a mezzed target and AOE, though I would recommend lots of practice before trying this out. AOEs can be chained just like strike skills.

AOE chains are similar to strike chains the only difference being that you are focusing on multiple targets. Stalwart Blade is essential to any champion that expects to be decent at AOEs, this trait allows a champion to generate fervour by using blade-wall (but you knew that already). Also, slotting Fervent Rage and Eye of the Storm allow for even more AOE damage to be dealt. A typical AOE chain would look like this: AA, BW, AA, WA, AA, BW, AA, Blade-Storm, Cleave…. rinse and repeat.

Using Raging Blades or Sound the Attack are both plausible alternatives to the Blade-Storm/Cleave combo. If you have Fervent Rage slotted and Raging Blades slotted, a personal favorite is AA, BW, AA, WA, AA, BW, AA, Sound the Attack, Battle Frenzy, Raging Blades. Sound the Attack stuns the targets and keeps them from avoiding Raging Blades, you could very well do the same with Blade-Storm and Cleave….. or even link them all together but we’ll keep it simple for now. As a note, Cleave is more effective when 2h-ing than when DWing.

Adjusting your Champion:

It is not that uncommon that you will find a champion traited as either an AOE champ or a Strike champ. Focusing on one will greatly improve your effectiveness in your chosen category. Personally, I lean more toward the Strike skills, like most end-game champions, as your AOEs are still very effective even when you aren’t traited to use them all the time. Stalwart Blade is one trait that I recommend you always keep on you, a 180 AOE that generates a fervour pip is quite awesome(it costs less than swift strike and hits faster than wild attack). Of the Strike traits I would recommend Deadly Strikes, an extra bit of damage on crits doesn’t hurt and it adds 1% to all damage while in Fervour. I recommend trying out different trait sets and find one that you like.

Sneaky Damage:

Sure, we have all of that damage on the front end. Toe-to-toe with a mob and you are just exchanging blows, but what if you could sneak in more damage? In game I often like to say that I’m a “bleed effect” when I’m fighting, I have a set amount of damage I do with my DPS rotation and it stays constant. After experimenting a bit I’ve actually found ways to sneak in more damage. Some of the underused skill of champions may in fact be blessings in disguise. Exchange of Blows is a skill that will reflect damage back to its attacker at least half of the time, Cleave might leave a bleed effect on the target, and it stacks with a Deep Strikes Strike skill critical hit. So if you have all of those effect on a target at once, you’ll be doing an extra 60 damage in bleeds every 3-4 seconds and another ~30 every other hit you take. This is all on top of the damage that you are already doing.

Another way to sneak in some damage is to throw in a Clobber. After messing up my skill queue one day I actually found out that Clobber stacks on top of other skills. My personal favorite for my 2-hander is sneaking a Clobber in just after my Swift Strike, I end up with a 4 hit string in under 3 seconds. Clobber can also be snuck in behind any Strike Skill to change that 2 to a 3 or that 3 to a 4. Clobber can be strung together with Wild Attack or Blade-wall but I don’t recommend it as it lags the combo by about a half second(and we don’t want that).

In addition to these single target DPS bonuses Champions also get the ability to sneak in a bit more damage with their AOE attacks, you can set up your Champ to deal an extra 8% damage with your AOEs. This does knock a little damage off of the top end of Fervour but I do recommend trying it at least once. At Level 26 your Champion can learn a skill called Fighting Dirty, this skill is only usable when the target is under 25% morale but in turn it adds 25% total to your next AOE attack. I recommend practicing with this skill and chaining it with Raging Blades or Blade Storm.

This is intended to be an exhaustive guide for those new to LOTRO who are looking for help choosing a class to play. This guide will not only tell you the specific roles that each classes fulfill, but also give you some information about the strengths and weaknesses of the four races and what I feel is the best race/class combinations.

LOTRO Class Descriptions

Your character’s class defines whom he or she is and the role they play within the game and, more importantly in an MMOG, his or her role in a fellowship. Choosing your character’s class can be a daunting experience when playing LOTRO for the first time, given you have seven very distinct choices.

When deciding what class you choose, the thing to keep in mind more than anything else is how you want to play the game. Do you want to be able to raise everyone’s spirits and heal yourself and those around you? Perhaps you would like to be an axe-wielding whirlwind of destruction? Simply follow your instincts to choose the perfect class.

Fortunately, in LOTRO if you want to solo as much as possible you are not hindered in your class choice, so don’t worry too much about making a bad long-term decision. The classes are pretty well-balanced, though obviously there is some content that you must join a fellowship for. If this type of content is more your game you might want to find out where a dearth (meaning a lack) in a particular class exists on your server and choose that class – that way you will have an easier time finding fellowships as your character’s class will be more in-demand.

Available LOTRO Classes (with roles):

• Burglar (Debuffs, Stealth)
  • Burglars are masters of stealth and misdirection. They are able to confound their foes with a variety of clever and debilitating tricks. Burglars’ sleight-of-hand and startling attacks allow their companions to overwhelm adversaries.
  • This class is available to the Man and Hobbit races.
  • Primary function: The Burglar’s role is to rob monsters of the ability to deal damage and attack at full strength. As the only class that can reliably initiate fellowship manoeuvres (high-yield group-based attacks), its role in groups is a coveted one.
  • Choose this class if: you enjoy playing a sneaky character who relies on surprise and cunning rather than armor and brute strength.
  • CLICK HERE to download the premium guide for the Burglar class.
• Captain (Buffs, Ressurect, Pet)
  • Captains are masterful leaders whose commanding presence strengthens allies. Their battle cries strike fear into the hearts of enemies and rally companions to their war banners.
  • This class is available to the Man race.
  • Primary function: The armoured Captain posseses some of the most potent enhancements to the heroes of Middle-earth, this makes the Captain a key member of any fellowship. The Captain’s ability to summon a Herald pet at later levels, plus the ability to bring fallen heroes back into the fight, make it a desired group class.
  • Choose this class if: you like classes that can buff and heal yet do damage as well. Captains use two-handed weapons more than other classes.
• Champion (DPS)
  • Unrelenting in battle, Champions are consummate warriors. Their fervour allows them to make increasingly powerful attacks. Champions excel at melee combat and can absorb punishment with their heavy armour.
  • This class is available to the Dwarf, Elf, and Man races.
  • Primary function: The Champion trades survivability for the ability to deal explosive amounts of damage to multiple foes. Although a fully armoured class when not in fervour mode, it is when Champions enter this state that they deals out the greatest damage, both to single and multiple foes.
  • Choose this class if: you like to damage your opponents quickly and overwhelmingly. Offense is the best defense would be a motto of a Champion. A Champion’s primary fighting style is with two melee weapons.
  • CLICK HERE to download the premium guide for the Champion class.
• Guardian (Tank)
  • The Guardians are protectors of the weak and defenders of those in need. They are capable of withstanding mighty blows and retaliating in kind. True Guardians stand to the forefront of battle, shielding their allies from enemy assaults.
  • Available to the Dwarf, Elf, Hobbit, and Man races
  • Primary function: The Guardian’s ability to wear heavy armour and defensive skills enable the Guardian to face creatures that would make other heroes’ morale fail. Guardians also have the ability to draw foes’ attention away from their allies and to themselves.
  • Choose this class if: you want to rely on huge amounts of armor and muscle to outlast your opponent in a fight. Guardians are the class that makes the most use of shields.
  • CLICK HERE to download the premium guide for the Guardian class.
• Hunter (Nuker)
  • Hunters are masters of field and forest, unmatched in their dexterity with the bow. They use their survival skills to guide companions and lay traps for enemies. Hunters are at their strongest when attacking from a distance, but are able to defend themselves in melee combat when the need arises.
  • Available to the Dwarf, Elf, Hobbit, and Man races.
  • Primary function: The Hunter is proficient at dealing out good damage to single foes at both range and melee. When Hunters are at range, they can unleash devastating arrow shots that do high damage to single targets. When the lone enemy finally manages to close into melee range, the Hunter is well-equipped to deal the finishing blow with some melee skills.
  • Choose this class if: you are the type of player who like to hang back and do massive amounts of ranged damage to a single target. It goes without saying that the Hunter’s primary weapon is their bow.
  • CLICK HERE to download the premium guide for the Hunter class.
• Lore-master (Crowd Control, Pet)
  • Lore-masters are seekers of knowledge and the guardians of wisdom. Their knowledge of ancient lore allows them to confuse and stun foes, as well as protect against the dark powers of the Enemy. Lore-masters are also capable of calling animals to their aid.
  • Available to the Elf and Man races.
  • Primary function: Lore-masters are the unparalleled masters of crowd-control, with the ability to trap creatures and keep them from hurting their allies. They have many skills that invoke the natural world of Middle-earth but it is draining on the will thus costing them morale to fuel some of these powerful skills. Because of this, they must rely on their pets to supplement their ability to take damage.
  • Choose this class if: you enjoy casting spells both to damage and confuse your enemies. Lore-Masters primary weapons are their magic and their animal companions.
  • CLICK HERE to download the premium guide for the Lore-Master class.
• Minstrel (Healer, Buffs)
  • Minstrels are skilled at maintaining their companions’ morale and stirring their hearts to perform greater feats of prowess. They ward against the forces of darkness and inspire their allies using their knowledge of ancient songs and lore.
  • Available to the Dwarf, Elf, Hobbit, and Man races.
  • Primary function: A master at surviving and keeping it’s friends alive in Middle-Earth. Also able to deal damage on the battlefield with light based attacks and various musical songs of power.
  • Choose this class if: you like to be the healer and also provide some enhancements to your group. The Minstrel’s primary weapons are their songs which they use to damage enemies.
  • CLICK HERE to download the premium guide for the Minstrel class.

• Warden (Tank) You must have Mines of Moria to play this class.
  • The Warden patrols the borders of civilized lands, preventing the encroachment of Fell Creatures from the Wild. While some Wardens prefer to harass their enemies from range, all are capable of standing toe to toe with the toughest opponents.
  • Available to Hobbit, Elf and Man races.
  • Wardens are limited to medium armor so that they can travel swiftly and silently to defend those they protect from threats. Wardens depend on their Determination for protection rather than heavy shields and armor. Wardens all have some military training and have mastered a style of combat that uses combinations of basic attacks to create masterful Gambits.
  • Choose this class if: you not only like to tank in groups, but enjoy a challenge and are looking for an interesting experience outside of normal group dynamics.
  • CLICK HERE to download the premium guide for the Warden class.
• Rune Keeper (Healer, Nuker) You must have Mines of Moria to play this class.
  • Rune-keepers are gifted linguists and masters of true names. With this knowledge, they craft powerful rune-words that help the Free Peoples. Through unparalleled mastery of certh and tengwar runes, a Rune-keeper evokes much more than a normal scribe.
  • Available to Elf and Dwarf races.
  • The Rune-keeper is powerful, but must choose between damage and healing. the Attunement a Rune-keeper is at determines if damaging Dagor (Battle) skills or restorative Nestad (Healing) skills can be used. At all times, the utility skills of Thalas (Steady) may be used, but will reduce your Attunement. Rune Keepers wear only light armor.
  • Choose this class if: you enjoy the flexibility in changing between being a primary healer or ranged DPS. While you can change your attunement between damage and healing rather quickly, you will not really be able to do both at the same time.
  • CLICK HERE to download the premium guide for the Rune Keeper class.

Racial Characteristics in LOTRO

Also, when determining what race you want to play remember you will be constrained in your choice of classes. And aside from outright restrictions, some races are much better suited to certain classes than other races.

Below is a breakdown of the positives and negatives of each race with what I believe to be the best class choice for each. That is only my opinion and also coming from a power-gamer perspective. If you enjoy Role Playing interesting characters or like a challenge, then you might decide to choose a sub-optimal race/class combination, such as a Dwarf Minstrel or Hobbit Guardian. Fortunately LOTRO classes are balanced well enough that choosing an odd combination will not completely hobble your ability to be successful in the game.

Available Races:

• Humans – Best as Champion or Captain, Good at all classes
  • +15 Might
  • +15 Fate
  • -8 Will
• Dwarves – Best as Guardian, Good as Champion, Not good as Minstrel
  • +15 Might
  • +10 Vitality
  • -8 Agility
  • -8 Fate
  • +1.0% Common mitigation
  • +0.5 In-Combat Morale and Power regneration
  • -1.0 out-of-combat Morale regeneration
  • -0.5 out-of-combat Power regeneration
• Hobbits – Best as Burglar, Good as Minstrel, Not good as Hunter
  • +15 Vitality
  • -8 Might
  • +1.0% Fear resistance
  • +1.0% Shadow resistance
  • +1.0 out-of-combat Morale regeneration
• Elves – Best as Hunter, Good as Lore-Master
  • +15 Agility
  • -20.0 Morale
  • -8 Fate
  • +1.0% Disease resistance
  • +1.0% Poison resistance
  • -1.0 Morale regeneration

Other Resources

A Novel Guide to LotRO Classes by Jasontondro at IGN: A Class selection guide for die-hard Tolkien fans.

When you hit level 15 as a champion you receive the quest Blade of Renown from any of the Champion trainers in Middle Earth. This gives you a great trait, Vicious Strikes, and the Guardian’s Axe, a nice one-handed axe. Not coincidentally, Vicious Strikes comes just as your first Class Trait slot opens. So if you haven’t earned a class trait through any deeds, this trait will fit nicely there.

After accepting the quest from your champion trainer you must speak with Ultan Foebane. He’s the weird dwarf hanging out in a cart right outside the Combe Gate on the east side of Bree. He tasks you to defeat three enemies: Zhurpukh of the Deeps, Fair Sherman and Morley the Fierce. To help, he gives you a note that describes the locations of each.

Even though the note is fairly descriptive, these guys can be a real pain to find unless you know where you’re looking:

• Zhurpukh roams along the eastern boundary of the Midgewater Marsh (click for map).
• Fair Sherman is hiding out in the ruins of Andrath (click for map).
• Morley the Fierce is hiding amongst the ruins of the Old Greenway Fort located northeast of Bree (click for map).

None of the guys are especially difficult. I did the quest at level 17 and breezed through them.