Lotro – Barge in and Blast ‘Em

Hi Guys,

 

This is what else I’ve been up to MMO wise. I run a high level Loremaster in Lord of the Rings online. I’m levelling some other alts too, but always seem to go back to Totara (he’s named after a particular type of native tree). For those not in the know, Loremasters are the undisputed kings of crowd control in LOTRO…. Which is of course why I run almost exclusively traited for DPS… 🙂

Anyways, Tot is at level cap but still has some ways to go before getting all of the end game gear. Mostly I play these days because I’m part of a good, friendly kinship, and because a good mate of mine plays as well. Not to mention because I enjoy getting things to go all ka-BLOOOIE!

 

 

Loremasters use fire skill DOTs to crank up their damage, and the longer the fight goes on, the more DPS get applied. They can augment that with stuns, and some seriously large AOE attacks. These have a long cool down and tend to be used in if you get swarmed crap moments, though we do get quite a few of them If you trait some of the yellow line, you still have very good debuff capabilities slowing your enemies attacks and reducing both their physical and tactical damage output.

Couple that with a stackable heal (waterlore) that you can use on either yourself, your pet or your companions, the fact that a flank attack by your pet can set up a self heal when sign of battle is used, and that your big near instant self heal (wisdom of the council) has both a chance to negate further damage as well as stun your attackers gives a surprising amount of survivability for those oh crap moments.

To give you an idea, I survived being jumped on by four on level signature class undead in the paths of the dead. Nasty, and I think I was down to about 300 hitpoints when the last one fell. By comparison, my guardian who has higher mitigation caps would probably not survive two of them (he is a long way behind in both gear and virtues though).

That coupled with the fact that you can start applying DPS out to 40 meters, plus this utility to be use both debuff, CC and act as an off healer makes for very attractive combination. A lot of the skills have an induction period, and during the mid levels it can be quite frustrating (Moria… ugh).

Coupled that with the sheer volume of tactical choices means that it’s not for the faint of heart, but once you get the hang of changing rotations on the fly, it’s very rewarding to play. Traiting full debuff (yellow line) makes a massive difference in raids by taking pressure off your healers, and making it easier for your combat monsters to apply their DPS. Your off heal capabilities become AOE and much more powerful too.

That flexibility is seriously cool, though it’s not for the hit 1, 2, 3 peoples. To get the most out of a LM, you have to have a good degree of combat awareness and the ability to change your responses to evolving situations. Nothing beats yanking someone back from the brink of death or turning that unbeatable raid into something achievable.

That, and the fact when your big AOEs go off (lightning storm especially), things tend to fall over…. pass me the shovel and a broom would you? Can’t leave those piles of ash about…

If anyone has any questions about running one, let me know.

 

H