General Raid Advice
Radiance drop changes with Mirkwood: http://my.lotro.com/amlug/2009/08/13/upcoming-radiance-barter-changes/
From Fenn of Runic Knights kinship on Brandywine:
(Link to Original Post: http://www.rklotro.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15967)
(this was so good, I posted it word for word, and bold/underlined the key points:)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
There is an intrinsic conflict of interest between casual players and serious players which stems from the reasons why we play. Most people play for fun. If it wasn't fun at least some of the time we wouldn't be playing, however, there are varied opinions on what constitutes fun. Some people are willing to put up with more undesirable activities than others in order to achieve their goals. Grinding for traits and item experience can be boring. Some don't like to solo, others don't like to group. Doing the same instance 50 times to get a rare item is enough to exasperate anyone. For others, earning money is a problem.
Good gear, traits, and playing skill make a huge difference in the ability to succeed with difficult game content. Coming unprepared to an end game instance is a crippling liability for fellow players. Casual players often take offense when given advice or criticism of their gear, traits, or techniques, and refuse to take action, yet they see the rewards serious players earn and desire these rewards without doing the necessary work.
There are plenty of mediocre kins for casual players. In order to be a productive member of an end game instance raiding kin, players must be motivated to learn and fully develop their characters. Getting good gear requires a lot of work. Every day, players languish trying to get groups capable of completing end game instances, yet many of these players have not adequately geared, traited, and trained themselves first. They just want gear handed to them. Even if this were done, and often it is, these players will not be fit for end game instances, because they do not improve their skill commensurately with their gear and traits.
Consider this document a measuring stick by which raid leaders will determine if players are fit to participate in end game instances. Read this document completely and comply with all of the recommendations to maximize eligibility for participation.
Etiquette : Courtesy • Honesty • Punctuality • Preparedness • Obedience
Be courteous and honest with other players. Expletives, graphic sexuality, bigotry, racism, personal attacks, and fraud are inappropriate. Be on time. We all have real lives outside of the game and have better things to do than wait for tardy players. Be prepared. Bathe, eat, drink, bio, repair, sell, and resupply before the raid begins. Listen to and obey the leader. Don't go AFK during combat without permission.
Voice Communication: Use a headset • Turn down speakers • Adjust microphone level
Playing without voice communication is fine when soloing, and some people get away without using voice for easy content, but difficult instance raids require voice communication for expeditious interchange of commands and intelligence. Use a headset and turn down the speakers, or they will feed back into the microphone, echoing other player voices and distracting them.
Game Knowledge : User Interface • Command Line • Options Configuration
Movement • Avoidance • Combat • Class Skills • Fellowship Maneuvers
Learn every aspect of the user interface, command line, and options configuration. This may require reading a player guide, traversing all of the menus, and reading command line help.
Be skilled at moving your character effectively and efficiently using both mouse and keyboard, including the essential skills of strafing and circle strafing. Be aware of and avoid monsters. Be a master of combat. See Lotro-Wiki Combat for details. Know all of your class skills by name and function. Know all of the common fellowship maneuvers by name and function, how to interrupt your current skill to participate quickly (with FMs), and how to change your color selection. See Lotro-Wiki Skills and Lotro-Wiki Fellowship Maneuvers for details.
Traits : Virtues • Racial • Class • Legendary
See Lotro-Wiki Virtues for a complete list of virtues and the deeds required to attain them. There is some flexibility in equipping virtues according to class and personal preference. All of the following virtues and any others equipped should be at rank 10:
Valour • Justice • Loyalty • Determination • Empathy • Fidelity • Innocence • Compassion
See Lotro-Wiki Traits for more details on traits. All race, class, and legendary traits should be attained. Missing traits, however seemingly useless, may be essential for certain raids, and demonstrate a lack of commitment to excellence. Missing crucial traits are raid wreckers. Know all traits by name, what they do, and how to group them effectively for the task at hand. Know how to trait properly for an instance before going, so other players are not kept waiting.
Equipment : Jewelery • Armour • Weapons • Legendary Items
Good jewellery comes from instances or crafting. Ask experienced players of your class for advice on choosing jewellery. Popular choices include:
Insidious Cuff • Diamond Stud • Ancient Signet Pendant • Amber Ring • Painted Vane
Glowing Aureate and Sublime Dawn-rose crafted jewellery
Good crafted or epic book quest armour is required for radiance instances. Radiance armour comes from 11 old and new radiance instances and raids:
Grand Stair • Forges of Khazad-Dûm • Fil Gashen • Skûmfil • 16th Hall • Dark Delving
Vile Maw • Hall of Mirrors • Water Wheels • Halls of Crafting • Dâr Narbugud
60 radiance is required for Vile Maw, 70 radiance is required for Dâr Narbugud. If you can not reliably beat the 3-6 player radiance instances in hard mode, you are not ready for more difficult instances.
Use Legendary Items for main hand and class slots. For the off hand slot, weapons from instances and the following crafted weapon sets are good choices:
Flawless Galadhrim • True Golden Wood • Peerless Thain's • Peerless Silver Mallorn
When selecting Legendary Items it is important to understand whether maximum damage, speed, or DPS is the most important consideration. Choose legacies wisely, equip class appropriate relics, use Beleriand damage weapon titles, and class appropriate titles for non combat Legendary Items.
Stats
Stats are a complex subject beyond the scope of this document. Each class has different requirements. Raising some stats lower others. Consult experienced players for advice on configuring stats for your class and playing style. ICPR and ICMR are important for long fights. The following table of recommended minimum morale for end game instance raiding is a guideline, use your own judgement. See Lotro-Wiki Character Stats for more details.
Class Recommended Minimum Morale Achievable Morale
Captain, Guardian, Champion, Warden 5000 6000
Burglar, Hunter, Lore-master 4500 5500
Minstrel, Rune-keeper 4000 5000
Supplies : Money • Travel Rations • Food • Potions • Scrolls • Tokens
Carry full stacks of the following items at all times:
•2 Gold minimum for emergency supplies and repairs
•Travel Rations (100)
•Cooked Food (50)
•Morale & Power Potions (50 each)
•Level 65 Wound, Disease, Poison, & Fear Potions (50 each)
•Improved Battle & Warding Lore Scrolls (20 each)
•30 minute 50 radiance Hope Tokens (2 stacks of 5)
•Appropriate class specific supplies:
Bow Chants • Fire-oil • Lute Strings • Pipe-weed • Spikes • Traps • Marbles • Horns
Lacking supplies is a burden to other players, a source of resentment, and a contributing factor to instance failure. Chronic lacking supplies may result in loss of instance privileges.
Officers : Lead by example • Teach with patience • Repeat with grace • Encourage the weak
Welcome the new • Mitigate the drama • Follow the rules • Enforce the requirements
(this was so good, I posted it word for word, and bold/underlined the key points:)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
There is an intrinsic conflict of interest between casual players and serious players which stems from the reasons why we play. Most people play for fun. If it wasn't fun at least some of the time we wouldn't be playing, however, there are varied opinions on what constitutes fun. Some people are willing to put up with more undesirable activities than others in order to achieve their goals. Grinding for traits and item experience can be boring. Some don't like to solo, others don't like to group. Doing the same instance 50 times to get a rare item is enough to exasperate anyone. For others, earning money is a problem.
Good gear, traits, and playing skill make a huge difference in the ability to succeed with difficult game content. Coming unprepared to an end game instance is a crippling liability for fellow players. Casual players often take offense when given advice or criticism of their gear, traits, or techniques, and refuse to take action, yet they see the rewards serious players earn and desire these rewards without doing the necessary work.
There are plenty of mediocre kins for casual players. In order to be a productive member of an end game instance raiding kin, players must be motivated to learn and fully develop their characters. Getting good gear requires a lot of work. Every day, players languish trying to get groups capable of completing end game instances, yet many of these players have not adequately geared, traited, and trained themselves first. They just want gear handed to them. Even if this were done, and often it is, these players will not be fit for end game instances, because they do not improve their skill commensurately with their gear and traits.
Consider this document a measuring stick by which raid leaders will determine if players are fit to participate in end game instances. Read this document completely and comply with all of the recommendations to maximize eligibility for participation.
Etiquette : Courtesy • Honesty • Punctuality • Preparedness • Obedience
Be courteous and honest with other players. Expletives, graphic sexuality, bigotry, racism, personal attacks, and fraud are inappropriate. Be on time. We all have real lives outside of the game and have better things to do than wait for tardy players. Be prepared. Bathe, eat, drink, bio, repair, sell, and resupply before the raid begins. Listen to and obey the leader. Don't go AFK during combat without permission.
Voice Communication: Use a headset • Turn down speakers • Adjust microphone level
Playing without voice communication is fine when soloing, and some people get away without using voice for easy content, but difficult instance raids require voice communication for expeditious interchange of commands and intelligence. Use a headset and turn down the speakers, or they will feed back into the microphone, echoing other player voices and distracting them.
Game Knowledge : User Interface • Command Line • Options Configuration
Movement • Avoidance • Combat • Class Skills • Fellowship Maneuvers
Learn every aspect of the user interface, command line, and options configuration. This may require reading a player guide, traversing all of the menus, and reading command line help.
Be skilled at moving your character effectively and efficiently using both mouse and keyboard, including the essential skills of strafing and circle strafing. Be aware of and avoid monsters. Be a master of combat. See Lotro-Wiki Combat for details. Know all of your class skills by name and function. Know all of the common fellowship maneuvers by name and function, how to interrupt your current skill to participate quickly (with FMs), and how to change your color selection. See Lotro-Wiki Skills and Lotro-Wiki Fellowship Maneuvers for details.
Traits : Virtues • Racial • Class • Legendary
See Lotro-Wiki Virtues for a complete list of virtues and the deeds required to attain them. There is some flexibility in equipping virtues according to class and personal preference. All of the following virtues and any others equipped should be at rank 10:
Valour • Justice • Loyalty • Determination • Empathy • Fidelity • Innocence • Compassion
See Lotro-Wiki Traits for more details on traits. All race, class, and legendary traits should be attained. Missing traits, however seemingly useless, may be essential for certain raids, and demonstrate a lack of commitment to excellence. Missing crucial traits are raid wreckers. Know all traits by name, what they do, and how to group them effectively for the task at hand. Know how to trait properly for an instance before going, so other players are not kept waiting.
Equipment : Jewelery • Armour • Weapons • Legendary Items
Good jewellery comes from instances or crafting. Ask experienced players of your class for advice on choosing jewellery. Popular choices include:
Insidious Cuff • Diamond Stud • Ancient Signet Pendant • Amber Ring • Painted Vane
Glowing Aureate and Sublime Dawn-rose crafted jewellery
Good crafted or epic book quest armour is required for radiance instances. Radiance armour comes from 11 old and new radiance instances and raids:
Grand Stair • Forges of Khazad-Dûm • Fil Gashen • Skûmfil • 16th Hall • Dark Delving
Vile Maw • Hall of Mirrors • Water Wheels • Halls of Crafting • Dâr Narbugud
60 radiance is required for Vile Maw, 70 radiance is required for Dâr Narbugud. If you can not reliably beat the 3-6 player radiance instances in hard mode, you are not ready for more difficult instances.
Use Legendary Items for main hand and class slots. For the off hand slot, weapons from instances and the following crafted weapon sets are good choices:
Flawless Galadhrim • True Golden Wood • Peerless Thain's • Peerless Silver Mallorn
When selecting Legendary Items it is important to understand whether maximum damage, speed, or DPS is the most important consideration. Choose legacies wisely, equip class appropriate relics, use Beleriand damage weapon titles, and class appropriate titles for non combat Legendary Items.
Stats
Stats are a complex subject beyond the scope of this document. Each class has different requirements. Raising some stats lower others. Consult experienced players for advice on configuring stats for your class and playing style. ICPR and ICMR are important for long fights. The following table of recommended minimum morale for end game instance raiding is a guideline, use your own judgement. See Lotro-Wiki Character Stats for more details.
Class Recommended Minimum Morale Achievable Morale
Captain, Guardian, Champion, Warden 5000 6000
Burglar, Hunter, Lore-master 4500 5500
Minstrel, Rune-keeper 4000 5000
Supplies : Money • Travel Rations • Food • Potions • Scrolls • Tokens
Carry full stacks of the following items at all times:
•2 Gold minimum for emergency supplies and repairs
•Travel Rations (100)
•Cooked Food (50)
•Morale & Power Potions (50 each)
•Level 65 Wound, Disease, Poison, & Fear Potions (50 each)
•Improved Battle & Warding Lore Scrolls (20 each)
•30 minute 50 radiance Hope Tokens (2 stacks of 5)
•Appropriate class specific supplies:
Bow Chants • Fire-oil • Lute Strings • Pipe-weed • Spikes • Traps • Marbles • Horns
Lacking supplies is a burden to other players, a source of resentment, and a contributing factor to instance failure. Chronic lacking supplies may result in loss of instance privileges.
Officers : Lead by example • Teach with patience • Repeat with grace • Encourage the weak
Welcome the new • Mitigate the drama • Follow the rules • Enforce the requirements
