GetLeveling

So you've downloaded the game and created your account, and now you are ready to play. You log in to the game for the first time, and are suddenly faced with all sorts of questions. Which server should I pick? Which class should I choose? Which race? How much will all of this effect me later on?

This guide will help you prepare your character so you can start playing. Note that while this guide will touch on all of the questions mentioned above,  most of them will be covered in greater detail in other guides.

Choosing a Race

While your choice of race does affect your stats in the game, the numbers are so small as to be rather meaningless in the long run. They are brought here for reference only, but they really shouldn't affect your decision (unless perhaps you have no preference between races).

You will be able to choose from the following races:

• Race Of Man: -7 Will, +5% Incoming Healing, +15 Fate, +15 Might.
• Dwarf: -7 Fate, -7 Agility, +15 Might, +10 Vitality, +1% Common Mitigation, +30 In-Combat Morale Regeneration, +30 In-Combat Power Regeneration, -60 Out-of-Combat Morale Regeneration, -30 Out-of-Combat Power Regeneration.
• Hobbit: +1% Fear Resistance, +15 Vitality, +60 Out-of-Combat Morale Regeneration, +1% Shadow Mitigation, -7 Might.
• Elf: +15 Agility, -7 Fate, -20 Max Morale, -60 Out-of-Combat Morale Regeneration, +(4 * Level) to Disease Resistance and Poison Resistance.

What race you choose will affect your introduction quests, your starting area, and some unique abilities. In addition, some classes are restricted to certain races.

For each race, one of the racial traits/abilities is a travel skill to the racial capital, so you might want to choose a race based on the convenience, location, and crafting facilities of its capital.

For more information about the characters and the game, make sure to purchase the following guide, which comes with free updates as the game evolves.

Choosing a Class

The Lord of the Rings Online offers quite a wide variety of classes to choose from. These classes are listed in detail here, grouped in descending order of difficulty:

Advanced:

• Burglar - Debuffer/DPS/Crowd-control. The only class that can reliably create group-based attacks opportunities, also known as Fellowship Maneuvers. Slow solo play. This class is available only to the Race of Man and the hobbits.
• Lore-master - Crowd-control/Pets/Debuffer/Off-healer/AOE. Good for solo play. This class is available to the Race of Man and the elves.
• Warden - Tank/DoTs. Switching between roles effectivly can be done in combat but can take a bit of practice. This class can also travel between places, but unlike the hunter it can't bring its fellowship (group) with it. Good for solo play. The Warden is a premium class (meaning you have to pay to unlock it) and is available to the Race of Man, hobbits and elves.

Moderate:

• Captain - Jack-of-all-trades. This class can do a bit of everything in groups, but that comes with the price of not truly excelling at anything. Good for solo play. This class is available only to the Race of Man.
• Minstrel - Healer. This class is the best healer in the game, though it can also dish out a good deal of damage. A minstrel's skills come in the form of music and songs. Good for solo play. This class is available to all races.
• Rune-keeper - Healer/DPS. Players need to choose the role they play during the fight and attune to it. The Rune-keeper's heals come in the form of Heal-Over-Time. Good for solo play, though some skill is required. This is a premium class (meaning you have to pay to unlock it) that is available to dwarves and elves.

Easy:

• Champion - AoE/DPS/Off-Tank.  Good for solo play. This class is available to the Race of Man, dwarves and elves.
• Guardian - Tank. Good for solo play, though a bit slow. This class is available to all races.
• Hunter - Ranged nuker. This class is favored for its many travel skills, tracking skills and fast leveling. This class is available to all races.

Your chosen class will affect your overall gameplay, so this is probably the most important decision you make when creating your character. It's actually recommended to create several characters of different classes and level them up a bit (to level 25 or so), to learn enough skills in order to get a feel for the class and see how you like it. Some classes only get really interesting as you are higher in ranks. Note that in lotro your skills scale with your character's level, so you will likely use some of your initial skills (plus many others that you'll learn on the way) all the way to the end-game.

Lotro has a lot of solo content, so it is possible to solo all the way to the highest levels. So if you consider yourself the solo type and are just starting to play lotro, choose a class that is good for solo play, and avoid fellowship quests. With some experience, you can actually choose any class and solo all the way up, but you will still need to avoid fellowship quests (at least until you are several levels above them).

You will soon find that each class in lotro has its own unique strategies for doing things, and several unlimited-time buffs like stances or modes that can change the way the class is played.

Choosing an Origin

Your origin affects some parts of your character's appearance - mostly your choice of hair and skin colors. If you are into Role-Playing, you might want to choose an origin that best fits the character you have in mind. Your origin will also give you a title that can indicate your origin to other players.

The following origins are available:

Race of Man:

• Bree-men - You grew up in Bree-land, once part of the North Kingdom of Arnor, once ruled by Elendil the Tall as High King of Middle-earth, and later by his elder son Isildur. Now it is but a simple, rustic land, and the North Kingdom is no more.
• Dale-men - You come from the Dale-lands in the north-east of Middle-earth, beneath the Lonely Mountain, where Bard the Bowman slew the dragon Smaug and fought in the Battle of Five Armies.
• Men of Gondor - You hail from the land of Gondor, the South Kingdom once ruled jointly by the sons of Elendil, Isildur and Anárion, ever-watchful against the looming threat of Mordor.
• Men of Rohan - You are one of the Horse-lords of the Riddermark, the realm granted to Eorl the Young by Cirion, Steward of Gondor, currently ruled by Théoden, son of Thengel.

Dwarf:

• Blue Mountains - Your home is in Ered Luin, the Blue Mountains, where there had once been two great dwarf-kingdoms and where the kinsmen of Thráin and his son Thorin Oakenshield lived in exile after Smaug drove them from the Lonely Mountain.
• Iron Hills - You come from the Iron Hills, settled by dwarves as a refuge from the Cold-drakes, and whence came Dáin Ironfoot, King under the Mountain, kinsman of the great Thorin Oakenshield.
• The Lonely Mountains - You hail from Erebor, the Lonely Mountain, where Smaug the Golden made his lair until Thorin Oakenshield reclaimed it for his people. There does Dáin Ironfoot rule as King under the Mountain.
• The Grey Mountains - You are from Ered Mithrin, the Grey Mountains, the chief of which is Mount Gundabad, from whence came Durin the Deathless, first Father of the Dwarves. Your kindred returned to the Mountains after the Dragons perished.
• The White Mountains - You are from the south-western halls of Ered Nimrais, the White Mountains in the south bordering the lands of Andrast. Though your kingdom lies far from the central mountains where Men once dwelt, the rumour of the Oathbreakers has given your realm an ill name.

Hobbit:

• Fallohide - Lovers of trees and woodlands, the Fallohides were the first hobbits to come to the Shire. They generally tend to be fairer of skin and hair, as well as taller and more slender.
• Harfoot - The Harfoots are the most prodigious hole-dwellers and were the first to cross west into Eriador. They generally tend to be browner of skin than the other kindreds, as well as smaller and shorter.
• Stoor - The Stoors were the last of the hobbit kindreds to come to the Shire, settling in the eastern marshlands that became known as the marish. They generally tend to be heavier and broader of build than the other kindreds.

Elf:

• Elves of Lindon - You hail from Lindon, the green lands of the Elves between Ered Luin and the sea, where Gil-galad, the last great Elf-king, once ruled. Cirdan the Shipwright now rules these from Mithlond, the Grey Havens.
• Elves of Lórien - You come from Lothlórien, the fabled golden woods whose Elves dwell high in the Mallorn-trees and are ruled by Celeborn, wisest of the Eldar of Middle-earth, and the Lady Galadriel.
• Elves of Mirkwood - You are a Wood-elf of Mirkwood, once called Greenwood the Great, where King Thranduil keeps watch against the growing darkness of Dol Guldur, former stronghold of Sauron in his guise as the Necromancer.
• Elves of Rivendell - You hail from Imladris, called Rivendell by Men, built by Elrond Halfelven as a refuge for the Elves of Eregion as they fled destruction at the hands of Sauron.
• Elves of Edhellond - You are of the Nandor of Edhellond, the great Elf-haven in the south built by Amroth upon the Bay of Belfalas.

Choosing Apearence

For some players, this is by far the most time-consuming step, as they try to create the best-looking character. Take your time, and try to create a character you will like to look at. But do note that you can change most cosmetic affectations in-game by going to a barber shop. Barbers can  change various aspects of your character appearance, including hair style, facial hair, hair colour, facial details such as scars, wrinkles, and freckles. Barbers are not able to change facial structures like the shapes of noses or eyes.

Choosing a Name

Ah, a name. The name that will stay with your character through the entire game; the name by which you'll be known... some say this is the hardest part in creating your character. When you choose a name, notice the bottom left part of the screen, where you can see some suggestions and guidelines for typical names of your chosen race and origin. Bear in mind that the only way to check if a certain name is available is to click Create, so make sure you're happy with all other aspects of your character's lore and appearance before you do so.

 

Congratulations! You've created your first lotro character! . If you wish to learn more about how to play lotro, make sure to purchase the following guide, which comes with free updates as the game evolves.