Pets deserve emotes too

I love my pets. Everytime I play an alt these days, it is inevitably a pet-less class (since I have no captain) and I feel like I’m missing something as if I were leaving the house without my cell.

It doesn’t seem to be specific to a certain pet either. I typically use my Lynx when in MoNF, my Bog-Lurker when in KoM, my Sabertooth when in a skirmish, and the others when the situation requires. Just that presence of another (pretend) being next to me is what I miss.

Pets don’t make me feel like I’m not playing solo though. They are no substitute for a human being (at least not in Middle Earth). Still, when I come back to my LM after an alt excursion, I pull out my pet and just want to give him/her a good cuddle. Imagine if he/she could then /purr back at me! Or /cuddle or /snuggle! Maybe I’m getting a little too excited about this, but it would be nice if my pet could return the affection I give him/her so freely.

This makes me think of the fact that I think of my pets as having certain genders. My raven and sabertooth are female, the others male. Their names are not English nor meaningful in any other language I know – they just seemed to fit them.

What are your habits with your pets? Do you think of them as having specific genders? Do you miss them when they’re not there?

[Lore-Master] Resistance Changes & Testing

In the latest book update, Turbine made some changes to the levels of resistance that mobs have. They seem to think that a 10% miss chance is perfectly acceptable before resistance reduction stats and legacies are taken into account. I don’t necessarily disagree if we are able to make up the difference with gear and maybe virtues or traits. However, I’m not sure that is quite possible.

The LM community on the official NA forums are rather perturbed by the fact that Turbine really gave us no warning about this and seemed to be unaware of the “resistance bug” for ~2 months (the bug being that resistances were much lower than they had intended). I would think some very simple combat parsing would have shown this problem immediately. I truly wish the LOTRO community had more tools at their disposal for judging DPS, misses, resistances, and various other variables. If so, it would have been obvious at least to us even if the developers were out picking wildflowers.

Vol.3 Book 1: Jewelry Upgrades to Get Now and Later

Since I’m sure we are all eagerly waiting for Volume III, Book 1 to hit on Monday, I thought I’d give you a heads-up on what jewelry to get once servers are up. Aside from new patterns and whatnot, there are also changes going into effect for the level 60 teal jewelry pieces (Sublime Rose and Glowing Aureate). There are now multiple versions of these items, tailored to specific roles. For the full listing of them, see this post on the official forums.

For Lore-masters particularly, there are some great changes. Let’s break it down by jewelry slot. I have only included here those which are itemized for casters.

[Lore-Master] Starting out with pets

Many folk who first start a Lore-Master have never played a pet class, particularly one which specializes in fellowship support. (Is there any other class in a game that does this?) This week, I’d like to talk about the first pet you receive as a Lore-Master and how you can use her best.

You first receive a pet at Level 4 with the spell “Raven-Lore”. Her name is simply “Raven”. If you are like me and prefer to name your pets unique names which you come to know them by, read below the cut for instructions on how to name change and a detailed discussion of the Raven’s abilities and strategies to best use them.

[Lore-Master] LM Changes in Vol.3, Bk.1

Edit: After trying out Bullroarer, I have discovered that the new Air-Lore is a toggle ability able to be used on one person at a time and consumes 4 power/second. The 1% chance to negate 24 damage has been changed to a 100% chance on Common Damage. I’m not sure how much Common Damage tanks are taking these days, but it looks to be useful for them when in raids and for our pets when solo’ing. Much better upgrade than I had originally anticipated in the post below.

Sapience released the preliminary patch notes to Volume III, Book 1 today. Within them are a few mentions of LM changes.

Although most are minor and involve changing tooltips to reflect what is happening, we are getting another Level 64 upgrade. Not a new skill – just an upgrade. This means my lightning skill prediction is still awaiting fulfillment!

[Lore-Master] We Like Lightning Too

I have lately been getting my hopes up SUPER high that our next ability is going to be some new lightning damage spell. “Intriguing,” you say. “Please, tell me more.”

Well, first off, let me warn you by saying this is pure bloody speculation. If you quote me and yell at me when it doesn’t come true, you are dumb and fail at reading.

So then – our Lightning Storm is amazing. I adore that spell. I know it has a 5-minute cooldown (legacy to reduce that please!), but it is still amazing. I use it in skirmishes pretty much everytime its available and my kin is getting used to my laughs of glee as I flatten groups of mobs with my lightning of awesome. Just call me Storm, ok?

[Lore-Master] Epic Quest at 65 – Finding a Legendary Book

Well I’ve been 65 for a good while now, but have still not managed to find a decent legendary book. Why is it so hard? Am I asking too much?

I used to want the super-uber LM book of awesomeness which would have these legacies.

• Target Tactical Damage Skills Resist Rating
• Target Physical Resist Rating
• Target Fire Damage Skills Resist Rating
• Non-damaging Sign of Power Durations
• Beacon of Hope Healing
• Fire Skills Critical Rating

This turned out to be nearly impossible.

[Lore-Master] Mirkwood Trait Guide

As I’ve been adventuring in Mirkwood, I’ve been experimenting with variations of Lore-Master specs to find those which are most useful for whichever activity I’m currently engaged in. I thought I would share with you my preferences and ask for your own if they are different.

First, what are the three main specs? MoNF, KoA, and AM, all three corresponding to our three different trait trees. These are not set in stone. Although these are good for most situations, adjust them as needed. I am assuming you want the capstone legendary trait so have given 5 per tree. Make a hybrid build if you so prefer! These are only suggestions.

Skirmishing

For most skirmishes, I trait MoNF and use my sabertooth tiger. What, that thing? Shocking, I know, but it’s actually useful these days. So many of the skirmishes have groups of mobs that Cracked Earth, Gust of Wind, and Sticky Gourd + a few sabertooth swipes = win.

I prefer to keep Proof Against All Ills for situations where I may get overloaded – being able to remove wounds in combat can sometimes save your life. In a skirmish, that’s 10% of your Skirmish Marks.

Dol Guldur

For each of the three 3-man instances and then Sammath Gul, I trait differently.

Sword Halls
Whether HM or EM, I trait MoNF with Power and Wisdom and Proof Against All Ills. There is really no need to mez any of the mobs here, nor is there need for a flank pet. I’m assuming you are in a group that has someone taking damage and someone able to heal it if necessary.

Warg Pens
This is my favorite of the 3-mans. HM is just a lot of fun I find. Here, I trait KoA with a Bog Lurker. You do not want your AoE abilities from the MoNF tree to kill wargs before they eat the meat, nor do you want to reduce the viability of your CC, since getting overwhelmed with wargs can happen, and a timely mez can save the group. A Bog Lurker also provides good support and flanking for the final boss fight when your role will typically be to get the wargs to eat and kill them.

I keep Power and Wisdom traited for this since the last boss can give your group power troubles. I also keep Proof Against All Ills in order to cure wounds, particularly on the tank.

Dungeons
Here, you will not likely need any long mezzes nor are you going to be in under any survivability strain (presumably). Therefore, go ahead and trait MoNF. The dps will help your group clear out the cells more quickly, and in this long instance, speed is always pleasant. You may wish to use a trait slot for Light of Hope so that you can help top off NPCs in the final fight if necessary.

Sammath Gul
This 6-man instance has a few pulls where CC helps a great deal, so I recommend traiting AM unless your group knows the place and is comfortable simply AoE’ing everything down – if this is the case, spec MoNF and blow things up. I have done it this way, but wouldn’t if I were with people I didn’t know or trust. Your most important moment in the instance is the Gorothul fight. A weak or imbalanced group can be helped so much by your skills here. If traited 4+ AM, you can create a warding circle under the boss to increase damage to him. You are able to keep a troublesome Lore-Master Spirit mezzed the entire fight. You are able to root skeletons away from your minstrel. You can bane flare them. You can send your pet after them. Your Beacon of Hope could save a life (or 2). Your debuffs will ease the kill. Gorothul is a very fun fight for our class because we can just do so many different things. Enjoy it.

Barad Guldur

It’s a raid. Trait AM (unless you’re the second LM). At least through the trash up to the second boss, I have not encountered any wounds or diseases, in which case, Proof Against All Ills is unneeded (will be keeping it just in case until I know the rest of the place though). I recommend you trait Light of Hope and Healer in your two non-AM slots (if PAAI remains unneeded). I have Beacon of Hope continually on cooldown during the first boss fight, and often during the Gauntlet. This will likely change as groups get more geared and experienced, but for the majority of the population, the extra healing will be most welcome.

As of yet, I haven’t been further due to a very busy weekend, but this coming one is looking more promising. I will update recommended traits here as I learn more.

What if I’m not 65 yet?

Then you can do whatever you want! If you prefer the more caster-like spec, go MoNF and simply dps everything down before it does the same to you. If you prefer a more pet-oriented playstyle, spec KoA. Kills will be slower, but you will have more tools at your disposal in nasty situations. Personally, I trait MoNF for the everyday, and KoA if I decide to take on bosses all by myself (moderate dps + survivability).

If you are just starting out with your LM, look for another post later on about which traits to focus on first.

Welcome Adarel!

I am extremely happy to announce that Adarel has joined the LOTRO Reporter team. She will be writing columns about the Lore-Master class.

I’ve been following Adarel on twitter for a while, and I am also a reader of her blog. I’ve always been impressed with her writing and her approach to writing about games in general. She takes a unique approach to discussing a game and I always enjoy reading her posts.

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to take part in and read a Google Wave conversation that she started discussing Morale in LOTRO and whether it was anti-immersive. I was once again impressed with her writing style and her ability to clearly articulate very complex thoughts, which is something that I often struggle with. Her first post will be a summary of this conversation, and I have to say, it’s a very interesting read.

You can look forward to future posts by Adarel discussing the Lore-Master class in many different aspects. I know that I’m looking forward to reading them!

You can find Adarel’s personal blog here.

Welcome Adarel!