Feedback: New Player Tips for Guardians

[stserjtsrj]

Don't know If this was covered, but there are time in a fellowship when you will loss arggo to a dps. Don't swet it when it happens. Challenge and Fray the edge will pull it back. Just remember it's a learning procces am I'm still learning.

[Skuldhall]

Test, test, test.

If you think getting power back on parries is good, test how many parries you get in the average fight, and how much power you get back. If you think returning damage on blocks is good, see how much damage it is, and how often you block, and what kind of increase to your dps it is. If you think Guardian's Threat vastly increases your thread output, test it and make sure. It was broken for two years before I finally found it and it was fixed.

Test, test and test some more. I know it sucks to have your class's main mechanic an invisible number you can't see, but that just makes the numbers can see all the more important. There are a lot of bad guardians, and you have no easy way to tell the good ones from the bad ones. You have to come to your own conclusions, and if you rely on gut feelings, you're going to be one of those bad guards.

This is very true! Gaurds really need to test out their skills and find what skill order actually WILL gather the most threat, etc.

[Arathaert]

Just wanted to say thank you all so much! I've read this thread through a few times, as well as the other tips and stuff on the guardian forum. Just did my first GB run last night (took me forever to get around to it) as tank. Afterward, the other people in the fellowship said I was beast, so that's good. Knowing what I know about my own class, I did see some stuff I need to work on (I'm not that good with more than about 3 mobs and I keep forgetting to use pots and power/morale healing skills), but I didn't mention any of that, of course. Just a /bow and move on. But thanks to this thread I think I did pretty well for a first-timer.

Thanks so much and keep it coming!

[elyxthaxzus]

Long time player returning recently. Here's a few solid general tanking tips that have helped me across many MMO's over the years

1) in addition to knowing your skills, also make sure you know where they are on your hotkeys. If you don't use hotkeys at this point, it would be beneficial to learn. It is a much faster and easier approach then skill clicking (though clicking works, it isn't as fast...there's actually some decent research on this out there as well). and don't switch them up too often...the last thing you want to do is have to look in a fervor for that one skill you need while an orc is pounding on your defenseless healer who just oom'ed. On a similar line, get used to using your mouse to turn with, not the keyboard. in the length of time it takes you to keyboard turn to face a mob that just aggroed your healer, your healer could easily die. turn with your mouse, initiate skills with your keys. Even if it feels weird at first, it is DEFINITELY WORTH IT. start early if you have to.

2) in addition to knowing your hotkeys, Know the visual queues that turbine has in place for your parry and block reactives. These are critical for tanking (as well as DPS), and so knowing the visual queues will save you from having to glance down at your skills every second to see if your reactive chains are open.

3) Situational Awareness. It's a term I've coined for all the general awareness skills a tank needs that a DPS or healer does not. DPS will usually not go past their main target in relation to being aware (some don't even get that far!), and the healers will often have 95% of their attention on health bars (what I call the "Healing Zone"). Unfortunately, that means that someone needs to pay attention to everything else that's going on. having quick(er) reactions is a big plus in this (which is why #1 is so important).

Here's a few ways to increase your Situational Awareness outside of a group. The reason I developed these for new tanks is its a frustrating experience to have to "learn" tanking skills under the pressure of being in the lead of a group for the first time. Much better to have those skills down, or at least comfortable with them, so you can deal with the more global challenge of group interaction and communication. It's VERY easy to "zone in" when tanking initially...it's the stree reaction under pressure. so you want to break that zoning habit as soon as possible by getting used to "zoning out" when your tanking mob. These steps can help a great deal. so onto those tips:

First off, practice panning your camera around while your fighting solo mobs. By default holding down the left click and moving your mouse can accomplish this without turning your guard (this is key...don't turn away from the mob hehe). Practice identifying other objects in the field of view as your doing this....while your fighting! Those objects should be anything from non combat visual details (pots, stones, etc), to possible roaming mobs. What your trying to accomplish here is to get used to using your skills while keeping track of whats going on. this can be tough at first, especially if your also breaking the habit of keyboard turning or skill clicking. but just like those items, it's a critical step in becoming a better tank.

next, do the same thing but pull in more then one mob (solo). This time also add in cycling through the mobs and alternating skill use. as an example, you may hit mob A with sting and ward, then click on mob B and hit it with shield blow and vexing blow, then on mob C you may hit it with sting and retaliate, then back to mob A, etc. the key here is to get used to one, dealing with multiple mobs...two, getting used to spreading out your threat skills as well as dealing with holding aggro on multiple mobs, and 3, getting used to doing all of this while SCANNING THE ENVIRONMENT. being able to identify all that stuff that's going on around you is key to being an effective tank.

Last step is to learn how to position multiple mobs while doing all of the above. so basically do the same thing you did in step two above, but now try to herd the mobs into a group. take a few steps back, and rotate as you step back so the mobs follow you and "cone in". this can be really helpful if you want to hit a group of mobs with something like traited vexing blow, or sweeping cut. both of those skills hit in a smaller arc in front of you. By pulling back, the mobs temporarily funnel in towards you in a perfect arrangement for those skills! great way of organizing and controlling mobs. I'll even do this with groups that I know have solid AoE DPS skills (like champs and RK's). use this process to gather the mobs up, and let them go to town! (saving your AoE taunt for this really helps as well). But either way, get used to controlling the mobs byt pacing them and directing them this way.

NOTE: outside of those awareness tips above, if your still having problems breaking the "Zone in" tendency, then apply a concept I learned in real life Close quarters combat training. KEEP YOUR EYES MOVING. do not let them just sit on one aspect of the screen. force your eyes to move from one target to the next. there is evidence through research that the eyes are physiologically linked to the brains activities...simply forcing them to move can actually get your brain engaged and working faster! so if your having problems zoneing in on the mob in front of you, force yoru eyes to look at your healer...or the mob pounding them...or look one at a time at all the mobs you are fighting. If it helps, you can temporarily reduce the graphical animations on the screen in your graphics tab so theres not so much "busy stuff" going on on the screen (sometimes with all the spell animations, it's tough to see whats going on).

Situational Awareness is probably one of the most critical concepts that a tank can learn. I can always tell a tank thats new based on their reactions to whats going on around them...especially with multiple mobs. I ran GB the other day on a new RK as healer...there wasn't one fight where i didn't have at least one mob on me. the champion was actually holding threat on most the mobs...and the guardian spent most his time slowly spinning in place (keyboard turner) and fighting one mob at a time..usually not the one the DPS were hitting. it was a difficult group, but there were many things the tank could have done better if he would have been aware of what was going on. but his lack of situational awareness meant he was alwasy one step behind. I felt for him actually....you really feel bad in those situations, because most tanks WANT to do a good job. but without understanding how to gain those skills, many often just get frustrated and gie up. Hope this helps.

[the_sene]

Great read.

I actually am coming back to playing my guard after 3 or 4 years... I left when the cap was 50 (and I had been at it for a while). Lots of re-learning to do... used to be a very solid tank... time to remember how again haha.

[Thugli_Longdrop]

My tip: In a group environment- When people in your group start dying, it isn't necessarily your fault! There can be many factors that determine death and it is not often the tank who is responsible. Here are a few other factors:

1) Target assist(TA) isn't being used properly if at all. At low levels I suugest you make yourself target assist so that other new players at that level can understand that you MUST use it to target in group play. If everyone is on the same target as the tank, there is next to no chance that you will lose a mob. At higher levels TA usually shows the Main Tank(MT), the Offensive Tank(OT) and the DPS(Damage per second) targets. Here they main tank is usually always switching targets to pull as many as he/she can, so the group targets the DPS target. If the OT targets the DPS target too then if by some chance the MT loses the DPS target, the OT will always be able to take it away from your squishies(Minstrel, Loremaster, Runekeeper, Hunter, Burglar, Warden[Bahaha, couldn't help meself with this])
2) Group members are not running in the right stance and creating too much threat generation for you to keep up with. It's a good idea to have any hunters run in endurance stance when you first start grouping to make it easier for you to learn group dynamics and not having them die on you too much . Champs need to learn their Ebb skill so that they dump threat on you. Burglars use Provoke to dump threat on you. If they don't use these skills and keep dying, is that your fault? I think not! As you get closer to level cap the art of a great guard is to have the right build and skill rotation to allow his/her group members to go full on hot burn without the threat of being killed. ie The MT losing aggro. But always remember that it is EVERYONE's responsibilty to handle threat and NOT just yours.
3) Group members on a kill freenzy! Being in a group is very different to solo. Some people don't realise that there is a group dynamic involved and one of the worst mistakes that DPS classes make is they start attacking immediately when they even SMELL a mob around. Always be sure to remind group members to give you 3-5 seconds BEFORE they start attacking a particularly difficult boss, or else you'll be mopping up the blood and body parts of your friends!
4) The instance/raid is being managed incorrectly by your group. ie. Your strategy is wrong. Re-work it with a different strategy, but never, never get discouraged; the satisfaction you get out of wiping a couple of times and then finally getting the right strategy is worth it.
5) Someone is trying to ninja you! Some high level players who are rolling new toons think it's fun to enter a PUG(Pick up group) and totally disrupt it. Don't ask me why; I have no idea in the logic!

So there are many reasons why people die and none of them may be your fault. If people start abusing you because they die, keep that in mind and ask them some questions about THEIR gameplay. More often than not you'll find out that it is them and not you.

[Thugli_Longdrop]

Long time player returning recently. Here's a few solid general tanking tips that have helped me across many MMO's over the years

1) in addition to knowing your skills, also make sure you know where they are on your hotkeys. If you don't use hotkeys at this point, it would be beneficial to learn. It is a much faster and easier approach then skill clicking (though clicking works, it isn't as fast...there's actually some decent research on this out there as well). and don't switch them up too often...the last thing you want to do is have to look in a fervor for that one skill you need while an orc is pounding on your defenseless healer who just oom'ed. On a similar line, get used to using your mouse to turn with, not the keyboard. in the length of time it takes you to keyboard turn to face a mob that just aggroed your healer, your healer could easily die. turn with your mouse, initiate skills with your keys. Even if it feels weird at first, it is DEFINITELY WORTH IT. start early if you have to.

2) in addition to knowing your hotkeys, Know the visual queues that turbine has in place for your parry and block reactives. These are critical for tanking (as well as DPS), and so knowing the visual queues will save you from having to glance down at your skills every second to see if your reactive chains are open.

3) Situational Awareness. It's a term I've coined for all the general awareness skills a tank needs that a DPS or healer does not. DPS will usually not go past their main target in relation to being aware (some don't even get that far!), and the healers will often have 95% of their attention on health bars (what I call the "Healing Zone"). Unfortunately, that means that someone needs to pay attention to everything else that's going on. having quick(er) reactions is a big plus in this (which is why #1 is so important).

Here's a few ways to increase your Situational Awareness outside of a group. The reason I developed these for new tanks is its a frustrating experience to have to "learn" tanking skills under the pressure of being in the lead of a group for the first time. Much better to have those skills down, or at least comfortable with them, so you can deal with the more global challenge of group interaction and communication. It's VERY easy to "zone in" when tanking initially...it's the stree reaction under pressure. so you want to break that zoning habit as soon as possible by getting used to "zoning out" when your tanking mob. These steps can help a great deal. so onto those tips:

First off, practice panning your camera around while your fighting solo mobs. By default holding down the left click and moving your mouse can accomplish this without turning your guard (this is key...don't turn away from the mob hehe). Practice identifying other objects in the field of view as your doing this....while your fighting! Those objects should be anything from non combat visual details (pots, stones, etc), to possible roaming mobs. What your trying to accomplish here is to get used to using your skills while keeping track of whats going on. this can be tough at first, especially if your also breaking the habit of keyboard turning or skill clicking. but just like those items, it's a critical step in becoming a better tank.

next, do the same thing but pull in more then one mob (solo). This time also add in cycling through the mobs and alternating skill use. as an example, you may hit mob A with sting and ward, then click on mob B and hit it with shield blow and vexing blow, then on mob C you may hit it with sting and retaliate, then back to mob A, etc. the key here is to get used to one, dealing with multiple mobs...two, getting used to spreading out your threat skills as well as dealing with holding aggro on multiple mobs, and 3, getting used to doing all of this while SCANNING THE ENVIRONMENT. being able to identify all that stuff that's going on around you is key to being an effective tank.

Last step is to learn how to position multiple mobs while doing all of the above. so basically do the same thing you did in step two above, but now try to herd the mobs into a group. take a few steps back, and rotate as you step back so the mobs follow you and "cone in". this can be really helpful if you want to hit a group of mobs with something like traited vexing blow, or sweeping cut. both of those skills hit in a smaller arc in front of you. By pulling back, the mobs temporarily funnel in towards you in a perfect arrangement for those skills! great way of organizing and controlling mobs. I'll even do this with groups that I know have solid AoE DPS skills (like champs and RK's). use this process to gather the mobs up, and let them go to town! (saving your AoE taunt for this really helps as well). But either way, get used to controlling the mobs byt pacing them and directing them this way.

NOTE: outside of those awareness tips above, if your still having problems breaking the "Zone in" tendency, then apply a concept I learned in real life Close quarters combat training. KEEP YOUR EYES MOVING. do not let them just sit on one aspect of the screen. force your eyes to move from one target to the next. there is evidence through research that the eyes are physiologically linked to the brains activities...simply forcing them to move can actually get your brain engaged and working faster! so if your having problems zoneing in on the mob in front of you, force yoru eyes to look at your healer...or the mob pounding them...or look one at a time at all the mobs you are fighting. If it helps, you can temporarily reduce the graphical animations on the screen in your graphics tab so theres not so much "busy stuff" going on on the screen (sometimes with all the spell animations, it's tough to see whats going on).

Situational Awareness is probably one of the most critical concepts that a tank can learn. I can always tell a tank thats new based on their reactions to whats going on around them...especially with multiple mobs. I ran GB the other day on a new RK as healer...there wasn't one fight where i didn't have at least one mob on me. the champion was actually holding threat on most the mobs...and the guardian spent most his time slowly spinning in place (keyboard turner) and fighting one mob at a time..usually not the one the DPS were hitting. it was a difficult group, but there were many things the tank could have done better if he would have been aware of what was going on. but his lack of situational awareness meant he was alwasy one step behind. I felt for him actually....you really feel bad in those situations, because most tanks WANT to do a good job. but without understanding how to gain those skills, many often just get frustrated and gie up. Hope this helps.

This is a freakin awesome post! I wish it were mine! Heehee

Imho it is imperative that the guard learn these skills. As tank, it is virtually left to you to know and understand the surroundings; everyone else is too busy with the focus of the moment and cannot regulate the environment like you can; you must determine the ebb and flow of a run.

The only thing I would add is the use of key mapping in your options box; assign hotkeys that are usable for you. Mine is totally different to the default settings because of the way I play and everyone is different. eg. All of the hotkeys in quickslot #2 box are linked to my function keys; I use Ctrl/Alt/Spacebar to Target/scroll through/Auto-attack mobs I could go on but you get the idea right?!

This is great advice! Thanks for posting it elyxthaxzus as, all too often, this aspect of Guardian play is over-looked and not spoken about.

[Thugli_Longdrop]

This thread has been great. I have to say that after usually playing a dps role in most mmo's (and in a text-based game a buffer/raiser of dead.), I decided to try a guardian.. AND I LOVE IT.

The only problem is, is that I am so afraid that I will let people down in a fellowship by failing utterly at tanking. I don't want to get yelled at, but I know eventually (I am at level 27 and have managed to not do a GB run...yet.) I will have to tank.

I have practiced in skirmishes with my shield bashes, swipe, taunts and I think I do an okay job. My question is, what do I do if I fail utterly at tanking? And what should I be aware of?

What I have gotten from this thread so far is.

My job is threat, not dps -- Check!
Face mobs away from her fellows -- Check!
If you are in a group with a warden take to off-tank to protect squishy healers -- Check!

So, any other advice?

Embrace the fear! It will make you a very good Guard! First rule in Tanking imo is: If your healer is doing his/her job well; never, never, never let them die! Ok perhaps thats a little ambiguous but I hope you understand what I mean.

I joined alot of PUGs when I first started tanking seriously. I wouldn't really advise that to anyone although it helped me learn faster. There's nothing like getting abused a few times to really make yourself learn about group dynamics and most of the time it wasn't me at fault. I got encouragement from group members who said things like "don't listen to them, you're doing you rjob and it's them that's at fault" I wanted to understand why so I could say it to them personally! I guess the best way to start tanking is with an understanding kin who can assist you. If abuse scares you then that's the nbest way for you to go. Me on the other hand? The abuse just made me more focused and determined so it helped me.

Another piece of advice when you first start tanking is: Choose an area which is poplar and tank the &&&& out of it! I had always wanted to get to Moria; if I did nothing else in the game it'd be fine as long as I got to Moria. I'm a Tolkien junkie so Moria was my target. Then I found out there was a META-Deed available and I was in Lotro heaven. I stayed in Moria from level 45 right through to level 72 doing the META-deed and got my black goat and title. It took a while but I enjoyed it so much it seemed quick for me. The thing was that everyone has to do Moria and most people hate it for some reason. So they can't wait to get all the raids/instances done and get out. (Besides the Durin's Guard gear ruled for me while most were going with the Helegrod set) If you focus on tanking one area you will learn the instances inside and out, really learn how to tank, you will never be short of a group and you may even learn to lead a raid. I do think it helps a raid alot if the Guard is able to take charge and lead it. You don't have to, it just helps. These are the things that staying in Moria did for me.

There are other areas where you can do the same type of thing at earlier or same level too: Annuminas, Angmar, Misty Mountains, Forochel, but imho Moria aces them all for opportunity to learn.

[BrinkMeister]

Embrace the fear! It will make you a very good Guard! First rule in Tanking imo is: If your healer is doing his/her job well; never, never, never let them die! Ok perhaps thats a little ambiguous but I hope you understand what I mean.

I joined alot of PUGs when I first started tanking seriously. I wouldn't really advise that to anyone although it helped me learn faster. There's nothing like getting abused a few times to really make yourself learn about group dynamics and most of the time it wasn't me at fault. I got encouragement from group members who said things like "don't listen to them, you're doing you rjob and it's them that's at fault" I wanted to understand why so I could say it to them personally! I guess the best way to start tanking is with an understanding kin who can assist you. If abuse scares you then that's the nbest way for you to go. Me on the other hand? The abuse just made me more focused and determined so it helped me.

Another piece of advice when you first start tanking is: Choose an area which is poplar and tank the &&&& out of it! I had always wanted to get to Moria; if I did nothing else in the game it'd be fine as long as I got to Moria. I'm a Tolkien junkie so Moria was my target. Then I found out there was a META-Deed available and I was in Lotro heaven. I stayed in Moria from level 45 right through to level 72 doing the META-deed and got my black goat and title. It took a while but I enjoyed it so much it seemed quick for me. The thing was that everyone has to do Moria and most people hate it for some reason. So they can't wait to get all the raids/instances done and get out. (Besides the Durin's Guard gear ruled for me while most were going with the Helegrod set) If you focus on tanking one area you will learn the instances inside and out, really learn how to tank, you will never be short of a group and you may even learn to lead a raid. I do think it helps a raid alot if the Guard is able to take charge and lead it. You don't have to, it just helps. These are the things that staying in Moria did for me.

There are other areas where you can do the same type of thing at earlier or same level too: Annuminas, Angmar, Misty Mountains, Forochel, but imho Moria aces them all for opportunity to learn.

I have to agree with Viridian, this thread has been great to just get a few tips and tricks for the long way ahead!

I have been tanking for all my mmo 'career' (around 5-6 years) but had a break now for about 2 years, but now I find myself stuck in lotro and I quickly found my way back to the tanking class. I dont know, but there is just something with being clad in heavy armor, shield and sword in hand charging the enemy ..

Anyway, even tho I been tanking for quite awile I feel quite nervous for the first instance run, that I guess I will be having soon (lvl 18 atm). I really dont want to &&&& up because being new ... but on the same time its, I have the same feeling as I had when I started my first mmo; so much to learn and so much to see.

So I will have to just follow your advice, embrace the fear, just go for it and learn from the experience. Also finding a nice kin seems to be a thing to look for if you want nice instance runs.

Thanks for the encouraging words, Longdrop!

[spongedarksquarepants]

Does anyone know of any good Guardian Plug in's at all?

[thefamilyosc]

There aren't any guardian specific plugins that I'm aware of, but I do use a number of general purpose plugins and find them very handy.

Buffbars is a great one for me. I only use the potting and power/morale pt skill pop-up functions, though many others get good use out of the more advanced buff/debuff/cd elements of the plugin. Since I'm color blind and tank a lot of t2c raids I find myself in the unenviable position of getting plenty of nasty status effects that I'd otherwise have to hover over to identify and then properly pot. Buffbars lets me do my job without the hassle of mispotting. Some people use palantir or other similar plugins, but I find them a bit intrusive.

Combat Analysis is also dead handy. I lets me analyze and diagnose my builds relative to a given instance. Knowing that boss x attacks at y attacks per minute, doing z dps, with a crit rate of n% helps me identify possible weaknesses in my builds, add in the fact that I can track my bpe % and heals received, and I can fix my #### and also know if a healer is taking a nap.

For general quality-of-life stuff I use the hugebag plugin and tonic bars, helps keep my gear organized and gives me more skill slots, never bad things.

Osc

[spongedarksquarepants]

would you happen to have a link to those at all?

[ChromiteSwiftpaw]

would you happen to have a link to those at all?

Install this:

http://www.lotrointerface.com/downlo...ompendium.html

Then go to the Add New Plugins tab and install the plugins you want. If you click on a plugin name it'll provide a description and a link to the plugin's page with screenshots to give you an idea of what it does. There's also instructions on those pages usually.

[spongedarksquarepants]

much thanks for the link

[Patterbear]

Guardians are the best class.
The only bad thing is you can't have pets to fight with.
If you are in combat then use all your boosts and you will resist most attacks.
Also regularly update with your trainer for better skills

Thanks, Hoped this helped

Patterbear,
(Underdogs of Umbar and Riders of Helms Deep)

[slimak65]

When I make lvl 95 I found out that guardian is really funny.

My tips and opinions:

Blue line - in blue you are really tough and lets say S/B spec. There is a question if you need this spec. I dont think there are instances where you need this spec. In this spec shield and sword is the best choice.

Red line - easy as a pie DPS DPS and DPS. With missing owerpower stance debuffs you have a lot of fun now. I can still tank but this is only good for single target tanking.

Yellow line - I was realy suprised when I spec this line. Now I love tanking in these yellow spec. 300% threat from any dmg skill is awesome but I think 1 more AOE would be nice. With the new skill WAR chant you are able to catch everythink and CD of this skill is only 8s. You can use 2h weapon and have block you can use your shield/sword but why. In my opinion this spec is the best for 6man or 3man instances.

[Tallship]

Question. If you don't specialize in the yellow tree, you cannot use any of the Mark related bonuses as you have to Take To Heart?

[oaceen]

Question. If you don't specialize in the yellow tree, you cannot use any of the Mark related bonuses as you have to Take To Heart?

correct. if you can get war-chant, and it will only ever apply a 5% damage reduction.

[Arandeath]

nobody posted here in a while so,,,,

I see quite a few higher lvl's with low tier relics that can't
be helping much,recently I slotted a westemnet setting
relic with +7.5 dev magnitude and +727 crit rating as well.
While a pain to grind for 3 tier 10 relics and over 11,000
shards,the % numbers went up enough to notice there
seem to be more crit/dev hits than before and higher
numbers attached to those hits as well,these numbers
were tested in the moors taking isen op and against
some of the npc's in the moors to test the before/after.

At lvl cap you can carry extra LI's to lvl up to 60 before
you decon them,gives several relics tier 5 to 7 at least
for forging.(i started carrying extra LI's to decon at lvl 65)

if anyone has guard tips for after U-13?

other than relic forging and max the guild rep for stronger crafted
relicsc to boost mitigations/mastery/crit.

do the deeds for your traits.(mine are at lvl 18)

testing the changes to see if it's better or not.

[Cadaver0955]

It has been an ongoing learning for me....I love the tanking specialty. In other MMO's that's what I love! I'm constantly learning....a few helpful things I've learned along the way.

1. Maintain that threat! Knowing your skills and abilities play an important role.
2. Rotation...can't stress it enough! A proper rotation to help maintain that high level of threat!
3. Keep the bad guys off your raid group at all times!
4. As a true tank forget about how much DPS you're putting out! You're sole function is to maintain that threat and keep the boss and mobs looking at you! Protect your raid and let them kill the bad guys!
5. Have the proper gear with the proper stats!
6. Proper gear (Heavy Armour) is top priority! Survivability is your goal!
7. Be a part of a good fellowship or guild so you can learn from others!
8. Don't forget those instances, skirmishes and Epic battles where you can learn a lot!

To me there has never been anything definitive on how "you" play the tank role. Everyone has their own unique way on playing a good tank...this thread has been an excellent start. There some great insights in here about tanking. Keep it coming guys and gals!

Sek

[Slave_to_the_Wheek]

This has been such a perfect thread for me so thanks for keeping it up for all these years.

SPECIAL NOTE: If this is also your first MMORPG and all these gaming acronyms are getting you down you are not alone. I have a special thread just for you. It is located in the "Hall of Fame" forum but here is the link. I recommend printing it out and keeping it handy while your playing: https://www.lotro.com/forums/showthr...ogy&highlight=

Having started my first MMO as a Loremaster I was ready to quit until I made friends with an experienced player who had just joined lotro as a Guardian who got me from 15 to 90. Then I was able to meet a couple of others who were great at building out MY character and taught me what all the stats are and why I was getting stunned in every. single. battle. lol

During those years I learned that it takes a strong knowledge of all the classes before you can truly understand what is happening in a boss battle! If you don't know the basics of each class and it's function all you know to do are what someone is shouting at you. It wasn't until I grouped through entire regions like Great Barrow/North Downs and with Vent/Audio that I started understanding all the crazy stuff happening in those big battles. Soloing is okay because it's what you have to do sometimes...but honestly you are better off grouping up and running as many quests with others as you can. Remember you don't have to be fellowshipped if your on vent or some other external audio program so you can still get your solo stuff done, but it allows you to see other classes perform their skills and talk to the players to learn from them.

I hated being an LM until I was able to level past 20 then it was fun, but after many years of being away that game mechanics have changed so much. I still don't understand what Skirmishes and Instances are for example. Apparently it's a way to group with NPC's?

My good old Pocket Tank isn't in the game anymore and I really miss watching him in action. So I launched a Guardian this month and I am finding it so fun. I've never played melee class before. I found a kinship at lvl 19 who helped me get low level crit gear for her. I was just running her through Barrow Downs and pulling 8 green mobs and practicing without even getting close to dying. Having a good kinship with experienced players who can help you get the right equipment for your level can't be understated. Unless you plan on crafting your own gear for those low levels your stuck trying to quest for the right gear. The Auction House has essentially stopped producing anything for sale for the low levels.

[Vanyaerunanethiel]

A mini Guide/Demonstration by Vanyalanthiriel. High Elf Female Guaridan of Beleriand!

Included the new Quenya shouts, combat stances,animations and Personal Cosmetic showcase which in my sincere opinion fit perfectly!



A very early undeveloped stage of the Guardian gameplay. Immensely powerful Fighter of Shadow stance {Yellow Trait Tree Line}

Demonstration of various creatures and Orcs most notably within Cirith Nur { Northern Bree-Fields}

Vanya Sulie!

[Vanyaerunanethiel]

Dear Orome, My Archaic Post. Ultra-Nostalgic mode. I could write several books on the account which followed after about Tales of Vanyalanthriel Vanimelda ,High Queen of Noldor. Spirit Of Fire. My Old Steel Two-handed sword and Classic First outfit used <3 March 8 when Vanyalanthiel was Young Promising warrior ,but a tiny spark in the vast Ocean of Belegear. After countless clashes and terrors from Slaying common wolves and Brigands within Shire to Eradicating vast Armies of Regyml,Drakes,Demons of the Ancient world,Dragons,Nameless fiends and Creatures beyond knowledge across the Arda. Even at level 18 she was a mighty force to be reckon with. I have so many screenshots an videos at the present point I can indeed easily forget about particular ones, especially the first ones created.

I wanted to write a guide a comprehensive guide , a very long guide,but I shall write it when time comes or save it for my own Mega-Thread. For my Fire burns to hot. The Update is coming very soon so the guide shall be obsolete as well,but one can search though my Enormous playlist and it will certainly guide him/her. I spoke a lot and presented my own custom builds,opinions,Weaponry and so on. .

I'll give you one of my favourite Pulls. Twas a Tier III 12 Man Skirmish pull. She lived to tell the late and cleansed the evil. She fought against unbelievable terror and darkness. 3 Arch Nemesis adds and multiple Elite Master foe. She stood alone. Nobody by her aside as High High Kings of old {Fingolfin,Feanor,Fingon} stood alone against seemingly infinite amount of enemies. The Will-Breaker/Courage breaker and Rage of Morgoth. Three Deadliest fiends masters of Fear,tyranny and oppression. Thou canst break the will of the Radiant Star Queen of Calaciyra.


There and back again after 6 months ~ Vanyalanthiriel at level 18

Now at level 115 surviving the impossible.



Without further write up I will also present you the Greatest ,most unbelievable ,passionate,wondrous High Elf Female Guardian Solo Compilation of 2017/2018. One word: Magic There are over 103 videos in the Playlist which is called:" Vanyalanthiriel Vanimelda The Radiant Star Queen of Calacyira"

The Link:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...e_polymer=true


The Latest of the Solo Roving Threats ~ Nuzum plus adds. ~

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZl5BVyOs6E&t=1s

The beast of Land of Fire and Shadow has been Destroyed.

You can watch the special so Called "Impossible pulls" Tier II full instance clears,Incredible take down of entire armies,Bizarre,funny, extraordinary awe-inspiring , almost unbelievable videos. Never seen before and never done before. Fashioned with Ultimate Passion.
Sincerely,

Vanyalanthirel Vanimelda,Spirit of fire. The Flame Imperishable

[Vanyaerunanethiel]

Greetings Fellow Guardian Newcomer!

If you ever to desire to take down dreaded Mistress the approach is simple. Charge out and kite with your bow and use War-chant to AOE knockdown your foes. The key is to instantly run away to avoid getting permanently immobilised ~



Vanya Sulie. You can always bypass bosses 2,3,4 and went straight to Blind One,but he will be amp-ed.