LotRO Hunter Guide src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89165" width="630">


src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89646" alt="divider">


href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/hunter/overview">OVERVIEW
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/hunter/solo-play">SOLO
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/hunter/group">GROUP
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/hunter/pvmp">PvMP
|
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/hunter/endgame">LEGENDARY
ITEMS | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/89221/page/2">TRAITS
| VIRTUES
|
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/hunter/skills">SKILLS


src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89646" alt="divider">


HUNTER
SKILLS OVERVIEW

Hunters are perhaps the most
straightforward class in the
game. Their role in solo or group play is fairly
narrowly-defined:
ranged
single-target damage-per-second. They have almost no
buffs and a very limited capacity for self-heals, so their only real
option is to do as much damage as possible in the least amount of time.


src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89646" alt="divider">


RANGED
ATTACKS
- This is the
primary
arsenal of the Hunter. Many Hunters work out a number
of standard shot rotations for different situations.

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89169"
alt="Hunter Attacking with Ranged Skills"
style="width: 200px; height: 475px; float: right;">

"This
is what happens to people who say my cloak clashes with my outfit!"

  • Swift
    Bow
    - Two
    shots in rapid succession. This is a heavy hitter that adds +2 to your
    Focus.
    At higher levels, this becomes Improved Swift Bow
    and does
    three shots. This skill has a lengthy induction.

  • Barbed
    Arrow
    - An
    induction shot that
    does
    moderate damage and applies a bleeding wound. Adds +1 to
    Focus.

  • Quick
    Shot
    - This
    shot does slightly more damage
    than an auto-attack and has a short induction. Depending on
    stance, it can apply a slowing debuff, has a high crit chance or lowers
    threat. Adds +1 to Focus.

  • Penetrating
    Shot
    - An
    instant,
    powerful shot that bypasses
    armor mitigation. This one burns 3 pips of Focus - you can
    build up to this with 1 Swift Bow and 1 Quick Shot. When traited, it
    can cost fewer Focus points and negate even more armor mitigation, thus
    doing more damage.

  • Merciful
    Shot
    - An instant
    shot that costs 6 pips of Focus
    and can only be used on mobs at half health or lower. It is
    quite powerful, and when improved at higher levels removes corruptions.

  • Rain
    of Arrows
    - An instant
    area-effect shot that costs 3
    pips of Focus. This one hits several enemies (up to 5) and
    does good
    damage, and it has a very high threat rating.

  • Heart-seeker
    - A very
    powerful shot with a long-ish induction.
    It does not cost or build Focus. It adds a large
    target reticle to the intended recipient, which lasts the duration of
    the induction. When traited, it will remove the bleed from
    Barbed Arrow to deal significantly more damage. 

  • Blood Arrow - This instant shot costs 3
    pips of Focus, but costs morale instead of power. It does damage
    comparable to Penetrating Shot on a regular hit, but closer to Merciful
    Shot on a critical. Useful for long fights when power is an issue and
    morale is not.

Shot
Rotation
- Generally,
Hunters will want to work out a
standard pattern of shots for different situations. This will
be different in groups than it will be for soloing. While
soloing, it pays to open with a powerful shot like Swift Bow, followed
by Penetrating Shot. In a group, where threat is a constant
issue, it is generally wiser to
open with a string of Quick Shots and
save the heavy hitters for later on.




src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89646" alt="divider">


MELEE
ATTACKS

- "Plan B."
With power at a premium for Hunters, melee attacks offer poor
returns for the investment of power. On the other hand, they
are instant, and some of them have additional uses besides raw DPS.

style="width: 200px; height: 425px; float: right;"
alt="Hunter Attacking with Melee Skills"
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89167">

Showing
the steps for the deadly dance of blades.

  • Swift
    Stroke
    - A basic melee
    attack gained at character creation. Hit with
    both
    weapons for slightly more damage than an auto-attack. Adds
    a
    small
    buff to defenses.

  • Scourging
    Blow
    - Almost
    the
    same as above, but if the
    target is affected by Barbed Arrow it does more damage and removes the
    bleed.

  • Low
    Cut
    - Frontal
    area-effect swipe that can hit multiple
    targets, affecting them with a slowing debuff. It can also apply a
    bleed when used with certain LI legacies.

  • Blindside
    - A
    decently-powerful melee attack with a long
    animation. Stab with an arrow, then a quick point-blank shot,
    just like Legolas. This one adds 2 pips of Focus and interrupts enemy
    inductions.

  • Agile
    Rejoinder
    - A reactive
    skill,
    only available when a
    melee blow is parried. It has a small chance
    of applying a
    small
    self-heal.




src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89646" alt="divider">


STANCES
- These are toggled skills that
affect how your ranged skills work while active.

style="width: 200px; height: 450px; float: right;"
alt="Hunter Using Percision Stance"
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89172">

Precision
stance allows for called shots. At least, that's what this hobbit
thinks.

  • Strength
    - This is
    the first stance you get.
    Shots do more damage, generate more threat and consume more
    power. Quick Shot applies a slowing debuff in this stance.
    Strength stance is most useful for soloing, less so in a
    group. However, when applied judiciously, it can actually
    help to use Strength stance in a group fight - e.g. if the Minstrel is
    getting attacked and the tank is unable to pull the mobs off, the
    Hunter can temporarily switch to Strength stance and fire off a Rain of
    Arrows. The mobs will leave the Minnie and focus on the
    Hunter, allowing the healer to heal more
    effectively and keep everyone
    standing.

  • Precision
    - Shots do the
    same amount of damage as they
    would without an active stance, but are less likely to miss their
    intended targets, resulting in higher DPS overall. Quick Shot has a
    significantly-increased
    critical chance in this stance. Precision stance works well
    in groups with solid tanks, and it works just fine for soloing, too, as
    it is much less power-hungry than Strength stance.

  • Endurance
    - When power
    consumption and aggro management are
    critical, Endurance stance is your friend. Shots do less
    damage than they would with no active stance, but consume less power
    and generate significantly less threat. Quick Shot is
    basically threat- and power-neutral while in Endurance stance. This
    stance allows the hunter to unleash the big hitters without drawing a
    lot of unwanted attention from the mobs, and is best used in groups
    with "iffy" tanks.




src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89646" alt="divider">


FIGHTING
SMARTER

- These skills serve to
make you a more effective combatant. They allow you to use
more powerful skills faster, and keep you actively participating in the
fight for longer.

style="width: 200px; height: 450px; float: right;"
alt="Hunter Using Intent Concentration"
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89163">

You
don't want to be the mob he's pointing at after you see the glaring red
butterfly over his head. Trust me.

  • Intent
    Concentration
    -
    Instantly fill your Focus meter.
    Usable in combat.

  • Focus
    - Fills your focus
    meter with a short induction.
    Not usable in combat.

  • Needful
    Haste
    - Inductions
    are significantly reduced and
    attacks execute quicker for 30 seconds. Costs 3 Focus.

  • Beneath
    Notice
    - Drops a
    huge amount of threat instantly.
    At very high levels, this skill changes to Beneath Care, and
    restores some power over time in addition to dumping aggro.

  • Purge
    Poison
    - The only buff
    Hunters have that can be used
    to assist other people. This skill removes poisons and adds a
    buff to poison resistance for 15 seconds. This skill is instant (no
    cooldown) and single-target when used normally, but when traited in the
    Trapper of Foes line, it has a brief cooldown and can affect the whole
    fellowship.

  • Strength
    of the Earth
    -
    In-combat power
    regeneration.
    Stop fighting for a few precious seconds, watch the fighting,
    eat some nachos, cheer for the home team, then get back in there fully
    powered up.

  • Press
    Onward
    - A legendary
    skill attainable at level 39.
    After a 5 second induction, instantly recover a big chunk of morale and
    power. Not usable in combat, but it can be improved by
    traiting at least 4 Huntsman line class traits, making it usable in
    combat when the Hunter is not being attacked.

  • Fleetness - The old stance no
    one used ever got overhauled and is now actually useful! This is now a
    15-second buff instead of a stance, which reduces moving miss chance by
    60%, increases run speed by 10% and prevents Focus loss from movement.
    It costs 6 Focus to use this skill, which completely drains the
    Hunter's Focus meter, but can be followed up with Intent Concentration
    or a quickly-chugged Potion of Focus to rebuild. The legendary capstone
    for the Huntsman line, Improved Fleetness, doubles the duration of this
    stance, reduces Focus cost of Focus-based attacks and reduces attack
    duration, making induction-based attacks execute quicker.




src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89646" alt="divider">


href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/hunter/overview">OVERVIEW
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/hunter/solo-play">SOLO
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/hunter/group">GROUP
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/hunter/pvmp">PvMP
|
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/hunter/endgame">LEGENDARY
ITEMS | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/89221/page/2">TRAITS
| VIRTUES
|
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/hunter/skills">SKILLS


src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89646" alt="divider">


LotRO Hunter Guide src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89165" width="630">


src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89646" alt="divider">


href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/hunter/overview">OVERVIEW
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/hunter/solo-play">SOLO
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/hunter/group">GROUP
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/hunter/pvmp">PvMP
|
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/hunter/endgame">LEGENDARY
ITEMS | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/89221/page/2">TRAITS
| VIRTUES
|
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/hunter/skills">SKILLS


src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89646" alt="divider">


CROWD
CONTROL
- Sometimes raw
DPS simply
isn't enough.
Hunters have a tough time with long inductions
in prolonged fights against multiple mobs. That's when it's
time to lay the smack down in the form of good old-fashioned CC.

style="width: 200px; height: 450px; float: right;"
alt="Hunter Surrounded by Traps"
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89159">

Glaring
red circles on the ground are no problem - all mobs in LotRO are
apparently color-blind.

  • Bard's
    Arrow
    - A legendary
    skill attainable at level 39.
    This shot does medium damage and applies a Fear effect to
    evil targets for 15 seconds.  It adds 1 pip to Focus.

  • Distracting
    Shot
    - Does no
    damage, but dazes the enemy for
    a short time.

  • Rain
    of Thorns
    - Legendary
    skill attainable at level 39.
     This is identical in most ways to Rain of Arrows, but will
    trap up to 5 enemies in place.

  • Cry
    of the Predator
    - A
    fearsome howl that will apply a 10
    second Fear effect to beasts, causing them to flee in panic.
    In PvMP, this skill affects Warg Stalkers, rendering them
    unable to attack. Ineffective against humanoid mobs

  • Dazing Blow - A double melee swipe that
    stuns one enemy for 5 seconds. The improved version of this skill,
    trainable at higher levels, will also remove up to 3 corruptions from
    the target.

  • Traps
    - Set Trap lays a big
    red circle on the ground.
     Any mob passing into this circle is held in place for 30
    seconds unless attacked. Set Snare lays a big yellow circle
    on the ground. Any mob passing into this circle is slowed and
    takes damage over time.

The
"Root Pull"
- This is a
Hunter specialty, used when
faced with a large group of trash mobs that are potentially very
dangerous when fighting all of them at once. This is really
only effective against melee mobs, as ranged mobs can still shoot while
rooted or trapped. The Hunter will creep forward while the
rest of the group stays a safe distance back. Hunter targets
the group and unleashes Rain of Thorns, rooting 5 of the mobs in place.
If there are more than 5 mobs, the untrapped ones will
immediately rush the Hunter, who runs back to the group and allows the
tank to pull the pursuing mobs off his fleeing back. After 30
seconds, the trapped mobs are freed and will seek out the Hunter unless
challenged by the group's tank. This is also usable in solo
situations where the Hunter only wishes to fight one mob at a time but
must pass through a group.


src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89646" alt="divider">


PANIC
BUTTON
- Sometimes,
fights go badly.
Whether attributable to bad luck or miscalculations, everyone
will face a situation where they need a quick escape or a sudden burst
of awesome.

style="width: 200px; height: 300px; float: right;"
alt="Hunter Ready to DF Out"
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89162">

Yep,
time to bail.

  • Desperate
    Flight
    - Known
    colloquially as DF or "Ditch
    Friends," the Hunter instantly bails to a safe location. In
    wilderness areas, the Hunter is ported to the nearest rez
    circle. In instances, he is ported to just inside the
    entrance.

  • Improved
    Press Onward
    - This
    is the improved version of the
    legendary trait Press Onward, available when the Hunter slots at least
    4 Huntsman line class traits. When not being attacked, The
    Hunter can pause for a short induction and instantly recover 3000
    morale and 3000 power. It may be necessary to dump aggro
    first by using Beneath Notice/Beneath Care and switching to Endurance
    stance, and moving out of the way of frontal area-effect attacks.

  • Burn
    Hot
    - Boosts damage of ranged attacks by 20% and reduces
    power cost by 10%, for 20 seconds. The capstone legendary trait, Cool
    Burn, further increases ranged damage by 20% (total 40%) and reduces
    power cost by another 50% (total 60%), and reduces the cooldown by 3
    minutes. This is no longer really a "panic button"
    skill and can be used much more frequently now that the Hunter is not
    left "zeroed out" on power when it expires. Keep in mind, however, that
    the skill itself does have a significant power cost, which may not
    offset the power cost reduction of subsequent ranged attacks.

  • Camouflage
    - This skill is
    less useful on the PvE side of
    things. It can be used to set ambushes for and hide from
    pathing mobs, but otherwise is of limited utility as it can only be
    used out of combat and breaks when the Hunter moves. In PvMP,
    however, it is much more useful. Creeps in the Ettenmoors
    don't have a limited kiting range, and this skill can be used when the
    Hunter is out of combat for 10 seconds. A Hunter in the
    'Moors can kite mobs long enough to drop out of combat and then
    disappear from sight. As long as the Hunter doesn't move from
    that spot, he can chug potions and DF out and live to fight another day.


src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89646" alt="divider">


NON-COMBAT
SKILLS

- The Hunter lives by
his wits, relying on keen senses and knowledge of nature.
When not actively engaged in
shooting things to death, the
Hunter is able to find more things to shoot, or prepare for yet more
shooting after a brief respite.

style="width: 200px; height: 300px; float: right;"
alt="Hunter Relaxing by a Bright Campfire"
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89160">

A
fine way to rest between bouts of rampant slaughter.

  • Passage
    of Nature
    - This
    skill tracks beasts, insects,
    drakes and other natural multi-legged beasties.  At higher
    levels, creatures being tracked by Hunters can be seen on the radar by
    other members of that group. These tracking skills can be improved by
    the use of the trait Heightened Senses, which allows the tracking of
    stealthed enemies.

  • Passage
    of Foes
    - Track men,
    orcs, goblins and other
    two-legged foes.

  • Passage
    of Shadow
    - Track
    undead, wights and ancient evil.

  • Bright
    Campfire
    - Setting a
    campfire increases non-combat
    morale and power regeneration, and doubles as a crafting implement for
    cooks to make trail food.


src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89646" alt="divider">


GETTING
AROUND

- When you
absolutely,
positively have to get there immediately, accept no substitutes.

style="width: 200px; height: 300px; float: right;"
alt="Hunter Seeking a Quick Path"
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89175">

"Ok,
grass is leaning to the east, moss grows on the north side of the
tree... Ah-HA! Bree-land is that-a-way!"

  • Find
    The Path
    - +15%
    out-of-combat run speed.
    This is a toggle skill, and most Hunters usually keep it on
    all the time. Can be improved with Legendary Item legacies up to +21%,
    but does not stack with other speed-boost skills.

  • Wayfaring
    - Every region in
    Middle-Earth (except Misty
    Mountains and Lothlorien) has at least one area that serves as a
    Hunter's point of entry. Some of these "Guide To..." skills
    are purchased from the class trainer, some are aquired via quests, and
    some are purchased from reputation vendors. Hunters can
    traverse Middle-Earth in an instant with only a few travel rations, and
    can take their entire fellowships with them. Unlike Captain
    summons and mustering horn summons, Hunter ports do not require
    travelling rations for the rest of the group (though the Hunter does
    require them). In addition to the plethora of set regional
    destinations, the Hunter has one "moveable" skill that allows him to
    bind to any camp site and carry his party there.


src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89646" alt="divider">


CLASS
TOOLS

- All classes have a few
specialized tools that only they can use. Hunters have the
most, and all of them can be made by Historians.

style="width: 200px; height: 400px; float: right;"
alt="Hunter Reciting a Bow Chant"
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89161">

Reading
his new book, Tome of the Wind-Rider: How to Aggro Everything and Spend
Less Power Doing It.

  • Class
    book
    - This
    scholar-crafted item goes in the class
    item slot on the equipment page of the character journal.
    There are two varieties to choose from, and five tiers of
    each (level 20, 30, 40, 50, 60). The Whisper-Draw books
    lower perceived threat, and the Wind-Rider books decrease power cost.
    Currently, the best book available to Hunters is the Supreme
    Tome of the Wind-Rider, usable at level 60, which reduces power costs
    by 12% and adds +105 to max power.  The level 60 Whisper-draw
    book adds morale instead of power, and greatly reduces threat. For
    these books, "X
    Book of
    the Y
    " is the standard recipe,
    and "X
    Tome of the Y"
    is the crit.

  • Bow
    Chants
    - There are 3
    varieties of these: Breach-Finder,
    Foe-Finder and Shield-Bane. Each has 5 tiers: Minor (level
    25), regular (level 35), Major (level 45), Greater (level 55) and
    Supreme (level 65). Breach-finder scrolls make the Hunter's
    shots bypass the target's ranged mitigation modifier, thus doing
    potentially more damage per shot. Foe-finders reduce the
    target's evade chance, and Shield-banes reduce the target's block
    chance. These chants last 20 minutes and only apply to the
    shots fired from the Hunter using them - they do not debuff the mobs.

  • Oils
    - There are 3 kinds of
    oils - Fire, Light and Oil
    Wash. Fire oil , usable at level 20, causes most ranged
    attacks to deal fire damage, and on a critical hit does additional fire
    damage over time. Light oil, usable at level 30, causes most
    ranged attacks to deal light damage, and on a critical hit will blind
    the target. Oil Wash removes applied oils so the affected
    weapon does its normal damage type. Fire and Light oils are
    available in 4 tiers: Simple, regular, Refined and Pure. The
    tier affects the amount of time the oil lasts, in 5 minute increments.

  • Potions of Focus - These are
    single-use consumables crafted by scholars. These potions instantly add
    several pips of Focus to the Hunter's Focus meter, and increase
    Devastate Magnitude by varying amounts depending on the tier of the
    potion. The most powerful version, Greater Supreme Potion of Focus, is
    only usable at level 65. It adds 6 pips of Focus and increases
    Devastate Magnitude by 25% (so Devastating Critical hits do 20% more
    damage, which can add up to a lot) for 30 seconds. Lower tier potions
    add fewer pips of Focus, have a shorter duration and a lower Devastate
    Magnitude rating.

  • Crafted
    Traps
    - There are a
    lot of these. As with
    the other class tools, these are available in multiple tiers, and the
    tier affects the maximum level of mobs the traps are effective against.
    Except where noted, they all function the same as the skill
    Set Trap.

    • Bear
      traps
      work more or
      less the same as those laid by
      the skill Set Trap, but they do more damage and last much
      longer.

    • Quick
      traps
      have no
      induction and can be thrown down in
      the middle of a fight.

    • Multi-traps
      (double and
      triple) can trap more than one
      target and cover a larger area.

    • Strong
      traps
      will hold
      enemies firmly in place while they
      take damage (all other traps break when the trapped creature takes
      damage).

    • Lure
      traps
      do not hold
      enemies but act like an
      aggro-spamming tackling dummy. Only effective against groups
      of mobs, and then only until those mobs "caught" by it are attacked.
      These are tricky to use but very rewarding.

    • Tripwires
      will knock
      an
      enemy over and sometimes start a
      Fellowship Manoeuver. This is the only option available to
      Hunters to semi-reliably trigger FMs.


src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89646" alt="divider">


href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/hunter/overview">OVERVIEW
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/hunter/solo-play">SOLO
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/hunter/group">GROUP
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/hunter/pvmp">PvMP
|
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/hunter/endgame">LEGENDARY
ITEMS | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/89221/page/2">TRAITS
| VIRTUES
|
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/hunter/skills">SKILLS


src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89646" alt="divider">

To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Lord of the Rings Online Game Page.

Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

Comments