style="width: 630px; height: 200px;" alt="LotRO Minstrel Guide"
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89871">

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href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/minstrel/overview">OVERVIEW
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/minstrel/solo">SOLO
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/minstrel/group">GROUP
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/minstrel/pvmp">PvMP
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/minstrel/endgame">LEGENDARY
ITEMS | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/89885/page/2">TRAITS
| VIRTUES
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/minstrel/skills">SKILLS

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MINSTREL SKILLS OVERVIEW

Whether group healing or laying waste to foes, knowing how and when to
use the widely various Minstrel skills is one of the things that
separates raw noobs from seasoned pros.

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Healing Skills

These skills restore morale. These are the "main" skills of
the group healer-spec Minstrel, and should be placed in an obvious and
readily-accessible spot - the main tool bar, for example, so they can
be used quickly by tapping the number keys along the top row of the
keyboard.

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89875"> style="border: 0px solid ; width: 240px; height: 400px; float: left;"
alt="A Dwarf Guardian"
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89875">

"This
lute's for hire, even if we're just dancin' in the dark"

  • Raise the
    Spirit
    - The basic heal skill. Short induction, short
    cooldown.

  • Bolster Courage - The primary healing
    skill. This one has a moderate induction but no cooldown, and can land
    some very big heals when it crits.

  • Chord of Salvation - A quick heal that
    restores a moderate amount of morale. This one has a lengthy animation
    which roots the character in place for the duration.

  • Soliloquy of Spirit -A quick
    heal-over-time gained at level 60 that can be used while moving and can
    break the animation root of Chord of Salvation. This skill is not
    particularly powerful on its own, but when geared with the Moria
    radiance armor set for Minstrels, traited with Legendary Spirit and
    bolstered with additional pulses from a legendary melee weapon, it has
    actual potential.

  • Inspire Fellows -A group heal toat
    restores about the same amount of morale as Raise the Spirit for
    everyone in the group, and adds a small buff that reduces incoming
    damage on all recipients by 1% for 30 seconds. The induction is the
    same length as for Bolster Courage.

  • Triumphant Spirit - A huge, instant-cast
    group heal. Each member recovers morale instantly, a larger heal than
    Bolster Courage. This skill generates a very large amount of threat and
    has a 15-minute cooldown, making it a powerful "panic button" skill.

  • Fellowship's Heart - A legendary skill
    gained at level 45 by completing both class quests. The initial burst
    heals each member of the group about the same much as Raise the Spirit,
    and removes up to 3 fear effects. Every 3 seconds for 30 seconds after
    the initial burst (10 pulses), each member of the group gets another
    burst of  healing, slightly smaller than Raise the Spirit. All
    told, it heals between 5 - 8000 points on each member of the group over
    30 seconds. This skill has a 30-minute cooldown, so is best used
    towards the end of difficult boss fights.

  • Enlivening Grace - An out-of-combat
    revive (a.k.a. "rez"), which restores a fallen ally at a fraction of
    his maximum morale and power. This can be improved with the trait
    Graceful Demeanour, which revives the fallen character with more morale
    and power. There is no cooldown for this skill.

  • Rally! - A legendary skill attainable at
    level 39 by collecting book pages. This is an in-combat revive with an
    induction slightly longer than Bolster Courage and a 20-minute
    cooldown. The target revives with full morale and 80% power.

  • Song of Restoration -Using this skill
    removes the dread debuff after being defeated and retreating or
    self-reviving. It can be used in combat but has a lengthy induction and
    a 30-minute cooldown. At level 64, this skill is improved to Chorus of
    Restoration, which can remove dread from every member of a full 6-man
    fellowship after a wipe.


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Ballads, Anthems and Other Attacks

These are the standard attack skills. They are tiered, meaning
that in order to use a tier 2 ballad, a tier 1 must be used first, and
so on. Except where noted, these skills do a bit of Light damage to the
target and apply a buff to the caster. Tier 2 ballads do more damage
than tier 1, tier 3 ballads do no damage.

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89876"> src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89876"
alt="An Elven Minstrel"
style="border: 0px solid ; width: 240px; height: 400px; float: left;">

Today's
elven Minstrel, mean, mean stride. BADA BADOOOOW!

  • Ballad or Resonance -Tier 1. Applies a
    buff that increases the caster's tactical damage.

  • Ballad of
    Steel
    - Tier 1. Applies a buff that increases armour value.

  • Ballad of
    Vigour

    - Tier 1. Applies a buff that increases Vitality. This skill is
    modified by the trait Smooth Voice to become Song of Vigour, which adds
    a short induction, removes the damage component and applies the buff to
    the whole group.

  • Ballad of
    Swiftness
    -Tier 2. Applies a buff that decreases attack
    durations.

  • Ballad of the
    Stout
    - Tier 2. Applies a buff that significantly
    increases Poison, Wound and Disease resistance.

  • Ballad of
    Balance
    -Tier 2. Applies a buff that increases Evade
    rating. This skill is modified by the trait Smooth Voice to become Song
    of Balance, which adds a short induction, removes the damage component
    and applies the buff to the whole group.

  • Ballad of War
    - Tier 3, non-damaging. Applies a group-wide buff that increases melee
    damage.

  • Ballad of
    Flame
    - Tier 3, non-damaging. Applies a group-wide buff
    that significantly increases Fire defence.

  • Ballad of
    Unshakeable Will
    - Tier 3, non-damaging. Applies a
    group-wide buff that significantly increases Fear resist rating.

  • Anthem of Compassion - Tier 4,
    non-damaging. Reduces the amount of threat healing skills generate,
    affects caster only. This skill is improved by slotting 4 traits from
    the Watcher of Resolve line, making it a tier 3 ballad and further
    reducing the amount of threat generated by healing skills. Using this
    skill as a tier 4 anthem resets the ballad counter - tier 2, 3 and 4
    ballads and anthems cannot be used until they are tiered back up.

  • Anthem of the Free Peoples -Tier 4,
    non-damaging. Applies a group-wide buff that significantly increases
    in-combat morale regeneration. Using this skill resets the ballad
    counter.

  • Anthem of the Valar - Tier 4. An
    area-effect damage skill affecting up to 3 targets within 5 meters of
    each other.

  • Anthem of the Wizards - A legendary
    skill attainable at level 39 by collecting book pages. An area-effect
    damage skill that can affect up to 3 targets standing within 5 meters
    of each other, applying a movement and attack duration penalty.

  • Herald's Strike - This is the Minstrel's
    sole melee skill.
    It is a single, solid blow against a single opponent. It applies a
    small buff to incoming healing when used.  This skill is
    improved at higher levels to Improved Herald's Strike, which removes 1
    corruption from the target when used.

  • Noble Cause - This skill empowers
    Herald's Strike,
    eliminating the 10-second cooldown between uses for 4 strikes,
    increasing the damage from each strike and restoring a small amount of
    morale with each hit.

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Warspeech

These skills (except for Warspeech itself, and Echoes of
Battle and Piercing Cry) are only available while Warspeech stance is
toggled.

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89877"> style="border: 0px solid ; width: 240px; height: 400px; float: left;"
alt="An elven Minstrel using Warspeech"
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89877">

Warspeech,
HUH! Good god, y'all, what is it good for?

  • Warspeech - This skill makes
    the Minstrel a mighty combat machine. It reduces the cooldown and
    increases the critical chance for Piercing Cry, and cuts healing in
    half. Traiting Warrior-Skald further increases the healing penalty by
    up to an additional 30%, and increases ballad damage by 25% while
    Warspeech is toggled. When Warspeech is toggled off, the penalty to
    healing (but none of the benefits) remains in effect for 10 seconds.

  • Piercing Cry
    - This skill is usable when Warspeech is not toggled. It does more
    damage than ballads even without Warspeech. Toggling Warspeech gives
    this skill a higher critical chance. Piercing Cry is modified by the
    trait Unrelenting, which applies a stun when the skill criticals, and
    increases the critical chance by 25%.

  • Echoes of Battle - This skill is usable
    without Warspeech stance toggled. Echoes of Battle is a toggled skill
    which calls forth a giant disembodied sword to attack an enemy. While
    active, the target takes a small amount of damage every 5 seconds, and
    his song and cry resist rating is lowered significantly. Toggling
    Warspeech changes this skill to Timeless Echoes of Battle, which calls
    forth 2 giant disembodied swords, increases the resistance debuff and
    increases the amount of damage per pulse.

  • Call of Oromë - An area-effect attack
    that can hit up to 3 foes within 5 meters of each other. This skill
    does more damage to each target than a low-tier ballad, and applies a
    debuff that lowers the target's light damage defence for 10 seconds.

  • Call of the Second Age - An area-effect
    attack centered on
    the caster that can hit up to 3 targets within 5 meters for good damage.

  • Call to Fate - A single-target attack
    that does good
    damage. This skill has a high critical payout, and can hit for quite
    large numbers when it criticals.
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href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/minstrel/overview">OVERVIEW
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/minstrel/solo">SOLO
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/minstrel/group">GROUP
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/minstrel/pvmp">PvMP
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/minstrel/endgame">LEGENDARY
ITEMS | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/89885/page/2">TRAITS
| VIRTUES
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/minstrel/skills">SKILLS

alt="divider">

style="width: 630px; height: 200px;" alt="LotRO Minstrel Guide"
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89871">

alt="divider">


href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/minstrel/overview">OVERVIEW
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/minstrel/solo">SOLO
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/minstrel/group">GROUP
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/minstrel/pvmp">PvMP
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/minstrel/endgame">LEGENDARY
ITEMS | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/89885/page/2">TRAITS
| VIRTUES
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/minstrel/skills">SKILLS

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Tales

Tales are toggled skills. Only one tale can be active at a
time, though traiting Master of Tales enables a pair of combo tales.
Members of the fellowship must be standing near the Minstrel to gain
the effect of these auras. All tales have a per-second power cost while
they are active, and can be toggled off by extended silencing effects.

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89878"> style="border: 0px solid ; width: 240px; height: 400px; float: left;"
alt="A Minstrel activating a tale"
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89878">

She
has the pyrotechnics and crazy costumes down, but she's not drooling
blood or playing an axe bass.

  • Tale of Warding - Increases armor value
    and adds +1 Hope. This Hope bonus does not stack with Hope bonuses from
    Edhelharn tokens. Not particularly useful for most situations.

  • Tale of Battle - Increases Vitality and
    wound resist rating. This is a good standard tale for most occasions,
    as it increases the group's maximum morale and morale regeneration.

  • Tale of
    Heroism
    -Increases Will and Fate. This is a good tale for
    prolonged battles where power consumption may be an issue, as it
    increases the group's maximum power and power regeneration.

  • Tale of Frost and Flame - Increases the
    group's Flame and Frost defence, allowing characters to shrug off a
    small amount of damage from these types of attacks. Good for fights
    with fire or frost damage-over-time effects. 

  • Tale of Frost and Flame's Battle - A
    combo tale which combines all the effects of Tale of Frost and Flame
    and Tale of Battle. This tale is only available when the legendary
    trait Master of Tales is slotted, requiring 5 traits from the Protector
    of Song line.

  • Tale of Warding and Heroism - A combo
    tale which combines all the effects of Tale of Warding and Tale
    Heroism. This tale is only available when the legendary trait
    Master of Tales is
    slotted, requiring 5 traits from the Protector of Song line.


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Buffs

These skills make the Minstrel's allies fight generally
batter, harder or more effectively. Most of them can be used on the
Minstrel casting them.

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89879"> style="border: 0px solid ; width: 240px; height: 375px; float: left;"
alt="A Minstrel using Lyric of the Hammerhand"
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89879">

Tiny
bubbles on the Minstrel make me feel happy, oh they make me feel fine.

  • Cure Fear - Does exactly what it says.
    This skill is under-powered, even with the trait Improved Cure Fear,
    and fear removal should be left to Captains who can do it much more
    effectively and more often.

  • Call to the Fellowship -This skill
    empowers fellowship manouevers performed by the group, making them
    stronger and more effective. In order to use this skill effectively,
    the Minstrel must know in advance when a conjunction is about
    to occur, as the duration is only 15 seconds

  • Call to Greatness - The description of
    this skill in-game is rather vague, which is unfortunate; this skill
    boosts the abilities of its target for 10 seconds, with different
    effects depending on the class of the recipient:
    • Burglars gain additional positional damage and reduced
      cooldown for Surprise Strike
    • Captains get a defeat event, unlocking on-defeat skills,
      and open the Battle-readied state ever 5 seconds
    • Champions get a defeat event and 2 pips of Fervour, plus
      1 additional Fervour every 5 seconds
    • Guardians generate 25% more threat, and receive the
      Guardian's Ward effect every 5 seconds
    • Hunters generate 10% less threat and gain 3 Focus, plus
      an additional 2 Focus every 5 seconds
    • Lore-masters have a lower chance for enemies to resist
      Blinding Flash, and can use Blinding Flash every 10 seconds
    • Minstrels gain a 10% boost to outgoing healing, and can
      use Chord of Salvation every 5 seconds
    • Runekeepers gain -10% power cost reduction for skill use,
      and Self motivation is usable every 5 seconds
    • Wardens gain +10% threat generation  and +5%
      damage, and the gambit effect Shield Up is toggled every 5 sec

  • Song of Aid - A channeled skill that
    lasts for 10 seconds, though the induction may be interrupted. This
    skill unlocks all gated skills for most classes, and can affect
    everyone in the group. Lore-masters can use Beacon of Hope more
    frequently and at a lower cost to morale, Runekepers can use Scribe's
    Spark and Prelude to Hope more frequently, and Wardens can use Shield
    Piercer more frequently

  • Lay of the Hammerhand - A toggled skill
    with a per-second power cost. The Minstrel can surround herself with
    protective bubble-wrap, causing any damage dealt to her to be
    transfered to her power instead of morale. This skill is improved at
    higher levels to Lyric of the Hammerhand, which transforms each point
    of morale damage into 0.5 points of power damage, and prevents damage
    from interrupting inductions. Stuns and knockdowns will interrupt this
    skill and de-toggle it, and it will expire when the Minstrel runs out
    of power.

  • Gift of the Hammerhand - This applies
    the same bubble-wrap
    shield to an ally, though less effectively - each point of morale
    damage is transformed into 2 points of power damage. Not advisable to
    use this skill during big fights where power may be an issue.

  • Song of the Hopeful Heart - Creates a
    small, temporary
    patch
    of Hope, which does not stack with hope from tokens. Marginally useful
    in radiance-gated areas after suffering a defeat when hope tokens are
    unavailable, but not practical for general purposes.

  • Cry of the Chorus - Using this skill
    unlocks all tiered
    ballads and anthems at once and removes silence effects on the caster
    only. This skill is improved at later levels to Improved Cry of the
    Chorus, which also grants temporary immunity to silence effects.


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Crowd-Control and Other Stuff

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89880"> style="border: 0px solid ; width: 240px; height: 400px; float: left;"
alt="A Minstrel playing dead"
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89880">

They
can't hear a word that we said when we pretend that we're dead

  • Song of Soothing - A very handy skill
    for those
    times when
    the tank just can't hold aggro. This skill lowers the Minstrel's threat
    substantially. It can be improved with the trait Improved Song of
    Soothing, which makes it nearly instant-cast at the cost of a longer
    cooldown.

  • Song of the Dead - Dazes one undead for
    30 seconds.

  • Cry of the Valar - Causes one evil foe
    (i.e. not non-evil
    beasts of nature, etc) to flee in terror for 15 seconds. Useful for
    getting troublesome strays off your back in the middle of a fight.

  • Still as Death - Quando Omni Flunkus
    Moritati. Play dead
    for 30 seconds, dropping all aggro. Mobs that were aggroed on the
    Minstrel before Still as Death may come back to resume attacking if
    threat is not built up by another group member.

  • Irresistable Melody - Got canned heat on
    your heals
    tonight, baby? Spread the love. A fun little skill that makes all
    nearby free people characters your puppets.

  • Mentoring - "I got a fever, and the only
    prescrition is
    Moor Cowbell!" Teach any known instrument to your peers, including the
    beloved percussion instrument from Glan Vraig. Only a few of these
    skills are purchased from the class trainer, the others are learned via
    scrolls dropped from mobs in high-level areas or purchased from
    reputation vendors.

  • Scribe Stance - This toggled skill
    allows the Minstrel to
    make tradeable tomes which can be used by other players to learn a new
    instrument. Creating a tome requires the purchase of expensive
    materials, and the resulting tome can be sold on the auction
    house. 

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Class Tools

All classes have a few specialized tools that only
they can
use. Minstrels have a few neat ones.

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89881"> style="border: 0px solid ; width: 240px; height: 400px; float: left;"
alt="A Minstrel with a Lute"
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89881">

Moria
don't like it, Baruk the Khazad, Baruk the Khazad!

  • Musical
    Instruments
    - Basic versions of these,
    sold by bards in
    any town, can be used by anyone for playing music, provided they are
    proficient with the instrument. Minstrels can use any instrument,
    including the superior crafted ones. The different instruments have
    unique qualities, ranging from lowering threat (theorbos, flutes) to
    increasing ballad damage (drums, bagpipes) to lowering power cost
    (harps). Instruments with a damage type descriptor in the name change
    the damage type of Echoes of Battle from common to the type in the
    instrument's name or item description. For example, an Exquisite
    Elegant Bagpipe changes Echoes of Battle damage to Beleriand, while a
    Superior Westernesse Lute changes the Echoes of Battle damage type to
    Westernesse.

  • Lute Strings - These can be made by
    cooks. The Journeyman recipes, Lute Strings of Greater Subtlety, are
    the preferred strings. These can be used with any instruments, not just
    lutes as the name implies, and reduce threat from healing. Lute Strings
    of Greater Subtlety reduce threat by 10%, and the critted version
    reduce it by 12%. These are handy to have in situations with more mobs
    than a tank can resonably control.

  • Songbooks - These are legendary items,
    available to premium members who have purchased the Mines of Moria
    expansion. The base stat of songbooks increases the Minstrel's tactical
    healing rating, making for bigger heals. This is discussed more
    in-depth on the Legendary Items page located href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/minstrel/endgame">here.
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89646" alt="divider">


href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/minstrel/overview">OVERVIEW
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/minstrel/solo">SOLO
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/minstrel/group">GROUP
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/minstrel/pvmp">PvMP
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/minstrel/endgame">LEGENDARY
ITEMS | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/89885/page/2">TRAITS
| VIRTUES
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/minstrel/skills">SKILLS

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Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

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