style="width: 640px; height: 200px;" alt="LotRO Champion Guide"
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/90459">

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

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/champ/overview">OVERVIEW
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/champ/solo">SOLO
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/champ/group">GROUP
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/champ/pvmp">PvMP
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/champion/endgame">LEGENDARY
ITEMS | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/90510/page/2">TRAITS
| VIRTUES
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/champ/skills">SKILLS

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

GROUP
PLAY AS A CHAMPION

style="border: 0px solid ; width: 240px; height: 375px; float: left;"
alt="A pair of Champions in a group"
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/90468">

Two
champs arguing over who got the KB.

While other classes need to radically adjust their play styles
to make the transition from solo play to group play, Champions require
only slight tweaking. For the most part, Champions in groups do the
very same things as Champions soloing, but there are a few finer points
that make a huge difference.

For starters, the stance-dance plays a bigger role. There will
be times when Fervour is called for, but mostly the Champion will want
to run in Ardour or Glory. Ardour is the stance of choice if the group
has a main tank, Glory (and lots of traits from the Martial Champion
line) if the group does not.

The typical role of the Champion in a group is as a front-line
area-DPS machine with reliable interrupts. How the Champion goes about
filling
this role will vary from person to person, but there are some common
elements among the top endgame players. Firstly, damage output must be
"ramped" in order for the Champion to be effective without generating
more threat than can be readily contained. This is a quality shared
with Hunters - start slowly and build up to the big attacks rather than
burning huge attacks right at the start. Champion threat, like Hunter
threat, is based on doing big damage numbers, and pulling big numbers
at the start of the fight means peeling the mobs away from the tanks,
putting extra pressure on the healers. Start slowly with auto-attacks,
then start wailing on the mobs once the main tank has built up a good
head of steam. Those big hits are seductive, but they can be dangerous
if not used in a controlled manner. Hitting the big numbers off the bat
makes the Champion the tank.

Tanking is not the preferred role in a group for the Champion,
but he can do it in times of pressing need. That's what the Martial
Champion trait line and Glory stance is for. Ideally, the job of
tanking will go to a Guardian or Warden, who are better able to sustain
these duties over longer periods of time, but the Champion can do it in
a pinch, and make fine off-tanks when the situation calls for it. When
set up to do so, Champions can generate tons of threat and hold aggro
for long periods, but will require additional attention from healers to
keep them standing, as they do not have the range of self-heals and
impenetrable defensese of a dedicated Guardian or Warden.

Threat management is key for Champions, regardless of their
role in the group. They either want the aggro, in which case they need
to start big and use threat-generating skills, or they do not, in which
case they need to start slow and work their way up to big numbers.

One thing that group-spec Champions will want to pay
particular attention to is crowd-control. Again, this is a quality that
Champions share with Hunters - both classes are the bane of Burglars
and Lore-masters everywhere. Occasionally, burglars will mis-time their
Riddles or Lore-masters will want to use Blinding Flash on mobs in
close proximity to the group. Situational awareness is critical for
these occasions - knowing who is standing where and doing what. When
the group has a Burglar or Lore-master, it's time to keep the
area-effect attacks under tight control and use target assists.
Champions, like Guardians, need to have a holistic view of the
battlefield, rather than a narrow focus on single objectives. The goal
is to apply the DPS in the most productive manner possible. If
that means taking a few steps back and using single-target attacks to
avoid breaking mezzes, so be it. While the Champion is not responsible
for the well-being of everyone in his group like the Guardian or
Minstrel is, he is responsible for not getting everyone killed by being
lackadaisical and foolhardy.

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

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/champ/overview">OVERVIEW
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/champ/solo">SOLO
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/champ/group">GROUP
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/champ/pvmp">PvMP
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/champion/endgame">LEGENDARY
ITEMS | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/90510/page/2">TRAITS
| VIRTUES
| href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro/guides/classes/champ/skills">SKILLS

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