Skald and Warsongs

Guide to Minstrel Tactics

By Darkgolem

Minstrels are a powerful class in Lord of The Rings Online (LOTRO).  Able to deliver a lot of damage quickly at the start of a combat, able to maintain combat  against small numbers of opponents for a long time, but poor against large and mid sized groups of opponents, they have unique weaknesses and strengths in combat.  As the most healing oriented of classes, they are desired in any fellowship.

Using your minstrel character to greatest effect takes a little practice, some tactical thinking, and a good understanding of your minstrel’s powers.  The abilities that work well for you in combat while soloing are not the same as the abilities you should focus on while in a fellowship.

Soloing:

When soloing, you should confine yourself to groups of 3 opponents or less whenever possible after level 12.  If your fighting enemies who are a not “Enemies of the Valar” (that is, sinister animals such as wolves, or evil men, etc.), or are below level 12, you want to stick to groups of 2 enemies.  This is because most of your songs can be interrupted, and your armor won’t be good enough to protect you.

You should use songs which make you harder to hit and then give you a damage bonus, because you need to use songs to build yourself up into a formidable combatant.  Combat for you will generally involved you using your 12th level skill “Cry of the Valar” to send one enemy running (if applicable) while you deal with up to 2 more.

If you have a minstrel character, you are aware that you need to use songs with “tiers” first, that is, to use a tier 2 song, you have to use a tier 1 song first, and so on.  You need to remember to use your songs of higher tiers before your window of opportunity to use them has faded.  For example, if you use a tier 1 song, you have a set period of time before that songs benefit fades and you cannot use a tier 2 song.

The trick with these skills is to form a good chain of effects right after another.

Here is an example:

1.  Start combat; use Cry of the Valar on one foe.  Two other foes attack you
2.  Before they arrive, use Ballad of Vigor (tier 1 song) on an approaching opponent.  This increases your vitality and hurts your opponent
3.  Your opponents are almost on you, use Piercing Cry on the same opponent; Ballad of Vigor is still active.
4.  Use Ballad of Balance (tier 2 song ) on opponent.  This increases your evasion and hurts your opponent.  At this point Ballad of Vigor is fading.  Your opponents are in melee range.
5.  Use Herald’s Strike (a melee attack that increases the effect of healing upon you and does damage to opponent).  Ballad of Vigor is gone.
6. Use Ballad of War (tier 3 song) granting you a melee damage bonus.
7.  Use Chant of the Oathbreaker (summons a sword which fights for you).  Ballad of Balance is gone now.
8 (and so on).  Pick tier 1 songs and move from there up to higher tier songs, mixed with other abilities that are not tier dependant.  Your Cry of the Valar recharges fast enough to keep one opponent feared all the time.  Heal yourself using your many healing songs.

This sort of fight can keep going until either all your opponents are dead or you have run out of power.  It is wise to keep a stack of celebrant salves or similar power buffs prepared, and have food for the same purpose.

Note with the above list, you are stacking combat bonuses, starting with defensive abilities, and building tiers of songs, while having damage spells mixed in to take your opponents out.  What is important to remember is that most of your songs do not do a lot of damage, and those that do recharge slowly.  You can count on taking out one opponent quickly, and being able to handle up to 2 at a time (three if they are vulnerable to your fear effects), but against groups you are likely to be over matched.

I keep a bar specifically with all my “solo” abilities lined up in the order that I use them, I suggest you do the same.  Try some combinations of abilities and see what works.

Fellowships

In a fellowship, you main job is healing and some damage mitigation.  In a good group your eyes should be on the health bar of your party members (and their pets, if they have some).  You will draw a fair amount of aggression by healing, and defense of your person falls upon other party members.  If that is an issue, save Cry of the Valar and Song of the Dead (if applicable) for self protection.  Otherwise, you can rarely consider using them near the beginning of a large combat.  Once your party member start taking damage, your going to be too busy for effects that take a long time to use, because you will be healing.

In a fellowship, when any combat of note starts, you should start with your slowest healing ability (I use Bolster Courage).  It takes a while to cast, but is quite powerful, and affects your whole fellowship.  The reason I use this at the beginning of combat is because I have time to.  Some of your fellowship members will take damage quickly,  but you will be able heal all of them with Bolster Courage before they die.  In the beginning of a combat you face the largest number of opponents.  Your fellowship will take the most damage, most widely among your fellowship, at this point in a combat, so your Bolster Courage will give the most benefit.

You should have enough time (in a combat appropriate for your fellowship) to heal your entire fellowship alternating between your long and short, individual and group healing songs.  However, you should consider “sneaking” songs in between heals if you have time. Your goal when doing this is to work yourself up to using a tier 3 song, then use Ballad of War, which gives a damage bonus.

Here is a good example of a chain of songs using Ballad of War, plus healing.

1.  Target your Guardian’s target, since most of the aggression from that opponent will be on the guardian.
2.  Start combat with Bolster Courage, a slow but very effective healing ability.
3.  Use Ballad of Vigor (a tier 1 song)
4.  Use Raise the Spirit (a quick, weak single target healing effect) on your most damaged fellowship member.
5.  Use Ballad of Swiftness (tier 2 song)
6.  Use Inspire Fellows (a fellowship healing effect that protects your fellowship a little)
7. Use Ballad of War (a tier 3 song that grants your fellowship a 10% damage bonus)
8. Use Raise the Spirit on your most damaged fellowship member.
9 (and so on). Use Bolster Courage, sneaking in effects to build up to Ballad of war between healing

It takes a little practice to get skilled at supporting a fellowship well.  Once you have the hang of it, set up a separate button bar for use with fellowships, just like you have one for solo play.

There are also special circumstances which might involve using different abilities.  For example, Ballad of Unshakeable Will increases fear resistance.  Fighting undead such as wights involves fear effects, and it may be better to use Ballad of Unshakeable will (a tier 3 song) instead of Ballad of War.

It takes some practice to get the hang of using minstrel songs effectively.  Experience and planning how to maximize your effectiveness, by using your songs efficiently, is most important to your success.  Establish what songs you wish to use, the order you wish to use them in, and then prepare them so that you will use them in the right order in combat.  You will find a huge difference in your effectiveness as a minstrel.

Want to comment on this article?  Do so in our forums!