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Skald and Warsongs

Guide to Minstrel Tactics

By Darkgolem



href="http://lotro.tentonhammer.com/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=53">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 href="http://lotro.tentonhammer.com/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=165">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.



href="http://lotro.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?full=1&set_albumName=album14&id=Fighting_the_Warg&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php"> alt="Fighting A Warg"
src="http://lotro.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/album14/Fighting_the_Warg.jpg"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 250px; height: 174px;" align="right">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 href="http://lotro.tentonhammer.com/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=432">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.



href="http://lotro.tentonhammer.com/modules.php?full=1&set_albumName=album14&id=Vile_Lubach&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php"> alt="Vile Lubach"
src="http://lotro.tentonhammer.com/files/gallery/albums/album14/Vile_Lubach.jpg"
style="border: 2px solid ; width: 250px; height: 174px;" align="left">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.



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Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

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