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*Insert
Chariots of Fire theme*

It's no secret that I love spell-slinging classes as much (if not more)
as anyone. Even so, there are times when nothing satisfies a
bloodthirsty craving like getting right up in the face of your enemy
and splitting it with a sword or bashing it in with a shield. Behold
the href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/lotro" target="_blank">Lord
of the
Rings PvMP battlefield
commander, the Uruk War Leader.
Designed to drive your fellow Creeps on to greatness, the War Leader
juggles filling multiple roles. It may sound confusing, but that's
exactly what makes the War Leader so much fun.


Holy Bajeezus, I'm Not A Wuss



Surprise, surprise. Unlike every other monster class I've done the
guides for, the War Leader begins his career with some solid stats
right off the bat. Good hit points, great armor, and the ability to
heal yourself (and others) combine to make you a force of nature best
paid attention to... at least for the PvE content.


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By starting out with such a solid base, there are a number of ways you
can go about filling out your character's passive attributes. For the
War Leader, I went in a direction different to that of every character
to come before him. Rather than getting all four available choices up
to rank one, I gathered my Destiny Points up and spent them in one
category twice. Let me tell you what order I went in, and then I'll
explain why I did it that way. I upgraded my passive abilities in the
following order: Power, Power again, Resistance, Armor, Damage. From
there, pick whatever order you feel most comfortable with.



For a class that's built for both href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/67553" target="_blank">dealing
and absorbing damage, why
would I choose to double up on power, especially when for the same
amount of Destiny Points, I could have gotten the first rank in all
three of the other choices? Because a number of your abilities don't
have a set power cost associated with them. They have a beginning power
cost, but also have an upkeep cost associated with them. What this
means is that while you're out there spending power points on
Intimidating Shout and Cleave while wailing away on your target, Aura
of Command is continuing to drain your reserves. The last thing you
want to do in any battle (no matter class you're playing) is run out of
power.


Enough with the PvE Already



Like it or not, you need to suck it up and get cracking on that PvE
content to build your skills if you want to have a snow ball's chance
in hell of surviving a PvP battle. Fortunately, I do have some good
news. The War Leader does better in PvP than the other classes I've
tested so far. While others become supreme instruments of destruction
later on, the War Leader doesn't have to wait as long to avoid being
squashed like an insignificant insect. You still need to do all the PvE
content you can stomach, but it's not as bad as it seems.






One way to suppress the urge to slap yourself at the prospect of more
PvE is to head off in a different direction for href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/67140" target="_blank">a
change of scenery.
I'm still going to insist on grabbing every quest you can find and
always getting the Mash (slug meat hunting) quest out of the way as
your first order of business. No matter where you're heading at any
given time, be sure to search every Sun-caught Troll you find scattered
around. You can never have enough slabs of stone from them for the Set
In Stone repeatable quest.


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Have
I mentioned how much I hate hobbits?

In the past, I've suggested going to Hoarhallow for the never-ending
Hobbit killing. I still
love that place, but if you're more interested in testing your strength
against the men and elves of the Free Peoples in the Ettenmoors, then
you want to make a beeline for the far south eastern edge of the map.
On your travels, you'll find not only plenty of human and elvish
targets patrolling the area for your death dealing pleasures, you'll
also find a massive amount of Sun-Touched Eagles. These eagles drop
feathers used in a quest that can be grabbed
in the Grimwood Lumberyard
to the south. Like the Hobbits of Hoarhallow, the men and elves in this
area drop parts for a wide variety of quests, so collect everything you
can and kill to your heart's content.


Can I Please Go PvP Now?



Alright. You've raised what skills you can without needing to gain a
PvP rank. You've completed enough PvE content to justify clawing your
own eyes out. It's finally time to lay the smackdown on those Freep
candy asses. For your first rank, you're going to (unfortunately) most
likely need to be content with playing the role of a healer. I know, I
know. I’ve talked about href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/67545" target="_blank">how
much of a badass you are up to
this point, but you have to remember that you were fighting against PvE
opponents. The Freeps are far more powerful than you at this stage in
the game. If it's any consolation though, the Freeps are going to be
going out of their way to track you down.



It's not that your early healing spells are more powerful than those of
the Defiler (though they do have the benefit of not being Heal Over
Time spells), but your On Your Feet! spell has the ability to resurrect
up to 5 of your allies within a 20 meter radius. This spell brings them
back in the battle with 25% morale and power. That's not a whole lot,
but remember all the time I had you spend collecting Destiny Points
with PvE content? If you spent 4000 points on Enhanced Skill: On Your
Feet!, that adds another 10% for a total of 35% Morale and Power.



It’s your ability to resurrect multiple allies at once,
combined with your array of impressive buffs that makes you such a
threat in the Ettenmoors. And that’s while you’re
just starting out. As you gain ranks and grow in power, you become a
War Leader not just in name, but in truth. A highly ranked War Leader
can turn the tide of battle when all hope seems lost. It may take time,
but your fellow Creeps will greatly appreciate having you at their side
in any party.



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

Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

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