Raids
A Raid is a separate copy of a building's interior, a dungeon, or some piece of the game's landscape. Raids are similar to Instances, but are designed on a larger scale with encounters for two or more fellowships of players to complete. The encounters found within usually involve Arch-nemesis bosses that can require complex strategies.
No outside help by other adventurers can be rendered to those within a raid. Doing so allows game developers a greater ability to customize the details of the encounters and makes them more immersive, allowing multiple raids to enjoy the same content without interfering with each other.
Raid Locks
- Note: The concept of Raid Locks has been largely abandoned by Turbine for new and revised content. Only a few older Raids still have them.
Raid Locks are designed to prevent any player from completing the same stage of an instance multiple times in a short period of time. For example, Raid Locks prevent a single character from slaying Helchgam over and over again in order to get his slime. Endgame Locks generally expire weekly, meaning any character can complete a particular boss battle no more than once a week.
Raids can only be entered by players who are a part of the raid group and have either the same or "similar" raid locks as the raid leader, or no raid locks. If a player is part of a raid that completes a stage in the instance (usually a boss fight), then the player will receive a lock number corresponding to the number of the stage completed. As the raid progresses, more such locks are obtained. A few examples of how raid locks work:
- Raid leader has locks 1,3,5; raid member has no locks -> raid member will be able to enter, and will inherit raid leader's locks.
- Raid leader has locks 1,6; raid member has locks 1,6 -> raid member will be able to enter.
- Raid leader has locks 1,3,4; raid member has locks 1,4 -> raid member will be able to enter, and will inherit raid leader's lock 3.
- Raid leader has locks 1,3,4; raid member has locks 1,3,5 -> raid member will not be able to enter.
- Raid leader has no locks; raid member has locks 1,4 -> raid member will not be able to enter.
To find out which raid locks you have, open the Social menu, then select the Group Stage Info tab. The lock numbers your character has are listed by instance under Personal Stage Information.
Lock Resets
Locks reset at 6:00AM Eastern on specific days for different raids:
Daily @ 6:00AM Eastern
Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays @ 6:00AM Eastern
Mondays & Thursdays @ 6:00AM Eastern
Organization
Due to the scale and the amount of coordination required from all participants, any successful raid will need a means of organization. The following is a list of commonly assigned duties:
- Raid Leader (RL) - Leadership, coordination, boss strategy explanation, MT, OT, MA and Raid Assist target assignment, loot distribution
- Main Tank (MT) - Primary tank, mob and boss positioning and tanking, generally always maintaining highest threat
- Off Tank (OT) - Secondary tank, holding mobs the MT is not, generally maintaining second highest threat
- Main Assist (MA) - Target selection for focused DPS
Communication
The RL will often specify a VoIP program for everyone to use, allowing voice communication amongst the raid members. The two most common choices are Ventrilo and TeamSpeak, both easy to set up and readily available free of charge. For many high-end raiding guilds, a VoIP client is mandatory and sometimes having a microphone as well. Although the in-game voice communication for LOTRO could be used for this purpose, it provides far fewer options for sound quality and customization, which can be crucial to allow all raid participants to hear each other clearly.
Raids
Angmar
- The Rift of Nûrz Ghâshu (level 50, 12-person)
- Bogbereth (level 50, 6 to 12-person)
- Ferndúr the Virulent (level 50, 12 to 24-person)
The Misty Mountains
- Helegrod
- Helegrod: Drake Wing (level 50-150, 12-person)
- Helegrod: Spider Wing (level 50-150, 12-person)
- Helegrod: Giant Wing (level 50-150, 12-person)
- Helegrod: Dragon Wing (level 50-150, 24-person)
Moria
- Filikul (Turtle) (level 58, 12-person)
- The Vile Maw (Watcher) (level 58, 12-person)
- Dâr Narbugud (level 58, 12-person)
Mirkwood
- Barad Guldur (level 65-150, 12-person)
Enedwaith
- Ost Dunhoth (level 65-150, 12-person)
- Draigoch's Lair (level 75, 12/24-person)
Nan Curunír
- The Tower of Orthanc (level 75, 12-person)
Rohan
- Flight to the Lonely Mountain (level 20-150, 12-person)
- The Fires of Smaug (level 20-150, 12-person)
- The Battle for Erebor (level 20-150, 12-person)
The Ettenmoors
(PvMP, Cap Level)
- The Delving of Frór
- Dar-gazag
- Ost Ringdyr
- Lugazag
- Tirith Rhaw
- Tol Ascarnen
- Isendeep Mine
- Grimwood Lumber Camp