Hunter

Class Difficulty: Basic

Role: Damage

Available to races: Dwarf, Elf, High Elf, Hobbit, Man, River Hobbit, Stout-axe

Gameplay: Hunters are proficient at dealing significant damage to a single foe at long range. Their basic bow skills generate Focus, allowing them to use even more potent skills. If a foe manages to close into melee, the Hunter's dual-wielded weapons are capable of dealing a final blow. In Fellowships, a Hunter concentrates on quickly defeating foes one at a time.

Lore: Hunters are masters of field and forest, unmatched in their dexterity with the bow. They use their survival skills to guide companions and lay traps for enemies. The coming of the Enemy has forced them to adapt these skills to use against new prey.

This class was inspired by Legolas, Prince of Mirkwood, a mighty hunter and companion of Aragorn.

A female Hobbit Hunter

Class Navigation Classes Skills Traits Traceries Effects Deeds Guides

Gameplay

Hunters use ranged skills to deal damage to their enemies. Their basic skills like  Improved Quick Shot and  Improved Swift Bow generate Focus, which is consumed by more powerful skills to deal greater damage. Hunters have extra defensiveness, making up for their lack of general mobility as an induction class.

• Blue-line (Mobile Damage): Hunters specialized in the Huntsman trait tree use mobility to their advantage, gaining the ability to attack on the move without losing Focus. While out-damaged by Red-line Hunters, they are versatile damage dealers with improved defenses and excellent kiting ability. Their core gameplay revolves around cycling through  Barrage and keeping up bleed skills.
• Red-line (Stationary Damage): Hunters specialized in the Bowmaster trait tree can output high amounts of damage at the expense of losing mobility. They gain access to strong focus-consuming skills like  Upshot and  Rain of Arrows. With  Burn Hot, they are incapable of incredible burst damage. Red-line Hunters excel in encounters where movement is not required as much.
• Yellow-line (Pure Support): Hunters specialized in the Trapper of Foes trait tree use Traps to inflict potent debuffs on their enemies. With the  Master Trapper trait, several of their skills increase the damage of the fellowship. Unfortunately, yellow-line Hunters lack the ability to reduce enemy damage, making them a more niche support class.

This class is recommended for newer players to want to play damage roles. It's relatively simple to play, and is usually a solid pick when forming a fellowship. Blue-line and Yellow-line are underwhelming compared to other classes at the high end, but are fun to play when leveling through the game.

Focus

In addition to Power, Hunters use another resource, Focus. Some abilities generate Focus (such as  Quick Shot), while others, more powerful abilities, spend Focus. A Hunter can have a maximum of 9 Focus (each 'pip' on the Focus meter represents 3 Focus, also marked by a small crosshairs icon).

A Hunter must stand still to maintain their Focus. The Focus meter will start to deplete if a Hunter begins moving, and can quickly empty to zero if a Hunter moves too much. Choosing to specialize in the Huntsman (blue) trait tree will entirely remove this penalty.

Traps

Hunters have access to several Trap skills. These skills place a trap on the ground in the front of the Hunter. The traps remain on the ground until an enemy steps within its bounds, springing up and affecting all players within. Hunters specialized in the Trapper of Foes trait tree gain more trap abilities, and it's a major part of their skillset.

For more information, see Traps.