Guide to Playing Solo

LOTRO is a game designed to offer a variety of play experiences, and soloing is very viable for all of the Classes. It is not necessary to choose a particular class to solo effectively, although some classes are more enjoyable to solo with than others.

Class Overview

Preview: Tank and hybrid tank classes tend to be the best classes for solo leveling. This is simply due to their sheer survivability in solo combat against a strong single mob or multiple mobs. Pure dps, crowd-control, and healing classes require more thought and positioning to be successful in solo leveling. However, it is important to remember that all classes should be wary against facing large numbers of mobs at once at lower levels and that each individual should choose his or her own class based on their play-style and preferences. Furthermore, all classes are very useful in group play.

• Burglars have the ability to sneak attack and later in levels to hide in plain sight. However, it should be noted that this class is very positionally oriented and players may spent a great deal of time simply getting behind an enemy to deal maximum damage. In addition, enemy mobs automatically turn to face an attacker once aggroed - thereby negating the burglar's positional advantage very quickly unless stunned - which will also usually only last for a few seconds. Furthermore, and combat against multiple enemies very difficult. They are best employed in groups in which their debuff and crowd-control skills can be utilized to the maximum. Burglars should gear primarily towards Agility and then either Vitality or Fate. (While Vitality improves raw survivability, Fate improves Critical rating, in-combat power regeneration, and in-combat morale regeneration.)
• Captains are good for solo leveling as they can heavily buff themselves and their pet though most captains switch to using banners as soon as possible. Captains use heavy armor and have numerous abilities that allow them to effectively dps and heal. Captains should gear primarily towards Might and then Vitality.
• Champions are an excellent class for solo leveling being a hybrid between a tank and melee dps. Their heavy armor, heavy AoE, and strong single-target dps are extremely useful in solo leveling. It is recommended that players trait for and use the champion glory stance if available. Champions should gear primarily towards Might and Vitality. Nearly all 3-Man, 6-Man and some skraids have been soloed at level cap (https://www.lotro.com/forums/showthread.php?347448-The-Mighty-Champion-Solo-List)
• Guardians offer very high survivability as an unsupported character with their ability to take mass damage as a tank. They should primarily gear towards Vitality and then Might.
• Hunters have many high single-target dps skills that generally kill their opponents before they reach them. They also possess snares and several high damage melee skills to finish off any surviving mobs. However, hunters lack consistent AoE and should be careful when pulling mobs - anything more than 3 mobs is likely to result in death. Hunters also possess travel skills to make travel throughout Middle Earth much easier. They should gear primarily towards Agility and then Fate (because his more powerful shots take a lot of power so he will find himself empty of power in a very short time)
• Lore-masters can do heavy area affect damage and have the advantages of pets, which can distract opponents. Lore-masters also have the ability to crowd-control targets leaving a less likely chance to become overwhelmed. They should gear primarily towards Will and then either Fate or Vitality (see comment on Burglar).
• Minstrels have excellent healing and buffing abilities that they can use to increase their solo capability. They should gear primarily towards Will and then either Fate or Vitality (see comment on Burglar).
• Rune-keepers can be difficult for players to solo level. They have extremely good healing and single-target dps skills, but are very vulnerable to melee combat - especially against multiple enemies. They should gear primarily towards Will and then either Fate or Vitality (see comment on Burglar).
• Wardens are excellent solo characters with their high hp and ability to utilize massive amounts of self-healing - making them virtually unbeatable to on-level or even above-level mobs. They also have great versatility in being able to do both ranged and melee attacks. Wardens also possess travel skills that make travel in Middle Earth much easier. They should primarily gear towards Vitality and then Agility.

Class	Primary	Secondary
Beorning	Might	Vitality
Burglar	Agility	Fate / Vitality
Captain	Might	Vitality
Champion	Might	Vitality
Guardian	Vitality	Might
Hunter	Agility	Fate
Lore-master	Will	Fate / Vitality
Minstrel	Will	Fate / Vitality
Rune-keeper	Will	Fate / Vitality
Warden	Vitality	Agility

Questing

There are plenty of soloable quests in the game of LOTRO that makes it completely feasible to level all the way to the level cap even without doing fellowship quests, instances, or even entire regions. The quest journal and more importantly the quest tracker are very helpful tools in determining what quests are available and where. Generally, as a solo character you'll tend to avoid fellowship and small fellowship quests unless your character is several levels higher or you feel confident that you can successfully complete the quest. Fellowship quests often require players to defeat strong mobs and mini-bosses that are almost impossible to solo on-level.

In general, advancement as a solo player is a bit slower than with a good Fellowship but soloing offers much greater flexibility, especially for casual players without longer blocks of play time. If you don't mind the occasional PUG (Pick Up Group), then set yourself a goal to complete a series of Fellowship quests before moving on to another area. Otherwise, keep on that solo path and the best of luck to you!

Below is a suggested quest path through the various regions of Middle Earth:

• Levels 1-15: starter area
• Levels 15-22: Bree (Barrow-Downs for levels 20-30)
• Levels 22-30: Lone-Lands and/or North Downs
• Levels 30-40: Evendim
• Levels 40-45: Angmar
• Levels 45-50: Eregion (As well as the pre-moria questline)
• Levels 50-60: Moria
• Levels 60-65: Lothlorien and Mirkwood
• Levels 65-70: Enedwaith
• Levels 70-75: Dunland and Great River Region

Gearing Up

A character's gear becomes increasingly important as his or her level increases. At the beginning levels, the quality of your gear is a negligible factor and should not adversely affect your effectiveness in soloing nor occupy any significant amount of your attention and effort. However, at the mid-to-high levels, decent gear is recommended for smooth and effective gameplay and is often fairly easily acquired through quests, crafting, or purchases at the Auction House. It is advised that you do not spend large amounts of time and resources obtaining top tier on-level gear unless you are at the level cap as you will simply out-level the gear in a short time and find better gear that can be more easily required or requires even more resources. There is an enormous boost in stats from upon reaching level 75 to maxing out your characters traits and gear so there is no need to feel discouraged if you aren't satisfied at where you character is at even at level 74.