Gameplay: Lore-masters use ancient Lore and elemental powers to inflict harm on their enemies whilst controlling and debuffing them. But whilst some Lore-masters rely on summoned pets, Red lives on the edge. Without protection, they have to stun, slow and create distance in landscape. Whilst debuffing, buffing and crowd control are primary roles, healing support is a secondary role of Lore-masters. Flanking maneuvers allow them to apply additional damage or healing.
Lore: Lore-masters are seekers of knowledge and the guardians of wisdom. Through study of bygone Ages, they learn ancient secrets that allow them to hinder foes, as well as protect against the dark powers of the Enemy. They have many skills that invoke the natural world of Middle-earth, but it is draining on their will, thus costing them Morale to fuel some of these powerful skills.
This class was inspired by Elrond Halfelven, Elf-lord and Master of Rivendell.
Lore-masters have two main roles determined by trait tree: damage or support. Both can help with healing.
Blue offensive support Lore-masters boost their allies with powerful abilities like Murder of Crows and Battle Knowledge. Blue Lore-masters have a close relationship with their pets, using multiple signs to boost their pets' damage.
As a Yellow defensive support, Lore-masters have both offensive and defensive spells. They use their Lore abilities to spread debuffs on the enemies that reduce their damage and make them more vulnerable. They also have good crowd control that can Stun, Daze, and Root their enemies for as long as needed. They can restore Power to the Fellowship, and their Warding Knowledge can provide a potent defensive buff.
The Lore-master is LotRO's main Pet class, and Blue and Yellow have access to permanent animal friends. Lore-master pets have useful abilities on their own, but also provide important synergy with the Lore-master's own abilities. Red Lore-masters can call on pets but they disappear after a short time.
A Lore-master can only have one pet helping them at a time. A Lore-master must learn to choose smartly from their wide variety of pets to best fit each situation, specialization, role, and environment (see the Pets page for a detailed list of all the different animals a Lore-master can call to their side).
Pets in Master of Nature's Fury
While specialised in Red line, Pets no longer function the same way. When they are summoned, they apply their effects immediately, and despawn shortly thereafter. All Pets share the same skill cooldown. Flanking is still applied by pets, but the effect can also be applied by some of the Lore-master's regular abilities.
Flanking and Harrying
All pets have a chance to cause Flanked! when attacking an enemy. This is important, because several of the Lore-master's abilities have improved effects when an enemy has been Flanked.
Pets can also cause Harried! when attacking an enemy from behind. Beyond its snare effect, Harried! has no other useful interactions.
See each pet's individual page for a gallery of its possible appearances.
Skills
Default Skills
These skills are granted automatically as you gain levels. The effects of many of these skills are improved in various ways by your choice of specialization and how you spend your trait points. Some skills may also be replaced by an improved version of the same skill as you increase in level.
The Lore-master may summon Pets to aid them in battle. Only 1 Pet may be active at a time. 3 Pets are gained through leveling, 3 are gained through traits in the Keeper of Animals trait tree, and 1 is gained by specializing in the Ancient Master. Lore-masters have several command skills they can use to control their Pets. Upon using a Command skill, the currently summoned Pet uses their respective skill (Minor, Major, Raging, Protection). Yellow and Blue-line Lore-masters have different Minor Pet abilities, and Blue-line Lore-masters are the only ones that have access to Raging and Protection skills.
When specializing in the Master of Nature's Fury trait tree, the Lore-master's pet summoning skills are converted into the below Call to Pet skills. These skills share a common cooldown. Each one has an initial effect applied by the Lore-master, and each one summons a pet for a short duration.
These skills are acquired by spending trait points in the Keeper of Animals (blue) trait tree. You can only obtain the Set skills if you specialize in this tree.
These skills are acquired by spending trait points in the Master of Nature's Fury (red) trait tree. You can only obtain the Set skills if you specialize in this tree.
These skills are acquired by spending trait points in the Ancient Master (yellow) trait tree. You can only obtain the Set skills if you specialize in this tree.
The Ancient Master Uses lore knowledge to hinder and confound foes.
Focus on your knowledge of the natural world to support your allies, using a wide range of signs and lores to support your allies while hindering your foes.
The Ancient Master Uses lore knowledge to hinder and confound foes.
Focus on your knowledge of the natural world to support your allies, using a wide range of signs and lores to support your allies while hindering your foes.
Link Break: If in the face of two or more enemies who might assist one another, a cunning Lore-master can manage to fight just their intended target alone. Start out by casting Blinding Flash (Yellow line) on one of the mobs from the maximum possible distance, then turn around and run. Once the rest of the group have stopped pursuing you, return. After 30s have passed, the dazed mob will be free and will attack you -- but the rest will not follow.
Buying Time: Even if fighting just one target, it can be useful to use Blinding Flash. In the 30 seconds that pass, you can use Inner Flame (Blue line - exclusive) or other skills like Water Lore and Pleasant Breeze (Yellow line) to heal up, or wait for skill cooldowns to expire. Or if worst comes to worst, run. Be careful not to leave a DoT (e.g. Burning Embers) on the target, as that will break the daze.
Pet Shields: In Blue and Yellow, pets can serve as tanks and they have no cooldowns between summons, allowing you to resummon them when they get defeated. You can take advantage of this in tandem with slows and defensive skills to improve your survivability. Minor Pet Command (Blue, Yellow) may cause your pet to use skills that deal significant damage that could increase their threat level, and Major Pet Command (or Major Call - Harrying Flanks in Red) will reduce your own threat level; either can be used to turn your enemies' attention from you.
In Blue and Yellow, the Bear's Major Pet Command forces surrounding enemies to attack the bear instead. In Red, summoning your Bear evokes Fear in your foes, causing them to run away until the duration ends or until you break the effect by damaging them.
Inner Flame
Inspiring Rage
Naturally Armed
Battle Knowledge
Fellowship Friend
Bolstered Bond
Tutelage of the Brown Wizard
