If you're new to the game, odds are you haven't purchased the Mines of Moria expansion (MoM) or otherwise purchased the Rune Keeper and Warden classes, so you'll only have the seven core classes to pick from initially. If you'd like to start out with either a warden or rune keeper, there are a number of ways to purchase them, but at this point, there is no way to get them without paying either real money or using Turbine Points. Don't worry, there's lots to keep you busy in the meantime.
This will be more of an overview of character classes than any sort of guide. From time to time a class gets a revamp anyway, so we're just going to stick with the basics here and then give you some guidelines to help you pick.
Of course there's no reason to stick to just one class, and many players will run multiple classes to end game, level cap status. This is simply to get you started and help you avoid junking the whole game just because you made a bad choice early on, or maybe came in with a poor understanding of a class.
The Core Classes
These are the seven classes everyone has access to, regardless of account type or how much money you've spent in (or on) the game, in alphabetical order: burglar, captain, champion, guardian, hunter, lore master and minstrel.
The Moria Classes
Also known as the prestige classes, these were introduced with Mines of Moria, and since they won't always be "the new classes" and they're not particularly "prestige" I've chosen to refer to them as the Moria classes. There are two: the rune keeper and the warden.
To do even a brief overview of each class would take a significant amount of space, so I'm going to try to do one class per day (maybe two if I get ambitious) just to give you an idea of what to expect.So today we start with...
Burglar
Burgs rely on stealth, positional damage and tricks (or gambles) to take out their foes. They have abilities that allow them to stun, daze, knockdown and slow their enemies, as well as being able to fall without taking mobility penalties. Think of them as the Jedis of Middle-Earth. They dual wield one handed weapons and are the only class able to start a fellowship maneuver with 100% success. Burglars are rated as "advanced" in difficulty to play, and are likely not ideal for players who are new to MMORPGs, but experienced gamers new to LOTRO will adjust quickly.
A man burglar
Solo Play
with their ability to sneak burgs are able to finish recon type missions much faster than most other classes. Rather than kill your way into an enemy encampment, just sneak! They also handle assassination type quests very well, being able to sneak into an encampment and then backstabbing the necessary mob.
Between their tricks and their class specific tools (caltrops, stun dust, and marbles) they are able to control a decent size group of mobs with efficiency.
Backstabbing from stealth affords considerable bonus damage, and if equipped with proper weapons, can allow burgs to one-shot on-level opponents.
Group Play
Since they are the only class able to start FMs with certainty, certain raids will have a high demand for burgs. The Draigoch raid introduced with Rise of Isengard, was one such instance, with 12 man raids often wanting at least two burglars in order to go through a series of FMs to wear the massive beast down.
In groups burgs will typically have a mixed role of DPS/debuff with some crowd control thrown in.
They gain positional damage buffs, meaning that when attacking from behind a mob you will do extra damage, and this really shines in group play since you can stand behind a mob and jab away while the tank holds its attention. Stabby, stabby!
A hobbit burglar
Drawbacks
They are limited to leather (or medium) armour, but are able to parry and evade with efficiency, so this isn't much of a drawback.
They cannot use either bows or crossbows and so are limited to throwing axes for ranged attacks. There are special burglar throwing axes that do extra damage, but when you're trying to attack mobs from a distance to finish a slayer deed, this doesn't really help. This makes the burglar a bit tedious to play at times and can make the game progress a bit slowly.
Only men and hobbits can be burglars. Dwarves don't sneak very well and elves wouldn't resort to it (in keeping with the lore).
Overall
If you like subterfuge, hiding in the shadows and striking from behind, or enjoy puzzling your foes while out manoeuvring them, the burglar is probably a good class for you.
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