Thread: Mini, LM or Warden?

Hello everyone, new to Lotro and looking for a main class to play. I've narrowed it down to LM, Warden or Mini. I've played them to the 18, 17, and 28 levels respectively.

I doubt Ill grp much in the game, I prefer to solo most of the time due to my weird work schedules. My playstyle is in a word 'extreme' I like to try and take on the biggest, baddest thing I can and see if I can defeat it. I derive great pleasure in saying 'Yeah, I did that', when you not technically suppose to. This doesn't have to be the biggest, baddest in the entire game....it can pertain to just the class. My main consern is survivability and soloability.

I will grp from time to time though, I think skirmishes will be 90% of my grping extent with a dungeon or two for good measure.

So, in your opinion and experience would a Lore-Master, Warden or Mini be better suited for that?

For what u are desiring, I'd have to say Warden.

Originally Posted by MeanMrMustard

For what u are desiring, I'd have to say Warden.

agreed, better start learning your gambits ^^

Warden would fit pretty well, though a well geared mini (and competent player) can solo 75% of what a warden can, though a warden is helluva fun ^.^

Warden?? I'm suprised you guys didn't talk up the soloing ability of the Mini. So far the Mini and Warden have both been easy to solo. I would say the Mini has been faster so far. Other than speed I havn't seen much difference.

Any extreme soloing Mini's out there?

Originally Posted by Tirroth

Warden?? I'm suprised you guys didn't talk up the soloing ability of the Mini. So far the Mini and Warden have both been easy to solo. I would say the Mini has been faster so far. Other than speed I havn't seen much difference.

Any extreme soloing Mini's out there?

there is a thread on here, down way deep inside the forums, minis soloing T2 65 3 man, soloing most of t1 isen 3 mans, and one or two doing turtle solo

I play warden/cappy/minstrel/hunter/champ. Warden is my favorite because it requires a lot of thinking before fight during and after (gambits.....) I can tank very well and dps alright. Check out the warden forums. Wardens are best solo class in my opinion!!

Thar

definitely not an extreme solo-er, but I've gotten my Mini up to 44 with little to no problems. And I'm a total newbie MMO player to boot. It's a fun class. Capable of good dps. High survivability and you can keep yourself healed and powered.

Having been playing for almost a year now - and running through stuff with a guard first - I am much less cautious with my mini than I used to be - but probably not nearly as capable as more seasoned player.

My husband loves his warden - it's his fav class (and he's played them all) with the mini a close second. They don't say "Warden - a fellowship of one" for no reason.

I don't know, I think a mini might be more of a challenge overall (since they don't have the skill set-up of warden), but there should be a lot of posts on the class forums to help you decide.

All classes can solo to level cap now, they are just different in their play styles, for solo levelling & questing 1-2 levels above yourself there is no real difference between any of the classes.

All classes will have a 'sticky' patch where they seem underpowered / low dps / die easily , this is usually fixed within 3-4 levels when the next set of skills become available from class trainer.

I love playing both my Mini and Warden but for differing reasons, Warden is the animal - brute force , run aggro everything , wear them down , gloat over the pile of the dead, good after a tough day at work . Mini is more finesse, plan the attack , execute the plan , walk out alive feel good. Oh and you have cool Laser beams from the Gods

Both are good in groups, I have been a MMO healer for more years than I care to remember but I still get a buzz completing a hectic Raid either as Mini or Warden.


If you want to enjoy the game , have fun questing do some light grouping then the choice is yours, play what you are most comfortable with , this is always my comment to all new players / members of our Kin when asked 'what classes does the kin need shall I play ?'

If as you say you want to try and go extreme soloing then Warden is better than Mini or LM , but you will need a well kitted out Warden to do that and that means Raiding to get the best Armor / goodies. There are some nice 750K Morale Trolls sitting at the Isengard gate, split them and take one down ,

When you'll reach level cap you're probably going to group more often.

Try to understand if you like sit down and heal ppl (Min)or do you like tank boss and save the &&& of your fellow (Warden), or if you like be the oil in the motor made it work better. (LM)

For solo purpouse i think warden have no opponent, as because of some mitigation problem, dev give them a fellow capability in normal content. (so bad design)

Also minstrel in WS is simply a warmachine.

Originally Posted by Arlecchino79

For solo purpouse i think warden have no opponent, as because of some mitigation problem, dev give them a fellow capability in normal content. (so bad design).

have to smile at that 'bad design' throw away comment, it was - RoI Passive removal , Mitigation gap increase between Heavy/Medium/Light - removing of stat caps that was the bad design. Devs had 2 options - increase self heals / self buffs so that Warden was viable as a raid tank & that makes them slightly OP in landscape/3/6 mans or do nothing and exclude one of the 2 premium classes from all end game content effectively losing a large proportion of the player base. This took 6 months to get right, we have RoR coming along in a couple of months - bets are already coming in that the Warden class will be *******d at lvl85 since none of the self buffs / heals scale very well.

As I said before all the classes are fun, i tend to solo more on the Warden and group more on the Minstrel, just because there does not seem to be as many good healers as tanks.

I have found that all 3 are fun to play. Well geared they all are awesome. Solo, the warden has to be the most survivable. Minni is not too far behind. DPS is higher for minni. LM does pretty good DPS as well and depending on the pet you have, you can be pretty survivable with the LM too. Its a tough choice.... I personally prefer the minni, though I say level them all and see what you like at end game

-E

My son has a LM and he wouldn't trade it for anything.. massive aoe and tons of fun... but takes some planning so not sure if his long inductions, pitiful self heals and light armor make him a really great solo class.

I have a Minstrel for 5 years since early beta and it's all I have ever played until recently I have made a Warden. he is currently level 50 and has not been easy to solo. Yes he can take on the aggo and never die but it takes FOREVER to kill stuff. That's not fun if you are in a quest where you need to kill the boss faster than it can kill the npc. I had to call in for help. I just started Moria and I'm really hoping his dps improves.

My Minstrel is just awesome. I only dps. Not a healing mini. I love grouping too so dps my Minstrel even in T2 raids. I like taking my mini to the limit and beyond in regards to dps and various dps builds.

If you have plans to pvp, probably all 3 class do well with that but maybe Warden and Mini are best suited. Although my son lives in Ettens with his LM and does just fine despite the challenges.

At the end of the day I think it all depends on which class you have the most fun with.. OR just play them all! :-)

My little hobbit Mini is just unstoppable. From level 1 to 75 I've only had to ask for assistance on only one quest. She does great damage and has amazing healing abilities, even in warspeech. I wouldn't trade her as my main for anything.

Warden is fun and fresh every time I battle. That said, if you aren't going to play him a lot or at least consistently, then the gambits might prove daunting to remember and keep up with. However, it sounds like you want to play warden.

Mini is fun and much faster at leveling than my warden. You have a lot of dps and self-heals. However, you have to stay atop the battle, or it could overwhelm you quickly. Light armor isn't as forgiving, lol.

LoreMaster... I don't know a lot about, but a lot of those I do know say that it is slow leveling. I cannot back that up, though.

I have played all three to level 50. My warden was pre Roi and I found the levelling to be extremely slow and it took forever to kill things but it was extremely fun getting peoples face. My lm was slow as well and also fun. The biggest issue with the lm was you had to plan out your fights which was time consuming. The minstrel I would just run into battle and smash face. Definitely the fastest leveller of the three and highest dps. I could kill elites with 7k morale when I was just under 2k and same level. Survivability was high and dps was amazing, go minstrel. It sounds closest to what you want with an extreme playstyle.

Originally Posted by Nerglor

there is a thread on here, down way deep inside the forums, minis soloing T2 65 3 man, soloing most of t1 isen 3 mans, and one or two doing turtle solo

OMG Solo Turtle? That must take forever!
My solo Mini is sitting at 38 at the moment and I must say I like him best. Those first 30 levels or so went by so fast it was disgusting. Minstrels level FAST. Faster than my Hunter, i think. a Minstrel in Warspeech is a one man wrecking crew...I guess I'm supposed to be a Rock Star or something but I feel more like a War or Tank Mage when fighting.
I do love my warden as well, but frankly. Those recent Warden changes confused the heck out of me and I haven't had time to figure out what it all means yet....
I did manage to level a LM to almost 20 but I cant stand watching something else kill stuff while I pitch in..so, not for me.
So, i like my Mini.....Mini's are great.

I run L75 Warden, Minstrel, Burglar, Champion, Rune Caster... All are fun, but by far and away the Warden is best solo-er

My Warden (Hastarius of Gladden) solos Stoneheight, Sword Halls, T2 Skirms... even some full fellowship instances...

My Minnie can squeak by sometimes, fail others; all depends on what crits land in what order on me,
Champ can do a few always, others never, Burg can do some if the fights go well, and Runie; "fegged-abootit"...
he dies often to T1 skirms if the challenge is = level...

Warden also makes a decent tank, or extra DPS-er.
Be prepared to spend time learning, memorizing, mastering your gambits though...
There are 5 ways to handle most situations, and you must pick the right way in different conditions. Without pondering sometimes...

If you don't want the Warden's learning curve, desire more of a "Push buttons to win" alt; choose the Champ.

Jammer

(Pps we call em "Wadens" fyi... if you choose one, you'll figure it out)

Originally Posted by Nerglor

there is a thread on here, down way deep inside the forums, minis soloing T2 65 3 man, soloing most of t1 isen 3 mans, and one or two doing turtle solo

I must look this up! Soloing and Isen 3-man? yes please

Originally Posted by Jammermon

. . .
If you don't want the Warden's learning curve, desire more of a "Push buttons to win" alt; choose the Champ.

Jammer

Well, a "push-button" mini works just fine--and better than my champ. I love my mini as a solo DPS machine with some great ranged AOE weapons. I'm not afraid to take 2-3 mobs at a time. When 4 come at me, I say, "What a bother" and then slaughter them. So if you're not liking the Warden angle (which is the best solo class for doing rediculous achievements), I strongly recommend sticking with the mini. I've run mine to lvl 64 without much fuss, and 1v1 versus mobs, the mini kills quicker than a warden. And minis have AOE--something wardens lack on any grand scale (Sure a little lifetap damage, but still requires patience for payoff).

Has anyone heard if a mini can take on Huron (sp?) trees (~72k moral) in Limlight? I think the only class is a warden for that.

I love all three classes. I have two capped and the LM is on his way. The slowest one to level is the Warden. It can take a lot of damage, but the dps isn't great. The LM has low dps in his early levels. But from level 50 it can go as fast as a Mini.

Tip for Warden play: Know the gambits! And, don't have a routine whilst raiding. The battle can turn in a moment, you need to counter those moments. So don't get stuck on things like "Oh! one of the healers died. Wait, I need to put up my buffs first before I can protect the other one." Battle preparation (preparing EoB) and Battle memory (having interrupt ready) can save you.

Tip for LM: It is usefull to share your power. However, it costs more power than other players gain. Don't give it away like it's free. Limit it to those who need it, ignore those who want it.

Tip for Mini: Keep yourself and the tank alive, the rest can be missed or rezzed later.

I found that my mini was really slow at first but once I hit 45 or so it was just unstoppable. I only died twice while soloing since then, and only because I aggroed 5 mobs at once (Since I can usually hit 3 of them or even 5 with no problem)

Warspeech is OP :P

LM needs more attention here i think. It has insane solo ability. Basically if you can root it you can kill it. It can even deal with some mobs that wardens struggle with, like those that like to stun or disarm.

Minni is awesome in a "lets do normal onlevel content while leveling" kind of way. But if you want to solo anything above elite level(or elite with adds) ... I just don't see it working that well with the gear you have while leveling. I always ran out of power and thats that as a minnie. Warden and LM have more tricks up their sleeve. Especially the LM won't run out of power while the mob has any, also he can keep the mob at distance between his dazes, slows and roots real easily.

Though i have to admit that i think the minnie is mechanically better thought out. LM looses alot of control for traiting damage, while minnie only looses the group relevant part of his healing and even that only if he runs a toggle. Truth be told i prefer the minnie all around these days. But fighting hard single targets or small groups? I think the LM has the edge.

Originally Posted by DrBrackman

Minni is awesome in a "lets do normal onlevel content while leveling" kind of way. But if you want to solo anything above elite level(or elite with adds) ... I just don't see it working that well with the gear you have while leveling. I always ran out of power and thats that as a minnie.

Once you get the power restoring anthem (when you use coda) the problem with power goes away. I run in Harmony for AoE and healing all in one coda. I can solo the Prancing Pony skirm in 9m 15s (my personal best, but 9m 45s is more common) which is before the instance finder is available for use again. At 43 I went to Eregion and soloed the elite level 48 trolls and trees. The annoying part of fighting above level mobs is that missing with coda doesn't heal you, so you have to use more than balladx3 => coda to win. And there are multiple skills that can save you if anything goes wrong. I could have breezed through the area if I did any kiting, but it was more fun to have the 'danger' of the mob hitting full force.

If you're fighting on level mobs, there isn't a way to die, or even really come close to it.

Mini really is quite competent at soloing encounters that challenge other classes.

Originally Posted by Elfedlied

Once you get the power restoring anthem (when you use coda) the problem with power goes away. I run in Harmony for AoE and healing all in one coda. I can solo the Prancing Pony skirm in 9m 15s (my personal best, but 9m 45s is more common) which is before the instance finder is available for use again. At 43 I went to Eregion and soloed the elite level 48 trolls and trees. The annoying part of fighting above level mobs is that missing with coda doesn't heal you, so you have to use more than balladx3 => coda to win. And there are multiple skills that can save you if anything goes wrong. I could have breezed through the area if I did any kiting, but it was more fun to have the 'danger' of the mob hitting full force.

If you're fighting on level mobs, there isn't a way to die, or even really come close to it.

Mini really is quite competent at soloing encounters that challenge other classes.

Oh i don't doubt that, but its not like that for quite a while. I do Lonelands with every char, aswell as agamaur. And i have to say that the minnie did worse there than the LM. You simply lack too many crucial skills and traits that early.

For example just going from 38 to 42 you get the following skills:

Chord of Salvation
Still As Death
Story of the Hammerhand
Cry of the Valar

Fighting elite in respawn happy areas without those, atleast with my gear, is a rather painful endeavor. Unlike the LM Minnies lack slows, dazes, relieable stuns, roots and debuffs. Things that come to a LM early on. Guess im trying to say that for a LM not even an Elite add is much of a problem, i once had two onlevel elite add on me just as i finished a third and it wasn't even a problem for my LM(in the 30-40 range with bad gear). The ability to permanently take a enemy out of the fight is just rather ... powerful. It doesn't even matter what kind of gear you have, all items red? No problem. Its like a on/off switch.

Edit: I guess i should clarify that im not talking about a redline LM.

I would discourage the OP from going Warden first. As time went on, I despised the gambit system more and more, as it was more like work than fun. Minstrel is a lot of fun, tho, and to a newbie i'd recommend it over LM.

I've played all classes to between 30 and 70. Warden was my least favorite.

I'd also recommend Champ to the OP as a simple and effective beginning character.