LOTRO Classes in WoW Lingo

Posted on 07. Nov, 2009 by Goldenstar in General

So you used to play World of Warcraft and now are interested in this amazing game called Lord of the Rings Online. You loved your character in WoW and would like to play something similar to that, if possible. This post is to try to help you find that similar class in LOTRO.

I’m not going to go over every little minute detail of abilities and comparisons. This is more of a high-level comparison of LOTRO features but put in a WoW perspective you should be able to quickly grasp. These two games are unique and there really isn’t a one-to-one comparison available to these characters (so don’t expect things to be a perfect match). Hopefully, the descriptions are enough to help you make that leap into LOTRO a more comfortable one.

Below is a list of the nine available LOTRO classes and what WoW class(es) I believe they are the most similar to. I welcome your feedback and discussions as I obviously have not played every class in both games. My goal is simply to help the WoW convert find the type of play style they previously enjoyed.

class minstrel Minstrel
LOTRO Role: Main Healer
WoW Counterpart: Priest
This is the class that is meant to fix all the damage being done to a party. Excels at single target healing but has limited of heal over time (HoT) skills so if you are used to healing as a WoW Druid, this may be a bit awkward at first. Has a “Warspeech” that is similar to Shadow Form that cuts healing ability but boosts damage output. Minstrel is unique in most of their group buffs are placed by doing light damage to the target (yes a healer that has to DPS) to grant access to their most powerful songs.
class guardian Guardian
LOTRO Role: Main Tank
WoW Counterpart: Warrior
They’re job is to wear heavy armor and to taunt stuff. Your typical melee tank type. They have attack chains that help grab and maintain a monster’s aggro. Damage dealt to enemies is limited but they are tough to kill. They have different traits (think specs) that will increase their damage but make them a bit more squishy and easy to defeat.
class captain Captain
LOTRO Role: Buffer / Group Support
WoW Counterpart: Paladin, Warlock
They have a pet at their beck and call and are able to summon others to them similar to the warlock. However, their main purpose in a group is a support role. They buff their group and have some good healing that can be used for back-up. They are melee fighters so in the thick of it right next to their pet. I really wouldn’t call them a true hybrid like a Paladin is since it is unlikely they will be called to main heal or main tank anything but they are great support to a fellowship and always appreciated when around.
class burglar Burglar
LOTRO Role: Debuffer / Group Support
WoW Counterparts: Rogue, Warlock
Closest to a WoW Warlock / Rogue combo. The Burglar’s main role in a party is to debuff the target which makes them similar to the role a Warlock would play. They weaken the enemy to help the party destroy it faster. Their DPS is adequate but not great which usually makes it a disappointment to WoW rogues. Like the rogue, burglars can stealth, they melee dps and they have some crowd control abilities to stun or mesmerize a target (think sap but can be done in-combat). Their Hide in Plain Sight ability is like a rogue’s vanish skill allowing them out of tight spots. If you enjoyed the rogue for the tricks, then burglar is probably a good match for you. If you liked the rogue for it’s damage output then you should shy away from this stealther.
class champion Champion
LOTRO Role: Melee DPS
WoW Counterparts: Rogue, Fury Warrior, Kitty Druid
Their job is pure melee damage. They dual wield weapons and are excellent at single target as well as area of effect (aoe) damage. They could be a choice for an off tank but do not have the taunting abilities that a guardian possesses.
class lore-master Lore-Master
LOTRO Role: Hybrid
WoW Counterparts: Warlock, Hunter, Druid
A primary role for a Lore-Master is debuffing and crowd control. They also have some healing skills as well and can be called on as a secondary healer in groups. They fight at range using “spells” of sorts (not technically spells in LOTRO but you’ll not notice the difference) and have a animal companion. They can cure most poisons, wounds and diseases and use roots and stuns for crowd control. Different pets have different abilities similar to how WoW Hunters operate. Some pets will tank while some will be better at DPS. There’s even a pet that’s able to heal! DPS for a Lore-Master is decent but not highest for ranged class.
class hunter Hunter
LOTRO Role: Ranged DPS
WoW Counterpart: Mage, Hunter
This is similar to the WoW Hunter except that there is no pet (see Lore-Master or Captain for pet classes). Some that I’ve spoken to have actually likened hunters more to a WoW mage. LOTRO Hunters are considered the best single target damage in game currently but do have some AoE abilities. They do have traps that can be set out of combat and have a group run speed buff (with no daze effect!). The mage aspect is in that Hunters are the portal makers of LOTRO. They can port people to many locations throughout the world. If you depended on your WoW Hunter pet a lot, you may not enjoy the LOTRO Hunter. This is definitely the closest thing to a pure ranged nuker that a WoW mage will find.
class warden Warden
LOTRO Role: Tank
WoW Counterpart: Death Knight
My first instinct for the Warden was a Paladin tank due to their success in AoE tanking but after talking with several players of Wardens I believe they are correct in likening the Warden to the WoW Death Knight. The gambit system is similar to how the DK runes operate. They have self-only ports similar to Ebon Blade. They can leech health from near by enemies and can give a bit of health back to the group but they do not have any direct healing spells. The Warden’s main role in a group is main or off tank. Their tanking is more of avoidance than of actually absorbing hits. Their damage is not stellar and would likely not be picked up for DPS.
class runekeeper Rune-Keeper
LOTRO Role: DPS / Healing Hybrid
WoW Counterparts: Druid, Shaman
The best description I was given was that Rune-Keepers are a combination of an elemental Shaman and a restoration Druid and I think this is accurate. The first comforting thing prior Shamans will see is the healing rune/rock thing the Rune-Keepers get that is similar to a totem. Rune-keepers can heal as well as dish out strong magical damage but not at the same time. The heals are mostly focused on heal over time (HoT) spells which will be very familiar to the tree druids. The damage spells they use are generally elemental things such as lightening bolts and that are in the realm of the shaman. A Rune-keeper casting damage spells is temporarily locked out of healing spells (and vice versa) so they cannot swap at the drop of the hat but can transition over mid-fight if given enough time. A great hybrid class to fill in which ever role is needed!

Special thanks goes to my twitter buddies who were extremely helpful in helping me better understand the Warden and Rune-Keeper classes. Your help was very much appreciated (and needed)! I couldn’t of done it without you!

@adambcrowe, @BlueKae, @Docholiday, @Robtillotson, @WizzardofAzz

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5 Responses to “LOTRO Classes in WoW Lingo”

  1. Longasc

    07. Nov, 2009

    That it is necessary to make such conversion charts shows how similar and shallow modern MMO worlds have become in the light of the unholy trinity and the underlying DIKU-mechanics that did not evolve since EverQuest 1 times. :(

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  2. Blue Kae

    08. Nov, 2009

    I disagree. What this chart highlights is how many classes in LoTRO have no direct equivalent in WoW (a game it is supposedly a clone of). I believe it was intended to allow WoW players to try out LoTRO and have a better idea for which classes they would enjoy.

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  3. LD

    08. Nov, 2009

    It’s always difficult trying to map classes to each other in different MMOs, especially with WoW since the classes vary so much within the class itself. Druids and Paladins can choose to tank like Guardians, heal like Minstrels and tear things up in melee like Champions – all depending on which talent tree they focus on. The Druid can even nuke at range like a Hunter! The LotRO classes don’t diverge anywhere near as much when players focus on a trait line, do they?

    Another difference is that in WoW you are either a Tank, a Healer or you are DPS. LotRO seems to have an additional role with two entire classes dedicated to debuffing the enemy and controlling the battlefield, something which really has no counterpart in WoW and can be a real shock for players who try out a Lore-Master or Burglar only to find that their role in a group is absolutely nothing like the Warlock or Rogue they left behind.

    Still, good job with the article. I’d love to see a similar list going the other way, WoW classes in LotRO lingo… I wonder if it would point towards the same classes?

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  4. Zhaan

    09. Nov, 2009

    Interesting, I went from a horde undead priest to an elf minstrel. They are so different to play, night and day really. But I do like a healing or support role.

    Xhaan, Brandywine

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  5. Goldenstar

    09. Nov, 2009

    I had a dwarf priest & a blood elf priest in WoW and while the tiered mechanic is new, i’d say my healer role is mostly unchanged. Need to manage power while keeping health up and threat down.

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