Portrait of a Lv 19 Burglar :: Character Decisions

Certainly deciding what character to play in any game is a big decision. In an MMORPG, you can argue it is even more important due to the time commitment to get up decent levels. That said, I thought I would post my character’s portrait and skill sets and talk about my experience as a burglar in LOTRO. This is NOT an uber build or anything like that. This is where I have ended up by questing alone and simply playing in pick up groups – no guild help and no alts and this is my first time up to this level so this is pretty much where you can expect to be as a floor.

Appearance wise, I am happier in the last 5 levels or so. I played a hobbit on Windfola and I liked his “look” better but in the last few levels, Derrid is looking a bit better. I haven’t messed with dyes and I certainly think it would help, but in the recent two weeks he has gone from kind of ugly to a better looking character.

Above is the current character sheet for those interested in stats. He dual-wields a sword and a dagger.

Derrid – Skill Set

Finally, above is a big composite photo of all the skills – both passive and active that I have accumulated. This is every skill available at level 19 outside of the music skills. At level 18 (IIRC), I ended up having to show the additional quickslot bar so that all skills available could be readily used. In the photo, the ones on the blue background are PASSIVE while the others are the active skills.

Typical Battle:

Ok… I just got a couple of newer skills so this may evolve a bit as there are a few more options available now than a few levels ago. The newer two are Trick: Dust in the Eyes and Addle – so I don’t focus on those but I do think they have good uses.

When I solo, it ends up being stealth up to an enemy – Aim for the critical and Surprise Attack. It is currently around 200 damage on the first blow. If there are more than one (mostly 2 enemies), I change targets and Riddle the second one before returning to the first to continue with Burglar’s Advantage and Cunning Attack. From there I sprinkle in Trick: Disable and Subtle Stab.

That works great most of the time. If things are tougher, then the next move is use Evade and Mischievous Glee. That is about all the fire power I have in the arsenal. I think the next step for me is to figure out how to integrate the newer two skills above to go to the next step.

In groups, the highlight is clearly beginning fellowship skills on elite and signature enemies using Exploit Opening. It is a great feature to begin and quickly end the tougher battles. Combat in groups becomes a bit chaotic in pick up groups, but I’ve had pretty good luck. Burglar’s have good staying power and I certainly have felt like I have been equal to other classes and if anything stronger. Riddle is super-effective but AOE attacks can certainly ruin it. So teamwork and strategy come into play.

Note: You can’t pull anyone except through an attack or being visible but stealth more than accommodates for that loss.

Overall:

My overall impression is that it is a very fun class. I love stealth and it’s a good class to solo and a fun class within fellowships. It isn’t the most desirable class – that goes to the Minstrel healers, but it is a very fun class to play and one that I would pick again. I usually enjoy characters that are a little more difficult but allow for a little more variety and require a bit more coordination and I think burglar fits that nicely.

Personally, I think I like the idea and look of the hobbit I had on Windfola a bit more than the man, but I’m glad I stuck with the burglar class for this go around. Hope that helps a few with decisions.