Lotro Traits

A Trait in Lord of the Rings Online is an ability that alters your character in advancing ways. Traits allow you to customize your skills, and help prevent cookie-cutter characters.

Some Traits do fairly simple things – like increasing your Might stat or your block rate in combat. The higher the trait number for the character the better. Basic Traits are what you’ll work with and set as you level.

More complex are the Traits that modify skills (or groups of skills). For example, one of the Lotro Traits may add a new effect on a critical hit that it didn't have before, while another may make a skill uninterruptible or reduce the power cost of an entire group of skills. Yet another type of Trait works only after a specific combat event, allowing you to gain power on a critical hit or increase your defense on a successful block.

The majority of Lotro Traits are passive, which is great; you don’t have to go to any effort to use it, it’s always on. There are also some Traits that are active. Active Traits give you an entirely new skill. Like other skills, they must be placed on your hotbar and activated to do anything.

Simply put, Lotro Traits are new skills, bonuses, and other enhancements that benefit your character. Your Deed Log contains information about which of your current Accomplishment goals will reward you with a Trait.

You do not start with active Traits. Traits are earned through completing Accomplishments (Accomplishments are the primary source of Title awards in LOTRO). When a player earns a Trait, it goes into their Trait pool. Traits don't do anything until they are equipped. Trait slots are unlocked through leveling. Combined with Accomplishments, this allows you to grow into your specialization. You work from your preferred play, and make these important decisions as you go (and understand more about what you want to accomplish).

Slotting a Trait is not free. A player can only slot and unslot Traits while speaking with a Minstrel NPC in a town. There is sometimes a cost associated with slotting or unslotting a trait. This allows you to re-spec your at you whim, and as your pocketbook can take the hit.

You cannot change your active Traits in your Character Journal; to make changes, you must speak to a Bard in one of the following towns:

The Shire

• Michel Delving: Gammer Took, Bard of the Shire

Bree-land

• Combe: Janie Sprigleaf, Bard of Combe

• Bree-town: Owen Oaks, Bard of Bree

Ered Luin

• Celondim: Faellindiel, Bard of Celondim

• Thorin’s Halls: Steinn Silvertongue, Bard of Thorin’s Halls

Trollshaws

• Rivendell: Fileglin, Bard of Rivendell

North Downs

• Esteldin: Garchadron, Bard of Esteldin

Ettenmoors

• Glân Vraig: Guleneth, Bard of the Ettenmoors

Monster players have their own version of Bards, called Corruptors. These NPCs function in the same way as Bards, and can be found in the following locations:

Ettenmoors

• Gramsfoot: Cinaid, Corruptor of the Ettenmoors

• Dâr-gazag : Gavran, Corruptor of Dâr-gazag

Traits are grouped into four families:

• Common

• Race

• Class

• Legendary

Each Trait can only be slotted in a slot of the matching family.

Common Traits are the simplest Trait types and are available to all players. These are typically the first slots to be unlocked and the first Traits to be earned.

Race Traits are slightly more complex. A player can only earn race Traits of his corresponding race (e.g., Hobbit may get better at eating but he won't be able to gain the toughness of a Dwarf).

Class Traits are the bread and butter of the Trait System. The majority of slots the player will earn are class slots, and these are the ones that directly modify class skills, providing much more power and depth than most race or common Traits.

Finally there's the top tier of Traits: Legendary Traits. These Trait slots are not unlocked until the higher levels, and the Lord of the Rings Online Traits themselves are more difficult to earn than others. The goal is for Legendary Traits to be truly legendary – something the player can be proud of earning and slotting.