Lord of the Rings Online: Dwarf Basics

The Dwarves are a race that is strong and determined to help win the fight. They are known for being secretive and able to live underground for long periods of time. While they are expert mountaineers, this also makes them expert miners, metal workers, and able to craft great, massive items with ease. There is a long standing distrust between the Dwarves and the Elves, which you should already know from the movies if you are a Lord of the Rings fan. You will start out your Dwarven self in the soaring halls that are beneath Ered Luin in the Blue Mountains, and work your way to the outside world.

Dwarves are great warriors due to their massive strength and abilities, and they are great craftsman. So, you can expect some awesome things from this race when you pick them. But, there are some downfalls and perks, just like with any race that you choose in Lord of the Rings Online. So, let's take a look at the downfalls that you have to face with this race when you choose them and then we'll look at the good.

Agility – Since the Dwarf is short and stocky, your agility will be decreased due to your size. So, you start off with a -8 for your agility points. Now, you can always gather up buffs and other stat building items later on, but when you start out in game, you'll be able to tell the difference.

Fate – Even though your Dwarven self will have increased power and moral regen in combat, for some odd reason, the game developers decided that you needed a decreased fate to start out with. So, when you start out as a Dwarf, your fate stat is also a -8.

Might – Dwarves start off with a +15 when it comes to their might because of their strength and stocky nature. This will help you out in any fight that you come across.

Morale – While this one is weird to understand, you basically need to know that you'll get a great bonus to your morale while you are in combat. But, outside of it, well, your morale will be going down, almost as if you are penalized for not fighting.

Power – Your power regen in combat is huge and you'll feel this from your first fight. But, just like with your morale, you seem to be penalized for not being on combat, and you will see the difference when you aren't fighting in your power bar.

Vitality – Since the dwarves are a tough bunch, you'll start out with a +10 in vitality, which is great when it comes to staying alive in a hard fight.

You should expect a strong character when you play a Dwarf, but don't expect too much in the way of regeneration while you aren't fighting. Dwarves are obviously made to fight – and they don't get a break when they aren't in combat.

In the next part of this beginner's guide, we'll go through the Elven race and what you can – and can't – expect from them.