Minas Morgul primer

Current version – last updated 17 nov with U25.0.2 info
The Minas Morgul primer updates marked. Answering questions and giving an overview on the Minas Morgul expansion. 

• Quest guide (first maps)
• Quest rewards (summary upcoming)
• Instance gear 
  • Item level T1, T2, T3
  • Ithilad Crafting materials
• Crafting guild
  • details on how and where
  • Reclamation materials
• Deeds, lost lore pages, links to maps and resources etc

Where to start Minas Morgul

The region will start at Gandalf in Beorns House in the Vales of the Anduin. You’re not required to have done the Black book chapters 1 to 10. And will be guided to a 45-60 minute interlude around the Vales

Two regions questguide

After you’ve done the interlude you be able to transport to a Second age Mordor for the region – Mordor Besieged (level 120-122). After this region you’ll be guided to the Morgul vale area middle and eastern part Rath Duath (123-124) where you’ll also discover 3 of the entrances to the new 3-mans.

When done here the Black book will guide you into Minas Morgul, but it’s best to first do the Cirith Ungol (Morgul north) area (125). Afterward you’ll venture into the city of Minas Morgul which works like Minas Tirith where you’ll fight you’re way 1 tier at a time. With the fellbeast roost southeast for the 4th instance entrance (126-128).

Finishing of the Black book and Epligue (if you finished chapter 1-10 before) there is a little quest hub in Morgul South that leads to future content (6-mans). By this time you’ll have finished the quest deed required for the daily quests. Usually you’ll be level 129 by then.

Gearing before entering Minas Morgul or avoiding the graveyard

Every class has their update and can dish out a decent chunk of damage. That said if you don’t have some form of level 120 gear you might find yourself at a graveyard. The mobs are a bit easier then Vales, but quite numerous.

If you have done the previous quest packs you shouldn’t have much trouble in the Mordor Besieged area, but if you haven’t you can check out https://lotroplayers.com/2019/08/19/help-im-120-a-guide-to-gearing-and-dailies-at-levelcap/ for full details. Without these areas there will be no easy or quick fix to jump straight in.

Any of these armours will be replaced with the first quest rewards so don’t put too much time into these options.

• Kindred with Skarhald or the Vales (on any character)
  • Each areas quest tokens get you pretty decent gear
• Vale daily tokens
  • If you have done the dailies these give better gear then Kindred barterers
• Crafting (3 dwarrowshards per item)
  • Not an option for most due to high cost and recipes
• Epic battles
  • Currently sort of bugged, but scalable to level 120
• Motes and embers of enchantment
  • Embers will be used to barter level 130 gear
  • There are currently no 120 gears available for motes

Gear in Minas Morgul (but they are yellow edition)

You’ll quickly lose you’re fine pants for raggidy yellows, but they are superior then all. Besides raid gear or gold armour from Tier 4 and 5’s the quest rewards will be better. The increased stats and armour will make up for losing those essence slots.

Landscape won’t drop any Minas Morgul pieces, but the occasional bind on equip will. These are capped at item level 395 (quest gear is 400+). Compare them, but usually they will not be that good.

Level 130 and beyond

Once you’ve completed the landscape quests you can continue with a few extra questlines or start to gather your journey on some better gear. Below are the different sources and ways to find these

Level 130 – Essences

There is 1 tier of level 130 essence. They drop from mobs (randomly) and can be bartered for 1500 embers (bound). There is no crafting available, but you won’t need that many at the moment (3-6).

Level 130 – Quest tokens and reputation

There is currently no gear available from either a quest token or reputation barterer

Level 130 – Crafting (auto-bestowed, Guild and Reclamation reputation)

Minas Morgul has a new crafting tier and guild recipes. These can be sorted in 3 sections.

• Auto-bestowed recipes for consumables, class items. These all require normal crafting materials.
• Guild recipes (see guild rep below). Ithilad Crafting material 10* Gotten by disenchanting gear +/- 25 % or loot
• Reclamation reputation. Craftable level 130 gear requires daily access. Requires 3 ithilian shards per item.

Level 130 – instance gear

After questing has given you a decent set of item level 400-405 gear in which you have a few essence slots. The easiest way to gear up atm is through instances.

• Tier 1 – Yellow item level 408
• Tier 2 – Yellow item level 410
• Tier 3 – Purple item level 412

Scaled instances

All loot (Greater … of …) that can be gotten from previous instances will be purple or teal. But won’t have any essence slots and have a maximum of itemlevel 390. While on par with the earlier quest gear it lacks the flexibility for healers or tanks.

4-slot essence gear from Previous areas

Before these 4-slot armour pieces and jewelry from the Pelennor or Osgiligath would be the best if you had the means to fill them. But these have been rendered unusable by level 130’s.

Glimmerdeep and consorts

The update 23/24 instances will give the same loot scaled to 130. The guaranteed 1-slot teals are quite good. A lower item level them Minas Morgul, but of a higher quality for now.

Minas Morgul instances

All 3-man instances give 1 gear-piece per boss and can shared. These can be run in duo or 3-man groups for yellows with item level 405. Higher tiers are available as of 13 november, but at the time of writing not run yet. 

Shadowroost and Harrowing are quick and easy, with Deep-barrows a bit more longer, tricky due to traps and larger groups. Filth-well is rather long and the hardest bosses of the 3-mans. 

Crafting guild (access and materials)

If you’ve a crafter that has already gotten westermet guild reputation you can use Minas Morgul recipes for easy 200k rep for easy access to teal item level 412/414 gear.

These can be gotten from the Minas Morgul camp or your local Guild leader. For the recipes themselves check the Improved recipe vendor.

Gear and jewelry require a Ithilad crafting material to craft these items. But for class and weapons they don’t. The best offhand you can get atm.

If your vocation allows it. You can also visit a master of apprentice in a major hub to get access to a 2nd guild. The 200k easy rep will only work on the latest tier.

• All items Purple item level 407 (recipe from Reclamation barter) requires 3 ithilian shards
• Teal item level 412 offhand or class items (standard materials)
• Teal item level 412 (414 on crit) requires 10* Ithilian crafting materials (boxes tradable, but materials are bound)

Dailies in Minas Morgul

Once you’ve done all the quest deeds in Minas Morgul you will have access to 8 dailies in specific 3-mans (no level requirement) and 2 dailies (Level 130) in any instance. These will be items in the instance to interact with and award reputation items for the Reclamation of Minas Morgul.

These can be used to get recipes or used for reputation (these unlock story quests like the Mordor allegiances). No gear idea, cause all used for rep.

Tips and trick for dailies

• The instances can all be run in solo, duo or trio. Solo will allow the dailies to be done, but won’t give gear.
• Both dailies and instances have daily locks.
• Only interested in dailies? These can be run as low as level 122.
• Filth well has 3 dailies, Harrowing and Deep-barrow 2 and Roost only has 1.

Weekly and ember rewards

There are currently 3 weeklies available that give ember rewards these reset on thursdays

1. Complete 10 dailies (500 embers)
2. Run all 4 instances once (not sure if solo counts) (500 embers)
3. Kill Nazgul in Mordor besieged (untested) (500 embers)

Deeds

Mordor Besieged deeds

Lost lore pages, Rare mordor chests, Discovery, Nine Nazgul (RT’s) and 3 stages of slayer deeds. For all easy references Bearded Minstrel has made an excellent map for these

Minas Morgul deeds

For all deeds for now it’s easiest to view either the Bullroarer overview, Dynsmap Morgul outside, Dynsmap Minas Morgul or Dynsmap Torech Ungol

Issues and holes

• Currently no 120 gear available for motes to kick start Minas Morgul.
• Level 130 loot from Glimmerdeep that previously gave embers at 120 turn into motes.
• Pelagrir and other big battles loot bugged, open boxes outside of BB
• Missing gear options such as heavy gear with outgoing healing (bear/captain)