Besides your gear and skill trees lotro has always had a minor system for virtues. These would level with your character as you completed deeds around the game. Minor buffs or ways to fill in some missing stats. But mostly an extra way to grind to your hearts content. Do you need them, how to level them and which ones to choose from.
Update 24 revamp
In update 24 SSG they turned the static virtue system into a more flexible system. You can still slot 5 virtues of your choice and you level them by doing deeds (or late game weeklies). The largest change was that instead of a specific deed for 1 specific virtue, every virtue give you points that fill a virtue xp bar that requires more xp and gives larger bonuses the higher the level it becomes.
Virtue Faq and tips
Which ones do i need? In general if you’re questing you’ll want to use offensive virtues, but if you’re looking for level 130 get the best value used ones with mitigation.
To which virtue does my xp go? It will first go to the virtue you selected as earning. If that is maxed out it goes to the next 1 oof 5 virtues you’re wearing. If all those are maxed to the 1st on the list.
My virtues won’t go up? The maximum level of virtues is limited by your own level. Nearly all the way to level 130 it’s your level / 2. See the previous question if maxed out.
You changed traitlines? Check your virtues. They are tied to your skill tree and you may not have any selected.
Don’t forget instance deeds. Besides landscapes there are a ton of deeds that give virtue xp. Do be carefull and read up on them. It’s mostly slayer deeds such as in Angmar and Moria and Minas Morgul.
Active, passive and trait trees
You can have 5 virtues selected from 21 available these are called the active virtues. The largest bonusses will come frome these. However the other 16 provide a small bonus to your character. While unselected these will give either a tiny bit of morale or mastery.
Offensive and defensive virtues
Virtues come in 2 variations. Either providing a selection of offensive stats (such as mastery or critcal rating) or defensive stats (such as morale or mitigations). These are identifited by a little sword or shield under the name.
Preferred virtues
While leveling it’s usually advantagous to use offensive virtues. The bonusses of the defensive ones won’t make much of a change if everything dies quickly on landscape. However you might want to get them maxed anyways.
However ones you start running instances or raids you’ll want to use defensive ones. Even if you’re dps yourself. The bonusses such as mitigation, resistance or defence are harder to come by on normal gear then offensive ones. Especially near the end of an expansion cycle you’ll get close to even capping your offensive ratings.
Fidelity, Loyalty, Compassion and Tolerance are usually the best overall virtues to use for harder content. Innocence, Zeal and wit are often used to fill out the 4th and 5th slots. Offcourse if you feel you need to specialise your virtues to healing or dps you can switch others out.
For specialised or more precise virtue sets for your class i advice Gwyn’s virtue guide.
Leveling virtues
There are 68 levels to get for each virtue you’d want to use. The standard way to get virtue xp is to complete deeds. Exploring landscapes, killing mobs or completing quests in each area will net you 2000 xp per deed with a some bonus xp if you complete the meta deeds (do all required deeds in a region).
The first levels require 1000 xp and the higher levels 3000. In the beginning you’ll level them quickly so watch out if you’re completing every deed on level. You may want to leave some unfinished.
Losing out on the early deeds cause the xp went to “wrong” virtues or is lost is something you’d want to avoid. As you only need 20 slugs in the Shire and 300 beasts in Langflood. You’ll end up spending less time in the end.
Weeklies are you’re easiest repeatable source once you’ve completed your deeds on the landscape or instances. These are usually only available in the latest regions and move with them once expansions are released.
Overview of current weekly virtue xp
- Kill 8 Nazgul or enemy camp bosses inside Minas Morgul
- Complete 10 instance quests inside Minas Morgul instances
- Complete any 4 instances from the Minas Morgul instances
- Complete 5 bounties from the Limlok Bounty board
Are they worth it?
No, they arn’t the first thing you should focus on. Hardly anyone likes slayerdeeds and your time is better spend on leveling, upgrading your gear or grabbing your skill trait points.
Yes, active virtues are ones of the few things that stick with your character whereever you go. I’d still put them behind trait points or your Legendary weapon. But each level 68 is roughly worth 1,5 essence making up 1 or 2 extra gear pieces.
Yes, passive virtues eventually add a bonus. But you’ll need 16 virtues at level 68 to add up to 2 essences worth of stats.
So overall, while leveling try to keep your 5 active virtues topped up. And in the end use the weeklies get that extra bit of xp on top of embers and quest tokens.
Other sources for more information
Curious how the values are calculated?
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If you have a pet class, there’s a number of slayer deeds you can do by just camping out in one spot, letting your archer herald or your bog monster kill all the little goblins and wolves for you.
I like to do this while I am doing dishes, or talking on the phone with a client. You get some LP and you’re looking at Middle Earth scenery so it’s still a little bit of fun.
For most slayer deeds there’s a location where the mobs are clustered so close together that as they respawn your pet will attack them. Every once in a while I have to reset the pet’s aggro setting because they stop attacking, but mostly I can be completely afk and still be achieving a deed, collecting task items, recipe scrolls, hides, treasure and optional crafting crit items.
Another reason to do slayer deeds or exploration deeds is that you’ll travel past tons of crafting resource nodes so you can gather lots of materials.
(if you want to add this to your “Are the worth it” section, go ahead.)
I’d also like to see to a guide that talks about deeds that reward trait points.
The only isssue with afk-farming is that it technically falls outside the ToS. Players have been given suspensions for it.