Archetype: Healer

The Minstrel is the most focused "healer" of Middle Earth. We mainly provide support, heals, a few buffs and a few utility abilities.

• Common Misconceptions:

Unlike many music-themed classes in RPGs, the minstrel is not just a general support class in LotRO. He is the main healing class and though he has many skills which supplement this core role, the fact remains that he will spend a lot of his time healing his fellows and himself.

The reason the minstrel is a main healing class is that "health" is actually called "morale" in LotRO. It doesn't represent wounds; rather, it represents how much will a character has to keep fighting. When he runs out, he doesn't "die;" instead, he gives up and flees. The minstrel restores morale with his music so that a character can continue to fight without giving up.

The Minstrel's Role in a Group:

• Primary Role:
• Healer

  Your main job in a group is to HEAL. You'll be doing healing more than anything else in most groups, believe me. We also do some supporting abilities (such as any of the Minstrel’s tier three ballads.) We can "rez" fallen freinds very well too, albeit mostly out of combat. Our out-of combat rez requires no material components, and has no cooldown. Captains have more in-combat rezzes, but our legendary trait skill "Rally" revives the target with more morale and power than any other rez skill in the game, bringing the target back in top condition, which is important in dangerous situations. It's best if you just don't have to rez at all though. :D

  As main healers, we have some new competition from those upstart Rune-keepers. Not only can they fulfill the role of a main-healer, they can also be a primary DPS class as well! So what can we do that they can't? We tend to have more morale than they do, and we have more "oh crap" long-cooldown skills that can save ourselves and others from death in a pinch. They also don't have a true in-combat rez like we do (though they have something close, with the strict restriction on its use that it has to be cast BEFORE the target falls). Also, their staple group heal has a significantly longer cooldown than ours. Look forward to more highlights on the differences between a Rune-keeper and a Minstrel with the eventual release of the Rune-keeper class guide.

• Conjunctions:

Minstrels are best at Blue and Green conjunction colors, because we tend to fight at a range. We shouldn't usually be in melee range. But in general we prefer blue because we eat lots of power, and we shouldn't generally be taking damage and can heal ourselves when we do.

Strengths and Weaknesses:

• Weaknesses:

We, as minstrels have mediocre armor (light to medium, though medium requires a class trait) and very mediocre damage (outside of War-speech mode). Take special note of this: Stick to your strengths. You AREN'T a Champion, and you sure as hell AREN'T a Guardian. Stay out of melee! Most of the time stay behind your melee buddies (Guardian/Champion/Captain/Warden/Burgler) unless you have some real reason to get into melee range... perhaps to use "Noble Cause/Herald's Strike" combo (see in skill section).

Speaking of War-speech, while we can do some pretty good damage in it with the right traits and skills, they all have a very, VERY hefty power cost. In extended fights, we are likely to run dry very quickly, so don't go thinking you can be fill a main DPS role in any group doing content of any significant challenge.

• Strengths:

We have some of the best healing abilities in the game, several skills that help us survive (such as a "Feign Death", or "Lay of the Hammerhand" (see in skill section)) several instant heals, a cure fear song (only minstrels and captains can do this without potions, though captains are MUCH better at it) group buffs, and the best (and only) Huge Instant Group Heal, "Triumphant Spirit," which is one of your best abilities and one of your best “oh crap” buttons. As a Minstrel, be aware that you have several "oh crap" buttons that can save your party's arse when necessary, such as "Fellowship's Heart" (a Legendary Trait), which offers a beefy regeneration to the whole party to help them recover from and survive a dangerous moment.

Minstrels can cure fear, which the dead use a lot and Minstrels and Burglars are the only classes that can mez the dead for an extended period of time. Finally, you have a fear shout. This ability is great for getting an enemy off of you when you generate too much threat and they start attacking you.

Etiquette for the Minstrel Class:

• DOs:

Do: ALWAYS be watching your allies' health bars. As a main healing class, it's your job to keep other people up and running.

Do: ALWAYS watch you own health bar. It can be very easy to get distracted with healing everyone else that you don’t realize that you yourself are taking heavy damage. Especially because your own health bar is seperate from the rest of your fellowship's in the UI.

Do: Use your de-taunt when you’ve got nothing better to do. If you’ve got some extra time, use “Song of Soothing” to lower your threat level. It could help later on, and it's easier to use it BEFORE you get aggro and have enemies beating on you.

• DON'Ts:

Don't: Running ahead is bad news for a Minstrel in a group. Always let the tank or designated puller get the enemy's attention.

Don't: Running away from enemies when they are hitting you is a very natural reflex for some. DON’T DO IT. It makes it harder for Guardians and other meleeing classes to get them off of you.

Don't:Try not to get into melee if you can help it. You shouldn't really have to in most cases.

What We Wish Other Players Knew About Us:

• Often we minstrels get told "I need a heal." In general, we should never need these warnings. A good minstrel will ALWAYS be watching his buddies' morale.
  

• Also, I address all captains when I say: "I LOVE YOU!" The Captain's constant ambient heals and regeneration work perfectly with our slightly slower though much more beefy heals. Keep those heals coming. And hey, you too Wardens.
  

• As for Guardians and other tanks, keep those baddies off of your minstrel. This is the major key in allowing them to heal efficiently. Always be watching out for your minstrel, and they'll always watch out for you.
  

• Rune-keepers and minstrels actually work quite well with each other. While the minstrel focuses on healing, the rune-keeper can do his zappity-zap, and if something bad happens to the minstrel, or a situation turns particularly dangerous, the rune-keeper can switch attunements to help pick up the slack.