In this new series, I talk about various aspects of The Lord of the Rings Online. This series is meant for newcomers, but may also help veteran players find more to love about the game.
There are a lot of items in a game like LOTRO which spans 130 levels and has 10 classes, each of which has 3 trait tree options and a variety of choices to make in how to progress. To take the consumer burden off of all those poor NPC Suppliers and Outfitters, the denizens of LOTRO are able to take up Craft Vocations... to outfit themselves and others. (If you don't get the joke I just made, this blog entry is for you.)
Outfitting Yourself & Others
Once you've finished playing the Intro of the game and come out into the "real world" of the server, you are given a Gift Pack. Assuming you are at least level 5 by this time, one of the included items is a Quest Item that bestows the quest Outfitting Yourself and Others. (You get the joke now, right?) This quest will direct you to go to the Mistress/Master of Apprentices in the starting location assigned to your character's race (Celondim for elves, Thorin's Hall for dwarves, Michel Delving for hobbits, and Combe/Bree for Men and Beornings). This NPC will give you a choice of Vocation, each containing different Professions.
There are 10 Craft Professions in total, and they are grouped into various combinations of 3 to create each of the 7 Craft Vocations. Different combinations benefit different types of character classes if a player is trying to be self-sufficient with something as they play through the game, so choosing the right Vocation can be important. The good news is that if you discover you chose wrong, you can change your Vocation later -- this cuts you off from what you've already learned (you can no longer access that type of crafting or the recipes), but if you ever switch back you'll retain the progress in shared professions. There are some crazy people out there who have done ALL of the professions on one character and switch when they feel like it. That's a hassle, in my mind, but to each their own!
Professions
Farmer: Someone's gotta grow the food for the Cooks. This is a bit of a tedious profession to undertake because you have to plant a crop and harvest a crop, then work the crop before you get an end result (a food item to be used in Cooking). There are shortcuts to doing this efficiently, and I'll probably cover it in another entry at some point.Forester: Someone has to scrape the hides and make them into leather, and cut the wood to make it into useful planks. This profession lets you harvest the various wood resources found in the world.
Prospector: Swing that pickaxe! You're going to run circuits around the different regions gathering all the ore you need to progress this profession, because you can't make bars of metal from nothing. The good news is that even if you don't need the ore for yourself, there are other professions who rely on a good supply of it for their wares.
Cook: Food in LOTRO usually provides some kind of bonus or short-term effect that is beneficial to players, so the Cook profession lets you make all kinds of tasty foods. (Some people have even adapted the recipes into real-life ones and made some mouth-watering and photogenic dishes!)
Jeweller: As the name implies, someone has to make the jewellery and special brooches and talismans. You shine up all of the gems and use them in various combinations with metals to make important items for yourself and others.
Metalsmith: Swinging a forge hammer all day, this profession is all about heavy armor, shields, and tools. And sometimes little bits and bobs that other professions need for their recipes.
Scholar: Studying all the bits and scraps of history and lore, a scholar produces a strange variety of goods: scrolls, potions, dyes, and various other consumables.
Tailor: One of the more important professions, this one is all about the wearable gear that isn't full of metal. There are some really nice-looking finished items if you look through the recipes!
Weaponsmith: You guessed it -- this profession is all about making weapons (of the metal variety), as well as specialized items like caltrops, marbles, and shield-spikes.
Woodworker: Last but not least, this is the person who is making all the wooden weapons, instruments, battle horns, banner crests, shield carvings, inscribed parchments, furniture, and even fishing poles.
Vocations
ArmourerCombines: Metalsmith, Prospector, Tailor
(I recommend this for anyone who uses heavy armour: Captains, Champions, Guardians, and Beornings. The shield-users benefit also.)
"Armourers can create a wide variety of armour, but they specialize in heavy armour and shields. Capable miners and smelters, they can procure and prepare the metal they need. While they can craft clothes and leather armour, they will need to trade for the tanned hides required. This is an excellent choice of trade for one who relies on heavy armour and shields."
Armsman
Combines: Weaponsmith, Woodworker, Prospector
(Great for the classes that rely on swords, axes, and any other metal weapon. Will need a Forester to support the Woodworker profession.)
"Armsmen are capable of crafting any weapon their fellow adventurers might ever need, so this is an excellent vocation for anyone who relies on their fighting abilities. An Armsman is proficient in mining and smelting, but will need to trade for wood with which to make bows, spears, and the like."
Combines: Weaponsmith, Woodworker, Prospector
(Great for the classes that rely on swords, axes, and any other metal weapon. Will need a Forester to support the Woodworker profession.)
"Armsmen are capable of crafting any weapon their fellow adventurers might ever need, so this is an excellent vocation for anyone who relies on their fighting abilities. An Armsman is proficient in mining and smelting, but will need to trade for wood with which to make bows, spears, and the like."
Explorer
Combines: Tailor, Prospector, Forester
(I call this the Gatherer -- if you don't want to craft on a character, consider this vocation so you can freely gather ore and wood and sell it for profit to those who need it! Otherwise, very good also as just a self-sufficient Tailor.)
"Explorers can live off the land, crafting leather armour and clothing while gathering resource they come across. Explorer is an excellent choice for anyone who wears Light or Medium armour, or wants to specialize in resource gathering."
Combines: Tailor, Prospector, Forester
(I call this the Gatherer -- if you don't want to craft on a character, consider this vocation so you can freely gather ore and wood and sell it for profit to those who need it! Otherwise, very good also as just a self-sufficient Tailor.)
"Explorers can live off the land, crafting leather armour and clothing while gathering resource they come across. Explorer is an excellent choice for anyone who wears Light or Medium armour, or wants to specialize in resource gathering."
Historian
Combines: Scholar, Weaponsmith, Farmer
(Not going to lie -- if you chose this vocation, you're looking at only advancing the Scholar profession unless you're bored and want to grow some crops to make some money on the side. Most materials needed for Scholar will drop off of humanoid enemies or can be freely gathered in the open world.)
"Historians are unique in their access to the Scholarly arts, allowing them to research ancient lore and use their discoveries to the advantage of their fellows. In addition, a Historian has the more practical talents of cultivating land and forging the blades that are so often spoken of in the histories they study."
Combines: Scholar, Weaponsmith, Farmer
(Not going to lie -- if you chose this vocation, you're looking at only advancing the Scholar profession unless you're bored and want to grow some crops to make some money on the side. Most materials needed for Scholar will drop off of humanoid enemies or can be freely gathered in the open world.)
"Historians are unique in their access to the Scholarly arts, allowing them to research ancient lore and use their discoveries to the advantage of their fellows. In addition, a Historian has the more practical talents of cultivating land and forging the blades that are so often spoken of in the histories they study."
Tinker
Combines: Jeweller, Prospector, Cook
(This is the only vocation for a Jeweller, so automatically you're going to focus on that and Prospector. To cook, you're going to need a Farmer to supply you. A lot. But I recommend this vocation for lore-masters -- you can make your own Talismans for variants on animal companions, as well as your own brooches to augment your animal companions.)
"A Tinker’s greatest skill is that of jewelcraft, and a skilled Tinker can create baubles of both beauty and utility. A Tinker can harvest the precious metals and stones He needs for his work, and given the long hours his trade requires, it is good that a Tinker is a fair hand at preparing a hearty meal!"
Combines: Jeweller, Prospector, Cook
(This is the only vocation for a Jeweller, so automatically you're going to focus on that and Prospector. To cook, you're going to need a Farmer to supply you. A lot. But I recommend this vocation for lore-masters -- you can make your own Talismans for variants on animal companions, as well as your own brooches to augment your animal companions.)
"A Tinker’s greatest skill is that of jewelcraft, and a skilled Tinker can create baubles of both beauty and utility. A Tinker can harvest the precious metals and stones He needs for his work, and given the long hours his trade requires, it is good that a Tinker is a fair hand at preparing a hearty meal!"
Woodsman
Combines: Woodworker, Forester, Farmer
(Like Tinker before this one, the third profession is just an add-on if you're interested in making a little extra something. The Forester profession supplies the Woodworker here and that's all that really matters! Great for Hunters to make all their own weapons, or Minstrels to make their instruments.)
"Woodsmen are the foremost bowyers in Middle-earth, and are capable of crafting fine weapons from wood, as well as gathering and treating the raw wood they need. Their knowledge of plants and nature also makes them natural Farmers. Woodsman is an excellent choice of vocation for anyone who wants to create their own mighty bows."
Combines: Woodworker, Forester, Farmer
(Like Tinker before this one, the third profession is just an add-on if you're interested in making a little extra something. The Forester profession supplies the Woodworker here and that's all that really matters! Great for Hunters to make all their own weapons, or Minstrels to make their instruments.)
"Woodsmen are the foremost bowyers in Middle-earth, and are capable of crafting fine weapons from wood, as well as gathering and treating the raw wood they need. Their knowledge of plants and nature also makes them natural Farmers. Woodsman is an excellent choice of vocation for anyone who wants to create their own mighty bows."
Yeoman
Combines: Cook, Tailor, Farmer
(The focus here is on the Cook profession which gets supplied by the Farmer profession. I don't entirely understand why Tailor is in the mix, but there you have it. Farming and Cooking will not only let you give buffs and boosts to yourself and your fellowship, but you can also knock out a lot of food-based Deeds and earn titles.)
"Yeomen are the salt of the earth, tilling soil and preparing food with natural skill. They are also able to create clothes and leather armours, though they need to trade their produce for the hides required."
Combines: Cook, Tailor, Farmer
(The focus here is on the Cook profession which gets supplied by the Farmer profession. I don't entirely understand why Tailor is in the mix, but there you have it. Farming and Cooking will not only let you give buffs and boosts to yourself and your fellowship, but you can also knock out a lot of food-based Deeds and earn titles.)
"Yeomen are the salt of the earth, tilling soil and preparing food with natural skill. They are also able to create clothes and leather armours, though they need to trade their produce for the hides required."
When you switch back to an earlier vocation, your progress in professions that are not shared by the one that you're switching from do not return intact to what they were. Only progress that is in professions that are jointly held by the vocation that you are currently switching from and the one that you are currently switching to remain at their current level.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I have edited for clarity! I have actually known people who have gone through all of the vocations on one character, keeping one or two professions intact to finish the third in a set and so-forth.
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