In this 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.
It wasn't until the Champion before this one that I finally found my groove with the class and began to enjoy it, so the highest level I have reached with one is only 77. However, it is one of the easier classes to play and remarkably sturdy, making it an excellent choice for new players.
Per the established method, the theme this time was "gold" and "volcano," so I used Welsh to come up with Lafahaur, or literally "gold lava." This seemed like a perfect name for a dwarf who has fled from servitude in Mordor!
Character Creation
Stout-Axe Dwarf
If a long and luxurious beard with braids and adornments is your thing, then you'll want to opt for the ordinary Dwarf race because the Stout-Axe variety has a different appearance in the way of hair and facial hair. Being an entirely different line of Dwarves, you'll be able to create some strikingly different appearances for them in the creation screen!
You'll start out with your passive race skills making you feel a bit down (-7 Vitality, -10 Fate), but your earnable Traits will more than compensate for that with things like +10% Craft Experience Modifier, +3% Fire-type Damage, +5% 1H/2H Axe Damage, +1% Dagger Damage, and even a skill that offers a +75% Block chance even without a shield. Not bad, huh?
There are no options for Origin with a Stout-Axe, but the customization isn't lacking. Being a hardy sort apparently makes your people a little more diverse. By way of apology, the developers even gave you an extra passive racial base skill compared to all of the other races except hobbits.
Champion Class
Champions are described in the wiki as the consummate warriors who are unrelenting, with fervour allowing them to make increasingly powerful attacks. So even if you're the button-mashing type of gamer, then this class is easy enough to play. To be really good at it, however, you'll learn how to build and stack your attacks to be the most efficient destructive force possible.
Barad-dûr
If you thought the High Elf's Intro was wildly different from the others, then you'd better buckle up for the Stout-Axe Intro. It isn't necessarily difficult -- in fact, I think it's one of the easiest and fastest to complete next to the High Elf's -- but it has a completely different format since it has to travel such a great distance in a shorter time span than any other.
You start out in a cell with two of your fellow Stout-Axes, having awoken to tremors within Barad-dûr from Sauron Himself. You'll have to do a laundry list of tasks when summoned outside of your cell, and it's just another day of servitude for you. Through the course of events, you'll learn of something important from the main storyline happening, and it's seen as an opportunity by many of your folk to finally break free...
Vaski says, ''Baruk... khazâd! Imrîdi zabad-dush!''With a defiant cry, Vaski draws Ushgrat's attention. Run while you can!Lethi says, ''Run, Lafahaur! We'll find you!''
Class Skills
As with the High Elf Intro, you'll start with just four skills and will probably finish with just those unless you have XP booster items on from other expansions (and even with those I only reached level 8 in the course of this Intro). You will start with:
Swift Strike: This is a quick, simple attack that will add to your Fervour.
Savage Strikes: This is a mean double attack that uses 2 Fervour (and isn't available until you build up enough).
Wild Attack: This does a powerful attack that will add to your Fervour.
Note: A Champion can dual-wield (have a one-handed weapon in each hand), and that will grant additional attacks for many Champion skills and even bonus damage!
Trait Trees
You won't see the message telling you to specialize if you zoom through this Intro, and it isn't going to matter greatly which one you choose at such a low level. The trait lines only become important when you're going to group up with others and need very specific roles for specific aspects of instances or raids. Any of the trait lines will treat you well at lower levels.
Like the other classes, the Trees follow a similar pattern: Red is your damage-focused line. Yellow has Area of Effect skills. Blue is focused on survivability (and in this case, tanking).
You can read up on the Trait Lines here:
Ered Luin
'I fled from the Dark Tower...I did not look back. I could not.I travelled through many unfamiliar lands, but Mordor never seemed far enough behind.But here, among the Blue Mountains, my heart is free of dread.'
Beyond the Intro
That wasn't much of an Intro, was it? Like the High Elf and Beorning, the fact that you have to purchase this race means they assume you're an established player and won't give you as much hand-holding as the original races. As a result, you don't get much opportunity to explore your class with an intro like this. However, the starter area will give you ample time for that!
It's really as simple as finding the right flow of your skills to hit your enemies hard and fast to defeat them. That's what Champions are -- destructive warriors who just don't stop!
Trainer
Aside from the locations where the Trainer NPCs have class-specific gear to barter for, you won't need your Trainer for much of anything.
Craft Vocation
If you want advice on a crafting vocation, your best bets are:
Metalsmith: Make your own heavy armour.Weaponsmith: Make your own weapons.Scholar: Make your own Potions of Fervour.Woodworker: Make your own Champion Horns.Jeweller: Make your own Champion Runes.
I leave you with some pictures of my Champions! Show me yours on Twitter with the hashtag #GamerReverieBlog!
Was this entry helpful? Let me know! The series continues next Monday!
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