Lord Of The Rings Online: Beta Journal Wednesday: November 8, 2006

For today's Beta Journal, we asked our Beta participants to talk about their experiences playing as a Minstrel. Below are some of our players' impressions after exploring Middle-earth as one of these versatile characters.

Sign up for The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™ Beta Program, and a chance to start forming your own impressions! European players, sign up for the Codemasters Beta at http://www.lotro-europe.com.

When I log onto my minstrel, I feel very comfortable with him. Minstrels are the main healing class, therefore it is very easy to make friends and find a group. The minstrel, in my eyes, is one of the backbones of any fellowship.

Grouping with a minstrel is quite fun. You cannot just sit in the back and spam heals. This will draw plenty of aggro to yourself and you'll die quickly in your light armor. You have to heal only when necessary and use your de-taunt whenever it's available. There are also several party buffs like raising melee attack power, and situational skills like protection from fire, that play an important role in tough battles. It can be stressful when times get rough, but if you come out on top, you feel great pride in having kept your fellowship alive.

Soloing as a minstrel is quite different. You don't have to worry about healing so much, just about maximizing your attack power. You can be a much better soloer if you plan what skills you are going to use in a certain order. If you get aggro from a few nearby monsters, it is absolutely necessary that you do certain skills at certain times. It keeps you on your toes. Soloing is not where a minstrel shines, however, it is always better to be in a group.

My favorite skill would have to be Triumphant Spirit. It instantly renews the morale of all your fellowship, but draws a large amount of aggro to yourself. It's important to use the de-taunt skill right before or after Triumphant Spirit. It has saved me from near death on several occasions. It also has a 15 minute refresh timer, so you should only use it in emergencies.