Warg Guide (on hold till MOM)

---

(based on the 10 commandments post on the forums. The rules work off the basic skills a warg has and I have edited it since i have slightly differing opinions of what is important for each rule)

• Scout – You are the eyes of the Creeps. Many freep attacks have been ruined by warg eyes. Sure they may track you if you get too close. But this will only give you more time to inform the location of the Freeps.

• Stealth - Whenever possible stay stealthed. From stealth, you can Pounce, scout and manovier to better positions in battle. (Remember stay to the side of a raid where possible and away from visible creeps. The hunters AOE arrows and Champs AOE attacks are guaranteed to de-stealth you)

• Pounce is your most useful attack you have. A raid will rely on pounced targets from Wargs for quick kills. When multiple wargs are stealthed they chances of louring the enemy into an ambush increases.

• Silence – Silencing the Minstrels continually in the middle of battle can really help the team. (pounce a minstrel and when they recover, silence them straight away. No healing for them and the group for a few more seconds)

• Cripple – Slow escaping opponents. If they are flat out running away. A cripple is best used to allow other creeps to catch up and finish them off. If you are with others and have slowed the target. You may have time to get back into stealth for another pounce. Also if the target is suffering from a crippling bite debuff, landing a critical pounce from behind unstealthed, opens up a chance for a Warband manoveur (Conjuction).

• Bestial claws from Stealth – If done right and from behind the damage output increases 50%. Highest damage attack a warg has. Bestial claws has a high power consumption so use it carefully. Getting it off from stealth is a good option when the oppenent is already stunned.

• Sprint – Escape Clause 1. Best way to get away from impending doom is to make a tactical retreat. Also while scouting use sprint to follow the general direction of the Freep raid and report the movements to others. Use maps to jump in front if them while the sprint is in cooldown .

• Disappear Escape Clause 2. – Wargs answer to the Burgs Hide in plan sight (HIPS). You will have 10 seconds of unbreakable stealth. But all dots still do damage to you.

• Savage Fangs – Damage over time skill for a warg. Good for placing a dot on a burg about to Hips. (Beware savage fangs will remove a cripple and has allowed many freeps to get away. Too often have greenies and inexperienced wargs used savage fangs at the wrong time.)

• Pounce and Lock – A Term you will hear often. This is usually only reserved for Hunters who can DF quickly to safety. The idea is to pounce the target from stealth, get a few attacks in. Before the pounce stun wears off, Apply the tendon shread skill to set up another stun to keep the Hunter inplace for more damage. Solo a pounce and lock is not useful if you cant get the damage needed to kill him in that time. This is best used when support is around to help you finish them.

---

• Warg Pack Rule #1 - Must have and equipped Improved stealth. This allows you to move at an increased speed while stealthed. No point having a mobile team with one warg trailing way behind. (unless they’re bait.)

• Warg Pack Attack plan A: - One warg pounce and cripple, All others Claws from stealth and from behind (NO Savage fangs), all those who can Howl, Howl, Re-Stealth. Move on....

• Attack as a pack - No point scaring off a potential meal by one warg. Only time you move ahead of the pack is to pounce. Just make sure the pack is close behind and ready to attack as one.

• Howls wargies, Howls - A Rank5+ skill that all wargs who want to run in packs should have. When every possible let off a Howl. When in a warg pack they are your only form of Healing. If there are more than one group of Wargs distribute the Rank5+ wargs between the groups.

• Warg Pack Attack plan B: - One warg pounce and cripple, Couple others Pounce from stealth and from behind (NO Savage fangs), all those who can Howl, Howl, Re-Stealth. Move on....

The reason for Plan B is if wargs are not steathed up or do not have tendon shred available. Theses a chance to get a Warbrand manoveur (Conjuction) and locking the target down for a few more seconds. Thats all can take to be the difference between a kill and a DF.

A lot of newer wargies that dont realise that you can pounce a target unsteathed as long as it has crippling bite on it. The percentage chance of the crippling bite/pounce combo resulting in the conjunction stun is low depending on your Critical rating.

[Howl hint 1: Remember that the howl can only be affective to your group members in a small radius. So let that howl off together.

---

• Expect to Die. If you forever evading dying, you are not living up to your potential. You have to get into the heat of the action to stun, silence and kill the minstrels. If you stay on the edge of the raid and sponge infamy and stars you may find yourself excluded in future groups. Wargs have no ranged attacks so get in there and kill.

• Don’t always expect healing. I’ve died so many more times in a raid from not a single heal than encounters when I have. A life of a good warg will often require to put yourself out there. There are good healers around, and boy will you notice them when they are.

• Killing blows aren’t everything. Damage isn’t a wargs strong point. Softening your prey up and making them vunerable with stuns and locks are. Take pride in knowing you were the downfall of many a freep.

• Howl for the win There are many occasions that a R5+ warg with Howl can help a group not a warg pack. There are times when there is little or no Warleaders and Defilers in your raid/group and the Howl is the only form of Healing. Even when there is healing support, Use howl whenever you can to help the reduce the healers workload. If they are getting mez and greybarred, the Howl can help turn the battle Creep way.

[Howl hint 2: you have a small amount of time to use the howl after a kill. Usually that kill will be within enemy lines. Try to move a little away from the battle and then get the Heal off. The animation for the Howl takes a few seconds to pull off, and you can be mez or rooted in that time if you dont remember to move back a little.]

---

Picking a target to Pounce

• Stun dots
The stundot is protection from any form of attack or critical that would stun an opponent. This will occur on one of two occasions.

1. When the target has recently been stunned. This cooldown will last about 8 seconds.
2. When a Loremaster has cast his protection on a Target. (1 minute protection)

Pouncing a stunned target will only bring you out of stealth early and will waste a good pounce. (Patience is key)

• Lore master Stun dots
Know your Icon. Lore masters can cast this on any class. Don’t expect to see the stun dot just on the LM. Stun dots wear off. If the battle is hard and heavy. Stun dots only last for a minute. Too often a Lore master is unable to continually re-apply it to themselves and others in there party. Watch them and pounce when necessary.

• Follow orders
Pounce who your leader wants pounced because they will be the one everyone will be attacking. It gets tricky when there are 2 or more minstrels. Normally there are more than one warg around so while one is on the raid leaders Minstrel. The other warg/s should be on the secondary minstrel to stop them healing the primary one.

• Minstrels
Yumm.. Everybody knows they are the wargs primary target. Pounce, silence, tenden shread and claw to your hearts content.

• Squishys
Any freep under 3k morale is considered squishy. Minstrels, Hunters and Loremaster especially so. (see stundot rule especially for LM's)

• Rangers
Be careful here. Often a raid leader will want a Ranger chain pounced to stop them attacking creep healers/tanks. Unfortunately pouncing them often gets there attention and will target you. Usually its best to have two or more wargs on the ranger so that while one wargs pounce is cooling down and getting out of combat. The other can fill the gap in time.

Pounce a burg and Pounce them often.

• Don’t believe the hype. Burgs are Tasty too.

I have not bought into the whole conspiracy not to pounce burgs. Its like the Minstrel Warspeach debate. You can use pounce on burgs, You just have to know when.

• Burn, Burn all their escape skills
I like to refer to Burglar who has used some of his important skills as Burnt.
Often in stalemate battles like Stab, Wtab and OC type fights. Burgs will be the most bold and do not expect to get targeted as much. If you don’t have another juicy target up front. Pounce the burg and watch the icons under there name to see what has been used. Some skills have a 5minute cool down others a 10. Learn the following icons. Ready and able, Touch and go and Evade.

• Once they are burnt, Call out a vulnerable Burglar in OOC or Vent..

• Especially when there are no enemy npcs to stop you getting back into stealth quickly. This is the best time to Pounce and Pounce again.

• A burg is getting away.
Remember as soon as they gets out of combat. The first thing they are gonna do is stealth.
Many times I’ve been the closest creep to a fleeing burg and raid is not far away. If you pounce them quick. There’s a chance the raid will get closer and BA’s or spider will be able to put a dot on him. Breaking his stealth next time he hips.

• Pounce all stealthed burgs you find.
By the time the find footing or recover you will have plenty of time to move away and restealth again. Theres always a chance they didn’t see you before you saw them and they wont expect it. If they blow there find footing all the better for the rest or the raid. If Burgs see you in stealth and are coming to trip you, move around them. Lets face it you can run faster stealthed anyway.

• Don’t worry
Bad habits are hard to break, You might find that your first reaction is to pounce a fleaing opponent. Ive done it more than once, In the heat of a great rout, Ive unconsciously pressed the pounce button and then notice the class icon. Such is life. Understand it sometimes happens. Try to be more careful next time. Sometimes It ends up being the right thing to do, other times not. Good thing is there are a lot of hobbits burgs around. Lucky for us that’s our tracker of choice. Find that sucker and pounce again now that they have blown some skills.

---

• Tracking can be a game for wargs depending on your needs.

• Stay tracked when you want to lead your enemies towards a location or away. Or need to keep the enemy occupied while the rest of the raid is off taking a keep.

• Ive brought a whole raid of freeps down on me many times to keep them busy. It works and If they want to keep tracking me its there own fault.

• When you are looking for a Freep raid for the creep. Multiple tracks is a good indication you found them. With a little patience you can usually find out the group size pretty quickly with Stealth/Re-stealth.

• FYI – Not all hunters will track you. Hunters have to have the trait equipt to track stealthed creatures.

Removing Stealth.
A. Move 300 metres away from your tracker or
B. Preferably make sure you are out of line of sight of any visible freeps and de-stealth and re-stealth.

---

Advantages
• Raid can see your location and make plans accordingly.
• Target Assist
• Wargs make good target assists and can much quickly pounce whoever the raid leader needs.
• Healing is far better when Warleaders and Defilers can see you. A bubble is often a saviour for a warg. Longer alive equals more pounces and silences.
• Howl, when healing is low in a group a Rank 5+ warg howl goes a long way.
• The Infamy flows much quicker than solo. Some people may have the opinion that you are leaching. But if you are doing all the above you are truly earning your place in the group.

Disadvantages- not being in a raid
• No Target assists
• Much lower chance of survival in melee against any freep group.
• Slow to rank.
• Very low infamy in large battles.

This topic is highly contested. The infamy is good solo for smaller skirmishers and fights. There is nothing wrong if you wanting to run solo all the time. Higher ranked wargs can do better solo.

I just find as soon as the numbers build on the Freeps or both sides. You're better off grouping up with others or a raid. More so when you are starting out and dont have as many skills to fall back on. (see adv. above)

---

Builds Morale Vs Damage.
.........................
..............
......

(The forum wouldnt allow anymore length. so warg guide continued. )


Class Traits:

Long Strides (+5% run speed),
Enhanced Skill :Stealth (+3 stealth level and +20% run speed while in stealth),
Advanced Skill: Rallying Howl (if r5),
Shadow Fang (sets all damage to shadow), and I prefer
Advanced Skill :Sprint for five minute CD but you can switch out.


Abv..........
DOT’S –Damage Over Time
HIPS – Hide in Plain Sight

To Be Continued..................................

---

References

Marna original 10 Commandments post.
Post: http://forums.lotro.com/showpost.php?p=436037&postcount=1
Thread: http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?t=41342

Konarg on Builds.
Post: http://forums.lotro.com/showpost.php?p=2186347&postcount=15

Whitemist on Skills and Builds
Post : http://forums.lotro.com/showpost.php?p=2183655&postcount=1
Thread: http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?t=160901&highlight=warg+guide

Whitemist's post on 1v1 per class.
Post: http://forums.lotro.com/showpost.php?p=2190618&postcount=17

---

http://forums.lotro.com/showpost.php?p=2317382&postcount=3

Mines of Moria update.

STALKER

Passive Skills

* (Rank 5 to Rank Health Regeneration (four tiers) - boosts in-combat health regeneration.
* (Rank 5 to Rank 7) Power Regeneration (three tiers) - boosts in-combat power regeneration.
* (Rank 5 to Rank 9) Melee Criticals (five tiers) - boosts critical chance for ranged skills
* (Rank 5 to Rank 6) Tactical Criticals (two tiers) - boosts critical chance for tactical skills

Active Skills

* (Rank 0) Maul - a melee attack that deals damage over time. when stealthed, the damage over time component of the skill is increased
* (Rank 3) Swipe - a melee attack that cannot be evaded
* (Rank 4) Rend Flesh - a debuff attack that increases the target's melee and ranged vulnerability
* (Rank 5) Rabid Bite - a melee attack that deals damage and drains power over time
* (Rank 6) Frenzy - after a critical, this skill can boost melee critical chance and evade for a short duration
* (Rank 7) Scratch and Snip - a double melee attack
* (Rank Flea Bitten - a debuff attack that reduces the target's agility and wound resistance
* (Rank 9) Sense Prey - allows the Stalker to track a nearby target. Cannot detect stealthed foes.
* (Rank 12) Snap - a debuff attack that reduces the target's melee, ranged, and tactical damage. On a critical, this skill disarms the target
* (Rank 13) Dire Howl - an area effect skill that silences targets around the warg

Traits

* (Rank 10) Advanced Skill: Shadow Howler - a toggle stance that boosts melee damage and armour, but the Stalker cannot stealth. Cannot activate this stance while in combat.
* (Rank 11) Enhanced Skill: Eye Rake - reduces the cooldown of Eye Rake
* (Rank 14) Enhanced Skill: Rabid Bite - increases power damage with Rabid Bite
* (Rank 15) Enhanced Skill: Sense Prey - allows the Stalker to track stealthed foes.