LOTRO Mariner Guide

If you’ve been curious about the new Mariner class in Lord of the Rings Online, you’re in the right place. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or new to this unique class, I’m here to guide you through the Mariner’s story, playstyle, and mechanics. Together, we’ll dive into everything you need to know to master this swashbuckling class. Let’s set sail!

Story of the Mariner

The Mariner class draws inspiration from one of the most legendary seafarers in Middle-earth: Eärendil the Mariner, who sailed into the heavens to become a star. Eärendil’s story is one of hope and adventure, as he braved the seas, carrying a Silmaril to the West, ultimately aiding in the defeat of Morgoth. As a Mariner, you step into this storied legacy, blending the life of a sailor with a combatant’s spirit, bringing a balance of grace and strength to any group.

Mariner Playstyle and Group Roles

The Mariner brings versatility to group play, filling multiple roles depending on how you want to spec them. Mariners excel as DPS, offering strong melee attacks and ranged options, but they also have some group utility with buffs and debuffs. If you enjoy adaptability, the Mariner is a great choice, as it blends nimbleness with power, and can adjust on the fly based on the balance mechanic, which I’ll explain next.

Combat Mechanics: Mastering Fore and Aft

The Mariner’s combat system is driven by their balance mechanic. You’re constantly shifting between Fore and Aft as you attack, and the key to mastering this class lies in maintaining balance between these two stances.

• Fore: When you strike from the Fore, you’re aggressive, dealing heavier damage with forward-moving attacks.
• Aft: Aft actions are more about recovery and defensive maneuvers, giving you the chance to regain control or stabilize.

Your goal is to keep your balance between Fore and Aft. If you lean too heavily in one direction, you’ll become vulnerable, so it’s all about pacing your moves. This makes the Mariner dynamic and rewarding for players who enjoy paying attention to combat flow.

Looking for the right LOTRO class? Check out our Choosing a Class Guide to find the best fit for your playstyle, whether you want to tank, heal, or deal damage.🧙

Best Race for Mariners

While Elves and Men make excellent Mariners lore-wise, both provide decent racial passives that benefit the class mechanically. Elves give a slight boost to agility, which helps with damage, while Men offer survivability with extra morale. Ultimately, it comes down to your personal preference for role-playing, but both are strong choices. You may also choose from Stout-Axe Dwarf or River Hobbits.

Mariner Equipment

When gearing your Mariner, prioritize agility based gear to enhance your damage output. Medium armor is your friend, balancing protection and agility. For weapons, dual-wielding is the Mariner’s forte, allowing you to slice through enemies with style. Look for weapons that complement your stat priorities, like daggers or one-handed swords.

Mariner Stats

Mariners focus on Agility as their primary stat, boosting both their damage and evasion. Vitality is important too, as it increases morale and survivability. Keep an eye on Might as well, as some of your abilities will benefit from it depending on your spec.

Mariner Virtues

For virtues, focus on those that align with your agility and survivability. Some key ones to consider are:

1. Determination: Agility, Physical Mitigation, and Resistance. Mariner is a medium armor class that benefits from Agility as a primary stat, boosting damage and critical rating. Physical Mitigation and Resistance help with survivability.

2. Confidence: Morale, Tactical Mitigation, and Critical Rating. The extra morale increases survivability, while the critical rating boosts damage output. Tactical Mitigation protects against non-physical damage types.

3. Loyalty: Morale, Armour, and Non-Combat Morale Regen. A solid virtue for increasing health pool and defenses, ensuring you can withstand more hits, especially when you’re balancing offense and defense in combat.

4. Zeal: Might, Physical Mastery, and Morale. Even though Might is not the primary stat for Mariner, the additional Physical Mastery boosts damage, and Morale provides extra health, improving overall durability.

5. Tolerance: Resistance, Tactical Mitigation, and Critical Defense. Increases your resistance to crowd-control effects and provides additional mitigation against magical attacks, making it a well-rounded defensive option.

Specializations Breakdown

Each specialization brings something unique to the Mariner class. Here’s a breakdown:

• Shanty-caller (Blue Line): If you like the idea of rallying your team with buffs while dealing decent damage, Shanty-caller is for you. This spec is great for players who want to support their group with crowd control abilities while still packing a punch. Strengths include group utility, but it’s slightly weaker in pure solo damage.
  
• Duelist (Red Line): Duelists focus on maximizing single-target damage. If you enjoy fast-paced combat and focusing on one enemy at a time, Duelist excels at bringing down bosses or tough mobs. However, you’ll find this spec lacking when it comes to area-of-effect (AoE) damage.
  
• Rover (Yellow Line): The Rover spec is all about movement and adaptability. You’ll deal consistent damage while dodging attacks, making it perfect for players who enjoy an evasive, agile playstyle. It’s great for solo play, though it might not shine as brightly in group-focused content where pure damage is needed.

Because the game frequently updates class specializations and balancing, it’s important to stay current with the best Mariner builds. We suggest visiting Mariner community-created builds, as well as using the Mariner Traits Planner at ilovefriedorcs to customize your own builds according to your preferred playstyle.

Crafting for Mariners

Crafting plays a huge role in LOTRO, and choosing the right profession will greatly benefit your Mariner. Consider the following:

• Weaponsmith: For crafting your own dual-wield weapons like swords and daggers.
• Tailor: To craft your own medium armor, ensuring you’re always well-protected.
• Scholar: Useful for making battle scrolls, potions, and other buffs that enhance your overall combat ability.

Mariner Sail Travel Skills

Mariners have a unique and incredibly useful ability to sail quickly to a variety of locations throughout Middle-earth, and the best part is that they can take their entire fellowship along for the journey. This fast travel skill is not just convenient for getting around quickly, but it can also be helpful in group content, allowing your team to move together seamlessly.

Here’s a table listing the travel skills available to Mariners in LOTRO and the level at which they receive them. Some of these skills also require reputation with a specific faction to unlock.

Set Sail!

The Mariner class in LOTRO offers a fresh, exciting playstyle with its dynamic balance mechanic and versatile group roles. Whether you’re drawn to its lore, the challenge of balancing Fore and Aft, or the thrill of dual-wielding, there’s something for every type of player. I hope this guide has given you the information you need to navigate your new class. Now, it’s time for you to set sail and make your mark as a Mariner!