This guide serves as both a short introduction to LIs and as a reference page. Feel free to alt-tab between LOTRO and this guide for optimal performance!
Once identified, a LI will reveal three random class-specific Legacies.
Once identified, a new LI will either be useful as a replacement to your currently equipped LIs or it will be worth slotting and eventually deconstructing at a time of your choosing—usually after acquiring at least one item level.
Tip: If you equip an LI before slotting it, the LI will automatically slot itself into the first available LI slot on your LI Panel.
Slotting vs. Equipping at a glance:
• All Legendary Items (LIs) have an 'item level' (seen near their name on the LI panel) that can be tracked through the user interface.
• A LI also has an unchanging 'minimum equip level.' Your character level must meet-or-exceed any LI's 'minimum equip level' before it can be slotted/equipped.
For many LOTRO players, a time will come when they slot a LI they have no plan to equip. There are advanced strategies to equipping LIs your character cannot use, because deconstructing a LI results in a sort of 'material' you can use to enhance other LIs—more on this topic later.
Tip: Once slotted, any LI automatically (and permanently) binds to your character even if you do not equip it.
No more than eight LIs can be slotted simultaneously, and no more than two LIs can be equipped simultaneously. Sound confusing? Let us explain further…
Tip: There is one exception to the above rule of slotted LIs gaining ixp. The first two starter-LIs you receive from quest rewards ONLY gain ixp when equipped—slotting the starter LIs to level them is a fruitless effort.
Legendary Item Progression in Practice:
• Earn your first two Legendary Items from the lvl 45 quest chain.
• Continue to quest into Moria.
• Discover a new and better set of LIs through enemy drops, treasure chest, or NPC reward.
• Replace 'starter' LIs with newly found, better ones, and deconstruct 'starter' LIs because they DO NOT level while slotted.
Eventually, leveling your LIs will involve a cycle of slotting multiple LIs and equipping two. Many of the LIs you slot might not be meant for use in combat. Some LIs will be slotted to increase their item level, causing them to produce more materials when deconstructed. Level 30+ LIs are like ripened fruit, offering rewards that include more LI crafting material, ixp return, and a Legacy when deconstructed.
What is a Legacy?
Think of Legendary Items (LIs) like another LOTRO character; Legacies are a bit like the skills you slowly gain and level on a LOTRO character. Legacies are a sub-component of LIs, and they can be improved while leveling your LI.
How you get them
Every LI has a default Legacy, visible before LI identification. A weapon's default Legacy is either DPS or Tactical Damage, dependent on weapon type. For class-specific LIs, default Legacies vary from one class to another; a class able to specialize in healing may use a LI with a bonus to Tactical Healing. Other classes may use LIs with a bonus to Incoming Healing or Block Rating. In addition to these bonuses, when first identified, LIs gain three Major Legacies.
Legacies come in two flavors, known as Major Legacies and Minor Legacies. Major Legacies are always beneficial to your class, while Minor Legacies are focused on a specific play styles within a class. LIs always have three Major Legacies on identification, but at levels 10, 20, and 30—when you re-forge a LI—the Forge Master will offer a choice between two Legacies to add to your LI.
Tip: Major Legacies have a gold border surrounding their icon, while Minors have a silver border.
All Legacies have a rank; Legendary Items (LIs) gain Legacy points each time they level up, and these points are spent to increase Legacy ranks. To increase a Legacy's rank, open your Legendary Item Panel (by pressing Shift + I) select the Legacy you wish to increase and then click 'Rank Up.'
As you can see in the above images, it's also possible to rank up this particular LI's DPS (Damage per Second) and, as time goes on, there will be many more Legacies to add and rank up.
Tiers
In addition to a rank, each Legacy has a tier between 1 and 6. The cost of ranking up goes down when a Legacy's tier is higher. For example, if a Legacy is only tier 2, it might cost 95 points to rank up. Improving the Legacy to tier 3 might reduce ranking up cost down to 79. Default Legacies have no tier.
Improving Legacy Tiers
Legacy tiers can be upgraded at levels 40, 50, 60, and 70 through the re-forging process. Alternatively—or in addition—you can use a Scroll of Empowerment on a Legendary Item (LI) to increase a Legacy's current tier.
Tip: You cannot use a Scroll of Empowerment on a LI's default Legacy, because they do not have tiers.
Scrolls of Empowerment come in three flavors:
• Scroll of Lesser Empowerment
• Scroll of Empowerment
• Scroll of Greater Empowerment
You can use any 'higher level' scrolls on 'lower level' Legendary Items (LIs) but keep in mind—cost is a factor. A 'higher level' scroll will cost you significantly more to purchase from a Skirmish vendor.
If you speak with veteran players—or any player with a max-level character—they will tell you Legendary Items have more going on than what's covered here, and they're right. Legendary Items 101 is only an introduction. We hope you found this guide useful, but moreover, we hope you find a most powerful Legendary Item during your future adventures through Middle-earth and LOTRO!