You’ve proven your skill time and time again to the denizens of Eriador: but now it is time to test your mettle in the depths of Moria and under the grim canopy of Mirkwood.  There aren’t many skills to be gained between levels 51 and 65, but at this stage in the game, you’ll have an unrivaled number of opportunities for your existing skills to be tested.  We’ll be fairly brief this week, covering your last seven Rune-keeper skills, your final three legendary traits, and how to get them.

Huzzah, Moria!

Old Favorites and New Tricks: your skills at levels 51 – 65


 Skill Level Attunes Requires
Final Words (52) 1 Steady -
All Fates Entwined (54) 1 Healing 9 Healing
Vivid Imagery (56) 1 Battle 6 Battle
Glorious Foreshadowing (58) 1 Healing 6 Healing
Distracting Flame (60) 1 Battle 3 Battle
Shall Not Fall This Day (62) 4 Steady -
Armaments of Storm (64) 1 Steady -

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After level 50, there are only three truly new Rune-keeper skills.  The other four are improvements to skills you already have.  The three newcomers are Vivid Imagery, Glorious Foreshadowing, and Distracting Flame.  All three of these skills are greatly improved by their respective legendary traits (Perfect Imagery, Wondrous Foreshadowing, and Mystifying Flame).

UBrasky of Silverlode demonstrating Vivid Imageryntraited, Vivid Imagery is essentially an offensive panic button: it’s melee-range light damage and daze that affects up to three targets.  Solitary Thunder’s capstone trait, Perfect Imagery, increases the damage and daze length, reduces the cooldown to 3 minutes, and increases the critical hit chance of your Fury of Storm skills by 30% for 15 seconds.  The main downside of Vivid Imagery is that it’s best when used in melee-range, which isn’t where you want to be most of the time, but it does have its uses (in skirmishes, for example).

Glorious Foreshadowing by itself isn’t particularly useful: +5% more healing on one of your fellows for 30 seconds.  One more layer of preparation for your morale-boosting efforts is always welcome, but it can become truly potent if you obtain the Wondrous Foreshadowing legendary trait.  As Wondrous Foreshadowing, the skill now affects your entire fellowship, boosts your healing by 5%, and can be used every 2 minutes.  It essentially transforms from a mediocre tank-only skill into a powerful AoE healing skill.  Combine Wondrous Foreshadowing with the Rune of Restoration trait and Rousing Words, and your ability to handle fellowship-wide damage just increased substantially.

I admit, I’m not big on Wrath of Flame skills and traits.  However, even when I’m traited for Solitary Thunder, I’ll toss Distracting Flame up during a boss fight.  Rune-keepers have a habit of generating a lot of threat, but unlike other damage skills, Distracting Flame actually reduces threat as it does damage.  Damage and threat reduction in a single skill?  What’s not to like?  Additionally, the quick cast time and low attunement requirement make it easy to use given the slightest opportunity.  Like the previous two skills, Distracting Flame can be improved by a legendary trait, Mystifying Flame.  As you might expect, Mystifying Flame increases its damage and threat reduction, reduces the cooldown, and lowers the affected foe’s Tactical resistance while active.  If you’re planning on using Cleansing Fires traits to DPS, Mystifying Flame is a must-have.

Next up, we have the updates: Final Words, All Fates Entwined, Shall Not Fall This Day, and Armaments of Storm/Flame/Winter.  Of these, Final Words is the only one that actually modifies the purpose of its original skill (Abrupt Words).  In addition to interrupting inductions, Final Words also removes up to three Corruption effects from your target.  You may have begun to notice these Corruptions on level 50+ mobs in Moria and beyond: these are typically nasty buffs that you want to get rid of quickly.  Final Words is our way to do it.

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Perfect Foreshadowing Flames: your capstone legendary traits

Perfect Imagery, Wondrous Foreshadowing, and Mystifying Flame are known as “capstone” legendary traits, meaning they each require you to have five traits from the same trait set slotted before you can equip them.  Given their potency, you’ll probably want to pick them up as soon as you can.  Here’s how to get them:

  • Those who gain kindred status with the Iron Garrison Guards in the 21st Hall can purchase the book “On the Patterns of Wind and Rain,” which grants Perfect Imagery.  Quests, reputation items, and certain Moria instances (such as the Grand Stair) increase your reputation with the Iron Garrison Guards.
  • Wondrous Foreshadowing is rewarded for completing The Path of the Restoring Rune class quest chain, which sends you hither and yon across Middle Earth before culminating in a special battle in the 16th Hall of Moria.  You will need a full fellowship to fight your way through the 16th Hall.
  • Mystifying Flame is obtained by completing Volume II, Book 6 of the Epic storyline quests.  Finishing Book 6 can be quite a time commitment, but the Epic quests are usually top-notch and offer generous rewards.  You will need a full fellowship to complete several of the quests leading up to the end of Vol. II, Book 6.

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And that’s it!  The full array of Rune-keeper skills are at your command and you’re ready to do us all proud.  Practice the skills you know and experiment with those you’re less familiar with.  These end-game levels are also great if you’ve been itching to try out Rune-keeper healing but haven’t had much opportunity.  Healers are often in high demand and if you prove yourself reliable, you’ll have friends and allies aplenty.  I highly recommend being flexible about DPSing or healing.  Swapping healing and DPS traits usually costs a little over 200 silver (if you’re changing legendary traits), which is chump change compared to what you can make by having a successful adventure in Moria or Mirkwood.

Until next week, may your voice be strong and your hands be steady!

—Omsi