Ever since we published Lead System Designer Nik Davidson’s Developer Diary on the origins of LOTRO’s Crafting System, the crafters of the community have eagerly awaited more details. In our second Developer Diary we introduced the concept of Professions and Vocations, and covered a little more ground. It’s time to bring our crafters the next installment! Here’s a basic overview of the system, including details on how to get started in your crafting career.

In The Lord of the Rings Online^TM: Shadows of Angmar^TM, players learn a starting Vocation by talking to a Master or Mistress of Apprentices in the following towns:

The Shire

• Michel Delving: Blossom Proudfoot, Mistress of Apprentices

Bree-land

• Combe: Jill Brushwood, Mistress of Apprentices
• Bree-town Crafting Hall: Old Roger Sorrel, Master of Apprentices

Ered Luin

• Gondamon: Alfwin, Master of Apprentices
• Celondim: Golphedinir, Master of Apprentices
• Thorin’s Hall: Nási, Master of Apprentices

Vocations

Each Vocation is made up of three Professions, as follows:

Armourer

• Metalsmith
• Prospector
• Tailor

Armourers can create a wide variety of armour, but they specialize in heavy armour and shields. As capable miners and smelters, they can procure and prepare the metal they need; they can also craft clothes and leather armour, but will need to trade for the tanned hides required to create these items. This is an excellent choice of trade for one who relies on heavy armour and shields.

Explorer

• Tailor
• Forester
• Prospector

Explorers are resourceful folk who can live off the land, crafting leather armour and clothing while gathering anything useful they come across. Explorer is an excellent choice for anyone who wears Light or Medium armour, or wants to specialize in resource gathering.

Armsman

• Weaponsmith
• Prospector
• Woodworker

Armsmen are capable of crafting any weapon their fellow adventurers might ever need, so this is an excellent vocation for anyone who relies on their fighting abilities. An Armsman is proficient in mining and smelting, but will need to trade for wood with which to make bows, spears, and the like.

Tinker

• Jeweller
• Prospector
• Cook

A Tinker’s greatest skill is that of jewelcraft, and a skilled Tinker can create baubles of both beauty and utility. Tinkers can harvest the precious metals and stones they needs for their work, and given the long hours this trade requires, it’s a good thing that a Tinker is also a fair hand at preparing a hearty meal!

Yeoman

• Cook
• Farmer
• Tailor

Yeomen are the salt of the earth, tilling soil and preparing food with age-old skills and knowledge. They can also create clothes and leather armours, but need to trade their produce for the hides required.

Woodsman

• Woodworker
• Forester
• Farmer

Woodsmen are the foremost bowyers in Middle-earth, and are capable of crafting fine weapons from the raw wood they gather and treat. Their knowledge of plants and nature also makes them proficient Farmers. Woodsman is an excellent choice of vocation for anyone who wants to create their own mighty bows.

Historian

• Scholar
• Weaponsmith
• Farmer

Historians are unique in their access to the Scholarly arts, which allows them to research ancient lore and use their discoveries to the advantage of their fellows. In addition, a Historian has the more practical talents of cultivating land and forging the blades that are so often spoken of in the histories they study.

Professions

Once you’ve chosen a Vocation, visit a provisioner for any of your three Professions to purchase tools, recipes, and many ingredients needed by that Profession. (Note: though provisioners carry a wide selection, many items needed for crafting, including some special rare recipes, are found as loot or must be obtained from other players.) Provisioner NPCs are usually located in the vicinity of the Mistresses or Masters of Apprentices, and in many additional towns. Following are details about the ten different Professions that make up LOTRO’s Vocations:

Cook
A long march can be made all the easier with the promise of a good meal at the end. While it may seem a mundane talent, a good cook is every adventurer's best friend!

Farmer
Farmers grow items, such as pipeweed, in the field and harvest them, usually as supplies for other crafting Vocations.

Forester
Foresters gather resources such as wood from the forest, to be used by other crafting Vocations.

Jeweller
Simple adornments and objects of beauty are the heart of the jeweller's trade. However, exceptional adornments can go far to increasing the stature and confidence of an adventurer, and a skilled jeweller can produce true works of art.

Metalsmith
Metal armors and sturdy shields are the metalsmith's domain. Though their initial products may be of simple make, eventually their skills will allow them to work finer materials and greater designs.

Prospector
Prospectors gather stone and ore from the earth for use in other crafting Vocations.

Scholar
Perhaps the most mysterious of the professions, the Scholar collects fragments of lost lore and attempts to interpret their secrets. By doing so, he can create scrolls for other craftsmen to read and improve their chances of producing a superior product. Other practical applications include lore by which specific enemies (orcs, trolls, the dead) might be best combated, dyes, and cures for various maladies.

Tailor
A skilled tailor can make simple clothing from common cloth, but with time and practice they can learn to create garments of great beauty that provide significant protection to their wearer. The Tailor can also work with tanned hides to produce leather armor – light, tough and suitable for travel.

Weaponsmith
As the name would suggest, the Weaponsmith is the primary source of melee weapons. Swords, daggers, and axes of all varieties are the Weaponsmith's purview, ranging from bronze training gear to mighty weapons of ancient design and great renown.

Woodworker
As any archer will tell you, it takes more than a stick and a string to make a worthy weapon. The woodworker is an expert bowyer, but expands his trade to include staves, spears, and other hafted weapons. A master Woodworker can produce weapons that even an elven hero would be proud to wield on the battlefield.

The Crafting Interface

You can access your Crafting Panel by clicking the anvil icon right next to the Main Menu icon in the toolbar at the bottom of the game screen, or by pressing the “T” key. From there, you can craft items using the recipes you’ve learned, and view your Mastery options. In order to craft an item, you must have the right tool, the proper ingredients, and be near the appropriate crafting facility. There are three main tabs within the Crafting Panel, one for each Profession in your Vocation.

Players can change Vocations at any time by speaking to the Mistress or Master of Apprentices again, but they will lose all crafting experience for any Professions not shared by the old and new Vocation. For example, changing from a Woodsman to a Yeoman will cause the player to lose all experience they’ve earned as a Woodworker and Forester, but any experience gained in the Farmer Profession would carry over.

Your skill in your chosen Professions will grow with experience, and you’ll advance through the levels of Apprentice, Journeyman, Expert, Artisan, and finally, Master. You can earn experience points for a Profession simply by crafting, but you must complete crafting quests in order to advance to the next level of expertise. Once you have become a Master at a given Profession, you can use the “Mastery Options” tab in your Crafting Panel to increase the odds of a Critical Success when crafting items under that Profession.

There’s a lot more to learn about LOTRO’s Crafting System, but we hope this brief overview will help budding Artisans out there get started!