SECOND AGE LEGENDARY BOWS

The bow on the right, Reason, is the l.58 Second Age legendary I've been using in Moria for the last couple of months, and it's a pretty good bow. However, I've been on the lookout for a l.60 Second Age, more out of a feeling that I really needed to get the best possible (leaving aside First Age items for the moment, please), rather than because I was unhappy with Reason. A few days ago, chancing to log on early one morning when almost nobody else was around, I was very lucky to find a l.60 bow on the Laurelin Auction House with a sellout price of 30G. It was unidentified, and therefore a gamble, but it paid off - the legacies it came with were more than decent, if not perfect.

So Darkfall has now become my main ranged weapon, rushed up to l.30 in a matter of minutes thanks to a stash of item experience point runes. However, what has really floored me is the difference two levels make to the DPS (Damage Per Second) rating: maxed out in both cases, Reason has a DPS rating of 53.6, whereas Darkfall, raised to the same tier, achieves an astonishing 59.1! Oh, and the speed is significantly better, too (2.2 versus 2.5),

Moral: Use the highest level legendary weapon you can lay your hands on to be getting on with, but as soon as a l.60 comes your way, grab it at almost any cost. What will happen to faithful old Reason, you ask? I though of breaking it up when it reaches l.40 in order to reclaim some of the experience, but on second thought, I may after all use a Beleriand title scroll on it, and keep it around as an alternative or backup weapon...

BEST OF THE BOWS

This is an (almost?) complete set of the best projectile weapons in LOTRO as of Book 13, drawn from my priceless collection. Cudur, Bane of Forvengwath and Fortified Black Ash Bow are clearly the best available. I normally have Cudur equipped, and carry the other two in my pack. Cudur becomes available after you reach Rank 4 with the Free Peoples in the Ettenmoors; it costs 3 Luminous Spirit Stones and a further quantity of Glimmering and Dull stones, all of which can either be found in the Delvings of Fror or purchased at the AH. It should be possible to achieve Rank 4 after 2-3 days fighting in the Ettens.

Bane of Forvengwath drops from the first Gatekeeper in Balad Gularan; unfortunately it seems to be fairly rare drop; on the plus side, he isn't that hard to down, and a determined fellowship could farm him. Fortified Black Ash Bow is of course a crafted item. Bow of Keria is a reward item for completing Book 13, and therefore quite achievable for a l.46 or so player. Bow of the Hunt is the reward item for completing the Hunter class quest; it's a nice bow, but usually, by the time most Hunters complete the quest, they will be close to getting something better.

The crossbow Nathfeig, another Barad Gularan drop, is useful to keep around when going after dragon kind (+7), which includes all the worms. Gautar's Ironwork Crossbow (an Angmar/Myrkworth drop) is the best I've been able to come up with as far as dealing out ancient dwarf-make damage is concerned, but there may be something better out there. Finally, Tongannel's Joy is a reward for the Trollshaws quest "Cause for Joy" which comes in very handy when you're in the mid-40s, and was my favourite bow for a long time.