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Dwarf Racial Traits

Dwarf Racial Traits

As a Dwarf, which race traits you equip will depend on three things: your class, your level and which traits you have earned.

Free and Premium players have an additional consideration: you start with only two race trait slots. Of the four traits types, buying more race trait slots should be your lowest priority.  Simply equip your best two.

Dwarves have a pretty easy time finding the mobs they need for their racial deeds, but may want to group up for Enmity of the Trolls if those race traits are right for your character.

Which Race Traits to Equip as a Dwarf

The list below is ordered from most useful to least useful. Pick the first five (or two, if you are Free or Premium) that apply to you!
  1. Endurance of Stone, the dwarf emergency skill, is fairly helpful to every class -- especially in Shadows of Angmar content and PvMP. These damage types are less prevalent in Mines of Moria and Siege of Mirkwood content.
  2. Return to Thorin's Gate is helpful for most classes, with the exception of dwarf hunters who have alternate travel skills. If you have another "Return to" skill, such as "Return to Ost Guruth", you may want skip this.
  3. Fateful Dwarf (+20 Fate) will be helpful to most players, providing faster in-combat power and morale regeneration rates. Dwarf rune-keepers and minstrels will benefit from larger, more frequent criticals for tactical skills (including heals).
  4. Shield Brawler, with its boost to block, is a strong survivability skill for guardians, minstrels and Glory champions.
  5. The Dwarf Axe-damage Bonus adds a little damage for characters who melee with an axe.
  6. Virtuous Dwarf is useful if you need another rank of these virtues and have a spare race trait slot. Fidelity, Honesty and Loyalty are all good virtues depending on your class and play-style.
  7. The Guile and Might Bonus adds a little damage over time and damage to fellowship maneuvers if you go yellow or red. Could be useful depending on your class and how much you group.
  8. Head-butt is a decent attack at low-levels and used situationally by some melee at high level for its chance to stun.
  9. Dwarf-endurance is situationally useful for boss fights where you fellowship's Vitality is not maxxed out from captain and minstrel buffs. Be sure you have a way to recover the power it uses.

Dwarf Race Traits

Deed-based

LevelTPDeedObjectiveWhere to Hunt at Level (earlier locations also work)TraitTrait Effect
13 5 Enmity of the Dourhands Defeat 50 Dourhands Kheledul or Grimwater in Ered Luin Head-butt Weak melee attack. Can be used every five seconds and has a small chance of stunning the target for 3 seconds.
19 10 Enmity of the Dourhands II Defeat 100 Dourhands Kheledul or Grimwater in Ered Luin Guile and Might Bonus +5% to Spider's Guile (yellow) and Ent's Strength (red) Fellowship Maneuvers
25 15 Enmity of the Dourhands III Defeat 150 Dourhands Mithrenost (Lone-lands). Around level 28, you can hunt Dourhands in the Nan Amlug West (North Downs) near Esteldin. Dwarf Axe-damage Bonus +2% to 1-hand and 2-hand axe damage
13 5 Enmity of the Goblins Defeat 50 goblins South of Gondamon (Ered Luin) there are goblin camps in Clovenvale and Rath Teraig. Fateful Dwarf +20 Fate
29 10 Enmity of the Goblins II Defeat 150 goblins North of the Forsaken Inn or Minas Eriol (Lone-lands) Return to Thorin's Gate Once an hour port to Thorin's Gate. Uses 1 travel ration and shares a cooldown timer with other "Return to" skills.
35 15 Enmity of the Goblins III Defeat 250 goblins Dol Dinen (North Downs) or Tham Andalath (Evendim) Endurance of Stone +75% to common, fire and shadow damage mitigation for 10 seconds. Can be used once an hour.
29 5 Enmity of the Trolls Defeat 100 trolls Eastern Harloeg (Lone-lands), Taur God Waith or the Etten Caves (North Downs). You may want to group up for these. Dwarf-endurance Buffs fellowship Vitality for 10 minutes. Size varies with level (+50 Vitality @ level 60). Can be used once an hour.
35 10 Enmity of the Trolls II Defeat 150 trolls Eastern Harloeg (Lone-lands), Taur God Waith or the Etten Caves (North Downs). You may want to group up for these. Shield Brawler +2% to block
Total: 75

Faction-based

LevelFactionStandingHow to Earn FactionTraitTrait Effect
35 Thorin's Hall Friend
Complete level 45 quests and deeds in Sarnur, the Thorin's Hall rep dungeon. Reputation items (which are bartered for faction) drop from level 44+ humanoids in Sarnur (Ered Luin) and Icereave Mines (Forochel). Volume I, Book 5 of the epic story and some quests from Gloin's Camp in Misty Mountains also give Thorin's Hall reputation.
Virtuous Dwarf +1 rank of Fidelity, Honesty, Loyalty

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