LOTRO stories will let you meet and grow to love many original characters...

LOTRO is not only about the most prominent figures from the main story - you'll get to know and love many new faces!

Good day to you, fellow Middle-Earthers. Today, we're looking into the original characters of the LOTRO lore.

Lord of the Rings Online has a rich variety of original characters that follow various stories and quest chains, either from the epic quest storylines or from standalone quests many of which left an amazing impression on the gamers.

The list will cover only original LOTRO characters, so don't expect Frodo or Gandalf to appear on this list, as that would make the list too obvious. Plus, we feel like celebrating the originality of LOTRO and promoting the game to potential new players should be the point of this article.

We'll cover both good and bad guys alike, as villains are just as fun and alluring in the LOTRO story as the goodies are.

Also, some character analyses will contain certain spoilers, but we'll make sure to let you know when spoilers are ahead!

So, let's dive into it! These 10 unforgettable characters will make you love LOTRO even more!

10) Issuriel

Dol Guldur - Where the Hidden Guard meets its final challenge

WARNING - The Issuriel analysis is a bit of a spoiler, so if you want to be totally surprised playing the epics, jump to spot number 9!

Issuriel is probably the most memorable member of the Hidden Guard, an elven secret task force that is assembled to exchange the captured dwarf Bori, for the Guard's own prisoner, the orc chief Mazog.

Through a series of exciting events, the Elf is gravely poisoned along with the orc prisoner. The player's quest is to create an antidote for her. While successful, they still manage to create a dose that's sufficient only for one of them.

When offered the antidote, the Elf bravely refuses, telling the others to give the antidote to their enemy - the orc Mazog, aware that that's the only way for their mission to succeed.

We won't be spoiling too much about her ultimate fate (play the Dol Guldur storyline and see for yourself), but this act alone makes Issuriel quite memorable!

9) Skorgrim Dourhand

Scary Skorgrim

One of the original LOTRO villains, the king of the evil Dwarf tribe is one of the first creepy bad guys that instantly draws new players to continue playing the game.

He makes quite the havoc around Arnor, kidnaps an elvish prince, and takes part in some twisted acts of necromancy - a pretty rich resume for a bad guy.

8) Willem Whisker

Bingo and his feral friends

Willem Whisker is proof that you don't need to walk on two legs and talk to be a true badass hero!

You see, Willem is a lynx!

But that doesn't stop him from saving his partner, Bingo Boffin's butt from certain doom time and time again.

I say partner because Willem Whisker is anything but a pet. If you had a sidekick like that, there would be no limit for you in this world...

7) Sara Oakheart

The creepy granny

This mysterious old lady appears time and time again all throughout Eriador, and for unknown reasons, she keeps ending up in trouble.

She's all fragile and slow. Heroes of Middle-earth keep saving her neck, she gives them her thanks, after which, she mysteriously runs off like she's a 14-year-old girl.

Something is not quite right with Sara Oakheart.

You don't know who she is, but she gives you the creeps. And rightly so...

6) Candaith

Candaith

One of the first rangers that the player gets to meet in Middle-earth and the one they probably get attached to the most!

The player meets Candaith in Lone-lands, early on in the story where they make a great contribution to the safety of Eriador, visit the Weathertop together, investigate the clues of the battle between Gandalf and the Nazgul, and share numerous adventures!

However, their shared friendship makes them rejoin forces all throughout the epics, traveling through many dangers together, as the Grey Company.

This character is a part of the original LOTRO experience and he gets a properly epic sendoff.

5) Horn, Nona, and Corudan

Once you get to know her, Nona becomes a really dear friend

The trio that the player gets to travel with through the challenges of Rohan. We won't spoil anything, so we'll keep this one vague!

The characters are well developed, they have a rich arc and backstory, and their relationships are loaded with drama and plot twists.

There's conflict, doubt, uncertainty, and tragedy!

Some of these characters are yet to get their conclusion in the LOTRO epic story, and we are eagerly waiting to see how the devs close it out.

4) Laerdan and Narmeleth

Through Laerdan's memories

The Elf Laerdan is such a well-made character.

He's conflicted between his duty and the love for his family, he's flawed, wise, sad, and defeated, but ultimately victorious and redeemed!

Narmeleth, his daughter, is a tragic hero who suffered greatly under the torture that the forces of evil have inflicted upon her. She is a prisoner of her own demons and her liberation depends on the courage of the player.

The story of how evil hurt Laerdan and his daughter reminds us of some of the twisted cruelty of the original dark lord Morgoth and his servants in the Silmarillion. Their story feels ancient and epic.

I won't dare spoil any of the details to you!

Laerdan and Narmeleth are some of the best characters of the LOTRO lore without a doubt, as they have an amazing arc and a bittersweet resolution.

3) Bingo Boffin

Bingo always knows how to enjoy life

LOTRO lore often brings much stress, sadness, uncertainty, and loss, resembling the classic J.R.R. Tolkien's themes and stories. Bingo, however, resembles the lighter tone of the Hobbit.

He's silly, goofy, and fun and he makes you laugh, and smile, and sometimes hate him a little (like that time Bingo is frustrated that his adventure is not exciting enough so he concludes that in order for his adventure diary to be more interesting, you should go and kill a hundred bears and write about it - I could murder him then and there).

Nevertheless, the Ballad of Bingo Boffin is one of the best LOTRO experiences that the player will get!

2) Mordirith

Mordirith

WARNING - PLOT TWIST SPOILERS AHEAD!

Mordirith is the original villain of the Shadows of Angmar.

However, as the game story goes on, the character gets an amazing connection with Tolkien's lore - TWICE!

You first find out that Mordirith is actually Earnur, the last king of Men that ventured into Minas Morgul to accept the challenge of the Witch-king of Angmar, never to be seen again.

The developers were very clever to create this connection as it gives more depth and creepiness to the character.

But, the genius of Mordirith doesn't end there - it turns out that the mysterious character from the battle of Pelennor Fields, Gothmog (that Tolkien never described or explained) is actually - Mordirith!

This second development really blows your mind as Gothmog appears before the gates of Minas Tirith, claiming that he has a claim to the throne of Gondor!

This original addition to the LOTRO lore by the devs makes the story of the Return of the King even more complex and the need for a victory against evil even more urgent!

These two plot twists were clever, exciting, and bold, making Mordirith a formidable enemy.

1) Wynmar and Noriel

A forbidden love

WARNING - FULL SPOILERS AHEAD!

There is a fair chance you actually don't remember or haven't played this story. It's one of the intro quests to the Great River questline. Even though it's not a part of the epic storyline, this is by far the best questline in our opinion, and one of the best love stories in any RPG.

Noriel is an elf maiden of Lothlorien. She asks the player for a favor, to help her drive out the Rohirrim trespassers from Lorien's borders. Their quest leads them to Wynmar, a stubborn hunter from Rohan that is searching for his lost friend, Dunstan.

Realizing that the Rohirrim won't go away without finding their comrade, Noriel decides to help the player find the missing man.

As the player and Noriel discover the missing hunter dead, they are ambushed by orcs in the woods.

Suddenly, Wynmar appears, saving them both. After looking at Noriel, the man instantly falls in love!

This part is written beautifully, as the man shows vulnerability, clumsiness even in his attempts to woo the elf lady!

The smitten Rohirrim now goes to Noriel and tries to enter the Elf settlement. The guards forbid it and finally, Noriel appears, telling Wynmar that he should go. When he confesses his love, Noriel dismisses him again, even though she hesitates for a moment.

The broken warrior accepts that he should return to his own land.

Sadly, he is attacked by yet another orc ambush and hit with a poison arrow.

Just as Wynmar was getting shot with the arrow, Noriel appears, in an attempt to apologize for the way she acted before.

Sadly, Wynmar is mortally wounded. With his last breath, he expresses his happiness that she is there with him...and dies.

After watching the warrior pass away, Noriel finally confesses that she too had feelings for him.

This story is one of the best-told stories in any RPG, equal to the stories from Skyrim and The Witcher for its depth and emotion.

That makes Noriel and Wynmar the most compelling characters in LOTRO.

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