Legendary Items Reforged

The Legendary Items (LI) system was completely overhauled with the "Legendary Items Reforged" update. This guide covers the current system and how to get the most out of your weapons and class items.

How the New System Works

Unlike the old system of random legacies and relics, the Reforged system gives you full control over your LI build:

1. Obtain a Legendary Item through quests or crafting
2. Choose Traceries — These are the stat and ability modifiers you slot into your LI
3. Level Traceries — Use Ancient Script currency to enhance them
4. Upgrade LI quality — Progress from Incomparable to First Age

Types of Legendary Items

Every class uses two Legendary Items:

• Main-hand Weapon — Your primary weapon (sword, staff, bow, etc.)
• Class Item — A class-specific emblem, book, or instrument

Both accept traceries that enhance your character's abilities and stats.

Tracery Types

There are three categories of traceries:

Heraldric Traceries

These provide raw stat bonuses:

• Might, Agility, Will, Vitality, Fate
• Physical/Tactical Mastery
• Critical Rating
• Incoming Healing

Word of Power Traceries

These enhance specific class skills:

• Increase damage of key abilities
• Reduce cooldowns
• Add effects to skills

Word of Craft Traceries

These provide secondary stat bonuses:

• Finesse
• Critical Defence
• Physical/Tactical Mitigation
• Resistance

Obtaining Traceries

Traceries come from several sources:

Practical Farming Priority

1. Fill empty slots quickly from missions/instances so every slot is active.
2. Use Ancient Script to target key Word of Power traceries for your build.
3. Replace placeholders with raid/delving/vendor-targeted traceries as you progress.
4. Save premium currencies (Embers/event barter) for hard-to-find or BIS traceries.

If you are chasing true endgame LI optimization, the highest raid tiers are where the best tracery rewards live. Standard raid tiers are a strong source of Incomparable traceries, while top-end clears such as T5 are the content band to watch for Legendary tracery drops and the best upgrade path.

Ancient Script

Ancient Script is the primary currency for the LI system. You earn it from:

• Completing instances and raids
• Weekly quests
• Deconstructing old LIs and traceries
• Mission rewards

Spend Ancient Script at LI vendors (found in major hubs) to:

• Purchase traceries
• Level up existing traceries
• Upgrade LI quality

Optimizing Your LI

Step 1: Get Your LI

Complete the intro quest at level 45+ to receive your first LI. At max level, craft or acquire an Incomparable quality LI as your base.

Step 2: Choose Your Traceries

Plan your tracery build based on your class and role:

DPS builds: Focus on Mastery, Critical Rating, and skill damage traceries.

Tank builds: Prioritize Vitality, Mitigation, and threat/survival traceries.

Healer builds: Stack Outgoing Healing, Tactical Mastery, and healing skill traceries.

Step 3: Level Everything Up

Use Ancient Script to level each tracery slot. Higher levels = bigger bonuses. Prioritize:

1. Word of Power traceries (biggest impact on gameplay)
2. Heraldric traceries (primary stat boosts)
3. Word of Craft traceries (secondary stats)

Step 4: Upgrade your LI

Here's what changes when you upgrade:

Tracery Slot Layout

Each LI has a fixed set of tracery slots.

Main-hand Weapon:

Class Item (First Age):

How Tracery Slotting Works

1. Open your LI panel and select the item you want to modify.
2. Click an empty tracery slot — a list of compatible traceries from your inventory appears.
3. Slot the tracery — it binds to that slot. You can replace it later, but the old tracery is destroyed.
4. Level the tracery — spend Ancient Script to raise its item level, increasing the bonus it provides.
5. Repeat — fill every slot, then focus on leveling each tracery to the cap.

Traceries are slot-type locked — you can only place a Heraldric Tracery in a Heraldric slot, a Word of Power in a Word of Power slot, and so on. Within each type, you choose which specific tracery to slot based on your build.

Upgrading

To upgrade an existing LI:

1. Acquire a upgrade item — available from end-game raid barter vendors, high-tier instance rewards, or the Ancient Script vendor at a significant cost.
2. Apply it to your LI through the LI panel — this raises the item's quality tier.
3. New tracery slots unlock immediately, and existing traceries gain a higher level cap.

Tip: Upgrade your main-hand weapon — the Word of Power traceries on your weapon typically have the largest impact on your damage or healing output.

Boosting Your LI with Consumables

Beyond traceries and upgrades, temporary consumables can push your LI’s effective power even higher:

• Enhancement Rune +4, Lvl 151 — The current top-tier enhancement rune. Raises your LI’s item level by 4, boosting all tracery values. Lower tiers like Enhancement Rune +3, Lvl 151 and Enhancement Rune +2, Lvl 151 are cheaper alternatives.
• Scrolls of Empowerment — Permanently increase a specific tracery’s level by 1. Use these on your most expensive traceries first.
• Scrolls of Delving — Raise the maximum item level cap of your LI, allowing further upgrades.

Tip: Enhancement runes stack with all other consumables (food, scrolls, hope tokens). On progression nights, running an Enhancement Rune +4, Lvl 151 alongside your regular buffs gives you the best possible stats.

Tips

• Don't waste script early — Save Ancient Script for max-level traceries
• Plan your build — Check class guides for recommended tracery setups before spending
• Deconstruct old traceries — They return Ancient Script when broken down
• Do your weeklies — Weekly quests are the most efficient Ancient Script source
• Upgrade incrementally — It's better to have all traceries at a good level than one maxed and others empty

The LI system is one of LOTRO's most important endgame progression mechanics. Investing time here pays dividends in every aspect of gameplay.

Your Legendary Item is your most powerful tool. Treat it well, and it will serve you through every battle from Eriador to Mordor and beyond.