Post Sections ⇅
- Races
- What Is Customisable?
- Customisations Per Race
- → Dwarf Skirmish Soldier Cosmetics
- → Elf-Maiden Skirmish Soldier Cosmetics
- → Elf-Sire Skirmish Soldier Cosmetics
- → Hobbit-Lad Skirmish Soldier Cosmetics
- → Hobbit-Lass Skirmish Soldier Cosmetics
- → Man Skirmish Soldier Cosmetics
- → Woman Skirmish Soldier Cosmetics
- → How Much Do Options Cost?
- → How To Set Skirmish Soldier Cosmetics
- What Is Not Customisable?
- A Critique of Skirmish Soldier Cosmetics
Described by the tutorial in LOTRO as “Soldiers of the Free Peoples”, the NPCs that accompany you in Skirmishes are essential to your success. But this is an MMO, and we know that gear is practical, but we prefer to hide it with outfits, in many cases, at least! In a more-limited way, LOTRO have given you a way to customise your helper with Skirmish Soldier Cosmetics. You have options that set their race and gender, hair style and colour and the outfit they are wearing. But what do these look like? Here are all the options available to you, grouped by race, to help you decide, enjoy!
Races
You can equip one of seven races. All except Dwarf have a male/female option, with Dwarf left unspecified.- Dwarf (See Dwarf Options)
- Elf-Maiden (See Elf-Maiden Options)
- Elf-Sire (See Elf-Sire Options)
- Hobbit-Lad (See Hobbit-Lad Options)
- Hobbit-Lass (See Hobbit-Lass Options)
- Man (See Man Options)
- Woman (See Woman Options)
What Is Customisable?
- Race: as we have already discussed.
- Gender: Male and female (or non-disclosed in the case of the Dwarves).
- Name: You can set a name per race, one for each playable gender.
- Outfit: There are some Skirmish Soldier Cosmetics that are shared for all classes and genders. Each group has some outfits unique to them.
- Hair: Style and Colour.
About the Default Look
In each case, I’ve provided details of what the default/unedited versions of your Skirmish Soldier are. This is to save you spending Marks/Medals if you’re happy with some aspect of the default look. Some of the default outfits are available for marks/medals, but some are not. I’ve tried to identify which are for you!About Hair Colours
While the hair colour options are the same for all the races, I’ve chosen to show them on one hairstyle for each race anyway. This should help you decide more easily which looks best for you. I did find that black hair tended to stop most of the texture from showing, but your computer or settings may do things differently.
Customisations Per Race
So, let’s get to it! On larger screens, you’ll see each race has tabs you can navigate through. If you’re on a smaller screen, this will appear inline, so I recommend you make use of the “Section Menu” buttons instead of scrolling forever and a day!
Stephan on Patreon noted that, although there is a default look per race, you still have to slot a race before you can add customisations. Thanks Stephan!
Dwarf Skirmish Soldier Cosmetics
Default/Uncustomised Look
Hair Style & Colour
The defaults for the Dwarf Soldier are:- Hair Style: Short Hair – Thin Beard
- Hair Colour: Blonde
Outfit
The Dwarf is already wearing a version of the Merchant’s Outfit. This one has long sleeves, which is the main difference.Dwarf Hair (and Beard) Styles
Hair (and Beard) Colours
Dwarf Skirmish Soldier Cosmetics
Here are the outfits you can put on your Dwarf Soldier. As mentioned above, if you like the Merchant’s Outfit, then you do not need to purchase this. If you prefer the one with short sleeves, then go ahead and add it to your collection!
Elf-Maiden Skirmish Soldier Cosmetics
Default/Uncustomised Look
Hair Style & Colour
- Hair Style: Not a Separate Option
- Hair Colour: White
Outfit
Not available separately. It appears to be a blue version of the “Green Robe” you can see under “Elf-Maiden Outfits”.Elf-Maiden Hair Styles
Elf-Maiden Hair Colours
Elf-Maiden Outfits
Elf-Sire Skirmish Soldier Cosmetics
Default/Uncustomised Look
Hair Style & Colour
- Hair Style: Unique to the default settings.
- Hair Colour: Blonde
Outfit
Not available separately, and does not have a near-match to the other outfits you can acquire.Elf-Sire Hair Styles
Elf-Sire Hair Colours
Elf-Sire Outfits
Hobbit-Lad Skirmish Soldier Cosmetics
Unless I’ve missed something (which is always possible) Hobbit-lads have one less hair style. However, they have more outfits than other races.Default/Uncustomised Look
Hair Style & Colour
- Hair Style: Medium Hair – Flip Cut
- Hair Colour: Blonde
Outfit
The Hobbit-Lad’s outfit is not available separately.Hobbit-Lad Hair Styles
Hobbit-Lad Hair Colours
Hobbit-Lad Outfits
Hobbit-Lass Skirmish Soldier Cosmetics
Default/Uncustomised Look
Hair Style & Colour
- Hair Style: Medium Hair – Pigtails
- Hair Colour: Blonde
Outfit
Not Available SeparatelyHobbit-Lass Hair Styles
Hobbit-Lass Hair Colours
Hobbit-Lass Outfits
Taking as many shots as I needed to for this post was really difficult to do during LOTRO’s daylight hours! You can’t take Skirmish Soldiers indoors – they’re called landscape soldiers for a reason. I’ve kept all my original shots below, but I’m aware a few may need retaking in the middle of a non-rainy day.
Man Skirmish Soldier Cosmetics
Default/Uncustomised Look
Hair Style & Colour
- Hair Style: Not available separately. It is the “Short Hair – Handlebar” cosmetic but without the moustache.
- Hair Colour: Blonde
Outfit
The Man Skirmish Soldier cosmetics appear to be a slightly-modified version of the the Gold Patron Outfit. This is available separately.Man Hair Styles
Man Hair Colours
Man Outfits
Woman Skirmish Soldier Cosmetics
Default/Uncustomised Look
Hair Style & Colour
- Hair Style: Medium Hair – Tight Bun
- Hair Colour: Blonde
Outfit
Not Available Separately. However, it does appear to be a plain/washed version of the Blue Goodwife’s Outfit. That one can be acquired as a separate option.Woman Hair Styles
Woman Hair Colours
Woman Outfits
How Much Do Options Cost?
There are actually two costs involved:- Buying the Options: these are either
×2 and 
×5 OR ×3 and ×11. You acquire these from the Cosmetics Vendor at Skirmish Camps. - Applying the Options: When you confirm your choices at the Skirmish Captain, there are two different prices:
- Race: 17×
, 50×
- Other Options: 2×, 90×
- Race: 17×
How To See Your Charges
How To Set Skirmish Soldier Cosmetics
Now you have seen the range on offer, how do you acquire and set skirmish soldier cosmetics? It’s a simple process if you have Marks and Medallions to spare. To see how it’s done head over to my Skirmish Soldier Guide and skip to the How to Change Your Skirmish Soldier’s Appearance section. What Is Not Customisable?
Quite a lot, but it’s not like making your own characters with tons of options. But examples are:- Facial Features: You get the same face model for each race and gender combination.
- Skin Colour: All NPC Soldiers are white-skinned. While I believe that is in lore for Hobbits and Elves, the Race of Man and Dwarves had a much more broad variation. Sadly, this is not an option for us.
- No Brunettes Allowed! Brown hair is curiously not an option.
- No Blinking Allowed! Your Skirmish Soldiers are older NPC models, therefore they do not blink…but they do sometimes move their heads when stood still.
- Weapon Appearance: There is a default weapon skin for each class. That cannot be changed.
- Outfit Components: Skirmish Soldier Cosmetics, in terms of their outfit, are one-piece items.
- Outfit Colours: You cannot dye their outfits. However, some do have different colour variations.
A Critique of Skirmish Soldier Cosmetics
With month-long Skirmish events like Ill Omens and the Treasure Bugan, I think it would be awesome for LOTRO to expand the options here.
- In the very least, to be able to use higher-res face models would be a huge step forward.
- For us RP-ers, the most ideal thing would be to have a mini-barber. This could give us a wider range of hair styles and skin colours.
- Eyes that blink: no, I’m not kidding! LOTRO have made some NPC quest-givers as models roughly based on the options play characters have. Why not do the same for Skirmish Soldiers?
I realise these will never happen. But if we don’t see opportunities to make the game even better, how do we encourage the team and express those ideas? For now, this is wishful thinking, as it wouldn’t be revenue-generating. But it’s definitely a system that needs an upgrade/polish.
TL;DR Get out there and create your Skirmish Soldier Cosmetics
Although it may seem you have a bunch of restrictions, there are plenty of options to add a touch of personality to your Soldiers. So, go earn some Marks and Medallions and set your Skirmish Soldier Cosmetics how you want them. And remember to enjoy your time in Middle-Earth, friends. All my content will always be freely available. However, if you'd like to support myself and my family, please consider buying us a virtual coffee. Either way, thank you for visiting, I appreciate it!
