How Do You Install LOTRO Addons?
With the revamp of this plugins post, I decided to move the installation instructions to a separate post. So, please see How to Install Plugins and Update Them if you’re new to personalising LOTRO.
Open Guide in a New Tab/Window →
Where is the LOTRO Plugins Folder?
This may change depending on your system. It’s a subfolder of wherever the default in-game screenshots go to. On my computer it’s here:
c:/users/steamuser/My Documents/The Lord of the Rings Online/Plugins (Linux: Steam)
and
c:/users/(username)/My Documents/The Lord of the Rings Online/Plugins (Linux: Lutris)
for example.
Yes, I have two installs of LOTRO, because the Steam version of LOTRO doesn’t allow for two clients and I’ve had issues with trying to run two instances in Lutris. So when I want to do Dualboxing / Duoquesting, I have one of each instead!
How I’ve Organised this Epic Plugins List
After asking a few players about LOTRO addons they would suggest, I realised that doing a simple “top LOTRO plugins” page would not be enough! Instead, what I have tried to do is group them by what they do or what they are used for. Where a plugin has not been updated for a while, but is still functional, I’ve labelled these as well.
My thanks to @Eldalleth for extra pointers and @BeyondShire for being behind some of the plugins listed below.
So, without further ado let’s dig in!
LOTRO Plugins List
I have grouped these according to function. If you head back to the menu above and click/tap a category, you can then hit “← Back” on your browser to return to the category list.
Interface Additions and Changes
This top bar has so many options it’s almost worthy of a post of its own. I’ll resist! However I can give you a brief overview of some of the information it can show you!
- Total and used bag slots.
Gold, Silver and Copper: You will need to log all characters for it to collect the information.
How many Marks, Medallions etc you have on that server.
Track reputation progress with factions of your choice. Note: it does not track reductions in reputation, but see reputation losses below.- Your character’s gearing.
- The day/night cycle and count-down to next phase.
- Current local and server time.
LOTRO Points: You have to enter a starting number, but any LP added from deeds is automatically added. The API does not interface with the LOTRO store or your account. So any LP spent or added will need to be manually adjusted for.
Historically, TitanBar did not track reputation losses, in various places such as Inn League/Ale Association quests, or killing protected animals in Lothlórien. Check whether yours does or not – after updating TitanBar, that is. If it’s still not tracking reputation losses, then grab the patch below:
Does what the name implies! The Opaque Quest Tracker LOTRO plug-in allows you to set a background colour to the usual quest list UI. You can choose both the colour and the opacity within the addon’s options too. Now if there was only a way to dynamically work out the height of the actual tracker we’d be sorted! But I suspect “API Limitations” apply here.
I nearly got tempted to wile away a whole day with this – so I’ve settled for sharing one screenshot for now! With MoorMap you can make and annotate your own versions of the in-game LOTRO maps. This doesn’t modify the built-in map, but creates a duplicate. With it you can add gathering nodes, NPCs or just notes.
My example was starting to plan a FanFiction episode. Also, don’t let the name fool you. While historically this was built for the Moors, it can now be used on any map.
Compatibility with TerrainMap available.
Whether through LOTRO Festivals and Events, Bingo Boffin, the Motes Vendor or any other places you can obtain Pets, keeping track of them can be tricky! You may want to use a quickslot bar, but Pets makes it much cleaner than that.
Pets is a collapsible bar enabling you to easily access your favourite (or all) your cosmetic pets. To get up and running, follow these simple steps:
- Double-click the cat icon
- Tick the pets you want in your pets bar
- Single-click the cat icon to open/close the bar and choose which pet you want to summon!
This addon also lets you find out where to obtain pets. For the next time envy kicks in seeing someone else’s wandering cute (or maybe evil) critter.
4andreas provided a data update to include the pets that had been brought into the game but not included in this LOTRO plugin. At the time of writing, it included those from the Angle of Mitheithel.
Alternative
If you want to try one of the other LOTRO plug-ins to manage your pets, then PetStable is also available, though you can slot anything that’s not pets into here!
Trackers and Checklists
There are so many tasks, deeds and other activities in The Lord of the Rings Online. And that’s a good thing! But sometimes you just need a helping hand to remember it all. Thankfully those in the LOTRO Plugins community have stepped up to the plate!
Another mighty contribution by B4 is the Deed Tracker. As it says, the idea is to keep track of all the deeds your character has completed. As far as I can tell, deeds completed after you activate the plugin will be automatically checked.
For Windows users, check out these instructions on importing your data into Deed Tracker. You can run this on Linux via Java, and the instructions can be found here.
Other options:
- Find a deed by name (and boy this search is fast)
- If you tick a “parent deed” (e.g. Explorer of Bree-land), automatically tick off all the sub-deeds (for example the Old Forest Exploration Deed.
- Tracking the number of deeds done and remaining per map region.
So you’ve been carrying out stinky filth and bug carapaces around for months. But who in Middle-Earth were they originally intended for?! Well, at least Daily Task Reference knows! Drag-and-drop a task item and the chat box will output the information you need.
Or, to go the other way – what digusting items does a particular faction need? The addon works that way round too! Daily Tasks Reference has been updated for Swanfleet and Cardolan.
The only bug I’ve found so far is that it doesn’t seem to include any extra task allowances you’ve acquired. My main has ten, but the plugin thinks it’s eight. Any LUA coders up to patching this handy plugin?
Inventory and Storage
FYI: The API cannot currently access items inside Carry-alls or Housing/Kin Storage. I believe this is true of Wardrobe too, which is a pity. These plugins are useful regardless, but it's helpful to be aware of this.
Aside from that warning, please be aware that all inventory plugins – or any others that pull character data in – require you log all characters in, to do an initial load of the data. Once you’ve installed a LOTRO plugin like these ones, log all your characters and open their vaults. You’ll also need to open Shared Storage once/server if you have access to that feature. Then the information will be updated automatically.
AltInventory is one of a few LOTRO plugins that enable you to view the contents of all your characters’ bags regardless of which one is logged in. (After the initial log-in caveat above). These are super-useful when trying to find resources, or figure out who has that regen food you need.
AltInventory lets you see bags, vaults and shared storage (where applicable). It does not just list these items, but also provides the full tooltip – so if it’s LOTRO Gearing equipment, you’ll be able to compare what’s in the storage against what you currently have equipped.
Note you cannot add/remove items from the vaults/shared storage via plugins. VIPs can acquire the “Subscriber Town Services” item from the relevant NPCs daily. This allows you to manage vault (character specific), shared storage and wardrobe in the field.
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KikiInventory is a lighter alternative to AltInventory. You can search all characters in all storage locations – e.g. search for “cram” and it may turn up in bags, vault and shared storage, for example.
- Pull up the UI with the /inv chat command.
- You can then search Bags, Vault, Shared Storage or… “everywhere”.
- Search Wallet – yes, you can see how many festival and events tokens all your characters have.
Notes
- You will need to log all your characters on the server so the plugin can collect the information. Plugins do not interact with your account or server. Once you’ve logged them all once, the information will be updated as you quest.
- If you delete a character from the server, you’ll have to manually remove their data from KikiInventory from another character.
While this is plugin is old it tracks tokens across alts, a feature I think AltInventory is lacking. It’s also a lighter version than other inventory plugins. If you want a quicker plugin, or your computer is slower (for example), you may prefer Kiki to others. I have another plugin but I still use Kiki a lot.
The developer homeopatix came onto the LOTRO plugin scene over a year ago – if not longer. And since then it seems they’ve not stopped creating and updating their addons. Altholic is just one of them.
As well as allowing you to browse the storage of all your characters, it is not just an inventory plugin. You can:
- See basic crafting level information
- Set the current Epic quest (I haven’t yet checked to see if it auto progresses it)
- Update a character-specific notepad entry.
And other features that make it well worth checking out.
For me, it does currently have a bug if you hide and reshow the UI, but I’ve already reported the bug. No doubt homepatix will take a look – they’re very good at that – even if it turns out to be “user error!” Active developers should be encouraged too, so do try their addons.
Crafting
This appears slightly more maintained than I had thought. I’ve removed the “outdated” tag as it was updated in 2022 to include Gundabad.
Crafting Companion replicates the LOTRO crafting UI, but lists all the ingrediants (and sub-ingrediants) needed to produce it. So if an item requires a number of ingots, it tells you how many bits of ore that it takes, for example, which makes it really useful when crafting. In the normal UI you have to switch between the “crafting” tab (e.g. Metalsmith) and the “processing” tab (e.g. Prospector) for that information. If only you could craft directly from the plugin!
As with other inventory-reliant plugins, the LUA API cannot (currently) access Carry-alls. If this is something you would like to see, please do mention it somewhere like the forums and see if the idea has demand.
Possible Bug: I could not get the the shopping list to work at all. The idea is to make a list of ingrediants you need to purchase or gather, which would be awesome if it worked.
A way to make these plugins work with Carry-alls is to keep a carry-all on one character, drag the stacks to your bags, load the data, then move the stacks back into the carry-all. You'll have to not accidentally reload 'bags/inventory' though else it'll delete the data!
As its name suggests it provides and in-game reference as to where crafting materials can be found. But, more than that, it enables you to track and find crafting mats across characters.
It was also updated late last year to include Before the Shadow zones.
Combat
Buffbars is an extremely useful, visual aid to your current buffs. Whether through foods, scrolls or in-combat temporary buffs, you can quickly see what it in play at any given moment. This does include ‘fake buffs’ such as ‘being in a treasure field’ for the Buried Treasure Event. But you can exclude/filter out certain buffs from showing if you want to.
Other global/regional things are shown such as ‘Control of Annúminas’ in Evendim, Welcome Back Weekend XP boosts or ‘Carrying a Pie’ when completing the Deeds of the Shire!
I find it’s most useful in combat for knowing when you need to renew a buff, like Guardian’s Ward for example.
Buffbars comes with a quickslot, an effect window (which is the screenshot above) and an effect slider. I only use the Window, but use what works for you.
Patch
B4 has provided an update patch for BuffBars, which you can find below:
To say I’m a casual Minstrel player would be a massive understatement. I do have a couple but they’re more wanderers than questers. So I’ve defaulted to the screenshots given on the plugin’s LOTROinterface page.
The main idea is to track your Minstrel’s buffs – as the name states. But as some ballads and anthems can be held during combat, having them more visually prominant will help you during your playing at allies and screaming at foes!
I’ll say no more given my lack of experience, so do check out the LOTROinterface page below!
Expiry Patch
B4 has provided a patch that extends MinstrelBuff’s capabilities by adding cooldown/expiry timers to assist you.
What Mouse Finder does it help you to find your cursor at moments you most need to. So with Guardian and Warden, there are skills that are only available at certain points in combat. Although I use keybindings 99% of the time, it can be helpful to click abilities at other times. Mouse Finder circles your cursor for you so you don’t lose precious seconds searching for it mid-combat!
See my SkillTimer Guide
SkillTimer needs a fair amount of setup time, but is a really awesome plugin despite this. It allows you to set overlays on your combat abilities to show the cooldown time of those skills. This is helpful if you manage multiple cooldowns in combat, or if you need to know when you can rebuff your character or debuff an enemy again.
I’m not going to go into detail about it here, because I’ve written How to Show Your LOTRO Cooldowns with SkillTimer. Given how comprehensive it is, I’d only recommend using it on your main character(s). But from experience, even as a solo player, it has helped me.
While I use keybinds for most things, SequenceBars makes it simple for those rotations that require clicking. Allowing you to create a “sequence” of combat skills, the plugin then moves the ability to the front of the queue so you don’t need to move your mouse to find the skill you want. This may be useful to group your buffs as much as for damage-dealing skills, I reckon. Or if you have a mental single-target rotation and a separate AoE one.
Unlike other “drag and drop” plugins, you first need to right click on the sequence and select “Edit Sequence”. That brings up a separate window which then allows you to drag-and-drop combat skills.
Anyway, “suck it and see” – give it a go and let me know if it’s useful!
As the name suggests, Combat Analysis gives you realtime information regarding your combat statistics. This includes damage done, healing done/received and information about the enemies in question.
For those “combat optimisers” out there who don’t fumble around and blague their way through combat like this Jedi does.
Raiding
I have never raided, and am unlikely to ever raid in LOTRO. This despite the times I see people complaining there aren’t enough tanks and my main class is a tank – though with zero group experience! So, this has been popped in here on Eldalleth’s suggestion in the hope it helps those of you that do the scary group stuff thing.
PrimePlugin appears less to be a single plugin than an entire suite, providing a range of tools that would be great for the experienced user. It incorporates its own versions of some of the addons mentioned in this post, including a measure of combat data.
It also mentions keeping track of instance/raid locks, which I suspect is very useful to you regularly groupies out there. My only “point” is that it makes mention of “weapon swaps” which I had thought LOTRO had patched to prevent.
Anyway, as with other extensions here, if you’re a group instance runner or raider, have a look. Heck, if you like it, give me your own mini write-up with screenshots and I’ll credit you in here. Better someone that knows what they’re talking about than, well, me!
Travel
Although this is recommended for Hunters and Wardens, I use it on all characters. Travel Window frees up any quickslots you’re using for Return-To skills, Hunter Guides, Warden Musters and Milestones. This has been massively useful to my Guardian who has amassed a lot of Return-To skills from Reputation Vendors.
Travel Window sits as an unassuming Briefcase, which you can then click to access travel options. You can choose from a variety of display methods for these, although my preference is a drop-down menu.
Most skills will be added to Travel Window automatically as you earn them. Although in Options everything in the “Select” tab is ticked, if you haven’t earned the Return-To/Guide/Muster, it won’t appear in the selection list.
Just note, you’ll have to manually tick/untick milestones yourself. So, after activating the plugin, go into Options and deselect any “Return Home” skills you haven’t unlocked. Untick any housing options not applicable for you, too. I am glad to have Rohan Housing, but if you don’t have a Premium House, untick it!
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Middle-Earth is huge. Like, really huge. Couple that with the horrific memory I have and it can be easy to forget how to get from Ost Guruth to Caras Galadhon. StableGuy helps you to find the quickest route from “A to B”. Although I’ve found some routes are no longer correct, these have been rare. Also note the ‘find nearest Stablemaster’ feature does not work. But this plugin is insanely useful.
I would also urge any LUA programmers in the community to consider looking to update this. Although it contains Mordor, it does not seem to show Dale onwards.
Okay disclaimers aside, let’s look at how it works.
- Right click the horsey icon (after you’ve moved it wherever you want it on your screen.
- From Location: choose the region and the specific stablemaster.
- To Location: choose the region and the specific stablemaster of where you want to go to.
- Click Calculate Shortest Route
- The directions are posted in chat to the Standard channel. Go do the things.
If you use this plugin, I strongly suggest setting up a separate chat tab. Then you only filter that tab to show the Standard output channel. This will help prevent your directions being lost by general or kin chat!
Festivals & Events
Rich! is a very handy assistant to have on-hand during the LOTRO Buried Treasure Event. It allows you to store your Cave-Claws, Dowsing Gems and Picks in one place, along with a record of the quest cooldowns. On top of that – in case you don’t open yours as soon as you dig it up – you can open all chest types from here too. And, most importantly, you don’t need to keep opening up your wallet to see how many Buried Treasure tokens you have either!
Update the Barter Items
In yet another fab show of how LOTRO folks help each other out, B4 has provided a separate patch to this plugin that includes barter item updates.
Language Patches
Other Tools
I want to end this look at the myriad LOTRO plugins and addons available with just a few “bonus” options for you to explore.
- Songbook is a tool for you to manage your abc files needed when performing music in-game. There are also tools available, so if you’re an in-game performer, check it out. I’m not, so I’ll leave advice on this to others!
- Epic Battle Plugin: This gives you information about the different phases during an Epic Battle, including a warning of which variation is just about to kick off. I know when Elda has carried me through Big Battles before both of us have used it and, despite its age, it is still useful.
- Item Treasury: is a small tool that gives you access to a huge database of all in-game items that are currently in your computer’s version. Try on gear and cosmetics from that window, then look them up to figure out how to get them! Whatever you find useful, really.
→ Note: ensure you update the item database periodically.
TL;DR Go Find the LOTRO Plugins You Will Find Useful!
There are loads of LOTRO plugins and these 20+ are just some of those available! From a simple background for your questlock, to complex multi-character inventory search tools, the community has delivered so much for LOTRO gamers. If you’ve never used plugins before, please see my new How to Install LOTRO Plugins Guide and go have fun! If you find an add-on not listed here and think others should know about it, please do let me know on Twitter or by Facebook page PM. Enjoy Middle-earth, friends!
