Since everyone will be getting an Aria of the Valor with the expansion I've decided to write a guide on how to use it properly. These are things to either have ready or know before you use the item. First you must know there will be a lot of backtracking involved in this for both traits and virtues.
VIrtues - First you must decide on what virtues you will be using on your toon, if you are unsure ask your class leader for advice. Once you know the ones you are going to use go on the wiki page, I'll put the link here, and find the deeds that give that virtue. Make a list of what deeds you can do to get what you need and check them off as you finish them, starting with the easier ones.
https://lotro-wiki.com/index.php/Virtues
Just click on the virtue name to get a list of all deeds that give it.
Traits - This will be a list of where to get all trait points, many you will need to backtrack to get.
3 from book deeds - You buy the books from your trainer and talk to who the deed tells you to then you gather the pages from mobs. 4 of each from angmar/eregion, 4 from misty mountains/forochel, or you can get all 8 from moria. The easiest way to do this is to do the Fil Gashen instance. Pages only drop from humanoid mobs.
1 point - Complete the level 50 class quest, pick this up from your trainer all of the things you need for the second and third part of the quest can be bought from the skirm camp.
1 point - Reach kindred with the Iron Garrison Guards, you can buy rep at the skirm camp, and buy the legendary book from the vendor in the 21st hall.
1 point - Finish books 1-6 of volume 2 of the epic. This starts in Echad Dunann and continues through moria.
1 point - Finish the 3rd part of the level 58 class quest in moria.
2 points - Earn 200 promotion points from Epic Battles.
5 points - Complete the quest lines in west rohan, the last quest in each chain gives the point.
4 points - Complete quest chains in central gondor. The last quest in each chain gives the trait point.
1 point - Complete volume 4 book 2 of the epic. This starts in the Great hall of the prince in Dol Amroth with Lothiriel.
1 point - Complete chapter 4 of the Ashes and stars quest chain. This is picked up in the culverts of Osgillith and involves doing both sunken labyrinth and ruined city, these can be done at level 50 to finish the quests.
2 points - Finish volume 4 book 4. This starts in the osgillith culverts and requires having finished both Minas Tirith epic battles at least once.
1 point - Finish the quest meta deed of old anorien. This includes quests of Minas Tirith, Pelennor fields, Talath Anor and Old Anorien's Roaming enemies(warbands).
1 point - Finish the full meta deed in Old Anorien. This includes explorer of old anorien, quests of old anorien, and slayer of old anorien.
1 point - Finish volume 4 book 8. This starts with Aragorn in the camp of the host.
LIs - This is where most people fail to make some form of plan.
You need to decide on what legacies you will use before you make your first LI and collect level 100 third ages. If you do these 2 things it will make actually making and getting an item ready for imbuement much faster.
If you can I would also build a collection of empowerments, Iexp runes and star lits. Even if you don't have enough to max the LI it will be that much stronger for you to start actually doing something on the character. Before you start using LIs be sure to check for any legacies with max useful tiers and don't waste a limited supply of empowerments or crystals on those.
After mordor a brand new Li will take 20 star lits and almost 200 empowerments to max. You may not have that when you bless the toon but if you have a few it will make a big difference. Start star lits on your main LI, a healing book or dps weapon and focus all empowerments on whatever the most important legacies are.
Instances - There are several instances that require discovery deeds, these are the 5 in their absence instances, located in evendim, north downs, trollshaws, forochel, and enedwaith. Draigoch requires a quest chain starting south of the galtrev stable, Inn of the forsaken requires a quest from the forsaken inn, Halls of night takes a discovery along the ridge north of aughaire, roots of fangorn takes a discovery on the west side of limlight gorge, and the isengard instances take a discovery deed of visiting the ox clan camp (there is a port there through a quest outside the auction hall.
You will unlock 3 skirms earning your trait point in moria and you will need to unlock 5 more from the epic in mirkwood. The rescue in the rift skirm is unlocked in volume 3 book 1.
There are several instances that are unlocked by doing other instances, these take more work to unlock but are good to get done when you can. these are 3 wings of fornost, sambrog the last wing fo GB,, dragon wing of helegrod and 2 wings of OD.
This list of instances to unlock also includes 4 HD epic battles and one of the MT ones. to unlock these you must do the instances before them in a single/duo form. You should unlock these while you are gathering promotion points for trait points.
Gear - This one isn't too important I would use whatever spare gear you have laying around or crafted stuff. I wouldn't waste solvents on the essences the purple will be enough until your toon earns better gear.
Crafting - This will be important to level your allegiance rep in mordor so you should have the materials to max crafting. You will also need to start work on the guild to get your crafted relics.
It's not important but going to unlock stables is a good idea to allow you faster movement through middle earth. You should also unlock the ability to travel past the watching stones in angmar, to do this you must finish volume one book 6 of the epic. You can unlock travel into moria and mirkwood through volume 2 books 1 and 9 of the epic, you will do these to unlock skirms and a trait point anyway.
You can go to Dol Amroth and finish your class deeds by using them on the training dummies, these only work until you are level 107. If your character reaches level 108 they will no longer count for class deeds.
