LOTRO’s Ill Omens event sees you take on above-average difficulty, Big Ugly Dead Things that spawn in Skirmishes. As if things couldn’t be much worse than a hoard of Orcs, goblins, spirit beings and rampaging beasts attacking you when trying to defend your allies?
So, what is the LOTRO Ill Omens Event and where do you get started?
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What Is Ill Omens?
Ill Omens is a special event that involves undertaking Skirmishes in order to take down foes you wouldn’t normally find there. Unlike, say, festivals this doesn’t take a lot of time each day and can be mixed into your normal questing.
But where it is similar to other LOTRO events, is that you earn 
tokens which you can then barter for rewards.
Getting Started
If this is the first time you have done Skirmishes, or it has been a while, then you’ll have a little bit of preparation to do. But not much – I promise.
When is Ill Omens On?
The 2025 Ill Omens event runs from 30th January at 10am /servertime until 19th February 2025 at 3am /servertime (so the last full day is the 18th February).
You only have to complete the wrapper 10 times and you have 20 days to do it in. If you cannot get on daily, but intend on completing the wrapper, maybe schedule your LOTRO sessions so you don’t accidentally miss out.
How To Know You Can Play It
Unfortunately, there is no auto-bestowed quest to help steer you in the right direction (*pokes LOTRO* please implement this). However, while Ill Omens is on, your character has an additional “buff”.
You Need to Be Level 20+
Skirmishes are only available once you reach Level 20. So any of your characters under this level won’t be able to take part. But, of course, you can level to 20 and then join in!
Unlocking Skirmishes
You will need to use a Skirmish Soldier. The skill to summon is obtained during Tutorial: Thievery and Mischief
.
This follows from an auto-bestowed quest you receive at Level 20: Skirmishes – Reporting In.
Once you are the right level and have run the tutorial, you can move onto the next step.
Visit a Relevant Skirmish Camp
So your first port of call is to visit one of three Skirmish Camps:
- South Bree
- Ost Galadh in Southern Mirkwood
- The Twenty-First Hall in Moria
As far as I know, no other Skirmish Camps have been included this year. For example, the one at Rivendell does not have the relevant quest giver.
Find Nedda Pinleaf
Once at one of the Skirmish Camps, seek out Nedda Pinleaf who has the daily quest. You need this to get started. And you will need to check in with her every day you want to partake in this LOTRO skirmish event.
Skirmish — Ill Omens Wrapper
Nedda Pinleaf also gives you this 10-Quest Wrapper. If you complete the Skirmish Assault daily 10 times before the end of event then you get the following rewards:
Positive Portent × 1
Tracery Token Legendary × 1
Virtue XP × 1,000
Upgrade Your Skirmish Soldier
If it’s been some time since you last did Skirmishes – as it was for me – then make sure you update your Skirmish Soldier’s Skills and Attributes. And don’t forget to buff your own skills on the Personal Tab of the training window!
You’ll need 
Marks to bring your Soldier’s skills up to your own level. But make sure you do so before starting a Skirmish.
And, why not investigate customising your solider’s appearance too?
The Doom of Caras Gelebren
If you own the Before the Shadow expansion, and The Doom of Caras Gelebren is on, Level 20s can do that Skirmish. The Skirmish daily you’re looking for Strongholds of the Free Peoples.
Since Update 38.2, Tier 3 Doom counts towards the Skirmish Assault:Ill Omens (Tier 3) wrapper.
Which Skirmishes Do I Do?
Each day a different “theme” presents a range of Skirmishes to you. I’m still compiling the list, but here’s the ones I have so far.
Treacherous Wilds
Number Required: 4
- Storm on Methedras (Offensive)
- Ford of Bruinen (Defensive)
- The Icy Cravasse (Offensive)
- Attack at Dawn (Offensive)
- Barrow-Downs (Survival): 3-Person Skirmish
Beneath the World
Number Required: 3
- Battle of the Twenty-first Hall (Defensive)
- Battle of the Deep-Way (Defensive)
- Battle of the Way of Smiths (Defensive)
- Rescue in Nûr Ghâshu (Offensive)
Shadows of Dol Guldur
Number Required: 4
- Breaching the Necromancer’s Gate (Offensive)
- Assault on the Ringwraith’s Lair (Offensive)
- The Battle in the Tower (Offensive)
- Strike Against Dannenglor (Offensive)
- Protectors of Thangúlhad (Defensive)
Strongholds of the Free Peoples
Number Required: 4
- Defence of the Prancing Pony (Defensive, obviously!)
- Thievery and Mischief (Offensive)
- Trouble in Tuckborough (Offensive)
- Siege of Gondamon (Defensive)
- Stand at Amon Sûl (Defensive)
- The Doom of Caras Gelebren (Defensive)
How Does Ill Omens Work?
Because Skirmishes can be undertaken from anywhere in Middle-Earth, apart from a visit to the questgiver, you can just fit it in around your other adventuring.
The basic premise is this:
- Each day the questgiver presents a range of Skirmishes to you.
- You should only need to complete four Skirmishes in the group. However, for Beneath the World you only require three Skirmishes.
- At some point during that skirmish a Harbinger of the Dead will appear. You must defeat this to “tick” that Skirmish off your list.
- You do not need to complete the Skirmish unless you want to, or need the Marks/Medallions. However, the Harbinger usually appears very late on.
→ In some cases this was right before the final boss fight, or even in the boss room. If that’s the case you may as well finish it for Marks, 
Medals and 
coin!
Hints and Tips
Tip 1: Use Banners to Your Advantage
Thanks to for suggesting to use the banners that drop during the Skirmishes. Here are a couple of examples (click/tap to open them):
You find these in your bags not pending loot. I did know to use the banners from the Moria Skirmishes that Yami mentioned, but hadn’t thought of these ones. They seem to have a chance of dropping after bosses/encounters.
Tip 2: Don’t Rush
If you are in a Defence Skirmish, it is better to complete, or nearly complete the Skirmish before taking on your Harbinger. This is because you don’t want to fail the instance before taking down your Harby. If you have NPCs which must survive the Skirmish, focus on that objective first.
The Harbinger of the Dead remains in play even after the final boss fight. So there’s no pressure to take it down when it spawns.
Tip 3: Loot the Harbinger
Assuming your Harbingers doesn’t immediately de-spawn, you can loot it for extra silver coins.
What Do Harbingers of the Dead Look Like?
They take on many different forms including: wights, shades, wargs, severed limbs, bodies with severed limbs and armoured spirits.
Thankfully all Harbingers of the Dead are clearly labelled. At least the Enemy got that bit right. You also get an on-screen alert to say when it spawned, very similar to how Skirmish Encounters are announced.
Here are a few of these delightful Harbingers for your entertainment.
According to LOTRO-Wiki there are 28 different Harbingers and/or allies of them. Lucky us in getting such variety!
How To Earn Tokens of Ill Omens
Tokens of Ill Omens:- Each time you take down a Harbinger of the Dead (2×)
- For completing your daily selection of Skirmish targets (2×)
- This equates to be able to earn 10×/Day per character.
- You can only carry a maximum of 50 ×Ill Omens Tokens. Spend them so you don’t lose any you earn at the cap.
- Tokens are Bound to Account. This means, if you play the event on multiple characters, you can earn Ill Omens rewards faster than with just one.
- This also means you have to spend them to avoid losing tokens, especially if you intend on completing the 10-quest wrapper.
So on my first day I earned 8 × Tokens; 6 for the Skirmishes and 2 for the daily. Many amount to 10/day.
Run Tier 3 for Double Tokens
Thanks to for about doing the Skirmishes on Tier 3:
You know if you do Tier 3 you get double tokens (4 instead of 2)? I’ve been running T3 at Level 122 solo – that’s pretty quick and 16 tokens/day.
– WotV (WotV_LOTRO)
And I agree, it is doable. I did it at 7 or 8 levels below my own, which still proved a challenge. Honestly, if I can do the solo skirmishes at Tier 3, anyone should be able to do the same!
Combat Deeds
The following deeds can be progressed by participating in relevant skirmishes during the event:
Banisher of Ill Omens Deed
You can earn a further × 10 Tokens per Character by completing the Banisher of Ill Omens deed.
This requires you to defeat 60 Harbingers of the Dead. You can find this deed in the Skirmishes tab of your Deed Log.
There is also an advanced version that grant 10× and the title 
The Ominous.
Harbingers of the Dead Deed
Each of your joyful Skirmish-intruding Harbies is named. If the dice are in your favour, then by defeating all possible foes, the Harbingers of the Dead grants:
- × 10
- Death-Seeker
See the Wiki for more information.
Skirmish Assault: Ill Omens (Tier 3)
Snappy name. This one requires you to defeat Harbingers in every possible location at Tier 3 difficulty. This is why I didn’t spot it before, as I had never run any Skirmish at T3! I am trying to now, though.
The rewards last year were:
- 1 × Ill Omens Essence Bounty
- Dispeller of Ill Omens
See the Wiki for more information.
How to Unlock Beneath the World Skirmishes
Each of the Skirmishes listed for Beneath the World require you to unlock them via Epic content in Moria. These are:
Unlocking Moria Skirmishes
Moria: These are part of the Epic quest: Volume II, Book 5, Chapter 5: Drums in the Deep. These must be completed in this order when you first unlock them:
- Battle of the Deep-Way
- Battle of the Way of Smiths
- Battle of the Twenty-First Hall
Unlock Rescue in Nûrz Ghâshu
- Volume II, Book 1, Chapter 8, Depths of Duty
Ill Omens FAQ
Do I have to Buy Skirmishes from the LOTRO Store?
I’ve seen this question on and off over the years. Newer players may think that’s necessary, but it generally isn’t. As you level your character, more Skirmishes will unlock for free.
However, if you want to partake in a Skirmish you have yet to unlock, you could choose to acquire one from the Store for 
LOTRO Points. This might be the case as some Skirmishes only unlock after certain quests, for example.
Before you do however, please bear in mind some Skirmishes have a minimum level requirement. So don’t waste LOTRO Points – do your homework kiddos.
What Level Do I Need to do the Skirmishes At?
Skirmish Deeds usually only advance if the foes are not grey (“trivial”). This is different to normal slayer deeds in LOTRO. So to make sure your Harbinger of the Dead counts you need to make sure the mobs are at least green difficulty.
- This is achieved by taking your current level and deducting eight. So, last year my Level 102 Guardian did her skirmishes at Level 94.
- This may not be possible if the calculation above results in a number lower than a required minimum level. In which case just undertake the Skirmish at the lowest available level.
Why Can’t I Do The Listed Skirmishes?
The main issue will be your character’s level, though see the next question re: Moria ones.
Tip
Remember the wrapper is optional. So, do the skirmishes you can for your level. Then switch characters and do the ones they can do. This way you’ll still build tokens, albeit with some repetition.
Why Are Moria Skirmishes Greyed-out?
Because, my friend, these are behind a content “wall”. You need to actually clear the epic in Moria to do the Skirmishes there. Being on or above the level requirement is not enough.
This also applies to Valar’d characters. So you may want to rush through the Moria epic if you want to do that set. That said, Ill Omens is quite long. You can skip the days with those Skirmishes and still clear the wrapper.
Rewards
I will aim to get any 2025 Rewards on day one and two onto the guide. Any that require purchasing and cannot be previewed - such as pets, may take a bit more earning due to the really low cap on Tokens of Ill Omens.
All rewards from last year are in the database and available below. My thanks to the LOTRO Community members who pitched in last time to help get screenshots of the pets in particular!
Rewards are grouped into three categories:
- (Cosmetic) Pets
- Outfit Cosmetics (Cloaks)
- Portents (reusable items that grant temporary in-combat buffs)
Pets
All pets cost 40 Tokens of Ill Omens each.
Ill Omens Pets for 2025
There were no new pets for 2025, so these three are still the most recent additions:
Pets from Previous Years
So this page doesn’t just get longer each year, I’ve now moved older critters over to the Ill Omens Pets page.
Go and enjoy browsing some other sinister creatures, and one innocent-looking goat. Have fun!
Outfit Cosmetics
You can barter for a Cloak of Shadows or a Cloak of Positive Portents. Both come in hooded and unhooded versions, and cost 40 Tokens of Ill Omens each.
To save duplication, I’ve put the hooded cloaks on the same pages as the hoodless ones. I am not the Wiki. The Wiki is the Wiki.
Where’s the Cloak of Conflict?
If you’re looking for the Cloak of Conflict, then currently I cannot see how you obtain one in 2025.
Last year, the Cloak of Conflict was given in a special box, because Portents could not be earned. Now that you can earn Portents, the box is not a quest reward. However, the cloaks have also not made their way into the barter vendor’s list.
I’ve reached out to LOTRO to see if they could bring it back as a barter reward.
Cloaks of Conflict
There were three different designs of cloaks, but these were gear not just cosmetics.
Portents
How Do I Get a Positive Portent?
When you accept a “Skirmish Assaults” quest from Nedda Pinleaf, you also receive a wrapper called Skirmish — Ill Omens. Completing that wrapper grants rewards including a Positive Portent
- Quest Requirements
- Complete Skirmish Assaults × 10
- Quest Rewards
- Positive Portent × 1
- Tracery Token, Legendary × 1
- Virtue XP × 1,000
How Do I Get a Portent Item?
Exchange one Positive Portent with Nedda Pinleaf for the Portant you need.
All Portants for all levels cost the same, meaning you don’t need to save your Tokens of Ill Omens for anything other than pets and cosmetics.
What are Portents?
Portents are non-consuming items you can use in combat to provide temporary stat boosts. An example is this “Extremely Subtle Portent of Strength”, which gives +30% damage for 15 seconds.
In 2025 Ill Omens, new Level 150 Portents are in the barter list. The “Positive Portent” barter token is granted via the Skirmish – Ill Omens Wrapper.
Buy the Correct Portent for Your Level!
This is really important. Portents come with different statistical changes but they have a maximum level too. As bartering cannot be undone, make sure you are acquiring the correct Portent for the character who will use it.
- Portent of — 150: Level 141 – 150
- Conspicuous Portent: Level 136 – 140
- Obvious Portent: Level 115 – 135
- Portent of…: Level 75 – 115
- Subtle Portent: Level 51 – 75
- Extremely Subtle Portent: Maximum Level 50
Ill Omens Consumable Deed
Thanks to for input over the consumables deed!
I just discovered that using the Bat Whirls opens another deed – Consume Consumables: Bat Whirls
The item costs
TL;DR Banish Those Ill Omens for a Brighter Future!
As I said Ill Omens can be done alongside your normal questing. Just make sure you’ve visited the quest-giver to get started. This event made me realise how rusty I was playing Lore-Master (I main a Guardian) so I’ll have to get back into practice! But this Skirmish event has some unique pets available so for the Free Peoples – and your pet collection – banish those Harbingers of the Dead. Enjoy!
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