Weapons, skills and items in LotRO can inflict damage many different kinds of damage. While developers have been loath to provide players with specific data regarding which type of damage is most effective against certain creature types, some conclusions can be made based on the lore of Middle-earth. The Lore-master skill Knowledge of the Lore-master also gives us a tool to determine which damage types are more effective against which creature types.

Furthermore, damage types vary by species within the same genus. For example, orcs and goblins are vulnerable to light and not to beleriand, while half-orcs are the opposite (even though they're all in the same genus, "Orc-Kind"). That being said, the information below is only a generalization: more detailed data can be found in player-made guides and fansites such as Torang's guide.

The introduction of legendary items with the Mines of Moria expansion increased player access to different weapon damage-types. Players can acquire scrolls that change their weapon's damage type from Common to Beleriand, Westernesse, or Ancient Dwarf-make by running instances in Dolven-view or Echad Dúnann and by trading with the Galadhrim and Malledhrim.