What is the best race / character combo. . .

[The Juggling Hamster]

. . .for a brand new player of The Lord of the Rings Online? I've played many mmo's in the past but I haven't tried this one yet. I am one of the many people who have gotten the Steely Dawn pack through Humble Bundle.

Thank you for any advice! =)

[Kolousek001]

I think, for solo play is best Hunter - travel skills, good DPS ... hunters can play every race, choose the one that you like ...

http://www.lotro.com/en/explore/characters - click on character and show class

[oreyos]

There are some minor advantage for some race/class combos, but in the end the difference is minimal, and you should go for the ones you like to play most.

That said, there are 3.5 starting areas, and your race determines which starting area you arrive at. (3.5 because elf & dwarf share the same area, Ered Luin, but start at different ends).
Before the starter areas is the intro (instance where you level up from 1 to 6, learning the ropes). There are 2 intros: One for dwarves & elves, and one for hobbits & men.

The Shire is a very large intro area, where you can level up to around 20 before you've done all quests. The other areas are smaller.

As for classes... All classes can solo, although some are easier than others. The question here is do you want to do damage, tank, crowd control, heal?
Do you want ranged attacks, or do you want to melee your way through hordes of orcs?

I love the minstrel class. It's the healer class, but traited for damage, its a very capable death-dealer, who can heal himself ;-)

[76561198077869228]

Easist character class to play by far is Hunter. As for race, any race can be a hunter.

[76561198077869228]

I should add, following the release of Helm's Deep, the new Character Trait Trees make certain specializations "group oriented" and others "solo oriented." The Bowmaster Trait line for the Hunter is a good solid solo/group compromise.

[DHJel]

Also the elven race has slightly better stats for a hunter

[Krozymodo]

Hobbit Warden..."This is Hobbiton!"

[oreyos]

Speaking of wardens (and minstrels)... Another selection criterium would be: Can you stand the constant shouting? My dwarf minstrel's cry is 'Baruk Khazad!' and that's what you'll hear A LOT when I fight :-)

[Krozymodo]

captains yell a lot as well

[Pavarotti]

Dps melee i'd go for human champion
Dps ranged Hunter elf

[ALonelyPanda]

Id say Elf hunter or Man Guardian. Man is usually better since they get the incoming healing passive which i think makes it amazing for any class especially tanks and champions.

[Gh0st_Note-]

Class: Warden
Race: Man

Very versatile class, with incredible survivability and flexibility. Can tank, can attack from distance, can sneak, and is arguably the best solo class thanks to it's ridiculous self heals. Highly recommended. However, not the easiest class to learn. You need to be able to understand the gambit system and memorize combos to get the most out of the character. You also need to be adept at knowing when to switch to range, or to switch to melee. Requires a lot of situational awareness. It's basically a "smarter" tank.