The Lord of the Rings - The War of the Ring
===============================================================================
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF THE RING
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FAQ/Walkthrough
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Author: Barry Willemsen
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<< 1. TABLE OF CONTENTS >>
----------------------
<1> Table of Contents
<2> Legal Stuff & Contact Info
<3> Version History
<4> General Information
<5> The Interface
5.1) The Menus
5.2) The Game Interface
<6> Gameplay
6.1) Good... or Evil?
6.2) General Controls
6.3) Resource Management
6.4) General Hints'n Tips
6.5) Fate
6.6) Places of Power
<7> Playing the Free Peoples
7.1) Gameplay differences
7.2) Good Buildings
7.3) Good Technologies
7.4) Good Units
7.5) Good Heroes
7.6) Good Fate Powers
7.7) Good-Only Strategies
7.8) Good Campaign
<8> Playing the Minions of Sauron (NOT FINISHED)
8.1) Gameplay differences
8.2) Evil Buildings
8.3) Evil Technologies
8.4) Evil Units
8.5) Evil Heroes
8.6) Evil Fate Powers
8.7) Evil-Only Strategies
8.8) Evil Campaign
<9> Credits
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<< 2. LEGAL STUFF & CONTACT INFO >>
-------------------------------
Copyright 2004 Barry Willemsen
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Before you're reading anything of the FAQ, please read this and make sure you
agree with the terms and conditions included in the text below:
All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their
respective trademark and copyright holders. This may not be reproduced under
any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on
any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written
permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any
public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright.
In other words, just mail me for permission before placing this FAQ or pieces
of it on your site. You can find my e-mail adress in the Contact Info section
below.
Contact Info
- - - - - - -
If you discover a major error in this FAQ, would like to submit a strategy that
isn't included in here, or have a question about the game that isn't answered
in this FAQ, you can e-mail me at the following adress:
TheoW7@cs.com
Of course, there are some restrictions on e-mailing me:
- Don't send me SPAM
- Make sure the subject line is recognizable. Weird topics will not be read
and deleted immediately.
- E-mails with questions that are answered (or soon will be) in the FAQ will
not be replied to.
- Don't ask for cheats or any other strategies: all tactics I know are in
this FAQ
- If you have negative things to say about this FAQ you can always send them
to me, as long as the mails remain polite and have a normal topic. I'll
rewrite some parts of the FAQ if I have to, and credit the one who has
located the error in the Credits section.
If you have some original strategies to submit or you can tell me easier ways
to beat the campaign-scenarios, e-mails will be gladly accepted. I will put it
in a highlighted spot with your name above it in the following update. Just
remember that e-mails probably won't be replied to the first day afterwards. I
still have lots of things to do for myself and I won't be able to read my mail
every day.
By the way, my FAQ is authorized to be on the following sites:
- GameFAQs (www.gamefaqs.com)
- Cheat Code Central (www.cheatcc.com)
- Cheat Channel (www.cheatchannel.com)
- Cheatbook (www.cheatbook.de)
- Neoseeker (www.neoseeker.com)
- IGN Faqs (www.faqs.ign.com)
- DLH (www.dlh.net)
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<< 3. VERSION HISTORY >>
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Version 0.6 - Posted on March 5th, 2004
Got the main part of this FAQ up. The aspects of playing the good
side are entirely up.
Version 0.8 - Posted on March 6th, 2004
The first part of the Evil section is completed. I'm still
having some trouble thinking of strategies for the final levels
of the Evil campaign. Enhanced unit section a bit by typing up
population costs. Also corrected some minor errors.
Version 0.9 - Posted on March 23rd, 2004
This FAQ is just about completed. I only need to add walkthroughs
for the last four levels of the Evil Campaign. Might take a
while, though, my life's been pretty busy.
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<< 4. GENERAL INFORMATION >>
------------------------
First off, this is my very first FAQ, so don't think it will be wonderful. I'm
just trying to get gamers through the game with simple strategies, consisting
mostly of guerilla-attacks and Hit & Run tactics. It's supposed to get people
through the scenarios step-by-step. The game can be hard at some points, even
in Easy Mode. And since there were no FAQs contributed yet when I started
this, it semt that I had nothing to lose...
"The War of the Ring" was developed by Liquid Entertainment and published by
Sierra Entertainment, Inc. (Vivendi Universal Games). It is a game based on the
popular "The Lord of the Rings" series, waging war in Middle-Earth on either
side of the field. It is very entertaining, though a bit hard on some points.
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<< 5. THE INTERFACE >>
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5.1) THE MENUS
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Once you start the game, you have several things to choose from in the main
menu. These things are: Single Player; Multiplayer; Load; Options; and Quit.
Single Player
- - - - - - -
Starts a new, single-player game. When you select this option a new screen
appears with again several options to choose from:
GOOD CAMPAIGN: Command the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth and help them
destroying the One Ring in a series of scenarios.
EVIL CAMPAIGN: Command the Minions of Sauron and lead them to victory,
so Middle-Earth will forever be under Sauron's rule.
SKIRMISH: Start a quick single-player skirmish game against one or
more computer-controlled opponents.
TUTORIAL: Play through four tutorials teaching you the basics of this
game; three for the Free Peoples and one for the Minions.
BACK: Return to the Main Menu.
Multiplayer
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Starts a new multiplayer game. This will give you an opportunity to compete
with up to 8 other players in a LAN game over the Internet through GameSpy or
at a specific IP address. The following game types are available (this goes
for Single-Player skirmish games as well):
RAZING: Here you have to destroy all your enemy buildings (including
Towers and War Posts) to win. It doesn't matter how many
units your enemy has alive; razing the buildings will gain
you victory.
SURVIVAL: This mode forces you to totally destroy your enemy: all of
his buildings AND units must be crushed in order to be
victorious. If all buildings of a player are destroyed in
this mode, a timer appears. The player without buildings
has to construct a Stronghold (for the Free Peoples) or a
Goblin Hovel (for the Minions of Sauron) before this timer
runs out or his units will be revealed on the map. If he
succeeds, his units become shrouded in the Fog of War once
again.
FAMINE: Each player in this mode starts of with a set amount of
resources, and resource collecting is turned off. In order
to win you have to destroy ALL enemy buildings and units.
This is a Deathmatch-kind of game.
CONTROL: This is the only mode that is limited by time. Now, players
have to control Places of Power to be the winner. Each
Place of Power in possession gains the controlling player
an amount of points. When the timer ends, the player with
the most points wins. If all other players are eliminated,
you'll get an immediate win. This also applies to situations
where one player has more than 50% of the points that can be
collected.
CATAPULT: An Ancient Catapult is placed somewhere on the map. Players
must seek it out and try to control it by defending it
against enemies. The Catapult is a Place of Power in this
mode. In order for control to shift, all of a controlling
players units near the Ancient Catapult must be crushed.
The real objective remains to destroy all enemy buildings
and units, however. With the Ancient Catapult, this is very
easy, as long as YOU are in control...
Load
- - -
Using this, you can load a previously saved game. Pretty self-explanatory,
isn't it?
Options
- - - -
On these pages you can shift the game's options to your likings. You can set
audio, video, and game options here. It also gives you an ability to adjust
the game's playlist to your liking, as well turning the violence in the game
ON or OFF by checking the "Mature" box.
Quit
- - -
Quits the game :(
5.2) THE GAME INTERFACE
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Once you're in the game itself for the first time, the interface might seem a
bit overwhelming, but you'll get the hang of it soon enough. I'll take you
through available options here.
- The screen itself has been splitted into roughly 2 sections: the field of
battle and a lower part where you can select and order things to happen.
- In the lower left corner of the screen, you see a miniaturization of the
map. Most of it is probably shrouded by the Fog of War, which takes away
your sight on enemy units and buildings when there's nobody of your team
there to see them. If you left-click on the Mini-Map, your sight will
immediately focus on that spot.
- Above the Mini-Map, there are three buttons: Menu, Chat, and Objectives.
Menu will return you to the Main Menu. Chat enables you to speak with
other players while in multiplayer mode. Finally, Objectives will show
you the things you have to do to complete a scenario, and also keeps track
of the hints you have gotten throughout the level.
- On the right side of the Mini-Map there are six small buttons. From top to
bottom they resemble: Look Here; Fight Here; Walk/Run Toggle; Combat
Alert; Fire Alert; and Idle Worker. Look Here tells your ally to look to
the spot you fired the event in. Fight Here does about the same, only it
tells your ally to send military forces in to fight. With Walk/Run Toggle
you can decide what is the default for your units: walk (slow but units
can heal while walking) or run (faster, but you can't heal): Run is the
default setting. Combat Alert will take you the spot where your units are
battling enemies. Fire Alert will take you to a building that is set
ablaze. The last one, Idle Worker, automatically selects a Worker who has
nothing to do.
- The big box that comes next to the Mini-Map is called the Selection Panel:
when you select a Worker, the buildings he can construct are viewed here.
If you hold your mouse over certain buildings to get an overview of it.
- Above the Selection Panel, you might see small round circles with white
stars in it. These are further explained in the Fate paragraph in the
Gameplay section (6.5). The little orb above these Fate circles will be
explained in the Fate paragraph as well.
- To the right of the Selection Panel, you'll see the Action Panel. When
you select a certain unit, all abilities and upgrades that have been made
on this unit will be shown here. In training buildings, you can select
the units you want to create in the Action Panel. Note that some orders
in the action panel (like the hero Aragorn's Kingsfoil ability) have to
be activated by clicking on it. This is indicated by a gold line around
the ability's image.
- The last thing you should know is about the three little icons on top of
the Action Panel. From left to right, these are: Population; Food; and
Ore. All of these are explained in the Resource Management & Population
paragraph of the Gameplay section (6.3).
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<< 6. GAMEPLAY >>
-------------
People who are familiar with the gameplay of Battle Realms (also developed by
Liquid Entertainment) will have little trouble adjusting to gameplay. Other
RTS-players should follow some of the later tutorials that handle the more
advanced aspects of the game. For gamers who are totally new to this genre,
there is also a tutorial which handles the very basic of just about any RTS
game. The following section will roughly cover most of the game's aspects.
- - - - - - - - - - -
6.1) Good... or Evil?
- - - - - - - - - - -
In this game, you can help destroying the One Ring. Stride valiantly against
the ranks of Sauron and aid in the quest to destroy the One Ring. You will
command the brave armies of Gondor, seek out the help of Elves and Dwarves,
and command the greatest heroes of the Third Aera of the Sun on Middle-Earth
to finally free the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth of the dark threat from the
east.
Of course, you can also choose for the darker side of Middle-Earth. You shall
then command great hordes of Orcs and other evil beings and lead them to
victory in the thick of battle. If you fail, Sauron's wrath will be terrible,
so even the most sneakiest backstabbing attacks are allowed in this great war
game.
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6.2) General Controls
- - - - - - - - - - -
I recommend people who don't know much about the RTS-genre yet to play all of
the tutorials. There, a Dwarf and an Elf will teach you all the basics you
need to know to play the game. The general controls of the game are listed
here. If you are familiar with this genre, I suggest you skip this section
and move on with the FAQ.
- You can select units by LEFT-CLICKING on them. If you hold the LEFT MOUSE
BUTTON, you can also drag a lasso around multiple units to select them. All
units and buildings in the game are selected this way.
- You can make a unit move to a certain spot by selecting it and RIGHT
CLICKING on the location on the map where you want him to go. If you do
this while a building is selected, you will set up a Rally Point, which
means that all troops trained in that building will immediately go there.
- To train a unit or make use of a special ability, you can left click the
corresponding button in the lower right corner of the screen (this will be
referred to as the Action Panel in the rest of the FAQ). If you click on a
unit multiple times, it will be queued up and will start to train as soon
as the one before it is completed. Note that you pay the unit once you
click the unit button, NOT when it actually starts its training.
- When the cursor changes into something different (a sword, for example) you
can RIGHT CLICK to make the selected unit make the action that the cursor
is viewing. A sword, for example, means an attack move.
For more on basic controls, play the first tutorial. You can access them from
the Single Player menu.
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6.3) Resource Management & Population
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Like every civilization, you'll need resources to thrive, as well as new
Population slots to expand your settlement. In Battle Realms, those resources
were Rice and Water. But here, you'll have to collect Food and Ore. This
section will show you how to collect resources (you could also learn it from
the tutorials, by the way):
Food
- - -
Everybody needs to eat, and the units in this game are no exception (only
the Slavemaster of the Minions requires just Ore). You'll need massive
amounts of food to keep a steady stream of soldiers going, as well as to
upgrade them and increase their abilities.
Food is always obtained from a Well. The Free Peoples have to build a Mill
over the well first to get food from it. The Minions of Sauron like flesh
better, and that's why their Workers have to build a Slaughterhouse on top
of a well to extract food from it. Food is dropped off at the Stronghold
(for the Free Peoples) or the Goblin Hovel (for the Minions).
Ore
- -
Ore is the other important resource. It is essential for weapons, armor,
and the construction of buildings. Unlike Food, Ore can be extracted from
an Ore Pile immediately, without a building on top of it. Assign Workers
on an ore pile to extract the valuable resource from it. Ore is, just like
Food, deposited in the Stronghold or the Goblin Hovel.
Ore gathering will speed up a little once you buld a special extraction
building on top of it. For the Free Peoples, this is the Forge. For the
Minions, this is the Smelter. These buildings work in the same way as the
Mill or the Slaughterhouse does.
Population
- - - - - -
Population isn't really a resource. But, since it is needed to train new
units as well, it's very important and deserves to be listed here. It's as
simple as this: if you've maxed out your population slots, you cannot train
any more units until you have population again. To build a big invasion
army, you'll have to keep an eye on your population all the time, so you
can create new population slots for the new soldiers to be trained.
Good players can expand the population of their settlements by building new
Camps (or upgrading them into War Camps later). Each Camp adds 11 new slots
to your current population, while each War Camp upgrade gives you another
four slots. Evil players, on the other hand, use a special unit to expand
their population. The Goblin Slavemasters know how to keep the Minions in
line, thus creating 12 new population slots per trained Slavemaster.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
6.4) General Hints'n Tips
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
A few tips are listed here on single-player skirmish games. There aren't a
lot of them, however, and additional tips would be very welcome. You'll be
credited for it.
- One golden rule of the skirmish games is that you should never stay put
in your base. This game is absolutely war-based, and that's why you
should always keep training a steady stream of soldiers.
- Circling around enemy bases to see there weaknesses is a great tactic
to inflict maximum damage with just a small raiding party. It will give
you the element of suprise, and you might be able to destroy a key
production building, giving yourself a big advantage.
- Keep a constant attack on. Think of it like this: as long as you are
attacking your enemy, he's not attacking you. Of course, you should watch
out for other players, who will find your base undefended during your
big invasion. Always keep a few units back to protect your base.
- One of the biggest threats for you are the "cloaked" units (like Elves or
Haradrim). They can't be seen on screen without a detector unit (Ranger
or a Wraith) and can inflict significant damage without you killing them
off. Make sure you have detector units, on the offensive as well as in
your defensive ranks. Detector units placed in Towers do well.
- You can do the same to your opponent. Little guerilla attacks with your
invisible units can actually destroy a whole invasion army. And as long
as you keep killing enemy detectors, you won't have any losses at all!
- Small things like Heroes or Fate Powers can decide the outcome of any
battle. Blinding your opponent at the right time will almost certainly
defeat him.
- That's why Fate is so important. It's another reason to keep attacking,
as you can only get it through battle. Fate is used to summon heroes and
to invoke Fate Powers.
- There are four types of weaponry in the game: crush, hack, and pierce
weapons. Crush is represented by a hammer icon, hack by a sword icon,
and pierce by a spear icon. The other type is hero, which can be seen by
the aura of light that hangs around a sword icon. Heroes have advantage
against all other types.
Remember, mail me if you know other good hints.
- - - - -
6.5) Fate
- - - - -
You can get Fate through three different activities: exploring, expanding
your camp, and through battle. The last one is the fastest at generating
Fate, but perhaps the most perilous as well. Fate is represented by the blue
circles with white stars in them on the top of the selection panel. The
more circles you get, the harder it is to get additional Fate. The Fate has
numerous purposes:
Heroes
- - - -
All heroes except for Frodo (Good Side) and Gollum (Evil Side) can only
be summoned by offering a certain amount of Fate. They don't cost any
Food or Ore, but the Fate itself is going to be hard to acquire if you
don't keep the battle going. The Free Peoples and the Minions both have
their own heroes. They can turn the tide of a battle with their special
abilities and are usually a lot stronger than normal militia.
Fate Powers
- - - - - -
The other things you can use Fate for are called Fate Powers. These can
give you an edge over your opponent and can be great when you're about to
lose an important battle. The good and the evil side both have their own
Fate Powers. The powers differ in costs from two to seven Fate Points.
I hope that I've made myself clear enough and you all agree that Fate is one
of the most important things in this game.
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6.6) Places of Power
- - - - - - - - - - -
On almost any map you can find a Place of Power. You'll immediately recognize
one when you see it, because it often looks like a majestic statue and light
will be glowing around it. To take control of one of these, you'll have to
move one of your units near it. The benefits of the monument will then shift
to you. If an enemy is controlling a Place of Power, you'll have to destroy
all enemy units around it to gain control for yourself. The Places of Power
are (some are from the campaign, not all from SP skirmishes):
- Orc Mask - Enchanting Willow
- Wretched Sentinel - Dark Orb of Energy
- Ancient Fountain - Steed of Rohan
- Claw of Power - Monument of Narsil
- Claw of Protection - Elven Temple
- Claw of Regeneration - Statue of Eorl
- Dragon Skull - Mallorn of Galadriel
- Dark Orb of Reforming - Radiant Monolith
- Sentinel Tree - Spires of Siege
- Silent Watcher - Orb of Hasty Summoning
- Radagast's Aviary - Globe of Mastery
===============================================================================
<< 7. PLAYING THE FREE PEOPLES >>
-----------------------------
Playing as the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth, you will take command over all
who withstand Sauron's rule. Your forces, ranging from Men, Elves and Dwarves
to the mighty Huorns, will stride with their hearts fulfilled of only one
purpose: the destruction of the One Ring and Sauron and his creations.
The military units of the Free Peoples aren't very numerous, but they are
the absolute elite and will fight without conceding an inch. IMO, the good
campaign is a little easier than the evil campaign (though you might think
differently about that).
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
7.1) Gameplay Differences
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Free Peoples have several unique characteristics in this game. All of
them are listed below:
- The Free Peoples use a Mill to collect Food and a Forge to obtain Ore.
- The Workers of the Free Peoples drop their resources at the Stronghold.
- Workers and Heroes are trained in the Stronghold.
- Because the numbers of the good guys are small, your buildings have to
be built close to each other. The area in which can be built is marked
by a green decal on the surface.
- Different technologies, units, and heroes than the Evil Side.
- They use Camps and War Camps to expand their Population
- Their Towers can be equipped with a powerful Ballista, adding one powerful
shot per round.
- They have different Fate Powers.
- - - - - - - - - -
7.2) Good Buildings
- - - - - - - - - -
Stronghold Level 1
-------------------
HIT POINTS: 750
BUILDING COST: 250 Food, 250 Ore
ARMOR CLASS: 1
UNITS TRAINED: - Worker
- Frodo
- Gimli
- Legolas
- Aragorn
- Gandalf
RESEARCH HERE: - Stronghold Level 2
- Stronghold Level 3
- Stronghold Level 4
- Stronghold Level 5
The Stronghold is the place where the Workers and Heroes of the Free Peoples
of Middle-Earth are trained. It is also a drop-off point for Workers that
have collected resources. The Stronghold is the base of any settlement, and
one of the most important buildings to protect. The Stronghold is Level 1
when you start with the game, but you can upgrade it up to Level 5. Some
buildings and units require a certain Stronghold level before they can be
purchased.
Camp
-----
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 1
HIT POINTS: 400
BUILDING COST: 80 Ore
ARMOR CLASS: 1
UNITS TRAINED: None
RESEARCH HERE: None
The Camp is a valuable building because it increases your maximum Population
by eleven. To set up a good army, you'll need lots of Camps, so plan your
placement of them carefully: they have to be well defended from the enemy, or
the foe's raiding parties will leave you crippled. The Camp can be further
upgraded to a War Camp.
War Camp
---------
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 2
HIT POINTS: 500
UPGRADE COST: 55 Ore
ARMOR CLASS: 2
UNITS TRAINED: None
RESEARCH HERE: None
When a Camp is upgraded to a War Camp, your Population will be increased by
four. Other than that it functions just like a camp. Perfect when you run out
of space to put new Camps in.
Mill
-----
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 1
HIT POINTS: 570
BUILDING COST: 50 Ore
ARMOR CLASS: 3
UNITS TRAINED: None
RESEARCH HERE: None
A Mill must always be built on top of a well to function. This building is
used by your Workers to obtain Food and bring it back to a Stronghold. It is
one of the first structures to be built in any game. Food cannot be obtained
without use of a Mill.
Foundry
--------
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 1
HIT POINTS: 750
BUILDING COST: 80 Ore
ARMOR CLASS: 3
UNITS TRAINED: None
RESEARCH HERE: None
Ore can be obtained from its deposit without any building on top of it, but
the use of a Foundry definitely speeds up its income rate. Workers make use
of it in the same way as the Mill: you'll want to build this building
immediately at the start of the game to ensure you have enough ore to train
your army.
Watchtower
-----------
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 2
HIT POINTS: 400
BUILDING COST: 105 Food, 105 Ore
ATTACK POWER: 14
ARMOR CLASS: 2
UNITS TRAINED: None, but four can be garrisoned inside for more shots.
RESEARCH HERE: - Ballista Tower
The Watchtower is a basic defensive structure to ensure the safety of your
camp. It is advised to build a lot of them, especially around buildings
that are vital to win the game (Stronghold, Camps). At the borders of your
settlement, they can be used to spot incoming enemies so you won't be
surprised. To increase the shot rate of the Watchtower, garrison more units
inside. Note that these units have to be unmounted.
Ballista Tower
---------------
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 4
HIT POINTS: 500
UPGRADE COST: 150 Food, 150 Ore
ATTACK POWER: Ballista=35; Normal=14
ARMOR CLASS: 2
UNITS TRAINED: None, but four can be garrisoned inside for more shots.
RESEARCH HERE: None
When the player researches this upgrade for the Watchtower, a powerful
ballista is placed on top of the tower, giving one additional shot per round.
The speed of the ballista is NOT measured by the number of units that are
inside the Ballista Tower.
Barracks
---------
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 1
HIT POINTS: 700
BUILDING COST: 60 Food, 105 Ore
ARMOR CLASS: 1
UNITS TRAINED: - Gondor Swordsman
- Rider of Rohan
RESEARCH HERE: None
In this hall, newly recruited warriors of Gondor and Rohan train endlessly
to perfect their weapon skills. At the Barracks, players can train the
basic fighting units of the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth.
Dwarf Hall
-----------
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 1
HIT POINTS: 750
BUILDING COST: 80 Food, 100 Ore
ARMOR CLASS: 2
UNITS TRAINED: - Dwarf Axethrower
- Dwarf Shieldbreaker
RESEARCH HERE: None
This rough fighting area was designed specially for the Dwarves, sturdy
fighters that are enthousiastic when it comes to battle. Here, a ranged unit,
the Dwarf Axethrower, is trained, as well as the Dwarf Shieldbreaker, which
is a powerful melee unit.
Forge
------
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 2
HIT POINTS: 590
BUILDING COST: 75 Food, 100 Ore
ARMOR CLASS: 1
UNITS TRAINED: None
RESEARCH HERE: - Iron Blades; Steel Blades; Dwarf Forged Blades
- Iron Plating; Steel Plating; Dwarf Forged Plating
- Razor Edge
- Flaming Axe
- Shield Break
- Dwarf Engineering
- Lookout Tower
In this forge, the best metallurgy experts are assembled to aid the Free
Peoples in their battle against Sauron. With the experience of the Dwarven
forges, these will prove to be the best of the best. They make wondrous
inventions for the Barracks units, the Dwarf Hall units, and for buildings.
Ranger Post
------------
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 2
HIT POINTS: 675
BUILDING COST: 95 Food, 110 Ore
ARMOR CLASS: 1
UNITS TRAINED: - Ranger
RESEARCH HERE: None
The northern wanderers known as Rangers prefer to live at these small posts
to scout out the area around them. In the wilderness, they test their superb
detection skills before using them on the battlefield.
Wilderness Outpost
-------------------
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 2
HIT POINTS: 600
BUILDING COST: 85 Food, 110 Ore
ARMOR CLASS: 1
UNITS TRAINED: None
RESEARCH HERE: - Etched Blades; Mystic Blades; Runic Blades
- Improved Leather; Hard Leather; Studded Leather
- Camouflage
- Eagle Eye
- Elven Cloaks
- Eagle Fletching
In this building, ingenious Rangers and Elves gather to exchange tactics
and new weapon plans. Sometimes, this results in a great improvement for the
Rangers and Elven Archers. With some of the Wilderniss Outpost's upgrades,
they truly become fearsome opponents.
Elven Sanctuary
----------------
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 3
HIT POINTS: 650
BUILDING COST: 135 Food, 135 Ore
ARMOR CLASS: 2
UNITS TRAINED: - Elven Archer
- Elven Lightbearer
RESEARCH HERE: None
This place was created as a resting point for the Elves. Here, they could
enjoy the silence of nature and practice their arts with the bow or aim
their projectiles at fast-moving targets. It is the place where all the
Elven warriors are recruited.
Nature's Haven
---------------
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 3
HIT POINTS: 680
BUILDING COST: 130 Food, 135 Ore
ARMOR CLASS: 1
UNITS TRAINED: - Beorning
- Huorn
RESEARCH HERE: None
The mysterious home of the Beorning, the Nature's Havens can also call forth
the deadly Huorns from deep in the forests. They are fearsome to behold,
and most deadly on the battlefield.
House of Lore
--------------
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 3
HIT POINTS: 625
BUILDING COST: 95 Food, 100 Ore
ARMOR CLASS: 1
UNITS TRAINED: None
RESEARCH HERE: - Strength of Nature; Strength of the Claw; Strength of
the Wild
- Natures Protection; Natures Defense; Natures Shield
- Bear Form
- Savage Blow
- Dispel
- Light of Lothlorien
- Tree Form
The House of Lore is a building where those who practice magic can further
increase their abilities. The old scrolls lying in the library of this
building hold secrets beyond imagination, and using them will give great
powers to Elven Lightbearers, Beornings, and Huorns.
- - - - - - - - - -
7.3) Good Upgrades
- - - - - - - - - -
First, I shall list the Forge technologies here. After that, there are the
Wilderness Outpost and the House of Lore technologies.
Iron Blades
------------
UPGRADE AT: Forge
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 2
UPGRADE COST: 75 Food, 75 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Attack for Gondor Swordsmen, Riders of Rohan, Dwarf
Axethrowers, and Dwarf Shieldbreakers.
RATING: 2/5 - This doesn't make a lot of difference... yet. It
needed for the later upgrades (which DO matter), so
buy it. Offense over defense!
Steel Blades
-------------
UPGRADE AT: Forge
REQUIRED: Iron Blades, Stronghold Level 3
UPGRADE COST: 125 Food, 125 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Attack for Gondor Swordsmen, Riders of Rohan, Dwarf
Axethrowers, and Dwarf Shieldbreakers.
RATING: 3/5 - You might notice that battles go a little faster
once you've researched this upgrade. And believe me,
it gets better.
Dwarf Forged Blades
--------------------
UPGRADE AT: Forge
REQUIRED: Steel Blades, Stronghold Level 5
UPGRADE COST: 175 Food, 175 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Attack for Gondor Swordsmen, Riders of Rohan, Dwarf
Axethrowers, and Dwarf Shieldbreakers.
RATING: 5/5 - Now we're talking. Build up a nice force of Men
and Dwarves and go crush the enemy! You should have
bought at least one armor upgrade, however, or you
won't be able to enjoy of your overwhelming attack for
a long time.
Iron Plating
-------------
UPGRADE AT: Forge
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 2
UPGRADE COST: 75 Food, 75 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Armor for Gondor Swordsmen, Riders of Rohan, Dwarf
Axethrowers, and Dwarf Shieldbreakers.
RATING: 1/5 - Buy an attack upgrade before this. This, again,
is one of the things you'll have to buy to get the
better upgrades.
Steel Plating
--------------
UPGRADE AT: Forge
REQUIRED: Iron Plating, Stronghold Level 3
UPGRADE COST: 125 Food, 125 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Armor for Gondor Swordsmen, Riders of Rohan, Dwarf
Axethrowers, and Dwarf Shieldbreakers.
RATING: 3/5 - This is much better than the last one, since you
might have noticed your units last longer in battle.
Dwarf Forged Plating
---------------------
UPGRADE AT: Forge
REQUIRED: Steel Plating, Stronghold Level 5
UPGRADE COST: 175 Food, 175 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Armor for Gondor Swordsmen, Riders of Rohan, Dwarf
Axethrowers, and Dwarf Shieldbreakers.
RATING: 4/5 - Mix this up with Dwarf Forged Blades and some
missile units for back-up and there you have one
unstoppable force!
Razor Edge
-----------
UPGRADE AT: Forge
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 2
UPGRADE COST: 100 Food, 100 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: Makes the Dwarf Axethrower's axes pass through the
initial target, hitting any enemies beyond.
RATING: 3/5 - If you're fond of the Dwarves and use them
a lot, this is a must-buy. Throw your axes and watch
an enemy army getting killed within a minute.
Flaming Axe
------------
UPGRADE AT: Forge
REQUIRED: Razor Edge, Stronghold Level 4
UPGRADE COST: 125 Food, 125 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: Makes the Dwarf Axethrower's axes burn, giving them
the ability to destroy and ignite buildings fast.
RATING: 3/5 - Again, it's a matter of using them or not. If
you do, buy this upgrade and send some raiding parties
consisting of Axethrowers to set a whole enemy war camp
ablaze.
Shield Break
-------------
UPGRADE AT: Forge
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 2
UPGRADE COST: 100 Food, 100 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: Gives the Dwarf Shieldbreaker an ability to smash foes
with such strength that it permanently decreases their
armor class.
RATING: 3/5 - With a lot of Shieldbreakers, mixed up with
missile units and some melees, you can crush just about
any force, unless you're hopelessly outnumbered. This
rocks!
Dwarf Masonry
--------------
UPGRADE AT: Forge
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 2
UPGRADE COST: 75 Food, 175 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: Gives buildings more hit points.
RATING: 1/5 - Isn't really needed, in my opinion. Is useful only
if you're under siege, but since you should be attacking
and not defending, you don't really need it. Save your
resources for better upgrades.
Lookout Tower
--------------
UPGRADE AT: Forge
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 2
UPGRADE COST: 100 Food, 100 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: Gives towers a greater lign of sight.
RATING: 2/5 - Not something you should get immediately, but still
useful for spotting those enemy raiding parties early.
Ballista Tower
---------------
UPGRADE AT: Watchtower
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 4
UPGRADE COST: 150 Food, 150 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: Equips the researching Watchtower with a powerful ballista.
RATING 3/5 - Can help you withstand a big attack when you place
it at key positions. Don't buy this for all Towers, though.
War Camp
---------
UPGRADE AT: Camp
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 2
UPGRADE COST: 55 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: Creates a bigger camp, adding 4 Population slots.
RATING 4/5 - Use this to get additional population when you run
out of space to build your camps in. Gets an armor class
bonus as well.
Etched Blades
--------------
UPGRADE AT: Wilderness Outpost
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 2
UPGRADE COST: 75 Food, 75 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Attack for Rangers and Elven Archers.
RATING: 3/5 - If you like to do raiding with invisible Elves, you
need to buy this as soon as possible. Even if you don't,
this upgrade pays off by giving your prominent missile
users an extra power boost.
Mystic Blades
--------------
UPGRADE AT: Wilderness Outpost
REQUIRED: Etched Blades, Stronghold Level 3
UPGRADE COST: 125 Food, 125 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Attack for Rangers and Elven Archers.
RATING 4/5 - You should be noticing the attack power by now: a
great upgrade. One more attack bonus to go.
Runic Blades
-------------
UPGRADE AT: Wilderness Outpost
REQUIRED: Mystic Blades, Stronghold Level 5
UPGRADE COST: 175 Food, 175 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Attack for Rangers and Elven Archers.
RATING: 5/5 - Expensive, but well worth it. With an armor upgrade,
several Elven Archers can now wipe out an entire base, as
long as they keep killing detector units.
Improved Leather
-----------------
UPGRADE AT: Wilderness Outpost
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 2
UPGRADE COST: 75 Food, 75 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Armor for Rangers and Elven Archers.
RATING: 2/5 - Buy the offensive upgrades before purchasing this.
It is offensive over defense, especially with archers.
Hard Leather
-------------
UPGRADE AT: Wilderness Outpost
REQUIRED: Improved Leather, Stronghold Level 3
UPGRADE COST: 125 Food, 125 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Armor for Rangers and Elven Archers.
RATING: 3/5 - They last longer, look at Improved Leather for
additional comment.
Studded Leather
----------------
UPGRADE AT: Wilderness Outpost
REQUIRED: Hard Leather, Stronghold Level 5
UPGRADE COST: 175 Food, 175 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Armor for Rangers and Elven Archers
RATING: 4/5 - Mix it up with Runic Blades: now they last long and
do a lot of damage. Combine it with their Elven Cloaks to
get the ultimate raiding unit!
Concealment
------------
UPGRADE AT: Wilderness Outpost
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 2
UPGRADE COST: 75 Food, 75 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: Rangers can remain unseen as long as they do not move.
RATING: 2/5 - Not really needed, scouts will eventually be killed
anyway. I don't use Rangers a lot anyway.
Eagle Eye
----------
UPGRADE AT: Wilderness Outpost
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 2
UPGRADE COST: 75 Food, 75 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: Gives Rangers an LOS upgrade, increasing detection ability.
RATING: 3/5 - Actually, it's pretty nice. Will help spotting that
annoying invisible enemies earlier. Weapon and armor go
first, however.
Elven Cloaks
-------------
UPGRADE AT: Wilderness Outpost
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 3
UPGRADE COST: 165 Food, 165 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: Makes Elven Archers invisible, so they can only be spotted
by detector units.
RATING: 5/5 - THE raiding weapon. Keep killing those detectors and
you might find yourself wiping out a base with only some
Elven Archers!
Eagle Fletching
----------------
UPGRADE AT: Wilderness Outpost
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 3
UPGRADE COST: 150 Food, 150 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: Elven Archers have a greater range.
RATING: 4/5 - Very good upgrade. Can keep them out of Tower range
while they shoot it to the ground. Very annoying for the
enemy as well because they cannot see you through the Fog
of War. Combine with Elven Cloaks.
Strength of Nature
-------------------
UPGRADE AT: House of Lore
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 3
UPGRADE COST: 75 Food, 75 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Attack for Beornings and Huorns.
RATING: 2/5 - If you like those Huorns (I don't) then you should
buy this. Expensive, but needed for weak Beornings anyway.
Strength of the Claw
---------------------
UPGRADE AT: House of Lore
REQUIRED: Strength of Nature, Stronghold Level 4
UPGRADE COST: 125 Food, 125 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Attack for Beornings and Huorns.
RATING: 3/5 - Another attack upgrade to aid the Beornings and the
Huorns. If you use them a lot, buy it, or else leave it.
Strength of the Wild
---------------------
UPGRADE AT: House of Lore
REQUIRED: Strength of the Claw, Stronghold Level 5
UPGRADE COST: 175 Food, 175 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Attack for Beornings and Huorns.
RATING: 3/5 - See Strength of the Claw for comments.
Natures Protection
-------------------
UPGRADE AT: House of Lore
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 3
UPGRADE COST: 75 Food, 75 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Armor for Beornings and Huorns.
RATING: 2/5 - The same as attack, only this is slightly more
needed to keep the Beornings alive to mend wounds.
Natures Defense
----------------
UPGRADE AT: House of Lore
REQUIRED: Natures Protection, Stronghold Level 4
UPGRADE COST: 125 Food, 125 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Armor for Beornings and Huorns.
RATING: 3/5 - Again, this is needed to keep Beornings alive.
Natures Shield
---------------
UPGRADE AT: House of Lore
REQUIRED: Natures Defense, Stronghold Level 5
UPGRADE COST: 175 Food, 175 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Armor for Beornings and Huorns.
RATING: 3/5 - See Natures Defense for comments.
Bear Form
----------
UPGRADE AT: House of Lore
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 3
UPGRADE COST: 125 Food, 125 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: Gives the Beorning the ability to change into a Bear.
RATING: 3/5 - Bears are much better at fighting than Beornings, but
they lose their healing ability in this form.
Savage Blow
------------
UPGRADE AT: House of Lore
REQUIRED: Bear Form, Stronghold Level 4
UPGRADE COST: 125 Food, 125 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: While in Bear Form, the Beorning can give a devastating
blow that knocks back all enemies in front of him.
RATING: 3/5 - Useful to fight your way out of crowds, and does
damage all units in front of him. Nice if you have lots
of Beornings with Bear Form.
Dispel
-------
UPGRADE AT: House of Lore
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 4
UPGRADE COST: 75 Food, 75 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: The Elven Lightbearer gains the ability to heal units
from enemy spells.
RATING: 3/5 - Units do not get hit by special magic a lot, but
this comes in handy once they do. Reasonable buy.
Light of Lothlorien
--------------------
UPGRADE AT: House of Lore
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 4
UPGRADE COST: 125 Food, 125 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: This spell can be cast by the Elven Lightbearer to sear the
flesh of all enemies in the selected area with a blinding
light.
RATING: 4/5 - Can damage large invasion armies in its tracks,
weakening it so you can defend your settlement without too
much losses. Good at the offensive as well.
Tree Form
----------
UPGRADE AT: House of Lore
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 4
UPGRADE COST: 100 Food, 100 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: The Huorn gains the ability to plant itself into the ground
so he can entangle foes with its roots. In this form, its
regeneration rate is also substantially increased.
RATING: 3/5 - Very good for defending small passes and such places.
While the planted Huorn stops its enemies in its tracks,
so some missile units behind him can finish off the foes.
Stronghold Level 2
-------------------
UPGRADE AT: Stronghold
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 1
UPGRADE COST: 115 Food, 105 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Armor and +250 HP for Stronghold. Is needed for some
buildings to be built.
RATING: 5/5 - All Stronghold upgrades have high priority, because
without them you cannot use the better units and upgrades.
Stronghold Level 3
-------------------
UPGRADE AT: Stronghold
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 2
UPGRADE COST: 120 Food, 120 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Armor and +250 HP for Stronghold. Is needed for some
buildings to be built.
RATING: 5/5 - All Stronghold upgrades have high priority, because
without them you cannot use the better units and upgrades.
Stronghold Level 4
-------------------
UPGRADE AT: Stronghold
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 3
UPGRADE COST: 125 Food, 135 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Armor and +250 HP for Stronghold. Is needed for some
buildings to be built.
RATING: 5/5 - All Stronghold upgrades have high priority, because
without them you cannot use the better units and upgrades.
Stronghold Level 5
-------------------
UPGRADE AT: Stronghold
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 4
UPGRADE COST: 130 Food, 150 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Armor and +250 HP for Stronghold. Is needed for some
upgrades to be researched.
RATING: 5/5 - All Stronghold upgrades have high priority, because
without them you cannot use the better units and upgrades.
- - - - - - - -
7.4) Good Units
- - - - - - - -
Here, all units of the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth are listed. They all
have their own little history and comments with them. There are no heroes,
however. They can be found in the next paragraph.
Worker
-------
HIT POINTS: None given
ATTACK POWER: None given
ARMOR CLASS: None given
ATTACK TYPE: None given
TRAINED AT: Stronghold
COST: 35 Food; 1 Pop
UPGRADE AT: None
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Workers don't have any special abilities.
UNIT HISTORY:
All honour is given to the soldiers on the battlefield, but who are the real
heroes in war? The Workers, because they are keeping the soldiers fed and
they make sure that new recruits can be trained. They are naturally
overlooked, but they don't care about that and work with pleasure for their
lord.
UNIT COMMENTS:
Workers are naturally the backbone of any settlement. Without them, no
resources. Without resources, no army. Without an army, you lose. So make
sure you keep them safe from the enemy and they'll collect Food and Ore
from you from the Mill and the Foundry.
Gondor Swordsman
-----------------
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 1
HIT POINTS: 155
ATTACK POWER: Minimum=10; Maximum=13
ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=0; Maximum=3
ATTACK TYPE: Hack
TRAINED AT: Barracks
COST: 50 Food; 2 Pop
UPGRADE AT: Forge
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Gondor Swordsmen don't have any special abilities.
UNIT HISTORY:
The people of Gondor were counted among the most heroic of all existing races
of Men on Middle-Earth. The soldiers of Gondor, born in the green hills of
Lossarnach or Dol Amroth, were the absolute elite when it came to warfare. In
the war of the ring, however, they were so heavily outnumbered that they
could not stop the armies of Mordor from conquering their capital, Osgiliath.
UNIT COMMENTS:
The very basic melee unit for the Free Peoples. It's cheap and has the same
stats as an Evil Orc Slasher. They can be disposed of quickly if there are no
other support units around them, though. Send in these guys to back-up your
armies with their numbers.
Dwarf Axethrower
-----------------
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 1
HIT POINTS: 140
ATTACK POWER: Minimum=9; Maximum=12
ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=0; Maximum=3
ATTACK TYPE: Hack
TRAINED AT: Dwarf Hall
COST: 60 Food; 10 Ore; 2 Pop
UPGRADE AT: Forge
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Razor Edge - Makes the Axethrowers axes go through the first target, making
it a very effective units against groups of enemies.
(Always on)
Flaming Axe - Axethrowers get flaming axes to throw with, doing significant
damage to buildings and setting them on fire.
(Always on)
UNIT HISTORY:
The axe has been the traditional weapon of the Dwarves for ages. They even
prefer it as a missile weapon; resulting in the special troop called a Dwarf
Axethrower. Although they don't have the range of archers, they are very
effective at close range. With razor-edges on their axes, they become an
important army-destroyer, especially when the foes are close to each other.
UNIT COMMENTS:
The Axethrower is probably your main missile unit until you can train those
Elven Archers. Even then, Dwarf Axethrowers can be valuable. With upgrades
to their axes, they can easily wipe out an invasion army. On the offensive,
you can go around an enemy city and ignite buildings to cause trouble.
Dwarf Shieldbreaker
--------------------
REQUIRED: Forge, Stronghold Level 2
HIT POINTS: 305
ATTACK POWER: Minimum=10; Maximum=13
ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=1; Maximum=4
ATTACK TYPE: Crush
TRAINED AT: Dwarf Hall
COST: 95 Food; 60 Ore; 3 Pop
UPGRADE AT: Forge
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Shield Break - With this upgrade, Shieldbreakers learn to strike with such
force and accuracy that it will permanently damage a foe's
armor, decreasing its Armor Class.
(Always on)
UNIT HISTORY:
Occasionally having their underground empires invaded by heavily armored
Orcs and beasts from the Misty Mountains, the dwarves decided to develop a
new kind of soldier: one that could use its weapon to severely damage an
opponent's armor, but was protected against attacks as well. Finally, they
decided that the weapon they sought was a great hammer of special, harder-
than-rock metal. Having the purpose of this soldier in mind, they called it
a Shieldbreaker.
UNIT COMMENTS:
Very good for decreasing the armor of heavy enemies with Shield Break, then
use other units to finish the job. Has a standard 1 Armor Class to, so it
will last longer than most units, since it has enormous hit points as well.
This might not be a good unit for raiding parties, since it's to slow to
cause enormous damage (except to foe's armor, of course).
Rider of Rohan
---------------
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 2
HIT POINTS: 235
ATTACK POWER: Minimum=13; Maximum=16
ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=1; Maximum=4
ATTACK TYPE: Crush
TRAINED AT: Barracks
COST: 85 Food; 30 Ore; 3 Pop
UPGRADE AT: Forge
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Immune to Knockback - Riders of Rohan cannot be knocked back.
(Always on; not really an ability)
UNIT HISTORY:
With the arriving of Eorl the Young at the great river Anduin, the real
history of the Rohirrim - the "Horse-Lords" - began. It was Eorl who first
tamed one of the Mearas, the fastest and most royal of all horses. They
have mastered the supreme art of mounted warfare, giving them the advantage
of speed over their enemies. Rohan has always been allied to Gondor.
UNIT COMMENTS:
The fastest-moving units for the Free Peoples, the Riders of Rohan make
nice raiding units. They are cheaper than Dwarf Shieldbreakers, but they do
have lower HP and no special abilities (I don't count Immune to Knockback).
Upgrade them to give them some extra durability during raiding attempts.
Ranger
-------
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 2
HIT POINTS: 200
ATTACK POWER: Minimum=8; Maximum=11
ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=0; Maximum=3
ATTACK TYPE: Hack
TRAINED AT: Ranger Post
COST: 50 Food; 40 Ore; 2 Pop
UPGRADE AT: Wilderness Outpost
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Detection - The Ranger is able to see hidden units, otherwise invisible.
(Always on)
Concealment - Allows a Ranger to hide as long as he doesn't move, only
being visible for Detector units.
(Recharge Time=3s)
Eagle Eye - Gives the Ranger an LOS upgrade, increasing detection range.
(Always on)
UNIT HISTORY:
Lots of ages in the Third Aera of the Sun, harsh and battle-hardened Men
walked over Middle-Earth. They were called Rangers by the people in Eriador
whenever they were in a town, and most people thought of them as unfriendly
warriors and thieves. But these Men were actually the last knights of the
Northern Kingdom of Arnor, that was destroyed long ago. Through living in
the woods and being able to survive under any condition, the Rangers have
developed uncanny skills at tracking and detecting enemies.
UNIT COMMENTS:
A Ranger is a must for every offensive or defensive force. Because they are
the only detection unit available for the Free People, there must be one in
every army you send out. Otherwise, you won't be able to see those hiding
soldiers that will slaughter your armies without you seeing them.
Elven Archer
-------------
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 3
HIT POINTS: 180
ATTACK POWER: Minimum=14; Maximum=17
ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=0; Maximum=3
ATTACK TYPE: Pierce
TRAINED AT: Elven Sanctuary
COST: 80 Food; 75 Ore; 3 Pop
UPGRADE AT: Wilderness Outpost
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Elven Cloak - Elven Archers become invisible by wearing these cloaks, so
only Detectors can see them.
(Always on)
Eagle Fletching - Gives Elven Archers a greater range.
(Always on)
UNIT HISTORY:
The elves have always viewed heavy metal weapons like swords and axes with
scepticism, prefering the serene grace of the bow. As a result, every Elf
is gifted with exceptional archery skills. Combined with their race's
attributes of hearing and eyesight, they become a most deadly missile unit,
especially when used in ambushes with their Elven Cloaks.
UNIT COMMENTS:
Probably the best unit for the Free Peoples. It has a huge attack power, can
become invisible to normal foes and can upgrade their range. In groups, they
can slaughter whole armies when they get rid of those pesky detector units
first. Pretty expensive, especially when buying all upgrades for them, but
well worth your resources.
Elven Lightbearer
------------------
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 4
HIT POINTS: 160
ATTACK POWER: Minimum=11; Maximum=11
ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=0; Maximum=0
ATTACK TYPE: Pierce
TRAINED AT: Elven Sanctuary
COST: 100 Food; 85 Ore; 3 Pop
UPGRADE AT: House of Lore
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Protection - Creates a shield around a selected unit which absorbs damage.
(Recharge Time=35s)
Dispel - Heals units of negative enemy spell effects.
(Recharge Time=10s)
Light of Lothlorien - Grants the Lightbearer the ability to sear the flesh
of enemies with the holy light of the Golden Forest.
(Recharge Time=45s)
UNIT HISTORY:
When the Elves of ancient times fought against the hordes of Orcs coming
from Mordor, they had one great weapon. As they originated from the Noldor,
who had seen the Light of Earendil, their eyes glowed with a magical light
that pierced the dark creatures. Even now, some Elves with magical powers
have achieved that state of living, bringing death to all creatures of the
dark lord with spells beyond imagination.
UNIT COMMENTS:
I don't like Elven Lightbearers very much. They are killed way too fast for
such a cost. But, I have to admit that their spells are very nice: Light of
Lothlorien helps weakening an enemy army before it gets to your own ranks.
Protection is best cast on the Lightbearer itself, as it won't last long in
battle without it.
Beorning
---------
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 3
HIT POINTS: 235
HIT POINTS BF: 420
ATTACK POWER: Minimum=7; Maximum=10
ATTACK POWER BF: Minimum=17; Maximum=20
ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=0; Maximum=3
ARMOR CLASS BF: Minimum=2; Maximum=5
ATTACK TYPE: Hack
ATTACK TYPE BF: Hack
TRAINED AT: Nature's Haven
COST: 100 Food; 70 Ore; 3 Pop
UPGRADE AT: House of Lore
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Healing Herbs - Only available in human form, the Beorning can heal allied
units close to him with this ability.
(Recharge Time=7s)
Bear Form - Allows the Beorning to change himself into a Bear, increasing
his stats and his fighting ability.
(Recharge Time=20s)
Maul - Only available in bear form, the Beorning deals knock-back damage
with every swipe of a claw.
(Always on; not really an ability)
Savage Blow - The Beorning can, in bear form, give a blow with such force
that it knocks back all enemies in front of him.
(Recharge Time=15s)
UNIT HISTORY:
The Beornings originally were a race of the Northern Men. They changed
their name to Beornings after Beorn had become their leader. Beorn was a
shape-shifter: through a spell he could change his physical form into that
of a bear. Some warriors of this race seemed to have this ability as well
in later times. This was the only thing that kept the Orcs and Wargs from
the Misty Mountains from invading their homelands.
UNIT COMMENTS:
In human form, the Beorning isn't exactly a good fighting unit, but they
are able to mend the wounds of nearby allies. The best strategy to use
with these guys is to heal as much as you can when no enemies are around,
then quickly change into bear form when the battle starts.
Huorn
------
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 4
HIT POINTS: 235
ATTACK POWER: Minimum=14; Maximum=17
ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=4; Maximum=7
ATTACK TYPE: Crush
TRAINED AT: Nature's Haven
COST: 235 Food; 200 Ore; 5 Pop
UPGRADE AT: House of Lore
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Tree Form - Allows a Huorn to plant itself into the ground, entangling
enemy units and increasing their regeneration rate.
(Recharge Time=
UNIT HISTORY:
From the depths of Fangorn Forest, Treebeard has at last summoned the
ancient Huorn to aid in the battle against Sauron. The Huorns are Ents
that have become almost like trees, but they still move in the shadows
of deep forests. They crush and entangle with their roots, making them
invaluable, though a bit slow allies.
UNIT COMMENTS:
I think these Huorns are too expensive. It is always good to have some
of them with you. On the attack for quickly taking care of buildings,
and on the defense to block key positions with Tree Form. They have a
good amount of Hit Points and a decent starting Armor Class, but that
still doesn't completely erase the huge cost.
- - - - - - - - -
7.5) Good Heroes
- - - - - - - - -
The Heroes are the special units with unique abilities that can lead your
troops into battle. Whenever you train a hero, a picture of him appears
in the right edge of the screen. Clicking on it will select that hero,
while double-clicking immediately focuses on it. All heroes are immune to
knockback.
Frodo Baggins
--------------
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 1
HIT POINTS: 305 (Increases as Frodo levels up
ATTACK POWER: Minimum=15 (Increases as Frodo levels up)
ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=1 (Increases as Frodo levels up)
ATTACK TYPE: Heroic
TRAINED AT: Stronghold
COST: 150 Food; 100 Ore
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Heroic Aura - Will give allied heroes near Frodo a reduction in their
respective ability recharge times.
(Always on)
Mighty Sting - Gives Frodo the ability to do extra damage against all Orc
units with his Elven sword Sting.
(Always on; Cost=1 Fate)
The One Ring - Makes Frodo completely invisible to all units except for
the Lord of the Nazgul and the Black Riders, but slowly
eats his health away.
(Recharge Time=0s ;Cost= 1 Fate)
HERO COMMENTS:
Frodo is the only hero for the Free Peoples that doesn't cost any Fate. He
is a great scout with his The One Ring ability, but make sure he doesn't
die by using it. Mighty Sting will give him some fighting ability as well,
but only against Orcs. Since Frodo is a scout and shouldn't be fighting
with the other heroes in the battlefield, it would be better to save the
Heroic Aura ability for later on (maybe camp defense).
Gimli, son of Gloin
--------------------
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 1
HIT POINTS: 460 (Increases as Gimli levels up)
ATTACK POWER: Minimum=20 (Increases as Gimli levels up)
ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=3 (Increases as Gimli levels up)
ATTACK TYPE: Heroic
TRAINED AT: Stronghold
COST: 3 Fate Points
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Capture - Allows Gimli to capture an enemy Tower, ejecting any units who
were inside. Gimli himself mans the tower afterwards.
(Recharge Time=30s ;Cost= 3 Fate)
Sunder - Inspires the mighty warrior to slam the ground with his axe,
creating a shockwave that stuns all enemies nearby him.
(Recharge Time=15s ;Cost=2 Fate)
Siege Aura - Makes all units close to Gimli more effective at destroying
buildings and towers.
(Always on)
HERO COMMENTS:
Gimli has pretty good abilities, plus he is a great melee warrior. The
Capture ability is very good because it can use the enemy's Tower against
him. When Gimli is surrounded, Sunder can help killing his foes more
easily. Finally, Siege Aura (which is standard for him) is good when
invading enemy camps where you have to burn down everything quickly.
Legolas
--------
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 1
HIT POINTS: 450 (Increases as Legolas levels up)
ATTACK POWER: Minimum=20 (Increases as Legolas levels up)
ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=2 (Increases as Legolas levels up)
ATTACK TYPE: Heroic
TRAINED AT: Stronghold
COST: 3 Fate Points
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Trueshot - Gives Legolas the ability to fire an arrow with such force that
it causes knock-back damage, disabling foes for a short time.
(Recharge Time=12s ;Cost=2 Fate)
Guardian Wind - When used by Legolas, this gives all allied units close to
him a temporary defensive bonus against all missiles.
(Recharge Time=30s)
Elven Speed - Allows Legolas to drastically speed up any units near him,
including himself.
(Recharge Time=35s ;Cost=2 Fate)
HERO COMMENTS:
Legolas is the ultimate ranged weapon for the Free Peoples. Trueshot looks
cool and allows Legolas to drive attacking enemies away from each other.
The Guardian Wind ability is nice when facing someone who loves missile
units, but otherwise completely useless. Elven Speed is great because it
also increases the attack rate of all units near him, dealing more damage
in a shorter time.
Aragorn
--------
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 1
HIT POINTS: 485 (Increases as Aragorn levels up)
ATTACK POWER: Minimum=20 (Increases as Aragorn levels up)
ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=3 (Increases as Aragorn levels up)
ATTACK TYPE: Heroic
TRAINED AT: Stronghold
COST: 3 Fate Points
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Kingsfoil - Aragorn can mend serious wounds of a selected unit.
(Recharge Time=8s)
Anduril's Fury - Greatly increases Aragorn's attack, and wields even more
damage against Heroes, Black Riders, and Wraiths.
(Always on; Cost= 2 Fate)
Immunity - Aragorn cannot be blinded, stunned, poisoned, or slowed with
this ability.
(Always on; Cost=1 Fate)
HERO COMMENTS:
Aragorn is arguably the best hero after Gandalf. His Kingsfoil ability
heals about half of the maximum HP of the target. Anduril's Fury will
make is attack rise to that of a Giant Ent or a Balrog, let alone those
poor Black Riders. Finally, Aragorn cannot be harmed by any status
changes with Immunity. Great!
Gandalf the Grey
-----------------
REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 5
HIT POINTS: 450 (Increases as Gandalf levels up)
ATTACK POWER: Minimum=20 (Increases as Gandalf levels up)
ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=3 (Increases as Gandalf levels up)
ATTACK TYPE: Heroic
TRAINED AT: Stronghold
COST: 4 Fate Points
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Flash - Blinds all enemies near Gandalf, making them easier to kill.
(Recharge Time=20s ;Cost=2 Fate)
Rain of Fire - Powerful ability that will invoke a rain of fire from
the skies on the location that is selected.
(Recharge Time=60s ;Cost=3 Fate)
Fire Shield - Gives an allied unit a shield of fire that will deflect
some damage back on an attacking unit.
(Recharge Time=15s ;Cost=1 Fate)
Negate Ability - Temporarily prevents enemies from using Special
Abilities.
(Recharge Time=30s)
HERO COMMENTS:
Gandalf is the strongest hero for the Free Peoples because of his neat
abilities. Rain of Fire is absolutely devastating when used on a group
of enemies. Flash is very good for ending a battle without many losses,
thus earning yourself more Fate. Fire Shield is best used on other heroes
since they are the most likely to be surrounded by foes. Negate Ability
is nice and absolutely annoying for the enemy when it affects one of his
heroes with good abilities.
- - - - - - - - - - -
7.6) Good Fate Powers
- - - - - - - - - - -
The Fate Powers of the good side are different than those of the evil
side, and they are all listed here:
Blind
------
COST: 2 Fate Points
EFFECT: A flash of light on the battlefield that blinds enemy
units, making them unable to see anything at a distance.
The Blind power is best used on large groups of enemies close to each
other, so you can slaughter them without losing a lot of valuable troops.
Can also buy you some time to train extra units when your camp is
being invaded.
Brambles
---------
COST: 3 Fate Points
EFFECT: A remnant Elven spell of ancient times that allows the
player to rapidly grow a thorny patch of dangerous
brambles on a chosen spot. The magical brambles will
tear the flesh of any enemy moving through the patch.
This power can be very annoying for you enemy when placed on a spot he
needs to pass to get to your camp. It isn't very cheap, however, and you
should place it with care. If there are no good spots, you'd better save
your Fate for something better.
Heroic Legacy
--------------
COST: 3 Fate Points
EFFECT: Transforms a player's Hero into a legend for all time
by sacrificing his ability to reform at the Stronghold.
This adds incredible battle power that is worthy of
song and tale throughout the lands.
There is only one level where this is very good, and that's the Helm's
Deep scenario of the Good Campaign. In skirmishes, this isn't a very good
idea, because your Hero will still die eventually and you won't be able
to recruit him at the Stronghold again. Only useful for desperate end-
game attacks where you need all the power you can get.
Blessed Wind
-------------
COST: 2 Fate Points
EFFECT: In rare moments of seemingly Fate-inspired intervention,
even an element as simple as wind can grant the
champions of a just cause a devastating force behind
their missile attacks. Adds Knockback to the attack of
ranged units.
Can be handy at times, but isn't at all necessary to beat back an enemy
army. If you have too much Fate Points (?) you can use this power in an
ambush to slow down an advancing enemy army.
Summon Giant Ent
-----------------
COST: 7 Fate Points
EFFECT: Summons a Giant Ent, protector of Fangorn forest to
fight for the player. Ancient and wise, yet powerful and
battle-hardened, this severed creature reluctantly uses
his natural gift of great strength against any would-be
foes. The Giant Ent has the following stats:
HIT POINTS:
ATTACK POWER:
ARMOR CLASS:
Although this creature is very strong and can take care of whole armies
by itself, the price of this power is very high and amassing an amount of
7 Fate Points at one time is hard. When you are invading the last enemy
on the map, and have accumulated enough points, you can use the power to
add the "finishing touch" to your campaign. Note that the Giant Ent only
lasts a set amount of time before being withdrewn again.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
7.7) Good-Only Strategies
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
A list of common strategies that are used by the Free Peoples. Credits to
all of you who mail me other working strategies:
Start-Game Rohirrim Rush
-------------------------
Works best on another Free Peoples player. You need to be very quick for
this. The point is to upgrade your Stronghold and building two Barracks
as quickly as possible. Then train some Riders of Rohan and rush to an
enemy camp. Circle around the camp until you find their resource spot,
then attack the workers around there. When fighting evil side, you can
go for Slavemasters to decrease their population capability.
Cloaked Elves Infiltration
---------------------------
This is the most used strategy for me. Groups of five upgraded, cloaked
elves go around a camp, first killing any detector units they can see,
afterwards destroying the enemy units and finally the buildings. It's
hard to do when the enemy has detector units in his Towers.
Nature's Defense
-----------------
This defensive strategy requires some Huorns with Tree Form and several
missile units. As soon as an enemy army approaches, spread your Huorns
and use Tree Form to entangle foes and stop them in their tracks. Use
the missile units to do significant damage while the opponents can't
move.
Tactical Offense
-----------------
You need some standing melee units like Swordsmen or Shieldbreakers
and the Riders of Rohan for this. Armor upgrades are needed here, as
the infantry has to last long for this tactic to work. Whenever you
encounter an enemy army, wait for the foe's infantry to attack your
own infantry. Keep your cavalry out of sight, though. Now ride around
the battle with your Rohirrim and attack the archers from the flank,
increasing your infantry's chance of winning, especially when you
have some missile units yourself. Doesn't work when facing Elven
Archers who are cloaked.
More strategies to come... (I hope)
- - - - - - - - - -
7.8) Good Campaign
- - - - - - - - - -
This is a walkthrough for the Free Peoples' campaign in the War of the
Ring. It contains story and gameplay spoilers, so if you want to figure
everything out yourself, skip this section.
---------------
The Grey Ledge
---------------
INTRO:
Third Age 3018
"The Iron Hills echo with the sounds of clashing steel, as the Dwarves defend
their homeland against a wicked Orc onslaught. With the help of Gimli, son of
Gloin, they prepare to rid the cliffs of the savage infestation. Gimli and
his warriors must gather their forces, climb the nearby peaks, and crush
their enemies under the weight of the mountain."
HEROES:
- Gimli ==> Abilities: - Sunder => 2 Fate
- Siege Aura => Available
BUILDINGS:
- Stronghold
- Mill
- Foundry
- Camp
- Watchtower
- Dwarf Hall
- Forge
UNITS:
- Dwarf Worker => Stronghold
- Dwarf Axethrower => Dwarf Hall
- Dwarf Shieldbreaker => Dwarf Hall
UPGRADES:
- Stronghold Level 2 => Stronghold
- War Camp => Camp
- Iron Blades => Forge
- Iron Plating => Forge
The first level of this Good Side Campaign isn't hard at all. When you
start off you see a little cinematic on how some Orcs demolish a Tower.
Gimli will hold a small speech, and after that it's your turn. The
screen will view your objectives as soon as you get control. The main
objectives are:
- Construct an encampment for reinforcements
=> Construct a Mill
=> Construct a Foundry
=> Construct a Dwarf Hall
=> Construct a Watchtower
=> Upgrade the Stronghold
=> Construct a Forge
- Destroy the main Orc encampment
- Kill the Orc Captain
- (OPTIONAL) Use the boulders on the cliffs to crush the enemy
Click away the objectives screen and view your camp. You start with three
Dwarf Workers, three Dwarf Axethrowers, two Dwarf Shieldbreakers, and the
hero Gimli. Note that your encampment will not be attacked in this scenario,
unlike the other levels. So just take it easy and try to get familiar with
these Dwarves a bit.
To start off, assign two Dwarf Workers to build a Foundry on top of the
nearby Ore deposit and use the other one to construct a Mill at the well. In
the meanwhile, train another four Dwarf Workers. In the end, make sure you
have three Workers on each resource. We will use the other one to build your
structures.
I suggest you start building a Dwarf Hall, and after that an additional camp,
bringing the total amount of camps to three and your population to 43. Start
training additional Dwarf Axethrowers, and upgrade the Stronghold to the next
level. Use your Worker to construct a Forge now. As soon as the Forge is
completed, you should research the two upgrades available there (Iron Blades
and Iron Plating).
With the Forge, you can start training Dwarf Shieldbreakers as well. While
you build your army, use the Worker to construct the Watchtower to complete
the first objective.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Construct an encampment for reinforcements.
Although you could probably finish the scenario with less than the amount of
troops I describe here, it is still advised that you train an army of about
seven Axethrowers and seven Shieldbreakers. Together with Gimli, you can now
start your campaign to drive the Orcs from these hills. With your troops,
head down the hill to the west.
Keep going west and you should meet an enemy patrol consisting of a couple of
goblins and an orc archer. No threats here. Head futher west until you can't
continue, then north up the cliff path. There are some enemies here, but you
can dispose of them quite easily. Continue to follow the cliff path, killing
Orcs as you go.
At the end of the path, you should see some boulders on the edge of the cliff
where the Orc camp lies. Select a unit and right-click a boulder to push it
off the cliff, destroying everything beneath it. Do the same with the other
boulder here. Now head back to your camp and train reinforcements as you see
fit. Run down the hill again.
This time, go directly north. You should pass some water here, with an enemy
patrol somewhere. Kill them and head up north. You'll arrive at a little Orc
camp. Try to focus your army on destroying the Tower. It should come down
quickly because of Gimli's Siege Aura ability. Crush the remaining foes and
buildings. The Place of Power is yours now: it is a fountain that provides
your army with a regeneration bonus.
By now, you should have two Fate Points. You should use them to purchase
Gimli's Sunder ability, which will stun all enemies around him when used.
As soon as you destroy the Orc encampment go back south towards the pond, as
there are Orc archers on the top of the cliff. Get out of their range and
wait for your forces to heal. When your forces are healthy again, you can
run through the pass, negating the archers. Kill any enemies you encounter,
then move up the hill to the left. Enemies here as well, but their numbers
are small. Explore this cliff entirely to find the Orc Archers that were
firing arrows at you while you ran through the pass. Defeat them.
Now, you need to shove the boulders of the cliff again. Use all three of
them to weaken the Orc camp beneath. When you're ready and healed, head back
to the pond again. Train any reinforcements if you need to do so.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Use the boulders on the cliffs to crush the enemy.
Use the small strip of land on the northern side of the water to get to
the second Orc encampment. There shouldn't be a lot of resistance here, just
crush them all with preferably no losses on your side. Cross the water and
head immediately south. Destroy any resistance here. Make sure your units
are healed before going on: the main Orc encampment is west of this point.
It would be wise to cast the Blind Fate Power on the enemy army before
engaging in battle, so you won't have to suffer many losses. After a majority
of the army is killed, go for the Tower. Destroy any remaining buildings and
fight your way to the middle of the camp. There, the Orc Captain is waiting
for you.
The Orc Captain is as strong as a normal hero, so just focus all your forces
on him and you'll be fine. You can use Gimli's Sunder to make it easier for
yourself. He should be dead quickly.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Kill the Orc Captain.
The only thing you have to do now is raze the enemy camp. Destroy remaining
buildings and victory will be yours. Note that you don't have to destroy the
War Posts if you don't want to.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Destroy the main Orc encampment.
MISSION COMPLETED
----------------------------
The Siege of the Iron Hills
----------------------------
INTRO:
Third Age 3018
"The Dwarves have spilled Orc blood for hundreds of years in many major wars,
and now another such battle is about to begin. The Orcs have come from the
west to besiege Thorin's Gate, the common entrance to the Iron Hills. The
King under the Mountain has sent his kindred from the mines to defend his
realm. Under the leadership of Gimli, son of Gloin, the Dwarf forces intend
to complete the construction of an ancient weapon to rid their home of the
Orcs."
HEROES:
- Gimli ==> Abilities: - Sunder => Available
- Capture => 3 Fate
- Siege Aura => Available
BUILDINGS:
- Stronghold
- Mill
- Foundry
- Camp
- Watchtower
- Dwarf Hall
- Forge
UNITS:
- Dwarf Worker => Stronghold
- Dwarf Axethrower => Dwarf Hall
- Dwarf Shieldbreaker => Dwarf Hall
UPGRADES:
- Stronghold Level 2 => Stronghold
- War Camp => Camp
- Iron Blades => Forge
- Iron Plating => Forge
- Shield Break => Forge
This level starts with a cinematic wherein Gimli explains what kind of
situation you're in. The Orcs seem to have taken over Thorin's Gate, and
the King under the Mountain has assigned you to drive the Orcs away. To
this end, Gimli seeks to complete the construction of an ancient weapon,
a relic from the Battle of the Five Armies. Your starting objectives are:
! Gimli must survive
- Establish an encampment
=> Destroy the Goblin Expansion
=> Construct a Stronghold
=> Construct a Dwarf Hall
You start off with Gimli and six Dwarf Axethrowers. Take them all to the
northeast and start demolishing the camp. Gimli's Sunder can prevent you
from losing a lot of units. After most of the enemy army is dead, go for
their Towers and destroy them. Now you just have to destroy the remaining
enemy buildings to conquer the area.
As soon as all enemy presence is eliminated, four Dwarf Workers run into
your new camp area. Use them to build a Stronghold close to the well and
the ore deposit. Then put three on building a Foundry and one on a well,
while you train another three Workers from your Stronghold. You probably
had to fend off a Warg attack by now. Raiding parties will be common in
this scenario, so be on your guard and use Sunder to its best. Let none
escape.
As soon as you have three Workers on ore and three on food, use the one
that is still idle to construct another Camp. Construct two Watchtowers
in the same spot as the enemy Towers were. In the meanwhile, upgrade your
Stronghold. After that, build a Dwarf Hall to complete an objective.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Establish an encampment.
NEW OBJECTIVE: Ancient Catapult
=> Find the Ancient Catapult
=> Complete its Construction
Don't go exploring yet. You will need a big army to defend the Catapult
while you build it up. Build a Forge right away when your Stronghold reaches
the next level, so you can build Dwarf Shieldbreakers. Just keep collecting
resources and research all upgrades in the Forge (Iron Blades, Iron Plating,
Shield Break).
While you do all this research, it's time to gather your forces. Notice that
the raiding parties have changed: they consist of three Orc Slashers now. It
is necessary to kill them all before they get a chance to flee. Sunder can
help a lot here. To get the needed population for your army, build another
Camp and upgrade both Camps in your settlement to War Camps. Population
should be 62 by then.
You will need two armies in this level: one to explore the map with to find
the Catapult and defend it, and one to defend your main camp while you do
this. The exploring army should consist of Gimli, six Axethrowers, and seven
Shieldbreakers. The defending party doesn't have to be very big, three
Axethrowers and three Shieldbreakers will do (together with Watchtowers).
Once you have done all this, you need to take the exploring group to the
southwest portion of the map. It's very easy to find the Ancient Catapult,
just head up the hill in the west and there it is. While you explore, use a
Dwarf Worker to construct one additional Camp. Start pumping out Workers and
send them to the Ancient Catapult in groups. Make sure they don't run into
any Orcs or they'll be dead. Put as much Workers to work on the Catapult as
you can.
Now, for defending the Catapult. It won't be much of a problem if you have
assembled the force I have told you to. The Ancient Catapult is on a plateau
which has only one entrance: the hill. So, send your exploring party down
the hill and await any Orc raids from the north. These raids will consist of
more units than the ones on your camp, but with your units and Sunder it
shouldn't be too hard.
Once you have collected three Fate Points, you should purchase the Capture
ability for Gimli, for use in later levels.
The raids will get heavier each time. Keep defending and using Sunder. When
the Catapult is completed, a cinematic should begin, one that shows the
incredible power of the Ancient Catapult. An objective is completed.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Ancient Catapult
NEW OBJECTIVE: Destroy the Orc encampment's buildings.
This is as easy as it can get. You just have to endure one more raiding party
while you use the Catapult. Two well-aimed projectiles will destroy the Orc
camp in whole. When all buildings are destroyed, you will be victorious.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Destroy the Orc encampment's buildings.
MISSION COMPLETED
----------------------
The Pursuit of Gollum
----------------------
INTRO:
Third Age 3018
"Gollum, the wretched slave to The One Ring, has managed to slither through
the grasp of the Elven-king Thranduil and retreat deep into the forest of
Mirkwood. Thranduil has sent Legolas to recapture the pitiful, corrupted
creature."
HEROES:
- Legolas ==> Abilities: - Trueshot => 2 Fate
BUILDINGS:
- No buildings to be built
UNITS:
- No units to be trained
UPGRADES:
- No upgrades to be researched
In this level, you get to control an other hero than Gimli. Legolas, the Elf
who is a wonderful archer. This forest is a bit like a maze: in certain
situations you don't know whether you can pass somewhere or not. Once you
start you will see a cutscene about Gollum and Legolas, along with the
following objectives:
- Find and capture Gollum
! Legolas must survive
Before you do anything here, I must warn you that your starting units are
the only ones you have. Although it is possible to get a few reinforcements
by completing a side-quest, it is strongly recommended that you preserve
your units. You'll probably have to heal at several points in the level.
Direct your starting units, Legolas and four Elven Archers, to the north:
there are two paths here. Take the left one. Soon, you'll get another scene
with Gollum in it. Afterwards, you'll be attacked by some Giant Spiders.
These are very common throughout the level so you'd better get used to them
falling from trees and stuff.
Go west where you can and more spiders appear. Kill them quickly. Continue
going westward and you should eventually reach an area where you have to make
a choice again: will you go northwest, or southwest? The way to go is the
northern one, but I advise you to take the soutwest one first. This will give
you a side-quest, which will provide you with extra units if you succesfully
complete it. Southwest it is, then, and when you've walked for a while you
will be interrupted by a cutscene again. Some Rangers seem to be in trouble.
NEW OBJECTIVE: (OPTIONAL) Rescue the spiders' captives!
Now, don't you go running to those Rangers at once. They'll survive for a
while. First, go west and look at all those things that look like eggs. Those
things ARE eggs. So, destroy them all before helping the Rangers, plus any
Giant Spiders that hang out in the egg area. You don't want an enemy army on
your tail when you rescue the Rangers, do you?
You should have gotten 2 Fate Points by now. You can use these to purchase
the Trueshot ability for Legolas, an ability that will prove its worth in the
later levels.
Once all eggs are dead, run to the Rangers and kill all spiders first. Then,
select a unit and right click a captured Ranger. The unit will then free the
poor guy. A little cutscene is viewed and when this is over the Rangers seem
to have joined you.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Rescue the spiders' captives!
Now, track all the way back to the big tree where you had to choose between
the northwest and southwest. Let your units heal. Afterwards, take the
northwest path. After a while you'll be ambushed by a group of spiders. It
shouldn't be too much of a problem with your extra forces. Head north until
you run into an enemy Wraith. Kill it, then go to the west. There, a little
spider ambush is waiting for you again. Continue your way west.
You'll get to an open area with some spiders and a Wraith. Kill them, then
attack the cave where the spiders are coming from. Once it is destroyed,
kill any remaining enemies and follow the path to the southwest. You will
be slowly lead south, but you should keep going west whenever you can. At
some point, there will be another cutscene about Gollum's tracks. You should
reach a Place of Power after going south a little more.
There are some spider eggs around this place again, so kill them before
they hatch. Crush any remaining opposition to take control of the Place of
Power. This is an Elven Shrine, a magical place that increases the maximum
amount of HP your units can have. Heal if your units need it, then continue
your way west.
More spiders here... dispose of them. This time, the forest leads you to
the north. Keep going west just like the last time to get to get to Gollum.
Once again, a cutscene takes place. There are Orcs in Mirkwood! Some of
them see you and attack. You'll get control again.
NEW OBJECTIVE: Kill the Orcs
Just kill the three Orc Slashers, that's all, really. Once they're gone
Legolas decides that Gollum will have to wait: Orcs in this part of
Mirkwood is bad news!
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Kill the Orcs
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Find and capture Gollum
MISSION COMPLETED
------------------------
The Bridge of Osgiliath
------------------------
INTRO:
Third Age 3018
"The army of Mordor has slowly pushed its way west to the ancient, abandoned
city of Osgiliath. Near the western bank of the river Anduin, the men of
Gondor and Rohan have gathered to prevent Sauron's forces from gaining a
foothold. Boromir, heir to the Steward of Gondor, leads the attack."
HEROES:
- Boromir ==> Abilities: - Horn of Gondor => Available
- Faramir ==> Abilities: - Trueshot => Available
BUILDINGS:
- Stronghold - Barracks
- Mill - Forge
- Foundry - Ranger Post
- Watchtower - Wilderness Outpost
- Camp
UNITS:
- Worker
- Gondor Swordsman
- Rider of Rohan
- Ranger
UPGRADES:
- Stronghold Level 2/3 => Stronghold
- War Camp => Camp
- Iron Blades/Steel Blades => Forge
- Iron Plating/Steel Plating => Forge
- Lookout Tower => Forge
- Etched Blades/Mystic Blades => Wilderness Outpost
- Improved Leather => Wilderness Outpost
- Concealment => Wilderness Outpost
- Eagle Eye => Wilderness Outpost
This level is a little harder than the last ones. In the cutscene, Boromir
will give a nice speech after hearing that there are enemy forces in the
city of Osgiliath. Your first objectives are:
- Prevent Sauron's forces from taking over Osgiliath
! Boromir must survive
! Destroy any barricades in your way
You start out with a decent army (3 Riders of Rohan, 4 Gondor Swordsmen, 4
Rangers, and 4 Rohan Archers), two heroes (Boromir and Faramir), and three
Workers. Assign two of these Workers to build a Foundry, and the other one
to build a Mill. Train four more Workers from your Stronghold. Make sure
there are three on ore, three on food, and one to build your structures.
While you do all this, you are attacked by a group of Goblin Spearmen. It
doesn't pose any threat, just don't lose any men. Boromir's Horn of Gondor
can blast enemies around him away. Now upgrade your Stronghold.
Use your Worker to construct a Wilderness Outpost and research Concealment
there. You can now use your Rangers to scout without enemies seeing them.
Once your Stronghold is upgraded you should build a Forge and a Barracks,
then start training a lot of Riders of Rohan. Build an additional Camp and
upgrade it to a War Camp to get the needed population.
Keep training those Riders of Rohan: you'll need at least sixteen to have
any chance at recapturing Osgiliath. In the meanwhile, research each and
every upgrade. First those at the Forge, then those at the Wilderness
Outpost. There should be no trouble with resources in this level.
Once you have amassed an army of at least sixteen fully upgraded Riders of
Rohan, move this force south to destroy the first barricade. Leave your
heroes and all units on foot at your base: they aren't mobile enough for
your strategy.
Direct your cavalry further south once the first barricade is destroyed,
to a big open area. To the east, there is another barricade with enemies
behind it. First, kill the enemies in front of the construction, quickly
crush the barricade and crush the enemies behind it. Heal if you need to,
then head over the bridge.
Boromir says there is another bridge, at the other end of the city. You
can run all the way there, but I recommend killing each and every enemy in
the city: this will make the last part of the mission a lot easier. Track
down each enemy and heal when you can. When you get to the eastern part of
Osgiliath, you'll find an Orc camp. It's defended pretty good, so be on
your guard. Destroy the camp, but don't let a unit step on the bridge yet.
You can send in reinforcements from your camp now, if you lost too much
units in the chaotic battle. Note that you might have activated a side-
quest about Rohan Archers in the city, but I don't know exactly how to
trigger it. It is optional, so it doesn't matter a lot anyway. Make sure
there are some Workers among your reinforcements.
Direct your army to the eastern bridge, and make your units walk on it:
there will be a cutscene with Troll Stonehurlers decimating your forces
from somewhere you can't reach them. Boromir decides to destroy the
bridge, so the army of Mordor can't cross it. This is where you need those
Workers for.
NEW OBJECTIVE: Use Workers to destroy the supports of the bridge.
Select a Worker, and right-click one of the bridge supports. It'll be
easier when you use several Workers at once. When the last support is
destroyed, you'll be rewarded with victory. There will be a funny
cutscene with enemy forces falling in the water.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Use Workers to destroy the supports of the bridge.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Prevent Sauron's forces from taking over Osgiliath.
MISSION COMPLETED
-----------------
Orcs in Mirkwood
-----------------
INTRO:
Third Age 3018
"The effort to recapture Gollum was thwarted by the invasion of Orcs.
Alarmed by this evil presence so close to his father's kingdom, Legolas
pushes into the deeper, darker parts of Mirkwood to prevent the Orcs
from mounting an attack on his people."
HEROES:
- Legolas ==> Abilities: - Trueshot => Available
- Guardian Wind => Available
BUILDINGS:
- Stronghold - Camp
- Mill - Ranger Post
- Foundry - Wilderness Outpost
- Watchtower - Elven Sanctuary
UNITS:
- Ranger => Ranger Post
- Elven Archer => Elven Sanctuary
UPGRADES:
- War Camp => Camp
- Etched Blades/Mystic Blades => Wilderness Outpost
- Improved Leather/Hard Leather => Wilderness Outpost
- Concealment => Wilderness Outpost
- Eagle Eye => Wilderness Outpost
- Elven Cloaks => Wilderness Outpost
- Eagle Fletching => Wilderness Outpost
Now you're Legolas again. In the starting cutscene we see that the Orcs
have gained a stable foothold in Mirkwood. Legolas hastens towards his
camp and commands his workers to start expanding. Then you get control.
The main objectives for this level are:
- Construct an encampment
=> Build a Mill
=> Build a Foundry
=> Build a Ranger Post
=> Elven Sanctuary
- Destroy the Orc encampment
This isn't as easy as it looks. You start with 4 Elven Archers, 2 Elf
Workers, 3 Elf Wardens, and Legolas. Train five more Elf Workers and
command the two that are already there to construct a Foundry. Use the
first one that comes out of the Stronghold to start building a Mill.
Like in the previous levels, make sure you have three on ore, three on
food, and one to build. Note that you cannot upgrade your Stronghold
during this scenario.
In this level, your encampment will be attacked from two sides: most
common is via the plains north of your settlement. From there, raiding
parties consisting of mainly Warg Riders are organised. You will also
be attacked by Orc Archers from the southern cliffs. In order to defend
your camp, place all your units except for Legolas on the northern side.
Leave Legolas south to deal with the archers: Trueshot works well, here.
Now that you have your economy and defense set up, it's time to build
an army. The first thing you should build is a Ranger Post and a new
Camp, bringing your population level to 43. Afterwards, construct an
Elven Sanctuary and fill up your population with only Elven Archers.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Construct an encampment.
While training those archers, use your Worker to build a Wilderness
Outpost. When it's completed, immediately start researching the Elven
Cloaks upgrade. This will allow your Elven Archers to turn completely
invisible, except when detector units like Wraiths are around. After
the cloaks, you should go for Eagle Fletching, upgrading range.
Research everything at the Wilderness Outpost that could help out your
Elven Archers; they will be your main attacking force during this
level. When ready, take six cloaked Elven Archers to the north until
you run into enemies. This is the little camp: the big one is located
in the far northeast. Make sure you kill all the Wraiths first, there
are four of them in this area.
Once you've killed the Wraiths, there's nothing to worry about. Since
the other enemies can't see you they are easily defeated. Destroy this
outpost in whole. You can train additional Elven Archers to replace
those that died in the battle. When it is destroyed you should wait for
your units to heal, and prepare to continue the path northeast.
If your elves run into an enemy patrol, just kill the Wraiths first. As
soon as all Wraiths in the vicinity are destroyed, you will turn invisible
to the others again. Heal whenever you want. Definitely heal before you
enter the main enemy encampment, or you'll be crushed in seconds.
Entering this camp from the west side, there are two towers: one in the
north, which doesn't pose any trouble as long as you're invisible. The one
in the south can be hazardous, however, as it contains a Wraith. Since you
can't kill this detector without destroying the Tower first, you'll have
a hard time deflecting the entire camp defense. Focus all of your missiles
on the Tower, destroy it, and kill the Wraith that comes out.
There are several other Wraiths in the area. Always kill them first, of
course. To get rid of them quickly search the northern part of the camp for
a Shadow Lair and destroy it: they will not be able to train any more
Wraiths that way.
With all the detectors gone, this scenario is basically over. Just destroy
all remaining buildings in the base to start the ending cutscene. Legolas
says something about Dol Guldur, the Dark Lord's stronghold. You're gonna
learn to hate that name, believe me.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Destroy the Orc encampment.
MISSION COMPLETED
----------------------
Assault on Dol Guldur
----------------------
INTRO:
Third Age 3018
"Suspecting that Gollums escape and the Orc infestation of Mirkwood are no
coincedence, Legolas searches for the root of this evil. His search leads him
to Dol Guldur, the nearby stronghold of Sauron."
HEROES:
- Legolas ==> Abilities: - Trueshot => Available
- Elven Speed => 2 Fate
- Guardian Wind => Available
BUILDINGS:
- Stronghold - Camp
- Mill - Ranger Post
- Foundry - Wilderness Outpost
- Watchtower - Elven Sanctuary
UNITS:
- Elf Worker => Stronghold
- Ranger => Ranger Post
- Elven Archer => Elven Sanctuary
UPGRADES:
- Stronghold Level 4 => Stronghold
- War Camp => Camp
- Etched Blades/Mystic Blades => Wilderness Outpost
- Improved Leather/Hard Leather => Wilderness Outpost
- Eagle Eye => Wilderness Outpost
- Elven Cloaks => Wilderness Outpost
- Eagle Fletching => Wilderness Outpost
First of all, I HATE this level. I hate it, hate it, hate it... It's very
annoying, because you'll be under attack non-stop from two sides with
only a few units at your disposal. Then, you also have to invade a giant
fortress with an ambush around every corner, and finally drive a Nazgul
away. Hard... very hard.
In the opening cutscene you can see an army passing some Rangers. As you can
see, you'll have to handle Trolls and Haradrim in this scenario as well as
normal Orcs. As if that weren't enough, you see how Legolas scouts out the
area and views how the Nazgul releases his army from Dol Guldur. Your
objectives are:
- Banish the Nazgul atop Dol Guldur
! Defend your encampment
The last of these will prove to be the hardest. Be quick and assign Workers
to build the resource structures. Put three Workers on each resource and
use one or two to build structures. Build every structure you can as fast
as possible and start pumping out units for defense. Make sure you research
Concealment for your Rangers, so they can detect those cloaked Haradrim
Slayers while they stay hidden. Build Watchtowers to assist in defense.
Soon, the first wave of enemies will come, just as a signal of what's to
come. They should be disposed of rather easily by now. The real attacks are
about to start. From the southwest, dozens of Haradrim Slayers invade your
camp, while Trolls and Orcs terrorize the southeastern part. Use abilities
like Trueshot and defend your camp, while you build Elven Archers for your
counter-attack. Make sure they are cloaked and preferably upgraded to the
max. Let them sneak through the enemy ranks and head southeast.
After a while you should see the camp that was viewed in the cutscene at
the start of the mission. There are several Wraiths here so be sure to
take them out first. When all the Wraiths are gone, destroy the main Orc
encampment. This isn't hard if you've got all your Elves together. If not,
train more from your base. The attacks will come to a halt once you have
crushed the entire enemy camp. If you've gotten this far enjoy, because
the hardest part of this mission is over.
Heal your cloaked Elven Archers by letting them stand still. Train any
reinforcements as you see fit. When you think you're ready, advance to the
north, to Dol Guldur, where the Nazgul awaits your arrival. As you can see,
the massive structure is very well-defended: there are Orc Archers on each
ledge. Fortunately, they can't see you as long as there are no Wraiths.
That's the big problem you're dealing with here: the Wraiths seem to have
the Greater Perception upgrade, enabling them to see your elves while you
can't see them. All those walls and ledges don't help in spotting them
either. I hope you now know that you should be on your guard when you get
to these cursed walls.
As you get to the main gate, shoot the Wraith that is lurking inside the
walls. Deal with the archers on top of the main gate later. Walk to the
right, staying outside of the walls. Kill any Wraiths as soon as you see
them. There are a lot of Giant Spider ambushes here, so watch it! This
section still shouldn't be too hard. Direct your Elven Archers up the
outer wall.
From this wall, you can shoot the units in the courtyard as well as those
on the wall itself. You should know what to do with Wraiths by now. Follow
this wall to the west, while shooting any units you encounter. Heal if you
need it (or train reinforcements) and get down from the wall at the far
west end of it, into the courtyard. There should be no more enemies here,
since you've shot them all from the wall. Head up the ledge that leads to
the top of the dungeon.
On these ledges, it gets very dangerous. There are Wraiths inside that
dungeon, so you can't see them until you've walked into an ambush of those
irritating spiders. Make sure to have five Elven Archers or more all the
time to ensure you get any higher. When you're about to get to the top of
the dungeon, stand still. Don't go on the platform itself, stay on the
ledge right under it.
From here, shoot the Nazgul. You should be able to see him from there, but
he isn't able to see your archers. Once he's dead, you're finally done
with this level. Congratulations!
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Banish the Nazgul atop Dol Guldur.
MISSION COMPLETED
-----------
Lothlorien
-----------
INTRO:
Third Age 3019
"After unintentionally stirring the Orcs of Moria, the Fellowship seeks
refuge in the Elven forest of Lothlorien. With the aid of the Elves, the
Fellowship must protect the sanctity of Lothlorien and drive the Orcs back
from these sacred lands."
HEROES:
- Aragorn ==> Abilities: - Kingsfoil => Available
- Anduril's Fury => 2 Fate
- Immunity => 1 Fate
- Legolas ==> Abilities: - Trueshot => Available
- Elven Speed => Available
- Guardian Wind => Available
- Gimli ==> Abilities: - Sunder => Available
- Capture => Available
- Siege Aura => Available
- Boromir ==> Abilities: - Horn of Gondor => Available
- Frodo ==> Abilities: - The One Ring => 1 Fate
- Mighty Sting => 1 Fate
- Heroic Aura => Available
BUILDINGS:
- Stronghold - Forge
- Mill - Ranger Post
- Foundry - Wilderness Outpost
- Watchtower - Nature's Haven
- Camp - Elven Sanctuary
- Barracks - House of Lore
- Dwarf Hall
UNITS:
- Elf Worker => Stronghold
- Gondor Swordsman => Barracks
- Rider of Rohan => Barracks
- Dwarf Axethrower => Dwarf Hall
- Dwarf Shieldbreaker => Dwarf Hall
- Ranger => Ranger Post
- Elven Archer => Elven Sanctuary
- Elven Lightbearer => Elven Sanctuary
- Beorning => Nature's Haven
UPGRADES:
- War Camp => Camp
- Iron Blades/Steel Blades => Forge
- Iron Plating/Steel Plating => Forge
- Razor Edge/Flaming Axe => Forge
- Shield Break => Forge
- Dwarf Masonry => Forge
- Lookout Tower => Forge
- Etched Blades/Mystic Blades => Wilderness Outpost
- Improved Leather/Hard Leather => Wilderness Outpost
- Concealment => Wilderness Outpost
- Eagle Eye => Wilderness Outpost
- Elven Cloaks => Wilderness Outpost
- Eagle Fletching => Wilderness Outpost
- Strength of Nature/Strength of the Claw => House of Lore
- Natures Protection/Natures Defense => House of Lore
- Bear Form/Savage Blow => House of Lore
- Tree Form => House of Lore
- Dispel => House of Lore
- Light of Lothlorien => House of Lore
Once this level starts you see our beloved Fellowship running through the
trees of Lothlorien. They are then suddenly surrounded by Orcs, but saved by
the Elves. The Elf Warden explains that you should recapture two great
Mallorn-trees. Legolas points out that there is a Huorn who needs you help
in the north. So, your starting objectives are:
- Mallorn-trees of Galadriel
=> Find the first Mallorn-tree of Galadriel
=> Find the second Mallorn-tree of Galadriel
=> Hold both Mallorn-trees of Galadriel for three minutes
- (OPTIONAL) Find and aid the Huorn
Something they didn't mention in the cutscene is that there is a whole army
of Orcs on your tail. So, start setting up everything quickly. You should
train some more Workers and put them to work harvesting resources. You'll
have to assign more Workers to ore than to food. Use one Worker to build
a Wilderness Outpost and a House of Lore.
Now, for the defense. The Orcs will attack from two directions: the north
and the east. I recommend putting Legolas, Boromir, and two Hobbits in the
east, together with a few Elf Wardens. Put the rest in the north. The first
attacks should be blocked easily. You'll be informed when the Orc Horde is
about to come.
Obviously, you'll need more units to withstand the Orcs. Start training lots
of Elven Archers, make sure you have at least five on both sides of your
camp. Train a Beorning for both sides as well: they can heal your units. And
finally, train some Gondor Swordsmen from the Barracks and research for them
Iron Blades at the Forge. In order to spot enemy attacks early, purchase the
Lookout Tower upgrade from the Forge as well.
Time for upgrades! You needn't buy things from the Forge anymore, but the
Wilderness Outpost and House of Lore both have a lot of upgrades to buy. Of
course, start out with Elven Cloaks for your archers and upgrade their range
thereafter. After that upgrade their attack power and then armor class. You
have tons of resources at your disposal so cost shouldn't be much of a
problem.
In the House of Lore, go for Bear Form immediately. You don't need Dispel
and Light of Lothlorien because you shouldn't use Elven Lightbearers: they
die far to fast. After Bear Form, go for attack power. Finally, upgrade the
armor class of your Beornings to the max. While researching all this stuff,
you can go and help the Huorn.
To help out the Huorn, take your entire northern defense and make sure the
eastern defense takes over their task for a while. The Huorn is battling
close to your encampment, on the northeast side. Hasten your units to that
spot. Kill the Orcs without letting the Huorn die to complete this task.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Find and aid the Huorn.
Now you can train Huorns. They are expensive, though excellent fighters. I
trained two for each defense. You'll need to build some extra Camps and
upgrade them to War Camps for this again. Note that once you have helped
the Huorn out it automatically learns Tree Form: this ability will be
very effective in repelling the Orc Horde.
That Orc Horde should come soon now. It might look a bit overwhelming at
first sight, but if you use your heroes' abilities well, you will repel
them without too much losses. A good thing to use here is Tree Form: this
will entangle all units in the Huorn's radius, making them easy to kill.
In the northern part of your camp, use Gimli's Sunder and Aragorn's heal
ability (Kingsfoil) to prevent too much losses. In the east, Elven Speed
can help killing everyone faster, while Horn of Gondor will take multiple
foes out of battle for some time. Once you've repelled the Horde, heal.
It's time to find those Mallorns now. Train reinforcements and take your
northern defense to the north. they will encounter an enemy camp with a
big army around it, but with help of your heroes they shouldn't take a lot
of losses. Destroy the camp in whole, heal, and head over the bridge (you
should train more troops if you lost a lot of men in the last battle).
Proceed to the north to find the first Mallorn Tree.
Take your eastern defense to the northeast, after you've healed them and
trained reinforcements, of course. They will encounter an enemy camp like
the last one as well. Elven Speed works well, here. Apply the same tactics
as in the last battle and heal your units. Continue to go to the northeast
to find the second Mallorn-tree.
You'll have to hold both Mallorn-trees for three minutes now. Losing one
of them means resetting the clock to three minutes. The first two and a
half minutes should be no problem at all: some Orcs Slashers and Goblin
Spearmen, which are easily killed. The last thirty seconds can get hard
if you aren't used to commanding two armies at once. In that case, it
would be wise to assign numbers to both armies.
The last army will consist of Troll Bonecleavers as well as those normal
Orcs and Goblins. Make good use of your heroes and keep those Mallorns
under your control until the timer reaches zero. Once the time disappears,
you'll be rewarded with victory.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Mallorn-trees of Galadriel
MISSION COMPLETED
--------------------------
The Liberation of Upbourn
--------------------------
INTRO:
Third Age 3019
"On his journey back to Edoras, Erkenbrand, master of Westfold, is horrified
to discover the town of Upbourn has been overtaken by Orcs. The foul
creatures run loose about the town, defiling barrows, slaughtering horses,
and setting the town ablaze. Erkenbrand calls his men together and prepares
to ride against the loathsome invaders."
HEROES:
- Gandalf ==> Abilities: - Flash => 2 Fate
- Fire Shield => 1 Fate
- Negate Ability => Available
- Rain of Fire => 3 Fate
- Erkenbrand ==> Abilities: - Might of the Rohirrim => Available
BUILDINGS:
- All buildings are available.
UNITS:
- All units are available.
UPGRADES:
- All upgrades are available.
This level is pretty tricky, but not as annoying as Assault on Dol Guldur. In
the opening cutscene, Erkenbrand points out what you have to do. This would
make your starting objectives look like this:
- Purge the Orcs from Upbourn
=> Reclaim the Great Hall
=> Destroy the Orc war camp
=> Restore sanctity to the defiled barrows
- (OPTIONAL) Save the horses
This is one of those levels wherein your camp gets attacked from two sides,
from the northwestern exit and the northeastern exit. The heaviest attacks
will come through the northeastern one, though.
First thing you should do is set up your resource structures. Use enough
Workers to ensure a steady income of food and ore. Space is limited in this
camp, so I recommend only building a Ranger Post, an Elven Sanctuary, and
a Wilderness Outpost. Upgrade your Stronghold to the final level as well.
After that, it's time to set up defense.
To make sure your encampment survives the first attacks, build a Watchtower
near each exit. Put Rangers in them to detect those annoying (yes, they're
here again) cloaked Haradrim. Put Erkenbrand and some Riders of Rohan at
the northwestern entrance, while positioning Gandalf and his cavalry in the
northeast. This should repel attacks for a while. Remember to train more
Riders of Rohan at the Barracks when you lose units in battle. Try to keep
Erkenbrand and Gandalf alive, they're going to play a big part in your last
attack.
With that done, start training five Elven Archers and give them the Elven
Cloaks upgrade. Upgrade their attack and range as well. Send this little
army through the eastern exit, to the north. Soon, you should see corrupted
ground. There are a lot of guards here, but since the enemy has forgotten
to place a Wraith at these barrows, they can't see you. Time for some Orc
slaughtering! Destroy the three War Posts in this area to restore sanctity
to the barrows.
Further north is the main gate of Upbourn. There is a Wraith here, so be
sure to take it out fast. It's easy to kill the other guards afterwards. Take
the eastern path and go north whenever you can. Kill any Orcs you encounter:
no detectors here, so it's easy. Proceed up north to find the stables. You
have to be quick now, make sure that the Orcs don't kill any of the horses.
You should be able to kill those two before they can do a lot of damage. For
each horse you have freed, you gain a Fate Point. These can be used to buy
each of Gandalf's abilities.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Save the horses.
From the stables, head south and take the first path to the west. Cross the
little stream and kill the Orc Slashers that guard the path to the north. It
is time to reclaim the Great Hall. There are some Orc Archers here, and there
is an Orc Captain. You only have to kill the Captain to get the Hall. Since
it can't see you, this should be done in no time, even though he has a lot of
hit points. Kill the archers behind him as well. Now head back to the main
gate.
Take your entire army to the main gate as well, including Erkenbrand, the two
Rangers inside the Watchtowers, and Gandalf. From there, take your army west
and then up north, until you find the Orc war camp. It doesn't matter if your
camp gets attacked during this time, as long as you destroy the Orc camp you
won't be in trouble.
This Orc camp is very well defended: it has fully manned towers with Wraiths
in them and some tank-like Trolls to clear out your troops. Use Might of the
Rohirrim while your cavalry is still together to get maximum effect. To clear
out the defense, make use of Gandalf's Flash ability. Cast Fire Shield on
Gandalf himself. When the defense is gone, use Rain of Fire in an area with
a lot of buildings in it to set it all ablaze. Continue to do this until
the last bit of Orc presence is gone. You beat the scenario!
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Purge the Orcs from Upbourn.
MISSION COMPLETED
------------
Helm's Deep
------------
INTRO:
Third Age 3019
"Saruman has unleashed all of his forces from Isengard to assault the
Hornburg within Helm's Deep. His forces have crushed all resistance on their
march toward the stronghold. As the foul army draws near, Aragorn, Gimli, and
Legolas prepare the defense."
HEROES:
- Aragorn ==> Abilities: - Kingsfoil => Available
- Anduril's Fury => Available
- Immunity => Available
- Gimli ==> Abilities: - Sunder => Available
- Capture => Available
- Siege Aura => Available
- Legolas ==> Abilities: - Trueshot => Available
- Elven Speed => Available
- Guardian Wind => Available
BUILDINGS:
- No buildings to be built
UNITS:
- No units to be trained
UPGRADES:
- No upgrades to be researched
Ah, that famous battle ;) It actually isn't so hard here: you only need to
position your troops in the right spot and make sure no units die because of
them engaging an enemy army all by themselves. You can see your priorities
in the objectives screen:
! Gimli must survive
! Legolas must survive
! Aragorn must survive
- Protect the Culvert
Your first task is to protect the Culvert (the place where the stream meets
the Deeping Wall) for five minutes. To do this, position all your archers on
the wall above the stream. Place Gimli behind the Culvert and give him some
of the troops that arrive as reinforcements. Put the rest of the troops on
the wall to protect your archers.
Note that the screen has changed view. I usually play on the normal view,
which can be accessed by pressing 5 on the Num Pad. Your choice.
Start killing Orcs that attack the Culvert. Use Elven Speed if there are a
lot of them. Make sure your archers are defended by reinforcements; use them
to kill enemies that gain a foothold on the Deeping Wall. Split your newly
acquired reinforcements into a group to defend the wall, and a group to
defend the Culvert together with Gimli.
Once you have collected three Fate Points, use the Heroic Legacy fate power
on one of your heroes. This will make them very effective in the end of
this scenario.
When you've survived this for five minutes, a cutscene triggers wherein an
Orc blows up the Culvert. Your troops will also gain an armor upgrade. Now
you get a new objective.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Protect the Culvert.
NEW OBJECTIVE: Kill 80 Orcs.
A second timer triggers, counting down from three minutes. You need to kill
80 Orcs before the timer runs out. It shouldn't be to hard if you've got
Gimli and reinforcements to protect the Culvert. Your archers and Legolas
will kill a lot of enemies as well, especially when equipped with Elven
Speed. Make sure your archers are defended by the melee troops on the wall,
though.
After killing 80 Orcs, your men receive an attack upgrade. The cutscene shows
a giant ram trying to crush the main gate. When you get control, direct every
archer in the Stronghold and Legolas to the main gate and attack that ram,
before it can crush the gate! Get the rest of your melee fighters together
and position them next to King Théoden, who also stands at the main gate.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Kill 80 Orcs.
NEW OBJECTIVE: Defend the Hornburg until dawn.
Your melee fighters should stay behind the protective walls and only attack
sometimes, mostly when the enemy army is so big that your archers can't
handle it. As long as you destroy the ram, you should be allright. Hold out
for 10 minutes to start Théodens heroic attack. Unfortunately, he will be
killed together with Aragorn if you don't send more troops to help him. So,
direct your entire army out of the gate and kill all enemies you encounter.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Defend the Hornburg until dawn.
Soon, another cutscene starts. Gandalf comes runnig from a hill with Riders
of Rohan and Erkenbrand right behind him. The Huorns of Fangorn Forest have
joined the counter-attack as well.
NEW OBJECTIVE: The Return of Gandalf
=> Defeat the Orcs besieging the Hornburg
This mission is basically over. To make it even more certain that you're
going to win summon a Giant Ent to aid you in battle. Use all the troops at
your disposal to clear the battlefield of any Orc presence. On the other
side, the Huorns should be able to deal with the Orcs easily. When you have
killed every single enemy, the ending sequence triggers.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: The Return of Gandalf.
MISSION COMPLETED
-------------
Minas Morgul
-------------
INTRO:
Third Age 3019
"Minas Morgul, the Tower of Sorcery, has terrorized Gondor for over a
thousand years. Aragorn seeks to cleanse the city of the remaining Nazgul
that haunt its walls, and return the tower to its former glory as Minas
Ithil, the Tower of the Moon."
HEROES:
- Gandalf ==> Abilities: - Flash => Available
- Fire Shield => Available
- Negate Ability => Available
- Rain of Fire => Available
- Aragorn ==> Abilities: - Kingsfoil => Available
- Anduril's Fury => Available
- Immunity => Available
- Legolas ==> Abilities: - Trueshot => Available
- Elven Speed => Available
- Guardian Wind => Available
- Gimli ==> Abilities: - Sunder => Available
- Capture => Available
- Siege Aura => Available
BUILDINGS:
- All buildings are available
UNITS:
- All units are available
UPGRADES:
- All upgrades are available
This level is very hard. And very annoying as well. It requires you are able
to do several things at once: create a good defense, and finally decisive
offensive tactics. The best way to play this level is to just take the units
you think are best. After a opening cutscene you'll see a lot of objectives.
- Sanctify the Tower of Sorcery
=> Destroy the War Posts around the Tower
=> Control the Orb of Energy
=> Control the Orb of Reforming
- Sanctify the Graveyards
=> Western Graves
=> Eastern Graves
- (OPTIONAL) Remove the Orc presence
- (OPTIONAL) Destroy the Troll Reinforcements
When you get control, your heroes are running towards your camp. Send them to
the middle of your camp. Start setting up a good economy, you should know how
to do that after all those levels. Build structures with your Workers as you
see fit. It is very important that you use units for defense that you have
developed special strategies for, not just pick them at random. For example,
my defense heavily relied on cloaked archers together with my heroes.
Now, things can get very tricky. Your camp will be attacked from every
possible side. Place your troops in the middle of your camp. That way, they
won't take much time taking on enemies. Make sure you always have Rangers at
defensive spots and in Watchtowers. These can spot invisible units, making
your defense somewhat easier. Use the abilities of your heroes to the max
as well.
Upgrade your Stronghold and start training Elven Archers, cloaked and
upgraded, of course. Then start heading north. You will see a main road. You
can destroy the Troll Reinforcements here, but I don't recommend it. It
might cost you valuable archers. Instead, head further north, to the bridge
that leads into Minas Morgul. The Orc encampment where the attacks are coming
from is here.
Although destroying Orc presence is an optional objective, completing it will
make the attacks on your encampment cease. Thus, it would be wise to destroy
this enemy camp. It may take several tries, because this war camp is the best
defended of those you've encountered so far. Whenever you see a Wraith, kill
it, even when it's in a tower. Do everything step by step. To increase your
chance at destroying this camp, summon a Giant Ent when you have acquired the
needed Fate.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Remove the Orc presence
You could head further into the city now, but I advise to return your archers
to your camp and heal. Minas Morgul is full of Wraiths, which are summoned
from the cursed graveyards. Elven Archers aren't very effective because of
that. Take your entire force, including heroes, and head into the city.
Search the blackened terrain and buildings to find one War Post in the east
and one in the west. The Wraiths attacking you here shouldn't pose any real
danger for your forces. Destroy each red War Post to sanctify both of the
graves. It will stop the stream of Wraiths coming out to attack you.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Sanctify the Graveyards
Heal, then head further north. Do not enter the corrupted terrain around the
Tower of Sorcery yet. Instead, have your units go west to see the first Place
of Power you need to control. Slay the enemies here, there aren't a lot
around here as you have already sanctified the graveyards. Once you control
the first Orb, take your force to the eastern one. Crush all resistance
around this PoP too.
Once you enter the terrain around the Tower, you will receive a message
saying that the dark spell cast around this place is draining your units'
health. To put an end to this, destroy the four purple War Posts around this
area. You can go for minimum losses by quickly destroying one of the War
Posts and returning to normal grounds. Use Kingsfoil if one of your units is
about to die.
Note that sometimes, the Lord of the Nazgul will use his Shadow Walk ability
to instantly travel to your forces. In that case, quickly run back to healthy
grounds and kill them there. Anduril's Fury will do a lot of damage against
those Black Riders, by the way. Keep your heroes alive.
When all War Posts around the Tower of Sorcery are destroyed and you control
both Orbs, you will be rewarded with victory.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Sanctify the Tower of Sorcery
MISSION COMPLETED
--------------------------
The Pass of Cirith Gorgor
--------------------------
INTRO:
Third Age 3019
"Sauron has amassed a legion of minions to push forth from the Black Gates.
Aragorn leads the soldiers of the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth against the
evil forces. However, he does not know the peril that awaits."
HEROES:
- Gandalf ==> Abilities: - Flash => Available
- Fire Shield => Available
- Negate Ability => Available
- Rain of Fire => Available
- Aragorn ==> Abilities: - Kingsfoil => Available
- Anduril's Fury => Available
- Immunity => Available
- Legolas ==> Abilities: - Trueshot => Available
- Elven Speed => Available
- Guardian Wind => Available
- Gimli ==> Abilities: - Sunder => Available
- Capture => Available
- Siege Aura => Available
BUILDINGS:
- All buildings are available
UNITS:
- All units are available
UPGRADES:
- All upgrades are available
As it is the final level of the Good Campaign, I doubt I need to tell you
that this level is difficult. But, unlike Minas Morgul, it's fairly exciting
and enjoyable. In the opening cutscene, Gandalf tells Aragorn that the enemy
is completing three Claws of Gorgoroth. Why?.. you'll know soon enough. Let's
just start with your objectives:
- Eliminate the final enemy encampment
Sound simple? It isn't. You start off with a camp and a good amount of fresh
soldiers. Put your units, including your heroes, a little bit to the south of
your camp. All the attacks on your encampment in this level will come from
the south, the southwest, or the southeast. Note that you won't be attacked
in the first minutes.
Make use of this time to put up a good economy. The only buildings you have
to build are an Elven Sanctuary and Ranger Post. Start training Rangers and
Elven Archers as they are completed. Upgrade your Stronghold to the last
level and research all upgrades for your archers. You might also want to
train some more Barracks units to increase your numbers. Upgrade your camps
as you see fit.
Soon, there will be another cutscene. It appears that Sauron has succeeded
in summoning a Balrog, an incredibly big demon. As if that weren't enough,
the Claws of Gorgoroth mentioned in the opening cutscene lend it terrible
offensive and defensive powers. Now, you need to kill this Balrog.
NEW OBJECTIVE: Kill the Balrog
=> Capture the Claw of Power to weaken attack
=> Capture the Claw of Protection to weaken defense
=> Capture the Claw of Renewal to weaken regeneration
Now, waves of attackers start coming out of the enemy's camp, sometimes
several at once. They should be dealt with quite easily with your upgraded
troops and heroes. Remember that Kingsfoil can heal units that would die
otherwise. The only problem to deal with right now is the Balrog.
You can't possibly expect to capture all three Claws... just take all your
forces and move west. Head north when you can. You will then see a little
Orc encampment. Destroy it, this will make the last part of this mission
easier to complete.
Head back south and train reinforcements. You should be able to intercept
any attackers that come for your camp. Note that these attackers look
like they'll eat you up, but they're actually not to hard as long as you
use your heroes' abilities.
Head further west until you arrive at the next encampment. There are some
Stonehurlers on the ledge above this camp so beware. Totally raze this
camp and capture the Claw of Protection. By now, the Balrog should be
well on his way reaching your forces. Retreat back to your camp and get
ready for a serious battle. Heal, train, and wait for the demon to arrive.
Once it arrives, cast Fire Shield on Aragorn. Don't use any Fate Powers,
rely on your heroes and troops. Elven Speed can ease the pain a bit. Use
Kingsfoil on your heroes only. Rain of Fire and especially Flash can help
a lot in this battle. The Balrog should fall rather quickly as you have
decreased its armor by capturing the Claw of Protection.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Kill the Balrog
With that completed, it's time to move on to the Black Gates. The normal
attack waves start coming again. Train reinforcements and buy any upgrades
you haven't purchased yet. Repel the attacks on your camp as normal. Your
forces should be made up of cloaked and upgraded Elven Archers and some
heroes, including some Rangers and Riders of Rohan to get sufficient
numbers.
With your offensive force ready, move to the spot where the little orc
camp was you destroyed before. Head north from here, onto a small ledge
that will take you directly to the south of the Claw of Renewal. It is
protected by lots of troops, together with Black Riders, so watch out
not to lose too many troops. If you do, retreat to the ledge and train
additional reinforcements.
It's time for the final part of this mission. Trust me, this isn't going
to be a walk in the park because that final encampment is very, very well
defended. To get there, simply move west from the Claw of Renewal. You
should know when you arrive because Stonehurlers start throwing boulders
at you once you get there.
Move into the camp after casting Fire Shield on one of your heroes. Make
sure you destroy the Towers and the Wraiths in them first. The Wraiths in
this scenario are very annoying, they keep casting Perpetual Darkness as
soon as they pop out of a Tower. Kill normal resistance here too. It is
vital to use your heroes' abilities here, especially Gandalf's.
It shouldn't be too hard when the first line of defense has been cleared.
Remember that Rain of Fire sets buildings on fire, which can be helpful
when trying for a quick win. Otherwise, summon a Giant Ent (you should
have gained enough Fate by now) to complete the job. Raze all buildings
of this enemy war camp to gain victory.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Eliminate the final enemy encampment
MISSION COMPLETED
Congratulations, you beat the Good Campaign!
===============================================================================
<< 8. PLAYING THE MINIONS OF SAURON >>
----------------------------------
Playing as the Minions of Sauron, you stand for everything that is evil in the
world of Middle-Earth. Under your command, dozens of bloodthirsty Orcs and
other riff-raff. You may even enlist the aid of the mighty Nazgul or the Wizard
of Many Colors Saruman to stain the fields with the blood of the Free Peoples.
The military of the Minions of Saurons consists of hordes of Orcs, dozens of
Uruk-Hai and legions of powerful Trolls. They play a lot different from the
normal RTS games, and their campaign can give you some trouble. But, once you
have mastered the art of destruction, you won't play the good side anymore.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
8.1) Gameplay Differences
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Sauron's Minions have several unique characteristics in this game. All of
them are listed below:
- The Minions use a Slaughterhouse to collect Food and a Smelter to obtain
Ore.
- The Workers of the Free Peoples drop their resources at the Goblin Hovel.
- Workers are trained at the Goblin Hovel, Heroes at the Fortress of Mordor.
- You can only build your structures on corrupted land. Corrupted land looks
like it's been burned and can only be created by ordering a Slavemaster
to place a War Post on the normal terrain.
- Different technologies, units, and heroes than the Good Side.
- They use Slavemasters to expand their Population
- Their Towers can be equipped with Poison Arrows, doing damage to each hit
enemy over time.
- They have different Fate Powers.
- - - - - - - - - -
8.2) Evil Buildings
- - - - - - - - - -
Goblin Hovel
-------------
HIT POINTS: 700
BUILDING COST: 225 Food, 225 Ore
ARMOR CLASS: 3
UNITS TRAINED: - Goblin Worker
- Goblin Spearman
- Goblin Slavemaster
RESEARCH HERE: None
Inside this horrible residence, Goblins are kept safe from the dangers of the
outside world. It is where the Goblin Workers, corrupted slaves under control
of the Dark Lord, drop off the resources needed to keep the evil armies under
the banner of the Lidless Eye running. In case of emergency, there are all
kinds of self-made spears for self defense. Special treated Slavemasters
learn to keep the whole bunch of horrors in line, thus creating additional
population slots. It is an important building that has to be protected.
War Post
---------
HIT POINTS: 500
BUILDING COST: 65 Ore
ARMOR CLASS: 0
UNITS TRAINED: None
RESEARCH HERE: None
The War Post's sole purpose is to corrupt beautiful green soil into the
blackened grounds Sauron's minions can build upon. They can only be built
by Slavemasters and are needed for expanding your settlement. If you don't
have any War Posts, you cannot build structures. They are weak and need
protection.
Fortress of Mordor
-------------------
REQUIRED: Goblin Hovel
HIT POINTS: 700
BUILDING COST: 75 Food, 90 Ore
ARMOR CLASS: 3
UNITS TRAINED: - Gollum
- Grishnakh
- Saleme
- Lord of the Nazgul
- Saruman
RESEARCH HERE: - Fortress of Mordor Level 2
- Fortress of Mordor Level 3
- Fortress of Mordor Level 4
- Fortress of Mordor Level 5
Fortresses of Mordor are vital for war camps. Without them, no advanced
upgrades can be researched, nor can some powerful units be accessed. In here,
the Heroes of the Minions are given everything they desire. In order for your
settlement to have any chance of surviving, this massive structure has to be
built as soon as possible. It can be upgraded up to level 5, adding new
HP and armor class with each improvement.
Slaughterhouse
---------------
REQUIRED: Goblin Hovel
HIT POINTS: 530
BUILDING COST: 50 Ore
ARMOR CLASS: 3
UNITS TRAINED: None
RESEARCH HERE: None
All those evil creatures like Orcs and Trolls do not eat grain. All they want
is meat... preferably fresh, of course. The Slaughterhouse is a structure
that domesticates animals, only to slaughter them later for food. To keep
the beasts inside alive, the Slaughterhouse needs a constant flow of fresh
water. Therefor, it can only be built on top of a well.
Smelter
--------
REQUIRED: Goblin Hovel
HIT POINTS: 725
BUILDING COST: 80 Ore
ARMOR CLASS: 3
UNITS TRAINED: None
RESEARCH HERE: None
The Minions soon found themselves without ore, which was used in huge amounts
to create the weaponry for the hordes of Mordor. Thinking of new methods to
strip Ore from the ground, the Goblins designed the Smelter. Its purpose was
to smelt the Ore and change it into better transportable packs, increasing
the amount of ore the Goblin Workers can carry. The Smelter has to be built
on top of an ore deposit to function.
Tower
------
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 1
HIT POINTS: 350
BUILDING COST: 100 Food, 100 Ore
ATTACK POWER: 14
ARMOR CLASS: 1
UNITS TRAINED: None, but four can be garrisoned inside for more shots.
RESEARCH HERE: None
This defensive structure was built to ensure the survival of important new
war camps. Black towers, carrying the emblem of Sauron, able to garrison
units inside, far from danger. You'll need a lot of them to protect the
vital areas in your war camp (Goblin Hovel, War Posts). At the borders of
your settlement, they can help by spotting incoming raiding parties from
afar.
Orc Mound
----------
REQUIRED: Goblin Hovel
HIT POINTS: 675
BUILDING COST: 55 Food, 110 Ore
ARMOR CLASS: 1
UNITS TRAINED: - Orc Bowman
- Orc Slasher
- Uruk-Hai
RESEARCH HERE: None
The ancient tales of the Elves told how Morgoth, the Enemy, of whom Sauron
was only a general, bred the twisted race of Orcs. He took them into the
dark dungeons of his stronghold Utumno and tortured them until they were
the opposite of the Elves: ugly, bloodthirsty, and without mercy. Inside the
Orc Mound, Orcs are taught how to handle their weapons in brutal training
sessions. With more advanced technology, the Uruk-Hai can also be trained
in this structure.
Dark Arsenal
-------------
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 1
HIT POINTS: 575
BUILDING COST: 70 Food, 105 Ore
ARMOR CLASS: 1
UNITS TRAINED: None
RESEARCH HERE: - Curved Blades; Serrated Blades; Wicked Blades
- Iron Fittings; Forged Fittings; Steel Fittings
- Savage Influence
- Goblin Frenzy
- Raven Fletching
- Flame Arrows
- Poison Arrows
Orcs aren't exactly competent smiths, but they tend to use anything they can
get to defeat their enemies. Most of the time, the researchers inside this
dark laboratory design wicked upgrades for the Orcs to use in battle, causing
more pain to enemies or intoxicating them. The Goblins can be upgraded here
as well, giving them better speed. It is a much needed structure to turn
normal Orc soldiers into ravaging killing machines.
Beast Lair
-----------
REQUIRED: Goblin Hovel
HIT POINTS: 675
BUILDING COST: 95 Food, 100 Ore
ARMOR CLASS: 2
UNITS TRAINED: - Warg Rider
- Giant Spider
RESEARCH HERE: None
Often finding themselves slaughtered by the Free Peoples because of their
enemies' control over animals, the leaders of the Orc ranks decided to take
a shot at raising their own animals. As the Orcs of the Misty Mountains did
for ages, they started to raise the ferocious, wolf-like Wargs in massive
numbers. In greater settlements, the mistress spider of Cirith Ungol Shelob
sometimes decided to send her kin to aid the Dark Lord's armies.
Breeding Pit
-------------
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 2
HIT POINTS: 550
BUILDING COST: 90 Food, 100 Ore
ARMOR CLASS: 1
UNITS TRAINED: None
RESEARCH HERE: - Fearsome Strength; Overwhelming Strength; Monstrous
Strength
- Ritual Tattooing; Ritual Scarring; Ritual Branding
- Paralyze
- Spray Venom
- Target Practice
- Unstoppable Force
- Sweeping Axe
To increase their effectiveness in battle, Sauron's minions often tortured
beasts, making them truly evil. Menacing around the battlefield, these
monsters decided many wars. Inside the Breeding Pit, both the Warg Rider and
the Giant Spider can be upgraded. In more advanced settlements, the huge
Troll warriors can be made more effective there as well.
Shadow Lair
------------
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 2
HIT POINTS: 725
BUILDING COST: 110 Food, 105 Ore
ARMOR CLASS: 1
UNITS TRAINED: - Wraith
- Haradrim Slayer
RESEARCH HERE: None
A special structure was needed for minions of Sauron that preferred or needed
places dark of shadow for their training. Created mostly from the darkness
itself, the Wraiths have gained great abilities at detecting hidden enemies.
The Haradrim needed dark places to master the art of hiding, making them
truly fearsome assassins. Nobody but these two creatures know how to get out
of the Shadow Lair again after entering it.
Black Vault
------------
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 3
HIT POINTS: 575
BUILDING COST: 85 Food, 75 Ore
ARMOR CLASS: 1
UNITS TRAINED: None
RESEARCH HERE: - Jagged Point; Hooked Point; Barbed Point
- Alloy Mail; Shadow Mail; Dark Mail
- Greater Perception
- Darkness
- Perpetual Darkness
- Poison Dart
- Assassin's Cloak
- Morgul Blade
This structure houses the elite of Sauron's alchemists and metal workers. All
upgrades made inside this building are to increase pain, not chance at death.
Special techniques from far lands such as Harad are acquired in here as well,
though they are very expensive. Finding the weapons created at the Dark
Arsenal not fit for them, the savage Uruk-Hai will only receive upgrades
from the Black Vault.
Troll Den
----------
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 3
HIT POINTS: 950
BUILDING COST: 125 Food, 135 Ore
ARMOR CLASS: 1
UNITS TRAINED: - Troll Bonecleaver
- Troll Stonehurler
RESEARCH HERE: None
Though 'persuading' them wasn't without problems, the Trolls have proven
their worthiness to the Dark Lord without fail. The massive warriors have
been known to destroy entire armies while only in a small group. Now, these
tanks have been made even more useful as they can now withstand the daylight.
The Troll Den is the only structure large enough to house these huge
creatures.
- - - - - - - - - -
8.3) Evil Upgrades
- - - - - - - - - -
First, I shall list the Dark Arsenal technologies here. After that, there are
the Breeding Pit and the Black Vault technologies.
Curved Blades
--------------
UPGRADE AT: Dark Arsenal
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 1
UPGRADE COST: 75 Food, 75 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Attack for Goblin Spearmen, Orc Bowmen and Orc Slashers.
RATING: 2/5 - This doesn't make a lot of difference... yet. It
needed for the later upgrades (which DO matter), so
buy it. Offense over defense!
Serrated Blades
----------------
UPGRADE AT: Dark Arsenal
REQUIRED: Curved Blades, Fortress of Mordor Level 3
UPGRADE COST: 125 Food, 125 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Attack for Goblin Spearmen, Orc Bowmen and Orc Slashers.
RATING: 3/5 - You might notice that battles go a little faster
once you've researched this upgrade. And believe me,
it gets better.
Wicked Blades
--------------
UPGRADE AT: Dark Arsenal
REQUIRED: Serrated Blades, Fortress of Mordor Level 5
UPGRADE COST: 175 Food, 175 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Attack for Goblin Spearmen, Orc Bowmen and Orc Slashers.
RATING: 5/5 - Now we're talking. Build up a nice force of fresh
Orc Bowmen and Slashers and go destroy an enemy camp.
Absolutely devastating when attacking in hordes!
Iron Fittings
--------------
UPGRADE AT: Dark Arsenal
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 1
UPGRADE COST: 75 Food, 75 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Armor for Goblin Spearmen, Orc Bowmen and Orc Slashers.
RATING: 1/5 - Buy an attack upgrade before this. This, again,
is one of the things you'll have to buy to get the
better upgrades.
Forged Fittings
----------------
UPGRADE AT: Dark Arsenal
REQUIRED: Iron Fittings, Fortress of Mordor Level 3
UPGRADE COST: 125 Food, 125 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Armor for Goblin Spearmen, Orc Bowmen and Orc Slashers.
RATING: 3/5 - This is much better than the last one, since you
might have noticed your units last longer in battle.
Steel Fittings
---------------
UPGRADE AT: Dark Arsenal
REQUIRED: Forged Fittings, Fortress of Mordor Level 5
UPGRADE COST: 175 Food, 175 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Armor for Goblin Spearmen, Orc Bowmen and Orc Slashers.
RATING: 4/5 - Mix this up with Wicked Blades and some units from
the other training structures and nobody will have the
strength to stand against your armies!
Savage Influence
-----------------
UPGRADE AT: Dark Arsenal
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 1
UPGRADE COST: 75 Food, 75 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: Slavemasters can crack their whips to speed up nearby
allies.
RATING: 1/5 - Not needed at all in my opinion. The only thing I
can think of to use this is to speed up your resource
production. Otherwise, useless.
Goblin Frenzy
--------------
UPGRADE AT: Dark Arsenal
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 3
UPGRADE COST: 100 Food, 100 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: Upgrades the speed of Goblin Workers, Goblin Spearmen, and
Goblin Slavemasters.
RATING: 2/5 - Better than Savage Influence, since it speeds up your
resource production for all time. But I suggest you buy
the military upgrades first.
Raven Fletching
----------------
UPGRADE AT: Dark Arsenal
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 3
UPGRADE COST: 100 Food, 100 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: Upgrades the range of Orc Bowmen.
RATING: 3/5 - I don't use Orc Bowmen a lot, but increased range
means you might get in an extra shot per archer, thinning
out enemy forces more quickly.
Flame Arrows
-------------
UPGRADE AT: Dark Arsenal
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 4
UPGRADE COST: 150 Food, 150 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: Makes the Orc Bowmen shoot flaming arrows, causing fire
damage to all things they hit.
RATING: 4/5 - Expensive upgrade, but ideal for raiding. Go round
a camp with several of Bowmen with these arrows and soon
all buildings will be on fire, rendering your enemy
helpless.
Poison Arrows
--------------
UPGRADE AT: Dark Arsenal
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 3
UPGRADE COST: 100 Food, 100 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: Makes your Towers shoot poisonous arrows, intoxicating all
foes that are hit.
RATING: 3/5 - This upgrade is quite needed. Since you can't get
that powerful Ballista of the Free Peoples, this'll have to
do. Can be infiuriating to opponents when all their forces
die due to poisoning.
Fearsome Strength
------------------
UPGRADE AT: Breeding Pit
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 2
UPGRADE COST: 85 Food, 85 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Attack for Warg Riders, Giant Spiders, Troll
Bonecleavers, and Troll Stonehurlers.
RATING: 1/5 - One of those upgrades you'll have to get to access
the better, later upgrades. I don't use these units that
much, but if you do, don't hesitate and buy this upgrade
quickly.
Overwhelming Strength
----------------------
UPGRADE AT: Breeding Pit
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 3
UPGRADE COST: 135 Food, 135 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Attack for Warg Riders, Giant Spiders, Troll
Bonecleavers, and Troll Stonehurlers.
RATING: 3/5 - You might notice the difference in battles now. Can
get even better...
Monstrous Strength
-------------------
UPGRADE AT: Breeding Pit
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 5
UPGRADE COST: 185 Food, 185 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Attack for Warg Riders, Giant Spiders, Troll
Bonecleavers, and Troll Stonehurlers.
RATING: 5/5 - This'll make your Trolls behemoths that cannot be
stopped. Very expensive, but very worth it if your forces
are made up mainly of these sorts of forces.
Ritual Tattooing
-----------------
UPGRADE AT: Breeding Pit
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 2
UPGRADE COST: 85 Food, 85 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Armor for Warg Riders, Giant Spiders, Troll
Bonecleavers, and Troll Stonehurlers.
RATING: 1/5 - The armor upgrade for your beasts. Same story, needed
for later upgrades.
Ritual Scarring
----------------
UPGRADE AT: Breeding Pit
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 3
UPGRADE COST: 135 Food, 135 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Armor for Warg Riders, Giant Spiders, Troll
Bonecleavers, and Troll Stonehurlers.
RATING: 3/5 - This'll make them last longer again. If you like
raiding with Warg Riders, this will ensure lots of damage.
Also helps defensive Giant Spiders.
Ritual Branding
----------------
UPGRADE AT: Breeding Pit
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 5
UPGRADE COST: 185 Food, 185 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Armor for Warg Riders, Giant Spiders, Troll
Bonecleavers, and Troll Stonehurlers.
RATING: 4/5 - If you've ever wanted tanks which obviously just
won't die on the battlefield, give this upgrade to your
Troll warriors. They are monstrous indeed, immortal if
you play the game right...
Paralyze
---------
UPGRADE AT: Breeding Pit
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 2
UPGRADE COST: 100 Food, 100 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: Giant Spiders' attacks paralyze foes, making them unable
to move.
RATING: 4/5 - The only thing that makes those spiders worth buying,
I think. Put lots of these in your defense and make them
all attack different enemies. They won't even have a chance
to retaliate before they die!
Spray Venom
------------
UPGRADE AT: Breeding Pit
REQUIRED: Paralyze, Fortress of Mordor Level 3
UPGRADE COST: 150 Food, 150 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: Makes the Giant Spider spray venom, paralyzing all units in
front of it.
RATING: 1/5 - Bad upgrade. You need a constant flow of venom, and
this move will deplete it. It's better to just focus on
a single strong unit and keep paralyzing it.
Target Practice
----------------
UPGRADE AT: Breeding Pit
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 3
UPGRADE COST: 150 Food, 150 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: Increases the range of the Troll Stonehurlers.
RATING: 3/5 - Great when combined with Unstoppable Force. I prefer
Uruk-Hai as my main ranged unit, but if you like Trolls,
purchase this.
Unstoppable Force
------------------
UPGRADE AT: Breeding Pit
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 4
UPGRADE COST: 160 Food, 160 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: Makes Troll Stonehurlers' attacks do area damage.
RATING: 4/5 - The best upgrade for your Stonehurlers, giving them
an area-of-effect attack. This will, together with attack
upgrades, decimate an incoming enemy army.
Sweeping Axe
-------------
UPGRADE AT: Breeding Pit
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 3
UPGRADE COST: 150 Food, 150 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: Gives the Troll Bonecleaver a special attack that knocks
back all units in front of it.
RATING: 4/5 - If you have lots of Bonecleavers, get it now! Will
make them slice through forces as a hot knife through
butter! Very, very nice.
Jagged Point
-------------
UPGRADE AT: Black Vault
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 3
UPGRADE COST: 75 Food, 75 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Attack for Haradrim Slayers and Uruk-Hai.
RATING: 1/5 - Get it now. I don't know about you, but I myself rely
heavily on both of these troops. They become really
destructive once all these upgrades are bought.
Hooked Point
-------------
UPGRADE AT: Black Vault
REQUIRED: Jagged Point, Fortress of Mordor Level 4
UPGRADE COST: 125 Food, 125 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Attack for Haradrim Slayers and Uruk-Hai.
RATING: 3/5 - Just like Jagged Point. Makes your Haradrim do some
real damage with their assassinating cloaks.
Barbed Point
-------------
UPGRADE AT: Black Vault
REQUIRED: Hooked Point, Fortress of Mordor Level 5
UPGRADE COST: 175 Food, 175 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Attack for Haradrim Slayers and Uruk-Hai.
RATING: 5/5 - Makes your Haradrim and Uruk-Hai almost invincible
because they kill detectors so fast. Uruk-Hai will be able
to kill enemies before they reach them because of their
Knockback Arrow ability.
Alloy Mail
-----------
UPGRADE AT: Black Vault
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 3
UPGRADE COST: 75 Food, 75 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Armor for Haradrim Slayers and Uruk-Hai.
RATING: 1/5 - Attack upgrades have higher priority, but this is
quite needed as well. Just so they won't die because of
one simple enemy detector.
Shadow Mail
------------
UPGRADE AT: Black Vault
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 4
UPGRADE COST: 125 Food, 125 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Armor for Haradrim Slayers and Uruk-Hai.
RATING: 3/5 - Will make them last even longer. Very useful, but
you still need to buy attack upgrades first.
Dark Mail
----------
UPGRADE AT: Black Vault
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 5
UPGRADE COST: 175 Food, 175 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: +1 Armor for Haradrim Slayers and Uruk-Hai.
RATING: 4/5 - Makes Haradrim Slayers the best units for the army
of the Minions, even better than Trolls, because they can't
be seen except by detectors. Combine with Barbed Point to
get maximum effectiveness.
Greater Perception
-------------------
UPGRADE AT: Black Vault
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 3
UPGRADE COST: 75 Food, 75 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: Gives the Wraith an LOS upgrade, improving detection range.
RATING: 3/5 - Good for the Wraiths in your Towers. Will take care
of annoying Elven Archers faster.
Darkness
---------
UPGRADE AT: Black Vault
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 3
UPGRADE COST: 75 Food, 75 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: Gives the Wraith an ability to slow enemy units.
RATING: 2/5 - Not really needed, but is required to get the next
upgrade, Perpetual Darkness, which IS useful sometimes.
Perpetual Darkness
-------------------
UPGRADE AT: Black Vault
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 4
UPGRADE COST: 125 Food, 125 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: Makes the Wraith able to slow and blind enemies.
RATING: 3/5 - The best weapon against raiding parties. Cast it on
the right moment and they will just stand there while your
Towers finish them off.
Poison Dart
------------
UPGRADE AT: Black Vault
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 3
UPGRADE COST: 50 Food, 50 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: Gives the Haradrim Slayer the ability to fire a poisonous
dart, doing damage to an enemy over time.
RATING: 2/5 - Might seem pretty good, but is actually very hard
to aim in the thick of battle. Also costs 25 Food and
25 Ore each time, so it's pretty resource-draining.
Assassin's Cloak
-----------------
UPGRADE AT: Black Vault
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 3
UPGRADE COST: 150 Food, 150 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: Cloaks from the far land of Harad make the Haradrim Slayer
invisible to enemies, except for detector units.
RATING: 5/5 - Same as Elven Cloaks for the Free Peoples, plain and
simple. Five to ten Haradrim Slayers can, when combined
with attack and armor upgrades, wipe out an entire base
using this.
Morgul Blade
-------------
UPGRADE AT: Black Vault
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 3
UPGRADE COST: 125 Food, 125 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: The weapons of the Black Riders become poisonous, doing
damage to an enemy over time.
RATING: 2/5 - If you have a lot of Black Riders, buy this as soon
as you can. If you don't use them, don't buy this. Very
effective in large numbers.
Fortress of Mordor Level 2
---------------------------
UPGRADE AT: Fortress of Mordor
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 1
UPGRADE COST: 100 Food, 105 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: Increases HP and armor class of the Fortress. Is needed for
certain upgrades to be purchased as well.
RATING: 5/5 - All Fortress of Mordor upgrades have high priority,
because without them you cannot use the better units and
upgrades.
Fortress of Mordor Level 3
---------------------------
UPGRADE AT: Fortress of Mordor
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 2
UPGRADE COST: 105 Food, 120 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: Increases HP and armor class of the Fortress. Is needed for
certain upgrades to be purchased as well.
RATING: 5/5 - All Fortress of Mordor upgrades have high priority,
because without them you cannot use the better units and
upgrades.
Fortress of Mordor Level 4
---------------------------
UPGRADE AT: Fortress of Mordor
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 3
UPGRADE COST: 110 Food, 135 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: Increases HP and armor class of the Fortress. Is needed for
certain upgrades to be purchased as well.
RATING: 5/5 - All Fortress of Mordor upgrades have high priority,
because without them you cannot use the better units and
upgrades.
Fortress of Mordor Level 5
---------------------------
UPGRADE AT: Fortress of Mordor
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 4
UPGRADE COST: 115 Food, 150 Ore
UPGRADE EFFECT: Increases HP and armor class of the Fortress. Is needed for
certain upgrades to be purchased as well.
RATING: 5/5 - All Fortress of Mordor upgrades have high priority,
because without them you cannot use the better units and
upgrades.
- - - - - - - -
8.4) Evil Units
- - - - - - - -
Here, all units of the Minions of Sauron are listed. They all have their own
little history and comments with them. There are no heroes, however. They can
be found in the next paragraph.
Goblin Worker
--------------
REQUIRED: Goblin Hovel
HIT POINTS: None given
ATTACK POWER: None given
ARMOR CLASS: None given
ATTACK TYPE: None given
TRAINED AT: Goblin Hovel
COST: 35 Food; 1 Pop
UPGRADE AT: Dark Arsenal
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Goblin Workers don't have any special abilities.
UNIT HISTORY:
The Goblin Workers' lives are mainly made up of miserable slavework in
service of their Dark Lord Sauron. Most soldiers think of them as personal
workers and command them around, threatening to cut them up and eat them if
they don't obey. And so they live their miserable lives, day after day.
UNIT COMMENTS:
Goblin Workers are naturally the backbone of any war camp. Without them, no
resources. Without resources, no army. Without an army, you lose. So make
sure you keep them safe from the enemy and they'll collect Food and Ore for
you from the Slaughterhouse and the Smelter.
Goblin Spearman
----------------
REQUIRED: Goblin Hovel
HIT POINTS: 85
ATTACK POWER: Minimum=7; Maximum=10
ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=1; Maximum=4
ATTACK TYPE: Pierce
TRAINED AT: Goblin Hovel
COST: 35 Food; 1 Pop
UPGRADE AT: Dark Arsenal
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Goblin Spearmen don't have any special abilities.
UNIT HISTORY:
In times of emergency when the Goblins needed to defend themselves, they just
grabbed a spear of the wall and attacked with it. The Dark Lord soon saw the
abilities of these soldiers in great numbers and started recruiting them for
simple tasks. They obey without question, and are therefor reliable guardians
of food stores as long as they are well-fed.
UNIT COMMENTS:
What the Goblin Spearmen lacks in strength, it makes up for in speed and
cost. They are very quick on their feet and can be quite overwhelming in
large numbers. Always train some of these at the start of any game to help
counter early raiding parties. Later in the game, they become useless.
Goblin Slavemaster
--------------------
REQUIRED: Goblin Hovel
HIT POINTS: 300
ATTACK POWER: Minimum=3; Maximum=3
ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=1; Maximum=1
ATTACK TYPE: Crush
TRAINED AT: Goblin Hovel
COST: 95 Ore; 0 Pop
UPGRADE AT: Dark Arsenal
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Savage Influence - Allows the Slavemaster to crack his whip, speeding up
all allies nearby him.
(Recharge Time=36s)
UNIT HISTORY:
Slavemasters are specially trained Goblins that excel at commanding others
around. They get luxuries the other Goblins can only dream of. They make sure
the Goblin Workers don't riot, and also has to keep an eye on the soldiers
so they won't eat the poor slaves. They are very important, for they are the
only ones with the knowledge of how to corrupt land with their War Posts.
UNIT COMMENTS:
You'll need a lot of these. Each Slavemaster adds 12 Population Slots to
your total population. The Savage Influence ability can be helpful in times
but don't rely on it. Slavemasters are best placed in Towers as long as they
aren't needed for placing War Posts on the terrain.
Orc Bowman
-----------
REQUIRED: Goblin Hovel
HIT POINTS: 125
ATTACK POWER: Minimum=8; Maximum=11
ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=0; Maximum=3
ATTACK TYPE: Pierce
TRAINED AT: Orc Mound
COST: 50 Food; 10 Ore; 2 Pop
UPGRADE AT: Dark Arsenal
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Flame Arrows - Gives the Orc Bowman fiery arrows, enabling them to set
enemy buildings ablaze.
(Always on)
UNIT HISTORY:
Roughly, the Orcs came in two sizes: the bulky, slow Orc that was suited for
melee combat; and the skinny, nimble Orcs that learned to use primitive bows
made of wood or bones. Though by far not as advanced as Elven archers, they
are hazardous in great numbers: they'll shoot anything they can hit.
UNIT COMMENTS:
These are the basic ranged units for the Minions. They aren't at all strong,
but still deal moderate damage and are needed as missile support early in
the game before you can access the later, more advanced ranged units such as
the Uruk-Hai and Troll Stonehurler.
Orc Slasher
------------
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 1
HIT POINTS: 180
ATTACK POWER: Minimum=10; Maximum=13
ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=0; Maximum=3
ATTACK TYPE: Hack
TRAINED AT: Orc Mouth
COST: 65 Food; 2 Pop
UPGRADE AT: Dark Arsenal
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Orc Slashers don't have any special abilities.
UNIT HISTORY:
The Orc melee fighters have always made up the staple of Sauron's army. They
are not masters at the sword, nor are they very technical. Nonetheless, Orc
Slashers are without fear of death and will obey their masters. Maybe death
is better than life for these tortured creatures, created in the dungeons
of Morgoth's stronghold Utumno.
UNIT COMMENTS:
The Orc Slashers will be the main unit in your army throughout the game. They
are as strong as Gondor Swordsmen, and can be upgraded to exactly the same
attack and armor level. These will serve as a shield for your best units,
used as bait for enemy scouts and other normal things.
Warg Rider
-----------
REQUIRED: Goblin Hovel
HIT POINTS: 205
ATTACK POWER: Minimum=10; Maximum=13
ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=0; Maximum=3
ATTACK TYPE: Crush
TRAINED AT: Beast Lair
COST: 65 Food; 35 Ore; 3 Pop
UPGRADE AT: Breeding Pit
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Immune to Knockback - Warg Riders cannot be knocked back.
(Always on; not really an ability)
UNIT HISTORY:
The Orcs of the Misty Mountains seem to have forged a strange alliance with
the wolf-like terrors known has Wargs. In exchange for food, the Wargs carry
these Orcs into battle, savagely destroying all in its path. Sauron soon saw
the potential of these riders in his campaign to destroy Rohan and enlisted
them in his ranks.
UNIT COMMENTS:
The natural quickness of this unit makes it perfect for hit'n run tactics,
wherein their Immunity to Knockback has its uses as well. It's just as strong
as a normal Orc Slasher, but it deals crush damage and it just looks cooler.
Giant Spider
-------------
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 2
HIT POINTS: 210
ATTACK POWER: Minimum=6; Maximum=9
ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=1; Maximum=4
ATTACK TYPE: Pierce
TRAINED AT: Beast Lair
COST: 75 Food; 70 Ore; 3 Pop
UPGRADE AT: Breeding Pit
SPECIAL ABILTIES:
Paralyze - Giant Spiders can use their venom to render enemies paralyzed,
making them unable to move.
(Always on)
Spray Venom - The Giant Spider sprays venom to paralyze all units in front
of it. Note that the spider loses its ability to paralyze units
for a while until its venom has been replenished.
(Recharge Time=30s)
UNIT HISTORY:
Distant kin of the monstrous Shelob, the mistress of spiders who roams in the
pass of Cirith Ungol, these Giant Spiders are horrific in every possible way.
They are not very capable fighters, but they may utilise special venom that
can paralyze and in some cases kill. They have mostly acted as a support unit
for the armies of the Dark Lord.
UNIT COMMENTS:
Giant Spiders aren't worth recruiting until you have purchased the Paralyze
ability, which will make them valuable support units in base defense. Let
each of your spiders attack different units: they won't be able to make a
move, while your other units slaughter them.
Wraith
-------
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 2
HIT POINTS: 140
ATTACK POWER: Minimum=7; Maximum=7
ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=2; Maximum=2
ATTACK TYPE: Pierce
TRAINED AT: Shadow Lair
COST: 60 Food; 50 Ore; 2 Pop
UPGRADE AT: Black Vault
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Detection - The Wraith is able to see hidden units, otherwise invisible.
(Always on)
Darkness - Enshrouds enemies in darkness, slowing their movement.
(Recharge Time=30s)
Perpetual Darkness - Enshrouds enemies in an even greater darkness, blinding
them and slowing their movement.
(Recharge Time=30s)
Greater Perception - Gives the Wraith an LOS upgrade, increasing detection
range.
(Always on)
UNIT HISTORY:
Wraiths are the lonely souls that wander this earth, those who haven't found
peace in death. A good example would be the Barrow Wights haunting the barrow
downs near the Old Forest. Often wounded by a Morgul blade, these ghouls have
the ability to see each and every form of life by their aura, thus creating
a very good detection unit for Sauron.
UNIT COMMENTS:
You need one of these in every one of your Towers to ensure the visibility of
cloaked enemies. Their Darkness abilities make them useful on the battlefield
itself as well, though they won't last long without defense. Perpetual
Darkness can be very irritating for your opponent.
Haradrim Slayer
----------------
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 3
HIT POINTS: 250
ATTACK POWER: Minimum=14; Maximum=17
ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=1; Maximum=4
ATTACK TYPE: Hack
TRAINED AT: Shadow Lair
COST: 85 Food, 60 Ore
UPGRADE AT: Black Vault
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Poison Dart - An attack that intoxicates the selected enemy, doing damage
over time. Note that this costs 25 Food and Ore each time.
(Recharge Time=6s)
Assassin's Cloak - Makes the Haradrim Slayer invisible for all enemies except
for detector units.
(Always on)
UNIT HISTORY:
The men of Harad once paid tribute to the Men of ancient Númenór, living in
some kind of an alliance. But those times have long passed. Now, the Haradrim
only serve their Lord Sauron, and their uncanny skills at assassinating and
fighting with their blades have stroke fear into the hearts of those who've
faced them. Their special war beast is called the Mumakil, an elephant-like
horror with dozens of archers on top of it.
UNIT COMMENTS:
These guys seriously rock. Their attack is the same as that of Elven Archers
and they can become invisible as well. Combine that with the ability to
poison enemies at a cost and there you have the main late-game unit for the
Minions of Sauron.
Troll Bonecleaver
------------------
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 4
HIT POINTS: 640
ATTACK POWER: Minimum=19; Maximum=22
ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=2; Maximum=5
ATTACK TYPE: Hack
TRAINED AT: Troll Den
COST: 200 Food; 175 Ore; 5 Pop
UPGRADE AT: Breeding Pit
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Sweeping Axe - Allows the Bonecleaver to swing his weapon with great power,
knocking back and damaging all units near him.
(Recharge Time=12s)
UNIT COMMENTS:
Trolls come in many forms on Middle-Earth. At first, they were neutral, dull
creatures which only sought a place to live. But when the Black Riders came
to their homes in Eriador, they were soon enlisted in Sauron's ranks. Through
some kind of sorcery, Sauron has managed to create a more intelligent strain
of Troll called the Olog-Hai. He uses them to ruinous effect because they can
withstand the daylight.
UNIT COMMENTS:
These guys are extremely expensive, but well worth the pay when correctly
used on the battlefield. The "tanks" of Sauron's army, they have been known
to clear out small armies themselves. The Bonecleaver is brutal in every
possible way.
Troll Stonehurler
------------------
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 3
HIT POINTS: 250
ATTACK POWER: Minimum=15; Maximum=18
ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=0; Maximum=3
ATTACK TYPE: Crush
TRAINED AT: Troll Den
COST: 150 Food; 150 Ore; 4 Pop
UPGRADE AT: Breeding Pit
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Unstoppable Force - Makes the Troll Stonehurler's boulders do area-of-effect
damage, increasing their effectiveness.
(Always on)
UNIT HISTORY:
In Eriador, the Trolls sometimes had to defend their dens from creatures
trying to invade their territory. Most Trolls, who were unskilled at fighting
with weapons, just grabbed boulders or ripped trees from the ground and threw
those at their enemies. Sauron and his generals have only promoted this kind
of attacks and now most Stonehurlers can throw their boulders over a distance
of over 1500 feet!
UNIT COMMENTS:
The Bonecleavers cousin, the Troll Stonehurler is able to damage multiple
units once properly upgraded. At defense, they decimate incoming enemy armies
in a matter of seconds. However, they are very expensive for a ranged unit.
Uruk-Hai
---------
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 4
HIT POINTS: 240
ATTACK POWER: Minimum=14; Maximum=17
ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=1; Maximum=4
ATTACK TYPE: Pierce
TRAINED AT: Orc Mound
COST: 80 Food; 65 Ore; 3 Pop
UPGRADE AT: Black Vault
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Knockback Arrow - Every arrow the Uruk-Hai fires causes Knockback.
(Always on)
UNIT HISTORY:
Born by the combination of the strength of Men and the savagery of an Orc,
the Uruk-Hai were created by Saruman for one single purpose: to destroy the
world of Men. The Uruk-Hai have proven themselves worthy in each battle they
participated in, giving them the abilities to become leaders themselves. Even
more than normal Orcs, Uruk-Hai know no mercy and will not hesitate to kill
their own followers because of disobedience.
UNIT COMMENTS:
These are my personal favourite archers: their ability to cause knockback
with each arrows is very helpful, especially when facing detectors. Thereby,
their strength is the same as the Elven Archer. Mix them up with Haradrim
for maximum effectiveness.
Black Rider
------------
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor
HIT POINTS: 450
ATTACK POWER: Minimum=18; Maximum=18
ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=1; Maximum=1
ATTACK TYPE: Heroic
TRAINED AT: By using Bind Shadow on a Wraith with Lord of the Nazgul.
COST: 1 Fate
UPGRADE AT: Black Vault
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Morgul Blade - The Black Riders' blades become poisonous, doing damage to an
enemy over time.
(Always on)
UNIT HISTORY:
One of the first signs that the power of Sauron was rising again in the Third
Age was the resurrection of the Black Riders, also called the Nazgul. These
were the nine kings that Sauron had given the Rings of Power to. They now
obey him in death, being nothing more than a shadow. Weapons that have not
been empowered with remnant Elven spells cannot harm them, and will melt
away upon contact. The Lord of the Nazgul himself can call the Ringwraiths
forth.
UNIT COMMENTS:
It's not a unit I like to use, I sometimes create them for fun because I have
too much Fate, but not for serious tactics. Their attack power is nice,
however, and Morgul Blade can be infiuriating for enemies. You can create one
by casting Bind Shadow with the Lord of the Nazgul on a Wraith at the cost of
one Fate Point.
- - - - - - - - -
8.5) Evil Heroes
- - - - - - - - -
The Heroes are the special units with unique abilities that can lead your
troops into battle. Whenever you train a hero, a picture of him appears in the
right edge of the screen. Clicking on it will select that hero, while double-
clicking immediately focuses on it. All heroes are immune to knockback.
Gollum
-------
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 1
HIT POINTS: 350
ATTACK POWER: Minimum=15 (Increases as Gollum levels up)
ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=1 (Increases as Gollum levels up)
ATTACK TYPE: Heroic
TRAINED AT: Fortress of Mordor
COST: 150 Food; 100 Ore
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Sneak - Allows Gollum to travel while hidden, though his movement becomes
much slower using this ability. He can only be seen by detectors.
(Recharge Time=7s ;Cost=1 Fate)
Gollum's Mark - An ability that allows Gollum to mark an enemy unit, so he
can sense it at great distances.
(Recharge Time=10s)
Surprise Attack - Triples Gollum's attack power if he makes a succesful
attack while sneaking.
(Always on; Cost=1 Fate)
HERO COMMENTS:
Gollum is the only one of the Evil Heroes who doesn't cost any Fate. He is a
bit like Frodo for the Free Peoples: an expensive, though excellent scouting
unit. The Sneak ability is very useful while scouting, but be careful not to
run into detector units. Gollum's Mark is great because you can track an
enemy unit up to great distances. When Surprise Attack is purchased, you can
easily kill enemies who aren't protected by detectors. It nearly triples his
attack while sneaking!
Grishnakh
----------
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 1
HIT POINTS: 470
ATTACK POWER: Minimum=20 (Increases as Grishnakh levels up)
ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=3 (Increases as Grishnakh levels up)
ATTACK TYPE: Heroic
TRAINED AT: Fortress of Mordor
COST: 3 Fate Points
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Explosive Trap - Lets Grishnakh hide an explosive on the terrain. The player
can activate it at will, but it will automatically explode
if too much time elapses.
(Recharge Time=20s ;Cost=2 Fate)
Torch - Allows Grishnakh to throw a torch at the selected building, setting
it aflame.
(Recharge Time=8s ;Cost=1 Fate)
Speed of the Wolf - Gives Grishnakh a speed boost for a short amount of time.
(Recharge Time=18s)
HERO COMMENTS:
Grishnakh is a nice hero with abilities that concentrate on pillaging. He can
best be used against structures, seeing that he has the ability to set
buildings ablaze with Torch. Explosive Trap has to be timed carefully but is
very useful in ambushes. Speed of the Wolf can give Grishnakh more attack
power by boosting his attack speed.
Saleme
-------
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 1
HIT POINTS: 445
ATTACK POWER: Minimum=20 (Increases as Saleme levels up)
ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=2 (Increases as Saleme levels up)
ATTACK TYPE: Heroic
TRAINED AT: Fortress of Mordor
COST: 3 Fate Points
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Poison Trap - Lets Saleme place a trap on the terrain that spawns poison when
triggered by a nearby enemy.
(Recharge Time=15s ;Cost=2 Fate)
Blood Mark - Allows Saleme to mend a unit's wounds over time. She can also
bind this to a War Post to mend units around it for a short
duration of time.
(Recharge Time=35s ;Cost=3 Fate)
Serpent Blades - These blades ricochet and seek their own targets. She can
hit multiple targets with one blade.
(Always on)
HERO COMMENTS:
I don't use Saleme that much, but her abilities and ranged power make her a
good addition to your army. The ability to bind Blood Mark to a War Post is
great: it heals multiple units at once. Poison Trap is actually slightly
better than Explosive Trap because it isn't dependant on time. Serpent Blades
is standard for her and just let her do more damage to an enemy army. Overall
she is a good support unit.
Lord of the Nazgul
-------------------
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 1
HIT POINTS: 450
ATTACK POWER: Minimum=20 (Increases as Lord of the Nazgul levels up)
ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=3 (Increases as Lord of the Nazgul levels up)
ATTACK TYPE: Heroic
TRAINED AT: Fortress of Mordor
COST: 3 Fate Points
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Bind Shadow - At the cost of 1 Fate Point, the Lord of the Nazgul can create
a Black Rider by using this power on a Wraith. There can only
be a maximum of eight Black Riders present at one time.
(Recharge Time=50s ;Cost=2 Fate)
Shadow Walk - Allows the Lord of the Nazgul to instantly travel to grounds
that are corrupted by a War Post, taking any Wraiths and Black
Riders with him.
(Recharge Time=40s ;Cost=2 Fate)
Aura of Weakness - This ability decreases the armor class of enemies near the
Lord of the Nazgul.
(Always on)
Ringsight - Allows the Lord of the Nazgul to see and attack Frodo when he
wears The One Ring.
(Always on)
HERO COMMENTS:
The Lord of the Nazgul is a very strong hero with his Aura of Weakness, and
can turn those weak Wraiths into worthy fighting machines with Bind Shadow.
Shadow Walk can be used when your camp is under attack and he and his Black
Riders are at the other end of the map. Ringsight is only useful for killing
Frodo.
Saruman
--------
REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 5
HIT POINTS: 435
ATTACK POWER: Minimum=20 (Increases as Saruman levels up)
ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=3 (Increases as Saruman levels up)
ATTACK TYPE: Heroic
TRAINED AT: Fortress of Mordor
COST: 4 Fate Points
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Prison of Ice - Enables Saruman to encage a single enemy in an icy prison,
taking that unit out of battle for a while as well as doing
damage to it.
(Recharge Time=25s)
Invisible Force - Allows Saruman to fire an invisible projectile in a certain
area, knocking back and damaging all units hit by it.
(Recharge Time=45s ;Cost=2 Fate)
Pestilence - Lets Saruman invoke a disease on a group of enemies that drains
their health, but does not kill them.
(Recharge Time=50s ;Cost=3 Fate)
Twisting Influence - With his seductive voice, Saruman can bend the will of
any non-hero enemy unit, forcing it to join his army.
(Recharge Time=90s ;Cost=3 Fate)
HERO COMMENTS:
Saruman is by far the best hero for the Minions of Sauron (and the most
expensive...). He starts out with the Prison of Ice ability, which can turn
the tides in a battle by freezing a powerful foe. Invisible Force can do
damage to a lot of units when aimed properly. Pestilence can really slow an
enemy army down by draining all health. Finally, Twisting Influence is the
best ability in the game, since it can force a powerful unit like a Huorn or
a Troll Bonecleaver to join your army. Recruit him when you have the chance.
- - - - - - - - - - -
8.6) Evil Fate Powers
- - - - - - - - - - -
The Fate Powers of the evil side are different than those of the good side, and
they are all listed here:
Summon Bog
-----------
COST: 2 Fate Points
EFFECT: This dark incanctation can turn any type of land into a
festering bog, slowing the attack and movement speeds of
any enemy units in the bog.
This power can best be used for defensive purposes. Put your missile units
behind it, and slaughter the enemy while they try to wade through your bog.
If you have Uruk-Hai, you can keep knocking your enemies back, so they won't
get out of there alive at all!
Murder of Crows
----------------
COST: 3 Fate Points
EFFECT: The will of Sauron can command a flock of crows to
sacrifice their bodies in the ranged fire of enemies,
protecting the units they surround from ranged attacks for
a period of time.
If your enemy likes a lot of missile units, use this power to refrain them
from doing damage to you. It is very irritating for your opponents because
they don't kill any of your units while you slaughter all of his missile
users, leaving him crippled.
Vile Surge
-----------
COST: 3 Fate Points
EFFECT: Surges a vile energy that rehabilitates the soldiers of
Sauron, raising their health substantially.
One of the best Fate Powers for the evil side because it heals an entire army
when aimed properly. This can really help turning the battle in your favor.
It heals at once and without fail, making this a versatile ability. Not very
costly, either.
Summon Obelisk
---------------
COST: 4 Fate Points
EFFECT: This power lets the player summon an Obelisk onto the
battlefield that protects the player's nearby forces,
soaking up damage done to these units until the Obelisk
runs out of power or is destroyed.
This ability is one that protects your units from damage until the Obelisk is
destroyed or its power runs out. This can be used offensively as well as
defensively, but it requires proper aiming for maximum effectiveness.
Summon Balrog
--------------
COST: 7 Fate Points
EFFECT: Calls forth a Balrog - a terrible demon of Morgoth summoned
from the deepest shadows. With a sword of flame and a
powerful slam attack, the Balrog's presence strikes fear in
the hearts of enemies on any battlefield.
Just like the Free Peoples, the Minions of Sauron have their enormous monster
as well. If you've already finished the Good Campaign, you know what this
thing is. It's very expensive, and should only be used for the "final push",
sealing your opponent's fate of losing. It lasts for a set amount of time and
then falls apart again. Costly, but effective.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
8.7) Evil-Only Strategies
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
A list of common strategies that are used by the Minions.. Credits to all of
you who mail me other working strategies:
Slavemaster Defense
---------------------
You always seem to have to many Slavemasters just lazing around, susceptible
to enemy raids. Since you need a lot of population slots, you'll have a lot
of Slavemasters. To make them useful, place them in Towers to increase the
shot rate. You should also add a Wraith to make it impossible for the enemy
to infiltrate your camp with cloaked units.
Catapults
----------
On maps with cliffs, you can use this strategy: place several Stonehurlers on
the edges of those cliffs when you know an enemy army is coming through. As
they cannot reach you without running a very long way, their melee units will
just stand there, leaving you to deal with their missile units only. This
becomes even more fun when combined with the Unstoppable Force upgrade.
Saruman's Trick
----------------
You need Saruman to do this, preferably at a high level and with both the
Invisible Force and the Pestilence upgrades. Make him walk into an enemy army
alone, they will all attack you. Now spread Pestilence around Saruman, so all
enemies get diseased. Now use Invisible Force around yourself to create space
to flee to your own ranks. Very effective when trying to stop big invading
armies.
Haradrim and Uruk-Hai Offense
------------------------------
You need cloaked Haradrim and Uruk-Hai for this, upgraded in their attacking
power and armor class. When encountering enemies, make the Haradrim attack
those units that cannot be knocked back by your Uruk-Hai. The Uruk-Hai should
then first kill all detector units. This is a very effective way to take out
enemies with smaller numbers, and I have used it a lot in skirmishes.
More strategies to come... (I hope, again)
- - - - - - - - - -
8.8) Evil Campaign
- - - - - - - - - -
This is a walkthrough for Sauron's Minions' campaign in the War of the Ring. It
contains story and gameplay spoilers, so if you want to figure everything out
yourself, skip this section.
----------------------
The Mouths of Entwash
----------------------
INTRO:
Third Age 3018
"The Dark Lord's forces are pressing into Rohan. With their supplies steadily
dwindling, Grishnakh is ordered to send more slaves to work their camps.
Between these slaves and the mighty army lies the maze-like Wetwang, which is
heavily guarded by enemy outposts. To ensure the safe passage of the slaves
through the marshes, Grishnakh assigns a troop of soldiers as escort."
HEROES:
- No heroes are available
BUILDINGS:
- Goblin Hovel - War Post
- Slaughterhouse - Fortress of Mordor
- Smelter - Orc Mound
UNITS:
- Goblin Worker => Goblin Hovel
- Goblin Spearman => Goblin Hovel
- Goblin Slavemaster => Goblin Hovel
- Orc Bowman => Orc Mound
- Orc Slasher => Orc Mound
UPGRADES:
- No upgrades to be researched
The first scenario of the Evil Campaign. It isn't hard at all, you should be
fine. Watch an opening cutscene featuring Grishnakh ordering a group of Orcs
to ensure the safe passage of the Goblin Workers through this swamp. Your
objectives are viewed as soon as you get control:
- Build an encampment
=> Use the Slavemaster to place a War Post
=> Construct a Goblin Hovel
=> Construct a Slaughterhouse
=> Construct an Orc Mound
=> Construct a Fortress of Mordor
- Get five Goblin Workers across the Wetwang maze
You start off with three Orc Slashers, five Goblin Workers and one Goblin
Slavemaster. Begin building your war camp by ordering the Slavemaster to
place a War Post right in front of him. Once the terrain around it is all
corrupted, let your Goblin Workers build a Goblin Hovel as close to the
resources as you can.
Next, assign three Goblin workers to build a Smelter on the ore deposit, and
order the other two to build a Slaughterhouse on the well. In the meanwhile,
train another Slavemaster and two Goblin Workers from your Goblin Hovel. Now
make sure that you have three workers on each resource. Use the other one to
build a Fortress of Mordor, and after that an Orc Mound.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Build an encampment
When the Orc Mound is completed, start training an additional twelve Orc
Slashers and five Orc Bowmen. Note that you need two extra Slavemaster to
get the needed population slots. Once they are all completed, its time to
make your way through the Wetwang maze.
Well, it isn't exactly a maze. Just wade through the water and go up north,
where you will meet four enemy Rangers, who should be disposed of without any
losses on your side. Heal if you need to, then head further northwest. You'll
encounter three Gondor Swordsmen. Easy meat for your Orcs!
You now get a message saying to protect your Bowmen, indicating that you can
expect enemy ambushes from now on. Head northwest and then west to find the
first one, which consists of six Rangers. Three attack from the north, and
three from the south. Keep your Slashers around your Bowmen and they should
be killed easily. Now wait until your units are healed and head further west.
Go south at the ruins. After a while, you should see three of those nasty
Gondor Swordsmen again. But once you attack them, four others try to stab
your archers in the back. Same strategy as with the Rangers earlier, just
keep your Bowmen safe and you should be fine. You can heal after this too if
you need to.
Time to head further south. Follow the path and you should see two Beornings
at the stream, and they are in Bear Form. You might lose some units in this
battle, just try to focus all of your troops on one Beorning at a time and
you should be fine. Remember that Beornings can cause Knockback to the units
they hit. Heal again, then wade through the stream.
Go to the west and there will be a campfire with some Swordsmen around it,
they shouldn't be much of a problem since there aren't any ambushes here. But
remember to heal as much as you need after this little battle, because after
this you'll get to a better defended area.
Head northwest, then just go north until you see the first enemies. This is
an outpost with a Tower in it. Don't charge in because that will lead to
needless losses on your side. Instead, try to lure groups of enemies to your
force with a single unit, slaughtering them one by one. Do this two or three
times and all enemies should be dead. You can now go on and attack the Tower.
You will probably have earned three Fate Points by now. And since you haven't
got any heroes in this level, you can use them on Fate Powers. So when that
Tower is about to kill one of your troops, cast Vile Surge on them to keep
them all alive. After destroying the Tower, head further north and wade
through the stream there. Proceed up north to find the ending point of this
mission.
All you have to do now is send five or more Goblin Workers to that point. As
you have cleared out the entire swamps, you can just order them to go to that
spot directly. Once they get there, the first mission of the Evil Campaign
will be completed.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Get five Goblin Workers across the Wetwang maze
MISSION COMPLETED
----------------------
The Beacons of Gondor
----------------------
INTRO:
Third Age 3018
"The Lord of the Nazgul has plans for an attack on Rohan, and Grishnakh's
soldiers have traveled to the Anorien Valley to support the efforts.
Grishnakh will lead his Orcs against a human outpost that feeds supplies to
the enemy army. Normally a boisterous lot, his warriors must practice
restraint, for the great Beacons of Gondor will signal for reinforcements if
their presence is discovered."
HEROES:
- Grishnakh ==> Abilities: - Speed of the Wolf => Available
- Torch => 1 Fate
BUILDINGS:
- Goblin Hovel - Beast Lair
- Slaughterhouse - Fortress of Mordor
- Smelter - Dark Arsenal
- Orc Mound - Tower
UNITS:
- Goblin Worker => Goblin Hovel
- Goblin Spearman => Goblin Hovel
- Goblin Slavemaster => Goblin Hovel
- Orc Bowman => Orc Mound
- Orc Slasher => Orc Mound
- Warg Rider => Beast Lair
UPGRADES:
- Curved Blades => Dark Arsenal
- Forged Fittings => Dark Arsenal
- Savage Influence => Dark Arsenal
The second scenario in this campaign is somewhat harder. It still shouldn't
be a problem, though. In the opening cinematic, you can see how Grishnakh
gives a nice speech to his Goblins. To complete this missions, you must
complete the following objectives:
! Keep Grishnakh alive
- Build an encampment
=> Construct an Orc Mound
=> Construct a Beast Lair
- Destroy the encampment of Men to the east
Set your resource structures up first. Train Goblin Workers until you have
three on each resource and one left to build. Then build a new Slavemaster
to increase your population capacity. With one of your Slavemasters, expand
your camp to the south by placing a War Post there. On the newly corrupted
terrain, construct a Fortress of Mordor.
The next thing you should build is a Tower in the east of your settlement,
which will help greatly in the last part of this scenario. When you have the
resource, train another two Slavemaster, bringing your pop cap to 48. Place
all four of them in the newly built Tower, increasing its shot rate to the
max.
Now build an Orc Mound and a Beast Lair to train your soldiers in. Finally,
construct a Dark Arsenal to purchase much-needed upgrades. Once the first
two are completed, you will have completed an objective.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Build an encampment
Start training Orc Slashers at your Orc Mound, and Warg Riders at the Beast
Lair. Also train some archers, but make sure that you have lots of Slashers
as your main attacking force. Upgrade your Orcs by researching Curved Blades
and Forged Fittings at the Dark Arsenal. Don't even think about upgrading the
Savage Influence ability, you won't need it at all.
Once that is all done, you can move to the east and attack the settlement of
Men. It doesn't matter from which side, they have Towers all over the place.
Kill the enemies first, after that the Towers, and finally other buildings.
You will have acquired one Fate Point at least after that battle. Spend it on
Grishnakhs Torch ability as soon as you have it, this will tear down the
Towers in this camp (and the other buildings as well) much more quickly.
When it is all gone, a cutscene starts. Seems like one of the horse-boys got
away... Bad thing about that is that he will warn other soldiers to light the
Beacons of Gondor, bestowing upon you eight armies! Grishnakh tells that you
will have to destroy some beacons to slow them, giving you time to build up
your forces.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Destroy the encampment of Men to the east
NEW OBJECTIVE: Defend your encampment against the Armies of Gondor
Send your troops, including Grishnakh, to the Beacon in the southeast of the
map first. There will be two Beornings in Bear Form on the way, so watch out
and use Speed of the Wolf to kill them quickly. Next comes the Beacon. It
isn't to heavily defended, but be careful not to lose too many troops. Pity
you can't torch those Beacons... anyway, just destroy this one.
In the meanwhile, train another Slavemaster at your camp and start pumping
out Orc Slashers and Warg Riders for defense until your population is full.
You can also add another Slavemaster to be certain, it's your choice. Just
remember to keep training units as soon as you lose one. Back to Grishnakh
now.
Direct Grishnakh and his forces to the middle one of the southern Beacons. It
must be destroyed as quickly as possible. Just kill any troops around it with
Speed of the Wolf, and demolish that Beacon. Heal for a short time, then head
further west to get to the final Beacon you will destroy. Do the same here as
with the last ones. Now order Grishnakh and his remaining forces to go back
to your camp, and position all your troops in the south.
You should see the first wave of the Armies of Gondor approaching from the
south once they've investigated the last Beacon. This isn't hard at all, you
can just kill them without any losses. Now position all of your troops in the
east of your settlement and await the other waves of attackers.
The first four or five waves aren't anything to brag about. They are small,
consisting only of Riders of Rohan and Gondor Swordsmen. Keep training units
as soon as you lose them, and let your units remain around your Tower for
some extra firepower.
Note that whenever you have three Fate Points, you should use them on casting
the Vile Surge power, which will heal your units. Make sure you have three
points for casting it once the last one of the waves arrives.
The last three waves aren't so easy, their numbers are much larger now. You
still should be able to handle it with Speed of the Wolf. Keep Grishnakh
alive, however, or you will lose. You will get a message when the last of
the armies is about to arrive. It says this one is much larger. Train units
until your pop cap is maxed out again.
Let the final wave come to your Tower, then attack them. Immediately activate
Speed of the Wolf and let all your units attack them. They should be killed
in a matter of minutes. Just keep your units together around your Tower and
you should be fine. Once all units that attacked you in the last wave are
killed, you have completed this mission.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Defend your encampment against the Armies of Gondor
MISSION COMPLETED
-----------------
Clearing the Way
-----------------
INTRO:
Third Age 1050
"The Dark Lord Sauron is intent upon reclaiming his throne at Dol Guldur. The
Lord of the Nazgul travels to the tower in preparation of his master's
return, clearing the path of any who oppose him."
HEROES:
- Lord of the Nazgul ==> Abilities: - Shadow Walk => 2 Fate
- Aura of Weakness => Available
- Ringsight => Available
BUILDINGS:
- Goblin Hovel - Beast Lair
- Slaughterhouse - Dark Arsenal
- Smelter - Tower
- War Post - Breeding Pit
- Fortress of Mordor - Shadow Lair
- Orc Mound
UNITS:
- Goblin Worker => Goblin Hovel
- Goblin Spearman => Goblin Hovel
- Goblin Slavemaster => Goblin Hovel
- Orc Bowman => Orc Mound
- Orc Slasher => Orc Mound
- Warg Rider => Beast Lair
- Wraith => Shadow Lair
UPGRADES:
- Fortress of Mordor Level 2 => Fortress of Mordor
- Curved Blades => Dark Arsenal
- Forged Fittings => Dark Arsenal
- Savage Influence => Dark Arsenal
- Fearsome Strength => Breeding Pit
- Ritual Tattooiing => Breeding Pit
You're in Mirkwood again... only this time playing the bad guys. You have to
clear the path for Lord Sauron's return, as the Lord of the Nazgul says in
the opening cutscene. That would make your objectives look like this:
! The Lord of the Nazgul must survive
- Destroy the Elven Camp
- Bring the Lord of the Nazgul through Mirkwood
You start off with a small force of Orc Slashers, Wraiths and the Lord of the
Nazgul himself. No Workers or Slavemasters yet. For now, just head to the
south to discover the Elven Camp. The defense here is pathetic, you should be
able to deal with the Elf Warden and the archer. Afterwards, kill Workers and
destroy the camps to make some room for your own.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Destroy the Elven Camp
Now you get several Goblin Workers and a few Slavemasters. Let one of those
Slavemasters place a War Post near the resources, then let your Goblins
construct a Goblin Hovel on the new corrupted terrain. Use three to build
a Slaughterhouse, and three to build a Smelter. In the meanwhile train one
more Goblin Worker from the Hovel for building. Train another Slavemaster as
well to increase population.
Start expanding your camp by ordering a Slavemaster to place a War Post to
the east of your current settlement. Build a Fortress of Mordor near your
Goblin Hovel, then a Tower on the edge of the corrupted ground in the east.
You should also build an Orc Mound and a Beast Lair where the Tower is.
Finally, construct a Dark Arsenal and research the two upgrades for your Orcs
there.
Note that you will probably have been attacked by you. These attacks really
are nothing to worry about, most of the time they only consist of two Elf
Wardens or a single Beorning in Bear Form. Nonetheless, train some extra
units. Put three Slavemasters and a Wraith in the Tower to maximize its shot
rate.
Upgrade your Fortress of Mordor and build the remaining structures, which are
the Breeding Pit and the Shadow Lair. Train one additional Wraith from your
Shadow Lair and research the upgrades for your Warg Riders at the Breeding
Pit.
In the meanwhile, you can start building an army. Make sure that it mostly
consists of upgraded Orc Slashers, and put in only small amounts of Bowmen
and Warg Riders. Train another Slavemaster to increase your population to 60
slots. Fill it up entirely with military units, so you have a nice, stable
force to attack with.
You will probably have earned two Fate Points or more by now. These can be
spended on the Lord of the Nazgul's Shadow Walk ability, an ability that can
be very helpful in some levels. It allows him to teleport himself to any
terrain corrupted by a War Posts, taking any nearby Black Riders and Wraiths
with him.
With your army at full health, march down the hill to the east. You'll come
to a place with some ruins, and it is guarded. Resistance here is minimal,
kill the Beorning here first so it can't cast Healing Herbs on an ally or
itself. Heal if you need to (probably not ;)... It might be wise to give a
number hotkey to your army now. Just select all units, hold Control and press
a number. Pressing that number will immediately select all of these units at
once.
Proceed to the west until you can't go any further. A cutscene should air in
which you can see how Giant Spiders are attacked by Elves and Rangers. It is
up to you to save them. Be quick here and try to rescue all of the spiders,
their Paralyze ability makes them valuable support units for your army. Heal,
then head north until you come to a body of water. Head northwest from here.
There are three enemy Towers ahead. With your force, it still shouldn't be
much of a problem, nor the units that defend them. Just storm in, spread your
units so all of the Towers are attacked, and use your new Giant Spiders to
stun the units that try to defend them. They should be teared down in a
matter of seconds, but be careful not to lose to many units. Now you will
probably have to heal.
Further northwest lies the final enemy encampment. It isn't protected very
well. The only danger here is that your Wraiths die before you have a chance
to kill the cloaked enemy Elven Archers, which will then turn invisible. It
is very annoying, so be sure to use Vile Surge in case a lot of your units,
especially your Wraiths, are about to die. Destroying all enemy structures in
this camp will earn you victory.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Bring the Lord of the Nazgul through Mirkwood
MISSION COMPLETED
-----------------
Darkness Returns
-----------------
INTRO:
Third Age 1050
"Arriving at Dol Guldur, the Lord of the Nazgul makes plans to wipe the tower
clean of the Elven intruders. Ancient temples protect the tower, but the
Nazgul will claim them in his Master's name. Great suffering will befall
those who oppose him."
HEROES:
- Lord of the Nazgul ==> Abilities: - Bind Shadow => 2 Fate
- Shadow Walk => Available
- Aura of Weakness => Available
- Ringsight => Available
BUILDINGS:
- Goblin Hovel - Beast Lair
- Slaughterhouse - Dark Arsenal
- Smelter - Tower
- War Post - Breeding Pit
- Fortress of Mordor - Shadow Lair
- Orc Mound - Black Vault
UNITS:
- Goblin Worker => Goblin Hovel
- Goblin Spearman => Goblin Hovel
- Goblin Slavemaster => Goblin Hovel
- Orc Bowman => Orc Mound
- Orc Slasher => Orc Mound
- Warg Rider => Beast Lair
- Giant Spider => Beast Lair
- Wraith => Shadow Lair
UPGRADES:
- Fortress of Mordor Level 2/3 => Fortress of Mordor
- Curved Blades/Serrated Blades => Dark Arsenal
- Forged Fittings/Iron Fittings => Dark Arsenal
- Savage Influence => Dark Arsenal
- Raven Fletching => Dark Arsenal
- Poison Arrows => Dark Arsenal
- Fearsome Strength/Overwhelming Strength => Breeding Pit
- Ritual Tattooiing/Ritual Scarring => Breeding Pit
- Paralyze/Spray Venom => Breeding Pit
- Greater Perception => Black Vault
- Darkness => Black Vault
- Morgul Blade => Black Vault
This is the first level that can really pose you some problems. As you can
see at the beginning of the level, your task is to capture five places of
power in preparation of Sauron's return to Dol Guldur. It also shows that the
Elves know of your plan. You have only one objective in this level:
- Take over the five Ancient Temples
Before putting anything down about this level, I want you all to know that
this level is all about hit'n run tactics. That means that you must preserve
your units by letting them heal after each great battle. I'm not going to
say when you need to heal, you will have to find that out by yourself.
As always, start off with resource structures and make sure there are enough
Goblin Workers on them to ensure a flowing income of food and ore. Then use
one or two to build structures. The first thing you should do is expand your
camp to the north with a Slavesmaster, then construct a Fortress of Mordor.
Upgrade it as soon as it is completed.
Now construct a Tower in the far west end of your settlement. You'll soon see
why. Next thing you should construct is a Breeding Pit and, after upgrading
your Fortress of Mordor to level three, a Black Vault. Finally, build a
Shadow Lair. That's right, you don't need an Orc Mound on this level, nor a
Dark Arsenal. For hit'n runs, Orcs are far too slow. I prefer upgraded Warg
Riders instead.
By now, you should have been attacked at least once by an enemy hero scout
called Draelor. This guy is really annoying: he cripples your forces, then
flees once his health reaches half of his maximum. DO NOT pursue him, he will
lead you right into an enemy army. That's what you need the Tower for, it
will, when occupied with three Slavemasters and a Wraith, decrease the time
it takes to get him to half health.
If you really want to get rid of him, I suggest going up north until you meet
some Giant Spiders, which will join you. In the meanwhile research Paralyze
at the Breeding Pit. Once Draelor attacks again, make sure to stun him with
one of your spiders, then kill him, so he won't bother you again. If you've
got two Fate Points from these encounters, spend them on the Bind Shadow
ability of the Lord of the Nazgul.
Now train a Wraith and turn him into a Black Rider each time you have a Fate
Point to spend. Try to summon the Nine this time, it will help greatly in
the latter part of this scenario. Take some of your forces up north and you
will see the first one of the Ancient Temples. Kill any units around it, be
sure to take a Wraith with your because some Elven Archers will otherwise
give you needless losses. Once all enemies are dead, a War Post automatically
springs up from the ground near the PoP. It is yours, now.
Train lots and lots of Slavemasters until your population reaches 60 or
above. This has to be done in order to get the needed troops for conquering
all of the temples.
Next, take some Warg Riders, some Black Riders, and the Lord of the Nazgul
through the western exit of your settlement. Go to where the spiders were and
head west from there: you should come to a familiar spot. The place where you
had to choose between two paths in the "Pursuit of Gollum" scenario, from the
Good Side campaign. Take the southern path first, which will lead you to the
second Ancient Temple. There are some enemies here, including cloaked Elves,
so track back to your camp whenever you see fit.
The enemies around the second temple should be easily defeated as well. Now
track back to the two roads and this time choose the northern path. It will
get you to another Place of Power, though it isn't a temple. Still, destroy
the Elven camp around here and you will get an armor upgrade because you own
the Wretched Sentinel.
The third temple is up north from here. This time you'll have to track back
to your camp a long way because of those Elven Archers, but it's worth it.
The other defenders aren't very numerous nor strong, so just crush them in
the name of the Dark Lord to control the third Ancient Temple. Remember to
heal here, from now on resistance won't be so soft anymore.
Before advancing to the next temple, get a Goblin Worker to build a Tower
near the newly acquired Ancient Temple and put a Wraith in that. You won't
have to flee such a long way before being able to deal with those archers.
You should have the Nine completed by now, otherwise you can forget about
conquering the northern temples.
Take your Nazgul northwest and you see another enemy encampment, only this
time it is defended very well by Elven Archers, Beornings, Wardens, and a
Ballista Tower. For now, keep away from the Tower and lure all enemies out
of the settlement before engaging it. Your Nazgul should tear it down quite
quickly because they're immune to knockback. Destroy the remaining buildings
in this camp as well and heal.
Head northwest some more to find more enemies, including... cloaked archers,
what a suprise! They are easily disposed of. Go east to the fourth Ancient
Temple and defeat the units near it to get control over it. Remember to lure
out several enemies to safer grounds if you find yourself overwhelmed. Next
comes the big enemy encampment, so be sure to heal and train reinforcements
if you need to.
Before engaging the final camp, train some more Wraiths from your camp and
send them to the forth temple: so you don't have to track back a lot to deal
with those annoying cloaked foes. Carefully approach the enemy camp and lure
out the first enemies you see, leave the Ballista Tower for now. Kill them
on the corrupted ground around the fourth Ancient Temple. Heal if you need
to, then engage the camp and let your Black Riders and the Lord of the Nazgul
destroy the Ballista Tower. Destroy the remaining buildings here as well and
proceed northwest afterwards.
Take a Wraith with you here, because there are cloaked Elves. If you have
enough Fate it can also be fun to summon a Balrog to the battlefield, which
will automatically reveal any hidden units. Kill the enemies around the last
temple to claim victory for your side.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Take over the five Ancient Temples
MISSION COMPLETED
------------------------
Sweep of the Trollshaws
------------------------
INTRO:
Third Age 1999
"Sauron has sent Ringwraiths to the Trollshaws of Eriador. The might of the
Stone Trolls that reside in these highland moors will make a powerful
addition to the Dark Lord's army. The Ringwraiths must 'convince' these
Trolls to join the Master's army."
HEROES:
- No heroes are available, unless you count the Black Riders as heroes
BUILDINGS:
- Goblin Hovel - Beast Lair
- Slaughterhouse - Dark Arsenal
- Smelter - Tower
- War Post - Breeding Pit
- Fortress of Mordor - Shadow Lair
- Orc Mound - Black Vault
* In the second part of the mission you can also construct a Troll Den
UNITS:
- Goblin Worker => Goblin Hovel
- Goblin Spearman => Goblin Hovel
- Goblin Slavemaster => Goblin Hovel
- Orc Bowman => Orc Mound
- Orc Slasher => Orc Mound
- Warg Rider => Beast Lair
- Giant Spider => Beast Lair
- Wraith => Shadow Lair
* In the second part of the mission you can also recruit Troll Bonecleavers
and Troll Stonehurlers from the Troll Den
UPGRADES:
- Fortress of Mordor Level 2/3/4 => Fortress of Mordor
- Curved Blades/Serrated Blades => Dark Arsenal
- Forged Fittings/Iron Fittings => Dark Arsenal
- Savage Influence => Dark Arsenal
- Goblin Frenzy => Dark Arsenal
- Raven Fletching => Dark Arsenal
- Fire Arrows => Dark Arsenal
- Poison Arrows => Dark Arsenal
- Fearsome Strength/Overwhelming Strength => Breeding Pit
- Ritual Tattooiing/Ritual Scarring => Breeding Pit
- Paralyze/Spray Venom => Breeding Pit
- Greater Perception => Black Vault
- Darkness/Perpetual Darkness => Black Vault
- Morgul Blade => Black Vault
* In the second part of the mission you can also research the Sweeping Axe,
Target Practice, and Unstoppable Force upgrades for your Trolls
This level is pretty easy if you have some patience. It starts off with a
cutscene wherein the Trolls refuse to join with Sauron's armies. But the Dark
Lord demands obedience, and it's up to you to gain it from them. The starting
objectives:
- Subjugate the Trolls
=> Destroy the Western Troll Den
=> Destroy the Northern Troll Den
=> Destroy the Eastern Troll Den
=> Retain at least one Troll Bonecleaver
=> Retain at least one Troll Stonehurler
When you first start, don't hasten yourself to train units. You won't be
attacked at all in the first part of this level, a part that does not stop
until you have forced all of the Trolls into submission. So, just take it
easy and train more Goblin Workers and a Goblin Slavemaster from your Goblin
Hovel. You don't even have to build the resource structures, they are already
built for you. Put three Workers on food and three on ore, preserve one to
construct buildings for you.
Expand your settlement to the west by placing a War Post there. Train more
Slavemasters from your Hovel, and start the construction of a Fortress of
Mordor. Once it's finished, upgrade it to the next level. The only thing you
have to build now is a Dark Arsenal. That's right, no Beast Lair or other
structures yet.
Upgrade your Fortress of Mordor two more times, so that it is level 4. At the
Dark Arsenal, research everything except for Savage Influence, Goblin Frenzy,
and Poison Arrows. Fire Arrows are particularly important, and so is Raven
Fletching. While these things are being researched, train five Orc Bowmen
from your Orc Mound, and put them in the north of your camp. Also train some
Orc Slashers, but keep them separated from the archers.
You'll probably have resources left after that. Build a Black Vault and go
purchase the Morgul Blade upgrade for your Black Riders there. Also build a
Breeding Pit and research all attack and armor upgrades. Though you don't
need those now, they become very helpful in the second part of the mission.
Train Slavemasters whenever you can: your population should have reached 100
by the end of the first part of the mission.
Take your fully upgraded Orc Bowmen to the northeast, and head up the cliff,
which has only one way up. Keep to the northern side of this platform and
you will see a Troll Stonehurler. Kill it. Trust me, just kill it. Then sneak
to the Troll Den while you keep walking on the northern edge of the cliff.
Attack the Troll Den, it should come down quickly with your Fire Arrows...
unless it's raining, of course. Just be sure not to let the Bonecleaver see
you. As soon as the Den is destroyed, another Stonehurler pops out and the
eastern Trolls pledge allegiance to Lord Sauron.
Wait for your bowmen to heal; if you lost one by fighting the Stonehurler you
can just train a new one from the Orc Mound. Now head to the middle cliff on
the map. These are the northern Trolls. This time, you'll have to keep to
the west part of the cliff to avoid the Bonecleaver. You have to kill another
Stonehurler here, then set ablaze the Troll Den. Just like the last one, the
Trolls will give up once it is destroyed and you will receive another Troll
Stonehurler.
Now it's time to build your army. But first, order your Slavemasters (there
should be nine of them right now) to place a War Post near the resources of
the Northern Troll Den. Then order Goblin Workers to build a Goblin Hovel
there, and resource structures to start harvesting food and ore again. This
ensures a big amount of resources, enough to build your army to a population
of 100.
Your army should be placed on the cliff of the eastern Trolls. Put the rally
point from your Orc Mound to that platform. Leave your camp undefended, each
single military unit should be on the eastern cliff. Start pumping out Orc
Bowmen and Orc Slashers from your Orc Mound and send them to your army. It
should consist mostly of Orc Slashers, with a pack of Orc Bowmen, and of
course the Trolls you have subjugated. The Black Riders should be the ones
to lead your units into battle with their Morgul Blades.
Once it is all set up, your army covering a 100 population slots, take two
or three Orc Bowmen to the Western Troll Den. You should know it when you
get there, the path is littered with human and bestial skeletons. Now make
sure both the Bonecleaver and the Stonehurler are attacking you, then run
for the big army on the eastern hill. The Trolls should follow you and run
right into your army. Slay them without any losses. Then send one Bowman,
preferably the most damaged one, to the Western Troll Den again to destroy
the Trolls' residence. Other units should remain on the eastern hill and
heal for the big battle. Once the last Troll Den is destroyed, a Bonecleaver
comes out and you get a new objective.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Subjugate the Trolls
NEW OBJECTIVE: Test the Trolls
=> Destroy the encampment of Men
=> Destroy the encampment of Dwarves
Immediately select your giant army and head for the far northeast part of the
map to find the Dwarven encampment. They have a nice defense, consisting of
lots of Dwarf Shieldbreaker, but they still aren't a match for your fully
upgraded troops. Kill them first, then destroy the two Dwarf Halls over here
to make sure they don't train any others. Then go for the Stronghold: all
buildings here should go down quick with the Fire Arrows your archers have.
You camp should have been attacked by the Men now, but you can just let them
be. Hasten yourself to the far northwestern part of the map, it's just a
short trip west from the Dwarven camp. Here is the camp of Men; it doesn't
have many defenders but they do have Towers. Go for the few defenders first,
then the Tower, and after that the training buildings (which are a Barracks
and a Ranger Post in the northwest). Next comes the Stronghold: you can
summon a Balrog if you've got enough Fate right now, just for fun. Destroy
this entire encampment to complete the mission.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Test the Trolls
MISSION COMPLETED
-------------------
Saruman's Uruk-Hai
-------------------
INTRO:
Third Age
"Saruman is determined to create a new breed of warrior. The strain of Orc
will march undeterred by the daylight, and lead Saruman's minions into
battle. He calls upon the Haradrim to clear the path through the forest home
of the Wild Men."
HEROES:
- Saruman ==> Abilities: - Prison of Ice => Available
- Invisible Force => 2 Fate
- Pestilence => 3 Fate
- Twisting Influence => 3 Fate (late game)
BUILDINGS:
- Goblin Hovel - Beast Lair
- Slaughterhouse - Dark Arsenal
- Smelter - Tower
- War Post - Breeding Pit
- Fortress of Mordor - Shadow Lair
- Orc Mound - Black vault
UNITS:
- Goblin Worker => Goblin Hovel
- Goblin Spearman => Goblin Hovel
- Goblin Slavemaster => Goblin Hovel
- Orc Bowman => Orc Mound
- Orc Slasher => Orc Mound
- Uruk-Hai => Orc Mound
- Warg Rider => Beast Lair
- Giant Spider => Beast Lair
- Wraith => Shadow Lair
- Haradrim Slayer => Shadow Lair
UPGRADES:
- All upgrades are available except for Morgul Blade
A new hero is introduced in this level, and a pretty strong one too: Saruman
the Wise, the Ring-Maker, Wizard of Many Colors. As you can see in an opening
sequence the Orcs are to cowardly to cross the Druadan Forest because of the
Wild Men that roam within. Therefor, Saruman has called upon the Haradrim,
invisible assassins, to clear the path of these barbarians. So that are your
starting objectives.
! Saruman must survive
- Kill the Wild Men of the Druadan Forest
Note that you can't train any units until you have completed this quest. You
start of with a substantial amount of resources, which you should use on
purchasing an upgrade for your Fortress of Mordor as well as the Jagged Point
for your Haradrim Slayers. Once those are researched, it's time to hunt some
Men. You will be attacked while doing all this, but the two Rangers who do
are easily disposed of.
Direct your Slayers southeast and head south where you can. You should meet
a Ranger soon, just kill it. Once you get to the forest, search it to find
a big cross-like piece of terrain. These are the barrows, which will be
referred to later in this walkthrough. West of here are all of the Wild Men
you have to kill (6). The only problem is that there are two Rangers as well,
and those barbarians are ridiciously strong. So be sure to take the Rangers
out first or you will be in a lot of pain. Once they are defeated, Saruman
will call forth his Orcs again.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Kill the Wild Men of the Druadan Forest
NEW OBJECTIVE: Corrupt the barrows of the Wild Men
Don't go hurrying your Slavemasters to those barrows, just get all of your
units inside your base. Use your Goblin Workers to set up resource structures
as usual, and train more Slavemasters when you have the chance. The next
thing you should build is an Orc Mound to the south of the Fortress of Mordor
to train Orc Slashers, which are needed to create Uruk-Hai. All of your
forces should be made up of Haradrim Slayers, fully upgraded and invisible.
You need two forces in this scenario: one that will defend your main camp,
and one that defends the developing Uruk-Hai. The first one of these should
consist of eight to ten Haradrim Slayers. The second force should be much
larger, with ten to fifteen Slayers and Saruman. Note that you'll need a lot
of population for this, so train enough Slavemasters (my pop cap was 96 when
I finished the level). Build two Towers in the southern part of your war camp
and put Slavemasters in each one.
Now send the group of Slayers and Saruman to the Pit: this is the area which
is marked by the White Hand. Keep the other units at your main camp, then
send one Slavemaster to place a War Post at the Barrows. You should be able
to cover all of the Barrows with one War Post. If you've done it right,
Saruman will congratulate you and reveals his plans to create a new warrior
from Men and Orc.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Corrupt the barrows of the Wild Men
NEW OBJECTIVE: Make at least one Uruk-Hai
=> Move at least one Barrow-wight to the Pit
=> Move at least one Orc Slasher to the Pit
=> Protect at least one developing Uruk-Hai until it emerges
You could go and send each and every Barrow-wight that emerges from the
barrows directly to the pit, but I suggest to wait until you have five, then
send them to the Pit all at once. The Orc Slashers you can train from your
main camp, but be careful because lots of enemies are loafing around on the
map right now. Send them to the Pit as well. As soon as there is an Orc
Slasher and a Barrow-wight in the Pit, they'll melt into one. You now get
five cocoon-like Uruk-Hai on very low health.
The task here is simple: keep as many Uruk-Hai alive as you can. You don't
need to protect all five, just make sure at least three are going through the
developing process unharmed. It shouldn't be much of a problem with your
Haradrim Slayers and Saruman. Saruman should learn Invisible Force as soon
as he can by now, this can be helpful when trying to knock the enemies away
from your poorly armored Uruk-Hai.
Do not neglect your camp during this period, it will be under attack as well,
though not as heavily as the cocoons will. Train more reinforcements as your
units die on the battlefield, and you should be fine. Wait until the Uruk-Hai
emerge, and you will get a new command from Saruman.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Make at least one Uruk-Hai
NEW OBJECTIVE: Use the Uruk-Hai
=> Destroy the encampment of Elves
=> Destroy the encampment of Men
Immediately direct all of your forces at the Pit to your main camp. If you
haven't purchased Twisting Influence yet, now's the best time to do. Take all
of your forces, including camp defense and Saruman, to the east. You might
meet an Elven patrol here, but they are disposed of easily. You should reach
the Elf camp eventually.
This camp isn't very well defended. Kill all the units first, then head for
the training buildings, and after that the Stronghold. Be sure to kill those
Workers before they start building new Elven Sanctuaries or Ranger Posts, or
you can start the whole thing over again. Overall, this shouldn't be much
of a hard battle. Once the camp is destroyed, a cutscene triggers, showing
that the Huorns of the forest have awakened.
Your encampment should be or have been attacked by now. Ignore them, your
Towers will be able to deal with the first wave of Men. Instead, direct your
forces southwest from the Elven camp and you should meet the Huorns. Here is
where Saruman comes in: cast Twisting Influence on one of them to convert it
to your side, then use Prison of Ice to get another one out of battle. That
way, you should be able to deal with them with very few losses.
Direct your force south, along the paved road. In the far south lies the
encampment of Men, which is hardly defended at all. There are a few Towers,
however, that you should destroy first or they might kill Saruman, making
you lose. After the Towers are undone, it's very easy. Destroy any remaining
buildings to win this level.
OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: Use the Uruk-Hai
MISSION COMPLETED
MORE EVIL GUIDE COMING SOON!
===============================================================================
<< 9. CREDITS >>
------------
For their help creating this FAQ, I'd like to thank:
- J.R.R. Tolkien, for creating the epic story "The Lord of the Rings"
- Liquid Entertainment, for developing this game
- Rick R., for giving me some hints on the Minas Morgul level (though he
didn't actually know he did...)
- Myself, for taking the time to write this FAQ
Amazing Games. Many Cheats. Such Wow.
