=============================================================================== _ _ _ __ _ _ ___ o ))`)`) ___ __ __ )L` )L ))_ __ ))_) _ _ _ ___ ((,(,' ((_( (| ((_)(( (( ((`( ((' ((`\ (( ((\( ((_( _)) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- |Game: Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring| |Type: FAQ/Walkthrough | |Author: Barry Willemsen | |Updated: 2nd of January 2005 | =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 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 of Middle-Earth 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 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 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 2. LEGAL STUFF & CONTACT INFO =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Copyright 2004 Barry Willemsen ------------------------------- Before you read 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: kryptondragon@hotmail.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 know easier methods to beat the campaign-scenarios, e-mails will be gladly accepted. I will put the strategy/hint/tip in a highlighted spot with your name above it in the update. Just remember that e-mails probably won't be replied to the first day afterwards. I still have lots of things to do 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: - Cheat Code Central (www.cheatcc.com) - Cheat Channel (www.cheatchannel.com) - Cheatbook (www.cheatbook.de) - GameFAQs (www.gamefaqs.com) - Neoseeker (www.neoseeker.com) - IGN Faqs (www.faqs.ign.com) - DLH (www.dlh.net) - Cheat Happens (www.cheathappens.com) - Super Cheats (www.supercheats.com) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 3. VERSION HISTORY =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 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 completed. 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 adding in 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. Version 1.0 - Posted on April 4th, 2004 Complete FAQ! I also got the first strategy contribution up, you can find it in the Evil-Only Strategies section. Credit goes to SThomas1317 for that. Version 1.1 - Posted on April 13th, 2004 I got new contributions from Gene Y. AKA grenka. Also expanded the Places of Power section by request of Manuel Vega 182002. Added the ASCII art on top of this FAQ. Version 1.2 - Posted on June 30th, 2004 New contributions by SThomas1317 and Aragorn1913 for the evil side. Also corrected a mistake in the evil section which was spotted by Aragorn1913. Version 1.3 - Posted on August 13th, 2004 A small but good change. I forgot to mention that you can review all dialogue from the same menu where you can access the hints and objectives from. Thanks to Tyler AKA Morgawr2 for pointing this out. Had a new strategy added thanks to seaspray_68. Also found some small typos and corrected them. IMPORTANT: I HAVE A NEW E-MAIL ADRESS. DO NOT SEND ANYTHING TO THE OLD ONE ANYMORE COZ' THEY WON'T BE READ. PLEASE, HELP ME WITH THIS. Version 1.4 - Posted on August 20th, 2004 Got new contributions from Ryan, and Christo Acheson also known as seaspray_68. The first contributed a strategy for the good side, the second had a useful tip for those struggling to defend the catapult in "The Siege of the Iron Hills". Thanks, guys. Version 1.5 - Posted on September 26th, 2004 My copy was borrowed by a friend so some of the new contributions have not been tested. Please mail me if they're false. Anyway, I would like to thank Telcontar590 for contributing a Good and Evil side strategy, Francis Estoesta for helpful tips with cinematics, and Scott McCall for contributing a Good Side strategy to place in the FAQ. Thanks, everyone. Version 2.0 - Posted on January 2nd, 2005 Well, if you've looked at this FAQ before this update took place the change should be evident: I updated the looks of the FAQ and I hope it is generally easier to understand. Also I read through the WHOLE thing in order to pick out any mistakes. Still, fact remains that my first language isn't English and I may have read past quite a few. I DON'T PLAY WAR OF THE RING ONLINE ANYMORE. SORRY, BUT THE COMP I'M RUNNING IT ON DOESN'T HAVE AN ACTIVE CONNECTION TO THE INTERNET. MY "REAL" COMP NOW PLAYS 'Battle for Middle-Earth' =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 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 seemed 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. Though very entertaining, it can be quite hard at some points. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 5. THE INTERFACE =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 5.1) THE MENUS --------------- Once you start the game, you have several things to choose from in the main menu. These options 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 aid them in their struggle to destroy the One Ring. EVIL CAMPAIGN: Command the Minions of Sauron and lead them to victory, forever placing Middle-Earth under Sauron's dark 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 - - - - - - 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 the enemy buildings (including Towers and War Posts) to win. It doesn't matter how many units your enemy possesses; razing all 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-type 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, the survivor receives an instant win. This also applies in 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 acts as a Place of Power in this mode. In order for control to shift, all of a controlling player's units near the Ancient Catapult must be crushed. The real objective remains to destroy all enemy buildings and units. However, With the Ancient Catapult, accomplishing this is very easy, as long as YOU are in control of the siege weaponry... 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 worst violence in the game ON or OFF by checking the "Mature" box. Quit - - - Quits the game :( 5.2) THE GAME INTERFACE ------------------------ Once you're playing 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 split into roughly 2 sections: the field of battle and a lower part where you can select what you want to do. - 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 into the area. 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 appears next to the Mini-Map is called the Selection Panel: when you select a Worker, the buildings it can construct are viewed here. If you hold your mouse over certain buildings you 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 covered in that explanation 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). =-=-=-=-=-=-= 6. GAMEPLAY =-=-=-=-=-=-= Those 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 that teaches 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 from the dark threat that resides in the east. Of course, you may also choose for the darker side of Middle-Earth. You will then command great hordes of Orcs and other foul beings and lead them to victory in the thick of battle. If you fail, Sauron's wrath will be terrible, allowing for the sneakiest backstabbing attacks to win this great war. ---------------------- 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 initiate as soon as the one that was trained 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 indicates. 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. -------------------------------------- 6.3) Resource Management & Population -------------------------------------- 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 solely Ore). You'll need massive amounts of food to keep a steady stream of soldiers going, as well as to upgrade them and enhance 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 hack the valuable resource from it. Ore is, just like Food, deposited in the Stronghold or the Goblin Hovel. Your Ore gathering rate will improve 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 and the Slaughterhouse do. 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 open slots again. To build a big invasion army, you'll need 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 to War Camps later). Each Camp adds 11 new slots to your current population, while each War Camp upgrade adds 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 recruiting a steady stream of warriors. - Circling around enemy bases to see their 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 will 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 last type is hero, which can be seen by the aura of light that swirls around a sword icon. Heroes do more damage against all other types. - [Thanks to Francis Estoesta]-> In a campaign, in cinematics where your units die, you can skip the movie to keep those units alive, thus giving you an advantage. Remember, mail me if you know any 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) cannot be summoned without paying a price in Fate Points. 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 more powerful 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 are 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. --------------------- 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 the monument to gain control for yourself. The Places of Power for the Single-Player skirmishes are, in alphabetical order: =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= - Ancient Fountain =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ==> Looks like a little water pit with a lion-like animal hanging above it. Take it if you can, it'll reduce the time your survivors need to heal before mounting a new attack. ==> "Built to quench the thirst of warriors and travelers long ago, the waters of this fountain revive the weary soul. Adds a regeneration bonus." =-=-=-=-=-=-= - Dragon Skull =-=-=-=-=-=-= ==> You can't miss it. It looks like a... well, a skull of a dragon. It is one of the best PoP's in the game, this will make upgrades even more cheap than a basic melee unit! ==> "The skull of what must have been a powerful ally of Morgoth, this object radiates with an energy of innovation that makes purchased upgrades less costly." =-=-=-=-=-=-= - Elven Shrine =-=-=-=-=-=-= ==> It's a white pedestal with some plants around it. This one comes in very helpful: extra health is always nice. ==> "An abandoned shrine of Elven design, this relic still resonates with the power to increase the maximum health of all units." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= - Enchanting Willow =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ==> A big, green willow tree. Nothing more, nothing less. ==> "A peculiar sort of tree, this willow sings a soft song that can lull units into a drowsy state. Grants the controller a spell that slows the movement speed and attack rate of enemy units." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= - Globe of Mastery =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ==> It's just the same as the Orb of Hasty Summoning: a pedestal with a black claw that is holding high a green orb. It's only good if you use a lot of heroes. Otherwise, you can live without it. ==> "This magical globe grants the power for Heroes to master their skills, allowing them to gain experience faster." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= - Monument of Narsil =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ==> You all know Narsil, right, the Broken Sword? This PoP is just a big pedestal with a giant, broken sword on it. Its effect will mostly be seen in big-scale battles, because of more of your units will survive them. ==> "This is a monument for the famed sword wielded by Isildur that severed the One Ring from Sauron's hand, giving victory for The Last Alliance. Grants a defensive Armor Class bonus to all units." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= - Orb of Hasty Summoning =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ==> It's just like the Globe of Mastery: a pedestal with a black claw that is holding up a green orb on it. Again, this one's only good if you use a lot of heroes. It will make it more worthwhile to purchase heroes because the Fate cost is decreased by 1. ==> "A powerful device of unknown origins, this Orb allows heroes to be summoned for less Fate cost." =-=-=-=-= - Orc Mask =-=-=-=-= ==> It look's like block of clay at first sight, but at closer range you can actually see an ugly Orc face there. The effect is very good, so try to get it on early and bolster defenses around it. ==> "An ancient Orc totem that grants its controller an attack bonus." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= - Radagast's Aviary =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ==> It's like a witch-doctor's hut on three wooden legs. It has a roof of straw and is entirely brown. Useful for scouting out enemy bases to see their defense's weakness. ==> "A device used by The Brown Wizard to watch over far away lands, the Aviary grants the controller a usable spell to reveal Line of Sight on an area." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= - Radiant Monolith =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ==> Looks like a big, grey pillar with some patterns on it. It's quite unique, so you'll recognize it fairly quickly. Its effect will be very welcome in most games: more Fate Powers/Heroes! ==> "A magical and mysterious relic of ages past, the Radiant Monolith increases the rate at which fate is earned." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= - Silent Watcher =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ==> Another unique Place of Power. It looks most like a giant doll with big, dark claws. The LOS upgrade is only useful for scouting, IMO, so you only need it a lot early on. Maybe for raiding purposes but that's about it. ==> "The likeness of some hideous spy under Sauron's control, this statue is infused with magic to grant all units an LOS bonus." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= - Spires of Siege =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ==> Looks a lot like the Claws of Gorgoroth from the campaign: a red statue with four pins stretching up to the air. Very useful when you're about to attack a base where you have to take out the Towers quickly. ==> "This strange Spire allows greater damage to buildings." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= - Statue of Eorl =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ==> A normal statue of a fierce man with a beard. He has the outfit the Rohirrim wear. Only worth holding if you have a lot of heroes. ==> "Founder and first King of Rohan, Eorl mounted his steed Felarof and started the first band of Riders of Rohan. This statue grants a hit point bonus to all heroes." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= - Steed of Rohan =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ==> An other Rohan statue which has the same colour as the Statue of Eorl. It depicts a rearing horse. If you use a lot of hit'n run tactics, this is the best PoP you can get. ==> "This statue of Felarof, whom the Rohirrim call 'Father of Horses', grants a movement speed increase to all mounted units." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= - Wretched Sentinel =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ==> I don't know exactly what it is, but it very much resembles a wolf cut out from brown stone. Like the Monument of Narsil, its effect can mostly be seen in big battles. ==> "A deformed and grotesque statue of a once-prominent defender of Gondor who was corrupted by Sauron, its magic provides an armor class bonus." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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 valiantly, their hearts fulfilled with only one, great ideal: the destruction of the One Ring and the downfall of Sauron and his foul creatures. 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 other Fate Powers than the Evil Side. -------------------- 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 upon first appearance, 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 recruit a fine army, you'll need lots of Camps, so plan their placement carefully: they'll 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 upon reaching Stronghold Level 2. =-=-=-=-= 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 an additional four slots. Other than that, it functions just like a Camp. Perfect when you run out of grounds to build new Camps upon. =-=-= 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 the rate at which the precious substance is gathered. 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 immediately 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 for your survival (Stronghold, Camps). At the borders of your settlement, they can be used to spot incoming enemies so you won't be surprised by sudden raiding parties sneaking around. To increase the shot rate of the Watchtower, garrison more units inside. Note that these units cannot be mounted. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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, bestowing one additional shot per round upon it. 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 specifically for the Dwarves, sturdy fighters who are thoroughly enthusiastic when it comes to combat. Here, a ranged unit, the Dwarf Axethrower, can be trained, as well as the Dwarf Shieldbreaker, 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, experts in the field of metallurgy are assembled to aid the Free Peoples in their struggles against the Minions of Sauron. With the experience of the Dwarven forges, these upgrades will prove to be the best of the best. Wonderful inventions are crafted inside 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 in these small posts to scout out the area around them. In the wilderness, they test their superb detection skills before using them to aid the Free Peoples 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 attack plans. Sometimes, this results in great improvements for the Rangers and Elven Archers. With some of the Wilderniss Outpost's upgrades, both become truly 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 of meditation was created as a resting point for the Elves. Here, they could enjoy the silence of nature and practice their arts with the bow to aim their projectiles at fast-moving targets. It is the place where all the Elven combatants 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 inside 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 - Nature's Protection; Nature's Defense; Nature's 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 residing within the library of this majestic structure hold secrets beyond imagination, and using them will bestow great powers upon Elven Lightbearers, Beornings, and Huorns. ------------------- 7.3) Good Upgrades ------------------- First, I shall list the Forge technologies. 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 is needed for the later upgrades (which DO matter), so buy it. Offense over defense, always remember that! 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 are fought a little faster than before 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 your overwhelming power 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 purchasing this. This, again is one of the things you'll have to buy to get access to the more worthwile 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 may have noticed that 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. A pack of Axethrowers can thin out an enemy force, making them a "shotgun" unit. 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 solely 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 if you use lots of Shieldbreakers! 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 really wouldn't have much use for 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 line of sight. RATING: 2/5 - Not something you should get immediately, but still useful for spotting those enemy raiding parties early on. Ballista Tower =-=-=-=-=-=-=- UPGRADE AT: Watchtower REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 4 UPGRADE COST: 150 Food, 150 Ore UPGRADE EFFECT: Equips the 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, as you should be on the offensive mostly, not defense. 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 units 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 improvement 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 cloaked Elven Archers can now wipe out an entire enemy 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. You need offense 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 comments. 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. Unless you find use for Rangers as a PoP defender, which is kewl as armies without detector units will not be able to take over your Place of Power! 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. Arms and armor have higher priority, though. 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 complete base with only several Elven Archers! Eagle Fletching =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= UPGRADE AT: Wilderness Outpost REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 3 UPGRADE COST: 150 Food, 150 Ore UPGRADE EFFECT: Upgrades the range of Elven Archers. 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 for them to mend wounds instead of dying pathetically. 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 transform into Bear Form. RATING: 3/5 - Bears are much better at fighting than Beornings, but they lose their healing ability in this form. Thus, it does not have a very high priority. 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 cure units from hostile, disadvantageous spellcasting. RATING: 3/5 - Units do not get hit by special magic a lot, but this is very helpful 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 affected area with a blinding light from above. RATING: 4/5 - Can damage large invasion armies to stop it in its tracks, weakening it so you can defend your settlement without too much losses. Good when used offensively as well, if you don't mind to micromanage a bit. 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, some missile units behind it can finish off foes easily. 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 access 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 access 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 access 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 access 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: ------------------ "A Worker's life is harsh, and the burden of feeding an entire army dwells heavily upon their shoulders. Yet each of them knows, that it is through their hard work that the Forces of Good sustain their never-ending war against the tyranny of Sauron and other entities of evil intent. And thus, they work with glea for their lords, hoping that their children's children will prosper in fields of green once again in the following Era." ------------------ UNIT COMMENTS: ------------------ There is little to say about Workers as their role is prey for many an intelligent creature's common sense: you CANNOT win without Workers. They build training and upgrading structures, gather resources, and it would be wise to keep them away from any hostilities. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 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 bulk of the Gondor Army was always a high amount of skilled soldiers. No mere farmers or artisans, all have been trained in the way of battle by the great Captains of the Guard. Though only a grunt, many Gondorians find it an honor to participate in war for the glory of their lords. Whether they live or die, they will always follow the code of the warrior." ------------------ UNIT COMMENTS: ------------------ Cheap, sturdy units that will form your main offensive force in early-game. Excellent to gain an advantage in numbers, for that small sprinkle of offensive force you need to subdue your enemies. Don't ever send them in by themselves, though. They'll die. Meh. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 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 >>> The Axethrower's axes are sharpened to the point where they are no longer earthly, resulting in the ability to pass through and do damage to multiple units. [Passive Ability] - Flaming Axe >> The forgery of the Dwarves and magical lore of other Free Peoples converge into a metal that perpetually burns with a soaring flame, dealing more damage to buildings and setting them ablaze. [Passive Ability] ------------------ UNIT HISTORY: ------------------ "Dwarves, dwelling in the deep halls beneath mountains, are traditionally devoted to their masterfully crafted battleaxes and other heavy, giant melee weapons or siege equipment. In time, however, they learned that without ranged support, their warriors would falter before the enemies' arrows, and no matter how strong their pride or bravery, they could not neglect this urgent development in warfare. However, isolate and headstrong as they were, they would not abandon their precious axes. The result was the Axethrower, a versatile warrior which would cleave through enemies like a hot knife through butter." ------------------ UNIT COMMENTS: ------------------ Though the role does not suit a Dwarf, Axethrowers are vital assets in early conquests. Not the sturdiest of units, they will need melee support to be truly effective. They aren't even THAT abysmal at close-combat, they just have to be used from a distance. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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 bash their opponents with such power and precision that the attack permanently damages its armor, decreasing the victim's Armor Class. [Passive Ability] ------------------ UNIT HISTORY: ------------------ "With the wealth the Dwarven empires possessed, it came as no surprise that other, lesser races would seek to plunder the rough warriors' riches. Occasionally, Goblins from the Misty Mountains would harass the Dwarves by wearing armor that would stop most of their berserked blows. One particular Dwarf, though, managed to strike back with such force that a Goblin's shield and armor would crackle and break before the sheer might. Even today this warrior is revered as the idea of Shieldbreakers - hardened warriors which would learn to strike precise blows at weak points in an enemy's armor - was derived from his efforts." ------------------ UNIT COMMENTS: ------------------ Heavy enemies taking a heavy toll on your forces? Get a batch of Shieldbreakers with the Shield Break upgrade and you're set for kickass action. Enormous hitpoints ensure that they will bash a lot before dying. Do have some missile units or other melees to finish the job. Quite slow compared to other units though, definitely not fit for hit'n runs. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 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 by special attacks under any circumstance. [Passive Ability] ------------------ UNIT HISTORY: ------------------ "With the treading of Eorl the Young upon the vales around the great river Anduin, recorded history of the Horse-Lords, or Rohirrim, commenced. It was this trustworthy Lord that truly tamed a prince among horses, a Mearas that went by the name of Felarof. Ever since their Gondor allies gave unto them the lands that are now known as Rohan, the Rohirrim have sought to perfect the art of mounted warfare. When a true rider of Rohan mounts his horse, the two beings are no longer separated while the battle lasts. A rider would mourn the death of his horse as much as that of a dear friend." ------------------ UNIT COMMENTS: ------------------ Very fast and quite useful even later in the game. The fact that they cannot be knocked back may result in panic amongst the defenders, fearing the daunting charge these horsemen may enact. Perfect for scouting, very nice for hit'n run, however, they are quite low on hitpoints for such a cost. As a remedy, upgrade their armor class a bit if you want to use them in late-game. =-=-=-=-=- 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, that would prove invisible to others. [Passive Ability] Concealment > Allows a Range to hide, robbing him of any kind of movement, though he will be invisible for all but detector units. [Recharge Time = 3 Seconds] Eagle Eye >>> Increases the Ranger's line-of-sight, making them more efficient at uncovering invisible units from afar. [Passive Ability] ------------------ UNIT HISTORY: ------------------ "In the shadows of the trees and stones, the Rangers reside, preferring their outdoors existence over that of a home in a town. Surviving and strolling over the countryside, none but the greater powers have seen more of Middle-Earth than these descendants of Numenor. Some have sought refuge in Minas Tirith, where they help the Steward of Gondor fending off the plethora of attacks that the Minions of Sauron throw upon them." ------------------ UNIT COMMENTS: ------------------ A Ranger is a must for every offensive or defensive force, as they are the only unit that can detect hidden units for the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth. Put some in your Towers on the defensive, and Conceal them on the offensive to keep them alive. Of course, they can stand their ground, but without upgrades they die quite quickly. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 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 >>> By wearing these cloaks, Elven Archers mold with their environment, rendering them invisible to all but detector units. [Passive Ability] Eagle Fletching > Equipping the arrows with eagle feathers allows Elven Archers to shoot from a far greater range. [Passive Ability] ------------------ UNIT HISTORY: ------------------ "The elves have always viewed heavy weapons like swords, axes and greathammers with skepticism, preferring the serene grace of the bow. As a result, every Elf is gifted with exceptional archery skills. Combined with their racial traits, which are increased eyesight and hearing, they become a most deadly missile unit, especially when ambushing enemy units with their crafty 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 enemy armies, if they manage to get rid of those pesky detector units beforehand. 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 >>> The Lightbearer may cast a greenish glance over an ally or himself which serves as a protective hull against attacks. [Recharge Time = 35 Seconds] Dispel >>> Carrying out order and purity, these masters of ancient lore may cast away any spell that is disadvantageous towards their allies. [Recharge Time = 10 Seconds] Light of >>> The light of the Valar shines in the eyes of Lothlorien the Elves, and for a moment the Lightbearers can call down the Golden Forest's light, so that it may sear the flesh of those with evil intent. [Recharge Time = 45 Seconds] ------------------ UNIT HISTORY: ------------------ "In their era-spanning struggles against the vile Orcs and other wretched creatures in service of the Dark Lord, Elves, especially the Noldor descendants that traversed vales of ice only to kill the servants of darkness, have slowly developed eyes which shine with the fierce, piercing light of purity, and only by looking into them the vile creatures would shout in agony and flee from the Elven wizards." ------------------ 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 sound very nice: Light of Lothlorien helps weakening an enemy army before it gets to your own ranks, especially if hostile troops are cluttered. You had better cast Protection on the Lightbearer itself, as it will probably not last very long 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 >>> In their knowledge of nature, Beornings may use special herbs to heal themselves or their allies. In bestial form, this knowledge disappears. [Recharge Time = 7 Seconds] Bear Form >>> Allows the Beorning to change himself into a Bear, increasing their ability to fight, yet diminishing their healing properties. [Recharge Time = 20 Seconds] Maul >>> Only available in bear form, the Beorning deals knock-back damage with every swipe of a claw. [Passive Ability] Savage Blow >>> The Beorning can, in bear form, strike with such force that it knocks back all enemies in front of him. [Recharge Time = 15 Seconds] ------------------ UNIT HISTORY: ------------------ "The Beornings were isolatory Men of the North, guarding the mouth of Garrock and the mountain paths of Rhovanion against the minions of the Dark Lord. Their name was derived from a powerful combatant named Beorn. This warrior possessed a spell that would turn him into a giant brown bear at wish, and his descendants may do so as well. This legacy has kept the Orcs and Goblins from the Misty Mountains far from invading their homeland." ------------------ UNIT COMMENTS: ------------------ There are two ways you can go with Beornings: one his the most straightforward. Buy Bear Form and Maul for them, then wreak havoc upon the enemy as they are complete powerhouses in bestial form. Or you can keep them in a weaker human form and use them as support, to mend the wounds of any allies that have taken damage in battle. =-=-=-=-= 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 the Huorn to clamp itself into the soil, roots growing in a radius. Any enemies passing through are entangled and kept in place. [Recharge Time = 25 Seconds] ------------------ UNIT HISTORY: ------------------ "Basically, Huorns are downgraded Ents. They seem to have planted themselves into the ground, alive though unable to move. Elves and Ents claim that they move around in shadows, where the living beings that they hate so much cannot see them. Their hearts are rotten, corrupted, yet in all their hatred and blossoming rage, they hate the Dark Lord more than any other. Under the command of the Ents, they have joined forces with the Free Peoples to help rid Middle-Earth from the scourge of the Dark Lord." ------------------ UNIT COMMENTS: ------------------ Ouch! Expensive. They have decent hit points and a very good starting Armor Class, yet you cannot discard the fact that their cost is HUGE and their movement SLOW. I recommend the use of Huorns on the defensive. Position them near Towers so that they may entangle enemies, and the manned defensive structures can shoot them without suffering damage. ----------------- 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, his picture appears on the right edge of the screen. Clicking on it will select that hero, while double-clicking immediately focuses the camera on the unit. All heroes are immune to knockback. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Frodo Baggins =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 1 HIT POINTS: 305 (Increases at level-ups) ATTACK POWER: Minimum=15 (Increases at level-ups) ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=1 (Increases at level-ups) ATTACK TYPE: Heroic TRAINED AT: Stronghold COST: 150 Food; 100 Ore ------------------ SPECIAL ABILITIES: ------------------ Heroic Aura >>> Shortens the time heroes near Frodo need to recharge their respective abilities. [Passive Ability] Mighty Sting >> Allows Frodo to do extra damage versus Orc units with his Elven blade Sting. [Passive Ability][Cost = 1 Fate] The One Ring >> Turns Frodo completely invisible for every enemy except for the Lord of the Nazgul and the Black Riders, but slowly eats his Hit Points away. [Recharge Time = 0 Seconds][Cost = 1 Fate] ------------------ HERO COMMENTS: ------------------ Frodo is the only hero for the Free Peoples that doesn't cost any Fate Points. 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 an edge against Evil players as well, but only against the Orc units. Since Frodo is a scout and shouldn't be fighting with the other heroes on the field of battle, it would be better to save the Heroic Aura ability for camp defense. =-=-=-=-= Gimli =-=-=-=-= REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 1 HIT POINTS: 460 (Increases at level-ups) ATTACK POWER: Minimum=20 (Increases at level-ups) ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=3 (Increases at level-ups) ATTACK TYPE: Heroic TRAINED AT: Stronghold COST: 3 Fate Points ------------------ SPECIAL ABILITIES: ------------------ Capture >>> Allows Gimli to capture a hostile Tower and bash all enemies residing in it out of the buildings. Gimli himself mans the Tower thereafter. [Recharge Time = 30 Seconds][Cost = 3 Fate] Sunder >>> Inspires the mighty warrior to slam the ground with his axe, creating a shockwave that stuns all enemies nearby. [Recharge Time = 15 Seconds][Cost = 2 Fate] Siege Aura > Gimli shares his knowledge of construction with allies around him, allowing all units affected to do more damage against structures. [Passive Ability] ------------------ HERO COMMENTS: ------------------ Gimli is a friggin' melee tank, though I don't understand why he has less hit points than Aragorn... whatever, this guy makes breaking down enemy encampments a breeze. First, Sunder is used to cripple the defense force, then the Dwarf takes control of the nearest tower, ejecting detectors inside for allies to slaughter. Finally, Siege Aura speeds up the razing process considerably. Very good unit, though if you have no need for sieging then maybe you should go with other Heroes. =-=-=-=-=-= Legolas =-=-=-=-=-= REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 1 HIT POINTS: 450 (Increases at level-ups) ATTACK POWER: Minimum=20 (Increases at level-ups) ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=2 (Increases at level-ups) ATTACK TYPE: Heroic TRAINED AT: Stronghold COST: 3 Fate Points ------------------ SPECIAL ABILITIES: ------------------ Trueshot >>> Occasionally, Legolas may fire an arrow with such force and precision that it deals more damage and causes knockback to a single, targeted foe. [Recharge Time = 12 Seconds][Cost = 2 Fate] Guardian Wind > When used, the Silvan prince temporarily gives a defensive bonus versus enemy ranged attacks to all units nearby. [Recharge Time = 30 Seconds] Elven Speed >>> Allows Legolas to drastically speed up any allies near him, including Legolas himself. [Recharge Time = 35 Seconds][Cost = 2 Fate] ------------------ HERO COMMENTS: ------------------ This Elf is the ultimate missile unit for the good side, his abilities only accentuating his role as ranged support. A small strategy/hint: if you ever need to defend against an enemy force, position Legolas and ten to fifteen upgraded Elven Archers in a narrow area. Use Trueshot to blast away the leading enemy, Guardian Wind to guard your party from enemy ranged attacks, and Elven Speed to decimate the entire hostile army before it reaches you! =-=-=-=-=-= Aragorn =-=-=-=-=-= REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 1 HIT POINTS: 485 (Increases at level-ups) ATTACK POWER: Minimum=20 (Increases at level-ups) ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=3 (Increases at level-ups) ATTACK TYPE: Heroic TRAINED AT: Stronghold COST: 3 Fate Points ------------------ SPECIAL ABILITIES: ------------------ Kingsfoil >>> With the royal healing powers of this plant, Aragorn may heal up to half the total HP of a targeted, damaged ally. [Recharge Time = 8 Seconds] Anduril's Fury > Greatly increases Aragorn's attack, yields even more damage versus enemy Heroes, the Nazgul, and Wraiths. [Passive Ability][Cost = 2 Fate] Immunity >>> Aragorn cannot be blinded, stunned, slowed, or poisoned while this ability is active. [Passive Ability][Cost = 1 Fate] ------------------ HERO COMMENTS: ------------------ Aragorn is arguably the best hero after Gandalf. Always play offensive if you choose him, and as soon as you get two Fate Points buy Anduril's Fury: his attack power will go INSANE, even for a Hero. Thereby, you can heal your powerhouse units with Kingsfoil, which recharges so quick that it is just too 00ber for this game. Add in Immunity against all kind of status changes and you're set for divide and conquer. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Gandalf the Grey =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- REQUIRED: Stronghold Level 5 HIT POINTS: 450 (Increases at level-ups) ATTACK POWER: Minimum=20 (Increases at level-ups) ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=3 (Increases at level-ups) ATTACK TYPE: Heroic TRAINED AT: Stronghold COST: 4 Fate Points ------------------ SPECIAL ABILITIES: ------------------ Flash >>> Blinds all enemies near Gandalf, stunning them so they may be killed more easily. [Recharge Time = 20 Seconds][Cost = 2 Fate] Rain of Fire >>> Powerful ability that will invoke a shower of fireballs to fall from the skies in the radius selected. [Recharge Time = 60 Seconds][Cost = 3 Fate] Fire Shield >>> Enshrouds an allied unit in a halo of fire that deflects some of the damage taken back onto the attacker. [Recharge Time = 15 Seconds][Cost = 1 Fate] Negate Ability > Temporarily prevents enemies from using any of their special abilities. [Recharge Time = 30 Seconds] ------------------ HERO COMMENTS: ------------------ Nodoubtedly Gandalf is the most powerful Hero for the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth. Not that we would have expected any less for a single unit that costs you a Stronghold Level 5 and four Fate Points, but the Grey Wizard's well worth all you have to pay. Starting out with Negate Ability, which may dispel invisibility for a short while (!), Gandalf becomes even more powerful once he gains Rain of Fire. With this attack he may burn an entire enemy base down to cinders just by himself! Then, there's Flash for any units that would like to make him pay for what he did, so the Wizard can get away quickly. And if Flash didn't affect anything, he still has that great attacking power, with which he can slaughter small armies in conjunction with Fire Shield... --------------------- 7.6) Good Fate Powers --------------------- The Fate Powers of the good side are different than those of the evil side, and thus they gain a separate section away from the others: =-=-=-=-= 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 cluttered enemies, so you may annihilate them without losing a lot of valuable troops. Can also buy you some time to train extra units when your camp is on the brink of destruction. =-=-=-=-=-=- 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 your enemy when placed on a spot he needs to pass through 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 Points for something more useful. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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 inter- vention, 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. Actually, quite nice, I've noticed over time. Its efficiency was quite daunting to behold as I totally destroyed an oncoming army with seven Elven Archers. They just keep being beat back. The moment is short-lived for two Fate Points, though. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 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. 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 a single time is quite 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 withdrawn 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 to work. The core factor 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 capacity. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Cloaked Elves Infiltration =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- I use this strategy most of the time. Groups of five upgraded, cloaked elves run around a camp, first killing any detector units in their sights, afterwards destroying other enemy units and finally the buildings. It's hard to do when the enemy has detector units in his Towers, so make sure to upgrade your Elves. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Nature's Defense =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- This defensive strategy requires some Huorns with Tree Form and several missile units, Dwarf Axethrowers with Razor Edge would do very good. 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. Make sure to have a few melee units which can stop any enemy ranged units from killing your expensive Huorns. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Tactical Offense =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- You need some standing melee units like Swordsmen or Shield- breakers and the Riders of Rohan for this. Armor upgrades are required here, as the infantry has to last as long as possible for this strategy 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. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Elven-Rohirrim Rush =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= [-- Contributed by Ryan --] Say you have about nine Riders of Rohan and about ten Elven Archers, and you are outnumbered by quite a bit. First, you send a volley of all your archers so the enemy foot soldiers come to shield it, becoming huddled in the process. Then, send your unseen cavalry and take out some enemies. Retreat with your cavalry to an area out of the opponent's LOS. Send a new volley of arrows with your archers, repeating all steps. The enemy will be in chaos, and eventually your cavalry will be able to pick them off. AUTHOR: Works best if you group the Elves and Rohirrim first, of course. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Easy Elimination =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [-- Contributed by Telcontar590 --] When you first start off quickly build a Mill, a Foundry, a Barracks, and two Camps. Then train at least eight Gondor Swordsmen and Frodo. Next upgrade to Stronghold Lvl 2, and research the first two upgrades for the Swordsmen while you look for the enemy camp. Even if the upgrades have not been finished you can still attack the enemy base, and wipe them out. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Concealed Annihilation =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [-- Contributed by Scott McCall --] Take a large group of Elven Archers and some Rangers. (Archers must have Elven Cloak ability and Rangers need Concealment). Send in your Rangers and take out any Detector units, then tell them to hold position and use Concealment. then use your Elven Archers to take out any Melee units. This is a good strategy as your Elves usually die when they take out the detectors and most of your Rangers die trying to kill off all the normal enemies. This way they take out the detectors and then kill the rest of silently, without hassle. AUTHOR: Also, you should make sure you conceal as soon as the detectors are dead... or risk losing them all which isn't good. Try to lure the detectors away if pos- sible. Needs micromanagement, but may very well make some levels utterly painless. 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 for yourself, skip this section. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The Grey Ledge =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 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 ABILITIES STATUS --------------------------------------------------------------- Gimli -> Sunder => 2 Fate -> Siege Aura => Available --------------------------------------------------------------- BUILDINGS UNITS UPGRADES --------------------------------------------------------------- Stronghold -> Dwarf Worker => Stronghold Lvl 2 Mill Foundry Camp => War Camp Watchtower Dwarf Hall -> Dwarf Axethrower -> Dwarf Shieldbreaker Forge => Iron Blades => Iron Plating --------------------------------------------------------------- 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 give a small speech, and after that it's your turn. The screen will list 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 the objectives screen away 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 at your Stronghold. In the end, make sure you have three Workers gathering each resource. We will use the single Worker left to build new structures. I suggest you commence the construciton of a Dwarf Hall, and after that an additional Camp, creating a total amount of three camps and a population of 43. Start the recruiting of new Axethrowers for your army, and upgrade the Stronghold to the next level. Use your idle Worker to construct a Forge next. As soon as the Forge is completed, you should research the two upgrades available there (Iron Blades and Iron Plating). With the Forge, you may also train Dwarf Shieldbreakers. While you build your army, use the Worker to construct a 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 suggest here, it is still advised that you train an army of about seven Axethrowers and seven Shield- breakers. Together with Gimli, you can now start your campaign to drive the Orcs from the Iron Hills. With your troops, head down the hill to the east. Keep going east and you should meet an enemy patrol consisting of some goblins and an orc archer. No threats here. Head futher eastward until you can't continue, then north, climbing the cliff path. There are some enemies here, but you can dispose of them quite easily. Continue to follow the cliff path, killing the spawning Orcs as you go. At the end of the path, you should see some boulders on the edge of the cliff and the Orc camp that is beneath them. Get a unit and right-click a boulder to push it off the cliff, destroying anything in its rolling path. Do the same with the other boulder here. Now head back to your camp and train reinforcements as you see fit. Run down the east 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 encampment. Try to focus on destroying the Tower here as quickly as possible. It should come down quickly with help of Gimli's Siege Aura ability. By crushing this structure, you can easily defeat the remaining foes and bash their structures to dust. 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 temporarily stun all enemies around him when used. Very useful when facing a bigger army than your own. As soon as you destroy the Orc encampment return southwards, 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, neglecting the archers for now. Kill any enemies you encounter, then move up the hill to the east. Enemies reside 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 guided your forces through the pass. Defeat them all for sweet revenge. Now, you need to shove the boulders off the cliff again. Use all of them to weaken the Orc camp beneath to the brink of annihilation. When you're done 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 after flatting it to the ground with your boulders, so just crush everything, preferably without losses on your side. Cross the water and head for the south directly afterwards. Destroy any resistance here. Make sure your units are healed before continuing: the main, most difficult Orc encampment lies west of this point. It would be wise to cast the Blind fate power on the enemy army before engaging in battle, this way you won't suffer many losses. After the 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, you'll have to focus all your forces on him to take him out quickly. You can use Gimli's Sunder to give yourself an easier time dealing with him. This way, the wretched Orc should be dead quickly. OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: - Kill the Orc Captain. The only thing left 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're in a hurry. OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: - Destroy the main Orc encampment. [--> MISSION ACCOMPLISHED <--] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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 ABILITIES STATUS --------------------------------------------------------------- Gimli -> Sunder => Available -> Capture => 3 Fate -> Siege Aura => Available --------------------------------------------------------------- BUILDINGS UNITS UPGRADES --------------------------------------------------------------- Stronghold -> Dwarf Worker => Stronghold Lvl 2 Mill Foundry Camp => War Camp Watchtower Dwarf Hall -> Dwarf Axethrower -> Dwarf Shieldbreaker Forge => Iron Blades => Iron Plating => Shield Break --------------------------------------------------------------- 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 losing a lot of precious units on your part. After the majority of hostile troops is dead, go for their Towers and destroy them. Now you just have to destroy the remaining enemy buildings to use the area for your own purposes. As soon as all enemy presence is cleared, four Dwarf Workers run into your new camp. Use them to build a Stronghold close to both the well and the ore deposit. Then use three Dwarves to build a Foundry and one for a Mill, while you train another three Workers in your Stronghold. You've 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 maximum effect to deal with enemies painlessly. Let none escape. Once you have three Workers on ore and three on food, use the Dwarf left to build a new 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 the primary 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 Ancient Catapult while you complete it. Build a Forge right away once your Stronghold reaches the next level, so you may build Dwarf Shieldbreakers to aid in your struggles. Just keep collecting resources and research all upgrades in the Forge (Iron Blades, Iron Plating, Shield Break). While you research all this, it's time to gather your forces. Notice that the enemy has altered their raiding parties: they consist of three Orc Slashers now. You need to kill them all before they get a chance to flee. Sunder can help a lot here to bring them to a halt. To get the needed population needed for your grand 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 and find and defend the Ancient Catapult, and another to defend your main camp while the main army strolls around the map. The exploring army should consist of Gimli, six Dwarf Axethrowers, and seven Shieldbreakers. The defending party needn't be very big, three Axethrowers and Shieldbreakers will do (together with your 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 meat. Put as much Workers to hammer the Catapult together as you can. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Christo Acheson (seaspray_68) has a useful tip: =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= In the Iron Hills if you go to the catapult, then north until you hit the river, you should find a Beorning. Though he is in Bear Form he doesn't have the BF ability... AUTHOR: This is something I hadn't figured out and I thank the contributor for this. As we all know, Beornings can heal other units, something very useful in defending the Ancient Catapult. You should do this quickly with an exploration party before the greater raids against the catapult defense commence. Notice that this might not be the case on all difficulty levels. and not tested by author. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Francis Estoesta has added a tip to make this even better: =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= To get a Beorning in Bear Form, skip the movie while the unit's still in his bestial mode. After the movie aborts, you will see that it is still a Bear. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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 grand Ancient Catapult is on a plateau which has only one entrance: the eastward hill. So, send your exploring party down the hill and await any Orc raids originating from the north. These raids will consist of more units than they ever used against 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 more crowded every consecutive time. Keep defending and using Sunder. Once the Catapult is completed, a cinematic should initiate, one that shows the incredible power of the ancient remnant. An objective is completed. OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: - Ancient Catapult NEW OBJECTIVE: - Destroy the Orc encampment's buildings. This is as easy as it could possibly get. You just have to endure one more raiding party while you use the Catapult. Two well-aimed projectiles will destroy the Orc camp. Once all buildings are turned to cinders, you will be victorious. OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: - Destroy the Orc encampment's buildings. [--> MISSION ACCOMPLISHED <--] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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 ABILITIES STATUS --------------------------------------------------------------- Legolas -> Trueshot => 2 Fate --------------------------------------------------------------- BUILDINGS UNITS UPGRADES --------------------------------------------------------------- N/A N/A N/A --------------------------------------------------------------- In this level, you finally get to control an other hero than Gimli. Legolas, the Silvan Elf Prince, a great archer. This forest is a bit of a maze: in certain situations you don't know whether you can pass somewhere or not, especially when ambient lighting casts dark shadows over some chunks on your route. Once it starts 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 in this scenario, I must warn you that your starting units are the only ones you get. Although it is possible to get a few reinforcements by completing an optional quest, it is strongly recommended that you retain the Elves you start with. You'll probably have to heal at several points in the level to do this. Direct your starting units, Legolas and four Elven Archers, to the north: there are two paths here. Take the left one. Soon, you're interrupted by another scene with Gollum jumping around the woods. 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 in a pathetic attempt to catch you off-guard. Go west where you can and more spiders appear. Dispose of 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 the opportunity to complete the sidequest, which will provide you with extra units should you be succesful. To the southwest it is, then, and when you've been walking 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, continue west slowly and look at all those things that resemble eggs. Those things ARE eggs. You should destroy them all before helping the Rangers, plus any fully grown Giant Spiders hanging out around the egg area. You don't want an enemy army on your tail while you attempt to rescue those 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 quite useful in later stages of the campaign. Once all eggs are dead, run to the Rangers and kill spiders guarding them first. Then, select any unit and right click the cocoon of 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, backtrack all the way to the big tree where you had to choose between the northwest and southwest paths. 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 hassle with your extra forces. Head north until you run into an enemy Wraith. Kill it, then head west. There, a little (guess thrice) spider ambush is waiting for you. Continue your way west after shooting them to pieces. 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 to stop the continuous pouring of enemies. 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 being forced 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 place of magic 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 in a bended curve. Keep going west like always to get to finally reach 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. If you wish you can experiment with Trueshot just to look cool. Once they're gone Legolas decides that Gollum will have to wait: Orcs in this part of the forest is bad news! OBJECTIVES COMPLETED: - Kill the Orcs - Find and capture Gollum [--> MISSION ACCOMPLISHED <--] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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 ABILITIES STATUS --------------------------------------------------------------- Boromir -> Horn of Gondor => Available Faramir -> Trueshot => Available --------------------------------------------------------------- BUILDINGS UNITS UPGRADES --------------------------------------------------------------- Stronghold -> Worker => --Stronghold Lvl 3 Mill Foundry Camp => War Camp Watchtower Barracks -> Gondor Swordsman -> Rider of Rohan Ranger Post -> Ranger Forge => --Steel Blades => --Steel Plating => Lookout Tower Wilderness Outpost => --Mystic Blades => Improved Leather => Concealment => Eagle Eye --------------------------------------------------------------- This level is a little harder than the ones you faced before, in my opinion. In the cutscene, Boromir will give his men 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, 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 gathering ore, and three picking up food, and that you have one idle to build your structures with. While you do all this, you are attacked by a group of Goblin Spearmen. It doesn't pose any threat, but for pity's sake, do not lose any men if possible. Boromir's Horn of Gondor can blast enemies around him away. Now upgrade your Stronghold to level two. 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 reach the needed population capacity. Keep training those Riders of Rohan: you'll need at least sixteen to have any chance at recapturing Osgiliath and to repel any enemy reinforcements. In the meanwhile, research each and every upgrade, except for Lookout Tower. First those at the Forge, then those at the Wilderness Outpost. There should be no trouble with resources in this level as their deposits are quite stocked. Once you have amassed an army of at least 16 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 this strategy. Direct your cavalry further south once the first barricade is destroyed, reaching 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 darn barricade and crush the enemies behind it. Heal if you need to, then head over the bridge once you're sure you can handle a new wave of enemies. Boromir says there is another bridge, at the other end of the city in the east. You can run all the way there, but it is advised killing each and every enemy in the city: this will make the final objective of the mission a lot easier. Track down all Orcs and heal when you can. When you get to the eastern part of Osgiliath, you'll find a small Orc camp with harsh defenses, so be on your guard. Destroy the camp with the Riders' crush attack, but don't let a unit tread upon the eastern bridge yet. You can send in reinforcements from your camp now, if you lost too much units in that heated battle. Note that you might have activated a sidequest 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. Protect them well from any unslain troops that might still reside within Osgiliath. Direct your army to the eastern bridge, and make your units walk on the stones: 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, the two marble footholds on either side of the bridge. It'll be easier if 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 into the river Anduin. OBJECTIVES COMPLETED: - Use Workers to destroy the supports of the bridge. - Prevent Sauron's forces from taking over Osgiliath. [--> MISSION ACCOMPLISHED <--] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 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 ABILITIES STATUS --------------------------------------------------------------- Legolas -> Trueshot => Available -> Guardian Wind => Available --------------------------------------------------------------- BUILDINGS UNITS UPGRADES --------------------------------------------------------------- Stronghold -> Elf Worker Mill Foundry Camp => War Camp Watchtower Ranger Post -> Ranger E. Sanctuary -> Elven Archer Wilderness Outpost => --Mystic Blades => --Hard Leather => Concealment => Eagle Eye => Elven Cloaks => Eagle Fletching --------------------------------------------------------------- Now you're Legolas again. In the starting cinematic we see that the Orcs have gained a stable foothold in Mirkwood as Legolas hastens himself 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 may appear. You start with 4 Elven Archers, 2 Elf Workers, 3 Elf Wardens, and Legolas. Train five more Elf Workers and command the two already there to build a Foundry upon the ore deposit. Use the first one that finishes training to construct 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 commonly via the plains north of your settlement. From there, raiding parties consisting of mostly 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 very well, here. Now that you have your economy and defense set up, it's time to build an offensive force yourself. The first thing you should build is a Ranger Post and a new Camp, stewing your population capacity up to 43. Afterwards, construct an Elven Sanctuary and fill up those slots with solely 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 enemy detector units like Wraiths are around. After the cloaks, go with Eagle Fletching, upgrading archers' range. Research everything at the Wilderness Outpost that could help enhance the performance of 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 new enemies. This is the small camp: the main one is located in the far northeast. Make sure you kill all the Wraiths first, there is a total of four of them in this area. Once you've killed the Wraiths, there's nada to worry about anymore. Since the other enemy troops can't see you, they are easily vanquished. Destroy this outpost in whole. You can eventually train additional Elven Archers to replace those that died on the field of battle. When all is destroyed you should wait for your units to heal, and prepare to continue the hostile path northeast. If your elves run into an enemy patrol, just kill the Wraiths first. Once all Wraiths in the vicinity are destroyed, you will turn invisible to the other enemies 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, you'll see two Towers: one in the north, which doesn't pose any trouble as long as you're invisible. The second, 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 dealing with 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 north part of the camp for a Shadow Lair and destroy it: the enemy won't be able to train any more pesky Wraiths this way. With all the detectors gone, doom is basically spelled out for your opponent. Destroy all remaining buildings in the base to start the final cutscene. Legolas says something about Dol Guldur, the Dark Lord's stronghold in Mirkwood. You're gonna learn to hate that name, believe me. OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: - Destroy the Orc encampment. [--> MISSION ACCOMPLISHED <--] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Assault on Dol Guldur =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= INTRO: Third Age 3018 "Suspecting that Gollums escape and the Orc infestation of Mirkwood are no coincidence, Legolas searches for the root of this evil. His search leads him to Dol Guldur, the nearby stronghold of Sauron." --------------------------------------------------------------- HEROES ABILITIES STATUS --------------------------------------------------------------- Legolas -> Trueshot => Available -> Elven Speed => 2 Fate -> Guardian Wind => Available --------------------------------------------------------------- BUILDINGS UNITS UPGRADES --------------------------------------------------------------- Stronghold -> Elf Worker => --Stronghold Lvl 4 Mill Foundry Camp => War Camp Watchtower Ranger Post -> Ranger E. Sanctuary -> Elven Archer Wilderness Outpost => --Mystic Blades => --Hard Leather => Concealment => Eagle Eye => Elven Cloaks => Eagle Fletching --------------------------------------------------------------- First of all, I HATE this level. I hate it, hate it... It's really annoying, because you'll be under attack non-stop from two sides - with only a few good units at your disposal. Then, you have to invade a giant fortress with an ambush lurking around every corner, and finally drive a Nazgul away. Hard... quite hard, yet not impossible. In the opening film you can see an army passing your concealed 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 latter will prove to be hardest. Act quickly and assign Workers to build the ordinary resource structures. Put three Workers on each resource and hold one or two idle to build new structures with. Build every structure available as fast as possible and start pumping out units for defense. Make sure you research Concealment for your Rangers, so they can detect those Annoying-As-Hell cloaked Haradrim Slayers while they stay hidden themselves. Build Watchtowers to assist in defense, and position Rangers in them to increase firepower and make your troops more efficient at dealing with cloaked enemies. Soon, the first wave of enemies will come, just as a signal of what you'll have to deal with. They should be disposed of rather easily with these preparations. The true onslaught is about to start. From the southwest, dozens of Haradrim Slayers invade your camp at a time, while Bonecleavers and Orcs terrorize the southeastern part. Use abilities like Trueshot and defend your camp, while you build new 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 shown in the cutscene at the start of the mission. There are several hated 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 clenched 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 without losing rejoice, because the hardest part of this mission is ovah! OVAH!. Buy Elven Speed for Legolas if you haven't already. Heal your cloaked Elven Archers by standing 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 cloaked arrival. As you can see, the massive structure is defended quite: there are Orc Archers on each ledge. Luckily, they can't see you as long as there are no Wraiths. Which could prove to be your biggest problem as you can't see any Wraiths before they sense you. That's the big problem you're dealing with here in short: the Wraiths seem to have the Greater Perception upgrade, enabling them to see your elves while they remain safely within the center tower of the stronghold. 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 upon the courtyard. Deal with the archers on top of the main gate later. Walk to the right, staying outside of the walls, and kill any Wraiths as soon as you see them. There are a lot of Giant Spider ambushes here, so watch for them dropping from the higher levels of the stronghold! This section still isn't too hard. Unless you throw your comp out of the window out of frustration. Direct your Elven Archers up the outer wall. From this wall, you can shoot the units in the courtyard as well as those strolling upon the wall itself. You should know what to do with Wraiths by now. Follow this wall to the west, while shooting any enemies you encounter. Heal if you need to (don't hesitate to train reinforcements) and get down from the wall at the far end, 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, we get to the dangerous part. There are Wraiths inside that dungeon, so you can't see or kill them until you've walked into an ambush of those bloody spiders. Make sure to have five Elven Archers or more all the time to ensure you make some progress. When you're about to get to the top of the dungeon, stand still. Don't tread upon the platform itself, stay on the ledge right beneath 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. Congrats! OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: - Banish the Nazgul atop Dol Guldur. [--> MISSION ACCOMPLISHED <--] =-=-=-=-=-=-=- 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 ABILITIES STATUS --------------------------------------------------------------- Aragorn -> Kingsfoil => Available -> Anduril's Fury => 2 Fate -> Immunity => 1 Fate Legolas -> Trueshot => Available -> Elven Speed => Available -> Guardian Wind => Available Gimli -> Sunder => Available -> Capture => Available -> Siege Aura => Available Boromir -> Horn of Gondor => Available Frodo -> The One Ring => 1 Fate -> Mighty Sting => 1 Fate -> Heroic Aura => Available --------------------------------------------------------------- BUILDINGS UNITS UPGRADES --------------------------------------------------------------- Stronghold -> Elf Worker => --Stronghold Lvl 4 Mill Foundry Camp => War Camp Watchtower Barracks -> Gondor Swordsman -> Rider of Rohan Dwarf Hall -> Dwarf Axethrower -> Dwarf Shieldbreaker Ranger Post -> Ranger E. Sanctuary -> Elven Archer -> Elven Lightbearer Nature Haven -> Beorning Forge => --Steel Blades => --Steel Plating => --Flaming Axe => Shield Break => Dwarf Masonry => Lookout Tower Wilderness Outpost => --Mystic Blades => --Hard Leather => Concealment => Eagle Eye => Elven Cloaks => Eagle Fletching House of Lore => --Strength of the Claw => --Nature's Defense => --Savage Blow => Tree Form => Dispel => Light of Lothlorien --------------------------------------------------------------- Once this level starts you see our beloved Fellowship running through the golden trees of Lothlorien. They are all of a sudden surrounded by Orcs, but saved by the Elves. The Elf Warden explains that you should recapture two great Mallorn- trees to drive the foul forces of darkness away. Legolas points out that there is a Huorn which 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 use 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 your defense. The Orc army will try ot attack from two directions: the northwest and the east. I recommend taking Legolas, Boromir, and two Hobbits to the eastern exit, with a few Elf Wardens for melee support. Put the other heroes and any forces left in the northwest. The first attacks should be blocked easily. You'll be informed when the true Orc Horde is about to arrive on the scene. Obviously, you'll need more units to withstand the Orcs. Start training lots and lots of Elven Archers, make sure you have at least five on both sides of your camp, preferably more. Train one Beorning for both sides as well: they can heal your units, and will prove nice assets in your war effort. 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 upgrading! You needn't buy things from the Forge anymore, but the Wilderness Outpost and House of Lore both have a lot of upgrades, ready to be purchased. Of course, start out with Elven Cloaks for your archers and upgrade their range thereafter. After that upgrade their attack power and only then armor class. You have tons of resources at your disposal so the cost shouldn't prove 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 and you can spend your resources on better units. After Bear Form, go for raw 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, if you wish. To help out the Huorn, take your entire northern defense and make sure the eastern defense sustains the northwestern raids for a while. The Huorn is battling close to your encampment, on the north-northeast side. Hasten your units to that spot. Kill the Orcs without letting the Huorn die to complete this task. It isn't very hard if you use your heroes well. OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: - Find and aid the Huorn. Now you can train Huorns. They are expensive, yet excellent fighters. I trained a pair for each of my defenses. You'll need to build some extra Camps and upgrade them to War Camps for enough pop cap. 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 arrive soon now. It might look a bit overwhelming at first sight, yet 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 hostile units in the Huorn's radius, making them easier to eliminate. For the northern part of your camp, use Gimli's Sunder and Aragorn's heal ability (Kingsfoil) to prevent losses. In the east, Elven Speed can help defeating the enemy more speedily, while Horn of Gondor will take multiple foes out of battle and huddle their forces. Once you've repelled the Horde, heal everyone. It's time to find those Mallorns now. Train reinforcements and take your northern defense further 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 much damage. 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 northwards to find the first Mallorn Tree. Take your eastern defense to the northeast, after you have healed them and trained some fresh troops, of course. They will also encounter an enemy camp, much like the one in the northwest. Elven Speed works well, here. Apply the same tactics as in the last battle and heal your units. Continue to head northeast and 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 disposed of with your armies. The last thirty seconds can get quite tricky if you aren't used to commanding two armies at once. In that case, it would be wise to assign number hotkeys 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, Kingsfoil, Sunder, and Elven Speed and keep those Mallorns under your control until the timer reaches zero. Once the timer disappears, you'll be rewarded with victory. OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: - Mallorn-trees of Galadriel [--> MISSION ACCOMPLISHED <--] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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 over- taken 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 ABILITIES STATUS --------------------------------------------------------------- Gandalf -> Flash => 2 Fate -> Fire Shield => 1 Fate -> Negate Ability => Available -> Rain of Fire => 3 Fate Erkenbrand -> Might of the Rohirrim => Available --------------------------------------------------------------- BUILDINGS UNITS UPGRADES --------------------------------------------------------------- All Available-> All Available => All Available --------------------------------------------------------------- This level is fairly tricky, but fortunately 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, this time from the northwestern and the north- eastern entrance. The heaviest onslaughts will arrive through the northeastern one, however. First thing you should do is set up your resource structures as always. Use enough Workers to ensure a steady income of food and ore. Space is limited in this area, 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 good defenses. 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 exit, while positioning Gandalf and the other cavalry in the north- east. This should repel attacks for a while. Remember to train more Riders of Rohan at the Barracks should you lose units in these skirmishes. Try to keep Erkenbrand and especially Gandalf alive, they're going to play a grand role in the final assault. With this set up, 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, up 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. Up north is the main gate of Upbourn. There is a Wraith here, so be sure to take it out quickly. It's easy to kill the other guards afterwards. Choose the eastern path and go north whenever you can. Kill any Orcs you encounter: no detectors at all here, so it should be easy. Proceed up north to find the stables. You have to act quickly 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 that survived, you gain a Fate Point. These can be used to buy all 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 northern path. It's time to reclaim the Great Hall. There are some Orc Archers here, and there is a good ole' Orc Captain. You only have to kill the Captain to conquer the Hall. Since it can't see you, this should be done in no time, even though he has a lot of hit points for a mere Orc. Kill all archers behind him as well. Now head back to the main gate. Take your entire army to the main gate now, Erkenbrand, the two Rangers inside the Watchtowers, Gandalf, don't forget any. From there, take your army west and then up the north path, 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 effectiveness. To breach their defense, make use of Gandalf's Flash ability. Cast Fire Shield on the White Wizard himself. When the defenses are gone, use Rain of Fire in an area with lots of buildings in it to set it entirely ablaze. Continue doing this until every last bit of Orc presence is gone. You beat the scenario! OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: - Purge the Orcs from Upbourn. [--> MISSION ACCOMPLISHED <--] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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 ABILITIES STATUS --------------------------------------------------------------- Aragorn -> Kingsfoil => Available -> Anduril's Fury => Available -> Immunity => Available Gimli -> Sunder => Available -> Capture => Available -> Siege Aura => Available Legolas -> Trueshot => Available -> Elven Speed => Available -> Guardian Wind => Available --------------------------------------------------------------- BUILDINGS UNITS UPGRADES --------------------------------------------------------------- N/A -> N/A => N/A --------------------------------------------------------------- Ah, the famous battle ;) It actually isn't too 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. It's you against the game miraclous AI in this scenario. 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 available archers including Legolas on the wall above the Culvert. Place Gimli behind the Culvert and lend him some of the troops that arrive as reinforcements. Put the rest of your soldiers upon 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 lots of them to kill them before they reach the wall base. Make sure your archers are defended by reinforcements, and maybe Aragorn; use them to kill enemies that gain a foothold on the Deeping Wall. Split your newly acquired troops into one group which will defend the wall, and another 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. Normally I would not recommend this, yet as all of your heroes have to survive this battle, there's no loss in sacrificing their ability to reform at the Stronghold for such power. When you've survived this for five minutes, a movie triggers wherein an Orc blows up the Culvert with Saruman's freebie mines. Your troops will now gain an armor upgrade for your defending skills. A new objective appears. 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 very hard if you've got Gimli and reinforcements to protect the Culvert from inside. Your archers and Legolas will kill a lot of enemies as well, especially when enhanced with Elven Speed. Make sure your archers are defended by few melee troops on the wall, though. Aragorn can go and help Gimli. 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 especially Legolas to the main gate and attack that ram, for if it crushes the gate you might as well restart! Get the rest of your melee fighters together and position them next to King Théoden, who also resides behind 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 counterattack at times where the enemy army is so big that your archers can't handle it. As long as you destroy the ram, you should be alright. Watch out for Uruk-Hai knocking back your troops, take them out of battle with Trueshot or Elven Speed from Legolas. Sustain 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, yet another cutscene starts. Gandalf comes runnig from a nearby hill with Riders of Rohan and Erkenbrand on his tail, to aid the defenders. 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, for style. Use all the troops at your disposal to clear the battlefield of any Orc presence. On the east side, the Huorns should be able to deal with the Orcs easily. Once you have killed every single enemy left on the map, the ending sequence triggers. OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: - The Return of Gandalf. [--> MISSION ACCOMPLISHED <--] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 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 ABILITIES STATUS --------------------------------------------------------------- Gandalf -> Flash => Available -> Fire Shield => Available -> Negate Ability => Available -> Rain of Fire => Available Aragorn -> Kingsfoil => Available -> Anduril's Fury => Available -> Immunity => Available Legolas -> Trueshot => Available -> Elven Speed => Available -> Guardian Wind => Available Gimli -> Sunder => Available -> Capture => Available -> Siege Aura => Available --------------------------------------------------------------- BUILDINGS UNITS UPGRADES --------------------------------------------------------------- All Available-> All Available => All Available --------------------------------------------------------------- This level is very difficult. And very annoying as well. It requires you to be able to do several things at once: create a good defense, set up economy at the same time, scouting out the map, and finally decisive offensive tactics. The best way to play this level is to just take the units you think are best for your own strategies. After an opening cutscene you'll see a shitload 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 You get control, your heroes are running towards your camp, and you're in trouble. Send them to the middle of your camp. Quickly start setting up a good economy, you should know how to do that after all those scenarios. 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, while yours may consist of heroes, Shieldbreakers, and Axethrowers with Razor Edge. 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 getting to new raiders in time. Make sure you always have Rangers with your acts of defense and, moreover, in Watchtowers. These can spot invisible units, making your defending work somewhat easier. Use the abilities of your heroes to their greatest potential as well. Sunder, Kingsfoil, and Elven Speed are the best. Upgrade your Stronghold and start training Elven Archers, cloaked and upgraded, of course. Then start heading north with these. You will see a big road. You can destroy the Troll Reinforcements here, but I don't recommend it. It will most probably cost you valuable archers. Instead, head further north, to the bridge which leads into Minas Morgul. The Orc encampment where the assaults on your camp originate from lies 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 entirely. It may take several tries, because this war camp is the best defended of all you've encountered so far, but it's worth the spendage of troops. Whenever you see a Wraith, kill it, even when it's in a tower. Do everything step by step. To increase your potential at destroying this camp, summon a Giant Ent when you have acquired the needed Fate. The points rack up fairly quickly as you're fighting all the time. OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: - Remove the Orc presence You could head further into the city now, but I advise to return your archers to your camp, heal, and train troops until you've reached your maximum pop cap. 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 military force, including heroes, and head into the city while keeping them together. 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 threat for your forces and heroes. Destroy each red War Post to sanctify both of the graveyards. It will stop the stream of Wraiths spawning 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, around Morgul's plateau, to find 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 Place of Power as well. 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. Great. 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 to heal afterwards. Use Kingsfoil if one of your heroes is about to die. Note that sometimes, the Lord of the Nazgul will use his Shadow Walk ability to instantly travel near 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 and make use of Elven Speed for maximum damage. 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 ACCOMPLISHED <--] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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 ABILITIES STATUS --------------------------------------------------------------- Gandalf -> Flash => Available -> Fire Shield => Available -> Negate Ability => Available -> Rain of Fire => Available Aragorn -> Kingsfoil => Available -> Anduril's Fury => Available -> Immunity => Available Legolas -> Trueshot => Available -> Elven Speed => Available -> Guardian Wind => Available Gimli -> Sunder => Available -> Capture => Available -> Siege Aura => Available --------------------------------------------------------------- BUILDINGS UNITS UPGRADES --------------------------------------------------------------- All Available-> All Available => All 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 quite 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-southwest 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 (as the enemy is completing their Claws of Gorgoroth). Make use of the little uninterrupted time you have to put up a good economy. The only buildings you have to build for your military force are an Elven Sanctuary and a Ranger Post. Start training Rangers and Elven Archers as these are built. Upgrade your Stronghold to the final level and research all upgrades for your archers. You might also want to train some more Barracks units to increase your numbers. I din't do it, but it can be relieving to have your cheap units take the damage instead of those expensive Elven Archers. Upgrade your Camps should you run out of space to put new ones. Soon, there will be another cutscene. It appears that Sauron has succeeded in summoning a Balrog, an incredibly grand demon that originated from the ancient realm of the greatest evil that ever existed blah blah :P. 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. Good luck. 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 parties 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 true 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 are headed for your camp. Note that these attackers look like they'll eat you up, but they're actually not very hard as long as you use your heroes' abilities. Gandalf's Flash and Gimli's Sunder spring to mind. 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 its 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. Do not, in ANY circumstance let it alone for a while, as it will regenerate in seconds. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Gene Y. AKA grenka has an alternate strategy to deal with the Balrog which may be more to your likings: =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= At the beginning of the scenario quickly build two to four Rangers and a few Gondor Swordsmen. Then take all of your army (except some Swordsmen and a couple of Rangers to defend your base) to the first Claw of Gorgoroth. The Rangers are needed for the enemy Haradrim Slayers. If you use Gandalf's Flame Shield and Aragorn's Kingsfoil abilities it would prove a lot easier to conquer at least two Claws of Gorgoroth. Then, the Balrog will come... Defend the road. Position Aragorn, Gimli, and Gandalf on the road along with any other melee units, and have the Balrog come closer. When the Balrog arrives cast the Brambles Fate Power on his path and retreat your units a little further backwards. When the Balrog passes the Brambles hit him with all of your forces, and make sure to use your heroes' abilities. Gandalf's Flash can be of quite good use here. The Balrog should be easy to kill this way. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: - Kill the Balrog With that completed, it's time to move on to the Black Gates. The normal waves of attackers start bashing you 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 and protection against cloaked enemies. 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 area. It is protected by lots of troops, together with Black Riders, so watch out not to lose too many units yourself. If you do, retreat to the ledge and train additional units to fuel your war effort. 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, very heavily 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. These have Unstoppable Force, by the way :O. Move into the camp after casting Fire Shield on one of your heroes. Make sure you destroy the Towers and the Wraiths in them before you attack anything else. The Wraiths in this scenario are very annoying, they keep casting Perpetual Darkness as soon as they pop out of a Tower, then they try to garrison within a new one. Speed is your greatest ally here. Kill normal resistance here too. It is vital to use your heroes' abilities here, especially Gandalf's. It shouldn't be hard anymore when the frontline of defense has been breached. Remember that Rain of Fire sets buildings on fire, which can be helpful when aiming for a quick, decisive victory. 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 ACCOMPLISHED <--] Congratulations, you beat the Good Campaign! :D =============================================================================== =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 8. PLAYING THE MINIONS OF SAURON =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Playing as the Minions of Sauron, you stand for everything that is evil in the realm of Middle-Earth. Under your command, hundreds of bloodthirsty Orcs and other riff-raff are spawned from their tormenting pits. You may even enlist the aid of the mighty Nazgul or the Wizard of Many Colors Saruman to stain the fields of battle with the blood of the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth. The military force of the Minions of Saurons consists of hordes of Orcs, dozens of Uruk-Hai and legions of powerful Trolls. They play very different from the normal RTS games, and their campaign can give you some trouble. But, once you have mastered the art of destruction, I can assure you - you won't play the Free Peoples ever again... ------------------------- 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 Minions 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 scorched and can only be created by ordering a Slavemaster to place a War Post on 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 other 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 sorts of improvisory spears for self-defense. Special trained 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 at all costs. =-=-=-=-= 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 are always in need of 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 assets for war. 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 Hit Points and an armor class bonus 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. Therefore, it can only be built atop 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 mold the Ore and change it into packs that could be transported far more easily, increasing the amount of ore the Goblin Workers could carry. The Smelter has to be built on top of an ore deposit to function properly. =-=-= 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 for higher shot rate. 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 in spotting oncoming 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 all that was once Elf: 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 developed and trained within 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 forges, but they tend to use anything they can get to defeat their enemies. Most of their 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, allowing for increased 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 beasts. 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 offspring of the mistress Spider of Cirith Ungol helped the Orcs in their war effort. =-=-=-=-=-=-= 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, turning them truly wicked. Menacing around the battlefield, these monsters played a decisive role in many a war. 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 trained to act more efficient here 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 out of vile shadow itself, the Wraiths may receive great abilities at detecting hidden enemies. The Haradrim needed dark places to master the art of hiding, making them truly fearsome assassins. None but these two creatures know how to exit the Shadow Lair again after entering it once... =-=-=-=-=-= 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 maiming capacity, not the chance at a clean kill. Special techniques from outer lands such as Harad and Rhun are acquired in here as well, and though they are very expensive to bestow upon the Minions, the expendage is often quite useful. Finding the weapons created at the Dark Arsenal not fit for them, the savage Uruk-Hai will only accept 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, time and time again. The massive warriors have been known to destroy entire armies while only in a small patrol. 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, vile 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's 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 finish 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 purchase the greater 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 may 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. Useful. 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 enemies that are hit by its projectiles. RATING: 3/5 - This upgrade is quite needed. Since you can't get that powerful Free Peoples' Ballista, 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 also very worth it if your forces are made up mainly of these 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 used for support. 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 your 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 oncoming enemy army before you can say "Flausnihillipiffillicationary". 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: 2/5 - Get it now. I don't know about you, but I myself rely heavily on both of these troops. They become quite destructive once all these upgrades are purchased. 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 assassin 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 at times. 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 fairly 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 an alternate 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 completing miserable tasks of slavery in service of their Dark Lord Sauron. Most soldiers think of them as personal lackeys and command them around, threatening to cut them to pieces and eat them should they not obey. And so they live their wretched lives, day after day." ------------------ UNIT COMMENTS: ------------------ Goblin Workers are naturally the backbone of any war camp. Without them, no resources. Without resources, no army. With no 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, whenever the Goblins needed to defend themselves, they usually just grabbed a spear off the wall and attacked any trespasser with it. The Dark Lord soon saw the potential of these soldiers in great hordes and started recruiting them for simple, menial tasks. They obey without question, and are therefore reliable guardians of food stores, as long as they are well-fed themselves." ------------------ UNIT COMMENTS: ------------------ What the Goblin Spearmen lacks in strength, it makes up for in speed and cost. They're very nimble and are quite overwhelming in large numbers. Always train some of these at the start of any skirmish to help counter early raiding parties. Later in the game, they become utterly 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 at the cost of a small portion of their health. [Recharge Time = 36 Seconds] ------------------ UNIT HISTORY: ------------------ "Slavemasters are specifically trained Goblins that excel at commanding others around. They get luxuries the other Goblins can only dream of, though there existance remains a miserable one compared to the Workers of the Free Peoples. They make sure the Goblin Workers don't evoke in riot, and also have to keep an eye on the soldiers so they won't eat their poor slaves. They are quite important to any settlement, for they are the only creatures with the knowledge of how to corrupt land with special War Posts." ------------------ UNIT COMMENTS: ------------------ You'll need a lot of these, believe me. Each Slavemaster adds 12 Population Slots to your total population capacity. The Savage Influence ability can be useful sometimes but don't rely on it, as it eats health away if overused. 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 - The Orc Bowmen attain fiery arrows, enabling them to set enemy buildings ablaze with several succesful hits. [Passive Ability] ------------------ UNIT HISTORY: ------------------ "Roughly, the Orcs came in two sizes: the bulky, slow Orc that was suit exceptionally for melee combat; and the skinny, nimble, goblin-like 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 hordes of thousand a piece: they'll basically shoot anything they can hurt or kill that is not evil." ------------------ UNIT COMMENTS: ------------------ These are the basic ranged units for the Minions. They aren't at all strong or in any way enduring, but still deal moderate damage and are needed as missile support early-on 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 made up the bulk of Sauron's army for ages. They are not masters of the blade, nor are they very technical in their ways. Nonetheless, Orc Slashers are without fear of death and will follow their masters no matter how harsh their toil. Perhaps death is to be preferred over life for those 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 about as strong as Gondor Swordsmen, and can be upgraded to exactly the same attack and armor class level. These will serve as a shield for your best units, used to lure enemy scouts and such, nothing out of the ordinary. =-=-=-=-=-=-=- 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. [Passive Ability] ------------------ UNIT HISTORY: ------------------ "The Orcs of the Misty Mountains have long forged an unusual alliance with the wolf-like terrors known by those who dwell upon Middle-Earth as Wargs. In exchange for the fresh meat of their enemies' carcasses, the Wargs carry these Orcs into battle, savagely destroying all in their path. Sauron soon recognized the might of these riders in his campaign to destroy Rohan and forced them into his ranks." ------------------ UNIT COMMENTS: ------------------ The natural swiftness 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 far cooler. Devastating when used against enemy footmen. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 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 ABILITIES: ------------------ Paralyze >>> Giant Spiders can use their venom to render enemies paralyzed, disabling any kind of movement. [Passive Ability] Spray Venom > The Giant Spider sprays venom to paralyze all units in front of it. Notice that the spider loses its ability to paralyze units for a while until its venom has been replenished. [Recharge Time = 30 Seconds] ------------------ UNIT HISTORY: ------------------ Distant kin of the monstrous Shelob, the mistress of spiders who roams amongs the dark caves 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 exceptional 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 from the Breeding Pit, which will make them valuable support units in base defense. Let each of your spiders attack different enemy units: they won't be able to make an offensive move, while your more capable battle 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, which would otherwise be invisible. [Passive Ability] Darkness >>> Enshrouds enemies in darkness, slowing their movement. [Recharge Time = 30 Seconds] Perpetual Darkness > Enshrouds enemies in an even greater darkness, blinding them and therefore halting their movements. [Recharge Time = 30 Seconds] Greater Perception > Gives the Wraith an LOS upgrade, increasing detection range. [Passive Ability ------------------ UNIT HISTORY: ------------------ "Wraiths are the lonely souls that wander this earth, evil of intent, those who have not found peace in death. A good example form the Barrow Wights haunting the barrow downs near the Old Forest in Eriador. Often mortally wounded by a Morgul blade at the end of their lives, these ghouls have the ability to see each and every form of life by their aura, thus making a very good detection unit for Sauron." ------------------ UNIT COMMENTS: ------------------ You need one of these in every one of your Towers to ensure the vanquishing of cloaked enemies. Their Darkness abilities make them useful on the battlefield itself as well, though they won't last long without melee defense. Perpetual Darkness will form quite an annoying barrier 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 poison damage over time. Note that this costs 25 Food and Ore for every different projectile. [Recharge Time = 6 Seconds] Assassin's Cloak > Makes the Haradrim Slayer invisible to all enemies except for detector units. [Passive Ability] ------------------ UNIT HISTORY: ------------------ "In the days of the Third Aera of the Sun, sages recall the brown-skinned appearance of the Haradrim warriors, and the ferocity they employed in the plethora of battles they fought alongside the Dark Lord. Master assassins and trained in the handling of multiple weapons, The Witch King recruited them amongst his own ranks of Orcs and Trolls. Their banner was red, a slithering black serpent of shadow stood crawling upon their flags. Often the Haradrim made use of war paint to enhance the intimidation their appearance set forth." ------------------ UNIT COMMENTS: ------------------ These guys seriously, ultimately rock. Attack power equals the Elven Archers' and - in response to the Free Peoples' Elven Cloaks - they can become invisible as well. Combine this 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 force, knockbacking and damaging all units in an arc in front of him. [Recharge Time = 12 Seconds] ------------------ UNIT HISTORY: ------------------ "However strong Trolls were from the moment that the Enemy created them in the dark depths of his stronghold, maybe as a mockery of the Ents, daylight would come for them and kill them eventually. Sauron dispersed of this weakness, and gave the new Trolls cunning, and the Dark Lord called them the Olog-Hai. Bonecleavers were weaponed with giant, scalloped axes which they could swing to disastrous effect among the enemy's ranks." ------------------ UNIT COMMENTS: ------------------ These guys are extremely expensive, but well worth the pay if used correctly on the battlefield. The "tanks" of Sauron's army, they have been known to clear out small armies while only in small groups 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 >>> The Troll Stonehurler's boulders do area-of-effect damage, increasing their effectiveness against cluttered enemy troops. [Passive Ability] ------------------ UNIT HISTORY: ------------------ "In the Trollshaws of Eriador, the Trolls not rarely needed to defend their dens from creatures trying to invade territory that was theirs by right. Most Trolls, who were unskilled at fighting with true weapons, just grabbed boulders or ripped trees from the ground and threw those at their enemies to great effect. Sauron and his generals have only promoted this kind of assault and now most Stonehurlers can throw their boulders over a distance of over 1500 feet! ------------------ UNIT COMMENTS: ------------------ The Bonecleaver's 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. Yet, they are quite expensive for a single 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 to hit enemies. [Passive Ability] ------------------ UNIT HISTORY: ------------------ "In the year 2475 of the Third Era, a new Orc race spawned from Mordor, to aid their Dark Lord in taking over rule over Middle-Earth. With black skin, black blood, and diagonal lynx- eyes these Uruk-Hai were, their length equalling that of normal Men, and they could withstand the sunlight. Their power and endurance by far exceeded the lesser Orcs, and also their ferocity was greater than that of their normal kin." ------------------ UNIT COMMENTS: ------------------ These are my favourite archers: ability to cause knockback with every single arrow is very helpful, especially when facing detectors. Thereby, their strength is the same as the Elven Archer. Mix them up with cloaked Haradrim Slayers for maximum efficiency. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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, dealing damage to an enemy over time. [Passive Ability] ------------------ UNIT HISTORY: ------------------ "Upon the twenty-third century in the Second Era of the Sun, nine mighty wraiths arised, called Nazgul in the Black Speech of Mordor, which simply translates into: 'ringwraiths'. And of all creatures and equipment under Sauron's control, the Nazgul were by far the most powerful. And the most sinister, as many of their weapons ate away the soul of their victims, corrupted Men's courage, and put a weight of lead upon vitality." ------------------ 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 incorporate them in serious strategies. Their attack power is nice, however, and Morgul Blade can be infuriating 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 per casting. ---------------- 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, his picture appears on the right edge of the screen. Clicking on it will select that hero, while double- clicking immediately focuses the camera on it. All heroes are immune to knockback. =-=-=-=-=- Gollum =-=-=-=-=- REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 1 HIT POINTS: 350 (Increases at level-ups) ATTACK POWER: Minimum=15 (Increases at level-ups) ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=1 (Increases at level-ups) ATTACK TYPE: Heroic TRAINED AT: Fortress of Mordor COST: 150 Food; 100 Ore ------------------ SPECIAL ABILITIES: ------------------ Sneak >>> Allows Gollum to travel while hidden, even though his movement speed decreases whilst using this ability. He can only be seen by detectors. [Recharge Time = 7 Seconds][Cost = 1 Fate] Gollum's Mark >>> An ability that allows Gollum to mark an enemy unit, so he may sense it even at great distances. [Recharge Time = 10 Seconds] Surprise Attack > Triples Gollum's attack power if he makes a succesful attack while sneaking. [Passive Ability][Cost = 1 Fate] ------------------ HERO COMMENTS: ------------------ Gollum is the only one of the Evil Heroes that doesn't cost any Fate Points. He is a bit like Frodo for the Free Peoples: an expensive, though excellent scouting unit. The Sneak ability is very useful in exploring, but be careful not to run into detector units. Gollum's Mark is great as you may 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 power while sneaking! Downside: the pesky creature becomes visible after doing it... =-=-=-=-=-=-= Grishnakh =-=-=-=-=-=-= REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 1 HIT POINTS: 470 (Increases at level-ups) ATTACK POWER: Minimum=20 (Increases at level-ups) ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=3 (Increases at level-ups) ATTACK TYPE: Heroic TRAINED AT: Fortress of Mordor COST: 3 Fate Points ------------------ SPECIAL ABILITIES: ------------------ Explosive Trap >>> Has Grishnakh hide an explosive on the terrain. The player can activate it at will, yet it will automatically explode should too much time elapse without player action. [Recharge Time = 20 Seconds][Cost = 2 Fate] Torch >>> Allows Grishnakh to whip a torch at a selected building, setting it aflame instantly. [Recharge Time = 8 Seconds][Cost = 1 Fate] Speed of the Wolf > Gives Grishnakh a speed boost in both movement and attack rate for a short amount of time. [Recharge Time = 18 Seconds] ------------------ HERO COMMENTS: ------------------ Grishnakh is quite the hero, with abilities focusing solely on pillaging and offense. He can best be used against structures, seeing that he has the ability to set them ablaze with the Torch ability. 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 rate. Or can help him in running for his friggin' life. =-=-=-=-=- Saleme =-=-=-=-=- REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 1 HIT POINTS: 445 (Increases at level-ups) ATTACK POWER: Minimum=20 (Increases at level-ups) ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=2 (Increases at level-ups) ATTACK TYPE: Heroic TRAINED AT: Fortress of Mordor COST: 3 Fate Points ------------------ SPECIAL ABILITIES: ------------------ Poison Trap >>> Lets Saleme place a trap on the map that spews a poisonous cloud when triggered by a nearby enemy. [Recharge Time = 15 Seconds][Cost = 2 Fate] Blood Mark >>> Allows Saleme to tend to an ally's wounds over time. She can also bind this to a War Post to heal allied units near it for a short duration of time. [Recharge Time = 35 Seconds][Cost = 3 Fate] Serpent Blades > These blades ricochet and seek their own targets. Saleme can hit multiple targets with a single throwing blade. [Passive Ability] ------------------ HERO COMMENTS: ------------------ I don't use Saleme very much, but her abilities and ranged power make her an invaluable support unit for 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 and - in some cases - luck. Serpent Blades is standard for her and just allow her do more damage to an enemy army. Overall, she is a nice hero, a bit underused maybe. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Lord of the Nazgul =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 1 HIT POINTS: 450 (Increases at level-ups) ATTACK POWER: Minimum=20 (Increases at level-ups) ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=3 (Increases at level-ups) 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 may summon a Black Rider by using this power on one of your Wraiths. There can only be a maximum of eight Black Riders present at one time. [Recharge Time = 50 Seconds][Cost = 2 Fate] Shadow Walk >>> Allows the Lord of the Nazgul to instantly travel to grounds that are corrupted by a War Post, also trans- porting any Wraiths and Black Riders near him. [Recharge Time = 40 Seconds][Cost = 2 Fate] Aura of Weakness > This ability decreases the armor class of enemies near the Lord of the Nazgul. [Passive Ability] Ringsight >>> Allows the Lord of the Nazgul to see and attack Frodo while he is wearing The One Ring. [Passive Ability] ------------------ HERO COMMENTS: ------------------ The Lord of the Nazgul is a very strong hero with his Aura of Weakness, and it can turn those weak Wraiths into great combat machines with Bind Shadow, even though the total cost in Fate Points is quite high. Shadow Walk can be used when your camp is under siege and he and his Black Riders are at the other end of the map. Ringsight is only useful for killing Frodo, but it's free, so meh. =-=-=-=-=-= Saruman =-=-=-=-=-= REQUIRED: Fortress of Mordor Level 5 HIT POINTS: 435 (Increases at level-ups) ATTACK POWER: Minimum=20 (Increases at level-ups) ARMOR CLASS: Minimum=3 (Increases at level-ups) ATTACK TYPE: Heroic TRAINED AT: Fortress of Mordor COST: 4 Fate Points ------------------ SPECIAL ABILITIES: ------------------ Prison of Ice >>> Allows Saruman to encage a single enemy in an icy prison, taking that unit out of battle for a small period of time as well as dealing damage over time. [Recharge Time = 25 Seconds] Invisible Force >>> Enables Saruman to fire an invisible projectile to a certain area, knocking back and damaging all units in its exploding radius. [Recharge Time = 45 Seconds][Cost = 2 Fate] Pestilence >>> Has Saruman invoke a disease on a group of enemies that drains their health, yet it does not kill any. [Recharge Time = 50 Seconds][Cost = 3 Fate] Twisting Influence > With his seductive voice, Saruman may bend the will of any hostile, non-hero enemy unit, forcing it to join his army. [Recharge Time = 90 Seconds][Cost = 3 Fate] ------------------ HERO COMMENTS: ------------------ Saruman is by far the best hero for the Minions of Sauron (and the most expensive...). He starts off 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 in a crowd. Pestilence can really slow an enemy army down by draining all health. Finally, Twisting Influence is the best ability in the game, as it may force a tough enemy unit like a Huorn or a Troll Bonecleaver to join your army. Recruit him should you have the chance. --------------------- 8.6) Evil Fate Powers --------------------- The Fate Powers of the evil side are different from 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 mediocre period of time. If your enemy likes a lot of missile units, use this power to refrain them from doing too much damage to your army. It is very annoying for your opponent as he doesn'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 if 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 for such obscene clerical force, 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 and quite a stagnant battle 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 also have their own enormous, 00ber monster. If you've already finished the Good Campaign, you know what this thing is. It's very costly, 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. Expensive, 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 raiders. Since you need a lot of population slots, you'll have a lot of Slavemasters to look after. To make them useful, place them in Towers to increase the shot rate. You should also add a Wraith to make it nearly 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 shortly. 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. Let him walk into an enemy army alone, they will all attack the wizard guilelessly. Now spread Pestilence around Saruman, so all enemies get diseased. Then use Invisible Force around yourself to create an opening to flee to your own ranks. Very effective when trying to stop grand invasion armies. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Haradrim and Uruk-Hai Offense =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= You need cloaked Haradrim and Uruk-Hai for this, upgraded in their attacking force 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. [-- Contributed by Gene Y aka Grenka --] "In the Haradrim and Uruk-Hai Offense strategy, it would be wise to take some additional Orc Slashers to defend your Uruk-Hai with, especially when your Haradrim can't handle all of the opponent's troops." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Super Offense =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= [-- Contributed by SThomas1317 --] Build an army of Troll Bonecleavers, Haradrim Slayers, and Uruk-Hai. When approaching an enemy base, keep your trolls away from your Haradrim Slayers and Uruk-Hai. Before the battle starts make your trolls circle around the enemy base. While your Haradrim and Uruk-Hai are distracting the enemy army, direct your troops through the enemy base and use the Bonecleavers to attack from behind. After slaughtering them, destroy the base. You need all upgrades to do this, although Assassin's Cloak is optional. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Stonehurler Death Trap =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [-- Contributed by SThomas1317 --] If you spot an incoming army, prepare your defenses. Use a fixed force to attract the enemy forces to you. Then use Troll Stonehurlers (preferably with "Unstoppable Force") to surround the enemy. Since the enemies are cluttered, inflicted damage should be huge. This requires you to keep your Stonehurlers out of sight from the enemy or he might attack them instead, messing the strategy up. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Hordes of Mordor =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [-- Contributed by Aragorn1913 --] create a huge army of fully upgraded Orc Bowmen,Orc Slashers, and Goblin Spearmen, then surround an enemy base in three rings of units. first line is Orc Slashers, second line consists of Orc bowmen, and third line are Goblin Spearmen. Now send one unit from each side of the ring to attract enemy. The chances are great that he will bring a whole mess of units that you can slaughter with your great numbers and advanced upgrades. After dispatching his army move into the camp killing workers and destroying his buildings. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Warped Retreat =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- [-- Contributed by Christo Acheson aka seaspray_68 --] Get Saleme (must have Blood mark) and Lord of the Nazgul (must have Shadow Walk). Get Slavemasters to place War Posts around the map, then send the Lord of the Nazgul on the offense with an army of Wraiths and Black Riders, and Saleme on the defensive with Haradrim Slayers. If the Lord of the Nazgul's army is suffering serious damage, have Saleme cast Blood Mark on the camp's War Post and then Shadow Walk the Lord of the Nazgul's army back to the base. When the army's recovered Shadow Walk them to the nearest War Post where they retreated from. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Place of Power Protection =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= [-- Contributed by Telcontar590 --] Place at least one War Post right next to the Place of Power, and then build four Watchtowers close by it. Station one Wraith and three other fighting units in the towers. Now you can defend it without having to go back and forth each time it is taken. 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 ABILITIES STATUS --------------------------------------------------------------- N/A -> N/A => N/A --------------------------------------------------------------- BUILDINGS UNITS UPGRADES --------------------------------------------------------------- Fortress of Mordor War Post Goblin Hovel -> Goblin Worker -> Goblin Spearman -> Goblin Slavesmaster Slaughterhouse Smelter Orc Mound -> Orc Slasher -> Orc Bowman --------------------------------------------------------------- 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 totally corrupted, let your Goblin Workers build a Goblin Hovel as close to both 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 atop the well. In the meanwhile, train another Slavemaster and two Goblin Workers from your Goblin Hovel. Now make sure that you have three workers gathering each resource. Use the idle 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 recruiting twelve fresh Orc Slashers and five Orc Bowmen. Note that you need two extra Slavemaster to get the needed population slots. Once they are all done with training, it's 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 new message telling you to protect your Bowmen, indicating that you can expect enemy ambushes around corners 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 you faced earlier, just keep your Bowmen safe and you should be fine. You can heal after this as well, should your troops have need for it. 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 a single Beorning at a time and you should be victorious in the end. Remember that Beornings can cause Knockback to the units they hit with the Maul upgrade. Heal again, then wade through the stream. Go to the west and there will be a campfire with some Swords- men 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 skirmish, 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 as primary defense. 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 twice or thrice 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 spend them on Fate Powers. So when that Tower is about to kill one of your troops, cast Vile Surge on them to keep as much as possible alive. After destroying the Tower, head further north and wade through the stream there. Proceed up north to find the ending point of this map. All you have to do now is send five or more Goblin Workers to this spot. As you have cleared out the entire swamps, you can just order them to go to the gathering point directly. Once they get there, the first mission of the Evil Campaign will be completed succesfully. OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: - Get five Goblin Workers across the Wetwang maze [--> MISSION ACCOMPLISHED <--] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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 ABILITIES STATUS --------------------------------------------------------------- Grishnakh -> Speed of the Wolf => Available -> Torch => 1 Fate --------------------------------------------------------------- BUILDINGS UNITS UPGRADES --------------------------------------------------------------- Fortress of Mordor War Post Goblin Hovel -> Goblin Worker -> Goblin Spearman -> Goblin Slavesmaster Slaughterhouse Smelter Tower Orc Mound -> Orc Slasher -> Orc Bowman Beast Lair -> Warg Rider Dark Arsenal => Curved Blades => Forged Fittings => Savage Influence --------------------------------------------------------------- The second scenario in this campaign is somewhat harder. It still shouldn't be much of a problem, though. In the opening cinematic, you can see how Grishnakh gives a rash speech to his Goblins. To complete this missions, you must achieve 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 idle to build structures with. Then recruit a new Slavemaster to increase your population capacity. With one of the available 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 resources needed, train another two Slavemaster, bringing your pop cap to 48. Place all four of them in the Tower just constructed, increasing its shot rate to the maximum. Now build an Orc Mound and a Beast Lair to train your soldiers in. Finally, construct a Dark Arsenal to purchase much-needed upgrades for your troops. 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, they should be the big bulk of your attacking force. Upgrade the Orcs by researching Curved Blades and Forged Fittings at the Dark Arsenal. Don't 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 first 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 a sturdy defense. 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 too heavily defended, but be careful not to lose too many troops as you'll need a lot for your defense. 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 Slave- master to be certain, it's your choice. Just remember to keep training units as soon as you lose some. Back to Grishnakh now. Move Grishnakh and his forces to the central 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 head back to your camp, and position all your troops in the south. You should soon 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 taking 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 at all 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 defensive firepower. Note that whenever you have three Fate Points, you should use them for casting the Vile Surge fate power, which will heal your units instantly. Make sure you have three points for casting it once the final wave arrives. The last three waves aren't so easy, their numbers are much larger now. You still should be able to handle it fairly well with Speed of the Wolf. Keep Grishnakh alive, however, or you will lose for certain. You will get a message when the last of the armies is about to arrive. It says this one is even larger than the previous... Train units until your pop cap is maxed out again. Don't do anything, let the final wave come around your Tower, then attack them so they have to halt in the structure's range. Immediately activate Speed of the Wolf and let all your units attack them. They should be killed in a matter of thirty seconds. 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 ACCOMPLISHED <--] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 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 ABILITIES STATUS --------------------------------------------------------------- Lord/Nazgul -> Shadow Walk => 2 Fate -> Aura of Weakness => Available -> Ringsight => Available --------------------------------------------------------------- BUILDINGS UNITS UPGRADES --------------------------------------------------------------- Fortress of Mordor => Fortress of Mordor 2 War Post Goblin Hovel -> Goblin Worker -> Goblin Spearman -> Goblin Slavesmaster Slaughterhouse Smelter Tower Orc Mound -> Orc Slasher -> Orc Bowman Beast Lair -> Warg Rider Shadow Lair -> Wraith Dark Arsenal => Curved Blades => Forged Fittings => Savage Influence Breeding Pit => Fearsome Strength => Ritual Tattooing --------------------------------------------------------------- You're in Mirkwood again... only this time you're playing the bad guys. You have to clear a path for Lord Sauron's return, as the Lord of the Nazgul commands his troops 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 southwards to find the Elven Camp meant in your objectives. The defense here is pathetic, you should be able to deal with the Elf Warden and the archer, otherwise you wouldn't have got through the first two levels at all ;). Afterwards, kill the Workers here and destroy the Camps to make some room for your own sinister settlement. OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: - Destroy the Elven Camp Now you several Workers and a few Slavemasters arrive. Have one of those Slavemasters place a War Post near the valuable resources, then make your Goblins construct a Goblin Hovel on the newly corrupted terrain. Use three to build atop the well a Slaughterhouse, and three to build a Smelter upon the ore deposit. 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 construct an Orc Mound and a Beast Lair near the Tower that was mentioned earlier. Finally, construct a Dark Arsenal and research the two upgrades for your Orcs there. No Savage Influence :@ Note that you will probably have been attacked by now. 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 to support your defensive efforts. Put three Slavemasters and a Wraith in the Tower to maximize its shot rate. Upgrade your Fortress of Mordor to the second level and build the remaining structures, which would be 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 a force for your own sweeping. 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, balanced army to attack with. You will probably have earned two Fate Points or more by now through defense. These can be spent on the Lord of the Nazgul for the Shadow Walk ability, an ability that may prove very useful in some later levels. It allows him to teleport himself to any terrain corrupted by a War Post, taking any nearby Black Riders and Wraiths with him instantly. With your army at full health, march down the hill in the east. You'll get to a place with some ruins, and unfortunately it is guarded. Resistance here is minimal, kill the Beorning first so it can't cast Healing Herbs on an ally. 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 any number. Pressing that number in the future will immediately select all of the units in this group at once. Proceed to the east until you can't go any further. A small cutscene should trigger 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, the Paralyze ability they possess makes them valuable support units for your army. Heal, then head north until you arrive at a body of water. Head northwest from here. There are three enemy Towers ahead. With your force, it shouldn't be much of a problem, nor the units assigned to 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 make a stand. They should be teared down in a matter of seconds, yet be careful not to lose to many of your units. Now you probably WILL 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 hostile Elven Archers, which will then turn invisible. This is a quite annoying event, so be sure to use Vile Surge in case a lot of your units, especially your Wraiths, are about to die. Bashing all enemy structures in this camp will earn you victory. OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: - Bring the Lord of the Nazgul through Mirkwood [--> MISSION ACCOMPLISHED <--] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 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 ABILITIES STATUS --------------------------------------------------------------- Lord/Nazgul -> Bind Shadow => 2 Fate -> Shadow Walk => Available -> Aura of Weakness => Available -> Ringsight => Available --------------------------------------------------------------- BUILDINGS UNITS UPGRADES --------------------------------------------------------------- Fortress of Mordor => --Fortress of Mordor 3 War Post Goblin Hovel -> Goblin Worker -> Goblin Spearman -> Goblin Slavesmaster Slaughterhouse Smelter Tower Orc Mound -> Orc Slasher -> Orc Bowman Beast Lair -> Warg Rider -> Giant Spider Shadow Lair -> Wraith Dark Arsenal => --Serrated Blades => --Iron Fittings => Savage Influence => Raven Fletching => Poison Arrows Breeding Pit => --Overwhelming Strength => --Ritual Scarring => --Spray Venom Black Vault => Greater Perception => Darkness => Morgul Blade --------------------------------------------------------------- This is the first level of the evil campaign that can really pose a problem for you. As you can see at the beginning of the level, your task is to capture five Places of Power in order to prepare Dol Guldur for Sauron's return. It also shows that the Elves know of your plans. 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 having them heal after each great battle. I'm not going to say when you need to heal, you will have to find that out for yourself. As always, start off with resource structures and make sure there are enough Goblin Workers gathering from 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 at the far west edge 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 is 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 for such dirty work. By now, you should have been attacked at least once by an enemy heroic scout called Draelor. This guy is really, 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 a big Elf ambush. That's what you need the Tower for, it will, when occupied by 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 for 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 later part of this scenario. Take some of your forces up north and you will see the first of the five Ancient Temples. Kill any units around it, be sure to take a Wraith with you because some Elven Archers will otherwise inflict needless losses. Once all enemies are dead, a War Post automatically springs up from the ground near the PoP. The temple is yours, now. Train lots and lots of Slavemasters until your population reaches 60 or more. This needs to be done in order to sustain the needed troops for conquering all different 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 arrive at a familiar spot. The place where you had to choose between two paths in the "Pursuit of Gollum" scenario, in 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 for reinforcements 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, as you now own the Wretched Sentinel and its powers. 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 in the end. The other defenders aren't numerous nor strong, so just crush them in the name of the Dark Lord to seize control over the third Ancient Temple. Remember to heal here, from now on resistance won't be so soft anymore. Before advancing to the next temple, have a Goblin Worker build a Tower near the newly acquired Ancient Temple and put a Wraith in there. 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 camp, only this time it is defended quite 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, then heal. Head northwest some more to find more enemies, including... cloaked archers, what a suprise! They are easily disposed of. Go east towards the fourth Ancient Temple and defeat the units near it to shift control to you. Remember to lure out several enemies to safer ground if you find yourself overwhelmed. Next up is the big enemy encampment, so be VERY sure to heal and train as much troops as you think are needed. Before engaging the final camp, train some more Wraiths from your camp and send them to the fourth temple: this way you won't have to track back such a distance to deal with those annoying cloaked foes. Carefully approach the enemy camp and lure out the first enemies you see, leave the Ballista Tower alone 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 also 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 assailing you. Kill the enemies around the last temple to claim victory for the Minions. OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: - Take over the five Ancient Temples [--> MISSION ACCOMPLISHED <--] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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 ABILITIES STATUS --------------------------------------------------------------- N/A -> N/A => N/A --------------------------------------------------------------- BUILDINGS UNITS UPGRADES --------------------------------------------------------------- Fortress of Mordor => --Fortress of Mordor 4 War Post Goblin Hovel -> Goblin Worker -> Goblin Spearman -> Goblin Slavesmaster Slaughterhouse Smelter Tower Orc Mound -> Orc Slasher -> Orc Bowman Beast Lair -> Warg Rider -> Giant Spider Shadow Lair -> Wraith Dark Arsenal => --Serrated Blades => --Iron Fittings => Savage Influence => Raven Fletching => Poison Arrows Breeding Pit => --Overwhelming Strength => --Ritual Scarring => --Spray Venom Black Vault => Greater Perception => --Perpetual Darkness => Morgul Blade * In the second part of the mission you may also construct a Troll Den, and recruit Troll Bonecleavers and Stonehurlers. Also, the Unstoppable Force, Target Practice, and Sweeping Axe upgrades become available at that moment. --------------------------------------------------------------- This level is fairly easy if you have some patience. It starts off with a cutscene wherein the Trolls refuse to join with Sauron's armies. Yet the Dark Lord demands obedience, and it's up to you with the Nazgul 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 be a fool to to train units. You won't be attacked at all in the first part of this level, a portion that does not stop until you have forced all of the Trolls into submission. So, 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 constructed for you. Put three Workers on food and three on ore, preserve one to build buildings with. 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 at the north edge 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 time we assault the Trolls. Take your fully upgraded Orc Bowmen to the northeast, and head up the cliff, which has only one walkable path. Keep to the northern edge 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, a fresh Stonehurler pops out and the eastern Trolls pledge allegiance to Lord Sauron. Wait for your Bowmen to heal; if you lost one in fighting the Stonehurler you can just train a new one from the Orc Mound. Now head to the center cliff on the map. These are the northern Trolls. This time, you'll have to keep to the west edge of the cliff to avoid the Bonecleaver. You have to kill another Stonehurler here, then set ablaze the Troll Den. Just like the previous one, the Trolls will give up once it is demolished and you will receive another Troll Stonehurler, plus the Bonecleaver you retained. 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 at the newly corrupted landscape, and resource structures to start harvesting food and ore again. This ensures a grand income of resources, enough to build your army to a full population of 100. Your army should be placed on the cliff belonging to the east Trolls. Put the rally point from your Orc Mound to that platform. Leave your camp undefended, each single military unit pumped out should be on the eastern cliff. Start training new Orc Bowmen and Orc Slashers from your Orc Mound and send them to the army you already possess. 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 all 100 population slots, take two or three Orc Bowmen to the Western Troll Den. You should know 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 direct them to the far northeastern part of the map to find the Dwarven encampment. They have a nice defense, consisting of lots of Dwarf Shield- breakers, but they still aren't a match for your bulk of fully upgraded troops. Kill the dwarves first, then destroy the two Dwarf Halls over here to make sure they don't train any more soldiers. Then go for the Stronghold: all buildings here should go down quick with the Fire Arrows your archers have, and the sheer power of the Trolls. 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 Towers, 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 total dominion. Destroy this entire encampment to complete the mission. OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: - Test the Trolls [--> MISSION ACCOMPLISHED <--] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 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 ABILITIES STATUS --------------------------------------------------------------- Saruman -> Prison of Ice => Available -> Invisible Force => 2 Fate -> Pestilence => 3 Fate -> Twisting Influence => 3 Fate --------------------------------------------------------------- BUILDINGS UNITS UPGRADES --------------------------------------------------------------- Fortress of Mordor => All available except War Post for Morgul Blade Goblin Hovel -> Goblin Worker -> Goblin Spearman -> Goblin Slavesmaster Slaughterhouse Smelter Tower Orc Mound -> Orc Slasher -> Orc Bowman -> *Uruk-Hai Beast Lair -> Warg Rider -> Giant Spider Shadow Lair -> Wraith -> Haradrim Slayer Dark Arsenal Breeding Pit Black Vault * You can train Uruk-Hai from the moment you have awakened one from a cocoon. --------------------------------------------------------------- A new hero is introduced in this level, and quite a powerful one too: Saruman the Wise, the Ring-Maker, Wizard of Many Colors. As you can see in an opening sequence the Orcs are too cowardly to cross the Druadan Forest because of the Wild Men that roam within. Therefore, Saruman has called upon the Haradrim, invisible assassins, to clear the path of these barbarians. So these 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 objective succesfully. You start off 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 upgrade 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 dare are easily disposed of. Direct your Slayers southeast and head southwards wherever 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 for asskicking. Once they are defeated, Saruman will call forth his puny 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 Slave- masters 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 offensive and defensive army should be made up of Haradrim Slayers, fully upgraded and invisible. You'll need two forces in this scenario: one that will defend your main camp, and one that will defens the developing Uruk- Hai. The first one of these should consist of eight to ten Haradrim Slayers. The latter should be much larger, with ten to fifteen Slayers and Saruman. Note that you'll need a lot of population slots 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 fill with Slavemasters each one. Now direct 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 a single War Post. If you've done it right, Saruman will congratulate you and reveals his plans to create a new breed of warrior both Man and Orcish. 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 the Slashers to the Pit as well. As soon as there is one Orc Slasher and one Barrow-wight in the Pit, they'll mold into one. You now have five cocoon-like Uruk-Hai on very low health. The task here is simple: keep as many Uruk-Hai alive as you possibly 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 field of battle, 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 it. 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, if a battle at all. Once the camp is destroyed, a cutscene triggers, showing that the Huorns of the forest have awakened... scary :O 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, which 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 <--] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The Pass of Cirith Ungol =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- INTRO: Third Age 2000 "The Tower of Cirith Ungol - too long has it barred passage into the lands of Men. Lord Sauron will be contained within Mordor no longer. The Nazgul are sent forth to capture the Tower and open the pass for the Dark Master's legions." --------------------------------------------------------------- HEROES ABILITIES STATUS --------------------------------------------------------------- Lord/Nazgul -> Bind Shadow => Available -> Shadow Walk => Available -> Aura of Weakness => Available -> Ringsight => Available Grishnakh* -> Explosive Trap => 2 Fate -> Torch => Available -> Speed of the Wolf => Available Gollum* -> Sneak => 1 Fate -> Surprise Attack => 1 Fate -> Gollum's Mark => Available * Hire from Fortress of Mordor --------------------------------------------------------------- BUILDINGS UNITS UPGRADES --------------------------------------------------------------- All Available-> All Available => All Available --------------------------------------------------------------- Now you're the Lord of the Nazgul again. You need to clear the pass of Cirith Ungol to make way for Sauron's armies. Name sounds familiar? Yes, it's where the big, black, mean spider named Shelob lives. You can set her loose if you want to, but you mainly have to focus on capturing the Tower that has confined Sauron into Mordor for 'too long'. Here are your objectives: - Capture Cirith Ungol => Capture the Tower of Cirith Ungol => Destroy the Army of Gondor's encampment - (OPTIONAL) Release the terror of Shelob You start off with an encampment to the northeast of the map, commanding a small Orc army, the Lord of the Nazgul, and some Workers. First set up the resource gathering process, you should know how to do it by now. Ensure a good income and upgrade your Fortress of Mordor to level three. Build two Towers as quickly as you can, one in the southwest and one in the southeast of your settlement. Train more Slavemasters and put them in the Towers, but make sure you keep at least one spot empty in each of them. You only need to build two more buildings now: a Shadow Lair and a Black Vault. Once the Shadow Lair is completed, train a Wraith for each Tower in your camp. Fill up the rest of your population with only Haradrim Slayers, and give them the Assassin's Cloak upgrade from the Black Vault. Upgrade your Fortress of Mordor to the final level, then get every attack and armor upgrade for your Haradrim. Attacks on your camp in this level will arrive from three directions: the southwest, south, and southeast. It is best to keep your force fixed in the south of your settlement, then prepare for battle quickly as your Towers spot the incoming enemies. These will range from Huorns to cloaked Elven Archers, they're giving you everything they've got. It should not be too much of a problem with your force though. You only need to make sure that if there are any Huorns around, you send the Lord of the Nazgul to them. Huorns have a high armor rating, but will go down a lot more quickly if the Lord affects them with Aura of Weakness. When you have a force of ten or more Haradrim Slayers with all upgrades except for Poison Dart researched for them, this is in addition to your defense force, move south with them. You might want to evade the road, as you can run into enemy armies and take needless losses. At this point, building a Breeding Pit is pretty useful. Research Paralyze in it once it's completed. You'll soon see why. Back to your Haradrim. If you've already explored the area, you probably have noticed the green-looking eggs scattered over the environment. Those are spider-eggs, and you can make them burst open by right-clicking on them with any unit. The Giant Spider within will then join you, which will prove very useful in base defense should you have Paralyze researched. Free as many spiders as you can, they're all for free, and send them directly to your base. Evading the road, of course. Now head back to the road and follow it southwest and then west. You'll see an enemy outpost consisting of two Towers. This is basically free Fate: they seemingly have forgotten to place Rangers inside ;P So, raze them and direct your troops over the bridge. At the end of the bridge, it's the same story, even though there are two Huorns here as well (and they can't see you either). Now follow the road further west and take the north road when you can. You'll see a webbed up Ranger. Kill him. A cutscene will take place in which Shelob comes out of her cave, and she looks pissed! OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: - Release the terror of Shelob Be careful here, Shelob will attack your units as well as your enemies, though she prefers good guys more than Orcs or Haradrim. Lure her to the next Tower and if she survives that, to the human camp in the south. This camp ain't no fun, it's quite hard to destroy, but not impossible. March into the camp from any direction you like: there are a lot of Towers on either side. If you're unlucky, you might encounter a Ballista Tower with a Ranger in it. Summon a Balrog if you have seven Fate Points, it will help straighten things even a bit. The first thing you should go for are the Rangers, then the Towers (which might have Rangers inside them). After that, destroy the Ranger Post ASAP. If you did this all quickly enough you might be able to take the settlement on first try. Don't be disappointed if you don't succeed in that. Just build a new force of Haradrim and attack again very soon. After the Ranger Post is down, just raze all of the training buildings, and finally the vital Stronghold. Your forces have presumably already killed all of the Workers. If not, do it now and destroy all camps as well. Now the first and hardest part of the main quest is completed. Now you can go back to your base to train reinforcements, do anything you like, because you won't be attacked anymore once the enemy encampment is destroyed. I suggest training a very large force of Haradrim again. Should you need more resources, there is another Well and Ore Deposit directly south of your settlement. When you think your force of invisible assassins is large enough, head west again, over the bridge. Take the second, northward road you encounter. Follow it and you should see the Tower of Cirith Ungol. Step back once the troops have seen you: there is a Ranger in the Ballista Tower. Now, the second Ranger will probably pursue your force, and with him a lot of enemies. Focus on killing the Ranger first and then slaughter the rest of them, this isn't that hard. Next, heal if you want to, then attack the Tower. There are some Huorns around here but if you kill the Ranger that pops out ASAP they won't really pose much of a threat. One thing you should beware of is Tree Form though: this will bind your Haradrim to the ground while the Tower shoots them. But if you move quickly, they won't stand a chance. Victory is now just about certain. Direct your Haradrim into the courtyard and lead them to the top-right corner of this greyish square. There are some Elven Lightbearers upon the Tower itself, but they can't see you since there are no Rangers around anymore. Kill the Swordsmen near the Place of Power to finish the good guys of, capturing the Tower for the Dark Lord's own uses... OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: - Capture Cirith Ungol [--> MISSION ACCOMPLISHED <--] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= A Hidden Plan =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= INTRO: Third Age 3018 "The nation of Rohan will soon fall to the might of the Dark Lord. Sauron's armies sweep across the landscape, laying waste to any settlements they encounter. One such settlement, Upbourn, is of particular interest. The leader of the Upbourn garrison, Wulfhelm, plans a strong retaliation against the attackers. A Haradrim warrior has been charged with killing Wulfhelm, and conquering the town." --------------------------------------------------------------- HEROES ABILITIES STATUS --------------------------------------------------------------- Saleme -> Poison Trap => 2 Fate -> Blood Mark => 3 Fate -> Serpent Blades => Available Lord/Nazgul* -> Bind Shadow => Available -> Shadow Walk => Available -> Aura of Weakness => Available -> Ringsight => Available Grishnakh* -> Explosive Trap => Available -> Torch => Available -> Speed of the Wolf => Available Gollum* -> Sneak => Available -> Surprise Attack => Available -> Gollum's Mark => Available * Hire from Fortress of Mordor --------------------------------------------------------------- BUILDINGS UNITS UPGRADES --------------------------------------------------------------- All Available-> All Available => All Available =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Francis Estoesta has a tip to easen this level: =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= This goes for all cinematics. If you cancel out the cinematic before your units (in this level some of the Orcs) are killed you get to keep them, which may prove quite useful. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= With this level comes a new hero: the famous Haradrim huntress best known as Saleme. She's a quite powerful long-range unit with abilities to support an entire army. In the opening cutscene, you can see how cowardly Orcs are about to run from Upbourn, and then they are attacked. Fortunately, Saleme and her warriors come to the rescue. She gives the Orcs a harsh reprimande and tells you what to do, making your objectives clear: - Capture Upbourn by assassinating Wulfhelm, or through brute force - Destroy the enemy encampment that is guarding Upbourn You start out with a fairly large encampment and an army, led by Saleme. The first thing you should do, of course, is set up your resource structures and put enough Workers on each one to ensure a steady income of food and ore. Afterwards, use your Workers to put two or three Towers near your borders so that the western, northwestern, and southwestern exits are all protected. Believe me, you will need them a lot. Spread your Slavemasters over the Towers, and make sure to put a Wraith in each one. Next use a Worker to build a Black Vault, and after that set him to work on harvesting resources again. Upgrade your Fortress of Mordor and create more Haradrim Slayers from your Shadow Lair to assist in defense for now. In the Black Vault, research the Assassin's Cloak upgrade ASAP, then the attack and armor upgrades for your Haradrim. In order to get them all, you'll have to upgrade your Fortress of Mordor to level 5, remember that. All attacks in this level will come from the west, so position your army there. The only problem is that your camp is far too big to keep track off all defenses at one time. Fortunately, you've placed Towers there that will spot incoming enemy forces from afar. Watch out when you are attacked from multiple sides, this might seem a bit overwhelming, but keep your force fixed and you should be able to slay them without suffering lots of casualties. Start training more Haradrim Slayers, and more Slavemasters to get the needed population capacity. Put those in the Towers as much as you can, leave others in the middle of your camp, defended from enemies. Having a 100 population on this level is very possible. Pump up your defenses some more, but make sure you have at least 12 fully upgraded Haradrim Slayers (preferably more) to mount an attack on the Upbourn settlement. You can also hire Gollum from your Fortress of Mordor for some scouting around the hostile camp. Direct your Haradrim offense to the west, wading through the river. Now head to the far west of the map, until you can't go any further. Be careful not to be spotted by too many enemies. Heal if you need to once you get to the previously mentioned spot. Now, you can use Gollum again to scout out the place, and you might even find yourself a Place of Power. It's time to raze the enemy encampment now. This is by far the best defended camp you have encountered so far. It has only one weak spot, if you could call it one: the northwestern side of the camp is defended by only one, fully- manned tower (with a Ranger), but this can be evaded. Take your Haradrim Slayers through the pass north of their current position and follow the western cliff, until you get to the Camps of the enemy. Raze them, so you get more Fate Points. Attack the Tower once it sees you and kill the Ranger within to stop enemies from hurting you. Once you have seven Fate Points collected, this is a good time to summon a Balrog to aid you. Make sure the giant goes for the Towers with Rangers in them first, then let it dispatch of other buildings and units. Do as much damage as you can before it sinks into the ground again. If the Ranger Post is kaputt and there are no more Rangers around, the camp is pretty much dead meat, as they cannot see your Slayers anymore. So, raze it to the ground. OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: - Destroy the enemy encampment that is guarding Upbourn The hardest part of this mission is over. Now that the enemy camp is razed, there won't be any attacks on your settlement anymore. Take all of the Haradrim that were defending your camp to the rest of your Haradrim force in the west as reinforcements. Make sure every Haradrim is healed, then move to the city gate. There is a Ranger here, so focus all your offensive power on him before you try and kill the others. When they're dead, enter Upbourn. You have two choices here: go west or go east. Go west, and you will encounter some Riders of Rohan and Elven Archers on a ledge. They are easily disposed of because they don't have any Rangers to help them out. Proceed up north and you will encounter more forces, kill them all (no Rangers either). Now make your force stand still, and separate one or two Haradrim Slayers from the rest, preferably with full health. SAVE YOUR GAME! Watch at Wulfhelm's area. He is guarded by two Rangers with the Eagle Eye upgrade, so you need to be very careful. Once the last Ranger departs for his patrol-round start moving towards Wulfhelm with your assassin(s) and attack him. DO NOT attack any other enemies along the way, they can't see you anyway and you don't have any time to spare. Don't hesitate either, you have plenty of time to kill Wulfhelm. Once this is done, this mission will end in a victory for you. Note: if you didn't manage to kill Wulfhelm, you could either kill every single enemy in the city, or reload the game. I suggest doing the latter: this city is packed with Rangers and it will take very long to take them all out. It will take less time to try and take Wulfhelm out three or four times, trust me on that. OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: - Capture Upbourn by assassinating Wulfhelm, or through brute force [--> MISSION ACCOMPLISHED <--] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The Morgul-Road =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= INTRO: Third Age 2000 "After capturing the Tower of Cirith Ungol, the Dark Lord's army presses west along the Morgul-Road toward Minas Ithil. Scouts have reported a large force of Gondor fighters fleeing along the road. The cowards have been cut off by a troop of Orcs that had marched ahead. The army of Mordor will show no mercy to these weak Men of Gondor." --------------------------------------------------------------- HEROES ABILITIES STATUS --------------------------------------------------------------- Lord/Nazgul -> Bind Shadow => Available -> Shadow Walk => Available -> Aura of Weakness => Available -> Ringsight => Available Grishnakh* -> Explosive Trap => Available -> Torch => Available -> Speed of the Wolf => Available * Hire from Fortress of Mordor --------------------------------------------------------------- BUILDINGS UNITS UPGRADES --------------------------------------------------------------- All Available-> All Available => All Available --------------------------------------------------------------- Ah, this level can be so much fun if you know how to play it. It involves an attack with two different armies, your own and a computer-lead force, which has an allied general named Grosh. The Uruk-Hai in the opening cutscene tells you what to do, and after disposing of a little resistance among the Orc grunts, the army and the Lord of the Nazgul head over to their camp. So, your objectives would be: - Help Grosh's army destroy the enemy encampment to the west - (OPTIONAL) Find the archer's perch behind the enemy encampment You start off with a large army and a small camp. First, position all of your melee fighters, including the Lord of the Nazgul, to the southwestern border of your camp. Put all of your archers on the north edge. Now set up your resource buildings and get a sufficient amount of Workers on each. You may also train another Slavemaster and upgrade your Fortress of Mordor. Next, build a Tower on the far northwestern edge of your camp, and man it with your Slavemasters. Also construct an Orc Mound, a Shadow Lair, and a Black Vault. When you have enough resources, upgrade your Fortress again and train additional Uruk-Hai from your Orc Mound. Set the Orc Mound's rally point near the archers you already possess. This map is very straightforward: there is only one big road, leading to the west, with a cliff on either side. When you exit your camp to the west you will encounter a barricade. Don't destroy it yet. Instead, wait until you have a very large force (100 full population slots). This way, you won't be attacked by melee units from the enemy encampment. There will be, however, Elves which shoot arrows at your camp from the northern cliff. Fortunately, you have a Tower and a lot of archers there, so they won't be much of a problem. Now, for building up a force. Make sure you have your pop cap maxed out by recruiting more Slavemasters, then start training equal amounts of Uruk-Hai and Haradrim Slayers. Of all the different strategies for this level, I find this one the least costly: both units receive attack and armor increasement from identical upgrades, at the Black Vault. Put the Haradrim near the rest of your melee forces in the southwestern part of the camp, and Uruk-Hai should be moved to the other archers. At the Black Vault, purchase all upgrades for your Haradrim and Uruk-Hai except for Poison Dart. This will make defending against the Elves a breeze as well. Note that you need to upgrade your Fortress of Mordor once more, to level five, to be able to purchase all upgrades (Barbed Point and Dark Mail). You can buy more upgrades if you want, but make sure you have the ones stated above before researching any other. Once you have your pop cap maxed out, it's time to get your forces together and move west. Destroy any enemies and the barricade you encounter, you can use your Uruk-Hai to take out the archers on the cliff. Make sure you keep your force fixed at all times and you can hardly lose this level. Don't use any Fate Points yet, you'll get to use them enough once you reach the true enemy encampment. Notice that you will encounter Grosh's companions several times along the Morgul-Road, fighting the enemy. If you save them all before they die, they will join you, no matter your current population. This way, I've been able to get a pop of 126! I won't put down all of the places you encounter them, you can hardly miss them since the path is straight. When encountering enemies while on the road, always take the Rangers out first, then the archers, then the rest. This will make things a lot quicker since your big army of Haradrim can't be seen anymore. You can also make use of the "Haradrim and Uruk-Hai Offense" strategy (8.7 Evil-Only Strategies) to decimate foes quickly. This needs a lot of micromanagement, however, and should not be used here unless you have used it before and know its ways. Eventually you should reach a point where you have to choose between two roads. Choose the northern one, gather all your archers, and walk it through to complete an objective. This is the archer's perch, you see, and finding it means you get five Fate Points! OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: - Find the archer's perch behind the enemy encampment From here, this camp might look a little tough. However, since you have a nice LOS into this camp and a huge amount of Fate Points, summon a Balrog. Have it attack all of the Towers first, then the Ranger Post and preferably the Stronghold. The Towers still have the highest priority, though. You can use your archers on the perch to destroy any nearby buildings. Once you have done as much damage as you can, assemble all of your forces and this time take the southern road. There will be a barricade again, and pretty well defended. But, since you simply have a giant army by now, it shouldn't be much of a problem. Destroy the barricade, then head further west and kill any enemies you encounter. There are a lot of them around but your numbers are just too overwhelming for them. Now attack the camp, and you will receive help from Grosh's "army". A couple of Warg Riders and Orc Slashers... Well, it's better than nothing. Raze the camp completely, this isn't hard at all. There is no resistance left since your Balrog and archers killed all of them earlier. Just finish their job by destroying each and every enemy building over here. I summoned my second Balrog, just for fun. Once it's down, you'll be rewarded with victory. OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: - Help Grosh's army destroy the enemy encampment to the west [--> MISSION ACCOMPLISHED <--] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The Sacking of Minas Ithil =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- INTRO: Third Age 2002 "Built by Isildur, Minas Ithil is the sister city of Minas Anor, a fortress of Men, and home to one of the palantiri. The people of Minas Ithil have managed to survive a siege by the Nazgul for two long years. Now, however, the time has come for Minas Ithil and the palantir to fall into the hands of the Dark Lord." --------------------------------------------------------------- HEROES ABILITIES STATUS --------------------------------------------------------------- Lord/Nazgul* -> Bind Shadow => Available -> Shadow Walk => Available -> Aura of Weakness => Available -> Ringsight => Available Gollum* -> Sneak => Available -> Surprise Attack => Available -> Gollum's Mark => Available Saleme* -> Poison Trap => Available -> Blood Mark => Available -> Serpent Blades => Available Grishnakh* -> Explosive Trap => Available -> Torch => Available -> Speed of the Wolf => Available Saruman* -> Prison of Ice => Available -> Invisible Force => Available -> Pestilence => Available -> Twisting Influence => Available * Hire from Fortress of Mordor --------------------------------------------------------------- BUILDINGS UNITS UPGRADES --------------------------------------------------------------- All Available-> All Available => All Available --------------------------------------------------------------- Before I start anything here, I have to say that I find it EXTREMELY hard to write a good walkthrough for this level. It is just so annoying at times, and there are a lot of different strategies to use. You could use any combo you wish, from my Evil-Only Strategies section for example, or your own. I will, however, list a few useful tips that can help a lot in defense and offense. Sorry for all of you looking for a step-by-step walkthrough... In the opening cutscene, you can see the Lord of the Nazgul talk to his Black Riders about ripping the hearts of their enemies out of their bodies and things like that... pretty much the usual when playing the Minions of Sauron. All he says is shown in your objectives: - Capture Minas Ithil => Destroy the three enemy encampments => Corrupt the Tower of the Moon with War Posts It's actually a simple order, though by no means easy. Start off by expanding your camp to the west with one of your Slavemasters and set up your resource management in the meanwhile. Build a Fortress of Mordor in the south, and then one or two Towers in the north to assist in defense. Your Nazgul will be able to take on the first few attackers, but once the heavy troops arrive, you'd better have an army ready to deflect them. First of all, take the Lord of the Nazgul to the far east of the map, here is a great position for another camp, remember that for later, but more important: there is the Dragon Skull. This great Place of Power will greatly lower the costs of the upgrades you purchase. Very important in this level. Upgrade your Fortress of Mordor to gain access to all of the buildings, and build the structures you need for your own strategy. In my case, that would be a Shadow Lair and a Black Vault (for Haradrim, Wraiths for my Towers, and to upgrade the Black Riders). Man your Towers like usual: three Slavemasters and one Wraith each. Start training an army to assist in defense, and make sure to research the Morgul Blade ability for your Black Riders. This will aid you well in defending. Attacks in this level will come from two directions, the northeast and the west. Position your army in the north, near your Towers. Notice that there will be far more attacks from the northeast than from the west. However, the assaults coming from the west incorporate a lot more units than the usual attacks. Keep your force fixed to beat them back, and keep training more of your champion-units. Upgrade them to the max, then start creating an army for offense. Train more Slavemasters as you will need a lot of population to create all these units. Take your offensive force (mine consisted of 15-20 Haradrim Slayers, fully upgraded and thus invisible) west until you get to a road that leads to the north. Follow it up, wade through the water and you will see some trees with a Tower. It would be unwise to attack right away, instead circle around the camp until you find a place without many Rangers and attack there. This will probably be the northwestern side of the camp. I'm not saying this will work on first try, but if you keep cool and kill all of the Rangers first, you should be able to deal a lot of damage. Note that Rangers will often flee into Towers once you arrive, which is disadvantageous for cloaked troops. Try to kill them before they reach one. Once the first camp is down, you can rest a bit, but you'll have to keep training reinforcements. As you might have already seen, there is a heavily guarded enemy outpost south- east from the camp you just destroyed. Leave it for now, instead train more of your offensive units (Haradrim for me) and send them to the rest of your army. Head into Minas Ithil. The next camp is slightly easier than the last one: less Towers and less defenders, though there are some annoying Rangers around again. Nonetheless, this is a breeze compared to what you're going to face in the third camp. Use the same strategies as before, although you can't circle around this one. Raze it to the ground and you can wait and heal again. Train reinforcements as you see fit. Don't use the Fate Points you've gathered yet, instead keep training offensive units so that you have about 20-25. Make your way through the ruins of Minas Ithil. In the middle, you will find a Place of Power that will certainly help you in the next assault. Continue further east and there it is: the final encampment. You'll have a difficult time here, they have a lot of Ballista Towers with Rangers in them. However, if you attack from the south, you might be able to take down the Stronghold without a Ranger seeing you. Once you have enough Fate Points, summon a Balrog. The Balrog's power is very helpful here, just make sure you take out all Towers and Rangers before he disappears again. In the meanwhile, send your offensive force to destroy the enemy training buildings. This is a big camp, maybe it is better to have the Balrog attack each building ONE time, so they are set ablaze, then move it on to the next. Once the Towers are gone, you will have a fairly easy time razing the rest of the camp. Once it's gone, be glad. You've made it through the hardest part of the level. You can take it easy from now on, there will be no attacks on your camp anymore, so explore everything you want. If you ran out of resources, this is the best moment to set up an additional camp near the Dragon Skull mentioned earlier. Prepare a very large force for an attack on the Tower itself, consisting of your favourite combos. I used the "Haradrim and Uruk-Hai Offense" strategy when I attacked the Tower. When you think you have enough men, direct your entire force towards Minas Ithil. Head towards the Tower, there is only one way to get there, and it is guarded by a pair of Ballista Towers and a lot of units. Attack them, and go for their Beornings first. That way, the enemy units cannot be healed. Focus on crushing all resistance as quickly as possible, so make good use of your units' abilities (like the Uruk-Hai's Knockback Arrows). The Towers should be destroyed too, of course. Now position your entire army near the entrance of the Tower of the Moon, and take five Slavemasters from your Towers. Send them to the Tower. Position one near each of the Flags of Gondor that surround the Tower. Try to place all War Posts as quickly as possible, because once you place one, Swordsmen will storm out of the Tower, aiming directly at your War Posts. Teaming your Slavemasters by number helps. Try to kill all Swordsmen with your army before they do a lot of damage. Once the Tower is corrupted, you will gain a new objective. NEW OBJECTIVE: - Bring the Lord of the Nazgul to the Tower If he's already there, just position him in front of the entrance to the new Tower of Sorcery, Minas Morgul. Otherwise, just Shadow Walk him over there, then bring him to the Tower. He will claim the palantir for Lord Sauron. OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: - Bring the Lord of the Nazgul to the Tower Now, if you have already destroyed the outpost near the first encampment you will be victorious. If not, raze that outpost now, it's pretty well defended but with your army it shouldn't be too much of a problem. There are some Huorns as well as Ballista Towers. Once this is done, you will have won this last, difficult Evil campaign scenario. Satisfied? OBJECTIVE COMPLETED: - Capture Minas Ithil [--> MISSION ACCOMPLISHED <--] Congratulations, you beat the Evil Campaign! -- That's it for the guide :') -- I hope it helped all of you. BWillemsen "Doubt is our mind's labyrinth" =============================================================================== << 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...) - SThomas1317, for submitting the "Super Offense" strategy in the "Evil-Only Strategies" section. Also for the "Stonehurler Death Trap" strategy which can also be found there. - Gene Y. AKA grenka, for contributing an alternate strategy for "The Pass of Cirith Gorgor" level and for enhancing the "Haradrim & Uruk-Hai Offense" strategy - Manuel Vega 182002, for inspiring me to expand the "Places of Power" section. - Aragorn1913, for contributing the "Hordes of Mordor" strategy, which can be found in the "Evil-Only Strategies" section. Also pointed out a mistake to me in the evil section. - Tyler AKA Morgawr2, for pointing out that you can also show previously spoken dialogue via the objectives menu. - Christo Acheson AKA seaspray_68, for contributing the "Warped Retreat" strategy, which can be found in the "Evil-Only Strategies" section. He also had a useful tip for defending the catapult in the good campaign, "The Siege of the Iron Hills" scenario. - Ryan, for contributing the "Elven-Rohirrim Crush" strategy, which can be found in the "Good-Only Strategies" section. Finally, someone who contributes for the good side... thanx Ryan. - Telcontar590, for contributing the "Easy Elimination" strategy, which can be found in the "Good-Only Strategies" section. Also for giving the "Place of Power Protection" strategy for the "Evil-Only Strategies". - Francis Estoesta, for giving helpful tips on cinematics: sometimes, your troops die in the movie and thus you lose them. Cancelling the movie will allow you to keep those units... very helpful indeed. - Scott McCall, for contributing the "Concealed Annihilation" strategy, which can be found in the "Good-Only Strategies" section. It works especially well in Mirkwood missions, according to him. - Myself, for taking the time to write this FAQ THANKS EVERYONE...