The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth Game Guide - Page 20

Multiplayer Strategies

This section offers strategies for The Battle for Middle-earth’s multiplayer mode. Some elements of the multiplayer mode differ from the single-player campaign. For instance, the Evenstar and One Ring powers are slightly different for each side. Also, players can create heroes unique to that side and use their abilities to assist in battle. This chapter provides tips on using powers, controlling the map, attacking and defending, and implementing hero abilities.

Evenstar and One Ring Powers

This section reveals Evenstar and One Ring powers for all sides, their costs, prerequisites, and tips for using each.

Gondor

EVENSTAR POWER	COST	REQUIREMENT	DESCRIPTION	TIPS
Heal	1	N/A	Heals units, replaces one dead man per battalion.	Used primarily on heroes, especially the powerful Gandalf. A must have.
Elven Wood	1	N/A	Creates lush terrain. All ally units get +50% armor. All enemy units lose leadership bonuses.	Aid your troops during an important skirmish. Though the armor boost doesn’t affect heroes, it does negate enemy hero leadership bonuses.
Gandalf the White	2	Heal	+100% damage from Gandalf’s powers. Powers recharge twice as quickly.	Enhance the powerful Gandalf even more. A must have because Gandalf is arguably the most powerful unit in the game.
Summon Elven Allies	3	Heal or Elven Wood	Summons a group of elves.	Instant reinforcements for an important skirmish. Can also be used as a diversionary tactic.
Summon Rohan Allies	3	Elven Wood	Summons Rohirrim.	Instant reinforcements. Trample infantry with the Rohirrim!
Cloud Break	6	Gandalf the White or Summon Elven Allies	Sun breaks through rain or darkness. Stuns enemy units.	Counter Mordor or Isengard’s darkness or rain. Stun the enemy with light; if they’re stunned, they aren’t fighting.
Summon Eagle Allies	6	Summon Elven Allies or Summon Rohian Allies.	Summons giant eagles.	Counter Nazgul or use as general reinforcements.
Summon Army of the Dead	10	Cloud Break or Summon Eagle Allies	Summons the Army of the Dead	Counter the Balrog or lay waste to an enemy army or base area.

Isengard

ONE RING POWER	COST	REQUIREMENT	DESCRIPTION	TIPS
War Chant	1	N/A	+150% damage, +50% armor to targeted units.	Enhance your army during a skirmish.
Vision of the Palantir	1	N/A	Spy on the enemy forces.	Keep an eye on your opponent’s base building, army movement, and expansion. Scout, scout, scout! Extremely useful and helps you time raids and attacks successfully.
Industry	2	War Chant	+100% resources from selected structures for a short time.	Provides an income boost to fund expansion, more units, or heroes.
Tainted Land	3	War Chant or Vision of the Palantir	Taints an area of terrain. All ally units get +50% armor. All enemy units lose leadership bonuses.	The opposite of the good side’s Elven Wood. Aid your troops during an important skirmish. Though the armor boost doesn’t affect heroes, it does negate enemy hero leadership bonuses.
Devastation	4	Vision of the Palantir	Trees turned into resources.	Obliterate a forest and convert it into resources.
Freezing Rain	6	Industry or Tainted Lands	All enemy units lose all leadership bonuses.	Negate the leadership effect of heroes (or other units).
Fuel the Fires	6	Tainted Lands or Devastation	+100% resources from harvesting trees.	Obviously most useful if you have built many lumber mills.
Summon Balrog	20	Freezing Rain or Fuel the Fire	Summon the Balrog	The evil answer to the Army of the Dead. But the Balrog is very expensive. Don’t use if your opponent has Army of the Dead waiting or your Balrog could get rolled over quickly.

Mordor

ONE RING POWER	COST	REQUIREMENT	DESCRIPTION	TIPS
Tainted Land	1	N/A	Taints an area of terrain. All ally units get +50% armor. All enemy units lose leadership bonuses.	The opposite of the good side’s Elven Wood. Aid your troops during an important skirmish. Though the armor boost doesn’t affect heroes, it does negate enemy hero leadership bonuses.
Eye of Sauron	1	N/A	Reveals stealthed enemies. Orcs +150% damage, +200% experience, +50% armor.	Useful in an early orc rush to boost their damage, armor, and experience. Move the eye around to follow your orc hordes.
Industry	2	Tainted Land	+100% resources from selected structures for a short time.	Provides an income boost to fund expansion, more units, or heroes.
Scavenger	4	Tainted Land or Eye of Sauron	All kills earn extra resources.	This is a passive ability so once acquired, it’s always active.
Devastation	4	Eye of Sauron	Trees turned into resources.	Obliterate a forest and convert it into resources.
Darkness	6	Industry or Scavenger	Shrouds the entire map in darkness. All ally infantry hordes get +50% damage, +50% armor.	Bolster those orc hordes! Though improves other Mordor infantry as well.
Call the Horde	6	Scavenger or Devastation	Increased orc production speed.	Pump out free orcs even quicker. Best used with multiple pits.
Summon Balrog	20	Darkness or Call the Horde	Summon the Balrog	The evil answer to the Army of the Dead. But the Balrog is very expensive. Don’t use if your opponent has Army of the Dead waiting or your Balrog could get rolled over quickly.

Rohan

EVENSTAR POWER	COST	REQUIREMENT	DESCRIPTION	TIPS
Draft	1	N/A	All peasants become armed.	Increases peasant armor and damage.
Heal	1	N/A	Heals units, replaces one dead man per battalion.	Used primarily on heroes. A must have.
Anduril	2	Draft	Aragorn +100% damage.	Rohan’s most powerful hero gains additional damage.
Summon Elven Allies	3	Draft or Heal	Summons a group of elves.	Instant reinforcements for an important skirmish. Can also be used as a diversionary tactic.
Elven Wood	3	Heal	Creates lush terrain. All ally units get +50% armor. All enemy units lose leadership bonuses.	Aid your troops during an important skirmish. Though the armor boost doesn’t affect heroes, it does negate enemy hero leadership bonuses.
Cloud Break	6	Anduril or Elven Allies	Sun breaks through rain or darkness. Stuns enemy units.	Counter Mordor or Isengard’s darkness or rain. Stun the enemy with light; if they’re stunned, they aren’t fighting.
Summon Ent Allies	8	Summon Elven Allies or Elven Wood	Summons Ents.	Ents are formidable but slow. Use close to an enemy base or group of units to maximize damage potential.
Summon Army of the Dead	10	Cloud Break or Summon Ent Allies	Summons the Army of the Dead	Counter the Balrog or lay waste to an enemy army or base area. Aragorn possesses the power as well for double the Army of the Dead action!

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Battle for Middle-Earth

Real-Time Strategy
Release: Dec 6, 2004 »
ESRB: Teen

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