Map Control

The Battle for Middle-earth uses the concept of "build sites" for base building. Unlike many other real-time strategy games, you can’t simply plop down a building anywhere on the map. You must use a build site to create a resource gathering structure, troop producing structure, or whatever else you wish to construct. Since there are a limited number of build sites on any given map, controlling the map and those build sites becomes extremely important. Basically control the map and you control the game.

Construct a couple resource gathering structures within your base then use your initial units to seek out settlements around your base to build more resource gathering structures. You may wish to add a battalion or horde now or use your initial units to clear out some neutral sites for their gold. The goblin lairs are your targets; wargs and cave trolls are very tough for your initial forces.

Scout your enemy to gauge his or her base building progress, unit production, and expansion. Train a cheap hero if you’re Gondor, Rohan, or Mordor. You can train Pippin (Gondor), Merry (Rohan), or Gollum (Mordor) and use them to scout. Pippin and Merry can even cloak when stationary. As Isengard, use the Vision of the Palantir power to keep an eye on your opponent.

Seek out settlements and expand. Maintain unit production in line with your income. Don’t fall behind on unit production or you could quickly lose your expansions if your opponent has trained several battalions or hordes and sends them to your new structures. The greater the number of expansions in the long run, the more income you’ll generate. The more income you generate, the more units you can produce or, perhaps even better, the more upgrades you can purchase or heroes you can train.

Adjust your forces as needed to protect your expansions. Use the Evenstar or One Ring powers to help you defend or attack expansions. There’s no need to spend resources on a whole new castle early in the game. It’s much too large of a resource hit to fund a whole new base. Concentrate on settlements and expanding your economy.

Troop Management

It’s possible to combine two different battalions or hordes to create a combination unit set. For instance, you could combine pikemen with archers. The pikemen remain in the front while the archers stand behind. You could combine soldiers with cavalry. The soldiers stand in the front and the cavalry remain in the rear; once the soldiers engage in battle, the cavalry rush to disrupt the enemy’s line.

Combining troops allows you to enhance units during battle. Combining tower guards with archers helps protect your ranged units; the tower guards fight on the front line and block the attacks attempting to reach your ranged units. A combination can also help protect a particular unit type from a counter unit.

The downside to unit combining is that it can’t be undone. Also, the new unit moves as a single force. This could be a disadvantage if you want to keep weaker ranged units away from danger but can’t because they move automatically with your other force. You’ll also move the speed of your slowest unit, thus negating some of the speed advantage of cavalry.

As highlighted through the general strategies section, be sure to mix your forces and consider unit counters as you fund and train troops. If your opponent masses cavalry, train units effective against cavalry, such as uruk pikes, tower guards, easterlings, or mumakil.

Four Sides

Your choice of side will certainly dictate your unit production (even though the basics of infantry, ranged, and cavalry spread across all sides). Gondor tends to be the defensive side. Turtle yourself in Gondor’s mighty defenses and utilize economic upgrades to reach the uber-powerful Gandalf. Those fighting against Gondor should maintain constant pressure and prevent economic expansion to try and negate the mighty hero. Use Gandalf’s Istari Light against enemy heroes and crush other units with wizard blast, lightning sword, and word of power.

Mordor can train free orcs, which sounds extremely unbalanced; hower the orcs are basically cannon fodder for most other troops, especially upgraded forces. Churning out free orcs simply to mass a huge army may only serve to grant your opponent lots of free experience. Pressure your opponent early when the orcs have a chance against enemy forces. Send free orcs to the slaughter house for more resources. As the game wears on, Mordor’s orcs become more and more unimportant. Shift production to Haradrim, fire arrow enhanced archers, and catapults. Nazgul can be useful but are countered rather easily by fire arrows and Gandalf. You’ll have to use the nazgul in hit and run strikes and away from these counters to be effective.

Use Rohan to harass and raid your opponent’s expansions. Quick Rohirrim cavalry have a big advantage on smaller maps; the Rohirrim can cover a lot of ground quickly. Use Theoden and Eomer and their leadership bonuses (and Glorious Charge) to aid in every skirmish. Control the map with constant raids and keep economic production above your opponent. Siege enemy bases using Ents and Evenstar powers.

Isengard offers a solid mix of troops, upgrades, and siege weaponry. For instance, the explosive mine can crumble enemy defenses in a single blow. Upgrade your uruk warriors and crossbowmen with forged steel and fire arrows and train pikemen to counter Rohan and Gondor cavalry. Lurtz is one of the better heroes in the game because he can cripple enemy heroes leaving them vulnerable to an immediate focused attack. This is especially useful against Gondor’s Gandalf.