6 - Celduin

Objective: Return to the docks.

Bonus Objective: Dain must survive.

You begin the mission with the Dwarven hero King Dain and some Guardians--you’re currently cut off from ally forces. King Dain’s abilities include Leadership and Mighty Rage, which can heal ally troops.

The first part of this mission is challenging; it’s easy to lose a lot of troops if you aren’t careful. Keeping those troops alive will make the first half of the mission much easier. Utilize King Dain’s heal ability to aid a wounded battalion; also, utilize your good campaign powers to help keep your battalions alive.

Move northwest to find more allies. These troops are currently engaged in battle so aid them quickly. You’ll encounter friendly archers coming from the north. Send them south to King Dain and the Guardians quickly because enemy forces are in quick pursuit. Gather your troops together and use the Heal power or King Dain’s Mighty Rage before continuing onward.

Gather treasure along the northern edge. Move carefully to the east. There’s more treasure here but you’ll soon encounter a Cave Troll and Nazgul. Keep most of your troops out of the fight; you can lose a lot of men very fast to the Troll and Nazgul. Task King Dain against the Cave Troll and provide support with ranged troops. This is a prime battle for any recharged powers, such as Tom Bombadil, that can assist in aiding your army or harming the enemy. There are a number of ally forces nearby; move them toward your other forces and eliminate remaining enemies. Check all battalions for upgrade potential and acquire everything available.

Continue in a southeast direction. Use King Dain in a battle against a second troll then gather nearby treasure. Beware of a long-range enemy attack ship off the northeastern shore as you continue south toward a squad of surrounded Phalanxes.

You’ll encounter reinforcements along the docks but they’re usually under attack. Help these Phalanxes!

Bonus Objective: Destroy all Mordor Catapults.

The Phalanxes are under heavy attack; a Mordor Catapult attacks from the west. Send a couple battalions to engage the catapult while remaining forces aid the Phalanxes. Select the Phalanxes and switch them into Porcupine Formation to aid in their defense. Use helpful powers (Tom Bombadil, Rallying Call, Heal, Elven Wood, Elven Gifts) to aid in the fight to rescue the besieged troops.

Bonus Objective: Capture all Inns and Outposts.

The area is littered with buildings to capture. Captured Inns can train Men of Dale while captured Outposts increase resource production. Locate the first Outpost just south of this battle and capture the structure. Look offshore to the east to discover some treasure. Heal wounded troops and move west then south to work your way to the original troops. Search the southeastern shore for a Mine Shaft that contains additional units to add to your battle groups.

Capture the Inn as you move west. As you near the rendezvous with previous forces, the small base comes under your control. Eliminate nearby enemies to gain a foothold.

Objective: Cross the shallows.

Take the time to capture all nearby buildings. There’s a Shipwright to the south and two more Outposts and an Inn within the base. Search north for another Shipwright and an Outpost. Train Men of Dale from the Inn and add them to your battle groups. You’ll need them against the impending Mumakil attack. Select your units and acquire any upgrades possible.

Objective: Repel the Mumakil assault.

The western side of the docks is essentially your base of operations. Use the Hearth to heal troops between battles.

Your small base contains a Hearth, which heals nearby troops that aren’t currently engaged in battle. The forces of Mordor send ground troops led by mammoth Mumakil to attack your newly formed stronghold. Maintain your position and continue to reinforce your army with additional Men of Dale. Add all ranged troops to their own battle group. As soon as a Mumakil moves within range, recall your ranged battle group and order them to fire on the formidable beast. Use any recharged powers to assist in the battle. Use King Dain’s Mighty Rage to heal wounded troops in a pinch if you can’t wait for the Hearth.

Repeat until all Mumakil assault waves have been defeated. It’s time to cross the shallows toward the Mordor Fortress.

Objective: Destroy the Mordor Fortress.

Mordor catapults clutter the shallows between your base and the Mordor Fortress in the southwest corner of the map. If you want to play it safe, you can use King Dain and King Dain alone to venture into the shallows and eliminate many of the catapults alone. Even if you spot flaming projectiles headed your way, King Dain is agile enough to avoid them. Keep an army of melee and ranged units just outside your base and ready to assist as necessary. Get King Dain across the shallows to complete one of the objectives. Also beware of a Wyrm that appears on the western side of the shallows.

Mordor forces launch a counterattack after you cross so be prepared to retreat to your base and battle enemy forces there. Use the Hearth to mend your troop wounds before venturing back through the shallows. Watch for small enemy squads escorting catapults on the northern and southern sides of the shallows. Intercept these with a small army supported by King Dain.

Escort your army across the shallows to the western edge of the map. Lure enemies into your archers and utilize powers like Tom Bombadil, Elven Wood, and Rallying Call to assist against the aggressive enemy force. Explore the northwestern side of the map to find a Signal Fire (capture it to increase your power recharge rate) and a Mine Shaft, which offers reinforcements (and also can be used to transport units quickly from the other Mine Shaft southeast of your base). Eliminate the Wight Lair up north for some extra experience and treasure.

The Mordor Fortress is impressive. Beware of Black Rider and flying Nazgul along with the Fortress’ catapult emplacements. Lure enemy forces away from the Fortress and out of the range of those devastating artillery expansions. You could stand ground north of the enemy Fortress and wait for powers to recharge if needed before mounting the final assault against the Mordor Fortress. Eliminate the catapult emplacements as quickly as possible before attacking the Fortress itself.