Chapter 1 - Forces of Good
One of the most important concepts in The Battle for Middle-earth II--and it’s similar to many real-time strategy games--is the rock-scissors-paper approach to combat. This means that certain units are better suited to fight other specific units. For example, pikemen are best used against cavalry while cavalry are best used against archers.
In general, The Battle for Middle-earth II follows this logic: swordsmen beat pikemen, pikemen beat cavalry, cavalry beat archers, and archers beat swordsmen. There are some exceptions and, of course, other unit types to consider (such as trolls, giants, and spiders). However, remember that rule and you’ll know how best to counter the makeup of an enemy’s army as well as how to micromanage the fight when the moment of combat approaches.
This section covers the forces of good: Elves, Men of the West, Dwarves. You’ll find details on heroes and units and general strategies for using each group in battle. Note that this chapter was written on the retail version of The Battle for Middle-earth II.
Elves
Two words: Silverthorn Arrows. The Elves excel with bows; their upgraded archers are extremely, extremely formidable and several of the Elven hero units implement bows (including the mighty Legolas) as well. The Elves are certainly the ranged race. The Elves’ unique Silverthorn Arrow upgrade has many players wondering if the Elves are simply too powerful. Apparently the game’s executive producer thinks so as well; Mike Verdu’s blog stated that the Elven Silverthorn arrows will be toned down a bit in a future patch.
For now, battalions of fully upgraded Elven archers can wipe out "powerful" late game units like eagles or even the Balrog. Indeed the upgrade is powerful (and arguably unbalanced given Mike Verdu’s statements) but it’s also quite an expensive investment. If you rush to Silverthorn Arrows, you’re exhausting an enormous amount of resources that your opponent may be using to rush your base. The Elves can excel in late game but aren’t as powerful early.
Being weaker early leaves the Elves vulnerable to an aggressive opponent. Acquiring the Silverthorn arrow upgrade is pricey. Building the Eregion Forge, upgrading it, then researching the upgrade, then applying the upgrade to your archer battalions is a big investment. It also means your Eregion Forge must be well-protected to avoid a disastrous setback. An effective counter is not allowing the Elves to sit back and fund upgrades until they possess a near unbeatable army.
The Elves use two structures to train their primary army. The Elven Barracks builds warriors (counter pikemen), archers (counter swordsmen), and the Mithlond Sentries, which are the Elven pikemen to counter cavalry. There are two archer types: Lorien and Mirkwood. The Mirkwood Archers can stealth (great for gaining sight on enemy areas for power usage) but are unable to improve with the Elven Armor upgrade at the Eregion Forge.
The Green Pasture creates the Elven cavalry units primarily used to rush and flank opposing archer lines. The Elves can also build the Entmoot and construct Treebeard or Ents as siege weapons to topple defenses.
The following chart reveals the Elven heroes, cost, command points (CP) and a rundown of each hero’s abilities.
| Hero | Cost | CP | Abilities |
| Haldir | 2000 | 50 | You can switch Haldir between sword and bow. You must reach level six before unlocking his first ability: Leadership (which Elrond can acquire at level three). Leadership boosts nearby allies +50% damage and armor as well as accelerating experience gain. Golden Arrow is Haldir’s only other ability at level ten; it’s high damage and can stun certain evil units. |
| Glorfindel | 1500 | 50 | You can toggle Glorfindel between mounted or on foot (and receives the strengths and weaknesses of each). Blade of Purity unlocks at level three and boosts Glorfindel’s damage and armor +100% for a short time (best used while in combat, of course!). Wind Rider increases speed and armor while mounted. Starlight is like temporary leadership but also heals nearby allies. |
| Arwen | 800 | 25 | Arwen is an inexpensive hero but lacks a potent ability until reaching level ten. She can be used mounted or on foot. At level two Arwen receives Athelas (Elrond has this at the start), which heals nearby heroes. Flood unlocks at level 10; Arwen summons a flood to damage enemies or put out fires. Think of it as a version of the similar Evenstar power. |
| Legolas | 3000 | 75 | Legolas comes equipped with Hawk Strike, a high-damage double-arrow attack. Unlock Knife Fighter at level two for a melee attack that increases Legolas’ armor. Train Archers at level four is a useful ability because it helps enhance the Elves’ strength: archers. Use it to provide archer battalions with experience. Finally Arrow Wind at level seven is used to launch a continuous volley of arrows at a specific target. |
| Thranduil | 2500 | 75 | Thranduil offers several stealth abilities. Wind Walk allows Thranduil to shoot while invisible. Use Move Unseen, unlocked at level three, to allow targeted allies to become temporarily stealthed. Elven Cloak at level four allows Thranduil to remain invisible while standing still (spy!). Dead Eye at level seven grants a temporarily increased to damage while Thorn of Vengeance at level ten is a powerful single-shot attack suited for a hero or high-hit point unit. |
| Elrond | 2500 | 50 | Elrond comes equipped with Athelas and provides Leadership at level three. Use Farsight at level six to reveal map areas. Whirlwind at level seven summons a powerful tornado that can send enemy battalions flying. Finally Restoration at level ten heals allies and fully refreshes special ability timers. Use this to essentially give your heroes two special attacks in the span of seconds. |
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