Chapter 2 - Forces of Evil
Concepts that apply to the forces of good also apply to the forces of evil. Consider unit counters carefully as you train your hordes of warriors, archers, or mounted units. In general, the forces of evil rely on overwhelming numbers to defeat their enemies. Goblins and Mordor can create cheap troops quickly and pressure a foe early and often with harassing attacks.
This section covers the forces of evil: Goblins, Mordor, and Isengard. 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.
Goblins
The Goblins rely heavily on the numbers advantage. Their basic warriors and archers aren’t nearly as strong as other races but they’re inexpensive--you’ll simply have more of them for the same amount of resources used. Because the Goblins can create inexpensive units, it’s a good idea to put pressure on your enemy early and often. Harass enemy structures and units with Goblin Warriors, Goblin Archers, and eventually fast Spiderlings to try and cripple an opponent’s resource production.
Similar to the Dwarves, the Goblins’ employ a networked tunnel system as their resource production structure. You can keep them protected and move them quickly around base for an agile defense or attempt a diversionary or flanking attack. The Goblins’ Spider Pit also trains Spider Riders, which are the Goblins’ cavalry unit and can be used to trample enemy warrior or archer lines; the Spider Riders can also utilize spear for close-range combat or bow for ranged warfare.
The Goblins’ ability to pressure early is important but it’s also vital to utilize the Fissure structure for longer games. The Fissure produces Half-Troll Marauders, which are the Goblins’ pikemen, Cave Trolls, and Mountain Trolls. The Goblins’ troll units are pricey but powerful as both melee and ranged (think siege) units. You won’t be able to rely on them alone. Support your most powerful units with cheap and numerous Goblin hordes.
Enhance cheap Goblin units with the One Ring Powers and provide support with a wide array of summon powers (Wildmen, Spiderlings, Wyrm, Watcher, Dragon, and Balrog all included!). Scavenger is a good choice for its extra resources for kills, especially if you plan to be aggressive from the start.
The following chart reveals heroes, cost, command points (CP) and abilities for the Goblins.
| Hero | Cost | CP | Abilities |
| Goblin King | 3000 | 25 | Unlock Skull Totem at level two. You can place the Skull Totem on the ground and it remains until destroyed; while active, the totem reveals shroud, detects stealth, and provides armor, damage, and experience bonus to nearby troops. Obviously helpful in battle but it’s a small area. At level three, the Goblin King gains the ability to mount. You’ll receive Leadership at level four and Poisoned Stinger at level six. Poisoned Stinger stuns the targeted enemy and also suffers poison damage over time. Call from the Deep is a powerful level ten ability; the Goblin King summons three Fire Drakes. |
| Shelob | 2000 | 50 | The spider from the pass of Cirith Ungol offers three abilities. Unlock Instill Fear at level three, which as the name suggests causes fear in nearby enemies. Poisoned Stinger at level six poisons the enemy unit and causes more damage over time. Finally Tunnel at level ten allows Shelob to tunnel underground and emerge at any unshrouded location. |
| Drogoth the Dragon Lord | 5000 | 75 | Drogoth is extremely expensive but provides powerful abilities. Beware of upgraded archers! Drogoth comes with Fireball, which launches a ball of fire causing area effect damage. Wing Blast at level three shoots a shockwave also causing area effect damage. Unlock Fire flight at level six to launch a fiery missile and Incinerate at level ten to ignite an area with dragon fire. |
Table of Contents
More Features
Games you may like…
-
Rise of the Witch-King
(PC) -
Battle for Middle-Earth
(PC) -
LotR: War of the Ring
(PC) -
The Lord of the Rings The Battle for Middle-Earth Anthology
(PC) -
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
(PC)
Users who looked at content for this game also looked at these games.
See More Similar Games