Four Gameplay Tips

This page is (yet another!) essay written by Glflegolas. In it, I will discuss four basic things you need to know about surviving in Middle-Earth.

1. Get Aligned!
The first thing you should do when you enter Middle-Earth is to find a faction and to stick to it. Try to get as much alignment as you possibly can with the faction of your choice as fast as you can; this is especially true in multiplayer. Not only will this probably provide you with cash (if you choose to do mini-quests), but it will allow you to use faction-specific equipment and, in time, hire an army! A great way to get alignment fast is to do some Mini-Quests; in addition to providing you alignment, you'll also get some cash. It's also a good idea to get decent amounts of alignment for at least two factions; that way, you'll be able to hire troops if you're on a trip.

2. Do not enter a new biome unprepared
As you gain alignment, you will become friends with certain factions. But, unless you plan on playing as a pacifist, you will also become enemies with other factions, and this is where things can get very interesting. When you plan on entering a new biome, make sure you know something about the inhabitants. For example, if you've been killing Gundabad Orcs in order to become friends with the Rangers of the North, you shouldn't enter Angmar unless you know what you're doing, because Angmar and Gundabad are allied. A surefire way to check whether or not the biome you plan on visiting is safe is to read the wiki pages regarding biomes (they will tell you the inhabitants of that biome), and look at your alignment with the inhabitants' faction. If it's -1 or lower, you will be considered an enemy of that faction, and face the risk of being attacked.

3. Beware of Invasions and Bandits!
Once you have -1 alignment or lower with a faction, that faction has a chance to launch an invasion in your area -- provided, of course, you're in a biome that the faction can invade; see the Invasion page for more details.

Fortunately, invasions don't come without warning; you will be alerted in the chat with the following message, along with the blast of a low-pitched horn: [Faction] have launched an invasion nearby! As soon as you hear the horn, or see the message in chat, get ready! Either run away, or fight off the mobs that spawn (there will be 30-70 of them). Also, note that invasions can spawn units that do not normally spawn. Always take invasions seriously; one misstep and it can mean the end of your campaign.

Aside from invasions, you'll probably run into Bandits every now and then while travelling. These NPC's spawn near you, take stuff out of your inventory (especially your money) and then run away! Getting alignment won't help here, because Bandits will steal from you regardless of alignment. However, hired troops will dispatch bandits for you, and you can slay them if you're fast enough.

4. Hire an army!
One of the greatest things you can do in the LotR Mod is to hire your very own, personal army. This will require you to get enough alignment with the faction of your choice and some silver coins. From there, you need to locate a Unit Hiring NPC, and tell him you want to hire units. As soon as you click the sword icon, the unit you chose to hire will be yours.

To control your army, you can use a Horn of Command, in order to summon your units and to halt them if needed, and a Warg Bombardier units off to distant targets. You can also use a Table of Command to assign your command items to different squadrons and put your soldiers in separate squads (for example, you might keep some soldiers guarding your base, while you go attack with the other squad).

1. Beware of Warg Bombardiers!
Of all the units you will be facing in Middle-Earth, few can match the sheer danger of the Warg Bombardier. While they don't normally spawn, they can spawn in Angmar and Uruk-Hai invasions -- and if they do, they can cause great chaos; not only will they kill you no matter what armour you're wearing, but they will be able to destroy most of your army, too. Combine that with a speed that's faster than you can run, 18-40 HP, and a double strength Orc Bomb, and danger is right there. If you see a Warg Bombardier, kill it with ranged weapons, spears, or Throwing Axes immediately. Anything else can wait for the time being.

1. Stay out of Rohan
If you do not have a good or neutral alignment with the land of Rohan, do not go in there. The inhabitants (Rohirrim) are plentiful, fast and powerful, and can see you from 24 blocks away compared to the normal 16. On top of that, they are too fast to be outsprinted, and their archers are almost impossible to kill without a fast mount or a ranged weapon; they will back off and shoot quickly enough that you can't hit them. Only enter Rohan if you're an experienced fighter and know what you're doing.