Tactics Against Factions

== There are many factions in Middle-Earth, and each have their own method of fighting. This page will help teach you how to fight and defend against the different races one may face in their various realms. ==

Fighting the Wood-Elves
Though powerful, there are certain tactics that an evil player can use to get the best of this tree-dwelling filth.

The first trick to fighting Wood-Elves is: don't go mounted! I know it'll be tempting to charge in on your pet spider, but save that for Gondor. With Wood Elves, you'll want to be maneuverable, able to squeeze into small spaces, bob and weave. You won't be able to do that with a mount.

The second trick is: raid houses! Wood-Elf Houses are excellent places to hide out, and here's why: There's only ever one, maybe two Elves in there at a time, and it's always got some arrows, so you can restock your bow, and it's single door is a great place for melee defense. Simply take a few steps out of your door, lure some Elves to attack you, and then go back inside. Wait by the door. The moment it opens, beat up whoever opened it with your sword. It works against single, mounted, and multiple enemies. This tactic will keep you alive and swinging for a while.

The third trick is: do not use weapons with high knockback! Seriously, just don't! High knockback weapons will knock the Elves back, and further away from your melee weapons is right where they want to be. They're very good with their Bows, and you want to remain close!

The fourth trick is: take down the towers! If you're smart, this is an easy task. Wood-Elven Towers, while well-guarded, often have their soldiers spread out. A good way to take down a tower is to go down, take the loot chests and the food, then steadily sneak up. Go very slow, and try to lure the enemy down one by one to the level you've already cleared. The Wood-Elf Captain is easy to kill if he has no support.

The fifth trick is: do NOT get caught out in the open! This cannot be stressed enough. Unless you have an army to act as a meat shield, you will most certainly be caught on multiple sides by warriors and archers, who will then proceed to play ping-pong with you as the ball and arrows as the rackets. Only an army, or armor with high levels of projectile protection (e.g. Galvorn Armor) will help against this. You definitely want to stay in an area where you can duck into cover at a moment's notice.

Fighting Dol Guldur
Dol Guldur is a nasty place, full of Dol Guldur Orcs, Mirkwood Spiders, and Mirk-Trolls. However there are certain things you can do to cleanse this land of some of it's evil.

The first trick to fighting Dol Guldur is: bring an army! In a fairly open and bumpy area that's crawling with enemies, having some of the brave soldiers of the free peoples help you would be a definite boost. In some cases you may not want to bring a large number of enemy soldiers into another biome for fear of them dying, but in this case you need not worry about that. Rather than strong and low in number like the Elves, these soldiers are merely mediocre and large in number. So you're army's size will protect it.

The second trick is: take advantage of local unrest! If the Orcs are brawling, let them brawl! Don't interfere. By the time it's over, many Orcs will be dead, and many more wounded.

The third trick is: steer clear of those Mirk-Trolls! They are surprisingly fast, and exceptionally dangerous, even if your army has large numbers. The best way to take these guys down is through range.

The fourth trick is: take those Dol Guldur Towers! Though these places have little loot of any value to a good-aligned player, but they're surprisingly low on guards! Kill the Dol Guldur Orc Chieftain, take a position on the roof, and snipe! These towers are slightly lower to the ground than some others, so sniping from this rooftop is easier.

Fighting the Uruk-Hai
The Rohan Uruk Highlands are a dangerous place, filled with tough Uruk-Hai armed with various weapons, including the Fire of Orthanc. There are ways, however, to defeat those pesky Uruks...

The first trick to fighting the Uruk-Hai is; make sure that you are well armoured and are carrying a powerful ranged weapon, preferably a Crossbow. Without a ranged weapon, one small group of Uruk-Hai Crossbowers can kill you, even if you are in full armour.

The second trick is: take advantage of local unrest! If the Uruks are brawling, let them brawl! Don't interfere. By the time it's over, many Uruks will be dead, and many more wounded.

The third trick is: go mounted. The Rohan Uruk Highlands is a very open space, and you'll need speed to escape from Warg riders. A Horse of Rohan would be your best bet for getting around the highlands. Don't forget to equip it with armour, as well! You can also use Wood-Elven Scout Armor instead of a mount.

The fourth trick is: make sure you know what Uruk-Hai you're up against. Ordinary Uruk-Hai, Uruk-Hai Chieftains, Wargs, and Uruk-Hai Berserkers can be defeated with melee, but you will need a ranged weapon or Spear to take down Uruk-Hai Crossbowers or Sappers.

The fifth trick is: when fighting a Warg rider, melee attack the Warg if the unit atop the Warg is a melee unit. If the unit atop the Warg is a Crossbower, however, then your best bet is to shoot the crossbower down from a distance while riding (try a hit-and-run tactic) and then take care of the Warg.

The final trick is: be extremely careful if you see a Warg Bombardier. A single one of these units can take you (and your entire army) out with a bang...literally! Some of those Bombardiers carry triple strength Orc Bombs, so even heavily enchanted armour won't save you at point blank. On top of that, a Warg Bombardier has a long sight range and can easily outrun you. The only way to deal with a Bombardier safely is to shoot it down with a ranged weapon.

Fighting the Blue Mountains Dwarves
The Dwarves of the Blue Mountains are not a numerous people, and so venturing through their territory is easier than most. But fighting them can be trickier.

The first trick to fighting the Dwarves is: locate their houses. You may want to wait for nightfall, as their houses are easier to see then. The Dwarven houses are fairly common, contain plenty of food and ale for regeneration, and aren't very well guarded. Excellent places to slaughter the virtually defenseless. These are excellent for raising your faction standing with evil.

The second trick is: strongholds are good to attack, but be careful! Make sure you've got good armor and weapons, and that you're fast! An excellent tactic to use is to get to a higher elevation and snipe any Dwarves you see from there, thus thinning their numbers before you enter. Then, approach the main door, taking care of any stragglers that you didn't before. Than, open the front door, get some Dwarve's attention, and then close the door. Smack them repeatedly as they open and close the door trying to get to you. Once you dispatch a few this way, you can move through the rest of the fortress. But be careful, you can get in sticky situations fast.

The third trick is: don't attack the mines! Seriously, unless you've got a good army, you don't want to mess with this. The Dwarves down here are thick in number, and respawn at a decent rate. Before you know it you'll be cornered, being knocked this way and that by Dwarven daggers. On top of that, the tunnels are very small, thus not allowing for mounted or effective ranged combat, nor will you be able to bring mounted or particularly large units.

== The fourth trick is: ranged! Though the Dwarves are rarely outside of their houses or strongholds, when they are out in the open you have a golden opportunity. Dwarves, not being the fastest or longest-range species out there, are highly vulnerable to ranged attack. Even their axe-throwers are fairly short ranged, and not as accurate as the Elves.

==