| “ | But at the end of the Third Age a troll-race not before seen appeared in southern Mirkwood and in the mountain borders of Mordor. Olog-hai they were called in the Black Speech. That Sauron bred them none doubted, though from what stock was not known. Some held that they were not Trolls but giant Orcs; but the Olog-hai were in fashion of body and mind quite unlike even the largest of Orc-kind, whom they far surpassed in size and power. Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race, strong, agile, fierce and cunning, but harder than stone. | ” |
–The Lord of the Rings, Appendix F | ||
Olog-hai (Black Speech: Troll-folk) were trolls bred by Sauron at the end of the Third Age to be stronger and less vulnerable to sunlight. They lived mainly in southern Mirkwood and Mordor. Olog-hai mostly spawn with one head, but rarely, some might have two heads.
The Olog-hai are described as being taller than a man, covered in spiky scales, and carrying war hammers and bucklers in their claws. They were as intelligent and cunning as Men or Orcs, though they spoke little and only in the Black Speech of Mordor. At times, they were described as "mountain-trolls" or "hill-trolls out of Gorgoroth."
Behaviour[]
Olog-hai only spawn naturally in Mordor, where they are subject to the same spawning conditions as the Mordor Orcs. They spawn throughout the day there, regardless of light level. They can only be found outside the Black Land in invasions, or as hired units.
Olog-hai wander around Mordor and attack any enemies of Mordor within a 24-block range (a greater tracking distance than normal foot troops, but less than that of Wargs). Like Mordor Orcs, Olog-hai will sometimes target players allied positively with Mordor until their alignment exceeds +100.
Olog-hai are exceptionally dangerous, as they have incredible speed, a high attack strength, and large reserves of health. Once they see an enemy, they can quickly close the distance, and immediately lash out with their massive hammers. Their attacks deal seven points of damage and send the target flying backwards; furthermore, this attack is area-of-effect, which means that all nearby enemies or neutral NPCs will be affected and knocked back as well, though damage and knockback are scaled by proximity. This makes Ologs useful for clearing out large groups of enemies.
This area-of-effect attack can also work against them, however. In places like Rohan at night, for example, where enemies of Mordor (Rohirrim) spawn alongside NPCs neutral to Mordor (Uruks), an Olog from an invasion can aggravate all the Uruks while attacking Rohirrim, leading to both groups ganging up on the Olog.
To make matters worse for their enemies, Olog-hai not only have a whopping 80 health, but also much stronger armour than normal Trolls. They have 15 armour points, the equivalent of a full set of iron armour, which makes them quite difficult and time-consuming to kill.
Occasionally, Olog-hai will spawn with two heads. Two-headed Ologs have 120 health instead of 80, and deal ten points of damage instead of seven, making them even more deadly than their single-headed cousins. Two-headed Ologs also run far faster than normal ones, and are easily able to take down players running away on foot or even on some types of mounts.
Drops[]
The Olog-hai drop Troll bones, and on occasion, Orc Steel ingots. They do not drop their armour or warhammer, because neither exist as items in the game and are, in fact, just part of the Olog's texture. With that said, it could be argued that the Orc Steel they occasionally drop counts as scales from their armour.
Combat Strategies[]
The best way to fight an Olog is to jump into the nearest body of water and shoot them with a bow. They are quite slow swimmers, so it takes some time for them to reach enemies in water. At any rate, players fighting Ologs should always keep as much distance as possible, as getting close to one will mean death.
Another tactic is to hide beneath or within something (a tree, rock outcropping, inside a building, a small dirt mound, etc.) so that the Olog is incapable of getting close. This allows players to easily kill these fearsome trolls, to the point where fighting an Olog-hai in a forest is easier than fighting Orcs.
Players with mounts can attempt to fight Ologs in melee combat with long polearms, but this should only be attempted with a speedy, well-armoured mount. Olog-hai can easily kill unarmoured mounts with their AoE attacks, and the greatest of their kind can run almost as quickly as the steeds of Rohan.
Hiring[]
Players with +750 Mordor alignment that have pledged their allegiance to Sauron can hire Olog-hai from Mordor Orc Commanders, with a starting price of 120 silver coins. They are extraordinarily useful for field battles against large numbers of enemy melee fighters, but they are vulnerable to archers and are practically useless in forests or regions with lots of cover.
Upon killing a foe with a hired Olog, the player earns the achievement "Hammer Time"
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Extremely powerful against melee infantry units | Requires a lot of alignment and money to hire so hiring large armies is difficult |
| Takes a lot of damage before going down | Doesn't fit into confined spaces (making combat underground or in woodlands difficult) |
| Very fast | Vulnerable to ranged units; a few Gondor/Rohan Archers can knock an Olog back faster than it can charge |
| Sometimes will be hired as a double-headed variant | Weak if stuck in the water; a single Gondor Archer (or other ranged NPC) can bring down a swimming Olog |
| Fearsome attack strength | Pledge required to hire |
| Has devastating AoE attack | Practically useless against Rangers |
Trivia[]
- The Olog-hai are not mentioned by name in The Lord of the Rings; the term appears only in the appendices.
|
The One Wiki to Rule Them All has an article on:
|
|
The Tolkien Gateway has an article on:
|
 The Hosts of Mordor 
|
|
Black Uruk (Archer) •
Olog-hai •
Orc (Archer, Banner Bearer, Bombardier) |