| “ | There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after. | ” |
–Thorin II Oakenshield, Over Hill and Under Hill, The Hobbit | ||
When one enters the land of Endorë they often find themselves confronted with much too many (wonderful) Factions to choose from. Will you ally yourself with vicious and mighty Orcs and even viler Uruk, or will you find yourself amongst the Quendi, graceful and fair? Perhaps you wish to stand tall as a proud Nobleman of Westernesse, or stouter as a hungry Halfling?
I wish to find a powerful 'Evil' Faction quickly[]
If you have decided on becoming an ally of the Orc-spawn of Melkor, and yet it's still early on in the game (for example: you have plus three Gundabad alignment but are still comparatively weak and need a safe place full of loot to support you), then Angmar could be the place for you. This biome has a cover of evil mist so that no Orcs experience debuffs. They are also full of camps where traders can be found as well as shelter and loot. If you're lucky, you may be able to locate a camp or a tower. In these dark lands you will also find durnor, gulduril and Morgul Iron, essentials for any evil player. However, building a temporary base is a must before you enter the land of the Witch-king, for the Trolls that populate the area will attack any player below +100 Angmar alignment.
After collecting the necessities, it's recommended that you establish a base in Angmar, and then you can easily travel into Eriador for a raid. In Eriador you will find plenty of Rangers to slay, and if you have got enough weapons and armour, you should do well and gain lots of alignment. Once you have enough alignment, you can go about hunting down a tower or camp where you can find Orc captains who will let you hire troops. The only disadvantage is that powerful troops can be expensive, and players just starting out may be low on silver coins; also, a lot of alignment is needed for decent units. Know though that you can build up strength and eventually you will be very powerful and will be able to raid Eriador with ease.
For those who wish to distance themselves from the west, Mordor presents itself as a great opportunity. Like Angmar, it is not recommended that the player venture into this land until they reach +100 Mordor alignment. The maggot-folk of Mordor are many, and if the massive swarms don't take you down, the fearsome Olog-hai will. Players should build up their alignment by killing the nearby Gondorians, and eventually get to establishing a permanent residence in Mordor. Once you're on friendly terms with the Orcs of the Great Eye, you'll have access to some of the most powerful armour, weapons, and units in the mod.
Isengard lacks the wide territory of the other Orc factions, but makes up in the strength of its armies. The Uruk-hai are terrifying warriors, and the berserkers are some of the most powerful infantry units available to evil players. Isengard is also a relatively short journey from the Shire, and can be entered before the player gains any positive alignment at all.
A final option is to ally yourself with Gundabad. This has several advantages; Gundabad Orc Camps can be found all over northern Middle-earth, the Orcs are cheap, and you don't have to travel very far to ally yourself with this faction; killing Hobbits is an easy way to get alignment, too. However, be aware that many of the lands inhabited by Gundabad Orcs also spawn Rangers of the North, and that Rangers are capable of invading pretty much every land west of the Misty Mountains and north of Rohan, so this option should only be used by those who know what they're doing. On top of this, they have Gundabad Uruks, some of the strongest NPCs in the game, which have excellent armour and equipment.
I wish to find a strong 'Good' Faction quickly[]
Choosing a strong good faction at the beginning is much harder; it's not as easy to find a completely safe biome with tons of loot, so you'll have to work harder. The first tip is to spend a while in the safe Shire biome. Here, you will find endless food and drink as well as some handy things for your journeys. Thence, you have two clear options: making for Lindon or the Blue Mountains.
While Lindon is completely free of evil, it doesn't have easy loot and mining isn't as good here. The Blue Mountains are Orc-free and full of powerful Dwarves. The Blue Mountains are also easy to travel to from the Shire, and although the terrain seems endlessly mountainous, there are actually tons of valleys where trees and wildlife can be found. Go mining in the caves and stock up on tons of iron and other ores; Dwarves will also start to spawn in the caves, so you should go to them and help them out with quests in exchange for much-needed alignment. Sometimes, if you look closely, you will see a glowing stone in the mountains. These are the magical doors of Dwarven Houses! Climb up, and you will see the door more clearly. Open it and walk inside, here you will find barrels of tonic, Dwarves, Blue Mountains crafting tables, and beds. Don't forget to nick their door for your base!
You should also go into Dwarven Mines, where you can trade and find fantastic loot and mining opportunities. There, you can also alloy the blue rock luigon with iron ore in a dwarven forge to get Blue Dwarven Steel, which can be crafted on the Blue Mountains crafting table from earlier into weapons and armour. This is almost the best armour in the mod and it is very cheap and durable. Then, you can establish a base and travel to nearby Eriador and the wild lands where you can gain alignment by Orc-hunting. Soon you will be ready to find a Blue Dwarven Stronghold! These fortresses are rare, but full of loot and a commander. You can also renovate this into a base, and when you have 200 alignment, you can hire away at very cheap prices! Now you have a safe base, resources, armour and weapons, and a great army!
A third option is to ally yourself with the Rangers of the North. These units can be found all over Eriador and the lands surrounding it; on top of that, you can find good loot at the top of Ruined Towers, which are fairly common in the area. However, be aware that Gundabad Orcs spawn in all of these lands at night, that Angmar and Gundabad invasions are quite common, and that Rangers of the North are quite expensive to hire; they cost around 300 alignment, and 30 silver coins per head. Despite these factors, Rangers of the North can be some of the strongest units available to good players; they turn invisible when shooting, and evil NPCs can't see them. It is possible (although quite unlikely) for a single Ranger of the North to take down a Balrog! Be sure to use the Gondorian Bow, because it's quite powerful and has a longer range than most bows in the game. Rangers can also be seen mounted on a horse, making a deadly combination.
I need an army for a raid, of what faction?[]
When you are on a server or generally an ambitious player, you will want a faction that can offer strong units to support you on raids. This is divided into two sections, evil and good, so will you find the perfect war faction for you?
Evil[]
I want a powerful and cheap Faction[]
As an evil player, you have several choices when it comes to choosing a strong and cheap faction, the difference being whether you want to emphasize on strength or on cost.
If you want to keep the cost low, the Orcs of Gundabad are a very good choice. Their units are the cheapest units that you can possibly get. Be aware, though, that you don't get anything without nothing; Gundabad Orcs will suffer from debuffs in direct sunlight, they have armour of widely varying strength, and are generally the weakest of the several kinds of Orcs that you can hire. You may want to consider backing up your Gundabad army with Angmar units later on, if you're not too far away from Angmar itself.
If your main emphasis is on strength, but your budget is still a consideration, then the Uruks are possibly the best choice: they have 26 HP, great armour and weapons and their immunity to the debuffs of normal Orcs makes them twice as good a choice! You need a minimum of +100 alignment to hire Uruks, but at a reasonable price and for this alignment they are easily made into a vicious raiding army! When you get higher alignment after more and more raids, you will be able to hire units like the lethal Crossbower. These powerful units launch crossbow bolts at a surprisingly fast rate at enemies. They are very dangerous and are possibly one of the best evil ranged units available to evil players! Also, Warg riders will become available and their speed combined with an Uruk's strength is absolutely deadly, and finally, when you have enough money and lots of alignment, you can hire berserkers; these are tanks. They are larger and have more health points than normal Uruks, not to mention an extremely strong melee attack. They won't stop until they have killed as many foes as possible! They can be identified by their huge stature, and their distinctive helmets, branded with the ghastly hand of Saruman. Don't forget about the Warg Bombardiers, either! They're very good at destroying tightly packed groups of enemies.
I want a well-balanced Faction[]
If balance is what you're after, consider allying yourself with Mordor. They have many powerful units, including the Black Uruks, Olog-hai, Warg riders, and Mordor Spiders. A disadvantage of Mordor compared to the Uruks is that most Mordor units are a lot more expensive than Uruk units, and that it's not always easy to get lots of money inside Mordor (there's no silver ore to mine), so you'll have to rely on Mordor Orc Traders to make your money.
Good[]
I want a strong and cheap Faction[]
Finding a strong and cheap faction as a good player is considerably harder than for an evil player. Most good units are significantly more expensive than the corresponding evil units. However, if strength and cash are important considerations, a good choice is to ally yourself with the Dwarves of either the Iron Hills or those of the Blue Mountains. Both of these factions offer strong, well-armoured warriors and Axe-throwers for the same price as other factions offer weaker foot-men. The Axe-throwers feature the most powerful ranged attack of any unit in the mod, 7 HP, and all Dwarves have 26 HP. To top it all off, the Dwarven Armour worn by these units is without equal. The only consideration to choosing these factions is that Dwarves require quite a bit of alignment to hire when compared to Rohirrim or other Men.
I want a well-balanced Faction[]
If balance is what you're looking for, then your best bet is Gondor. They have a large variety of units with good stats at reasonable prices. The Gondor Soldier, for example, is the best good unit in the game for his price. They have bowmen, swordsmen, spearthowers (Tower Guards), cavalry, rangers, and of course the Swan Knights of Dol Amroth. Their equipment is quite decent in terms of damage. The durability of the equipment is as good as the durability of Elven equipment.
I want to explore Middle-Earth, but I don't know whether to be evil or good.[]
The best place to start in this Mod is by exploring, but should you start evil or start good?
Lets put things into perspective here. Good factions like Gondor and Rohan tend to be rather intent on protecting their own kingdom; realistically, they are bad factions to explore with. On the other hand, evil factions like Rhúdel or Dunland are the same.
Really only two factions can be found everywhere; Rangers and Gundabad Orcs. If safety is your concern, and you are worried about being attacked by hidden Rangers or ambushed by bandits, then Gundabad is a good choice. Simply travel by night, and in most parts of the Western Lands of Middle-Earth there will be Gundabad Orcs. If, however, you want to explore deep into hard-to-get-to lands on the good side, like Lindon and Lothlórien, Rangers are a good choice of faction.
Ultimately, it comes down to how you want to play the game. Conquer the civilized world, or build a little house in a forest, or guard against the evils, it depends on what your style is.
I want to conquer Middle-Earth![]
Doesn't everybody?
There's really only one way to conquer Middle-earth: killing people. And to do that, you'll need a good faction with powerful gear and decent friendly biomes. Let's run through the list of factions:
Angmar: Angmar, as a faction, is spread pretty thinly, and it's hard to conquer Middle-earth with a band of Hillmen. You could hire trolls, but they can be difficult to control.
Blue Mountains: The Blue Mountains has excellent equipment and strong (albeit short) troops. Although they're only found in a small corner of the world, they have friends in high places. The Blue Mountains is not a bad choice.
Dale: Dale is also a good choice; they've got average troops and armour, although they're far from Eriador. Dale also already covers a wide expanse of territory. Unfortunately, Dale has enemies on two sides and is surrounded by annoying and treacherous lands. Heading directly to Dale may be perilous.
Dol Guldur: Dol Guldur is a very interesting biome, but it's tiny compared to other areas. Furthermore, it's out of the way, in the middle of Mirkwood. Dol Guldur is not a bad choice, but compared to other evil factions, it is inconvenient and not particularly strong; however, they do have Mirk-trolls.
Dorwinion: Dorwinion is a small area far away from your spawn in the Shire, and requires high levels of alignment to get the good troops and has few viable ways to gain alignment. Because of this, it is not a good choice.
Dúnedain of the North: Rangers are very strong units. Bring a few of them, fifteen or so, and they'll cut a path straight through your enemies. Just make sure to back these guys up with some better-armoured troops and you'll be conquering Middle-earth in no time.
Dunland: Dunland has some good troops, a good biome, and a hatred for the Rohirrim. You'll have no trouble conquering the less defended lands, but foes like Gondor and Rohan will prove to be a challenge.
Durin's Folk: As said under the Blue Mountains; well-armed, strong; excellent choice to conquer Middle-earth. Besides, they live in biomes with plenty of ores. But it's difficult to travel so far!
Fangorn: While Huorns are great troops, they're also difficult to control. Despite their aesthetic appearance, they're not great for conquering Middle-earth.
Gondor: Gondor's a massive kingdom with more variety than any other good faction in the game. They've got massive towns and a well-rounded army to win the day with. Even if they haven't got the strongest units, they are a perfect choice for conquering Middle-earth, if you want a good faction.
Gundabad: How bad is it? Its Gundabad! Puns aside, the Gundabad are everywhere, and they've got some very strong troops. These Orcs are an excellent choice to conquer with.
Half-trolls: Dull-witted, badly armed, and found only in the middle of nowhere. Sorry guys, you can stay in your huts.
High-Elves of the Westlands: Strong, defiant; these troops are very powerful. They are a very expensive faction, but if you want to conquer middle earth, they are some of the strongest factions!
Hobbits: While good-natured, the Hobbits are only good if you deck them out in full Mithril armour. Sorry, Hobbits; Mushrooms are definitely better.
Isengard: The Uruk-hai of Saruman are an excellent choice of a fighting force; strong armour, high health, and a good variety of units. After all, they were literally made to conquer Middle-Earth.
Lothlórien: Weaker than the high-elves, these guys are far away from the Shire, and the Golden Forest isn't really the perfect location!
Mordor: As with Gondor, Mordor has a wide variety of troops to choose from, with easy ways to gain alignment. They are perhaps the strongest evil faction, though the biome is quite dangerous and not a pleasant place to be.
Morwaith: Undeveloped and simple, these Men aren't the best choice.
Southrons: They have a great army with large lands, and are, like Gondor, many small factions.
Rhúdel: It's Rhúdel, son of (apple) strudel! The Easterlings here have good armour, unique units, and large towns. Very good choice.
Rohan: Although they lack the variety of Gondor, they make it up with speed and ferocity; Rohirric horses nearly teleport on the battlefield. They are just as good a choice as Gondor.
Taurethrim: As with the Morwaith, leave them to develop first. Their gear isn't anywhere near as good as that of the Westlands.
Woodland Realm: While they're quite strong, as all elven factions are, strolling through Mirkwood really isn't worth it. You could get their skill elsewhere.
Decision Time![]
Ok, so we've narrowed our choices down to Blue Mountains, Dol Guldur, Dúnedain of the North, Durin's Folk, Gondor, Gundabad, the High Elves, Isengard, Lothlórien, Mordor, Near Harad, Rhúdel and Rohan. Let's narrow it down even more.
Blue Mountains: While they're awesome, they're not as common as Durin's Folk.
Dol Guldur: Weak compared to Mordor's diversity.
Dúnedain of the North: Sadly lacking in strong melee.
Durin's Folk: If you don't mind short people, these Dwarves are your men (Well, Dwarves, not Men, but you get the meaning).
Gondor: Most diverse good faction in the game. They are strongly recommended for your plans of domination in single player. But you'll need many troops, so it's not recommended on servers with a limit.
Gundabad: Weak compared to Mordor's diversity.
High-Elves: Very strong. So strong that you nearly don't need to fight! An excellent choice!
Isengard: Mordor's just as powerful and has much more diversity.
Lothlórien: Rivendell is much easier to travel to.
Mordor: There's a reason why Sauron went to Mordor.
Near Harad: Harad is strong, large, and filled with resources. There are hardships involved, namely getting there in the first place, but it can be worth it.
Rhúdel: Best evil Men in the game. If you don't like Orcs, but want to stay evil, they are a good choice.
Rohan: If you don't want to travel to Gondor, they are an excellent choice; they are just as powerful.
So, your choices for Middle-earth domination are:
- Durin's folk
- Isengard
- High-Elves
- Rhúdel
- Near Harad
- Rohan
- Gondor
- Mordor
Enjoy your conquering of Middle-Earth, and if you actually read this far, then good on you!