Unit Hiring/Warrior FAQ

This page addresses some of the most common questions people have about hired warriors.

How much Alignment do I need to hire a unit?

This depends entirely on what kind of unit you want to hire. Search this wiki for the kind of unit you're interested in, and check out its alignment requirement. Some pages that may be a useful starting point include:

• A list of units from which you can hire NPC's
• A list of units that you can hire

Regardless of the faction you choose, note that warriors normally cost more alignment (and money) than civiliains, that ranged units cost more than warriors, and that mounted units require more alignment than infantry. Specialized units (Gondor Tower Guard, Banner Bearers, Orc Bombardiers) will also require more alignment than basic units, and may require you to pledge to a faction.

Can I hurt my hired units? Can hired units hurt one another?

No. Strikes from your sword will not hurt hired units in the least, and arrows/other projectiles you shoot at them will simply bounce off the units. The same thing happens when hired units accidentally shoot one another.

Why do my mounted units suffocate?

Mounted units will suffocate if they do not have at least three metres of headroom. To avoid this problem, make sure that your hired cavalry is kept out of caves, and that any place you plan to bring them into has three metres or more of headroom.

Why doesn't the Summon horn of Command summon my units?

The horn will only call your units if you're standing in a safe, unobstructed space. It will not call your units if you're in air, water, on a non-solid block, or there is not enough room for the unit to stand in (e.g. you can summon Orcs into a one-block wide hole, but not Olog-hai).

Also, the horn cannot summon units from far away - this is simply a result of the way Minecraft works. Only nearby areas of the world are loaded, meaning that if you move too far from your hired units, the horn cannot summon them because they physically do not exist in the world. (This is the same reason that crops don't grow when you're too far away from them, furnaces don't smelt, and so on.)

An exception to this is if you're on a multiplayer server and you travel far away from your units, but another player stays close to them, they will still be loaded and you'll be able to summon them over any distance.

My units keep dying in combat! How can I keep them alive?

This is usually a sign that your skills as a commander are lacking. Learning how to use an army to its maximum effectiveness takes considerable practice, but here are a few tips to keep your troops alive:

• Don't use weak units in dangerous areas. A small group of Gondor Levymen or Gundabad Orcs may be cheap to hire, but are better suited for small fights in (relatively) friendly territory than conquering foreign lands.
• Do not let your army get scattered! Even a large army with strong units can become very vulnerable if all its units get scattered about. If you notice your units beginning to scatter, summon them using the Horn of Command.
• Cavalry is fast and has longer sight range than normal, making it prone to running into situations without proper support from foot-soldiers. Pay attention if you have a mix of cavalry and foot-soldiers.
• If able, hire a few Banner Bearers to help your units hit harder and heal faster.
• Make good use of companies:
  • Try splitting archers and melee units into different companies, and have the archers shoot at your enemies as they approach. Then, ready your melee units and have them finish off the weakened enemies.
  • Assign cavalry and foot-soldiers into different companies. Follow the cavalry using your own mount as they charge into battle, then ready your foot-soldiers to provide support.
  • If you're using melee units only, try splitting them into two companies. When you notice half your army getting low on health, summon and halt that company. Then ready the other company. The idea is to rotate your troops so they get a chance to heal.
• Recall groups of units if you're noticing them getting too low on health, and try to get them to a safer area to heal up.

Ultimately, there's no right or wrong way to use your army. Personal preference plays a major role.

Can I bring my units into Utumno?

Yes! Just push your hired troops into the portal. When you enter Utumno, all the troops you pushed in will teleport to you. Any troops that you did not push in, however, will not enter Utumno. Note that some troops are more suitable for this journey than others, however (see Considerations below).

You can also get any of your troops that survive back out of Utumno; push them into the beam of light, and then go yourself.

Considerations

Before bringing your army into Utumno, here are a few notes about the portal, and the types of units you can and can't bring in:

• Generally, humanoid infantry (Orcs, Elves, Dwarves, Men, Uruks, Hobbits, etc) can be brought through the portal OK.
• Very large units, for example Wargs, Trolls and Half-trolls, may not fit into the portal, or may be very difficult to push in (the portal is 3x3 in size).
• Mounted units (any type) will not go through either portal at all. The only way to have mounted hired units in Utumno is to push a Unit Hiring NPC in, and hiring the units there. In any case, you won't be able to get the units out again.
• It is generally not recommended to use Orc Bombardiers as your hired units, unless you have a copious amount of Orc Bombs at your disposal. Warg Bombardiers are also not recommended, except perhaps to attack a Balrog (if you can keep them alive that long).
• Try to use strong units with high attack strength and high hitpoints. Units that can do both ranged and melee attacks are a very good choice. Good units include Lindon Warriors for good players, or Black Uruks/Uruks for evil players.
• Warhorns don't work in Utumno, so don't think about bringing one in.

Can you make NPCs that lead other NPCs into battle / better hired unit AI / etc.?

Sir or Madam, you have unrealistic expectations of what can be done in Minecraft. This is a voxel-based sandbox game, not a war game. Whenever someone asks for something like this, it makes me wonder whether if you'd ask the developers of your favourite RTS or FPS game to add building blocks and fully deformable terrain to their game...

Such a feature could in theory be added but it would take a long time indeed to develop and debug it. Time which, at the moment, is more wisely spent building up the world of Middle-earth.

At the present time, there are hireable NPC's that help improve the performance of your hired units; they're called Banner Bearers. If your Alignment is high enough, you'll be able to hire one.

Please note that in Public Beta 22, there are a couple of new features that make conquering areas much easier and more realistic; see the point below.

How has Public Beta 22 changed unit hiring?

Aside from new hireable units (Half-trolls, Rangers of Ithilien), Public Beta 22 brought some rather significant changes to the way you interact with hired units. The Horn of Command and Sword of Command were changed significantly, and your units can be divided into squads. When you blow your horn or swing your sword, only units in that squad will respond to the horn or sword. This allows you to divide up your units into groups; for example, you'll be able to have your infantry melee units attacking your foes from one angle, while having your Archers shoot at your enemies from another angle. To assign your horn to a squad, use a Table of Command.

Also, there is a new way to conquer lands without hiring units; the warhorn. This item will spawn a friendly invasion at the location you're standing, but can only be used once.

Do enemies killed by my army increase my alignment?

Enemy soldiers killed by your army won't grant you any alignment. After all, the factions care about how valiant you are as a warrior -- not your units, who would happily fight to death to save you. However, if you have pledged to a faction, enemy NPC's killed by your army will increase their faction's conquest in the area, although the return on conquest is one-quarter of that earned if you killed the enemies yourself.