- "Beneath the mountain's arm within the Wizard's Vale through years uncounted had stood that ancient place that Men called Isengard. Partly it was shaped in the making of the mountains, but mighty works the Men of Westernesse had wrought there of old; and Saruman had dwelt there long and had not been idle.
This was its fashion, while Saruman was at his height, accounted by many the chief of Wizards. A great ring-wall of stone, like towering cliffs, stood out from the shelter of the mountain-side, from which it ran and then returned again." - —The Two Towers, "The Road to Isengard"
Isengard is an industrial powerhouse that draws most of its strength in the late game. At first, you'll have little aside from scouts, wargs, and some Dunlendings for an army, but as time passes and you expand your economy and army, you unlock useful upgrades that augment your power on the map. At the beginning of the game, your priority is to protect your territory as much as you can with what little you have. Expansion and conquest comes later when you have more options of attack and access to your formidable siege weapons and fully-upgraded Uruks.
Isengard's fortress provides nothing but fences for defense, with eight build plots and defense plots. Its focus is on defense and economy in the early game, expansion and development mid-game, and aggressive destruction in the late game. Isengard has the greatest number of siege weapons for devastating enemy defenses, and their fully-upgraded Uruk-hai are among the most powerful late-game soldiers in all of Arda. Essentially, the longer that Isengard holds out in a battle, the stronger it becomes.
Strategic Points[]
Castle[]
Isengard castles have small walls, barely visible, with multiple entrances, and 8 build plots and defense plots which can be mounted with small towers. The central fortress can be enhanced with various upgrades boosting buildings or Saruman.
Camp[]
The camp has no walls and only 6 build plots and defense plots, but the fortress can still be upgraded normally.
Outpost[]
On the outpost Isengard can build a Steelworks to purchase advanced boosts to unit upgrades, receive a high production of resources, and to defend the area with two small arrow towers which come included. Isengard can also go with a regular outpost which allows it to build the various buildings from the castle and camp selection.
Settlement[]
On the settlements Isengard can choose to build a mineshaft to produce resources, a Clan Steading to produce units from Isengard's sub-faction, Dunland: Wildmen, Wildmen Axe Throwers, and Wulfgar, or a lumber mill, lowering building cost and gathering wood resources through orc laborers.
Buildings[]
Name | Location | Cost | Description | Discount |
---|---|---|---|---|
Citadel (N/A) | Castle, Camp, Outpost | N/A | The citadel is the central building of a fortress or a camp. Isengard heroes can be recruited there. Can research Murder of Crows, Excavations, Burning Forges and Wizard's Tower. | N/A |
Mineshaft (X) | Castle, Camp, Outpost, Settlements | 400 | Generates resources | Reduces the cost of Tier 2 and Tier 3 Uruks:
|
Furnace (Y) | Castle, Camp, Outpost | 400 | Generates resources | Once it has reached level 3 lowers the cost of unit upgrades:
|
Uruk Pit (C) | Castle, Camp, Outpost | 300 | Trains Uruk Hunters, Uruk-Hai, Uruk Crossbowmen, Uruk Pikemen, Shield Uruks and Uruk Berserkers. Can research Machinery of War Level 2 and Machinery of War Level 3 | N/A |
Warg Pit (V) | Castle, Camp, Outpost | 600 | Trains Warg Riders and researches the Blood Warg Upgrade. Can research Machinery of War Level 2 and Machinery of War Level 3 | N/A |
Siege Works (B) | Castle, Camp, Outpost | 400 | Trains Battering Rams, Siege Ladders, Siege Ballistae, Mine Berserkers and Explosive Mines. Can research Machinery of War Level 2 and Machinery of War Level 3 | N/A |
Armory (N) | Castle, Camp, Outpost | 1000 | Researches Banner Carrier, Forged Blades, Heavy Armor, Uruk Captain and Steel Bolts. Researches economic upgrades. | N/A |
Lookout Tower (S) | Camp, Castle, Outpost | 800 | Defensive tower that fires arrows at enemies. Can be garrisoned with troops and upgraded with Steel Bolts | N/A |
Units[]
Name | Type | Location | Cost | CP Cost | Strong vs. | Shortcut |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Uruk Hunters | Swordsmen, Archer | Uruk Pit | 250 | 60 | Depends | Y |
Uruk-Hai | Swordsmen | Uruk Pit, War Machinery LV1 | 300 | 60 | Pikemen | X |
Uruk Crossbowmen | Archer | Uruk Pit, War Machinery LV1 | 400 | 90 | Range | C |
Uruk Pikemen | Pikemen | Uruk Pit, War Machinery LV1 | 400 | 60 | Cavalry | V |
Shield Uruks | Support | Uruk Pit, War Machinery LV2 | 500 | 45 | N/A | B |
Uruk Berserker | Single | Uruk Pit, War Machinery LV2 | 300 | 45 | Swordmen, Pikemen, Heroes | N |
Warg Riders | Cavalry | Warg Pit | 400 | 90 | Archers,Swordsmen | Y |
Battering Ram | Siege | Siege Works | 200 | 10 | Structures | Y |
Siege Ladder | Support | Siege Works | 200 | 10 | N/A | X |
Siege Ballista | Siege | Siege Works, War Machinery LV1 | 600 | 40 | Structures, Siege | C |
Mine Berserker | Siege | Siege Works, War Machinery LV2 | 350 | 30 | Units, Structures | V |
Explosive Mine | Siege | Siege Works, War Machinery LV2 | 900 | 30 | Structures, Units | B |
[]
Name | Cost | CP | Strong vs. | Description | Shortcut |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Umbar Transport | 100 | 25 | N/A | Can transport up to two battalions or heroes across bodies of water, very weak. If it dies with units inside the units will also die. | Y |
Corsair Black Ship | 750 | 50 | At Range, VS Ships | Basic ships that shoot at any troops nearby, can be upgraded with improved armor and improved damage. | X |
Corsair Bombardment Ship | 3000 | 100 | Structures | Mighty Siege ship which deals huge damage. Can take down a building in just a couple of hits | C |
Mordor Doom Ship | 500 | 25 | Ships | Will explode when nearby to the target ship, dragging other nearby ships with it. | V |
Heroes[]
Bill Ferny[]
- "Not all of those Southerners mean well; and as for Ferny, he would sell anything to anybody; or make mischief for amusement."
- —Aragorn, The Fellowship of the Ring, "Strider"
Bill Ferny was a man of Bree and an agent of Saruman. He would do anything to gain a profit from a situation and sold information on the Hobbits to Saruman and the Nazgul.
In the Edain Mod, he wields his club and will sell his services to the player if they pay for it.
Recruitment location: Citadel
Wulfgar[]
- "We will die for Saruman."
- —Wulfgar
Wulfgar was a chieftain of the Dunlendings. He swore allegiance to Saruman and led raids on Rohan's villages in order to reclaim their old land.
In the Edain Mod, Wulfgar is trained from the Clan Steading, and he excels in combat when teamed up with groups of wildmen of Dunland.
Recruitment location: Clan Steading
Grima Wormtongue[]
- "See, Théoden, here is a snake! With safety you cannot take it with you, nor can you leave it behind. To slay it would be just. But it was not always as it now is. Once it was a man, and did you service in its fashion."
- —Gandalf, The Two Towers, "The King of the Golden Hall"
Grima Wormtongue was an advisor of King Theoden of Rohan who was later revealed to be an agent of Saruman. He worked as a spy in Edoras and tried to weaken Theoden and his kingdom. Following the ruin of Isengard, Grima killed Saruman with a dagger after his ill-treatment went too far.
In the Edain Mod, he wields the knife that can be seen in the movies and uses his abilities to weaken his enemies before he can kill them.
Recruitment location: Citadel
Sharku[]
- "Send out your warg riders."
- —Saruman
Sharku was a veteran orc who was in command of Saruman's warg riders. He led the attack on the Rohirrim who were retreating to Helm's Deep. During the battle, he had a short skirmish with Aragorn in which he was stabbed in the chest. He died while taunting Legolas and Gimli over Aragorn's fall off the cliff.
In the Edain Mod, Sharku is a crazy warg rider who excels in combat when paired up with other warg riders.
Recruitment location: Warg Pit
Uglúk[]
- "We came out of Isengard, and led you here, and we shall lead you back by the way we choose. I am Uglúk. I have spoken."
- —Uglúk, The Two Towers, "The Uruk-hai"
Uglúk was one of the strongest Uruk-Hai and was a commander of the Uruk scouts who kidnapped Merry and Pippin. He was loyal to Saruman and made sure that they only took the Hobbits to Isengard, not Mordor as Grishnákh demanded (and made sure Merry and Pippin weren't eaten either!). He was later killed by Eomer when the Uruks were ambushed near Fangorn Forest.
In the Edain Mod, Uglúk wields a blade with deadly accuracy and his uruk endurance can take many hits.
Recruitment location: Uruk Pit
Lurtz[]
- "One of the Halflings carries something of great value. Bring them to me alive, and unspoiled. Kill the others!"
- —Saruman
Lurtz was the first of the Uruk-Hai to be bred successfully and was smarter and stronger than most of the others. He led the Uruk scouts to attack the Fellowship at Amon Hen, where he killed Boromir with his bow. Lurtz then fought and was killed by Aragorn soon after.
In the Edain Mod, he is recruited on foot from the citadel and can switch between his bow to attack from far away and his sword if the enemy gets too close. He can use his abilities to slow and slay enemy heroes.
Recruitment location: Uruk Pit
Saruman[]
- "I think that I now understand what he is up to. He is plotting to become a Power. He has a mind of metal and wheels; and he does not care for growing things, except as far as they serve him for the moment. And now it is clear that he is a black traitor."
- —Treebeard, The Two Towers, "Treebeard"
Saruman was the greatest of the Istari in Middle Earth and the chief of the White Council. His studies of the Rings of Power led to him desiring the One Ring for himself. He believed that he could work with Sauron and then betray him with the power of the Ring, causing him to ally Isengard with Mordor.
In the Edain Mod, Saruman is your main hero as well as Isengard's Ring Hero. He is a powerful wizard with an arsenal of magical abilities to support your main troops in the thick of battle. He wields his staff and knocks back enemy units.
Recruitment location: Citadel
External Buildplots[]
Buildings[]
Name | Location | Cost | Description | Discount |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mineshaft (X) | Castle, Camp, Outpost, Settlements | 200/300/400 | Generates resources | Reduces the cost of Tier 2 and Tier 3 Uruks:
|
Clan Steading (C) | Settlements | 300 | Can train Wildmen of Dunland, Wildmen Axe Throwers and recruit Wulfgar. | N/A |
Lumber Mill (Y) | Settlements | 200 | Generates resources by cutting down nearby trees, can train Orc Laborers | N/A |
Steelworks (Y) | Outpost | 3000 | Generates resources and researches of Hardened Weapons, Hardened Bolts and Hardened Weapons. | N/A |
Units[]
Name | Type | Where to recruit/ requires | Cost | CP Cost | Strong vs. | Shortcut |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wildmen of Dunland | Swordsmen | Clan Steading | 150 | 60 | Pikemen, Structures | Y |
Wildmen Axe Throwers | Archer | Clan Streading | 300 | 90 | Range | X |
Orc Laborer | Other | Lumber Mill | 50 | 10 | N/A | B |
Heroes[]
Name | Weapon(s) | Role | Where to recruit | Cost | CP | Importance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wulfgar | Club | Support | Clan Steading | 1000 | 30 | Leader of Dunland |
Upgrades[]
Name | Cost of Research | Requirement |
---|---|---|
Hardened Armors - Increases the hitpoints of units that are equipped with Heavy Armor by 20%. Cost: 1000 | 1000 | Researched at the Steelworks |
Hardened Weapons - Increases the damage of units that are equipped with Forged Blades by 33%. Cost: 1000 | 1000 | Researched at the Steelworks |
Hardened Bolts - Increases the damage of units that are equipped with Steel Bolts by 25%. Cost: 1000 | 1000 | Researched at the Steelworks |
Spellbook[]
Isengard's spellbook is comprised of spells that are balanced between supporting your soldiers and strengthening your economy. Early on, you'll have few options except for spying and empowering your soldiers, but as the game progresses, your powers will cause your economic gains to skyrocket, building up your momentum in research and development. The two endgame spells are some of the most devastating--one against enemy armies, and the other against enemy structures.
Tabber
Cost: 1 point
Spy on enemy forces. Left click icon then left click target area to reveal a very large area.
Cost: 1 point
Taint an area of terrain. All ally units gain +25% armor. Left click icon then left click on target area. Does not stack.
Cost: 3 points
Selected structure's resource output is temporarily raised to 300%. Left click on icon then left click on target resource structures.
Cost: 3 points
Trees in the target area are instantly turned into resources up to a max of 1500. Left click icon then left click on target trees.
Cost: 5 points
Improves Citadels to Wizard Towers and enables the research of special upgrades. When on the Wizard Tower, Saruman can use his abilities without level constraints.
Cost: 5 points
Summons a lumber mill which depletes the environment to gains resources, reducing the production of nearby buildings.
Cost: 6 points
Temporarily covers the map in rain. All enemy units lose their leaderships bonuses. Left click to activate
Cost: 4 points
Summon Minions of Isengard to aid you in battle, each spell is purchased separately and has its own cooldown. Purchase the central spell to unlock 3 sub-spell. A least one of the sub spells needs to be purchased to move to the next tier.
- Dunlending Plunderers (1 point): Summons battalions of Dunlending Plunderers, effective against buildings.
- Traitors of Rohan (1 point): Two battalions of weak cavalry
- Grishnákhs Orcs (1 point): The old "Grishnákh's Boys" summon with 2 battalions of orcs and Grishnákh.
Cost: 10 points
Permanently spawns 6 fully upgraded battalions of Uruks at the target citadel with Shield Bearers. It contains three battalions of Uruk Pikemen and three battalions of Uruk Crossbowmen
Cost: 10 points
Places a cache of mines which will be detonated after six seconds. Deals heavy damage to structures in a wide area and decreases their defense by up to 50% the closer they are to the explosion.
Upgrades[]
All upgrades can be seen here.
Name | Cost of Research | Requirement |
---|---|---|
Banner Carrier - This upgrade can only be given to a level 1 battalion and will promote it to level 2. At level 2 the battalion can regenerate units when out of combat. Cost: 200. | 400 | Researched at the Armory |
Heavy Armor - Increases the armor, hit points and damage resistance of the unit to ranged damage. Changes the unit's armor set to a different armorset. Cost: 300 | 600 | Researched at the Armory |
Forged Blades - Increases the damage of this battalion and provides a damage bonus against | 600 | Researched at the Armory |
Steel Bolts - Increases the damage done by the arrows of the battalion and ignores the heavy armor upgrade. Changes the damage type to CAVALRY_RANGED. Cost: 400 | 800 | Researched at the Armory |
Uruk Captain - This upgrade can only be purchased once the battalion has reached level 2. This gives the battalion fear resistance and increased stats, including an automatic level-up to level 5. Cost: 400 | 800 | Researched at the Armory, battalion must be level 2 |
Machinery of War Level 1 - Grants level 2. Gives +1500 HP and unlocks new units or upgrades. Cost: 1000 | 1000 | Researched at a units recruitment building (apart from the Clan Steading) |
Machinery of War Level 2 - Grants level 3. Gives +1500 HP, +50% build speed and unlocks new units or upgrades. Cost: 1500 | 1500 | Researched at a units recruitment building (apart from the Clan Steading) |
Blood Wargs - Enables Warg Riders to train their mounts into Blood Wargs, which regenerate 20% of the damage as health when they attack. Cost: 200 | 400 | Researched at Warg Pit |
Torches - This upgrade increases the damage of the Wildmen towards units and buildings. Cost: 200 | N/A | None |
Hunt Leader: Promotes the horde to rank 2. Units at rank 2 replace fallen troop members when not in combat. Cost: 300 | N/A | Recruit Lurtz or Ugluk to enable this upgrade. |
Hardened Armors - Increases the hitpoints of units that are equipped with Heavy Armor by 20%. Cost: 1000 | 1000 | Researched at the Steelworks |
Hardened Weapons - Increases the damage of units that are equipped with Forged Blades by 33%. Cost: 1000 | 1000 | Researched at the Steelworks |
Hardened Bolts - Increases the damage of units that are equipped with Steel Bolts by 25%. Cost: 1000 | 1000 | Researched at the Steelworks |
Murder of Crows - Allows the player to call Crebain to the battlefield for a short time and permanently increases the vision range of the citadel. | N/A | Citadel |
Excavations - Increases the health of all structures in the base by 30%. | N/A | Citadel |
Burning Forges - Doubles the production of resources of the citadel. | N/A | Citadel |
Saboteur Services - Bribe Bill to sabotage enemy buildings. Bill Ferny reaches level 3 and unlocks the ability Disinformation. Cost: 100 | N/A | Bill Ferny |
Information Services - Bribe Bill so he dilvuges the whereabouts of enemy heroes. Bill Ferny reaches level 6 and unlock the ability Snitch. Cost: 200 | N/A | Bill Ferny |
Offer Head Money - For the right sum, Bill will take matters into his own hands. Bill Ferny reaches level 10 and unlocks the ability Cutpurse. Cost: 300 | N/A | Bill Ferny |
Strategy []
Isengard deviates from the other evil factions in that it values quality over quantity, with expertise in siege machines, unit upgrades, economics, and technology. Although Isengard's army isn't particularly flashy or diverse, it's already beefy Uruk-hai troopers can receive numerous upgrades to dominate the battlefield while the siege weapons handle foreign defenses. This all, of course, depends on Isengard's ability to bide its time, so as to generate resources, research improvements, and upgrade its units enough to overcome any challenge awaiting it.
At the beginning of the game, Isengard's soldiers are reasonably priced for their strength, with the Uruk Hunters and Dunlendings making ample troops for harassing enemies, capturing territory, and guarding from invasions. There's also the warg riders and some basic siege machines available to double down on harassing opponents and demolishing their early holdings. At this stage, the goal of Isengard is to explore and exploit resources—the lumber mills are a fantastic settlement building to jumpstart a strong economy, and the wildmen can pay for themselves by pillaging enemy structures.
Mid-game Isengard starts to flex its metal muscles after unlocking the Tier-2 units. With the introduction of the mighty fighting heavy Uruk-hai, Isengard's troops now can be produced in greater numbers than their hunters, and they boast strength enough to match or even overpower most soldiers. The ballista becomes available, a long-ranged siege machine with a fast rate of fire. Warg Riders can receive upgrades as well as the unique Blood Wargs upgrade to aid their survival. In fact, unit upgrades start to feature prominently across the board for Isengard, and with a little investment, the few but diverse and powerful hero units of Isengard can be recruited.
The late game is when Isengard shines the brightest, for after unlocking every upgrade and maximizing its industry, the Uruks can be produced quickly, upgraded cheaply, and given amazing attributes such as the Captain that'll instantly maximize their level, and the Shield Uruks that add even more protection to the soldiers behind them. Not to be outdone however, Isengard also has special technologies that even further improve the stat boosts of unit upgrades, while also having the mighty berserkers for mass slaughtering the enemy as infantry support, and the land mines which can spell doom to any fortification given a successful laying spree.
Like most evil factions, Isengard's defenses are weak and minimal, which demands an early focus on protecting the citadel with whatever is available. Isengard's ability to swarm enemies with wildmen is respectable but still pales in comparison to that of Mordor, Rohan, and Misty Mountains. In sharp contrast to their mighty warg riders, their foot soldiers are heavy and slow, requiring Lurtz or Ugluk's support to hasten their stride. Being more oriented towards technology and industry, Isengard lacks supernatural methods to warfare such as monsters and sorcerers, with Saruman being the only wizard in the entire military corps. While Isengard's siege machines are diverse, they're still rather ordinary, save for their explosive mines and mine berserkers who are either very slow or very fragile respectively, and expensive on both accounts.
Isengard's ring hero, Saruman, is a fantastic addition to their standing army. As the sole mass-slayer of their line of heroes, he has a variety of abilities to aid on the field so long as he's surrounded by his uruks. He is, however, appallingly weak to cavalry, archers, cavalry archers, and hero-killers. If garrisoned in the citadel, he has some better protection and can still use some of his powers, but he'll be rooted in place, unable to lend more support outside the citadel picket fences. When it comes to hunting the ring, Isengard has some advantages in their warg riders, uruk hunters, Lurtz, power summons, and the occasional palantir spell or crebain ability. But all of these things come with time, and expenses can add up rapidly, especially if the warg riders get intercepted on their way to squish Gollum.
|