Orc Warriors are basic swordsmen, available for free in the Barracks/Orc Tents. An experienced player can take the win with a brutal Orc spam that targets key points of the enemy early on in the game. Later on, they become simple meatshields while new troops are introduced in the late game to deal the damage. The various boosts that can be given to them make them quite a force to be reckoned with. However, Mass Slayer Heroes will make quick work of them. A recent patch has weakened them further and therefore they must be strongly supported by other troops in order achieve victory.
Abilities[]
Bloodthirst - The battalion destroys a nearby friendly troop of Orc Warriors and gains some experience.
Crack the Whip (with Orc Overseer) - For 30 seconds deal twice the damage against pikemen but lose -25% armor
Upgrades[]
The Orc Warriors have access to the following upgrade:
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.
Orc Overseer - If paired with an orc overseer this battalion will gain +50% damage and +50% armor and the ability Crack the Whip
Strategy[]
Their roles is that of the Swordsmen which means that they are effective against Pikemen but can be more easily trampled by Cavalry. Their training time is slightly longer than that of the average Swordsmen. They are weaker than average Swordsmen and for that reason tend to lose fight when their numbers are matched. Orc Warriors cannot be used on their own to win a battle they must be paired with some other unit, hero or power of Mordor. If in sufficient numbers they can be paired (early game) with troops from Cirith Ungol in charge of dealing out the damage while the Orc Warriors absorb the inflicted damage. They can also be paired with one of the Nazguls (excluding Khamul since he has no unit debuff) in combination with their Dread Visage to debuff nearby troops bring them down to the level of the Orc Warriors. It is also possible to buff the Orc Warriors using the various powers offered by the Spellbook and the heroes. For example, once level 4 Gothmog gives a Armor and Damage bonus, however early game it might be preferable to combine spells from the spellbook such as Orc Overseers and to pair them with the Orc Warriors to gain +50% damage and armor and the ability Crack the Whip (twice the damage against melee units but -25% Armor). In summary, Orc Warriors will be defeated unless they are supported by other troops in charge of dealing the damage or spells to strengthen them. Since they are free they cannot be discounted, although other orcs can receive a discount from Slave Camps.
Orcs form the backbone of the early and mid-game army of Mordor. So much so, that they have not one, but three methods to increasing Sauron's power. The first method is to control an army consisting of at least twenty orc hordes, which comes in handy as Mordor is all about mass-producing orc battalions. The second method is to control at least one battalion of orcs that has reached level five, which can be accomplished either by having them fight non-stop, or by making them eat each-other. The third method is to get at least ten battalions of these warriors paired-up with orc overseers, but this is a bit more difficult as Sauron will need to reach level three before you gain access to said overseers.
While a massive force of these warriors could overwhelm smaller forces because of their sheer numbers, it's generally better to accompany orc warriors with other units, such as orc spearmen, orc archers, or any variety of monsters or hero units. Additionally, it should be noted that while they're your first priority to produce at the beginning of the game, they will become obselete once you have access to a Morgul or Dol Goldur fortress, which can produce even better versions of these warriors.
Trivia[]
On low graphics setting, every orc looks the same. One large machete and a wooden shield with chain mail. However, on the maximum graphics settings, some of the orcs have axes, and others will look notably bulkier and heavier.
Sometimes, if they're left alone for too long, a battalion of orc warriors will suddenly form a circle while two of them will appear to be brawling one-another in the center. While it can raise quite a ruckus, this does not harm your own units, and they will behave the instant you reselect them, or put a taskmaster in charge of them.
Patch Notes[]
- Expand the tab to the right to see a list of changes to this page throughout Edain's history
4.5
- Movement speed of all units and heroes increased by up to 15%
- Movement speed of orcs reduced
- Mordor orcs nerfed on higher levels
4.4
- Units and heroes now all grant roughly 20% of their cost as money when they're killed while under the effects of an enemy bounty leadership. Note that hero bounties still scale up with the hero's level, which we may also remove in the future.
4.3
- Orc Swordsmen (inncluding Morgul and Guldur Variants): Damage reduced by 10%
4.2
- The health of all units has been reduced by 20%.
4.1.2
- Flank penalty bonus of all units has been increased from 30% to 50%
4.1.1
- Mordor Orcs:
- Health and damage increased by 10%
- Recruitment speed increased by 10%
- Grant 50% more experience to the barracks upon recruitment
4.1
- Banner carriers offer no longer resistance to fear for nearby troops.
- Orc Warriors gain the Crack the Whip Ability: Mordor Fighters: The orcs deal double damage against other infantry, but get -25% armor for 30 seconds.
4.02
- All units at rank 2 (including all units with banner carriers) become fearless and therefore immune to abilities like Boromir's Horn and the Nazgûls' Screech.
4.01
- Units are roughly 15% more vulnerable against their counter (Orcs take from damage from Archers and Cavalry)
Quotes[]
- Expand the tab to the right to see a list of quotes this unit says
Falling In
"Ah, a new horde of orcs!"
Selected
"Orcs!"
"Pipe down, you maggots!"
"Be ready!"
"Get ready for fightin'!"
Moving
"Over here!"
"We're not stoppin' here!"
"Come on!"
Attacking Units
"Charge!"
"WRAAAH!"
"There they are!"
"Stick 'em!"
"Attack!"
"Crack their pretty skulls!"
"Drive them into the ground!"
"Rip them apart!"
Attacking Buildings
"Burn it!"
"Bury the place!"
"Tear it down!"
Selected while fighting
"We'll take care of 'em!"
"Destroy them all!"
"There'll be none left!"
"We're almost finished with these!"
"Let's get rid of 'em!"
Full Retreat
"We're going back!"
"Ya useless drips! Back to the camp!"
Afraid
"Watch out!" (usually before getting trampled by horses)
"Hey! Where are you going?" (usually before getting smacked by artillery fire)
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