Lord of the Rings: War in the North Walkthrough
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Based on Peter Jackson’s film trilogy, Lord of the Rings: War in the North takes a long step outside the main narrative to show the ongoing struggles of humans against orcs in the cold north. Play alone or with two friends with three main characters as they travel from hub to hub, fighting the hordes of Sauron. The action-adventure gameplay is mixed with some RPG elements, and conversations function similar to Mass Effect — giving players the freedom to listen to background, take on optional quests, or just go on their way. It’s a big war out there; the Fellowship of the Ring aren’t the only ones fighting.
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Bree
Take a moment to familarize yourself with your menus. Access them by pressing the back or select button and scroll through using yoru shoulder buttons. Your quest log is here.
Now, talk to Aragorn. After that, talk to Barliman the barman, and Tedder the hobbit at the bar if you want to make some money gambling on interpreting riddles. Otto is at the fireplace and he is very curious. You can offer to talk to Grof on his behalf if you so choose. There is a glowing point by the exit so you can inspect the bar at large, and there is a young man named Rowlie at the base of the stairs. You can help him with his love life if you want. Near Rowlie is a mirror where you can customize your appearance.
Now leave the tavern and turn left into Bree proper. The blacksmith is just across the way, to the left. A hobbit across the street to the right, Adalgar, sells arms and goods. Between the two stores is the path to Grof, standing next to his cart. Across the street from him to the right is Idona, if you’re fulfilling Rowlie’s quest. Return to the Prancing Pony to clear your quests and then it’s time to head for the countryside. Otto will give you an ongoing quest to bring him arms for money if you succeeded in your talk to Grof. Move up the street past Grof and Idona to leave town.
Fornost
The party agrees to help Aragorn by stirring up trouble. Move up the stairs to encounter some villains, and learn the basics of combat. Remember when you see the yellow arrow icon, you can perform a critical strike on demand. Up more stairs, two more goblins, two barrels to loot, and move on.
Now the real fighting begins. You will be attacked by archers from ahead, then a flanking maneuver to your straight left, and then reinforcements to your diagonal left, and then a couple guys from your right. About ten, all told. Once you’re finished, be sure to loot, there are two chests in the are, one in the tower at the right end of the walkway ahead of you at the beginning, and one directly to your left from when you started. By now you will have leveled up, so now you’re really beginning to make your character your own. When you choose a skill, be sure to look at the skills to follow, to choose a first step in a skill tree you really want to build. Then hit the right stick to get oriented, and move on.
You’ll go in a door to the fortress, and then immediately enter a lower level. As you move on, you’ll face one monster, then move down to the next level to proceed. And once you’re in, you’re IN for it. The goblins here come and just keep coming. It’s a perfect time to master your critical hit skills, and you’ll likely level up again. After enough kills, a gate on the upper level will open, and you can move to another proceed point. Don’t forget to loot around though, even if the goblins are nipping at your heels.
In the next area, your mission is clear. You must break the chains on the captured animal, and there are plenty of goblins to fight along the way. Look for a chest down an alley, otherwise, things are straightforward. Once the battle is done, your new friend will talk to you.
ACHIEVEMENT: Friend to the Eagles is yours for 20 points for freeing Beleram.When you’re done, move on to the right, but you can ascend to the room on your left up an earth ramp where there is loot. Once you move on, you will reach a transport point that will let you buy and sell OR return to Bree (to repair, mostly), before you hit the proceed point, which will lead you to a summary screen before you move on.
Now you’re on the walls. There are two “machines” to shove off the wall, and several goblins to take out, including some mage-types. You’ll be hit with arrows, and when you see the archers, note a big red ball beside them. What on earth could that do?
Once you’re done killing and dropping machines, loot the chest by the second machine and hit the proceed point. In the next section you’ll be attacked from a distance, and they’ll close hard and fast. You’ll also learn to deploy your new friend. Once the area is cleared, head for the proceed point again, and receive another summary. After that you’ll recap your missions and have a transpo point to Bree if you want it.
The Outer Wards
Follow the waypoint to a gate, where you will be attacked by goblins. You will be cued to call the eagle down to burst through the gate while you finish off the mob. Proceed to another checkpoint. Once through, the fight gets ugly. There is a heavy crossbow across the way, and a number of highly-positioned archers. If you drop the crossbow user, you can mount the turret yourself for a good time. While standing on it, if you look directly to your right there is a tower you can enter where there is a chest and a silver star on the wall to examine. Once you’re done fighting and looting head up the stairs across from the crossbow, that were behind you when you entered, to continue.
Now you’ll face your biggest enemy yet by far. Simply keep moving around him, use your special attacks and don’t be afraid to use your potions. When you’re done, the folks you’re searching for will show up and you’ll get another summary.
The Inner Wards
ACHIEVEMENT: You earn the Elf-Friend achievement for 10 points for joining your new companions.Follow your new pals. Have the eagle take out the crossbow, then clear the courtyard. Then, sadly, since they kick ass, your new friends will leave you. Use the crossbow to take out the mass of goblins to follow. Most will come up the center, but archers will attack from your 10 o’clock above you. Just hold the trigger down and watch the overwhelming destruction. After that, the door behind you will open and you meet your first orc! Through this door is a pile to loot and your introduction to the psycho sappers, which you need to drop with arrows before they get to close. Once they’re cleared, move into the room and turn around for another secret silver star stash.
Move up the slope and you’ll get another round of sappers. There is a red ball to shoot, and once they’re clear, another red ball will open the next path, but don’t stand too close, as two more sappers come out right away. Then proceed through the checkpoint. You’ll be faced with an orc magic caster who is protecting the big crossbow, so you must get through the shield to drop him, then throw the switch for the gate, and then use the crossbow to cover your ass till the gate opens.
Once the gate opens, do some looting and proceed. You’ll be stuck on this bridge for a while, and now is one of those times when playing co-op is really handy, since your teammates’ AI isn’t great. You’ll be attacked by sappers from one side, then the other, then both, and someone will get through because it’s impossible to cover both sides at once. Then soldiers swarm the bridge, then some sappers join the party, etc. It’s not that tough if you keep your head, but it’s way easier with a smart team. Your friends will eventually show up to let you through the gate.
In the next open area, take out two archers up and to the left, then shoot the blasting powder at the base of their tower. Straight ahead of you is a transpo point where you can restock and repair, which is probably a good idea by now.
Head up the ramp made by the tower and look for a chest up and to the left. Then cross the gate and pull the lever. On the other side is another chest before you go down and through the gate.
Through the gate you’ll be trapped again. There is another crossbow, which will help no end, but you will occasionally have to drop off to clear out guys who get through. You’ll be attacked from the right, then the left, then both, and then it all just goes to hell. Watch out for waves of sappers, and use them against the goblins as much as you can. Archers will be above you on both sides as well, but at least no one attacks you outright from behind. Once the action is done your fair-weather friends will show up just in time to let you through.
On the other side there is a small skirmish, led by an orc caster, but it’s a lot easier than the last time, at least just because there are fewer opponents. Get inside the shield, put him down, and everything is a lot easier from there. The gate will open, a few more bad guys will come through, and then there’s a final checkpoint and summary before the citadel itself.
The Citadel
The first big challenge is a big crossbow ahead of you. Either use a powerful ranged attack or call in the eagle, and then prepare for a big swarm of goblins. When that is cleared, you’ll hear that the gate is opening. If you’re very fast, you can get a shot off at the orc caster before the shield comes up. There is a tub of blasting powder to the left that you can hit if you’re prepared.
Inside, there’s a chest to the left before you follow the path to the right. On the bridge there will be a couple of archers above you. Once in the next room, you will face two swarms of goblins, the first led by another orc caster, and at some point you will hear a companion say “fire” and look to the bridge behind you for a few sappers. When the gate finally opens, a couple of big orcs will come through, and then you can move on. At the top of the stairs look for loot, then hit the proceed point on the left.
You’ll reach an unpassable door and your buddies will try to clear it for you which means, you guessed it, babysitting mission! The bad guys will come down the center first, and then trade off coming from the right and left. If you have good ranged attacks, stand near the elves and whittle the bad guys down before they get to you. The waves get progressively harder in that they’re filled with heavier and heavier bad guys, and finally a troll will come at you from the left. Give him the eagle and he’ll be halfway dead before you even have to start on him. That ends the babysitting.
Through the gate there is a transpo point if you want to get back to Bree and stock/repair up, and then you’ll follow the elves up the stairs to another proceed point and a cutscene. After that your elf friends will proceed without you and you’ll be left to fight a boss orc, Tharzog, on your own. He’s got a LOT of hit points, but he telegraphs his hits largely, so the dodge is very helpful, as are ranged attacks instead of trying to go toe to toe with him. There will be a posse of elves and orcs about at the same time, so you may find it much easier to clear them out and focus on the boss singularly.
ACHIEVEMENT: You get 20 points for dropping the lieutenant with Tharzog’s Bane.After that, another cutscene with your elf buddies. Now you can have a conversation with the eagle and the elves and figure out where to go next.
Sarn Ford
Here you’l speak with the leader of the rangers, have a chance to gear up as well, and pick up a quest to find Athelas to cure a fellow suffering from the black breath. Exit the village between the huts to proceed to your main mission at the Barrow Downs.
The Barrow Downs
Follow the path to a large clearing. Hang a hard right into a small niche for some loot and a secret. Look for plants you can gather as you proceed. Head down the hill to the main barrow, loot around, and then enter. By the way, if you don’t mind casual desecration, all those standing stone thingees can be hacked down for cash and prizes.
Here you’ll face the barrow wights, the undead from the tombs. The frist wave is pretty easy, but be warned that even when their heads fall off they may not be dead! Proceed through the barrow to an open space where, whoops, undead freaking trolls. Two of them, even! This isn’t that hard, just stay away and keep hammering away at them, but it does take a while and they are very aggro. Look to the right of the exit to see an alcove with treasure and a secret in it. After that, hit the proceed point to move on.
You’ll follow a path and meet three wights, have a conversation, and then reach another open area where you will be swarmed, and I do mean swarmed. The packs of wights will surround you and do damage far more effectively than the goblins did, so think defensively.
As you move into the open area, a tomb will errupt and the spirits will raise more dead, heavier dead than before, with armor and swords. They’re not that different from other fights, but there are a couple of archers above things who are a pain in the ass, so be sure to drop them first. Once that’d done, a passage will open and you can proceed.
Now you will face the barrow boss. He sends a handful of spirits out to attack you as zombies, and then he surrounds himself with flying rocks and throws them at you. Try to keep the zombies between you and him to keep from being hit to often, and remember to dodge. He will move twice, once onto another elevated position, and then once onto your level. If your compatriots do a good job of taking out the zombies, you can just focus on hitting him, his life goes down fast, there’s just a lot to focus on instead of him if you’re playing solo.
This next tomb is a pain because by now you’ve likely gone through a lot of your resources. Take out all the barrels and then when you go to loot the tomb across from you with the chest, the enemies will erupt. Hang out in this alcove and use ranged attacks as much as you can before engaging, or else you can get swarmed and taken out quite quickly. If you pick off a lot of the force from the beginning, the fight is a lot easier. As you fight, don’t enter the next tunnel, or you’ll add a couple more bad guys to the fight.
In the next section, more dead will rise, so it’s easiest to call your team to you and retreat back to where you came from, using the tunnel as a bottleneck to keep the enemies from swarming. Killing the last of these will fulfill your mission to clear the tombs.
In the next section, you’ll see zombie archers before anything else. Keep your team close and take them out before you move in any further, as entering the open area will bring a LOT more zombies. This will allow you to take them in groups instead of a mob. Once you’re done felling the dead knights, head up the slope to your right for some loot before heading to the proceed point on the left. Finally, on the other side of that, you’ll get a chance to return to base. This will allow you to heal the ranger with the herbs you’ve found, and choose a fat reward.
After that, enter another large field where you will face a second boss barrow wight. Use the same strategy, watch out for archers, and he’ll go quickly. He should drop a nice loot item as well.
ACHIEVEMENT: After the fight you get the Tracker achievement for 10 points for finding out what happened to the other rangers who were here.Follow the tracks into the next barrow through a proceed point.
The Barrow of Amon Gorthad
There’s a silver star secret off to the left in the first chamber you enter, just opposite a chest. Loot around before you continue straight ahead and down.
In the next section, you’ll hit the usual mass of undead fighters. To the right is a path with some awesome loot, to the left is the path to continue. Up there you’ll find a chest with a key, which will allow you to proceed from the central tomb. You’ll reach a passage where there is water on both sides, and expect another big wave of the dead. Head down a ramp at the end, find a chest, and then keep going. Around the next corner is a third barrow wight boss, but by now he shouldn’t be too much of a challenge. In the next room you’ll have a chance to return to base before moving on.
Proceed through the point to find a story point in an open room. Now you have a new confederate, which is nifty. Keep going for one more press through a swarm of undead, and you’re at another proceed point. These guys come in two shifts, though, so if you move up the ramp, or if your associates do, you’ll bring more down on you before you’re ready. However there are archers up there being difficult, so the temptation will be to get them out of the way first. Just do so with ranged attacks to keep the path clear until you’re ready for round two.
Now it’s boss battle time, probably the first true one of the game. Tell me you didn’t see it coming that you’d face off against the buddy you were looking for. Meet the bigass barrow lord. He attacks in three waves. He sends a group of undead after you, then he sends his minion after you, and then he throws waves of energy after you. You’ll endure all this, you guessed it, three times in total. Hide behind the pillars to avoid the energy waves, and use your best attacks on the minion when he crosses over to combat you. All told, some of the dungeons you’ve crawled to get here are more challenging.
ACHIEVEMENT: You earn Begone, lord of carrion worth 20 points for defeating this boss.
Watch the final wight disappear in a nifty light show, then talk to Luin. After that, gather the loot the undead boss dropped and head out the entrance before you to move on to Rivendell.
Rivendell
ACHIEVEMENT: You earn 10 points for being trusted with the secret of the One Ring upon your arrival.Gandalf is right near you. Speak with him. Head down the stairs to the right to talk to the smith, Angmir. Get your stuff repaired and if you talk to him about Narsil you will get a side quest to retrieve gems for imbuing weapons. If you gathered all three components of the Weapons of Westernesse side quest, you can cash them in here for your choice in reward. On a dais just past the blacksmith is Legolas and if you continue about the grounds, past the bridge but not over it, you’ll meet Bilbo as well.
Bilbo will ask for your help with his poetry if you’re game. He’ll also give you an errand to take something to Arwen. She is over on the bridge you just passed. She will give you a side quest of stuff to watch out for in the Ettenmoors. Just beyond Bilbo is Gloin, and straight to the right of Gloin is Frodo himself. Straight to the left of Gloin, dressed in red, is the elf who will help you resupply.
ACHIEVEMENT: Speaking to Frodo unlocks a 10 point achievement called Friend to the Ring-bearer.Head around the edge of the balcony from Frodo and look for Gimli. Just past him are Elrond’s sons, your elven friends from earlier. Proceed back to where you came from, and you’ll see Elrond inside, and upstairs behind him is Aragorn. Finally, speak with Elrond, which will add to some of the side quests you probably picked up, as well as finish your business in Rivendell so you can head out.
The Coldfells
Move forward to activate the first wave of orcs, there will be a few archers overhead and a few guys who run up to you, but other than having a LOT more hit points than what you’re used to, they go down just as easy, because by now you’re a badass. Head through the passage between the crags, and you’ll hit another wave of guys, but still not too many. Hang a right and go OVER the passage you just went through for a chest and a swarm of small goblins. As you head on, there will be a cave ahead of you to loot before you press on.
You will drop down a small ledge and now you should prepare for a HELL of a fight. Not that it’s so hard, but it’s damn long. First you’ll face a pod of goblins, and a few orcs led by a beserker, who is a badass and who can grant bonuses to his teammates. He takes almost as much killing as a troll. Two more waves of orcs come after that, then another with a magic caster in it. Finally a last wave of mixed bad guys shows up with, that’s right, a freaking troll. Hope you’ve got some potions, because you’re in it for the long hall. At the end of the fight, gratefully, an old friend returns.
Follow the trail to face down a small group of four orcs, followed by another handful, and then another wave. There’s never too many at once, but they are getting tougher and/or more armored. Follow the path of the river for a treasure chest with a secret scroll in it, and up the hill ahead of you, between the trees, is a troll and his loot-filled cave. Cross the stone bridge and go through this series of caves. At the end, opposite the chest, is a star secret. There are a few bad guys in the cave, but nothing much to sweat, however, there is a posse just outside the cave, and you can see the bridge you just crossed in the distance. Not a shortcut, just an alternate route.
Head up to the top of the ridge, and underneath a tree you should see a log, which has honey which you need to fulfill Arwen’s side quest. Another handful of orcs are ready to charge you, so feel free to hit them from a distance while you still can. When you reach the top of the pass, look for a path beneath the waterfall for a star secret and a chest. Head out and back down the LEFT side of the pass for some loot before heading over the crest.
Now you’re in for another doozie of a fight. There’s a few orcs, led by one of those beserkers, and a few crossbow men, so it’s a nice assortment. Once they’re done, there’s another group of orcs, then another with a magic caster, then a swarm of a TON of goblins, and then, to round things out, a troll. There’s also a lot of loot in the corners, including a chest, and you should have a few eagle attacks saved up by now as well. When you’re done, hit proceed.
The High Moors
Your attention will be drawn to an opponent on the ridge above you almost immediately. Strike it down. Then two more orcs will charge in. As you move on, a few more will assault you, and then there’s a cave to the right for looting. As you move on, you’ll get a wave of orcs with a mage, then a wave of goblins, then a sole berserker. There’s also a chest under the tower on your right when you’re done killing.
Once you cross the stone bridge, there are a few more orcs, and you can follow a path to your right into a cave for a star secret and a chest. Head up the hill for one more big encounter with some orcs and a swarm of goblins, and then you will be able to proceed.
Once through the door you’ll get a chance to return to Rivendell. Ideally you have all the supplies to return to Arwen as you get your equipment repaired for a final push and inevitable confrontation with the stone giant.
Enter what is apparently a troll’s cave and look for some loot to the right. Now there is simply a slow slog through the caves. You’ll hit a few orcs, then a few more, with some crossbowmen in tow, then a group with a caster, and then an open area with a group of orcs backed up by a troll. Lead them into the tunnels to winnow their numbers without direct confrontation.
You’ll pass through a proceed point, then note some light up ahead, which brings you into daylight and a substantial confrontation. Look for the archers and the spell caster before tending to the armored orcs. As you head up the snowy slope, you’ll face a posse of orcs led by a berserker, and then another backed up by a caster. When they’re taken care of, look for the chest to the right of the door before proceeding.
It’s quiet. Too quiet. If you’re sadistic, hang a left when you reach the crossroads to fight two trolls for lots of loot and a star secret. Head right for the next proceed point.
Stone Chasm
Head out into the open to face Bargrisar, the stone giant. He is massive, but surprisingly simple. You’ll need to dish out an INSANE amount of damage on his legs to bring him down, then he’ll fall to his hands and knees, then you hit his arms, then his face, and then you’re 98% of the way there. A bit more damage to his legs and he’ll tumble. Using the eagle doesn’t seem necessary unless you’re on a very high level of difficulty, as after he attacks you can run away and regroup. He stomps and when he goes to one knee, look for him to do a hefty ground pound. Otherwise, not too tough.
ACHIEVEMENT: You earn 20 points for the Giant-slayer achievement for dropping this big SOB.After the battle, return to Rivendell to restock and complete side quests, and you will move on to Gundabad.
Alpine Pass
Welcome to the chilly, wind-swept wilds. As you make your way up the slope you’ll meet three packs of orcs, but they’re spaced out enough that none is too rough on their own. Look out for black piles on the sides of the path that you can loot. Through the next proceed point you’ll meet two trolls, so it’s probably time to break out the eagles. Look for heavily armored orcs, as well. After you’re through with all that, move on and look for a cave to the right before you proceed along the obvious path.
As you cross a ridge, you’ll activate a cutscene. The next posse of orcs is ROUGH, they have hammers, they will throw you back with damage, and regular attacks are often blocked, so get ready to hit hard. When they’re done, hang a left to loop back down near where you were for some loot before moving on. Hit the proceed point, move on just a little, and you’ll trigger another cutscene.
Around the corner you’ll meet four orcs, two heavy ones and two crossbow men. Divide and conquer, then loot. On the altar-like space, there’s a transpo point if you want to stock up before moving on. Otherwise, look for the ice bridge and move on. On the other side, your party will note that the way is barred, but not for long! Kill the troll and enter the cave.
Inside the cave are two more trolls, so feel free to retreat the way you came to take them one at a time. Move through the cave and across anothe ice bridge to proceed and you’ll start another cutscene. You’ll note an orc war party across the way, and you can get the drop on them with distance attacks before they catch you, but there are a number of crossbows and hammer soldiers in the party, so prepare for some heavy fighting. Once you’re done, the party will examine the door, and you can move into the mountain.
Mountain’s Interior
Inside you’ll interact with an NPC, and just past that you’ll get a short cutscene showing you the interior.
Follow the winding path and be ready for a fight when you drop down a level. You’ll start with just a couple of small goblins, but a berserker will approach from a distance, and when you move on, you’ll be swamped by a number of goblins and two more berserkers. The goblins will be a snap by now, but the berserkers will still require some focus, and watch out for a couple of archers. In the next room hang a hard left out onto a balcony area where an archer is/was, for a star secret. There’s a chest out there too before you move on.
In the next section you’ll face two more berserkers, and then two more, so be on the defensive. A few goblins and archers complicate matters, but it’s no harder than the last room. Into the next space, hang a right up a walkway for a chest. Then hit the proceed point.
In the next section you’ll see a troll manning some gears. Take the opportunity to hit him for a lot of damage before things get personal. Goblins will add to the mix. Once he’s taken out you’ll get a cue to knock out some of the gears and that will allow you to move on.
Head through the door and up the path, which will wrap around a column while you come under a lot of archery fire. At the next junction, look to the left for a chest before continuing up. Move up, cross a bridge, and then you’ll drop down to a walkway where the archers are/were. Keep following the path and you’ll drop down again. Go left here for another chest, and a cult scroll, and then when you see the proceed field, hang a left again for another chest.
On the other side of a door is a transpo/restock point. Move down the trail and when you see a tower you’ll also see a swarm of goblins. They’re easy enough, but a troll is on their tail. When he drops, you’ll notice a point of interest, then the door opens, and there are three more berserkers, two of them with hammers. Focus your energy on them one at a time, and their lack of shields will make them easy work.
Across the next bridge you’ll see some more archers and one more berserker. Into the next room look for a chest on the left. Around one more corner and you’ll hit another proceed point which ends the level.
The Gate Chamber
Now you’ll have to defend two dwarves as they do something or other. Look to your left to see a mounted crossbow. Use it and the protection gig is a snap. There’s a group of orcs, then a group of uruks, then archers. Just hold the trigger down and aim. The goblins will leak through, they’re hard to hit, but they’re weak enough your team can handle them. If you miss an orc or two, they’ll get to you eventually, and you’ll be pulled off the bow into combat.
The waves get heavier now, as there are two waves of three trolls each, and lots more heavy uruks, but the bow makes short work of them. Be sure to periodically check back behind where the dwarves are to make sure your friends aren’t being overwhelmed. Otherwise, just keep at it and you’ll be rewarded by a sweet cutscene.
ACHIEVEMENT: You earn the Mountain-breaker achievement for finishing this part of the campaign.
Nordinbad
Here’s another home turf for you to stock up at and have a chat with the locals. Once you’re done talking with the first dwarf, head through the proceed point to mean the Lord of Nordinbad. After that head down the stairs to meet the blacksmith and the steward, Galar, who will give you a reward. Then you can do some shopping. There’s some good loot to buy, and be sure to stock up on arrows and potions. Then you can exit, wander past Beleram, and hit the proceed screen to travel on to Mirkwood.
The Shadowed Path
Right away you’ll face a scary looking enemy, but he’s not nearly as tough as he looks. He’ll start out by attacking you from behind a shield of fire, and you should take that as a tip. You rarely need to go toe to toe with him, your distance powers should be good enough to whip him from afar. He teleports, and he’s very squirrely, which means you’ll waste some shots or ammo, but he’s not too tough and his attacks aren’t cheap like the berserkers. When you beat him, he’ll give you another cult scroll to take to Elrond.
ACHIEVEMENT: You earn Wulfrun’s Bane and 20 points for dropping the sorceror.Gather some loot and then go speak to Beleram. Once you have your mission, move on to cue a short cutscene that introduces who you’ll be battling now: Wargs. Although actually, you’ll see a few wargs run by and won’t see them until after your first fight. You’ll reach a lake and find an orc camp. Look for an archer in the trees, and then there will be a lot more bad guys. Take out the archers first, they will make life very difficult, and then you’ll be dancing with what feels like a hundred berserkers in this small space, some with swords and some with hammers. It might only be about six, but it seems like they’re everywhere all at once. Order your comrades to focus their attack on one orc at a time to winnow them down. You also have eagle attacks to use if you choose.
Head down the path to discover a very threatening looking cave. Enter it, of course, and you’ll notice a very creepy surroundings. If you’ve read The Hobbit and you remember Mirkwood, you might have a clue as to what is coming. Meanwhile, there’s a troll to deal with. There are some loot piles in this room, which will offer arrows if you’re out, otherwise this is a typical troll fight. Hit the proceed point to move to the next section.
The Web-Shrouded Wood
As you move in, you’ll spot a spider, and then you’ll see some orcs taken down by them. The first swarm is pretty easy, but in the next big section one of your party will note “giant” spiders, and they are twice the size of the already pretty damn big spiders you just met. Good times. They like to swarm, so ready your area attacks and don’t be afraid to fight a running battle to take them few at a time instead of all at once. Otherwise, not too tough. Since there’s so many of them, keep a weather eye out for the critical indicator so you can plow through them quicker.
Head down the path, which splits, and then you’ll face a slightly lesser pack of spiders. After that you’ll reach a stream. Look up for archers and then prepare for the heavy orcs which are coming. There’s about five of them in total, but they don’t attack all at once, and around the next corner you’ll find a proceed point, and a safe haven.
Or…not. You will face three waves of spiders, roughly the same challenge as before, two big ones and lots of small ones. After all three waves, you’ll discover a staff that will permit you to hit the proceed point.
Woodland Marshes
The next section is short. You’ll mention the Uruk-Hai, and there they are, waiting to dance. They come in waves, so theyr’e not too tough, but at the end they have quite a few archers in support, so drop them first and start building up your hit streaks! Then hit the proceed point.
You’ll hit the same crew again, only more clumped up, in the next bit of swamp. Before you move on to where you’re directed, look to your right for an opening in the rock. Go through here to another section wtih a lot more orcs and such, including more damn archers. When you clear this secret area, you will free a captive elf! On the way out, when you move down a slope into the water, look for a passage to the right for a hidden chest. Then return to where you started the level to proceed on your quest to find Radagast.
ACHIEVEMENT: For freeing the elf, you earn 10 points for the Friend of the Woodland Realm award.When you reach the main clearing, you’ll hit another group of orcs. After that, head to the stream and bear forward and to the right. After another pack of orcs, you’ll reach a proceed point where you make your way up out of the marsh. There you’ll see small whitish spiders, which probalby isn’t a good sign. Sure enough, you’re in spider heaven. The path is not clear, so follow the grey indicator on your radar if you lose track of where you are, and just be prepared to face a LOT of spiders, just not too many at once, thankfully. Follow the path to your right and keep heading right to find a secret chest, otherwise, keep going until you reach the proceed point and the beginning of the next section.
The Heart of the Web
Lordy those are some big spider eggs. You get a chance right off the bat to visit Nordinbad again, and you should probably take advantage of the opportunity.
Move on to the proceed point and damn that’s a big one. This is the first enemy in this game with a big, obvious weak point. Aim for her backside, use your special attacks, and she will fall quickly. If she makes you a target, you’ll have to respond quickly by tapping a button to evade her. Otherwise, not too hard. Rescue Radagast and proceed.
The Grey Mountains
Move forward to unleash a cutscene and face your first oppponents from the race of men. Take out the caster first and then face the soldiers. They cut fast and hard, so ready your block and be prepared to counter more than you have had to before. Head onward and you’ll meet a much bigger party of men, with a number of casters. Put them down first, as they function like archers, but don’t buff the soldiers. Hang a right and enter a cave for a chest before proceeding.
The next battle is quite challenging. There are human and orc berserkers, casters, and archers. Just think defensively, use your power attacks, and a call on the eagles won’t hurt. After the proceed point you’ll meet a smaller group, with one berserker, a couple of archers, and a caster on a mounted position. Much easier. Around the corner, however it is much harder. There are a LOT of berserkers. The mixed levels make it easy enough to face them in shifts, but there are more than you can juggle comfortably, and there are archers to boot. The archers are too far into enemy territory to take out in person, so take them out with ranged attacks or put up with them until you thin the numbers a bit. Then it’s time to proceed into the mountain.
The next section comes in two stages. You’ll see an archer, then a wave or berserkers will attack. Another archer will back them up, and a man or two will come in to add to the issue. When you’re done, hang a left before the proceed point for a chest.
Another tough section follows. There’s an archer above, a handful of berserkers, and some men with hammers, who you will need to defend against, there’s no other way to break their attacks. Just around the corner you’ll meet an archer who leads another wave, just more of the same.
After that you’ll break out into the open, so feel free to use an eagle attack against the next wave of attackers, which includes an archer or two, a caster, and a fistful of orcs. Gather loot and proceed. Through this point you’ll encounter two archers up to your right and one on the left, and a berserker. This shouldn’t be too tough at this point. On the ridge above are two more berserkers and an archer, and when you reach that point, another archer will be across the way. Easy stuff by now. Head on to meet an archer on your path and to match two across the chasm.
Head across to where the other archers were by following a path around to the left to find a star secret, some loot, and a transpo point, which by now you’ll probably welcome. Then head along the main path to another proceed point, where you will earn another cutscene and a minor boss battle.
This fight is the same as the last captain, he’s squirrely and his distance attacks have a bit more juice, but the main challenge here is that there are a bunch of incidental orcs in the way. If you’re in co-op simply have one member of the team focus on the captain. Otherwise, have your associates work on defense while you slap him down. Unfortunately, killing him doesn’t dispose of his sidekicks, so there will still be some clearing out to do. If you’ve been following the cult side quest, this should give you the last scroll to return to Elrond. Gather loot and hit the proceed point to end the section.
ACHIEVEMENT: Return the six scrolls to Elrond for the Lidless Eye achievement for 25 points
Urgost Lair
Meet the dragon. If you negotiate carefully, you’ll avoid a fight, and be pushed forward in your quest to return to another familiar place.
ACHIEVEMENT: By talking with the dragon, you will unlock the In the Dragon’s Den achievement for 20 points.
Nordinbad Under Siege
You’ll start out on a very familiar platform, and you’ll be attacked by some berserkers. They are just the beginning of your woes though. Once they are done, you’ll have to move from crossbow to crossbow to take out the attackers from the seige towers. They willl swarm though, so the odds are you’ll have to face a number of them in person instead of from a distance. Once you’re through with them, fall back to the main door and defend it against sappers. They will come from the right, then the left, then in a mix. If you’re snappy with the bow, they won’t be too tough.
Now two mega trolls will attack the inner gate. And this will likely take you a couple of tries. Head them off and keep their attention, as they will briefly be distracted by you, but quickly return to attacking the gate. The trick here is to get UP the stairs ahead of the monster trolls, since they are very challenging. When you get ahead of them, you’ll face one at a time instead of both of them. When firing on them at the outset, the rear one is usually the first one to make it up the stairs, so rain down damage on him first if you can.
Now comes the badass orc captain. He has a incredibly damaging overhead strike, so watch for him to leap up. He brings a couple of men with him who will complicate matters, so keep your team handy. They will drop like flies if they are AI controlled, so try to keep them on their feet. He isn’t so tough himself, just the circumstances make things difficult. After he drops, get rid of the few stragglers, and you win the battle.
ACHIEVEMENT: For surviving and helping Nordinbad, you earn Siege-Breaker, worth 35 whole points!You’ll be instructed to speak with the dwarf lord, and on your way back up to the door, if you haven’t already, there are two chests on either side for you to loot, along with a number of barrels.
Following the conversation with the dwarf lord, stock up, repair, and speak with Beleram, who’s in a chamber to your right as you’re on your way out. Now head toward the exit to move on.
Carn Dum
Head up the path and into the fortress. You’ll hear comments on the prisoners and see a few barrels along the way. Proceed until you see some prisoners scamper for cover. Hang a left and keep going up. And up. You will eventually reach a lever which opens the path across the way and unleashes the prisoners. Fight your way around the horseshoe and look for the proceed point.
Turn the corner to face a few more men and hit another proceed point. After that things open up into a pretty epic battle. Look for casters up above you, men to attack you, and then a troll and an assortment of bad guys. Good news, no archers. Bad news, everyone else is pretty tough. Let your team focus on the troll and take out everyone else, while picking away at the big guy with distance shots.
Around to the left is a door, but the lever that opens it is in a chamber just underneath where the casters were, along with a lot of loot. When you enter you’ll meet some prisoners, but let your team handle them and pull the lever.
Once you pull the lever, you’ll unleash another wave of enemies and TWO more trolls. Lucky you. Head through the gate and around the corner to run into two casters and a man, and hang a right for a chest and some loot. Head up more stairs to another proceed point and around the next corner, another wave of bad guys, including several casters and some heavily armed men, as well as annoying prisoners. Head up and around the corner again and head through a proceed point.
You’ll hit a cutscene featuring the return of an old friend seeking revenge and finding it. Head into the nearby door to end the section.
Carn Dum Citadel
And now it’s on. His attacks are similar to the sorcerors you’ve faced thus far, transporting, hitting and running, and throwing fireballs. However, he takes damage easily at this point and quickly he’ll vanish altogether and transport in a fire-hammer troll. After you drop the troll he’ll bring in some reinforcements which make him harder to hit with arrows and bolts. This is his second phase and when you get him to the end of this energy bar, he will run off, of course. Grab what loot you can, and head to the proceed point.
The first wave in the second Agandaur battle is similar, but when he gets pissed off, he’ll throw out an energy bubble. Then he’ll take to the skies and fly around you, but it’s not too hard to avoid. After he joins on the ground again, just face him down, and when he takes to the skies again, you’ll have the choice to bring Beleram down on him. Then he’ll fly back and forth with a lightning attack, but it’s easy enough to avoid. He’s a culmination of what you’ve faced before, but since he doesn’t call in reinforcements, he’s easier than some of the battles you’ve faced thus far. The final cutscene is appropriately epic.
ACHIEVEMENTS: You earn two achievements by getting to this point, Hero of the North for dropping the boss, worth 80 points, and Victorious in battle for 25 points for completing the game. If you chose not to use Beleram during the final fight, you earn 20 points for the Eagle Savoir achievement as well.
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