Instead of relying on a few overpowered and bug-abusable units, Mordor of BT2:DC can use all of its vast array of units and heroes to overwhelm its enemies. Nazgul and Corsairs have been nerfed and can no longer be exploited, and Industry can no longer affect multiple buildings. However, Orcs, Haradrim Archers and Lancers, Trolls, and Mumakil have all been buffed significantly. With the largest offensive arsenal in the game now fully available, Mordor can keep its enemy constantly on the defensive with crushing waves of troops and unpredictable harassment from every direction.
Unit Changes
Orcs
Basics: Damage gained from horde bonus decreased, radius in which horde bonus is active increased, number of Orcs required to trigger horde bonus decreased
Tactics: Orc Warriors are now potent in smaller groups, allowing a Mordor player to Orc harass with more varied tactics than simply sending single massive groups of Orcs. However, to balance this out, the damage gained from horde bonus has been decreased. The changes to the horde bonus are common to Orcs, Orc Archers, and Haradrim Lancers.
Orc Archers
Basics: Damage against swordsmen increased, health slightly reduced.
Tactics: A damage increase against swordsmen makes Orc Archers, especially if combined with well-microed Orc Warriors to create horde bonus, a powerful defensive force.
Easterlings
Basics: Armor against slash reduced, armor against Uruk-type damage significantly reduced.
Tactics: While still a fast and versatile pike unit, Easterlings can no longer counter-intuitively take on swordsmen head-on.
Haradrim Archers
Basics: Haradrim Palace level two upgrade cost reduced, Haradrim Archer cost and buildtime reduced, speed increased, Barbed Arrows research and equip costs decreased, Barbed Arrows pre-attack delay and recharge time decreased, Barbed Arrows can now be properly multi-selected.
Tactics: Haradrim Archers have been very significantly buffed, making them effective tier two archers, instead of their previous function as dead weight. A few well-microed Haradrim Archers with Barbed Arrows is a deadly anti-hero force, and with very good timing and positioning they can even hold cavalry at bay with Barbed Arrows' knockback effect.
Corsairs
Basics: Double attack exploit removed, armor against cavalry reduced, firebomb damage significantly reduced, particularly against buildings, firebomb pre-attack delay reduced.
Tactics: With firebombs no longer obliterating any building or unit they land on, Corsairs have become a surgical strike unit. Their devastating speed and high damage allows them to pick off heroes, resource buildings, and fleeing enemy units. With a reduced pre-attack daily, Corsairs can now constantly hit-and-run enemy armies to disrupt their movement and positioning and break up archer/pike combos.
Mountain Troll
Basics: Troll Cage cost reduced, Troll Cage health greatly increased, Mountain Troll buildtime reduced, armor against pierce significantly increased, armor against cavalry increased, tree attack damage against structures significantly decreased.
Tactics: Mountain Trolls are no longer only good for a desperate backdoor attempt, instead performing excellently as mid-game anti-cavalry with a decrease in the cost of the Troll Cage and buildtime of the Mountain Troll. They are also powerful harassers now that they can no longer be downed by a few archer volleys, and the Troll Cage is no longer a huge liability against a faction with offensive 10 PP summons as its health has been greatly buffed.
Attack Troll
Basics: Troll Cage cost and health changes as listed above, Troll Cage rank 3 upgrade time significantly reduced, Attack Troll buildtime reduced, command point requirement significantly reduced, crush damage greatly increased.
Tactics: A much more robust Troll Cage and less time and command points required in fielding Attack Trolls means they are no longer an insanely risky investment. Though formidable against swordsmen, archers, and low tier heroes, their primary function is destroying buildings, and they do so with devastating efficiency.
Mumakil
Basics: Mumakil Pen health greatly increased, Mumakil cost reduced to 1500.
Tactics: The most important change here is the large health increase to the Mumakil Pen, as it means that a good defense will now protect your resource- and time-expensive investment from being downed by a 10 PP summon or small suicide attack. A cost decrease also makes your war elephants easier to get on the battlefield.
Haradrim Lancers
Basics: Damage greatly increased, further increased against heroes, crush revenge damage greatly increased
Tactics: Though still in possession of their long buildtime, significant buffs make Haradrim Lancers a very useful asset to your army. They perform well as anti-cavalry and are very good against most heroes en masse, particularly mounted ones.
Gorgoroth Spire
Basics: Range greatly decreased, radius significantly decreased, now deals entirely flame damage rather than a combination of flame and siege, recharge significantly increased.
Tactics: Admittedly not really a unit, the changes to Gorgoroth Spire are still noteworthy enough to include. Changes to its range and damage type mean it will be much more difficult to build one in range of an enemy fortress, and it won't do insane damage to Fortresses if it does hit. However, a well-timed and positioned Spire attack will still let you sit back and watch your enemy's armies burn.
