Rise of the Witchking

Men of the West
MotW, the Men of the West mostly focus on elite cavalry and the combined forces of swordsmen and archery. For a long time the sole power of the Rangers was enough to vanquish their foes, but the time has come where melee forces are needed to shield these deadly archers. Along with their leader, Boromir and his horn, these infantry armies are a real threat. Unexpectedly, the Men of the West can use their elite cavalry units, the fearless Rohirrim and the powerful Knights of Dol Amroth, to infiltrate the enemy base from behind.


Dwarves
Dwarves, the faction which is hated by some and loved by others, really shows its strength in battle. Having so many powerful units, facing Dwarves in the game will make even the best players cower in fear. Formerly known as a powerful archer faction, the Dwarves once more reside to their foot soldiers, namely the sturdy Guardians and the dreaded ranks of their Phalanx pikemen. Together with their leader, King Dain, the Dwarves have a sturdy and formidable force that will wipe out any resistance.


Elves
Elves are as always the main archer faction of the game and with archers having been strengthened in the entire game, the time has come for Elves to step up. Their main unit in middle and late game, the archers of Mirkwood, are easily the most deadly archers in the game. Although they are costly, their superior range, damage and stealth abilities, make them virtually impossible to kill in the hands of a capable player. The entire faction has the ability to stealth when in the woods, with the exception of their cavalry units, which makes for some excellent tactics especially on wooded maps like Mirkwood. In the end, the lethal Silverthorn arrows, are all that the Elves need to dispose of their enemies. Their agility, high quality weapons and speed make for an excellent faction.


Mordor
Mordor, the greatest enemy of the Third Age of Middle-Earth, stands as dominant as ever. In the expansion of the Battle for Middle-Earth 2, the Rise of the Witch-King, they have gained the aid of the Black Orcs, the speedy and lethal Haradrim Lancers and the long awaited leader of the orcs, Gothmog. With the greatest variety of units in the game, Mordor's combinations are both numerous and effective, ranging from a massive all-out orc spam consisting of normal Orcs, Orc Archers and a variety of buffing powers like Tainted Land to the troops Sauron enlisted from the far East and South, the Haradrim, the Easterlings and the Corsairs to the high amount of creatures like Fellbeasts, Trolls, Mumakils, etc. A faction which shows its greatest strength as the game progresses, Mordor is definitely still a threat to the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth and all who oppose Sauron.


Isengard
Isengard, a great ring of rocks and in the middle a vast pinnacle of indomitable rock, named Orthanc, is a faction which entered the battlefields of Middle-Earth during the time of the War of the Ring. Led by the wizard Saruman, they are certainly a danger to their neighbours in Rohan, using the large but untrained forces of Dunland, the Wildmen, the powerful Uruk-Hai or deploying their Wargs to annihilate their opponents. With a large variety of units early in the game, Isengard is certainly a match to its opponents when in the hands of one who knows how to use the faction. With Lurtz as their main leader and hero slayer, the White Hand shall be victorious!


Angmar
Angmar, a frozen and twisted land that lay north beyond the Ettenmoors, is the newly added faction in this expansion pack. Having a unit that is both extremely spammable, training even faster than Goblins, and extremely powerful, this faction overwhelms its enemies within a matter of minutes. Their main force consists of the Thrall Masters, who can summon a variety of units, but mostly used are the Gundabad Warriors, from the cold and snowy Mountains of Gundabad. Their elite units consist from the corrupt and treacherous Black Numenoreans to the numerous Snow and Hill Trolls led by their cunning captain, Rogash, the Troll of the North to the powerful and feared Sorcerers, capable of turning entire armies into Lesser Wights with their Well of Souls ability. The Witch-King uses his followers and his forces to eliminate any that stand in the sorcerer's way.


Goblins
Goblins, an ever present force for their main enemies the Dwarves, are as always the main spamming faction. Forth from their mountain caves comes an ever flow of Goblin Warriors and Archers, followed by the feared Spider Riders and Half-Trolls. With Azog and Gorkil, the Goblin King, at their head, the Goblins of the Misty Mountains and beyond are not a force to be underestimated however weak their units may be. Their strength lies in their numbers and not in their individual warriors, although they have their share of elite units, such as the fast and deadly Spider Riders or the lord of the dragons, Drogoth. Be sure to arm yourself well, otherwise you'll be overwhelmed!