Rise of the Witch King

This is the 2.01 to 2.02 Men of the West Transition Guide. It's fair to say that in 2.01 Men was one of the weakest factions, it had trouble early game and was almost impossible for them to win a game versus Dwarves. Well not anymore! Men has become a strong faction due to 2.02 balance changes, though it is still very similar to 2.01 Men. This guide will cover a few of the prominent changes, and hopefully help you adjust to the new Men faction.

In 2.01 gameplay usually consisted of spamming Gondor Soldiers mixed with pikes, and then getting a hero like Theoden or Boromir as soon as possible. Then in late game you chose whether to rely more on Rangers with Fire Arrows or Rohirrim, until you wanted to end the game with overpowered Knights of Dol Amroth. In 2.02 you'll notice you have more options, including using units that were previously overlooked and overshadowed, like Gondor Archers and Gondor Knights. Also heroes that were almost useless or had very few uses in 2.01 are now commonly used like Eowyn, Faramir, and Gandalf.

Early Game

Overall early game is the same, it still mostly relies on Gondor Soldiers, but now in 2.02 you may see Gondor Archers used to great effect. Also Men has a much stronger cavalry rush than in 2.01 with more powerful Gondor Knights, which are now great early cavalry.

Build Order 1

Farm -> Farm -> Barracks -> Farm -> Barracks/Archery Range/Stables
Recommended Power: Rallying Call

This is the standard Men build order and is the same as 2.01; it gives you a good economy and fares well against almost any start. Just make sure you mix pikemen in with your Gondor Soldiers. It's up to you to choose what the second production building will be, whether you want to take advantage of improved Gondor Archers or another production building. Make another Farm before the second production building to get a more economical start.

Build Order 2

Farm -> Farm -> Stables -> Farm -> Barracks
Recommended Power: Rallying Call

This build order was rarely used in 2.01 because of how weak Gondor Knights were. However 2.02 has hugely reduced their crush deceleration so they are much more useful now. This build order should usually be used on host and not every game because Men has no spying power, but it's great in 2v2s.

Build Order 3

Farm -> Barracks -> Farm -> Farm -> Barracks/Archery Range/Stables
Recommended Power: Rallying Call

This is a riskier build order because Men has no scouting power. However this build order can be very effective especially against Angmar, Men, or Mordor or a cavalry rush if pulled off correctly. It is a good idea to start with Rohan Spearmen and creep with them, then mix them with a Gondor Soldiers battalion to attack. The lair treasure gained from this helps compensate for the slightly less economical start. If you see the Eye of Sauron or if your ally scouts in a 2v2 it may be a good idea to use this build order. You might want to build another Farm before the second production building if you're going for the Stables.

Mid-Game

This is where you will start upgrading to more powerful units, get strong heroes, and introduce new buildings. Eventually you should have each of the three types of production buildings that will be upgraded (maybe two Barracks) and you'll usually want to get a Marketplace during mid-game. You want to get a good mix of troops to win. I'll show you some items that weren't used very often in 2.01 that you will want to incorporate.


Eowyn was totally useless in 2.01 except maybe to combat the Witch-king, but now in 2.02 Eowyn can be quite useful. In 2.01 Eowyn was bugged so that Smite didn't do extra damage to Fellbeasts; that is fixed and now Eowyn should be seen on the battlefield to counter Fellbeasts and the Witch-King (make sure she is in Aggressive Stance for Smite). Now Eowyn has basically become a tank after having been given a huge buff. She can take a lot of damage (her health has been changed from 1600 to 2400) and kill many other heroes especially after she reaches level five and gets the improved Shield Maiden. Also Disguise, which had absolutely no use, now gives her immunity to Cripple and Corrode Allegiance.


Faramir can now be used as the first hero; he's a great early hero, has early Leadership, and can be used in most match-ups. He has been buffed and is much stronger; this includes Wounding Arrow which now does more damage to enemy units.


Put upgrading your Barracks on your list of things to do mid-game, to unlock the improved Tower Guards, which have been given a buff (they now have 420 health, from 320) and are essential for Men to use during mid and late game.


Markets are now vital to Men mid-game. They have changed greatly and are now far from useless. Their price has been reduced to 1200 (from 1500) and they give your farms a 12% resource bonus (from 10%) without purchasing anything extra. This is especially valuable because it will affect allies in team games. All this can make it a target for your enemy, make sure you protect it! Markets can be made early on in the game and they make a huge difference. You may find yourself raking in too many resources to know what to do with.