Welcome to the Men of the West Hero Guide! In this guide, every Men of the West hero and how it can be used in different situations will be explained. The Men of the West have more heroes than any other faction so an understanding of each hero and their strengths and weaknesses is very important. There are seven Men of the West heroes: Gandalf, Aragorn, Boromir, Faramir, Theoden, Eomer and Eowyn. Each of them can be used for different purposes, but sometimes it is better to choose one over the other.
Gandalf
Gandalf arrived in Middle-earth with the order of Wizards to order, to counsel and aid the free peoples of Middle-earth. He is the wielder of the Elven Ring of Fire, Narya. He led a band of thirteen dwarves and a hobbit on a quest to overthrow the last dragon, he overthrew the Necromancer of Dol Guldur with the help of the White Council, and he guided the ring bearer to destroy the One Ring. Gandalf met his end in the mines of Moria, at the hands of a Balrog, but he returned to Middle-earth to rally all who opposed Sauron, as Gandalf the White. After about 2000 years in Middle-earth, he returned to the Undying Lands from where he came.Cost: 4000
Gandalf’s Abilities
Wizard Blast (Level 1)Wizard Blast is great for a first ability. It blasts a group of units away, causing good damage. This is best used against larger numbers of weaker units, because some of the stronger infantry may survive the spell. Try not to use this on mobile units since it takes a few seconds to cast and has a short range. This power recharges quite fast so you can use it frequently.
Lightning Sword (Level 2)Lightning Sword allows Gandalf to direct lightning shocks from his sword at any enemy unit, structure or hero, one at a time. This is best used on stronger units who are by themselves who will therefore take all the damage. This is also very effective against structures. The lightning will follow any unit escaping the radius of the spell after it has been cast. Gandalf remains vulnerable while casting this spell, so be careful!
This spell takes a long time to recharge so use it wisely.
Shadowfax (Level 4)Gandalf mounts Shadowfax, the lord of all horses. Shadowfax is the fastest horse in the game, and can out even outrun flying units! However pikemen will easily destroy the white rider should he be unfortunate enough to run through them.
Istari Light (Level 7)A focused beam of light will be unleashed against a single target. This beam of light deals excellent magic damage to any hero/monster, but is especially effective against Nazgul and flying units. Very few things in-game can survive a combination of both Lightning Sword and Istari Light. Even the mighty Balrog will fall to this deadly combination.
Word of Power (Level 10)Word of Power is possibly the most powerful hero ability in the entire game. Gandalf creates a blue shock wave which obliterates units around Gandalf and sends them flying. It even damages buildings and flying units. This power can destroy an entire army so it is extremely useful. Unfortunately, Gandalf requires 2000 experience to use it, so this ability is rarely seen in-game.
When to use Gandalf
Gandalf is primarily a unit killer so you should have him with your army to eliminate any enemies that you encounter. He is fragile and rather weak defensively and mainly depends on his abilities to make up for his high cost. Because of this cost, he is mainly a late game hero. It is best to get him when you have a lot of resources later on in a game. He levels up a bit slowly so try to get some experience for him by creeping lairs (if there are still any).
Always make sure he has your army protecting him since he is an easy target for your opponent. When you use Gandalf you should generally use his abilities then retreat with him. Gandalf is most useful when dealing with large numbers of weak units or flying units. Therefore, he is generally best against the evil factions (Isengard, Mordor, Goblins and Angmar). Since abilities like Wizard Blast don't do a large amount of damage, Gandalf can't do much against strong units who will survive the blast. However, he can easily kill weaker units in large groups with it, and because of its low recharge time he can do so often. When he reaches level 5, his use changes from a fragile unit killer to a tank unit killer.
