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Top Ten Commanders in The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War

Top Ten Commanders in The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War
By Pocket Gamer staff
|
iOS + Android
| The Lord of The Rings: War

Whether you choose good or evil, we break down which Commanders will serve you best

When you’re just about to start your journey in Middle-earth, it’s best to have by your side a powerful Commander who is able to deal with all of that and successfully perform his duty. No matter if the Commander is one that you’re already well accustomed to from the books or movies or you’re just trying out a new faction for a change, we’ve gathered 10 of the best Commanders in The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War to help you out.

We consider these Commanders as the best in the game, not only because they have an exceptionally good set of skills, but also because their stats are above average. They have been divided into two sections, on one side you have the “good” factions and on the other you have the “evil” ones.

The best Commanders for the Good factions

Eowyn [Men]

Eowyn, Eomund’s daughter, is a powerful Commander with a truly remarkable kit more than capable of leading the good faction troops. She is also extremely fast when moving around the map.

Unit type: Balanced Base Stats:
  • Might: 80
  • Speed: 107
  • Focus: 71
Stats per level:
  • Might: +1.75/level
  • Speed: +1.54/level
  • Focus: +1.03/level
Skills:
  • Shieldmaiden: Attack Vitals, Defensive Stance
  • Rohirrim: Cleave, Riding Excellence
  • Dernhelm: Cripple, Giant Slayer
  • White Lady of Rohan: Frontline Rescue, Nobility

In the early game, you want to go for each and every skill, starting with Shieldmaiden and Attack Vitals, and all the way to Frontline Rescue and Nobility.

Aragorn II [Men]

Aragorn II, the son of Arathorn II and Gilraen, is a warrior whose actions speak louder than words. His skills are equally noteworthy, making him one of the best Commanders to join your Fellowship.

Unit type: Balanced

Base Stats:

  • Might: 96
  • Speed: 89
  • Focus: 70
Stats per level:
  • Might: +1/level
  • Speed: +1.62/level
  • Focus: +1.01/level
Skills:
  • Anduril: Cull the Weak, Weapons Expertise
  • Dunedain Chieftain: Brawling Training, Well-prepared
  • Strider: Precise Blow, Raid
  • Hidden Heir: Sun and Moon’s Splendour, Nobility

Just like with Eowyn, you want to go for each skill since all of them are equally good depending on the situation. Strider is one of the most important skills however, but it’ll require you to level up his respect a bit.

Ori [Dwarves]

Ori is another Commander who isn’t exactly interested in battles, as much as he is in Tips. He also grants great passive stats, and even though he’s a “peaceful” unit, he can still increase the army’s Attack through his Musician ability.

Unit type: Balanced/Tip Master Base Stats:
  • Might: 82
  • Speed: 55
  • Focus: 79
Stats per level:
  • Might: +1.49/level
  • Speed: +0.9/level
  • Focus: +2.03/level
Skills:
  • Clerk: Clear-headed, Inquisitive
  • Musician: Relief, Level-headed
  • Durin’s Blood: Whirlwind, All-in
  • Warrior of Lonely Mountain: Longbeard, Giant Slayer

You should go for Musician first, and then slowly build your way through the skill towards the last skills, Longbeard and Giant Slayer.

Gandalf the White [Maiar]

We know the story of Gandalf the Grey, and we know a thing or two about Gandalf the White as well - what is not obvious though is that this unit is incredibly powerful. In the original story, Gandalf the Grey revives as Gandalf the White after destroying the balrog of Morgoth.

Unit type: Strategist/Control Base Stats:
  • Might: 80
  • Speed: 81
  • Focus: 109
Stats per level:
  • Might: +1.15/level
  • Speed: +1.32/level
  • Focus: +2.8/level
Skills:
  • Wizard: Pipe-weed Connoisseur, Surge
  • White Rider: Horsemanship, Reinforcement
  • The White: Magical Barrier, Blindside
  • White Council: High Alert, Champion of the Light

Once you acquire him, you’ll want to go level up his Wizard ability, since crowd control is excellent. Then, you’ll want to work your way towards Horsemanship while leveling up everything in between.

Haldir [Elves]

Although he follows Galadriel’s instructions, Haldir is more than capable of being a great unit, arguably even better than her. Haldir is not just a typical marchwarden of Lothlorien, he is the best - his skills also prove that, making him a balanced unit with an astounding kit.

Unit type: Balanced Base Stats:
  • Might: 829
  • Speed: 77
  • Focus: 65
Stats per level:
  • Might: +1.78/level
  • Speed: +1.26/level
  • Focus: +1.06/level
Skills:
  • Marchwarden of Lorien: Cull the Weak, Elite
  • Guide: Armed Escort, Foresight
  • Silvan Elf: Beast Training, Forest Agility
  • Galadhrim: Fortify, Shield Training

All of Haldir’s skills are great, and all of them focus on dealing damage or increasing his battle stats. Start with Guide and Armed Escort, and then move on to unlocking Forest Agility at the start.

The best Commanders for the Evil factions

Maltok [Evil Men]

This Commander is an amazing Tier 1 character because he works great as a Leader and has extremely high base stats. He is also extremely fast, making it a great unit to lead into battle with.

Unit type: Leader Base Stats:
  • Might: 65
  • Speed: 92
  • Focus: 71
Stats per level:
  • Might: +1.3/level
  • Speed: +1.84/level
  • Focus: +1.56/level
Skills:
  • Pursuer: Deepen Wounds, Overwhelm
  • Easterling: Evil Alliance, Iron Guard
  • Interrogator: Laceration, Restrain
  • Warg Trailer: Warg Healing, Beast Taming

His skills work really well in the early game, and maxing out Pursuer, Evil Alliance and Easterling will benefit you most when getting started.

Sharku [Orcs]

Sharku is a great starting Commander for the Orcs, being an amazing unit for Tips and overall, any PvE tasks you might want to complete. Sharku is one of the best Commanders you could get if you want a T1 Commander that is dependable all throughout the game.

Unit type: Strategist/Tip Master Base Stats:
  • Might: 57
  • Speed: 88
  • Focus: 87
Stats per level:
  • Might: +0.82/level
  • Speed: +1.76/level
  • Focus: +1.58/level
Skills:
  • Arsonist: Arson, Fuel Oil
  • Warband Leader: Logistics, Collector
  • Conspirator: Treason, Trickery
  • Warg Trainer: Warg Healing, Beast Taming

Being a particularly good and reliable starting Commander, Sharku can go in whichever direction you need him to, based on what you’ll use him for. Collector and Warband Leader are always good skills to have.

Gorbag [Orcs]

Gorbag is the Orc Commander from Mordor who is not only a survivor, but someone with tremendous experience in battle that made him rise quickly through the ranks.

Unit type: Leader Base Stats:
  • Might: 85
  • Speed: 74
  • Focus: 62
Stats per level:
  • Might: +1.7/level
  • Speed: +0.93/level
  • Focus: +0.9/level
Skills:
  • Interrogator: Laceration, Restrain
  • Old Orc: Clear-headed, Dress Wounds
  • Grey Leader: Orcish Warlord, March
  • Watchman of Cirith Ungol: Fatal Split, Corrupting Curse

No matter which skill you want to go for first, all of them will greatly help in battle. They are mostly offensive, granting only enough additional stats to make him something to be feared.

Saruman the White [Maiar]

As many know, Saruman is the first of the Istari, the most powerful wizard in Middle-Earth. Fascinated by the dark powers, he eventually gave into temptation and betrayed Gandalf and all the old friendships in order to acquire it. He is one of the most powerful Commanders belonging to the dark factions.

Unit type: Balanced/Control Base Stats:
  • Might: 75
  • Speed: 45
  • Focus: 108
Stats per level:
  • Might: +1.08/level
  • Speed: +0.57/level
  • Focus: +2.77/level
Skills:
  • Of Many Colours: Focus Discharge, Trembling Strike
  • Palantir Scryer: Wild Magic, Fanaticism
  • Voice of Saruman: Astonish, Soul Siphon
  • Sharkey: Uruk-hai Captain, Morgul Officer

Just like with Gandalf the White, any and every skill of Saruman is genuinely great. Level them up based on your needs, since chances are it’ll be a while before you unlock Respect 3 with him to gain access to the other skills.

King of the Dead [Undead]

Last but not least, the King of the Dead - the one who betrayed Isildur when asked to fight Sauron and cursed until he fulfills his duty. He’s, as the name also suggests, a Leader, but also has fairly good stats and a more than average Speed.

Unit type: Leader/Control Base Stats:
  • Might: 81
  • Speed: 85
  • Focus: 81
Stats per level:
  • Might: +1.62/level
  • Speed: +2.18/level
  • Focus: +1.02/level
Skills:
  • Incorporeal: Boggle, Dreadful Presence
  • Betrayer: Intimidation, Confusion
  • Men of the Mountains: Focus Wrath, Chaotic Retreat
  • Army of the Dead: Frightened, Dead Men of Dunharrow

All of his important skills inflict crowd control, making him a genuinely great unit for the end game in particular. While he offers something pretty interesting in his max level Betrayer, it can be double-sided depending on the strategy. He’s an outstanding Commander but requires some planning in order to make him work as intended.