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The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War factions guide – read this before choosing yours

All of the stats, differences, and takeaways for each Middle-earth Faction

The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War factions guide – read this before choosing yours
By Pocket Gamer staff
|
iOS + Android
| The Lord of The Rings: War

As The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War stays true to the original story from J.R.R Tolkien's books, Factions in this game are divided in two sides. The 'Evil' ones who have sided with Sauron, and the 'Good' ones, the ones who decided to go against the Dark Lord.

That plays a key role in the context of the game because even though players are able to recruit many Commanders, these units are exclusive to their side. Meaning, an 'Evil' one won't be available to a 'Good' Faction. That's the first major generic difference when it comes to Factions.

Choosing the right Faction

While players have the option to change their Faction if they wish to do so, there is a penalty and also a limitation. That limitation is that they cannot switch sides. If they started with an 'Evil' Faction and they want to change, they can only select a Faction from the 'Evil' side.

These are just some of the things that players should take into consideration before they decide which Faction they want to go with. Other than essentially picking a side along with a Faction, there are other differences between the Factions as well.

In Lord of The Rings: Rise to War, each Faction in the game has its own unique spawn point on the map of Middle-Earth, their capital city. For example, Rohan's capital Edoras, is located above the Ered Nimrais, Mordor's capital Barad-dur is located in the South-East, Orthanc, the capital of Isengard is located at the Southern end of the Misty Mountains.

The differences between Factions

Various types of neutral camps are scattered all over the map. Once players occupy these camps, they may hire the corresponding special units to their army. Each Faction has access to different camps and that is something that can prove to be very important in the later stages of the game along with each Faction's special type units.

Due to the game's geo-strategic element, the player's position on the map is very important and that's the next big difference between the Factions.

By being located in the center of Middle-Earth, a Faction has easier access to the 'One Ring' which is a big advantage compared to Factions that start the game in remote places of the map. With that being said, there's also a price that comes with this advantage. Positioning in such an area, means that the Faction is surrounded by enemies, and tacticians of these Factions must be prepared to fight other Factions very early in the game.

Stats breakdown

For example, Land of Stone gives Gondor players the ability to build faster. Lothlorien Commanders will earn EXP faster compared to others due to the Elven Wisdom Faction bonus. Rohan units are able to march around the map at a faster pace thanks to Faction bonus 'Forth Eorlingas'. Mordor bonus, Land of Darkness will grant players higher resource production and so on.

Another difference when it comes to Factions in The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War is the Faction bonus. Each one has its own that affects the gameplay in certain ways. Here are all the important features to consider before joining a Faction and a side:

  • Rohan
  1. Capital city: Edoras
  2. Starting Commander: Éowyn
  3. Faction Bonus: Forth Eorlingas, March Speed +3%
  4. Special Unit: Marshal
  • Gondor
  1. Capital city: Minas Tirith
  2. Starting Commander: Faramir
  3. Faction Bonus: Land of Stone, Construction time -5%
  4. Special Unit: Swan Knights
  • Lothlórien
  1. Capital city: Caras Galadhon
  2. Starting Commander: Haldir
  3. Faction Bonus: Elven Wisdom, Commander EXP Gain +5%
  4. Special Unit: Marchwarden
  • Mordor
  1. Capital city: Barad-dûr
  2. Starting Commander: Gorbag
  3. Faction Bonus: Land of Darkness, Resource production +5%
  4. Special Unit: Ravager
  • Isengard
  1. Capital city: Orthanc
  2. Starting Commander: Ugthak
  3. Faction Bonus: Ring of Iron, Conscription Cost -10%
  4. Special Unit: Snaga Thrak
  • Erebor
  1. Capital city: Erebor
  2. Starting Commander: Dwalin
  3. Faction Bonus: Sons of Durin, Conscription time -5%
  4. Special Unit: Iron warrior
  • Rhûn
  1. Capital city: Kineland
  2. Starting Commander: Khaldoon
  3. Faction Bonus: Eastern Traveler, Damage dealt to non-player armies +10%
  4. Special Unit: War Chariot
  • Angmar
  1. Capital city: Carn Dûm
  2. Starting Commander: Agzok
  3. Faction Bonus: Steel Home, Siege Damage +5%
  4. Special Unit: Fallen
  • Lindon
  1. Capital city: Grey Havens
  2. Starting Commander: Haldir
  3. Faction Bonus: Praised Land, Wood, Grain collection yield +10%
  4. Special Unit: Noldor Longshot
  • Arnor
  1. Capital city: Annúminas, Fornost
  2. Starting Commander: Faramir
  3. Faction Bonus: Land of Kings, Construction cost -5%
  4. Special Unit: Ranger of the North

Each Faction has a player limit

There is another element that every new tactician should keep in mind - there’s a maximum number of players limited to a Faction. That means once a Faction has reached that number of players, new players cannot join in anymore.

In conclusion, what is the best Faction?

Even though every Faction has pros and cons compared to one another, they are all viable and overall, well balanced. For players who want to develop quickly, Gondor or Lothlórien is a very good choice, but for players who want to battle it out, Angmar or Rhûn are a great alternative.

If you're eager to get your hands on The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War and experience the game yourself, you can give it a go on the App Store, the Google Play Store or Galaxy Store today. It’s a free-to-play game with in-app purchases.