When the decision to make an expansion pack for the game was made, the developers were split down the middle with some wanting to focus on the battle of the last alliance, and others wanting to focus on the Rise of the Witch-King in Angmar. Obviously, they decided to go with the Witch-King focused expansion, partially because playing as the bad guys is always a lot of fun! The events in The Rise of the Witch-King takes place between the battle of the last alliance (shown at the beginning of the LotR films) and Frodo’s quest to destroy the one ring. There are three thousand some odd years in there that most people don’t really know about, and during that time the Witch-King rises to power and tries to build his own dark empire. Hardcore LotR fans can look forward to learning more about a little known about chapter in the history of Middle Earth.
The human nation of Arnor is in chaos after the death of the King, and the Witch-King decides to take full advantage of the situation and wages war! The game’s new single player campaign will chronicle the rise of the Witch-King and his invasion of the nation of Arnor. You’ll play through this story as Angmar, the game’s newest faction.
There are nine new missions in the game’s campaign mode (counting the epilogue). You’ll start the game off as the Witch-King seeking out allies to join his growing dark army. While venturing the mountains in you’ll meet up with the powerful Troll, Rogash, and will form an alliance with the trolls of Angmar.
From my experience playing the game, Angmar is pretty distinct and has some really cool units. Angmar has two different trolls on their side (Hill Trolls and Snow Trolls), which are smaller than their Southern cousins, but faster and smarter. Angmar also has Sorcerers that cast spells by using the souls of his Acolytes. The more powerful the spell is, the more of his Acolytes will have to be sacrificed. The Thrall Masters are the basic unit of Angmar and can summon a variety of new troops into battle. However, if the Thrall Master is defeated, so is the rest of his horde. Angmar also features unique abilities, structures, and heroes.
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The game’s developers spent a lot of time listening to what the fans wanted out of BFMEII, so there are plenty of improvements to the game outside the addition of the new Angmar faction. Each faction has received some new units, such as the new Elven Calvary Archers. Rise of the Witch-King also features new Mini Hero Hordes, which are recruited just like any other unit, but have powerful abilities like regular heroes. Each faction has a unique Mini Hero, such as the Black Riders, Dwarven Berserkers and Knights of Dol Amroth. This expansion tries to put more of a focus on siege weapons by increasing siege damage and removing friendly fire, while decreasing structural damage from non-siege weapons. This will ideally result in more balanced armies who will benefit from taking full advantage of the many different units in the game. The combat chain has also been altered to increase the strength of archers at a distance, but decrease their power up close. The developers also found that gamers weren’t using the elite units as much as they’d like and instead were focusing on building large amounts of basic units. This was largely because the elite units were simply not strong enough to justify their cost. However, modifications have been made that will make upgraded elite units far superior to non-elites.
Experienced BFMEII fans will also be glad to hear that there have been enhancements made to improve the AI. Opponents will be better at using their powers, and will be smart enough to develop various strategies.
As soon as I started the game up, I realized how fun the Angmar faction was to control. Angmar’s unique style and units result in an experience very much unlike the other factions. It seems to play more like the dwarves than it does any of the other enemy factions. And, of course, playing as the bad guys makes it all even more enjoyable.
I managed to progress through the first three levels of the campaign, and found it a strategy rich experience. The balance changes involving siege was immediately apparent as my siege weapons ripped through walls and structures, while my units were better left standing aside and watching. I’m very interested to see how this will change the game! Each mission took a far amount of time and strategy, and seemed more difficult than the missions from the previous game. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to try out the skirmish mode in order to get a look at the alterations to the other factions.
While I haven’t had the chance to spend as much time with Rise of the Witch-King as I’d like, I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it and am looking forward to playing more. Anyone who enjoyed the original BFMEII should keep their eyes open for the expansion.
