Lord of the Rings Walkthrough

Intro/Hobbiton Watch the intro, it's looooong. All you have to do is hit Enter, Z, or space to close text boxes. Don't get in the habit of using Esc or X to do it, or it could cause problems. I know it will cause an annoying blackout in the world map at least. Once you get control of Frodo follow Gandalf and talk to him when he stops until you get to Bag End. (You can duck into a hobbit hole or two if you want.) Talk to Sam. Frodo & Sam can fight the worms and/or a pig, or just look into the window Sam was in front of to get on with it. Bilbo's Party You could go talk to people, but what you need to do is hear Bilbo's Troll story, and get Sam to dance with Rosie. (You should have no problem dancing even with the sound off, but it's easier on.) After that talk to Merry, then Gandalf, then fight the Smaug Rocket. (Again this should be simple.) Now talk to Bilbo again, and the Party is over. Minas Tirith Ride Gandalf's horse all the way to Minas Tirith. It's a long distance, but you're shown the way. Cross rivers on the rocky fords with the horse. You can visit Isengard and Edoras on the way, but they're both pretty well closed for business. When you get to Minas Tirith, find Boromir in the armory (2-door house in SW quarter.) Now go see Denethor all the way at the top. Access from dark grey building attached to east side of mountain. Get Library Card, and go to library on west side, through door in wall. If you don't have the money to bribe the librarian you can leave town and fight some monsters, or go to the basement and pull back the bookcase on the right. There are 3 puzzles to complete, but only 2 are necessary. The map will get you the song "Burning Pitch" for Merry or Pippin. The Eye and Gollum are easier, but if you have trouble hit Esc to see where things go. I don't know the correct sequence (definitely not the shortest!), but it's the same for all three.) If you have too much trouble forget the song and pay off the librarian for the other two. Osgiliath (Optional) If you decide to go to Osgiliath, it's right next to Minas Tirith on the river. Talk to Faramir and he joins you, then cross the planks to the islet and try to enter the tent that's spawning monsters. You'll have to fight an Orc Shaman who keeps calling for backup. I recommend using Gandalf's Firecracker or Kinesis on the Shaman, unless there are 3 or more enemies, then use Fireworks or Confusion. Have Boromir and Faramir attack the Shaman until he dies. If there are 3 or more enemies you might want to Have Faramir use his men, or you could use Boromir's Rout and the enemies will eventually run away. There are four more spawning tents to destroy throughout Osgiliath. You can find a few treasure chests here and there, the one east of the south gate has a Bastard Sword for Boromir. Once all the orcs are gone go back the way you came. Shire/Isengard You'll find Frodo back in Hobbiton. You can hook up with Sam and kill his worms, and find the basement in Bag End. (Recommend you bring Sam.) There are switches behind the bar in the dining room, a bookcase in the study, and the fireplace in the bedroom, then you can pull the chest back to reveal stairs. Hit the first switch in the basement, but not the second when you go through the first door, instead go down and hit the one in the cage. After that, don't hit the switch above the burglar, but get the one in the spider cage and go back. Some chests contain worms, but they shouldn't be hard. All that's optional though, all you need to do is visit the Green Dragon and take a seat with Sam and company, then go back to Bag End and go to bed. You'll be given the option of using Gandalf or Frodo & Sam. I'll give Gandalf's path first since it's short: Isengard Ride Gandalf's horse the same way as before, Isengard is the grey tower and ring in the gap between mountain ranges, about halfway to Minas Tirith. You'll be brought into Orthanc, where you fight Saruman. (The doors re-open but you don't go anywhere, it's a careless bug that I'll fix soon when I find something worse.) Anyway, don't bother wasting items when you fight Saruman. You can use Kinesis or whatever but you'll inevitably get beat, so you might as well use firecracker since it's quick. Maggot's Farm You'll get a scene on a road with random encounters and a campsite - easy stuff. Take Frodo and Sam east to the next town, which turns out to be a cornfield. You'll meet up with Merry and Pippin, then Farmer Maggot and his dogs will chase you. If Farmer Maggot catches you use the Hobbit Duet until the dogs are dead and concentrate on the farmer, and your health. But try to avoid them and gather vegetables. When you get to the orchard pick the apples and go down through the gate in the fence. You can't go in the hole, just keep walking. Cutscene, then fight with respawning bugs. Hobbit Duet is not so useful, but not terrible. Concentrate on the Spider and/or Neeker-Breeker if they appear. Keep going south after the cutscene. Black Rider Chase Press the up and down keys to go up and down (duh), and the right arrow key to get a burst of speed, if you've picked up a mushroom. Try to stay ahead of the Black Rider, and if he catches you run away, don't fight. You'll get there... You'll end up across the river, next to Buckland. (Or as Gandalf if you did the hobbits first.) Buckland/Old Forest/Barrow Downs (Optional) If you go to Buckland, there's some crappy weapons to buy, or some good armor in a chest, but talk to the Master of the Hall(yours truly in a cameo no less!) or stay in the guest room to get Fatty out of the way of the entrance to the Old Forest. Inside the Forest keep going right and down and avoid the monsters until you get a change of scenery - should be easy. Fight Old Man Willow. If you have it Burning Pitch is handy. Remember Apples cure sleep. (Bananas cure Hold, but you won't have any of those.) Follow Tom to his cabin and talk to him and Goldberry inside. You can get two songs from them, and rest and buy food. Leave Tom's Glade to the north to the Barrow Downs. If the hands hold you up Tom's song is good, and if any character gets taken (dies), you'll have to get them back from the Barrow cave. You'll find them in one of four coffins in the NW part of the cave, as well as a weapon for each hobbit, including Sam's best sword in the game! (Check the open coffins.) Once you get the swords fight the Wight to get rid of the hands. You can find it by the darkness. The Wight should be easy if you got the swords. You'll get a song from the Wight, and another in a coffin, as well as other stuff. That's all, go to Bree... Bree Don't step on the road or you'll encounter a Black Rider, run away if you do. Go to Bree, just north of Buckland, and find the Prancing Pony. A drunk hobbit will sell you a tavern song. Talk to Butterbur inside, cut scene... Go to the armory (building with weapons on it), and head upstairs. Talk to the guys, or just look out the window, then go to sleep. In the morning find Bill Ferny's house (middle north) and haggle with him for Bill the Pony. When Sam gets Bill, you can talk to Aragorn and enter the Midgewater Marshes. Midgewater/Weathertop Stay close to Strider, and talk to him when he stops. Hobbit Duet is your friend against bugs. When you stop for the night talk to Strider to get the Lay of Luthien and if you want go deer hunting. It's a good idea since Strider won't get random encounters, so you can go treasure hunting. If/when you find the deer shoot it with an arrow (Enter, space, Z). It is easy to get lost though, so you might want to skip it. The next day keep following Strider as usual until you get to Weathertop, which you should ascend. A Ringwraith will attack Frodo, and it will win, so don't waste items fighting it. Strider will hear Frodo's scream, take him up Weathertop, join the 3 remaining hobbits, and fight off the Nazgul using your sword. If you're familiar with this sort of ABS it should be easy, but you might want to battle the Nazgul anyway for experience. Torches and Burning Pitch work well. Trollshaws Go east along the road (which is safe now) to the Trollshaws, or back to Bree first if you need supplies. At the Trollshaws go north and then east across the bridge, and leave Frodo at the fire. Go back the way you came to the NW corner of the forest and pick Athelas/Kingsfoil for Strider/Sam. You'll split off into three paths now, but I'll start with Strider & 3 hobbits since it's in the Trollshaws. You'll get the Rhyme of the Troll song, then wander east through the woods until you find the elves on a bridge. They need 3 beams taken by 3 Trolls. One Troll-hole is just north of the bridge, the other two are back the way you came, and there's an empty hole as well. The Trolls aren't that hard, but it's good to boost Strider and maybe Sam with Rhyme of the Troll, and the Barrow Serenade could work. Carrying more than one beam at a time slows you down. I wouldn't want to try carrying all 3 at once... Anyway, bring the beams back to the elves and you're done. Flight to the Ford Arwen & Frodo's path is short. Just move around and shoot the Black Riders until you run off. If you get caught Arwen's Nin spell will take them out quickly, but don't let Frodo die. After the shooter part you'll fight all 9 Riders at once, but Arwen gets the Nin Bruinen spell. Use it twice right away to wash away all the nine. Have Frodo defend. (All this should be easy.) Escape from Isengard Gandalf's path is longest. It starts with an extended cut scene you'll have to watch until you fly to Fangorn Forest. From where you're dropped go south and find Eomer, who is attacked by orcs. I recommend using Rohirrim and Swarm first round, then fight if you have the ceremonial sword, or else use fireworks. You'll have to fight 4 groups of orcs before finding Theodred, who has fallen. You'll get a cut to Edoras, and meet the king. The king lets you take a horse. Find the white horse up the stairs in the stable. Shadowfax runs away. Leave town with Eomer and follow Shadowfax back to, and through Fangorn. Eventually you'll find a little hill with stairs and light green grass. Jump off the side of the hill onto Shadowfax to catch him. You'll end up in the field, go to the ford to the north. Eomer leaves. Get to the forest Lorien a little further north ASAP. Legolas is there between flets, and he will join you (optional). Leave Lorien to the north, and go to Caradhras (it's right there.) Gimli is in a snowdrift near the entrance, and he will also join you. Again, he's optional, and he won't go back to Lorien. It shouldn't be hard to make your way through the Pass of Caradhras, especially with help. There's a few chests, and random monster encounters. Rivendell After all 3 paths are done, Frodo awakes in Rivendell. Talk to Pippin in the hall to get a song, then go outside for a loooong cutscene. You'll get control during the Council of Elrond, you can talk to everyone, or just go "talk" to the ring to get on with it... After the Council you'll have to find Aragorn at his mother's grave behind the museum, and talk to Bilbo in the room you woke up in. After that go to Arwen's room (east tower at House of Elrond). The next day just leave Rivendell through the SE gate which will now be open. You'll have to choose a party now, I recommend Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, and Boromir. I wouldn't recommend using Merry but not Pippin or vice versa at all. You can change the party at various blue crystals, one will appear at your room in Rivendell. The Ring Goes South You'll get a scene on a hill. Practice fighting with Boromir. The game is Simon, and it's utterly pointless. (Kinda thrown together, and it could actually screw up the game if you get up past 50-60 turns but why the hell would you want to? I might fix it later.) Just lose and "get him". You'll get a HIDE party prompt, very similar to the change party screen. I recommend HIDING the four hobbits and Gimli. DO NOT HIDE Merry but not Pippin or vice versa. You'll have to fight a bunch of Crebain, and they keep respawning like the bugs before. If Gandalf has Flame of Anor this is very easy, if not it could be a pain. Remember carrots cure blindness. Now proceed to Caradhras (West entrance). Fight the wolves, and change party quick if you want. The Warg could be tough if you use four hobbits. Gandalf's Fire Seeds and Legolas' Double Shot are good. Keep going up the mountain till you can't go no more. Now proceed to the Walls of Moria for a cutscene. Catch up to the party and talk to Gandalf, you'll switch to Merry. Talk to Gandalf again, then Frodo. Cutscene, then Watcher on the Water attacks. You should know who to use by now. (Gandalf!!!) DO NOT attack Frodo, or use attacks that hit all enemies, until Frodo is dropped at least. There are 2 good strategies: Use Legolas' Poison Arrow on the Watcher then cut down the tentacles one by one, then attack the Watcher. OR Concentrate on the Watcher with your best single attacks until Frodo is dropped, then use all enemy attacks, and continue to focus on the Watcher. In either case Boromir's Discord is good to use on the first round if you have it (probably not.) You get another cutscene, Sam loses Bill, and you're stuck in Moria, but there's a campsite right there. Moria Moria is by far the biggest part of the game. It is loooong, and if you thought this game was story-heavy up until now you'll probably still be wishing for a nice long cutscene written by professionals after a while. Anyway, throughout Moria an ABS like the one you used to fight the Nazgul on Weathertop is in effect. You can fight off the monsters with the sword, but if they touch you you get a regular battle. You'll also be split up into 3 parties: Frodo, Sam, Merry & Pippin Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli & Boromir Gandalf alone You can switch parties (or access the menu) by pressing Esc or X. You can also talk to the other parties for tips and inane banter. Aragorn & Company are the strongest party, though Gandalf ain't no slouch. The hobbits are weak, but so are the enemies when you start out. On the first two levels you'll have to stay close to Gandalf for light, but otherwise it's just fight enemies and find treasure while moving forward. The enemies are very weak, and that's if you actually have to fight them. On the second level there is a crack at the top of the stairs to the right that the hobbits can squeeze through. They'll find some torches so you don't need Gandalf for light anymore. (Boy would that be tedious!) Go down the west stairs and fight the Moria Orc at the machine controls. He's a lot tougher than a regular orc, but not that hard. This is where the game takes a very significant departure from Tolkien.Use the strangely familiar Delving machine to collect all the mithril ore, then get the key, while avoiding the Dwarf Ghosts. The gold ore will let you damage the ghosts rather than the other way around for a time. Let's face it, this is a cheap rip-off of Pac-Man. With the key you can unlock the door and everyone can move to the next level. On the third level you have to split up. I recommend sending Frodo first, up the right path to the dead end across from the bridge. Now take Aragorn left to the fork, pick a path, and get next to the switch. Now take Gandalf left, and the other way at the fork to the other switch. Hit the switch then change to Aragorn quick and hit the other switch. Take Frodo across the bridge and lower the ladder and elevator so all 3 parties can come up and stand on the 3 pressure switches to open the door. You'll get a campsite and a cutscene, but keep going. The next level gets tricky. If you get stuck use warp magic to restart. The directions I'll give use a specific party for each path, but they're interchangeable. First lower Frodo using the switch. Next use Frodo to lower the other two to the smaller ledge to the right, then go down the counterbalanced elevator. Change to Aragorn and take the elevator down, hit the switch, and stand on the elevator that comes up. Change to Frodo and take the elevator down. Change to Gandalf and go down, then hit the switch to send Strider down, then cross the bridge and go down two elevators. Change to Aragorn and go down two elevators. Change to Frodo and go down two elevators. All three parties should now be on the same ledge, have a nice little chat if you want. Take the parties down the next two elevators one at a time (they are counterbalanced), strongest party first. Now take Aragorn and Gandalf down the (CB'd)elevators, and have Frodo hit the switch to lift them one at a time on the other elevator to the left. Change to Gandalf and go down two elevators. Change to Frodo and go down two elevators. Change to Aragorn and go down two elevators, BUT STAY ON THE SECOND ONE. Send Gandalf down the elevator that rises, bringing Aragorn back up. Change to Aragorn and go down, STAYING ON THE ELEVATOR once again. Change to Frodo and go down, sending Aragorn back up again. Change to Aragorn and go down both elevators. Again you should all be on the same level. Have Frodo send down the other two using the switch. Change to Gandalf and stand him on the lowered elevator to the left. Change to Frodo and go down the elevator, sending Gandalf up. Use Gandalf to bring up the other two using the switch, then stand on the three pressure switches to bring up the elevator to the next level. There is also another elevator you can now use to go back and forth to the last campsite quickly. (^^^I sure hope I got all that right!) The next level consists of a bunch of treasure chambers that are unlocked by stepping on switches. Rather than explain everything here's a map to show what switches open what doors. You should be able to figure it out from that. (The white line is the exit path once the level is complete.) In the little room an the bottom-left (blue switch-match with room to right) are 4 chests with good treasures, including a pile of money, a good sword, good armor, and a song.

If you thought the dwarf ghosts were terrible then you're really going to hate what happens next. You're back down to one party, but you can choose whoever you want at the blue crystal. Talk to Beirdre, she explains what you have to do, but here's the jist of it: You need to get through the Orc City. There are 2 ways to do it. First method - fight your way through. Take your strongest party and force your your way through the door to the city, fighting a LOT of tough orcs. Gandalf's area-attack spells and Boromir's Demoralize and/or Discord are good to use. Don't bother trying to use your sword, just press on through. Once inside go to the building attached to the east wall of the town. (Gandalf will blow off the lock.) Kill or avoid the cave troll and push a mine cart up to the north exit of the room and you're off. (There's no coming back, so be prepared.) Second method - Sneak through. Make up a party of Gimli, Sam, Merry, and Pippin, and equip all four of them with Fish Armor. (Armored orcs sometimes drop it.) Now the orcs will let you inside, and you can talk to them like regular NPCs. Watch what you say however, or you'll get in a fight. If you're caught just go through a door to fix things. Go to the big spiky-looking building in the middle of town and talk to Azog, who happens to be played by yours truly in a second cameo! Azog tells you to go to the midden, it's in the little building north of Azog's palace. Kill all the Slimes and Oozes, then the Shaman. Buy Torches at the store just west of the midden first, especially if you don't have Burning Pitch. You should also stock up on Fish once the shaman is dead, and other weapons like sleep gas and nets, since this is the only place you can get them. Go back and talk to Azog. Now you have to complete three levels of Pac-Man in a row at the building in the SW part of town. This could be a chore if you're unlucky. There is also a song in a chest in one of the towers. Go back and talk to Azog. Now he gives you a key to the mine cart control room. (Building attached to east wall of town.) You can either kill the cave troll or push mine carts up to where there tracks start, then push them from the left to start them off. Try to lure the troll into getting run over, but watch you don't get squashed yourself. It will take all four carts to finish off the troll, and you can use the switch to change the course. Go back and talk to Azog. He says his mate is missing. If you've already killed her then you'll break it to Azog, if not you can now find her in the cave outside town east of the gates, chasing Legolas around. Kill her and go back and see Azog. Now the mine cart system is fixed and you can use it from the crontrol room to leave the orc city FOR GOOD. The maps below show the way through the mine cart system. You won't have to do the map on the left at all if you fought your way through the Orc City. Otherwise the green line shows the first path from west to south, and the red line shows the path from south to west with everyone in the cart. (Once you pick everyone up orcs will attack you.) Hit Enter or space or Z to flip the track connections in different directions. It should be easy with the maps. NOTE: Once you're done with the mine cart there is no way to go back the way you came. Make sure you are prepared.

I bet you're glad that ridiculousness is over! Don't worry, the game starts getting sensible again once you make it out of the mine cart system. Make your way to the chamber of Mazarbul. Inside you can talk to the rest of the fellowship, and save and/or rest by "talking" to Balin's Tomb. I highly recommend doing both. Read the book in the upper right corner to get on with it. You'll be split into two parties: Frodo, Sam, Merry & Pippin Gandalf, Aragorn, Gimli & Boromir Legolas will jump up on a ledge at the bottom of the screen and you can move him side to side and fire arrows. Use Legolas to keep monsters away from the other two parties. Monsters will move towards Gandalf, but Frodo is still vulnerable, so watch out, because the hobbits might have trouble if they get caught in the wrong fight. Try to conserve MP with Gandalf's party. Try using Hold or Confusion instead of Flame of Anor or Thunderstorm. Boromir's Demoralize and/or Discord are always good against large groups of monsters. Eventually a Cave Troll will attack Frodo. Just defend and heal if necessary until Frodo gets stabbed with a spear. Now you fight the Troll with Gandalf & Company. Thunderstorm and Lightning are good here, as well as Boromir's horn skills. Watch your health. After that you'll leave the chamber. Use up Gandalf's remaining MP to heal, then go to the right, avoiding monsters if necessary, until the Balrog comes. Now you'll get another chase mini-game, similar to the one with the Black Rider earlier. This time instead of mushroom speed-bursts Legolas can shoot enemies in your way. Run if the Balrog catches you. Should be easy. You'll end up in another level with orcs shooting arrows at you. Avoid if possible, and run away if you're weak and get caught. Eventually the staircase will crumble. Stand on the edges of the broken pillar to move it in that direction until you jump off onto where everyone else is - this shouldn't be a problem. Keep going until you finally escape Moria once and for all! Lorien Go back to Lorien immediately. You'll be brought before Haldir, then taken to Caras Galadhon. Go up the tree for a cutscene with Celeborn & Galadriel. After that (try to) go into the two tents on the ground, then talk to Galadriel near the east one. Go to "Things yet to come to pass" at the Mirror and you can leave. You can also replay mini-games if you want. Next talk to Celeborn, then Legolas by the boat, and Galadriel will hand out gifts before you leave. Go down the river in your boat. You'll get a cheesy scene where boats and arrows fly at you as you go down the rapids. If you encounter orcs in a boat attack the boat. You'll face Gollum, who isn't too hard, but has a knack for drowning people, so be ready with a few Takes. Keep going downriver until you get to a forest right on the riverbank. MIRRORMERE (New for The Two Towers) If you expect the elves to show up at Helm's Deep you'll need to go back and see Haldir again on the first "city" screen of Lorien with the small flets. (He's on the middle one.) He tells a strange story of an Evil Elf Witch named after bottled water and fish-people led by a king with a completely unpronouncable name. Needless to say this is based far more on cheesy dungeons and dragons modules than Tolkien, as is a lot of the filler parts of TTT in particular. I would still highly recommend doing it, as you'll get a lot of nice treasures out of it, as well as a unique mini-game later on. If you accept the mission you form a party of Haldir, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, and are teleported to an area just to the west. Returning from this area removes Haldir from the party automatically. Walk along the river to the trees, where Haldir creates a rope bridge. Go across and go in the entrance to the underwater tomb. Underwater you can hold your breath for two minutes, then you'll start losing HP, but not a lot, so don't worry about it too much. When you enter there are nine orbs on pedestals arranged in a square. You want them all to be red, and the quickest way is to hit the four corners, then the middle orb. You'll get sucked through the doorway to the next screen. Climb up the ladders to get air and treasures, then go back under and solve another orb-square puzzle. Here just hit the middle orb on each side of the square. On the next screen you have to get the key up one of the ladders, go back under and open the locked door. Fight Burplybt and a couple Sahuagin. (Easy - use Haldir's Lightning Bolt on anything that gives you trouble.) Once you defeat Burplybt go back up a ladder and return to solve yet another orb-square puzzle. This time hit all four middle orbs on each side, then the two opposite blue corners, then the centre orb to get sucked through. Go up this last ladder to fight Aquafina. At first she seems wimpy, but every fifth round she unleashes an extremely powerful attack - the Nin Bruinen spell Arwen used on the Nazgul. Aquafina waits every fourth round (unless incapacitated), in case you lose track. Keep your HP as high as possible and defend every fifth round. Try to incapacitate Aquafina on the fourth round with Lightning Bolts, Frost, Arrows of Kryos, and Hand Axes. This is probably the toughest fight in the game, but it's well worth it. You'll automatically return to Haldir's flet once Aquafina is defeated, and Haldir leaves the party. Amon Hen If you want to leave Amon Hen stand on the bottom-front of the middle boat and hit Enter. Otherwise talk to Boromir, Frodo or Sam, Gimli, and finally Legolas last. Cutscene... Boromir attacks Frodo. Use Frodo's skills first. I'd go Protect, then Swiftness, then Power, and use Long Life as needed while attacking. If you want use a Torch then defend until Boromir stops burning for an easier win, but either way it shouldn't be too tough unless you're at a very low level. Afterwards take Frodo to the left and down. You'll get a cut to Boromir's last stand. Use Boromir's sword to fight off the monsters. You can't leave - protect Merry and Pippin. If you're cheap just stand around far to the right until Lurtz comes and you probably won't even get attacked. Eventually Lurtz starts shooting arrows at you. Three hits and it's over. There's really no point in avoiding it unless you want to build Merry & Pippin's experience up. You'll get control of Aragorn, Legolas, and GImli. Avoid the monsters and find Boromir and Lurtz. FINAL BOSS - LURTZ When you start to fight Lurtz poison him with Legolas' arrow ASAP then use Double shot, but watch your health. Just attack with Aragorn and Gimli. When you cut off Lurtz's arm poison will be less effective, but Aragorn's Charge might be good. Just keep up with the attack until he goes down. That's all there is for Fellowship of the Ring, time to move on to The Two Towers!!! Watch the cutscene and the credits. (There is a surprise for you while watching the credits.) THE TWO TOWERS EMYN MUIL Frodo wakes in the Emyn Muil, and an opening cutscene follows. Sam gains the Shire Salt skill at this time, which blinds enemies (very useful). When you gain control the first thing you should do is make camp at the little wood pile, and save. You can change parties if you like, but for now I'll keep going with Frodo. Go anywhere on the top edge of the cliff, overlooking Mordor, and a cutscene will start. Continue through the Emyn Muil going south, collecting any treasure you find, until Sam smells the bog where the rock turns brown instead of grey. Now go back to the wood pile and make camp again. Again you can change parties, but next time you use Frodo Gollum will appear and attack. Use Frodo's buffs and Sam's Shire Salt and Rope Trick and Gollum should be easy. Camp again to restore HP/MP then go back down to the brown bog area. Gollum will run off, but just follow him and he'll lead you out of the Emyn Muil. DEAD MARSHES When you get to the Dead Marshes Gollum warns you not to follow the lights. If you get within about ten spaces and are facing the small flames in the water they'll draw you in and you'll have to fight a Ghast. They can drown you, but are a great source of experience if you're low level. I'd avoid them though, especially watch out around treasure chests. Also try to fight and/or steal from the Will-o-wisps because they drop the Burning Pitch song for Merry and Pippin which is very useful. Eventually you'll reach a campsite. When you rest Gollum has the opportunity to go fishing. Simply press and hold enter to plunge your hand into the water. If you hit the middle of the fish (around the dorsal fin) you catch it... quite easy if you get the timing down. Once you catch the Trout(weapon) you should quit by hitting Esc, or continue to catch as many normal fish as you want since they're free. In the morning you'll get another cutscene, then just move on to the east until you get to a hill with stairs. (Don't worry there's no more lights after the campsite.) You'll end up overlooking the Black Gate. Sam falls down as Easterlings approach. If Frodo is wearing an Elvish Cloak you can avoid fighting them, but you're better off doing the battle, because you'll get an Easterling Wok for Sam. After the fight you'll get kicked out to the world map, where you can save and/or change parties. ITHILIEN Ithilien is pretty straightforward. Just continue moving east, collecting any treasure chests you see. At the wood pile you'll get a cutscene when you camp. After that continue east until you get another cutscene with an Oliphaunt. Faramir appears and helps you fight a pair of Haradrim, then takes you captive. Once that happens you'll be trapped inside the secret cave. At this point you'll have to switch to another party, and if you haven't done so yet it will be a very long time before you can use Frodo again. ROHAN Merry/Pippin and Aragorn/Legolas/Gimli's parties both start out on the plains of Rohan. If you use Aragorn first there is a town far southwest of the starting point where you can stock up on supplies, but it's better to go to Merry/Pippin first. All you'll see is a cutscene by a hill where Pippin drops a leaf on the ground. Switch to Aragorn and pick up the leaf. Now the next time you enter the town it will be ransacked by Dunlendings. Fight your way through. There are a few treasures in the houses, and the merchant will unload most of his stock on you for free before fleeing. At the large house in the southwest part of town go out the bottom door and you'll get a cutscene and battle Dunlendings. After that you won't be able to re-enter the burning town. Switch to Merry and Pippin and you'll get the chance to escape the orcs. Jump over the shrubs and stuff until you get to a knife laying on the ground, at which point you'll enter the forest. (See map below if you can't find your way through.)

A cutscene follows where you fight Grishnahk and Treebeard appears and captures you. Once Merry and Pippin escape you can switch back to Aragorn and head north until the Rohirrim appear. They give you a horse and you get kicked out into the world map. If you haven't done Haldir's side quest yet you can take this opportunity to return to Lorien. Otherwise just go to Fangorn Forest, and you'll get a cutscene wondering what happened to Merry and Pippin. This is also a sticking point if you haven't got caught by Treebeard and seen his cutscene at least once, which is another sticking point for Merry and Pippin. FANGORN FOREST Once you go into Fangorn with Aragorn you should just keep heading west and south until you meet up with Gandalf in a rather long cutscene where you fight the Balrog (it's HP will depend on how well you did in the ABS fight during the credits.) After that you can just exit towards Edoras from where Gandalf first met Eomer and found Shadowfax way back when. You can also now use Merry and Pippin again, along with Treebeard. Find the steps that only Treebeard can climb and continue through the forest going north and west for the most part. Eventually you'll get a cutscene with poetry and end up at Treebeard's home. There will be a stream coming out of a tree. Have Merry and Pippin drink from it and it greatly increases your HP (almost doubling it even depending on level.) Try to split it up evenly, but if you want to make one more powerful than the other I'd make Pippin the powerhouse because he'll have some stuff to do alone later in ROTK. Once the HP font dries up an MP one will appear, and so on for Attack, Defense, Wisdom, and Agility as well. Each gives about 40 drinks so try to keep count if you want to keep the two hobbits even strength. When that's done you'll have to fight a Fell Willow, very reminiscent of Old Man Willow, and if you encountered the latter in the Old Forest this gets pointed out. Treebeard will come and chase the Willow away afterwards, and tells you about Entwives and how you need to round up the Ents. If you go in the cave there is a crack behind a vase you can squeeze through. Many vases contain treasure, including a couple songs. In the caves beyond you can find Gauntlets of Might in a chest, and keep going out into a glade. There you can fight an Entwife for treasure chests, but you can't kill her. If you keep going back and forth between here and Treebeard's home you can fight her again and again and get lots of nice goodies. There isn't really anything said of this, as it would put the hobbits in a rather awkward position with Treebeard you would think, but I might add in some silly flippant comment or something later on. What you NEED to do however, is join up with Treebeard and head back out into Fangorn Forest. There are seven Ents you must find, and after you find the last it will tell you so. (They're pretty obvious when you find them, but you'll have to cover a lot of ground to do it.) Here's a map if you're lost.

When that's done return to Treebeard's home and the Entmoot will start. This is a major sticking point, all you can do is talk to Pippin, the Ents, and go fight the Entwife if you're so inclined. At least until the war starts that is... EDORAS When Aragorn, Gandalf, and company leave Fangorn head to Edoras. There will be a cutscene, then go to the Golden Hall. Hama will make you give up your weapons before entering. Once inside you'll have to fight Grima Wormtongue and some Guards. They're fairly tough without weapons, but just use Gandalf's powerful spells like Icestorm and Thunderstorm and it should be a breeze. Once they're beat Theoden will be cured and more cutscene ensues. After that Gandalf leaves the party. Re-equip your weapons, then go back into the Golden Hall and find Eowyn. There are also some treasures in the king's room for you. After that go to the stables and talk to Hama who is trying to restrain a crazed painted horse (named Hidalgo rather than Brego here - alluding to the movie with Viggo "Aragorn" Mortensen). Warg Riders attack and Eowyn joins the party. When fighting them use Eowyn's Shield skill until she levels up enough to hold her own without it. When you leave the stables Edoras is absolutely crawling with Warg Riders. You can fight them off ABS-style with Aragorn's sword, Legolas' bow or Gimli's axe. Hitting a Warg Rider splits it into separate Warg and Rider which can then be killed. I strongly recommend using Gimli since he can hold his ground when enemies close in from all sides, particularly right after leaving a building. Speaking of which, go around to all the buildings and see that the townsfolk get out of town. If and when you run low on HP/MP go back to the Golden Hall and talk to Theoden. Eowyn will leave and Theoden will join. You can also go to the king's room to heal or change parties. Clear out the townsfolk from the rest of the houses then try to leave town. (You won't be able to exit Edoras until all the townsfolk are accounted for.) Once outside head west to Helm's Deep. HELM'S DEEP Inside Helm's Deep you'll get some cutscene at first. Then talk to everyone, especially Eowyn, Legolas, and Theoden. Eowyn triggers a cutscene where Aragorn gains the Grace of the Valar as a skill (raises dead). This also enables you to continue on Frodo's path (see below), but you won't get it unless Frodo has been captured by Faramir. If you've done all that when you talk to Theoden Haldir will appear and join if you did his side-quest in Lorien. Otherwise the battle will begin. (If you have Haldir just talk to Theoden again to start the battle.) If Entmoot hasn't started yet fighting the Uruk-hai at Helm's Deep will be futile so go back to the caves and talk to Eowyn (or her soup) to heal/change party. Otherwise guard the Deeping Wall. When ladders rise up you have to fight them to take them out (attack the ladder - similar to the Boats in FOTR.) There will be a large Uruk-hai Berserker that deposits bombs in the wall. You really can't hold them off, and eventually the wall will explode. If you have Haldir there will be a scene where the elves hold off the oncoming army. Theoden (or a soldier on the bottom part of the wall) will throw down potions you can use to heal the elves. They will flash green, yellow, orange, or red, depending on how much damage they've each sustained. Haldir will always be the last to fall so don't worry about him so much. Eventually all the elves will be killed. Go talk to Haldir once he falls and the scene will end, and you'll get a number of goodies depending on how long you held off the Uruk-hai. If you lasted over ten minutes you get an extremely useful Magic Ring that halves MP consumed. No matter what you'll get Haldir's bow for Legolas which hits all enemies at once. Of course if you didn't get Haldir you get nothing at all, not even the scene. Anyway, after the Deeping Wall is demolished, talk to Theoden, then head back to the caves and talk to Eowyn, who joins the party. You have to help the women and children escape through the Glittering Caves which are infested with strange fungal monsters, and a few Wyverns. Fight them off with the ABS. I'd recommend using Gimli, just for practice if nothing else. Once you kill every single monster Eowyn leaves and the people escape. Go back into the keep and talk to Theoden again. The Uruks are trying to break down the gate, and Theoden wants you to hold them off. Go to the stables just right of the gate, and through the secret door behind the haystack. Here you have to use Gimli to hold off the Uruk-hai. Every so often Theoden and company will repair a part of the gate, but if any enemies reach the gate it will be torn back down. Don't be afraid to get into fights rather than using the ABS if the Uruk-hai are getting too close to the gate. Once the gate is completely repaired Legolas drops a rope to you so you can escape. You can do this part again and again, and you'll have to until Treebeard and Frodo's paths are (nearly) complete, so go change parties after you've done it once. SECRET CAVE/OSGILIATH Once Aragorn gets the Grace of the Valar the next time you use Frodo you'll get a cutscene where Gollum can go fishing again (be sure to catch the Salmon), and Faramir joins the party. Gollum will also gain the skill "Smeagol's Comfort" which he can use to heal himself. There are a few chests here as well, which you should open and equip Faramir with their contents. Leave the cave and head east out of Ithilien. From there head a bit south to Osgiliath, which will be on fire. Fight your way through all the orcs going south, and through the area where Gandalf, Boromir, and Faramir may or may not have fought together at the beginning of FOTR. You'll get pinned down inside a small fort by the Nazgul. Stock up on supplies (especially Meat) and head upstairs to change parties. ISENGARD Once the Glittering Caves are complete keep talking to Pippin and Treebeard until Entmoot ends and Treebeard rejoins the party. Head south from Treebeard's home, and down the stairs. You'll find that the forest here has been razed to the ground. Treebeard freaks out and gains the skill "March of the Ents" (different from the hobbit song of the same name.) Keep going south and exit Fangorn. Now head west towards Isengard. Once there you'll find it crawling with orcs (shouldn't they be at Helm's Deep? oh well...). Just walk right through them and you'll decimate their forces, though the occasional orc will slip through so you have to fight them, especially if you stop moving. Talk to the Ent next to the dam in the northeast. You will need 10 pages of dam blueprints to destroy the dam safely (Ents are extremely anal.) Each of the 5 siege towers around Isengard has one page, but you have to fight for them. Attack the tower, and set it on fire if you can. The towers are very much like the ladders from Helm's Deep only much stronger. The other five pages must be obtained by Merry and Pippin alone, climbing down the ladders into the open pits for four of them (orcs drop them when killed.) The last is through the doors in the northwest section, past Saruman's storeroom, and all the way along the west wall almost to the entrance to Isengard. Once you have all ten pages talk to the Ent by the dam again and it will be destroyed in a cutscene, which will repeat if you try to use Merry and Pippin again, as their path is now complete. FINISH Once Isengard is done and Frodo is trapped by the Nazgul return to Aragorn and Helm's Deep. Talk to Theoden and the Uruk-hai will break down the gate and chase you back to the caves. Theoden joins the party and there will be a cutscene and you'll end up outside Helm's Deep on your horse. You can run right through enemies like Treebeard did in Isengard, as will the four horsemen that accompany you. These four can be called to you or sent away alternately by pressing enter. When you get far enough away from the fortress a cutscene will start where Gandalf, Eomer, and the Rohirrim show up and all hell breaks loose. When you regain control, go find Gandalf, who should be somewhere near the middle of the map. Once you touch Gandalf what remains of Saruman's army will flee to the trees, which promptly kill them. Go back to Frodo now and you'll immediately have to fight the final boss of The Two Towers - a Nazgul and his Fell Beast. Use Frodo's defense and agility buffs, but not power. Attack either the Nazgul or the Fell Beast. Once one dies the other goes with it and they have the same HP so it doesn't really matter which. Frodo will be charmed by the Nazgul's screech, and the Fell Beast can do massive damage with its wing buffet attack. Make sure you keep your HP up (Meat is especially useful since it heals the whole party at once.) After a long battle the Nazgul will finally go down. That's it, you've beaten The Two Towers! Sit back and watch the ending cutscene, and once again there is a little surprise for you as the credits roll. THE RETURN OF THE KING ITHILIEN After the intro you'll find yourself as Frodo camping in an alcove in the wilderness. From here on there's no way to go back the way you came with Frodo, you have to press on towards Mordor. Move through this straightforward area fighting monsters and collecting treasure. You'll eventually get a scene with a statue's head and then soon after you'll find a pond with another alcove next to it. Camp here and switch parties if you want. When you wake up there will be a scene with Gollum and another fishing area where you can get his best weapon in the game. You can now exit through the northeast. The terrain will change, turning black, and orcs patrol the area. Try to stay out of their sight if possible but if not you should be able to defeat them, especially if Gollum got the Stonefish. Keep moving East. MINAS MORGUL You'll come to Minas Morgul and be forced to fight two Gargoyles. Use Sam's rope or Gollum's grab on one and attack the other. Don't forget to use Frodo's buffs and to steal with Gollum. Now you'll be chased up the stairs, there is a campsite on a low landing on the next screen. (If Gandalf and Pippin are stuck in Minas Tirith, this will allow their storyline to progress.) The stairs are also patrolled by orcs so again try to keep clear of them if you can. Just keep moving up the stairs until you find another campsite. Rest here. There will be a cut scene and you get the option of leaving Sam behind or not. The next area will be much easier if you keep Sam but you'll lose all your Lembas bread if you don't send him away. It's up to you. SHELOB'S LAIR At the top of the stairs there is a cave full of spiderwebs. If you get stuck in webs repeatedly hit enter to free yourself. There's a good chance a monster will drop down and attack while you're stuck so be careful. There are also treasures strewn about the cave behind the webs. When you reach the end Shelob will come after Frodo, who will be separated from Sam and/or Gollum. Shelob will chase you through a long corridor full of webs. Try to dodge them as you run or at least slip through them diagonally. If you get stuck hit enter as fast as you can to free yourself before Shelob catches up. (If she gets you it's game over.) At the end of the run you'll slip through a doorway, losing your equipment in the webs. Next Frodo must face Gollum alone without any weapons, making it a tougher fight than you might expect. Use Frodo's buffs to their maximum and throw a torch or two. Once Gollum is defeated you'll be forced to switch back to Sam alone (Gollum is gone.) If you sent Sam away this could be tough. Start by going down the stairs and finding the discarded Lembas bread. Now you can re-enter the cave as Sam. (If you kept Sam with you you'll start at the end of the cave.) I recommend equipping Sam with an Amulet of Resistance and don't be afraid to use magic wands. You'll eventually find Frodo's equipment and fight Shelob, with the help of the light Earendil. Have Earendil blind Shelob and heal while Sam attacks and the spider will be driven off. CIRITH UNGOL Sam will have to rescue Frodo. Upon leaving Shelob's lair you'll see a small tent where you can go to rest and stock up on supplies. There's also a black tower just to the East - that's where they've taken Frodo. You'll get a cut scene when you enter, where the orcs and uruks start fighting each other. When you get inside they'll be killing each other, try to stay out of the way until they thin out each other's ranks then slip through quickly, collecting treasures as you go. If you wear Orc Armor then only the Uruks will attack, so that's a big help. On the last long flight of stairs you'll have to fight three battles in a row "for your old Gaffer", then there's one more room full of battling enemies with a ladder. Climb the ladder and fight Snaga. Use your salt and rope and maybe a shot or two from a magic wand and he'll go down soon enough. After that you have to re-equip Frodo. You should have a spare set of Orc Armor (Snaga dropped one) since Frodo's Mithril Shirt is gone. You'll have to sneak out the tower the same way you came. Once you exit go further East and try to head north through the path between the rocks. There will be a cut scene revealing that the way is blocked by an orc army. If you haven't been switching parties regularly it will be a long time before you can use Frodo and Sam again. If you've already beaten Sauron's army at Minas Tirith then you'll have to do this before that storyline can continue as well. ISENGARD While Frodo and Sam are off in Mordor everyone else is back at Isengard, which is now flooded. There are treasures to be found floating among the flotsam and jetsam, as well as a few straggling monsters lurking about. All you really need to do is go talk to Treebeard by the tower. There will be a scene with a defeated Saruman and Grima Wormtongue where Grima throws objects down at you from atop the tower. Pippin will pick up the Palantir, but make sure you grab the other two objects as well, one is the key to Grima's house back in Edoras. There you can get the key of Orthanc and enter the tower, but that's entirely optional and can be done with any available party. (Note - if you want to use the party you start with in Orthanc you'll have to do it before returning to the Golden Hall of Meduselde. You can heal at the Edoras Inn or at Helm's Deep in the meantime.) MEDUSELDE Once you return to Edoras head for the Golden Hall for a celebratory cut scene where Merry and Pippin learn the Green Dragon Song. You'll get control of Pippin, go around the hall talking to everyone, particularly Eowyn and Aragorn in Eowyn's room and Legolas down by the exit. Lastly go talk to the sleeping Gandalf to take the Palantir and start the next cut scene. Gandalf decides to take Pippin to Minas Tirith, so when you leave get on the horse and ride East. Once you go through the small mountain pass there's no going back. MINAS TIRITH When you get to the White City you need to go see Denethor at the citadel, but first you might want to check out the market which is now open for business. Check out all the booths, almost all of them will have something useful. One vendor is selling a Ring of Wizardry which can only be bought once, but if you have enough money you can buy however many you can afford during that one transaction. (I may change that.) Another sells sheet music which you have to buy in order one at a time. You may end up with a few unnecessary ones but this is the only way to get two copies of most songs. The Mithril store is also now fully stocked, though it's wares are very expensive. Spend your silver wisely. Denethor isn't much help, but on your way back down stop by the guest room and talk to the guard to get new equipment for Pippin. Next you have to talk to Gandalf on the balcony, but only if Frodo and Sam have made it past Minas Morgul and onto the stairs, otherwise switch to them and do so. When you see the whirlwind over Mordor from Minas Tirith the new plan is to light the Beacon of Amon Din. There's a guarded doorway next to your guest room, Pippin can now get you past the guard, then Gandalf will give you a boost up onto the tower on the next screen. To climb the tower you have to use a special meter (sort of like a golf game) to take 1-6 steps at a time. You can only step on loose bricks, and they stop being loose after you touch them once. There are also obstacles such as hot bricks that will cause you to fall if you land on them last, as well as beehives, bird nests, and spider webs. The spider webs are particularly frustrating because you never know how many steps you'll have to use up trying to free yourself. If you land on a brick beneath a window you'll get an item from inside. You're probably better off just fighting the spiders rather than avoiding them and ending up forced to land on a hot brick. If the fights are too hard buy an Amulet of Resistance from the market if you don't already have one. Eventually you'll make it to the top of the tower and light the beacon. There is a scene going back to Edoras where Aragorn spots the beacon, allowing that storyline to progress. (See "Dunharrow" below.) Now you must go back and talk to Denethor again. Apparently Faramir is trying to hold osgiliath, but his luck is running out so you'll have to go help him. Osgiliath is just east of Minas Tirith, when you get there head southeast across the bridge and down towards the fort where Frodo and company fought the fell beast. Go right through the fort to an area by the river where you'll find Faramir. Orc raiders will then land on shore, fight your way through and head back the way you came to Minas Tirith once Faramir joins you. You'll also have to fight another Fell Beast, though it should be easier this time with Gandalf's magic. When you return to Minas Tirith you'll see yet another cut scene where Faramir goes back to attack Osgiliath, and Pippin gets sheet music to the "Solo of Shadow" which can raise fallen party members. Next time you use Gandalf and Pippin the city will be under siege. Gandalf can now charge his staff similarly to how Aragorn can charge his new sword, but Gandalf can unleash lightning bolts from a distance using a targeting cursor. Go up onto the main wall and follow it around to the front gate, zapping monsters over the wall for practice. (Using Gandalf's new ABS can be awkward at first, it's main use is to take out enemies at a distance, especially around corners or behind walls.) Down by the gate you'll have to fight at least one siege tower, try to set it on fire somehow. Now go back down off the wall and go to the main gate from below. You'll get a mini-game where Gandalf uses his lightning to fight monsters and protect soldiers as the enemy storms through the shattered gate. If all the soldiers are killed you'll be sent to the character select screen. If Theoden's party hasn't made it past the palisade (see "Druadan Forest" below) then you'll have to repeat this part until you do. You'll know when it's the last time because Gandalf will send Pippin back to the citadel. When you end up as Pippin alone you'll find that Denethor has wicked plans for Faramir. Go find Gandalf down by the gate, but be wary of monsters as Pippin is weak by himself. Once you rejoin Gandalf try to return to the citadel. You'll be stopped by the Witch King, who is then distracted by the horns of Rohan just as they arrive. (Lucky for you.) Now go to the citadel where you'll find the doors to the houses of the dead are now unguarded. Go through fighting guards as you go until you reach Denethor. This fight isn't that hard, use poison, fire, and kinesis on Denethor until he goes down, and attack spells on his guards. You'll get a key, but won't be able to use it until Minas Tirith is completely safe. DUNHARROW Once the beacons are lit you'll end up controlling Merry in Edoras. Talk to the king at his throne, Eowyn and Aragorn at the stable, and finally Legolas and Gimli at the front gate of the city. Once everybody leaves Merry can leave the city and head just west to the encampment. He's alone so be careful if you get in a fight. Once at Dunharrow talk to Aragorn and Theoden at the north cliff, Eowyn in her tent, then the smithy in his tent. you'll be told of a sword hidden in another tent full of barrels which must be pushed aside. (You should be able to figure it out.) Lastly go to the tent in the northeast corner and rest. You'll switch to Aragorn, who is woken to meet with the king. Go to the king's tent now that the guard is out of the way, and you'll meet Elrond. Aragorn receives his best weapon, the sword Anduril, and is told to take another road. Leave and head back towards your own tent (Eowyn will stop you), but instead talk to Legolas and Gimli just to the north by the entrance to the Paths of the Dead. PATHS OF THE DEAD Throughout the next area you can use ABS attacks to fend off the enemies (mostly skeletons and ghosts.) Legolas and Gimli's attacks should be familiar by now but Aragorn's has a new ABS to go with his new sword. Now you can charge the sword like Gandalf charges his staff and unleash a spin attack much like Link from Legend of Zelda. You can also now walk around while wielding the sword, which is very handy. Once you make your way into the cave, ghosts start swarming you. Use Aragorn to fend them off since the other two will only make the ghosts reappear nearby when hit. There are several nice treasures to be found in the caves as well. Past the first cave screen there is a small chamber where many ghosts will attack at once. You must fight them with each of your characters in turn, the ghost king will give hints as to who you still need to use. (He will suffer no Man/Elf/Dwarf to pass.) While you're fighting the other two party members will do their own thing, but will be vulnerable to possession by the ghosts. if that happens be sure to hit the possessed character before he can attack you. If you're forced to fight one of your own guys they will remain incapacitated until the ghosts are defeated on that particular screen. Once you've defeated all the ghosts with all three characters a save crystal will drop down. Be sure to use it. The next screen will be another straightforward cave level where you have to fight your way through and pick up treasure, but at the end you'll face the King of the Dead. Focus your atacks on the king, don't bother with the other two ghosts since the king will simply summon new ones, though it doesn't hurt to charm one of them with Legolas' Arrow of Eros. It's also a good idea to have at least one character equipped with a Talisman of Undeath just in case. When the King of the Dead is defeated the cave starts to collapse. You'll get a prompt to save your game (do it) then you must race to the end of a long corridor before an avalanche of skulls engulf you. Unlike the other chase scenes here you simply have to walk normally (no diagonal or continuous running) but you'll have to move fast to stay ahead of the skulls. If you get engulfed by too many it's game over. When you get to the end Aragorn will be rewarded with the summon "Army of the Dead", which is very powerful, killing most enemies outright. CORSAIRS OF UMBAR Once you escape the Paths of the Dead you'll find yourself south of the mountains. A ship will be sailing up and down the eastern coastline, go touch it. You'll fight a few pirates, they should be easy to dispatch with Aragorn's new summon. Once the corsairs are dead you can take their ship. There are several more pirate ships out on the open ocean, if you catch them you can board their ships and fight them using the ABS's. There's no real point to it, but there are lots of nice treasures to be had, particularly below deck. What you really need to do is go up the Anduin river to Minas Tirith, but for now it's blocked by a gunship that will launch cannonballs at you if you get too close. You'll have to wait until Theoden's path is complete and you've fought the Witch King. (see Pelennor Fields below) Once that's done the gunship will start up the river so you can follow behind it. When you attack the gunship concentrate your attacks on the cannon since new Corsairs will appear until it's gone, plus you don't want to take too many shots from it. Once the cannon's gone the Army of the Dead should be able to mop things up nicely. Continue up the river until you get a cut scene where you disembark and fight a group of orcs. Now you just have to go touch the orcs surrounding Minas Tirith to go on to the city. (You might want to save first and/or use a tent.) DRUADAN FOREST When you start with Theoden, Eomer, Eowyn, and Merry you'll get a cut scene where you exit the camp, and Theoden gets control of the Rohirrim like Eomer. Head east towards Minas Tirith and you'll find that an extremely silly bunch of Haradrim have set up a palisade at the mountain pass blocking your way. After that encounter head just south to the forest you couldn't previously enter. Inside talk to Eomer to set up camp. Now you have two options. First you can talk to the soldier on the west side of the forest entrance and get him to build a "Trojan Horse" to get by the palisade. The trouble with this is the horse won't be finished until you're stuck with nothing else to do. At that point go back to the palisade and the Haradrim will bring the horse through the gates. Now you must fight ten Haradrim at once, and you can't use the Rohirrim. After that you'll end up with a cutscene directing you to Minas Tirith. The second option is to go through the Druadan forest. The forest is long and maze-like, much like the Old Forest from FOTR the screens appear randomly. Again you simply want to head southeast as much as possible, though monsters won't make that easy, particularly the Woses and their stone Pukel Men which will appear along the pathways. When you make it deep enough into the Druadan Ghan-buri-ghan, chief of the Woses will appear and attack. Concentrate on the chief as he can always summon more Woses if you kill those first. Once defeated you'll get some new sheet music and be taken to the pre-Minas-Tirith scene from above, but this time Ghan-buri-ghan will offer some advice as well. PELENNOR FIELDS You won't be able to do this part until Gandalf has met the Witch King on the walls of Minas Tirith. Once that's done, as well as getting past the palisade the next time you use Theoden he'll appear outside Minas Tirith. There's a scene where you cahrge through the orcs' ranks, then gain control. Simply run throuhg enemies like you did outside Helm's Deep, using enter to call the Rohirrim towards you or send them out on the attack. (You'll have a lot more help this time, making you nearly invincible if you know what you're doing.) You can enter the city through the broken gates, but you might get slowdown if the Rohirrim are all trying to follow you through the narrow steets. Simply dismiss them to alleviate this problem. Inside the city most buildings will be closed except for the market and the west guardhouse, which you can go through to the upper tier and use the expensive Inn if need be. This might be crucial if you're still a low level, particularly if you never went through the Druadan. All you really need to do though is destroy six catapults that are set up in the field. When you fight them, attack the catapult first, then move on to the orcs and/or trolls. Once all six catapults are gone you'll have to face a Mumak. The Mumak is very powerful, so start out by using all the buffs you can muster to raise your strength and defense, then unload with normal attacks, which should become very strong after a few shots of Wrath and Valor. After the Mumak is dispatched Eomer will ride off after another Mumak, just before the Witch King swoops down and attacks. At first use up Theoden's remaining MP on Wrath and Ruin buffs, then attack. When the Fell Beast is about to die it will bite Theoden and pin him under his own dead horse. Continue fighting with Merry and Eowyn. Again use your power/defense buffs to full effect and watch your health. Once the Witch king goes down Theoden's path is finished, you'll have to switch to Aragorn to finish saving Minas Tirith. With Aragorn when you meet the orcs outside Minas Tirith you'll end up on a road in Pelennor Fields leading up to the city. Follow the road, don't wander too far or you'll probably end up dead. If you continue right up to the city you'll be prompted to go back and save Eowyn from Gothmog so it's better to just do it on the way. Gothmog is tough and will continuously replace his fallen soldiers, but you'll get by, just use poison and fire arrows on him. Once Gothmog is dead the orc army is routed and you can enter the main city. One thing you'll still have to watch out for is the Mumakil though. If you're caught Legolas will climb up on the beast's back where you'll have to fight some haradrim (and hopefully pick up some treasures) on your way to the head. Step out on the Mumak's head to start the fight. Legolas' Triple Shot works well, and Aragorn and Gimli can do an obscene amount of damage to it with normal attacks. Watch your health though. Once defeated the Mumak will drop you off back at the road right where you started, and a NEW Mumak will come after you. This is why you can't waste time here, just kill Gothmog and enter the city. If you're quick about it you won't have to fight the Mumak at all. MINAS TIRITH/OSGILIATH/ITHILIEN Once you make it inside Minas Tirith you have to go around slaying every single enemy within it's walls before you can proceed to the citadel. When you do Aragorn will dismiss the Army of the Dead and you'll get a cut scene where everyone gets reunited. Aragorn learns Asea Aranion (a stronger version of Athelas), and Merry and Pippin learn the Hobbit Concerto (a MUCH stronger, you might say wildly overpowered version of the Hobbit Duet). You'll have to watch this scene over and over until Frodo and Sam make it to the sticking point in Mordor where their path is blocked by an army of orcs. Once that's done you'll get a different scene where you plan to attack the Sauron. Now that you have Denethor's key you can go around collecting treasures in the main palace as well as the Houses of the Dead. The Houses of Healing are also open now, and you can buy sheet music to a status-healing spell for Merry and Pippin. The most important thing is to find the palantir. When you do that you can leave Minas Tirith and start heading for the Black Gate. you'll be broken up into two parties: Aragorn, Gandalf, and Eomer and Legolas, Gimli, Merry, and Pippin. You'll have to take each party separately through a slew of monsters in the northern screen of Osgiliath as well as the main forest of Ithilien, where Faramir captured Frodo. In Ithilien each party will also have to face another Mumak. With the first party you can switch between Aragorn's sword or Gandalf's magic ABS. With the others you can use Gimli's axe, Legolas' bow, or a new ABS where the two hobbit leapfrog over each other in a continous barrage. It works much like the ABS for the Rohirrim or Treebeard, only you're completely defenseless if you stop moving - very effective though. A cookie to anyone who can name all three end-credits mini-games from FOTR, TTT, and my other game I did in between, X-Men Untitled. If you find a bug or other problem, please e-mail me at: [email protected] Thank you for playing.

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