Bolg of the North

* Portrait
* In Game

"Dread has come upon you all! Alas! It has come more swiftly than I guessed. The Goblins are upon you! Bolg of the North is coming, O Dáin! Whose father you slew in Moria. Behold! The bats are above his army like a sea of locusts. They ride upon wolves and Wargs are in their train!"
—Gandalf the Grey

**Bolg** was a terrible, hulking Orc gifted with sharp cunning and brute strength. The spawn of Azog, sought to exact full retribution on Durin's Folk for his sire's death at Azanulbizar.

With Sauron's re-emergence stirring all foul things, Bolg and rallied most of the Orcs, Wargs and Bats scattered throughout the Misty Mountains under his banner and made his seat of power at Gundabad. Turning the dismay at the Great Goblin's death into a call to arms , the spawn of Azog mustered an great host and marched on the newly reclaimed Kingdom of Erebor, for both revenge and conquest. Flanked by a nigh impenetrable retinue of heavily armoured bodyguards, Bolg of the North mortally-wounded the King under the Mountain, Thorin Oakenshield, before he himself was crushed by Beorn the Skin-changer.

In Age of the Ring, Bolg of the North is the faction leader of Misty Mountains.

## Abilities

**Wild Overlord** - Modifier Type: Leadership. Nearby Orcs, Wargs and Giant Bats receive +50% armour, experience and resistance to fear and terror. Stacks with Buffs and Spells. Passive ability.

**Level 3: Growing Hatred (R)** - Bolg deals increased damage against Dwarves. Passive ability. When activated, Bolg deals knockback damage with a greater attack radius. Consecutive attacks temporarily increase attack damage by 10% up to a maximum of 50%. Left click to activate.

**Level 5: Ruled by Fear (T)** - Modifier Type: Spell. Nearby allied units temporarily deal +125% damage, but lose -50% armour and do not gain experience whilst effect lasts. Stacks with Buffs, Leadership and other Spells. Nearby enemies units cower in fear. Left click to activate.

**Level 7: Unpierceable Ranks (C)** - Bolg is protected by four Bodyguards. Passive ability. When activated, Bolg gains +50% armour. Left click to activate.

**Level 10: Terror of the North (V)** - Bolg summons a small army of Mountain-orcs, Wolf-riders and Giant Bats. Left click icon then left click target area.

## Strategy

Bolg of the North's ability set focuses primarily on supporting the units of the Misty Mountains as well as temporarily increasing his own effectiveness in combat. **Wild Overlord** increases the durability of mid-to-late game units including Mountain-orcs and Gundabad Berserkers as well as Misty Mountains' cavalry units so that they have greater longevity in melee combat. Importantly, this leadership is one of few sources of fear and terror resistance for Misty Mountains (the other source being the Great Goblin's Goblin King leadership, which only affects Moria-orcs and Goblin-towners). **Growing Hatred** allows Bolg to become deadlier the more than he is engaged in combat as his damage increases per hit; the increased attack radius and knockback granted by this power can help disrupt enemy lines - giving monster units such as Gundabad Stone-trolls and Fire-wyrms a safer route into or around the enemy's army. **Ruled by Fear** is a devastating ability if used in the correct circumstances: it reduces allied armour and negates friendly experience gain but significantly increases allied units' attack damage; it is best triggered when attacking critical targets such as enemy heroes or fortresses to maximise damage in attempts to cripple the enemy. At level 7, Bolg is passively protected by four powerful Bodyguards which makes killing him a difficult task made even more challenging when **Unpierceable Ranks** is activated - this ability can be triggered during retreats or when singling out enemy heroes or structures to give Bolg a better chance of surviving. Lastly, **Terror of the North** allows Bolg to temporarily summon a small, but diverse army of Mountain-orc Slashers, Brutes, Scouts, Gundabad Wolf-riders and a Giant Bat which can bolster Misty Mountains' permanent army and catch an enemy off-guard if they lack a specific unit type, such as pikemen to deal with the Wolf-riders, or enough archers to take down the Giant Bat.