Battle of the Fords of Isen

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"At the same time Grimbold on the west bank was attacked by Saruman's forces on that side of the Isen. As he looked eastward, dismayed by the sounds of battle and the hideous Orc-cries of victory, he saw the axe-men driving Théodred's men from the shores of the eyot towards the low knoll in its centre, and he heard Théodred's great voice crying 'To me, Eorlingas!' At once Grimbold, taking a few men that stood near him, ran back to the eyot. So fierce was his onset from the rear of the attackers that Grimbold, a man of great strength and stature, clove his way through, till with two others he reached Théodred standing at bay on the knoll. Too late. As he came to his side Théodred fell, hewn down by a great Orc-man."
—Unfinished Tales, Battles of the Fords of Isen

Saruman the White's gaze turns towards the Horse Lords of Rohan; his agent Gríma Wormtongue errodes Théoden King's senses with subtle poisons and twisted words to weaken the defences of the Riddermark. However, the strong-willed prince Théodred continues to oppose the White Wizard and so must be eliminated to ensure the success of Saruman's assault. Hordes of Wildmen of Dunland and Isengard Orcs are sent to the Fords of Isen to draw out Théodred so that he may be slain. This is the first instance of open battle in the War of the Ring and is known as the First Battle of the Fords of Isen.

Battle of the Fords of Isen is the eleventh mission in the Lord of the Rings campaign. The player initially controls Grimbold, before later gaining Théodred, Elfhelm and Erkenbrand as the mission progresses.

## Guide

The mission starts with the arrival of Wildmen onto the Fords of Isen, which is defended by a small force of Rohan Peasants and Yeomen led by Grimbold.

**New Objective - Repel the Wildman assault**

The player has control of 1 Peasant battalion, 1 Yeomen Spearmen battalion and 2 Yeomen Archer battalions and so must conserve their units against the larger numbers of attacking Wildmen. Grimbold passively strengthens friendly infantry with his **Valiant Captain** as well as granting them as temporary buff that stacks with this passive leadership via **Protection of Grimslade**. Yeomen Archers should be kept at the rear of the Rohan archers to protect them from the Wildmen whilst Peasants, Spearmen and Grimbold hold the enemies in place. Spellbook powers such as **Hide!** and **Rallying Horn** can be used to increase Rohan's advantage and minimise casualties.

Once the wave of attackers is held off, two Rohan Builders and Spearmen battalions arrive on the East-bank to reinforce Grimbold and allow construction of a base.

**New Objective - Build a base with at least five buildings to reinforce your troops**

**Bonus Objective - Destroy all Wildman camps**

**Bonus Objective - Destroy all Lumber Camps**

**Bonus Objective - Muster reinforcements from the nearby village**

**Bonus Objective - Find secret allies**

Rohan Builders are restricted to building on the East-bank, they will be sent back if they are ordered to move onto the Fords itself - preventing the player from building forward barracks and wells on the Fords. The main Isengard assault will not resume until five structures have been built, giving the player as long as they want to build up an army, upgrade their units and complete bonus objectives, so long as they do not build a fifth structure. Economy will be limited with only four structures, but there are numerous Warg and Troll Lairs to creep, a Signal Fire to capture in the bottom left corner of the East-bank, gold to find in the north-east village and **Hidden Cache** spellbook power to grant resources to fund unit production. Peasants and Horsemen of the Mark can be found in the north-east village in addition to several gold chests the player can collect. Wildmen camps and Lumber Camps are all found on the West-bank, the player can choose to attack them with Grimbold and their army to gain experience and collect gold chests dropped from destroyed enemy structures but these camps are also heavily defended and can be completed later in the mission. Secret allies can be found in the north of the West-bank, just north beyond the Lumber Camps, these are Woodmen Hunters upgraded with Druid-made Fletching and Well-honed Axes - they are certainly worth finding to help defend the Fords from subsequent waves.

Army composition should be varied: the player should construct Rohirrim Warriors and Rohirrim Archers to flank around and cycle charge attackers, Peasants to hold the attackers in place for charges and to deal with enemy pikes to prevent loss of cavalry units, and Yeomen Archers are cheaper alternatives to Rohirrim Archers. It is worth waiting to upgrade units with Heavy Armour, Forged Blades and Horseman Shields to maximise units' combat effectiveness. Once the player is fully prepared, they can build their fifth structure which triggers a 3 minute countdown to abandon the West-bank and return to the Ford.

**New Objective - Survive the second assault**

The 3 minute cooldown before the second wave arrives gives some additional time for the player to prepare and upgrade their forces, but they must pull any unit on the West-bank back to the Ford. When the assault begins, the Fords must be manned at all times - retreating and trying to hold the West-bank will start a timer for the Fords becoming overrun, which will result in mission failure if it reaches zero. Peasants can keep the Wildmen and Orcs locked in combat whilst Yeomen Archers shoot from a safe distance and cavalry (preferably in a command group for effective micromanagement) flanks around and charges into the side and rear of the enemy units whilst avoiding pikemen. After holding off this wave, Théodred will arrive with two battalions of Mounted Kingsguard. Grimbold and the rest of the player's army remain at the Fords whilst Théodred and his guards set off to confront Saruman at the gates of Isengard.

**New Objective - Send Théodred to the gates of Isengard**

The gates of Isengard are located on the West-bank, past the Wildman and Lumber Camps which the player can destroy if they did not do so before the second assault. Destroying the Wildman Camp is recommended as it reduces the size of the final assault later in the mission. Upon arriving at Isengard, Théodred is greeted by Lug the Mauled who has set a trap for the prince: surrounding him with Uruk-hai Pikemen that chase him back to the Ford.

**New Objective - Retreat to the Fords**

The Uruk-hai Pikemen deal significant damage to Théodred and his guards if charged into, they must be evaded to prevent failing the mission due to Théodred dying. The player must navigate their way back to the Fords carefully as the Uruk-hai have blocked off pathways and are in spearwall formation.

**New Objective - Hold the Fords of Isen**

Upon returning to the Fords, the Isengard assault resumes. Use the same approach to defend the Ford as with the last assault: hold the line with Grimbold and infantry whilst flanking and charging vulnerable targets with Théodred and cavalry. After killing sufficient enemies, a cinematic plays: the Wildmen and Orcs are commanded by Móg, an Uruk-hai Man-slayer, who watches over the battle from an eyot.

**New Objective - Kill Móg**

Théodred is unhorsed and accompanied by three individual Kingsguard; they must fight their way across the battlefield to reach Móg and his guards. Móg and his guards are durable and deal high damage - it is important to save some spellbook powers, such as Hide!, You Can Go No Further and This Day We Fight to debuff and stun the enemies whilst buffing Théodred. Théodred can also be healed if he reaches low health. Once Móg is killed, Théodred himself is mortally wounded by an Uruk Axeman in a cinematic.

With Théodred incapacitated, Grimbold assumes command of the defence of the Fords - more hordes of upgraded Wildmen and Isengard Orcs arrive and begin to overwhelm the defenders. That is, until the timely arrival of Elfhelm and Erkenbrand joined by Riders of Snowbourn and Westfolders. With these reinforcements, the Wildmen and Orcs are successfully driven back and the battle is won. However, Théodred dies from his injuries and the mission is completed.