Gondor Fortress

* Normal
* Banners of the White Tree
* House of Healing
* Bulwark of the West
* Flaming Munitions
* Númenórean Stonework
* Tower of Ecthelion
* Expansions

### Upgrades

Banners of the White Tree, House of Healing, Bulwark of the West, Flaming Munitions, Númenórean Stonework, Tower of Ecthelion

### Bonus

n/a

"Have you seen it Aragorn? The White Tower of Ecthelion, glimmering like a spike of pearl and silver. Its banners caught high in the morning breeze"
—Boromir

Towering over the rest of Minas Tirith was the Tower of Echthelion. This great structure was 3000 feet tall and contained the throne of Gondor as well as the Palantir of Minas Anor. The white banners of the Steward of Gondor waved from the battlements although this was replaced by the livery of Elendil when Elessar became King. Below the tower lay the seven layers of Minas Tirith, a heavily guarded city and fortress against the darkness of Mordor.

The Gondor Fortress is the central building of both the Gondor faction as well as its Adventure: Grey Company subfaction. It allows heroes and builders to be recruited, provides multiple defensive bonuses and allows the spellbook powers to be used.

## Upgrades

The Fortress can be improved with the following upgrades:

**Banners of the White Tree (W)** - Allies near the fortress gain +33% damage, +33% armour and earn experience twice as fast. Reduces hero cost by 10%. Reduces hero recruit time by 10%. Reduces builder cost by 20%. (cost: 500)

**House of Healing (E)** - Reduces hero revival cost by 20%. Reduces hero revival time by 20%. Heals nearby allies. (cost: 1000)

**Bulwark of the West (R)** - Unlocks the Stalwart Defense ability. Can be used to summon two battalions of Citadel Guards to defend the fortress. (cost: 1500)

**Flaming Munitions (T)** - Adds fire damage to all attached towers and trebuchets. (cost: 1500)

**Númenórean Stonework (S)** - Increases fortress and wall armour. Prerequisite to Ivory Tower. (cost: 1500)

**Tower of Ecthelion (D)** - Provides Palantír of the White Tower power and allows recruitment of Fountain Guard. Increases fortress vision range. (cost: 1000)

## Expansions

The Fortress can also have the following expansions on the surrounding build plots:

**Wall Hub (W)** - Allows wall building (cost: 250)

**Arrow Tower (E)** - Short range defensive tower. Benefits from the Flaming Munitions upgrade. (cost: 400)

**Trebuchet (R)** - Long range defensive weapon. Benefits from the Flaming Munitions upgrade. (cost: 600)

**Solemn Statue (T)** - Fountain Guards will defend the statue and attack nearby enemies. (cost: 500)

## Function

The fortress shoots at nearby enemies and periodically produces +25 resources.

### Recruitment

 Fountain Guard | Heroic

All of Gondor's permanent heroes other than Imrahil and Elessar can be recruited here as well.

For the Adventure: Grey Company subfaction specifically, the Fountain Guard heroic unit is replaced with The Grey Company instead:

The Fortress allows for the recruitment of several of the subfaction's heroes including Imrahil, but others must be recruited from the Dúnedain Gathering instead.

### Abilities

**Stalwart Defence (T)** - Requires Bulwark of the West upgrade. Summons two battalions of Citadel Guards for 60 seconds. Left click icon then left click on target area.

**Palantír of the White Tower (D)** - Requires the Tower of Ecthelion upgrade. Reveals the entire shroud for 30 seconds. Detects stealthed units.

## Strategy

As with all fortresses, the Gondor Fortress is vital to the Gondor player's gameplay. Without it, builders and heroes are unable to be recruited, spells are unable to be used and the player would lose a vital defensive structure. The building is therefore an important target for any enemy forces, making the defensive upgrades and expansions very useful.

The Gondor Fortress is unique by providing access to the Fountain Guard, a powerful heroic pikemen battalion with a variety of useful skills. In the Adventure: Grey Company subfaction, the Fortress instead allows for the recruitment of The Grey Company, a versatile Heroic unit whose skills are focused on supporting others. **The Palantír of the White Tower** power is also very powerful, enabling the player to spy on enemy forces for half a minute. This can allow them to prepare for attacks and adapt their strategy to fit the enemy's. As it reveals stealthed units, the power can also be used to find Gollum where ever he is on the map. **Stalwart Defence** can be cast to temporary bolster Gondor's base defence with two units of elite Citadel Guard which remain on the battlefield for 90 seconds.