Morgul Pikemen

* Portrait
* In Game
* Upgraded
* Spear Wall

"There was a dull clang. The gates of Minas Morgul had closed. The last rank of spears had vanished down the road. The tower still grinned across the valley, but the light was fading in it. The whole city was falling back into a dark brooding shade, and silence. Yet still it was filled with watchfulness."
—The Two Towers, The Stairs of Cirith Ungol

The orcs of Minas Morgul differed from the rest of their orc brethren: they were similar to Men in stature, exhibited greater discipline and were loyal to the Lord of the Nazgûl. A great host of these orcs marched from the Dead City and laid siege to Minas Tirith. Commanded by their cruel lieutenant Gothmog, the Legions of Morgul set the White City ablaze and breached its gates before the timely arrival of the Rohirrim.

In Age of the Ring, Morgul Pikemen can be used by the player in 2 ways. They can be used by any Forces of Darkness faction if they can capture an Auxiliary Camp on a map in the region of Mordor. Alternatively, they can be temporarily summoned by Gothmog via his Form Ranks, Maggots! ability for 90 seconds. At level 3, Gothmog summons one battalion but can summon two battalions once he reaches level 7. The two variants are statistically identical and serve very similar roles with only slight variations.

## Abilities and Formations

**Pikes in Front! (W)** – The units form a spear wall. Units lose 40% speed, gain resistance to knockback, decelerate crush, and gain +30% armor.

**Sorcerous Steel** – Melee attacks decrease enemy armor by 15% for 5 seconds. Debuff does not stack with itself. Passive ability.

At Rank 4, Morgul Pikes receive Mark of the Dead City, gaining +25% damage. Passive ability. *(Auxiliary Camp-recruited variant only)*

**Form Ranks, Maggots!**- Morgul Pikemen grant +15% damage to nearby Orc Archers. Passive ability. *(Temporary summon variant only)*

## Upgrades

**Cruel Blades (C)** - When equipped, increases damage dealt by melee weapons. Cost: 250

**Banners of the Red Eye (V)** – When equipped, increases this battalion to level 2. Cost: 100

NOTE: Both of these upgrades are available for the Auxiliary Camp-recruited variant only.

## Strategy

There are two ways to obtain Morgul Pikemen. The first is to capture an Auxiliary Camp in the Mordor region. The Morgul Pikemen are the Pikemen equivalent to the Legions of Morgul, being a worthy mid-late game Pikemen unit who come pre-equipped with Heavy Armor and can be equipped with Cruel Blades. The Morgul Pikemen are much easier to access in comparison to the Legions of Morgul, only requiring a player to maintain control of an Auxiliary Camp. They are also much cheaper to purchase, only costing 450 resources and requiring 60 CP for a comparable unit. The Morgul Pikemen have access to **Sorcerous Steel** which reduces the armor of their targets, making them more vulnerable to attacks in general. They also get a noteworthy damage boost at level 4 that further increases the danger they pose to cavalry, monsters, and heroes. Thus, the Morgul Pikemen serve as both an excellent alternative to and/or partner alongside evil factions’ other Pikemen units, although they arguably work best in Mordor thanks to Gothmog’s Orc-specific leadership.

Morgul Pikemen can also be summoned temporarily by Gothmog’s **Form Ranks, Maggots!** Here, they serve as a temporary bolster to Mordor’s already numerous hordes. Although the Pikemen summoned by Gothmog do not get access to Forged Blades and cannot get the +25% damage from **Mark of the Dead City** due to their temporary nature, they make up for these deficiencies by having the additional benefit of buffing Orc Archers which are already strong in large numbers. They can also be summoned at opportune moments such as when Mordor’s archers are out of position and vulnerable to incoming enemy cavalry. Players must be wary when playing against Mordor while Gothmog is on the battlefield as they can easily lose their cavalry to a well-timed Morgul Pikemen summon.