King Dáin

* Portrait
* In Game

"'I grieved at the fall of Thorin,' said Gandalf; 'and now we hear that Dáin has fallen, fighting in Dale again, even while we fought here. I should call that a heavy loss, if it was not a wonder rather that in his great age he could still wield his axe as mightily as they say that he did, standing over the body of King Brand before the Gate of Erebor until the darkness fell.'"
—The Return of the King, Appendix A

Following the death of his cousin Thorin, Lord Dáin Ironfoot was crowned King Under the Mountain. During his reign, Erebor and Dale prospered, and the Dwarves maintained a close bond with the Men of Dale, who were ruled by King Brand by the War of the Ring. Dáin refused to parlay with messengers of Mordor who wanted information about Bilbo Baggins and the One Ring and so Erebor became one of Sauron's many targets in Middle-earth. Dáin sent Glóin and his son Gimli to the Council of Elrond to represent him and seek advice about the threat of Mordor. Sauron eventually sent an Easterling army to lay siege to Dale and Erebor; despite his old age King Dáin fought bravely and defended the body of his friend King Brand at the gates of Erebor before he too fell. His son, Thorin III Stonehelm successfully rallied the Dwarves taking refuge in the Mountain and drove off the Easterling forces once they learned of Sauron's defeat in the south.

In Age of the Ring, King Dáin is the faction leader of Reign of Ironfoot Erebor and its Adventure: Durin's Folk subfaction.

*For his temporary summon variant in the Adventure: Dorwinion subfaction, see the King Dáin (Adventure: Dorwinion) page.*

## Abilities

**King Under the Mountain** - Modifier Type: Leadership. Allies near King Dáin gain +75% armor and resistance to fear and terror. King Dáin gains +33% attack damage when near King Brand. Stacks with Buffs and Spells. Passive ability.

**Level 3: The Red Axe (R)** - Modifier Type: Spell and Active Debuff. Targeted friendly units gain +33% damage and armor for 30 seconds. Targeted enemy units suffer -25% damage and -20% armor for 30 seconds. At Level 6, targeted friendly units gain +50% damage and armor for 30 seconds. Left click icon then left click on target units.

**Level 5:** **Mighty Veteran (T)** - Heals nearby allies and fully refreshes their special ability timers. Left click icon then left click on target area.

**Level 7: King's Messenger (C)** - Target allied hero is immune to damage for 15 seconds. Target enemy hero is unable to attack for 15 seconds. Left click on icon then left click on target hero.

**Level 10: Final Stand (V)** - King Dáin gains +75% armor and deals splash damage for 30 seconds. Temporarily summons two battalions of Ashâmar-sharâhul.

## Strategy

Compared to his younger counterpart, King Dáin acts as more of a support hero that can withstand large amounts of damage before dying. His abilities reflect this as they act to buff allied troops and debuff enemy troops. **The Red Axe** can grant allied units a powerful temporary buff while also weakening foes, its effects scale in strength as King Dáin levels up and reaches rank 6. **Mighty Veteran** is best used in combination with the faction's other hero powers to give them an additional usage, for example, having two heals with Glóin or having multiple destructive powers with Gimli. **King's Messenger** allows Dáin to support heroes even further, allowing then to escape from combat safely. It can also be used to counter enemy heroes that would normally deal heavy damage with their attacks. Upon reaching level 10, King Dáin can act as an incredible tank when using his **Final Stand** ability - he can hold off vast numbers of enemies for an extended duration whilst bolstering the player's army with two powerful battalions of Iron Hills Guards.