Lothlórien (Dominion of Sauron)

"I know what it was that you last saw," she said; "for that is also in my mind. Do not be afraid! But do not think that only by singing amid the trees, nor even by the slender arrows of elven-bows, is this land of Lothlórien maintained and defended against its Enemy. I say to you, Frodo, that even as I speak to you, I perceive the Dark Lord and know his mind, or all of his mind that concerns the Elves. And he gropes ever to see me and my thought. But still the door is closed!"
—Fellowship of the Ring, The Mirror of Galadriel

The Golden Wood has long been a sanctuary for the Silvan Elves east of the Misty Mountains. The Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel are among the chiefest of Sauron's enemies and so eliminating them would be a great step in Sauron's conquest of the North. A foul host marches forth from Dol Guldur, led by Sauron's lieutenants, with the goal of setting the city of Caras Galadhon ablaze.

Lothlórien is the first mission in the Dominion of Sauron Campaign. It is recommended that the level is played as Dol Guldur.

## Guide

**New Objective - Cross the river & destroy the treehouses**

The mission starts with the player on the eastern side of the river, they begin with Mouth of Sauron, Khamûl and a Nazgûl as well as several Tethered Shades to begin construction of a base and army. The Elves will not attack during this point of the mission and so it is advised to stay put and build up a sufficient army consisting of Risen Dead, Orc Ravagers, Tomb Guard and Blighted Trappers, as these will be the most effective once combat has been entered. It is also advised to continue building Tethered Shades from the Fortress, as forward bases are invaluable at keeping the flow of units coming in the later stages of the mission.

As the player's army approaches the river bank, they are ambushed by a small Elven force consisting of Lórien Wardens, Lórien Archers and Scouts of Nimrodel. The player's mounted heroes can trample the Pathstalkers with ease and gain a lot of experience whilst the rest of the army swarms the Scouts. Once these enemies have been killed the player is able to cross the river which is held by Haldir and various Lórien Archers and Wardens. Once again, the heroes can be used to deal with the archers by trampling them whilst Dol Guldur's units dispatch the Wardens; Haldir flees further into the woods when he is sufficiently wounded. There are two treehouses which can be destroyed easily by Ravagers and Trappers.

**New Objective - Destroy the heart of Lothlórien, Caras Galadhon**

**Bonus Objective - Save all three Mountain Giants**

The city of Caras Galadhon is found in the north-west part of the map, the player must fight their way through the Elven defences to reach it. Along the way, they will encounter three Mountain Giants which have been captured by the Elves; they can be freed by killing the units defending the Giant. It is recommended to save all three Giants as they will prove highly useful in the attack on Caras Galadhon. The player is confronted by Haldir and various other defenders, including Rumil and Orophin, twice more. Haldir is able to escape again in the second encounter but is slain in the third.

It is important to continue recruiting Shades to build forward Guldur Gaols and Slave Mills to sustain unit and resource production, whilst decreasing the distance units must travel before entering combat. This is vital as Caras Galadhon itself is heavily defended by upgraded Sentinels of the Silver Tree wielding both bow and sword, Celeborn and Galadriel. It is recommended to focus on the Elven heroes first before dealing with the defending units - Celeborn is slain by the hordes of Dol Guldur but Galadriel is able to flee to safety. The players forces must destroy the Elven structures and Caras Galadhon itself to complete the mission.