Isildur

* Portrait
* Ingame

"It has come to me, the One Ring. It shall be an heirloom of my Kingdom. All those who follow in my bloodline shall be bound to its fate, for I shall risk no hurt to the Ring. It is precious to me, though I abide it with a great pain. The markings upon the band begin to fade. The writing, which at first was as clear as red flame, has all but disappeared - a secret now that only fire can tell."
—The Account of Isildur, SA 3434

Isildur was the son of Elendil, the High-King of Gondor and Arnor. He marched against Sauron as part of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, lead by Gil-galad and Elendil. In the decisive battle of their war against Sauron, the Dark Lord killed both Gil-galad and Elendil before Isildur took up his father's sword Narsil and cut the One Ring from Sauron's finger - destroying his physical form and robbing him of much of his power. Elrond, the herald of Gil-galad, lead Isildur to the Cracks of Doom and ordered him to destroy the Ring and end Sauron's evil forever; but the hearts of men are easily corrupted and Isildur claimed the Ring for himself.

This proved to be his undoing, when a few years later Isildur, his son Elendur and their men were ambushed and massacred by Orcs at the Gladden Fields. Isildur attempted to escape by fleeing via the Anduin whilst concealed by the Ring, but he was betrayed by the Ring when it slipped off his finger - revealing him to the Orc Archers patrolling the river bank. Thousands of years later, Isildur's Heir, Aragorn, would reveal himself and the newly reforged Narsil (now Andúril) to Sauron, to buy enough time for the Ring's destruction by Frodo Baggins.

In Age of the Ring, Isildur is a hero exclusive to the Lord of the Rings Campaign who appears in the Last Alliance and Council of Elrond missions.

## Abilities

**Heir of Númenor** - Anárion, Elendil's firstborn heir, fell early in the War of the Last Alliance. So it was that Isildur, his younger brother, took over his command. Isildur was a mighty warrior and had previously proven his skill and endurance during the final days of Númenor. Allies near Isildur gain +33% Damage, +33% Armor, and earn experience 50% faster. Passive ability.

**Level 2: Shard of Narsil (R)** - Isildur gains +100% Damage and +100% Armor as he takes up the shards of his father's sword. Left click to activate.

## Strategy

Isildur should be used to target particularly dangerous enemies that could inflict severe damage to the players army, such as Olog-Hai and Nazgûl. His **Shard of Narsil** ability allows him to dispatch these foes in a 2-3 hits and rapidly grants him experience so that he becomes more durarable. Along with the other heroes in the Last Alliance mission, Isildur buffs nearby troops so that they are able to outmatch the Mordor hordes, even when thoroughly outnumbered. Isildur is critical in the mission's confrontation with Sauron as **Shards of Narsil** is the only effective way of dealing damage to the Lord of the Ring before he decimates the player's entire army. During his appearance in the Council of Elrond mission, Isildur is only playable when during the final stand at the banks of the Anduin. When Isildur reaches low health, he puts on the Ring and disappears, leaving Elendur and the remaining men to be killed by the attacking orcs.