Gothmog

* Portrait
* Ingame
* Mounted

"The age of Men is over. The time of the Orc has come."
—Gothmog

Gothmog was the orc Lieutenant of Minas Morgul in command of the front line throughout the Siege of Minas Tirith.

Despite being a crippled veteran, he was a particularly sadistic orc who reveled in the fear of the defending Gondorians - he gave the order to launch the heads of Gondorian prisoners into the city and instructed the Morgul host to butcher indiscriminately once the city's gates had been breached by Grond. After the Witch-king had been defeated, Gothmog was left much in command of the remaining forces. Wounded yet surviving the charge of the Rohirrim, he met his end at the hands of Aragorn and Gimli, who unknowingly saved Éowyn from being killed by the orc.

In Age of the Ring, Gothmog is a Mordor hero recruited from the Mordor Fortress, once the Morgul Sorcery upgrade has been researched.

## Abilities

**Mount/Dismount (W)** - Left click to toggle between on foot or mounted on warg.

**Time of the Orc (R)** - Orcs near Gothmog gain +33% Damage, +33% Armor, immunity to Fear and Terror and earn experience 50% faster. Passive ability. At rank 5, can be activated to call down a barrage of severed heads into a targeted area, dealing poison damage. Left click icon then click on target area.

**Level 3: Form Ranks, Maggots! (T)** - Summons a horde of Morgul Pikemen around Gothmog. Morgul Pikemen grant a small damage boost to nearby Orc Archers. At rank 7, summons an additional horde of Morgul Pikemen. Left click to activate

**Level 6: Master of Siege (C)** - Modifier Type: Spell. Grants a targeted Catapult a permanent increase in damage and reload speed. Left click icon then left click on target.

**Level 10: Into the Fray (V)** - Allied units in a wide radius gain +15% movement speed and +50% damage for 30 seconds. Left click to activate

## Strategy

Gothmog is an excellent support hero to orc units because of his fear and terror resistance as well as damage and armour buffs, at later levels he is excellent at helping siege units take down bases quickly as a result of his **Master of Siege** buff. He is also required in order to unlock Grond, which is Mordor's most powerful and durable siege option. **Form Ranks, Maggots!** can serve to bolster Mordor's already sizable numbers with powerful pikemen which buff Orc Archers in addition to Gothmog's own buffs; a well-timed use of this summon can be the bane of the enemy's cavalry. **Time of the Orc** offers both offensive and defensive utility, giving leadership and Fear/Terror resistance to orcs, while the active portion is useful for causing a clumped enemy army to cower in fear and take poison damage over time. It should be used carefully, however, as the shower of poisoned skulls can damage your own units as well. Gothmog's leadership is not just limited to orc units, as **Into the Fray** also buffs Mordor's Evil Men units and so Gothmog continues to be useful in the late game. If the Mouth of Sauron is level 8, you can use his **Lieutenant of Barad-dur** to reset Gothmog's skills as all of them have active timers that would greatly benefit from an instant refresh, especially **Into the Fray.** In combat, Gothmog can be used to flank and harass the enemy when riding his warg - allowing him to trample archers and quickly escape. He is not particularly proficient at fighting and so may be better suited at the back of the army to buff friendly units and cast his abilities once he has leveled up.