Haradwaith Fortress

* Normal
* Threat of Mordor
* Subjugation: Nâfarat
* Subjugation: Near Harad
* Subjugation: Mahûd
* Hegemony
* Expansions

### Upgrades

Threat of Mordor, Subjegation: Nâfarat, Subjugation: Near Harad, Subjugation: Mahûd, Hegemony

### Bonus

n/a

"And Sauron gathered to him great strength of his servants out of the east and the south; and among them were not a few of the high race of Númenor. For in the days of the sojourn of Sauron in that land the hearts of well nigh all its people had been turned towards darkness. Therefore many of those who sailed east in that time and made fortresses and dwellings upon the coasts were already bent to his will, and they served him still gladly in Middle-earth."
—The Silmarillion, Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age

In times past, Sauron held dominion over many of those south of Mordor. When it came to rebuilding his forces in the Third Age, he sent the Third of the Nine to these lands to remind them of their true master. Hoarmurath went to the Golden City of Abrakhân, turning the ruins into a dark fortress, even as he spread his command across the various peoples of Harad and Umbar. Those that resisted his rule were crushed mercilessly. Soon, the people of Harad were reminded of the dark will of Sauron and prepared for the upcoming war.

In Age of the Ring, the Haradwaith Fortress is the central building of the faction. It allows heroes and builders to be recruited, provides multiple defensive bonuses and allows the spellbook powers to be used.

## Upgrades

**Threat of Mordor (W)** - Modifier Type: Passive Debuff. Nearby enemies suffer -25% damage and -20% armour. Reduces Hero cost by 10%. Reduces Hero recruit time by 10%. Reduces cost of builders by 20%. (cost: 500)

**Subjugation: Nâfarat (E)** - Provides healing to nearby troops. (cost: 800)

**Subjugation: Near Harad (R)** - Permanently decreases build time of Harondor units by 20%. Allows Tribal Camps to summon Harondor units. Adds fire damage to all attached towers (cost: 1000)

**Subjugation: Mahûd (T)** - Prerequisite to the Hegemony upgrade. Permanently decreases cost and build time of Mûmakil units by 20%. Allows the Fortress to temporarily summon an Oliphaunt. (cost: 1500)

**Hegemony** **(S)** - Requires the Subjugation: Mahûd upgrade. Increases fortress armour by 65%. Reduces recruitment cost of Corsairs and Black Númenórean units by 15%. Unlocks Sauron's Reward. (cost: 2000)

## Expansions

**Domed Spire Expansion (W)** - Short range defensive tower (cost: 400)

**Catapult Expansion (R)** - Long range defensive weapon (cost: 600)

**Den of Scorpions Expansion (E)** - Guarded by scorpions that attack nearby enemies (cost: 600)

## Function

The Fortress shoots at nearby enemy units and periodically produces +25 resources.

### Recruitment

All of Haradwaith's heroes can be recruited from the Fortress as well.

## Abilities

**Summon Oliphaunt (T)** - Requires the Subjugation: Mahûd upgrade. Temporarily summons an Oliphaunt. Left click on icon then left click on target area.

**Sauron's Reward (S)** - Requires the Hegemony upgrade. Permanently empowers targeted hero with +25% armour and +25% damage. Does not work on the Golden King or Zigûr. Does not stack\nLeft click on icon, then left click on target hero.

## Strategy

As with all fortresses, the Haradwaith Fortress is vital to the Haradwaith player's gameplay. Without it, builders and heroes are unable to be recruited, spells are unable to be used and the player would lose a vital defensive structure. The building is therefore an important target for any enemy forces, making the defensive upgrades and expansions very useful.

With the upgrades of the fortress symbolising the Golden King's continual subjugation of Harad, many of them allow for certain subfactions strategies to be boosted in turn. **Subjugation: Near Harad** makes it easier to recruit the Harondor infantry and cavalry, allowing for a smoother progression into the mid-game, while also improving the faction's map control by giving additional unit options to the Tribal Camp. **Subjugation: Mahûd** does the same with the expensive Mûmakil units. The Oliphaunt is a large monster unit which can scatter and offense if the opponent is not prepared for it. **Hegemony** boosts late game strategies focused on the Umbarian units, while also improving defence of the fortress and allowing heroes to be permanently boosted in the late game. **Threat of Mordor** and **Subjugation: Nâfarat** both focus on the defence of the base, allowing enemies to be weakened while allies are continually healed, while also making heroes cheaper to recruit. The Haradwaith has three expansions, each able to counter enemies of different types and at different ranges.